Hot Chicken Sandwich

You will need

1 large sheet greaseproof paper
chicken breasts
baguette or other fresh bread
oil, for cooking
optional
ingredients		 spices and herbs
(e.g. smoked paprika, or chilli, or grated lemon peel with fresh thyme, etc.)
guacamole
mayonnaise
salad

Method

  1. Get out a large sheet of greaseproof paper.  Put the breasts in the middle.
  2. Season them and sprinkle with the spices or herbs.
  3. Cover the top of the breasts with the rest of the greaseproof and bash with a rolling pin.  This makes the breasts thinner, so they cook more evenly and quickly.  Tenderised meat also releases more flavour when cooked.  Move the meat around to make sure it picks up all the flavouring.
  4. Add a teaspoon or two of oil to a non-stick pan (more if it isn’t non-stick) and fry on a medium high heat until golden on each side (about 5 mins each side).
  5. To make sure it is cooked, take it out of the pan, and cut through the middle with a sharp knife.  If it is white all the way through it is ready.  If it isn’t, put it back and turn down the heat slightly.
  6. Slice it and put in a baguette with some guacamole or mayonnaise, and some salad.

Roast Summer Vegetables

Ingredients

1 garlic bulb separated into cloves and skinned
2 lemons cut into small wedges
4 tbsp olive oil
3 large red peppers deseeded and cut into chunks
3 small red onions cut into wedges
4 large courgettes cut into wedges
200 g packet feta cheese crumbled into chunks
400 g can chickpeas drained
crusty bread to serve

Method

  1. Toss the whole cloves, peppers, onions and courgettes into the olive oil, and put into a roasting tray.
  2. Roast in the oven for an hour at 200℃.
  3. Add the feta, chickpeas and lemon wedges to the roasted veg and cook for 10-15 mins, to warm through in the oven.

Serve with crusty bread to soak up any juices.

Stuffing

You will Need

1 packet sausage meat
1 onion
8 cm bread fresh or dried
mixed herbs ideally sage and thyme
optional
ingredients		 lemon zest
chopped dried apricots or
small chunks of apple

Method

  1. Make the bread into breadcrumbs, either using a food processor or a grater.
  2. Chop and slice the onion and mix into the breadcrumbs in a large bowl.
  3. If using dried breadcrumbs, add a few tablespoons of water, oil, chilli or cranberry jelly or stock to freshen it up.
  4. Add the sausage meat and a teaspoon or two of herbs (less if dried, more if fresh).  Optionally, add the apricots or apples (apples and/or apricots go especially well with pork, lemon and thyme with chicken).
  5. Mix together thoroughly - ideally with your hands, but a wooden spoon will also do the trick.
  6. Drop the mixture into a baking tray, and bake in the oven for 45 mins at 200°C.

Halfway through the baking stir the mixture to ensure it gets crisped evenly.  Alternatively, it can be stuffed into the meat to be roasted.  Stuffing baked inside the meat will be more moist and less crunchy than a mix baked loose.