freedomdwarf1
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quote:
ORIGINAL: LafayetteLady
quote:
ORIGINAL: freedomdwarf1
~FR~
Not being strictly 'christians', we don't celebrate easter at all - it's not on our calendar.
So this weekend is no different to any other weekend for us.
Just a typical English roast dinner -
Roast beef, yorkies, roast spuds, 3 or 4 veg, probably a fruit cobbler & custard for pudding.
The kids liked the garlic & pepper & mushroom stuffing I made the other week so we might do stuffed chicken breasts wrapped in bacon with a leek and mushroom sauce instead of the roast beef.
Might even have a soup of some sort for starters or garlic mushrooms with home-made garlic/pepper/cucumber dip.
Either way.... it's a normal sunday for us - 'easter' is just a word.
Got a recipe for that bolded part? Sounds yummy AND affordable, especially since I have chicken breasts and mushrooms in the fridge already.
Why certainly LL!!! 
For the stuffing
Buy a cheapo bog-standard packet of stuffing mix - usually Sage & Onion (use the whole pack).
Or, if you want to make your own stuffing, it's basically breadcrumbs (blitzed bread) with herbs of your choice - something like: sage, thyme, oregano, italian seasoning etc. Fresh herbs are good but dried is fine.
Add boiling water, a little at a time, and mix with a fork until a pastey consistency - just like you would use to stuff a bird.
Leave to cool while you prepare the other ingredients.
Prepare the following -
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped or crushed.
1 heaped teaspoon of finely chopped fresh ginger.
Half a decent-sized bell pepper (capsicum). Any colour will do but I like the red or yellow/orange ones for colour. De-seed, dice and very finely chop it - the finer the better.
Take a handful of mushrooms and finely chop like the pepper. Use the mushroom stalks too - they are very flavourful. Soo many people discard the stalks.
I like mushrooms with lots of flavour like flat or chestnut varieties. Wasn't keen on oyster mushrooms or other exotic varieties. Standard white button mushrooms will do nicely though.
Add a third to half of a fist-sized spanish white or red salad/cooking onion - very finely chopped.
Add an additional good shake of dried herbs (about half a teaspoon or so).
Add all these ingredients, plus a small pinch of paprika, salt and course-ground black pepper to the made-up stuffing mix left in the bowl you made earlier.
Drizzle a little more boiling water onto the mix and re-mix it with the fork until it's starting to be very slightly sloppy (but not too much!!). Leave to cool and re-stodge itself (about 20-30 minutes).
The garlic and ginger add character and 'zing' to the stuffing mix as does the paprika.
The bell pepper adds a little crunch to it.
The mushrooms add a little flavour and help to bulk it out a little and add extra body.
Meanwhile....
Many will slice the chicken breasts to add the stuffing - I don't 
Take a long thin knife (a parring knife is ideal for this or a sharpened metal letter-opener) and at the thick end of the breast, skewer it almost to the thin end making sure you don't let the knife break out of the edge or bottom of the chicken breast. Work the knife sideways to make a 'pocket' in the breast meat.
How you stuff the breasts is up to you. I use a piping bag with a wide open nozzle (the sort you'd use for piping mashed potato) and poke the nozzle deep into the breast and keep squeezing, working your way up the breast until it's well stuffed.
Alternatively, use your fingers and stuff it manually. Kids love to get messy doing this - even older ones!
If there is any stuffing left over, divide into portions and roll into balls to bake separately.
Take some reasonable-quality sliced bacon. I prefer Back bacon but good streaky is also Ok.
Unless you have an aversion to it, smoked bacon creates a nice contrasting flavour.
Wrap the bacon around the stuffed chicken breast in a spiral fashion.
Repeat with as many bacon slices as needed to completely wrap the breast meat - don't skimp!
You might find it easier to place the bacon onto a chopping board and 'roll' the stuffed breast at an angle to achieve this. lol.
Place the wrapped stuffed breasts into a dry roasting tin (no need for extra fat), cover with tin foil and bake on Gas Mark 5 (175°C/370°F) for about 30-35 minutes for just-cooked results.
No need to use skewers or string - they will hold together and stay whole.
Also, put the stuffing balls (if you have any) on a baking tray and cook with the stuffed chicken.
Just like cooking any pork or bird - stick a skewer or similar sharp object into the chicken and the juice should run clear (no blood in it).
Leave to stand for about 15 minutes for the chicken to 'rest'.
Serve whole with the rest of your meal.
For the leek and mushroom sauce
This is a really simple sauce to make....
(ETA: this is enough sauce for 4-6 chicken breasts).
Top/tail and thoroughly clean one whole leek, removing most (but not all) of the green portion.
Slice the leek down the centre and cut into thin rings.
Use a third to half of a Spanish white or red salad/cooking onion, diced roughly.
Grab a handful of mushrooms and thinly slice. If they are big mushrooms, cut in half before slicing.
One clove of finely chopped/crushed garlic.
One teaspoon of finely chopped/crushed ginger.
One heaped teaspoon of paprika.
2-3 heaped teaspoons of instant (powdered) mushroom soup (a sachet of Cup-A-Soup is ideal).
Pinch of salt and a generous pinch of coarse-ground black pepper.
Optional ingredient: One small courgette, peeled and finely sliced.
One pint (or a little more) of whole, unsweetened milk (depending how much you want to make).
A splash of double cream if you have any - optional.
Do the preparation while the chicken breasts are cooking.
In a large frying pan -
Saute the onion and leeks in a little butter until soft with a pinch of coarse ground black pepper.
Also cook the courgette slices with the above if you are using it.
When soft, add the paprika, salt, ginger and garlic making sure all ingredients are well distributed.
Add the sliced mushrooms to the mix, stir well, and remove from the heat (cover if possible).
In a cup, mix a little milk with the mushroom powder, add two or three teaspoons of arrow root or cornflour and mix to a wet sloppy paste ensuring there are no lumps.
In a large saucepan, pour in the milk, adding the sloppy mushroom/cornflour paste and mix well.
Bring the milk/mixture to the boil stirring constantly - turn the heat down just as it's starting to thicken and keep stirring - that's the secret to a smooth sauce!
Once finished heating and thickened (doesn't matter if it's still a bit runny), add a good knob of salted butter and stir until melted.
Add a generous splash of double cream if you wish.
If there is any juice in the chicken roasting tin - add that too!
Add the ingredients from the frying pan - including all the juices - stirring continuously.
Leave on a low heat, uncovered, stirring every few minutes, until it reduces to the desired thickness.
If you time it right, the reducing of the sauce will happen at the same time as the chicken breasts are 'resting' - they shouldn't get cold.
Serving
Serve your warm chicken (one whole breast per person) with whatever veggies you prefer for dinner/lunch.
Serve the sauce over the stuffed chicken breasts creating a puddle on the side.
It should be thick enough to stay on the chicken without it completely running off.
Add your cooked stuffing balls (if you have any) into the sauce puddle beside the chicken breast.
Voila!!
Enjoy.
< Message edited by freedomdwarf1 -- 3/29/2013 1:43:12 PM >
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RE: Holiday weekend. - 
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