Filetti Di Pollo alla Sophia

     I came across this recipe while working in a northern Italian restaurant several years ago.  I never did  find out which Sophia this recipe was named after.  Sophia the movie star is a fairly safe bet.  This recipe was originally made veal.  The alla Sophia preparation is nice with chicken too. 

     Very few Italian fine dining restauants have chicken on the menu.  In the old days of Italian fine cooking there was no refrigeration and chickens used to hang on hooks in the open air.  Chicken was not exactly fresh by the time that the afternoon dinner was served.
     Many of the great Italian chefs that I worked with with, would make a "yucky" looking facial expression when chicken was requested.  Those Italian chefs liked to cook eggs and not chicken.  Even though chicken is fresh in American markets, most Italian fine dining chefs prefer not to offer chicken on a menu.  In fact, most fine dining restaurants of any kind do not offer chicken as a menu item.  
    
     Filetti Di Pollo alla Sophia Recipe:
     Trim the fat off of a 6 to 8 ounce chicken breast filet.
     Butterfly cut the chicken breast open.
     Cut the butterflied chicken breast into 2 thin filets.
     Peel the skin off of an eggplant.
     Cut two 1" thick slices of peeled eggplant.
     Dredge the 2 chicken breast filets and the 2 eggplant slices in flour.
     Dip the filets and eggplant in egg wash.
     Dredge the egg washed chicken breast filets and eggplant in flour.
     Heat a saute pan over medium heat.
     Add 1 generous splash of olive oil.
     Add 3 pats of unsalted butter.
     Saute the coated chicken breast filets and the coated eggplant slices on both sides, till the chicken is more than halfway cooked.
     Be sure to flip the chicken and eggplant a few times, so they cook evenly.
     Season with sea salt and white pepper.
     Remove the chicken and eggplant from the pan.
     Pour the excess grease out of the pan.
     Return the pan to medium heat.
     Add 1 small splash of olive oil.
     Add 1 clove of chopped garlic to the pan.
     Saute till the garlic turns a golden color.
     Return the chicken and eggplant to the pan.
     Add 1 cup of dry white wine.
     Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
     Simmer and reduce the sauce, till it becomes a thin sauce consistency.
     Be sure to flip the eggplant and chicken occasionally, so they do not brown.
     Add 1/4 cup of milk.
     Add 1 cup of cream.
     Reduce the temperature to medium low heat.
     Simmer and reduce the sauce slowly, till it becomes a medium thin cream sauce consistency.
    
     Assembly:
     Place the 2 chicken filets on a plate.
     Place the 2 eggplant slices on top of the chicken filets.
     Pour a generous amount of the sauce over the eggplant and chicken onto the plate.
     Serve with a vegetable of your choice.
    
     This is a nice delicate flavored Italian entree!  Chicken breast Sophia is a favorite of the ladies.  The tomato cream sauce tastes nice with chicken and eggplant!  Yum!  Ciao Baby!  ...  Shawna