Anglo-French Chicken, Tahini Fish & Falafel and Latin Pasta

When we were in Orlando, our friend Mel served us some tasty Chicken-in-Pastry that she got at her local Fresh Market.  Sally asked me to do something similar for yesterday's Mum Lunch, so here you are:

Anglo-French Chicken

Cordon Bleu meets its Waterloo with Wellington pastry! Chicken breast halves, ham and Swiss cheese, wrapped in puff pastry and baked until GB&D. For bigger eaters wrap an entire chicken breast. I made four rolls for lunch for three people. The leftover is being eaten by Sally for lunch twice this week.

2 Chicken Breasts, halved lengthwise

4 slices Ham

4 slices Swiss Cheese

Poultry Seasoning to taste

1 package Puff Pastry

1 egg, beaten, for wash

Preheat oven to 400F.

While the oven is preheating, thaw the pastry, unfold and roll it out a little. Cut into 4 pieces. In the center of each piece lay down a slice of ham and atop it a slice of the cheese. Dust the chicken pieces with poultry seasoning all around, then place a piece of chicken on each ham/cheese stack. Fold the pastry over and seal with the beaten egg. Place wrapped chicken bundles on a non-stick baking sheet and brush with beaten egg. Bake 30 minutes until GB&D.

Served with new potatoes and my signature Ginger-Orange Carrot Ribbons.

Tahini Fish & Eggplant

Last week I said I was going to experiment with falafel, so I got some chickpea flour and researched a couple recipes. Along the way I found this Middle Eastern fish dish which sounded nice, so I made it for Friday's dinner. I served it with Mark I Falafel as the side dish. The fish was nice. The falafel... well, you'll see.

2 fish fillets

salt and black pepper to taste

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 tablespoons tahini paste

Juice of a lemon

Zest of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons Greek yoghurt

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Whisk together the tahini paste, lemon juice, lemon zest, yoghurt and garlic with 3 tablespoons of water until you have a smooth sauce. Then add the parsley and mix well.


Poach the fish on slices of lemon over a 1/4" of water, until just flaky. Plate and top with the warmed sauce.

Grilled eggplant slices are the second side dish.



Lemony Falafel

1 cup Garbanzo Flour

2+ Tbsp Parsley, fresh not dried, minced

1/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/4 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Cumin, ground

1/2 tsp Coriander, ground

1 Lemon, juiced

1/3 cup warm water.

Combine the dry ingredients. Add parsley and stir to combine. Add the lemon juice. Slowly add the water, stirring as you go, to make a batter. Rest for 10 minutes.

Form into balls/cakes/patties and place on non-stick baking sheet. Broil 3-5 minutes per side until GB&D. Serve warm. May be re-heated. I made these in the afternoon to serve with dinner.

Not bad, but not great. More like a lemony hushpuppy than a 'real' falafel. As written, the recipe is just not very flavor-full. IMHO it needs double the amount of parsley and a TON of other flavors -- garlic, onion, double the cumin and coriander, etc. Maybe even some "curry powder" for a hint of a kick.

Next time I'll also try soaking and grinding my own chickpeas, as the texture of the flour is very fine and I'm accustomed to a 'larger grind'.

 

Green Chile Enchi-pasta

Lightning struck and the experiment was successful! Here's what I'll be eating for dinner at the boat this week.

1 lb ground Pork

1 tsp Cumin

1 pkt Sazon Tropical seasoning

8 oz mini-shell Pasta

1 can Green Chile Enchilada Sauce

1 can Green Chiles, diced

4 oz Cream Cheese

2 oz Mozarella, shredded

4 oz Crimini Mushrooms

1/2 Tomato, diced

1 cup shredded White Cheddar

Brown the pork with the cumin and Sazon mix. Cook the pasta al dente. Stir to combine the pork, pasta, and everything else except the cheddar. Pour into a 9x9 baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick. Top with the white cheddar and bake at 350F for at least 30 minutes until bubbly and nice.