Chicken Caesar Salad

First made by Caesar Cardini in Tijuana, Mexico on the 4th July 1924, allegedly. 

This version is egg-free and I have swapped the Romaine lettuce for baby mixed leaves. The next time I make this; I will be making it with limes, not lemons... apparently an error in translating the recipe from Spanish into English!

serves 2

300g chicken breast; sliced
100g pan de pueblo or ciabatta; sliced
2 sprigs of dried rosemary
olive oil
Maldon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

~70g mixed baby leaves and rocket

for the dressing
1x 125g pot of plain yoghurt
1 garlic clove
4 anchovy fillets
1 lemon; juice only
120ml olive oil; you want a 3:1 mix - oil to lemon juice
90g Parmesan; finely grated

1. Heat a griddle pan or any heavy bottomed pan. Drizzle in a little olive oil and sprinkle over a few fronds of rosemary.
2. Season the chicken and cook in the griddle pan over a moderate heat until they have nicely browned lines and no visible pinkness. This will take 3 to 5 minutes per side; depending on the thickness of your slices.
3. When the chicken is cooked; remove to one side.

meanwhile...

4. In a separate pan: drizzle in a little olive oil with another sprinkle of rosemary. Cook the bread slices until they are crisp and golden on both sides. Remove to one side.

now for the dressing...

5. Finely chop the garlic and anchovy together. Then, using a little salt and the side of the knife, crush into a paste.
6. Mix well with the remaining ingredients.
7. Break up the bread; roughly cut up the chicken, lay over the salad leaves, dress and toss...

Moroccan Chicken Tagine

This dish is normally cooked in a tajine: I cooked mine in my Creuset. 

Any wide bottomed pan with a tight-fitting lid will do; the shallower, the better.

serves 5+

3 tbsp olive oil

2 red onions; finely sliced, lengthwise

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3 cloves of garlic

1 sachet or ½ tsp saffron fronds

½ tsp Maldon sea salt

1 free-range chicken; jointed and breasts cut in two

2 preserved lemons

2 tbsp chopped parsley leaves

2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

3 tbsp black olives
Juice of ½ a lemon

175ml water

1. Heat the oil in the pan and add the onion.

2. Finely chop the garlic; add the salt, and using the side of a knife, grind into a paste. Add to the pan.

3. Put the saffron in a glass with a little warm water. Leave to one side while you add the spices.

4. Add the saffron infused water.

5. Remove the pulp from one of the preserved lemons and finely chop; before adding to the pan. 

6. Discard the pulp from the other preserved lemon and finely slice the rinds. Combine with the other ingredients in the pan.

7. Stir in the herbs.

8. Remove the skin from the chicken pieces you are going to use; I used the four breast pieces along with the two drumsticks. Freeze the rest.

9. Arrange the chicken pieces on the spiced onion base and finish with the olives.

10. Squeeze in the lemon juice and pour in the water; put the lid on, and leave to simmer for 45 minutes.

11. Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

12. Serve with couscous or bulgur wheat. Finish with a little fresh coriander.

Marisa's Holland Road Pollo with seed and pomegranate salad

serves 5

a little olive oil
5 pieces of chicken
5 onions red and white
3 large carrots
2 tomatoes grated (no skin)
12 new potatoes
1/2 bottle decent white wine
3 garlic cloves
3 cloves
Maldon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

mixed leaves
pomegranate seeds
mixed seeds:-
poppy, sesame, pumpkin, etc
fresh lemon juice
good olive oil
Maldon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Heat a little oil in casserole pan and brown the chicken. Roughly chop the onions and add them to the pot. Add the rest of the veg, season and sweat them down a little before adding the wine and the remaining ingredients. Top up with water to cover the mixture and simmer for about 25-30 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through.

for the salad

Dry roast the seeds a little. Put all the ingredients in a suitable salad bowl and dress with salt and pepper, a good glug of olive oil and a splash of lemon juice.

Roast chicken with boulangère potatoes

serves 5

for the roast chicken
2kg free-range chicken
5 sprigs of thyme
25g butter

for the boulangère potatoes
7 potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly
5 small onions, peeled and sliced thinly
Maldon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
500ml chick stock

for the salad
half a shallot, peeled and finely sliced
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp good olive oil
Maldon sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 little gem lettuces

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Rub the butter and thyme into the chicken skin. Mix the potato and onion together in a bowl and season to taste; transfer to a butter oven dish and pour over the stock.

Put the potato dish below the chicken in the oven (so any juices drip into the potatoes). The chicken should be put directly onto the rack:- you can put a sheet of aluminium foil (with holes in it!) beneath the chicken, if you like. Roast for 1.5 - 2 hours until the chicken is cooked. Leave it to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

For the salad; whisk the shallot, mustard, vinegar and olive oil together in a bowl until well combined.Season to taste. Rinse and spin the lettuce before dressing.

Cuca's lasagne alla cacciatora

This started off as a homage to my ex-next door neighbour, who provided the wild rabbit. He came to my door one day and asked if I liked rabbits; yes I said ... cute fluffy creatures that they are.
The following day Cuca was standing at my door holding 2 dead examples by their ears.
They were delicious.

Serves 7


2 packets of precooked lasagne sheets (Italian made if possible)

Shredded meat (I used about about 700g) from:
1 roasted free-range chicken
2 roasted wild rabbit
Parmesan for grating
2 Mozzarella
a handful of fresh sage
olive oil

for the tomato sauce
olive oil
5 cloves of garlic
a sprig of fresh rosemary
3 bay leaves
3 tins of good quality tinned, plum tomatoes

for the white sauce 
1 litre fresh milk
a sprig of fresh parsley
a pinch of nutmeg
half a peeled onion
7 black peppercorns
80g butter
70g plain flour
150g freshly grated Parmesan
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Once you have roasted your meat and it has cooled sufficiently, shred it - discarding bones and skin...

Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan and gently fry the garlic till lightly coloured. Add the tomatoes, rosemary and bay leaves and simmer for about 30 minutes - with the lid on - we don't want a reduction...
Add the shredded meat and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes then remove the rosemary and bay leaves.

For the white sauce; put the milk, parsley, onion, nutmeg and peppercorns into a pan and gently bring to a simmer. In another pan; melt the butter and stir in the flour. Mix well, then using a sieve add the milk one ladle at a time, mixing well until you have a creamy, thick sauce. Simmer fro a couple of minutes, then remove from the heat and add the Parmesan.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Butter a large baking tray (mine:- 36x26cms). Cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of pasta (straight from the packet!), followed by a layer of the tomato sauce, then the white sauce. Repeat these three layers until you run out of tomato sauce. Keep enough white sauce in reserve for the top; cover with Parmesan and tear over the mozzarella. Finish with the fresh sage leaves and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes until golden brown.