Sorrento Style Chicken Scaloppine

To make the tomato sauce: heat the oil in a shallow pan and gently cook the onion and garlic until soft. Add the tomatoes and half the basil and cook quickly over a fierce heat until most of the juice has evaporated. Put through a food mill, season and add extra basil. (You can use a food processor, but it tends to turn the sauce an orangey colour.)

To make the chicken: heat the oil in a shallow pan and lightly cook the seasoned slices of chicken breast. Arrange chicken in a large, shallow baking dish, adding the pan juices, and put a basil leaf on top of each piece. Next add a slice of mozzarella and spoon a little fresh tomato sauce over the cheese. (Keep remaining sauce in the refrigerator and use to flavour some pasta at a later date.) Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and place in a really hot oven for five minutes or until the cheese melts. The meat will become dry if overcooked, so don’t be tempted to leave it longer.

Serve immediately.