This recipe comes from Signora Serafina Giannalia of Palermo, who made an unplanned stay in a Sicilian fracture clinic unexpectedly entertaining. Her family fed and fussed over me, wanted to know whether I knew Wayne Rooney and the Queen, and what I thought of Camilla. I asked if they knew the difference between the Sicilian mother and the Jewish mother. The former says to her children: "Eat up or I'll kill you!". The latter says: "Eat up or I'll kill myself". They liked that and said if I didn't include this recipe in my next book, I'd end up swimming with the fishes.
You could use turkey or veal instead of chicken, without risking Mafia-style retribution.
Serves 6
Ingredients
● 6 chicken escalopes or breasts, coated in egg and matzo meal (or breadcrumbs)
● 4 tbsp olive oil
● 4-5 shallots
● 12 cherry tomatoes, halved
● 2 oranges - one juiced and the other cut in thin slices.
● Dried oregano
Method
● Chop the shallots and fry in oil in a large pan over medium heat until soft.
● Stir in the tomatoes, then remove the vegetables from the pan.
● Add a little oil to the pan and fry the escalopes until brown on each side. Arrange the vegetables back around the chicken.
● Add the orange juice to the pan, and lay the orange slices on top of the meat. Sprinkle with a little oregano, salt and pepper.
● Cover and cook on a low light for about 10 minutes until the meat is cooked through.