Smorgasbord Blog Magazine – The Food and Cookery Column with Carol Taylor – Chicken Kiev Multi-coloured Chicken Breast and Apple and Mulberry Crumble.

Chicken Kiev, Multi-coloured Chicken Breast and Apple and Mulberry Crumble.

Having made some lovely Salmon burgers and knowing that many of you are experiencing some BBQ weather my plan was to give you some lovely burger recipes…Both family favourites and a couple of new ones…That plan was soon scuppered as I could not get burger buns anywhere…

Many of my images have for some reason become corrupted so the plan was to make some more and take new images the torrential rain and lack of burger buns put paid to that…

Having described what I was doing to hubby and the fact they contained lots of his favourite things his little face when I come home minus the buns was one of disappointment…

Next time dear friends…So for now it will be a family favourite Chicken Kiev…

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless chicken breasts
• 125 gm dried breadcrumbs
• 50 gm parmesan cheese grated
• 2-3 egg beaten(depending) on size
• 50 gm flour
• Pinch paprika pepper
• Oil for frying
• For garlic butter:
• 6-8 cloves garlic finely chopped or crushed
• 150 gm butter
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• Juice ½ lime/lemon

Let’s Cook!

Place all the garlic butter ingredients in a bowl and season well. Mash with a fork until well combined, shape into a sausages using cling film to help you shape it, then tightly wrap and chill or freeze until really firm. It can be made up to 3 days in advance. When firm, slice each into 4 even pieces.
Lay a chicken breast on a chopping board and use a sharp knife to make a deep pocket inside the breast. The easiest way is to push the point of a knife into the fat end, keep going halfway into the fillet. Be careful not to cut all the way through or the butter will leak out when cooking. Repeat with the remaining breasts.
Push 2 discs of butter inside each chicken breast, press to flatten and re-seal with your hands. Set aside.
Mix the breadcrumbs and Parmesan on one plate, and tip the eggs onto another. On a third plate, mix the flour with paprika and some salt.
Dip each breast in the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs, repeating so each Kiev has a double coating (this will make them extra crisp and help to keep the butter inside).
Chill for at least 1 hr before cooking,

To cook, heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat.
Fry the Chicken Kiev’s for 2-3 mins each side until golden – you may need to do this in batches.
Transfer to a baking tray and cook for 20-25 mins until cooked through.
Although I like Chicken Kiev I didn’t fancy one so instead I made slits in my chicken breast and filled the slits with sliced tomatoes, courgettes and yellow peppers…

Carol’s multi coloured chicken breast.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 courgette, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced into half-moons
• 2 medium tomatoes, halved and thinly sliced into half-moons
• 1 yellow bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish

Let’s Cook!

Preheat oven to 400°.
Make slits in each chicken breast, being careful not to cut through completely, and stuff with courgette, tomatoes, bell peppers, and red onion.
Drizzle with oil and season with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with mozzarella.
Bake until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside, 25 minutes.
Garnish with parsley before serving.
Serve with potatoes of your choice and salad or steamed vegetables.

I really liked the chicken breast cooked this way…it was lovely and moist and I cheated a little and cooked it in the same pan as the chicken Kiev so it was a little garlicky as well…I couldn’t eat the whole breast so everyone got a little taste and declared it a winner and could they have it next time…

I served mine with saute potatoes cooked in garlic (of course) and some rosemary sprigs.

Then to top it all the internet went down…Again…It has been one of those days …So I thought as they were disappointed I would make a pudding…

Yes, everyone from she who doesn’t cook desserts hardy ever…A dessert!

I have always cooked dishes like crumble the way my mum always did but for once I thought I would try something new and deconstruct it!

The original crumble is lovely but you always get that bit between the fruit and the crumble which goes soggy…Don’t you??

Here goes!

Ingredients for the topping:

• 50 gm butter
• 50 gm flour
• 50 gm sugar
• 50 gm ground almonds.

Fruit compote.

• 2 apples peeled and cored, sliced.
• 2 cups of mulberries
• 1/2 – 1 tbsp sugar.

Let’s Cook!

Put the apples and mulberries in a saucepan with 1/2 tbsp sugar and gently heat until the juices start to flow add a little water if required cook gently until the apple breaks down and is soft. The apples I get here are dessert apples so are quite sweet so I don’t add very much sugar…If you are using cooking apples then sweeten accordingly… I would use Bramley Apples in the UK…I miss my Bramley apples.
Rub the butter into the flour then add the sugar and the nuts. Spread the mixture out on a baking tray and pop in a preheated oven on 180 degrees for 10- 15 minutes.
Stir once or twice to get an even golden colour. Watch it carefully as I …Yes, I did! I burnt the first batch I made so now I watch it very carefully… Then break up any large lumps.
Then assemble the fruit and crumble mix in layers…

I am so pleased I tried the crumble mix this way and it can also be varied you can use brown sugar and any type of flour you like. I mixed almonds and a few walnuts in the second batch I made and I might add cinnamon when I make it next time especially if I use just apples.

You can also make any amount as long as all the measurement is equal. The topping has a nice sort of soft crunch to it …It would also be nice served with custard, cream or ice cream…Even my dairy free cream would go very nicely…

So that is my deconstructed crumble…

That is all for today I hope you all have a lovely week…Thank you so much for reading this post and if you make recipes or have any questions please ask…Carolx

About Carol Taylor

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetables ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use have to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology: https://www.amazon.com/Phuket-Island-Writers-Anthology-Stories-ebook/dp/B00RU5IYNS

You can find out more about Carol and catch up with her Food and Cookery Column HERE

Connect to Carol via her blog: https://carolcooks2.com/

I don’t know about you but that crumble sounds like it would be great about now with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream…..thanks to Carol for creating such delicious recipes.