Recipes

  • Smoked chicken salad

    Smoked chicken salad

    Here’s a life saver – a recipe of infinite variety and tastiness.


    Even over the last month, when time to spend on catering has been at a minimum, three different versions have emerged from the kitchen. The constants are a smoky flavoured bird (either chicken or quail, but duck would be great too), a mayonnaise-based dressing and Italian prosciutto or grilled pancetta. For ease butterflied and smoked quail or smoked chicken meat turn very nice tricks. If there’s time to cook, I’ll marinate chicken thighs in smoked paprika, olive oil, ground pepper and salt flakes and cook them in a single layer in a roasting pan for 25 minutes.

    Best’s Mayonnaise (the jar with the blue lid) is the best commercial preparation on the shelves. The smoky theme can continue into the dressing with the addition of smoked paprika as well as Dijon mustard and squeeze of lemon. At other times red pepper relish (available in jars) sparks up the humble bottled mayo.

    The choice of prosciutto (left in its natural state) or pancetta (grilled till crisp) will probably depend on ready availability. Either is delicious.

    Rocket usually gets a gig because it is the tastiest of all the green leaves with its nutty pepperiness. It has wintered over very well in the garden and now there are extra tasty and prettily veined flowers to sprinkle over the top. Sometimes waxy potatoes sneak into the salad, but only if I have time; ditto roasted and vinaigrette-dressed red pepper strips. A ripe avocado doesn’t go astray; neither do quarters of mini Roma tomatoes if there is no time to roast the peppers.

    Team up with 2007 Spring Vale Pinot Gris for a lively summer combination.

    The Recipe

    Smoked chicken salad (serves 2-3)
    1 large smoked chicken breast, cut into thin slices
    big handful rocket leaves, plus flowers if available
    8 mini Roma tomatoes, cut into quarters
    1 large avocado, cut into chunks
    8 thin slices pancetta
    Place a sheet of foil on a grill tray. Lay the slices of pancetta on top. Grill under high heat, turning once until the pancetta is golden on the edges. Cool on paper towel. As the pancetta cools it will crisp up. Break it up into pieces with your hands.
    Toss together the smoked chicken, rocket leaves, tomatoes, avocado and pancetta.
    Sprinkle the salad with the rocket flowers if available. Drizzle with the mayonnaise dressing and serve at once.
    For the mayonnaise dressing:
    half cup Best’s Mayonnaise
    1 tsp Dijon mustard
    one-quarter tsp Spanish smoked paprika
    generous squeeze lemon juice
    Mix all together and thin with a little hot water so that it is a fluid, dolloping consistency.

  • Black eyed beans & sausage

    Blackeyed beans & sausage

    Black eyed beans are great little folk of the pulse family. They have real character – an attractive earthy yet savoury flavour – and because they’re quite small they respond quickly to a short soak in lukewarm water followed by a relatively short cooking time.

    Buy the beans from a busy supplier who moves stock quickly. ‘Fresh’ rather than stale beans will cook far more quickly. Mine were done in barely 45 minutes after an hour’s soak which is pretty good compared with cannellini beans that can take much longer.

    Find a tasty cured sausage, Italian or otherwise, as this will be the robust flavour note in the dish. Spicy chorizo is good, the chilli lift complementing the beans and tomato most agreeably. Chilli is not uncommon in Italy, particularly in southern or eastern parts. The Abruzzi region (on Italy’s eastern coast) favours quite a bit of chilli in various dishes, as do the Romans and others further south who have come under Spanish and Moorish influences. Those plain eaters the Tuscans would approve of the rustic beans but be more inclined to use a much milder sausage. The choice is up to you.

    The slightly medicinal, bitter tang of sage combines nicely with the hearty beans, sausage and tomato. Here it is used in two guises – a sprig of fresh leaves cooked with the beans and extra leaves fried off until crispy as a last minute addition. Try with a juicy Italian red like Il Nero di Casanova />

    The Recipe

    Black eyed beans with sausage and tomato (serves 3-4)
    200g dried black eyed beans soaked in plenty of lukewarm water for at least half an hour
    large sprig sage leaves
    1 tbsp olive oil
    Drain the beans of their soaking water and then place in a large pot with the fresh sage, olive oil and enough water to cover well. Bring to a simmer and cook until tender – start checking at the 40 minute mark. Drain, reserving a cup of cooking liquid for later use. Discard the sage. You can store the beans in the fridge at this point if that is convenient.

    2 tbsp olive oil
    2-3 fat chorizo or other sausages, cut into thick oblique slices
    1 large onion
    2 cloves garlic
    400g tin Italian chopped tomatoes and their juice
    salt and pepper
    cooked black eyed beans (as above)
    reserved bean cooking liquid
    12 whole sage leaves, fried in olive oil until crispy and drained on paper towel

    Heat the olive oil in a large fry pan and fry the sausage slices for a few moments until lightly coloured. Remove. There will be some tasty scrapings in the pan so cook the onion and garlic gently in the remaining oil (without cleaning the pan) for about 8 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the tomatoes and juice and season with salt and pepper. Cook for a minute or two. Add the beans and sausage and stir around well. Add about half a cup (to start with) of the bean cooking water and simmer for a minute for all the flavours to meld. Add more liquid if necessary. Lastly stir in the sage leaves. Serve immediately. This bean stew keeps well in the fridge.

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