Chicken saltimbocca skewers with white bean puree

February 14, 2013February 7, 2016 Belinda

8 x 4 to 5 ounce boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets, trimmed
24 fresh sage leaves
1/2 cup store bought semi dried tomatoes
24 slices of prosciutto
olive oil, for brushing
rocket (arugula) leaves and lemon wedges for serving
White bean puree (see below)
1 regular can white Cannellini beans (16 oz) drained and rinsed
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp finely grated lemon rind
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and black pepper

8 to 10 skewers, soaked inwater for 1 hour

To make the white bean puree, put the drained and rinsed beans, garlic, lemon juice and rind, olive oil, salt and pepper in a food processor and process until a smooth paste forms. Set aside.

Place the chicken pieces between two sheets of plastic wrap. Using a meat mallet, flatten the fillets until 1/4 inch thin at the most.
Cut the chicken pieces into three until you have 24 equal sized pieces. Place 1 sage leaf and 1 tomato on each piece of chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roll up to enclose.

Wrap each chicken roll with a slice of prosciutto.
Thread three chicken rolls onto each skewer and brush with oil.
Preheat a chargrill pan or barbeque to high heat and cook the skewers for 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve with the white bean puree, rocket and lemon wedges.

Baking · Do-ahead

Espresso chocolate chip cookies

February 14, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

Oliver made these yesterday to take to work. They really were great and the espresso just enriched the cookies without a strong coffee flavor.

Makes about 36 small cookies.

8 oz (2 sticks) good European butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar
1/2 tsp good quality Vanilla Extract
1 tbsp espresso powder plus 1 tbsp boiling water
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup chocolate chips, again, good quality ones

Firstly, add the boiling water to the espresso powder and set aside until tepid.
In a stand mixer, beat the butter and confectioners sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes.
Beat in the vanilla and tepid coffee mixture, then reduce the speed to low and add the flour, mixing only until it disappears into the dough. Don’t over mix.
Fold in the chocolate chips with a large spoon or spatula.
gather the dough and place in between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll the dough into a rectangle shape that’s 1/4 inch thick.
Refrigerate the dough, flat, for at least 2 hours. You can put it onto a cookie sheet to keep it flat so it doesn’t break or bend.
After the dough is firm, preheat the oven to 325 F. Cup the dough into 1 1/2 inch squares or circles.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until they turn golden brown around the edges.

Gluten Free · Poultry

Turkish chicken with orange and warm spices

February 14, 2013February 7, 2016 Belinda

This dish is incredibly scented and layered with such lovely spices like coriander, cinnamon and orange. It is very easy to make and really doesn’t take very long to prepare.

Serves 4

2 oz butter
2 tbsp olive oil
8 good sized chicken thighs, seasoned well with salt and pepper. (I used boneless, skinless)
2 thin-skinned oranges, unpeeled, halved and sliced into thin wedges
2 large red onions, halved and cut into wedges
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small red chile, halved, deseeded and finely chopped
3 good tsp ground coriander
1 long stick cinnamon, snapped in half
3 -4 oz raisins, soaked in boiling water for 30 mins then drained
juice of 1 large orange
6 -7 fl oz good chicken stock
2 tbsp thyme honey (I could only find sage honey, but I don’t think it matters as long as it’s great quality)
a small handful of fresh mint leaves
Greek plain yoghurt

Heat the butter and oil in a shallow casserole and brown the chicken thighs on each side.
Lift out the browned chicken and set aside on a plate.
Add the red onion and orange to the pan and saute for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the garlic, chile, dry spices and raisins and cook for a further 3 minutes.
Pour on the orange juice, stock and honey.
Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes.

Put the chicken and juices back in the pan, cover and cook in the oven preheated at 300F for 30 to 45 minutes OR keep on a low flame and cook for 20 to 25 minutes.
Check the seasoning, scatter the mint over the top and serve with Greek yoghurt and cooked rice.

Pasta · Vegetarian pasta

Lemon, dill and parsley orzo

February 11, 2013January 28, 2023 Belinda

This is a great and tangy side dish to fish or chicken. Serves 2 generously and 4 small portions. (I usually double the recipe for 4 people)

1 cup orzo pasta
2 tbsp each of chopped fresh dill and parsley
3 tbsp chopped scallions (green onions)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 heaped tsp grated lemon rind (you may like more)
2 tbsp lemon juice (you may like more)

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the orzo for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender but firm, drain well.
Toss with dill, parsley, onions, oil, lemon rind and lemon juice.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
This is best served immediately. For a make-ahead version, make this with rice instead of orzo.

Baking · Do-ahead · Nuts

Walnut and olive mini breads

February 11, 2013September 9, 2022 Belinda

These are irresistible!!

Makes about 45

For the Dough:

3+1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra if needed
Pinch of salt

2 & 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup corn or olive oil

4&1/2 oz unsalted butter, softened at room temperature (it should be really soft to touch)

2 tbsp apple cider or red wine vinegar

1 cup plain yoghurt

1 cup finely (but not too finely) chopped walnuts (you should feel the bite)

1 cup pitted sliced black olives (Kalamata)

To Glaze

1 egg yolk, beaten

Preheat the oven to 375 F . Lightly grease the bottom of a large baking sheet.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the oil, butter, vinegar and plain yoghurt. Stir to mix. Add the walnuts and olives and stir to combine.

In a medium bowl combine the flours, salt and baking powder. Stir to mix.Add the flour mixture to the walnut/olive mixture. if the dough is sticky, gradually add more flour and knead the dough until it is tender and pleasant to the touch but not too tight or sticky.

Taking a little at a time, shape into balls about the size of a big whole walnut.

Arrange the balls on the prepared baking sheet. Brush their tops with the beaten egg yolk.

Bake until golden, about 40 minutes.

Bring to room temperature before serving.

The inside of these mini breads should appear moist, it’s normal!