Chicken Amogio and Eggplant Parmesan

This last week we had some grilled chicken that one of my friends told me about. It is marinated in a sauce called amogio. He is a St. Louis Italian so I suppose the recipe comes from there.

Amogio Sauce

10 Sprigs of mint, 5-6 chopped and the remainder tied together as a brush
1 clove of garlic
1/2 t Salt
-- grind the above together in a mortar/pestle --

1 Tbs Katsup
1/2 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice from 1/2 a Lemon
1/2 t Pepper

Chop the chicken up into cubes and marinate in a portion of the sauce in a ziplock bag overnight. The next day grill the chicken, using the mint leaf 'brush' to baste the chicken. We served it with red onion and green pepper that were brushed with the marinade as well.

One of my favorite dishes is eggplant parmesan. This time I made the chicken and the wife made the eggplant.

Eggplant Parmesan

1-2 eggplants
Olive oil
Flour
1-2 eggs, beaten
Shredded parmesan and mozzarella cheeses
Basil
Parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste

Marinara:
28oz can whole tomatoes
2 strips bacon
1 small onion
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
Basil, salt and pepper to taste


Cut eggplant into ½ inch slices and place in a bowl of salted water for one hour to eliminate bitterness. Prepare a simple red sauce by frying 2 strips of bacon. Remove bacon and discard or feed to your family canine. Saute onion and garlic in the bacon grease and add a 28oz can of whole tomatoes. Use a potato masher to crush the tomatoes well. Season with basil (about 1 tsp. or to your individual taste) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the eggplant from the salt water and pat dry. Dredge in beaten egg, then flour. Fry in olive oil until golden brown on both sides. Grease a shallow baking dish and layer eggplant, marinara, sprinkle with parsley and basil and top with cheese. Repeat layering until you have used all ingredients. Place dish in a 400 degree oven uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown on top. Periodically spoon off excess liquid during the baking process.