Chicken breast stuffed with ham

Uff, I am so busy at the moment! I made this recipe some time ago and I haven’t have time to publish it until now.

This way of preparing chicken is ideal for children. My mother made it for us and now I make it for my children! As you see, it's a traditional recipe. :-)

Perhaps the most difficult part is to prepare the chicken breast to be filled in, but once you get that it is really easy.

CHICKEN BREAST STUFFED WITH HAM

1 boneless chicken breast

Several slices of ham (Parma or serrano)

3 or 4 cloves of garlic

1 bay leaf

Thyme (or mixture of herbs de Provence)

White wine

Olive oil

Black pepper

Salt

White sewing thread

The first thing is to open the chicken breast. The idea is to open it to resemble a large filet. To do this, with a sharp knife make a cut along the center of the breast without reaching the end (i.e., without dividing the breast in two) from here cut each half extending it outwards, as if you were unrolling each half. It doesn't matter if it tears in some parts, you can overlay the torn parts so that no gaps are left. Once you get a flat chicken breast, cover it with slices of ham and some black pepper (you can also add garlic powder if you like more garlic flavour).

Roll up the breast with the ham, leaving the ham inside. Roll the sewing thread around the chicken roll so that it doesn’t open while cooking it and add salt to taste.

In a deep saucepan put a good splash of olive oil and when hot put the chicken roll to brown. If the pan is not nonstick, I recommend you to move the roll constantly until browned on all sides. Add the garlic cloves (just with a cut), bay leaf, thyme and peppercorns. When the garlic is browned add a glass of white wine and water until the roll is nearly covered. Cover the pot and let cook over medium heat until the liquid has evaporated and has become a sauce.

Take the roll out of the pot and when it is not too hot remove the thread. Cut it into slices and serve with the sauce that was left after cooking.

Courgette soup

A basic recipe in the kitchen; because it's easy, quick to prepare and very healthy! And if you do not like courgettes, you can always replace it with another vegetable such as broccoli.

COURGETTE SOUP

2 courgettes

1 medium size onion (or leek)

1 medium size potato

1 clove of garlic

Olive oil

Salt and ground black pepper

Peel and roughly cut the onion and garlic and put them to fry with some oil in a pot. Make sure they do not burn.

Peel and cut the courgettes and potatoes and add to the pot.

Add water to cover and let cook over medium heat and covered with a lid. When the vegetables are tender liquidize everything in a blender. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve.

You can serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a few croutons or small cubes of serrano ham.

Hummus

Hummus is a paste made from cooked chickpeas and tahini, originally from Arab countries. My Iraqi friend Ban told me this recipe over ten years ago... (Time flies!). Today it is a well known dish everywhere.

Ban always served it accompanied by Arabic bread (I use pita bread instead) and a tabbouleh made ​​with parsley, which I'll show another time.

You can boil the chickpeas yourself or use them from a jar, which it is very handy.

For those who do not know, the tahini is a sesame seed paste. You can buy it in health food stores or specialized stores.

HUMMUS

1 jar of cooked chickpeas

1 garlic

2 tablespoons of tahini

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Ground cumin

Ground black pepper

Salt

Rinse the chickpeas well to remove the liquid in which they are preserved (you don’t have to do this if you cooked the chickpeas yourself, of course).

Put all the ingredients in the bowl of a blender and grind it all. If it is too thick you can add some water, more oil or lemon juice, as you prefer.

Serve in a shallow dish with a drizzle of olive oil. You can also sprinkle with paprika.

Yellow potatoes side-dish

These potatoes are ideal as side-dish, I always serve them with grilled fish.

This recipe is from my aunt Mari and to be honest, I don’t know what she calls them. At home we call them “Yellow potatoes” for obvious reasons.

I usually use normal potatoes peeled and diced, but for a special occasion try using salad potatoes, the result is even better.

YELLOW POTATOES SIDE-DISH

3 Potatoes

Several cloves of garlic

1 or 2 bay leaves

Olive oil

Turmeric

White wine

Black pepper

Salt

Peel the potatoes and cut into medium dice. In a pan with a splash of olive oil put the garlic (unpeeled and with a cut) and the bay leaves. Sauté everything for a few minutes.

Then add a good splash of white wine, some turmeric (mostly for color), salt and pepper. Add water until potatoes are covered and cook over medium heat covered with a lid. Stir occasionally and cook until tender. By then, the liquid must have completely evaporated (except the oil, of course).

Tuna pie

Perfect for birthday parties or any other event where you have guests and you are going to prepare some snacks.

Buying ready-made puff pastry, the only time consuming task is to prepare the ratatouille (and even this, you can buy it canned ready-made).

TUNA PIE

2 sheets of puff pastry

2 boiled eggs

2 small cans of tuna

Beaten egg or milk (to paint the pastry)

And for the ratatouille:

2 onions

3 Italian green peppers

2 cloves of garlic

1 zucchini

4 or 5 ripe tomatoes

Olive oil

Salt

In a pan with some oil sauté the onion, pepper and garlic (everything finely chopped). You can add some salt at this point to help cooking the vegetables. When the onion begins to turn transparent, add the zucchini, cut into small cubes. Continue to sauté, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

Peel and cut the tomatoes and add to the vegetables. Let everything cook until tomatoes turn into sauce. Add more salt if needed. If the result is slightly acidic, you can also add some sugar.

When the tomato mixture has cooled assemble the pie.

Place a sheet of puff pastry on the baking sheet on top of parchment paper. Prick the pastry with a fork over the entire surface to prevent it from rising when you bake it. Distribute the ratatouille on the pastry, leaving a 1 cm margin all around. Add the chopped hard boiled eggs and flaked tuna. Cover with the second sheet of pastry and seal the edges by pressing the pastry with your fingers or a fork. Prick the top pastry with a fork and make two small cuts so that the steam generated inside when baking can escape. Paint with beaten egg or milk and bake at 220 degrees C until the pastry is golden brown.