Chicken rolled up

I am always looking for ideas on how to use chicken for a dinner party but make it look expensive and restaurant style. It's not that easy but not too difficult either. I always use images for my Facebook updates and while looking for a particular image online I came across a food photo with a chicken dish where the breast was rolled up with some kind of stuffing. My braincells did some overtime and I went to the shop to find anything I could stuff a chicken breast with. I have to admit, I found it in Tesco - they had a special offer for sausages as part of their Irish Home Grown campaign and I opted for the Garlic & Basil sausages, got some extra basil and went home with some chicken breasts.

I have cooked rolled up chicken before but stuffing was chicken meat (I know, not very adventurous) so making a full stuffing for it was a new one to me. I wanted it to look like the photo - elegant and sliced and arranged on a bed of something (I couldn't identify what the photo had so decided on a leek risotto) - so the stuffing couldn't be crumbly but I didn't want it too smooth either - I still wanted texture.

Most stuffings start with breadcrumbs and I just made breadcrumbs from my bread that went a bit stale. I decided to fry the sausage meat so that some of the fat would soak out and also, to avoid becoming pasty in the stuffing. The result was fantastic although had to cook it twice as I didn't rest the chicken after being rolled up and it fell apart. Also, the sauce needs to top the chicken or you will have to turn it a few times to avoid the top drying out. But I have to say, I would be happy seeing this dish in any restaurant :-) Chez Elke (blowing my own trumpet)

Chicken Roll

4 chicken breasts, skinned and boned
4 garlic & basil sausages (or any other good quality sausages)
handful of fresh breadcrumbs
Grated Parmesan cheese (use to taste)
handful of basil, chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
a dash of Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 tsp harissa (I used my own one, it's optional)
Olive oil

For the sauce

2 tbsp butter
50g bacon, chopped 
2 shallots( quartered)
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
2-3 tbsp plain flour
600ml chicken stock
2 tbsp tomato puree 
1 tbsp Sherry 
Seasoning
 
Leek Risotto to serve


Skin the sausages and fry the sausage meat in a non-stick pan over a medium heat until the fat starts to leak and the sausage meat starts to brown slightly. Remove from pan and drain on paper towel. Set aside and cool. 

Butterfly each chicken (click here to watch how to butterfly a chicken breast - easier than to explain it). Place it between 2 sheets of cling film. Using a meat mallet (flat side), pound the chicken breast to a bit less than 1cm, taking care not to break the meat. 

Combine the cooked sausage meat with the breadcrumbs, herbs, Parmesan, Harissa and Worcestershire Sauce and mix well. Be careful with adding any additional seasoning as you got quite a bit going on here. Lay each chicken breast on a piece of clean cling film with a short end facing you. Spread 1/4 of the filling over the centre of each chicken breast, making sure not to spread it too close to the edge. Starting with the side closest to you, roll the chicken up around the filling, making sure to pull the clingfilm tight. Roll all the way up, making sure that the filling doesn't squeeze out. When completely rolled up, tie the clingfilm tightly up so that you end up with a sausage form. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to ensure that the form has set. You can also do this the day before. 

While the chicken is in fridge, prepare the sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan. Fry the bacon for a few minutes, you don't want it to get crispy. Add the chopped vegetables and continue to cook for a further 5-6 minutes just until everything starts to turn a golden colour. 

Stir in the flour and cook, stirring all the time, for a few minutes until the 'rawness' is gone from the flour and it starts to turn brown - making sure not to burn the mix. Remove the pan from the heat and start adding the stock, stirring all the time until the flour has dissolved. Return to the heat and bring to a boil, stirring until the sauce thickens. Add the tomato puree and the Sherry, season to taste. Reduce the heat and gently simmer for 40-60 mins. Stirring occasionally. The sauce can be made ahead for up to 3 days. 

Strain the sauce through a sieve, squeezing the vegetables to get all the flavour. 

Pre-heat oven to 160C

Take the chicken out of the fridge and remove the clingfilm. The chicken should hold its shape. Oil an oven-proof dish and place the chicken rolls in it. Drizzle with olive oil and rub the oil all over to make sure that the chicken is moist. Place the dish into the oven and roast for about 10 mins. Pour the sauce over the chicken. If it doesn't cover the chicken whole, you will have to turn it halfway through the cooking process. Bake for 10 mins. Remove from the oven and slice each roll into 4 slices. 

Served arranged on a bed of leek risotto or plain rice. 

Bon Appetit

Grapefruit Slices

This is a great standby recipe when you have some grapefruit (also lemons & oranges) laying around that need using up. It is also a wonderful treat for a Sunday afternoon (in my house they won't lat much longer anyway). The recipe is divided into 2 with the base bakes first and then a second time with the topping. Sounds more complicated than it actually is. You might need to add more sugar if using lemons but grapefruit and oranges should be sweet enough for the amounts given below. As always, please let me know if you tried it and what you thought. 

Grapefruit Slices

• 225g plain flour
• 50g icing sugar
• 175g butter
• 
  
• 4 eggs (medium)
• 400g caster sugar
• 25g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• zest of 1 large grapefruit (more if you like more citrus flavour)
• 50ml fresh grapefruit juice
• Icing sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 160c (fan)/180c/gas4

Sift the flour and icing sugar into a bowl and rub in the butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. This step is very important to ensure a good base for the slices. If you leave large knobs of butter in the mix, you will end up with a crumbly base. Stir in 1tsp water and mix well with a fork or knife. Form a ball. Press the mixture evenly into a 33x23cm baking tin (I used baking paper on the base of the tin). 

Bake for 15-20 mins until lightly browned (you want a pale golden colour). Remove from the oven and leave to cool. 

In the meantime, make the grapefruit mix by beating together eggs, caster sugar, flour, baking powder, juice and rind in a bowl until well combined. Make sure that the zest is evenly distributed through the mix. Pour the mix over the baked base. Return to the oven and bake for about 25 mins until set. 

Place the baking tin on a wired rack and leave to cool. Once cooled, remove from the tin and cut into square and dust with icing sugar. 

Bon Appetit

Slow cooked Pork - 3 meals in 1

Wonderful pork sandwich on homemade onion bread

Sunday Dinners are still the best way of spending time with family and last Sunday was such a day. The wind was throwing itself around the cottage and we lit the fire quite early in the day - the perfect day for a warming slow cooked dinner. A butcher in Douglas had pork neck on offer and although it was a big piece of meat, I planned ahead and was already seeing three different dishes developing in front of my eyes.

Pork neck has a lot of flavour but needs to be cooked on a slow to medium heat for several hours to make sure it is tender. I marinated the meat with a nice mix of lemon, sage, thyme and garlic - massaged it  into the meat to ensure that the different flavours mingled nicely with the meat. This marinate combined with the slow cooking resulted in a lovely rich winter dish that made the people around the table very happy indeed.

As I wanted a traditional Sunday Dinner feel to the occasion, I served the meat with roasted potatoes, yorkshire puddings, honey roasted carrots & parsnip, steamed cauliflower & broccoli and made a hearty gravy from the juice, enriched with stout. The kitchen was warmed just from the cooking (ok, I also made a bread, dessert and baked a Christmas Cake - I have several ovens). In the end, I had my Sunday Dinner Day and everyone was enjoying the meal and we had time to catch up properly on the week - Little Miss Sophie thought she was eating chicken and who was I to tell her differently especially as she was asking for seconds (she is almost 3).

The other 2 dishes???? Very simple, with the leftovers we had lovely pulled pork sandwiches the next day (filled with lettuce, brie and spiced plum chutney) and another hearty dish of casserole with carrots, parsnip, onion, garlic, stock and of course the leftovers of the meat...... as I still had some of the stout left, I added it for good measure. The sandwich had the 'gourmet' feel to it that you are so often missing when buying an overpriced 'Gourmet Sandwich' and the casserole warmed the heart and belly on an even wetter Monday night..... so for €14 I fed 4 people on a Sunday, 2 people for Monday lunch and 2 hungry eaters on Monday evening - oh and yes, we gave a large piece of cooked meat to Noel & Andrea to take home with them.... I call that a bargain.

Slow cooked Pork Neck

 

• 3kg Pork Neck (if you like to follow the 3-1 meals)
• 1/2 lemon
• Handful sage & thyme, finely chopped
• 4-6 cloves of garlic, slightly crushed
• 3 onions, peeled and quartered
• 3 bay leaves
• 500ml chicken stock, hot
• 250ml stout
• 1 tbsp butter

Marinating the meat adds a different dimension of flavour

Preheat the oven to 200C. 

Mix the herbs, garlic and a teaspoon of lemon juice well, if you have a mortar and pestle, pound it to a paste. Rub the mix nicely all over the meat and massage it nicely in. Place the quartered onions in a roasting tray. Quarter the half lemon and add to the onions together with the bay leaves. Place the meat on top of the onions. Now pour in a cup of water, cover the roasting tin with tin foil and place in the hot oven for about 10-15 mins. After that, reduce the heat to 140C and leave to cook for 5 hours. From time to time, check if there is still enough liquid in the roasting pan and baste the meat with the juices. 

30 mins before end of roasting time, remove the tin foil and return to the oven to get a bit of colour on the meat - you might need to baste a few times to keep the meat moist. 

Succulent pork - perfect Sunday Roast

The result should be a succulent piece of meat that almost falls apart when handling it...... remove from the roasting tin, place on a warmed plate and cover with tin foil and set aside to rest. Pour the juices from the roasting tin into a clean saucepan, making sure to get all the tasty bits from the meat. Bring to the boil (if there is just a bit left, add chicken stock) and reduce by half. Add the stout and let reduce by half again. Add the butter and swirl until melted and well combined with the sauce. Strain through a sieve and keep warm until needed. Slice the meat - you might even want to shred it with the fork - it will be tender and soft. Serve with potatoes, veggies and and the gravy.



Bon Apetit

Toad in the Hole without the Toad

This is a vegetarian version of Toad in the Hole and a great standby recipe if you have lots of people coming over or want to use up the garden produce from your kitchen garden. You can use almost any vegetables - the more colours you are using the more attractive the dish looks. You can do the same with apples as a dessert version, add a bit of cinnamon then. I like the batter to be soft but it is up to you how browned you like this. I served this dish at the last Kitchen Garden Workshop I was hosting @ The Cottage with Kitty Scully and it went down a treat - not a crumb was left over. Fresh salad with a light dressing is the perfect partner for these slices.

• Mixed vegetables, like peppers, onions, courgettes, mushrooms - sliced or chopped (big chunks)
• 1 egg
• 100g plain flour
• 180 - 200ml milk
• 1-2 tbsp Thyme, leaves
• 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
• salt & pepper
• 5 tbsp Sunflower Oil

Pre-heat the oven to 180C. Prepare the vegetables - slice the courgettes in 4mm slices, half the mushrooms if they are big otherwise keep them whole, remove the seeds from the peppers and cut into large strips, peel the onions and cut into large chunks. Place the vegetables into a roasting tin with the sunflower oil and toss the vegetables so that they are nicely coated with the oil. Roast for about 15 mins, turning once. In the meantime, combine the egg, flour and milk and whisk until smooth and has the consistency of thick cream. Add the herbs and stir through and season to taste. Remove the roasting tin from the oven -  make sure that the oil is really hot, pour over the batter and return immediately to the oven. Bake for about 30 - 40 mins until the batter has puffed up and is baked through. Sprinkle some fresh herbs over, cut into nice handy slices and enjoy. This is also handy for lunchboxes as it tastes also great at room temperature.

Mr T. called this Elkelicious :-) 

Dinner Party - Canapé, Cocktail & 1st Starter

Dinner parties are a great way of having friends over, enjoying great company, good conversation which can be louder than in a restaurant and you won't be kicked out before midnight...I love getting my friends together and just enjoy a relaxed evening. The success of the dinner depends on a few factors - not only the food but the entire atmosphere. Setting the table nicely, nice background music and a relaxed host are as important than great food.

I have my own little way of preparing for a dinner party - so the below is working for me, it might not work for you. The structure of my dinner parties is always the same - canapés & cocktail on arrival, starter, soup, main course, dessert, tea/coffee with homemade chocolates or biscuits. All that means that I might have to cook the whole day - especially since I cook everything from scratch but fear not, a lot of the dishes can be prepared in advance. Soups can be made a week in advance and frozen, same goes for pastry etc. I would recommend a timetable for beginners - tick off items as you go along.... trust me, it works.

Stuffed Mushrooms

Canapés can be easy things like stuffed mushrooms which I served at the last dinner party. I calculate 2 medium sized mushrooms per person. Brush the mushrooms clean, remove the stalk and with a small teaspoon scrape out the brown gills. Brush the outside of the mushrooms with melted butter. Now take a handful of breadcrumbs and out them in a bowl. Heat some of olive oil in a frying pan and add a chopped half onion and pan-fry until starting to brown (you can also add some crushed garlic). Pour the onions incl. the oil into the breadcrumbs and combine well - you want all the breadcrumbs moistened by the oil (add some melted butter if it is too dry). Now add chopped hazelnuts, chopped chives, grated parmesan and some seasoning. Combine well with the breadcrumb mix. Divide the mixture between the mushrooms and bake in a preheated oven at 160C until browned and cooked through (stuffing the mushrooms can be made a few hours in advance). Arrange nicely on a plate - maybe top each mushroom with some shredded Parma ham - and serve with a nice cocktail. This will entertain your guests until all guests have arrived and it gives you time to see to last minute tasks in the kitchen. If using Portobello mushrooms, you can use this recipe also as a first starter.

Since the weather was so beautiful and warm, I wanted to serve a cocktail that felt like summer. Puree a quarter of a watermelon in a food processor and pass through a sieve. Pour into a jug and chill until needed. That can be done a few hours in advance to give the juice time to chill nicely. When your guests arrive, pour watermelon juice into champagne flutes halfway and fill up with chilled prosecco - summer in a glass.

While your guests are enjoying the canapés and cocktail, check if the table is nicely set and start arranging the first starter. I have opted for a terrine last Friday - it is made the day before, doesn't need re-heating and looks impressive when served in slices on a bed of salad leaves and a light dressing. I always line a terrine tin with heatproof clingfilm to make it easier to remove the terrine from the form after cooling down.

Pork Terrine with Chicken

Pork Terrine with Chicken

250g bacon (enough to line a loaf tin)
4 small chicken breasts (skinned)
1/2 lemon - juice only
400g pork mince
1/2 onion, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
small bunch of fresh parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste
olive or sunflower oil
Preheat the oven to 160-180C

Line a 2 pound loaf tin with heatproof cling film (make sure it is heatproof otherwise it will melt into the terrine). Now take the bacon and stretch it with the back of a knife. Line the tin with the strips of bacon, making sure that there are no gaps. 

Take one of the chicken breasts and cut into thin strips, drizzle with lemon juice and set aside. Put the rest of the chicken into a food processor together with the pork and the chopped onion. Process until almost combined, now add the eggs, seasoning and parsley to the mix and process until combined. 

Spoon half the mix into the lined tin, scatter the chicken strips on top and spoon in the rest of the pork mix and level the surface. Knock the form a few times hard on the table/worktop to remove any air pockets. Oil a piece of tinfoil large enough to cover the top of the loaf tin and squeeze the tinfoil tight around the terrine. Place the tin into a roasting pan and pour boiling water to halfway up the sides of the loaf tin. Place into the preheated oven and bake for about 50 mins. 

Leave the terrine to cool in the tin. Take a tea towel and cover the terrine and place a heavy weight on it. This will ensure that the terrine doesn't fall apart when sliced later (in case there are still some air pockets). When completely cooled, remove the terrine from the form and place on an oblong platter. Serve sliced on a bed of salad leaves with a light dressing. 

Bon Appetit

Chicken & Rice One Pot

Sometimes you just need some comfort food without any hassle. One pot wonders are the best if you don't have much time and don't want the hassle of preparing and cleaning afterwards. This recipe is really easy - and even easier to adapt to your own taste. Add chopped carrots, coriander and more to create an individual dish. It bubbles away in the oven while you can relax with a nice glass of wine ...

Chicken & rice one pot

• Olive oil
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 8 chicken thighs (boned)
• 1 cup of peas,
• 350g easy cook rice
• 1.5 l chicken stock
• Parsley

Preheat oven to 180C.

In an ovenproof casserole dish, heat the olive oil and fry the onions until soft, adding the turmeric halfway through. Add the chicken pieces and cook for about 4 mins, browning all them all over. Add the rice and stock and bring to a boil. Add the peas and cover and place in the oven and bake for about 20 mins, check halfway through if you need more stock. Cook until the chicken is done and the rice is tender while the liquid has been absorbed.  Add the parsley and season to taste

Lambs Heart - Stingy Dinner

Mr T and I have sometimes the weirdest conversations, eg.

Mr T: Have you ever cooked lambs heart?
Me: Nope!
Mr T: Do you think you could make it tasty?
Me: Is that a challenge?
Mr T: hmmm yeap.
Me: Accepted!

And here is the result.

I went to my butcher (O'Flynns in Marboro Street) and true and behold, they stock lambs heart. The hearts are quite small so I got 2 and then the shock...... €1.20 for both..... not each, both..... Challenge to get a stingy dinner on the table was already won.... Mr O'Flynn cut the cavities for me to make one opening and off I went home to make a tasty meal out of these lovely hearts.

Obviously I was going to stuff the hearts but wanted something different from breadcrumbs and sausage meat... thanks God for my nicely filled pantry, I decided to make a stuffing out of breadcrumbs (you really do need them in a stuffing, right??), walnuts, slow roasted onions and mushrooms with Parmesan cheese and parsley. I served the hearts with steamed potatoes and roasted root vegetables.... and yeap, you guessed correctly - the challenge was won :-)

Little tip - if you want to serve this dish, just say it is lamb..... don't mention it is a heart :-)

This dish serves 2 people

Lambs Heart

• 2 lamb hearts, cleaned and cavity opened
• handful of fresh breadcrumbs
• knob of butter
• olive oil
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 100g mushrooms, finely chopped
• handful walnuts, chopped
• 50g Parmesan, grated
• 3 tbsp parsley, chopped
•  Mix of root vegetables

Preheat oven to 160C

In a frying pan, heat the butter and oil and add the chopped onions and mushrooms and slow cook until the water of the mushrooms has evaporated. Put the breadcrumbs in a bowl, add the onion/mushroom mix as well as the chopped walnuts, Parmesan and parsley. Season but keep in mind that the Parmesan is already salty. 

Stuff the hearts with the mixture. Place on a bed of mixed root vegetables, drizzle a bit of oil over it and place in the oven. Roast for approx. 45 minutes, basting in between to keep the meat moist. 

Bon Appetit

Apple & Rhubarb Muffins

Apples & rhubarb go together like sunshine and laughter, just perfect. We had some rhubarb in the garden the other day. What to make of it - I wasn't in the mood for another crumble. Searching through the pantry, I found some apples and of course apple & rhubarb crumble came to mind, I still wasn't not in the mood for crumble tho. I started to peel apples and rhubarb, threw all in a saucepan, added brown sugar and started to heat it up. Since I threw all together, the rhubarb started to fall apart and acted as a binder for the apple cubes, similar to the texture you have when buying a cherry pie in the states. The flavour was amazing so I wanted to use it. That's when I thought of muffins and this recipe was born. I may add that Mr T ate 4 in the first sitting :-)

Apple & Rhubarb Muffins (makes 12)

• 200g self raising flour, 
• 150g Unsalted butter, 
• 100g caster sugar, 
• 2 eggs, 
• 100ml milk, 
• 2 tsp vanilla essence, 
• 4 apples, 
• 4 large sticks of rhubarb, 
• 2 tbsp brown sugar,
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Peel and chop the apples and rhubarb. Place the fruit together with the sugar in a saucepan, and cook over a medium heat until the rhubarb starts falling apart. Add the cinnamon. Keep simmering until the apples have softened.

Pre-heat oven to 160c. In the meantime, melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat, stirring occasionally go prevent the sugar from sticking to the bottom. Sieve the flour into a mixing bowl. Combine the milk and eggs and add together with the melted butter to the flour. With a wooden spoon stir until combined but don't overbeat.

Place some muffin paper cases into a 12 hole muffin tin. Spoon one tbsp of batter into each case.  Top with a tsp or 2  of the apple and rhubarb mixture followed by another tbsp of batter mix. Bake  for about 15-20 mins or until slightly browned and baked through.

Chocoholic cookies

Mr T defending HIS cookies

 Cookies are a great standby for when you are feeling peckish, one of your nieces/nephews/kid's friends etc are calling over or if you have like me a Mr T living with you who is always asking 'do I smell chocolate?'... 

These cookies are dead easy to make, need a bit of chilling time and you can even invite any of the above to help you. Kids will love rolling the dough in the icing sugar and will love the look when they come out with their crackled top. A word of warning tho - these cookies are addictive to any chocoholic and have to be hidden..... Mr T even counted them in the tin so that I couldn't give any away. 40 cookies lasted not even 2 days. So you have been warned :-) These cookies taste great when they are still slightly warm, they will be soft and almost gooey but will harden to a nice crunch when cooled.

 Chocolate cookies

• 200g plain chocolate
• 90g Unsalted butter
• 115g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1tsp vanilla essence
• 215g plain flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 25 g grated plain chocolate
• Icing sugar for rolling

Melt the chocolate and butter over a low heat in a saucepan. Keep stirring until smooth.

Remove from heat. Stir in the sugar and keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Add the eggs - one by one - stirring well between each egg. Add the vanilla essence.

Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl, add the finely grated chocolate. Gradually add the melted chocolate mixture, in batches until well combined.

Cover the bowl with cling film and chill for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 160c

Cover 2 baking sheets with baking paper.

Put the icing sugar into a bowl. Using a spoon, scoop out walnut size pieces of dough a roll into a ball. Toss in the icing sugar, tap off excess icing sugar and place on a baking sheet. Space apart as the cookies will spread. Continue with the rest and bake  for about 15 mins until the top of the cookies is slightly set but still soft.

Remove carefully onto wired rack and leave to cool.

Makes about 40