Chicken Sorrentino Fusilli

I was really excited about this one. A big fan of the television show Cake Boss, I was intrigued to see that Buddy Valastro was going to host a cooking show called Kitchen Boss. Though not Italian myself, my Italian roots run deep, so I tuned in to see if he could cook as well as he bakes. He can.

This dish was one of the first ones on the show and it's exactly the kind of dish that would normally intimidate me. Lots of pieces to fit together, different preps, etc. But in reality, it's just a big combination of things and preparing it was easier than I expected.

I will note the use of eggplant in the recipe. I've eaten my fair share of eggplant in Italy and while it's not my all-time favorite vegetable, I have enjoyed it in many forms. In particular, I've had some wonderful Lasagne alla Melanzana, a vegetarian lasagne that looks and tastes like the real thing. (In case you are wondering, I love meat). So I thought I would give it a shot, knowing that in February, eggplant might be hard to find. I went to the store expecting to have to substitute something like beans or zucchini, but was pleasantly surprised to find eggplant there for me to buy.

There are three main components to this dish. First is the pasta. Buddy used fusilli, a curly pasta that holds its sauce well. I didn't have any, but we had rotini, which did just as well. The sauce was store-bought, which almost is a sin in our house (my wife is Italian and makes all her own pasta sauces), but it called for marinara, not a meat sauce, so I bought a garlic pesto marinara and it turned out fine.

The second is the eggplant. I sliced mine a little too think, in retrospect, but the breading and frying turned out nicely. My daughter didn't like the taste or texture at all, and the general consensus was to substitute something else next time. No problem - I would use zucchini and still bread and fry it.

Finally, the chicken. I used my George Foreman grill and thought it came out ok. I think I just should have cooked it in a pan, as it turned out a little chewy for my tastes, but overall, everything came together nicely. I substituted sliced ham for prosciutto (I couldn't see buying four slices of real prosciutto, from a grocery store deli person that probably doesn't even know what real prosciutto is).

In the end, it made a nice meal (I doubled most of the recipe for my family as it's really designed to feed two people) with leftovers for the next night.

Ingredients:

2 halves, boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 clove crushed garlic

1 small eggplant (1 lb or less)

2 thin slices prosciutto (I used sliced deli ham)

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

2 large eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced (I used grated)

2 Tbs. grated parmesan

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt

2 cups marinara sauce (your choice)

1/4 pound fusilli pasta (again, your choice)

Fresh basil (hard to find in winter)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil. Turn to coat with the garlic. Let rest.

3. In a sauce pan, heat the marinara.

4. Peel the eggplant and slice into 1/4 inch rounds. Place the flour, breadcrumbs, and eggs into three separate shallow bowls. Beat the eggs. Dip each piece of eggplant in the flour, then coat in egg, before covering in breadcrumbs. In a skillet over medium heat, with 1/4 cup oil in it, fry the eggplant until just brown on each side. Place eggplant on a plate lined with a paper towel and sprinkle lightly with salt.

5. Heat a grill or pan and cook chicken breasts until each side is marked but not cooked all the way through.

6. In a bowl, toss the pasta with 1/2 the sauce, coating it well. Top with parmesan. Spread in the bottom of a small, oiled baking dish. Place the chicken pieces on top of the pasta. Top each piece of chicken with a slice of prosciutto, followed by the slices of eggplant, and the mozzarella.

7. Bake for 10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Top with remaining sauce, a little parmesan, and basil.

Verdict: Hit (with slight adjustments to fit the season and family preferences)

Score:

Hits - 3

Misses - 4