Aubergine ‘Al Funghetto’
with Grilled Butterflied Chicken
Patrick first tasted this dish when arriving in the beautiful hilltop village of Grottaferrata, just south of Rome and asked a local chef to show him the recipe. It’s another example of that wonderful Italian ability to let a few fantastic quality ingredients speak for themselves and the addition of parsley gives it a sublime, fresh dimension. Rumour has it the aubergine tastes akin to a type of mushroom, which may explain why it is called ‘al funghetto’ despite being totally mushroomless!
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Boxes and ingredients are packed in facilities that handles Peanut, Nuts, Sesame, Fish, Crustaceans, Milk, Egg, Mustard, Celery, Soya, Gluten and Sulphites. Due to the war in Ukraine, it has been necessary to substitute sunflower oil with rapeseed oil in some products without a label change. The FSA have advised that allergic reactions to rapeseed oil are rare.
Ingredients
2
Garlic Clove
1
Cherry Tomatoes
3
Flat Leaf Parsley
1
Aubergine
(May contain traces of: Celery)
1
New Potatoes
½
Chilli Flakes
2
British Chicken Breasts
½
Lemon
Utensils
Cooking Instructions and Tips
Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees and boil a pot of water for your new potatoes. Peel and finely dice the garlic. Chop the cherry tomatoes into quarters. Finely chop the parsley.
Cut your aubergine in half lengthways and cut each piece in half lengthways again. Remove the spongy white part in the middle and discard (just like the picture left). Slice each strip in half lengthways once more (so you have eight strips in total). Now dice the aubergine.
Cook your potatoes in the boiling water with ¼ tsp of salt for around 10-15 mins, then drain and keep to one side with a lid on. Tip: They are done when you can slip a knife through them.
Place your hand flat on top of the chicken breast and slice through the middle to open it up like a book. Repeat for your other chicken breast. Once you have ‘butterflied’ the chicken breasts, put them on a baking tray. Coat each breast in 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Grate over some lemon zest and a tsp of lemon juice and cover the tray with tin foil (if you have some).
Pop your chicken breasts on the top shelf of the oven and cook for around 15 mins, until they are no longer pink in the middle.
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add your aubergine and cook for 5 mins, then add a pinch of chilli flakes (or more if you’re brave!) and the garlic and cook for a further minute. Add the cherry tomatoes and continue to cook them for about 10 mins until they are nice and soft. Add a tbsp of water every few mins to stop them drying out.
Lastly, stir your chopped parsley and the potatoes through the aubergine mixture and serve your chicken on top. Buon appetito!
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