Chicken Escalope with Eggplant & Mozzarella

This recipe came out of a cookbook The Dad got me called Mozzarella.  He bought it pre-kids, when food prep time and plate presentation was only lacking because of work or traffic, not little people hanging off my legs.  The photography in it is amazing.  And Every. Single. Recipe. calls for fresh mozzarella.  I know!

This recipe is actually supposed to be made with veal, but I chose to substitute chicken breasts.

Here's the recipe with my notes:

Veal Escalope with Eggplant and Mozzarella

4 veal escalopes (I used two large chicken breasts, pounded thin and cut into four servings)
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour (I didn't need this much)
5 Tbsp olive oil
Dash white wine
1 medium eggplant (I only used half of one)
Buffalo mozzarella, sliced
Fresh tomato sauce (see recipe)
Basil for garnish

Coat veal escalopes (or chicken) with a light dusting of flour.  

Fry on both sides in a little of the olive oil.  

Add the white wine to hot pan.  

Remove from heat and set aside.  

(I cooked my chicken in two batches, then put it all back in the pan before adding the wine.  I used about 1/4 cup.)

Slice eggplant lengthwise and fry in remaining olive oil until golden on both sides.

Remove from pan.

Place a slice of eggplant on each piece of veal (or chicken).

Arrange mozzarella slices on top.

Put under a preheated broiler for a few minutes until the cheese has melted.

Remove from oven, spoon tomato sauce on top and garnish with basil.

Tomato Sauce

(Feel free to substitute your favorite recipe, or use a jar of store-bought - I won't tell.)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 C peeled and chopped tomatoes (I used a 15 oz can of diced)

salt and pepper

I added in a few of my own seasonings as well.

Heat the oil in a pan and saute onion with garlic until golden.  

Add tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste, and cook for about 20 minutes.

We had a simple romaine salad with Caesar dressing and tomato bread alongside.

You can find the recipe for the bread here.

 Here's dinner on my plate:

The kids were not even a little bit excited about the eggplant.

The Dad and I, on the other hand, enjoyed every single bite.