TAMARIND CHICKEN WITH ZUCCHINI

The inspiration for this dish was a recipe by Benedetta Parodi.  She marinates the chicken breast escalopes in soya sauce, Worcester Sauce, vinegar and Szechuan pepper and I found some of the steps in her recipe a bit fiddly.  Besides, the last time I was in Catania I found some tamarind paste [which I had been missing for years] and I wanted to use it! Benedetta serves her version on individual plates, all pretty and restaurant-style but I have plonked everything together.

First, get the butcher to cut one chicken breast [if you are in Italy] or two [if you are in the UK]* into very thin escalopes.  Marinate these in a mixture of 2 tablesp tamarind paste, 1 tablesp white wine vinegar, 2 tablesp olive oil and a grinding of mixed peppercorns.  If you can leave them to marinate in the fridge overnight, so much the better.

When you are nearly ready to cook the chicken, cut four large courgettes into lengthwise slices as thinly as you can. Cook the slices in boiling, salted water for about 10 mins.  Drain them and rinse with cold water, then put them in a serving bowl, dressed with a little salt and 2 tablesp olive oil.

Halve a few datterini or cherry tomatoes and marinate with a little salt, the juice of 1 lemon and 1 tablesp olive oil in another bowl.  [Benedetta blanches, peels and cuts normal-sized tomatoes in half, then dices the flesh but I couldn't be bothered to do that.]

Now drain the chicken escalopes and pat as dry as you can with kitchen paper. Cook them, one or two at a time, in 2 tablesp olive oil on a ridged griddle pan [about a minute each side].  As they are done,put them on kitchen paper.

To serve, put the cooked escalopes on top of the dressed zucchini, drain the tomatoes and use to garnish, sprinkling some lemon zest over.

This dish tastes good cold, too!

*because of the way they are sold in the two countries.