Cradock - Nothing in the kitchen, other than an egg, is as innocuous yet strangely versatile as the simple chicken breast, sans skin.
It’s as lean as a yoga instructor’s abdomen, as plain as the sad wallflower girl at the high school prom and about as appealing as an oversized slug – until you add flavour and the zing that comes from good preparation.
If you’re on a budget, or Greek, or both, a chicken breast is just the thing. It’s relatively cheap, and a little really does go a long way, although not quite as far if you’re Greek. If you are, you can get one even more cheaply if you hop over the neighbour’s fence and pinch one from his fowl hokkie, although it may be a bit on the scrawny side given that he can’t afford to feed it more than once a week.
Sliced, chicken breast fillets can go in any number of wok-fried dishes, whether Thai, Chinese or Vietnamese.
Butterflied and flattened, they can be stuffed with anything you like (just not too much or the filling will bleed out), rolled tightly in clingfilm, firmed in the fridge for half an hour, and lowered into barely simmering water to poach until just done, then be patted dry and quickly fried in butter or olive oil to brown. A little seasoning and it’s sliced into pretty rounds on a plate. Just add some white wine, cider or other suitable liquid to the pan and you have an instant, simple sauce.
Chicken breast fillets, flattened, can also be used to make involtini. This Italian favourite involves a thin layer of chicken or veal, or a vegetable such as brinjal, in slices, wrapped around a filling of pretty much anything you like. It has something in common with the roulade described above, but instead of being poached it is usually fried.
If you’re not Greek, wrap chicken breast fillets in Parma ham or bacon, or pancetta, and grill or pan-fry them. The outer casing will flavour the meat while it cooks. You can also place fresh herbs on the breasts before wrapping them, adding additional flavour. If you are Greek, know that what goes around comes around, and one day those filthy IMF-loving euroscumbags will remember wistfully the days when Greece was in financial trouble and they were doing just fine thank you very much. You’ve gotta love the underdog and I for one am loving the Greeks right now despite this gentle ragging.
There’s some irony in the mistake a friend once made when the bill came around at the end of a meal in a restaurant, and she exclaimed, “Well, I think we should all go Greek tonight!” Which meant, of course, that she thought we should all get naked. What she had meant to suggest was we should go Dutch, and pay our own way, which is, ironically, what most of Europe thinks Greeks should do right now.
This week a sweet Karoo sunset inspired me to make a simple dinner using chicken breast fillets I had bought that morning. I popped into the garden and picked some sage leaves, and reached into the fridge door for a jar of capers. A little butter and there wasn’t much else you’d need except for the button mushrooms you had also bought, and the gem squash in the basket on the kitchen table.
This is a supper you can fling together within half an hour.
First cook the mushrooms. Slice thinly and cook quickly with garlic in olive oil on a high heat, stirring all the time until the mushrooms release their natural juices. Add a little lemon juice and continue to stir until most of the liquid has cooked away and the mushrooms have become nutty and brown. Season and set aside.
Chicken breast fillets with sage and capers
3 or 4 Tbs butter
Handful sage leaves, rinsed, dried and chopped finely
2 medium chicken breast fillets per portion
1 glass dry white wine
5 or 6 capers per portion
2 Tbs creme fraiche
2 cloves garlic, crushed, and a little lemon juice for the mushrooms
Salt and pepper to taste
Button mushrooms and mashed gem squash to serve
Melt some butter in a frying pan, add chopped sage leaves, fry the chicken breast fillets on each side until golden brown. Season and remove from pan. Add white wine to the pan and the capers, stir to reduce the wine, then add creme fraiche in whatever quantity you like.
I steamed halved gem squash, mashed the pulp and seasoned with salt, pepper and a little finely grated Parmesan.
Pop next door and invite the Papathanasious around for a light bite.
Weekend Argus