NG8 March/April 2022

Stuff ed Squash with
Blue Cheese /Serves 2
1 butternut squash
200g blue cheese – crumbled
30g pine nuts – toasted
2 echalion shallots – sliced
1 tbsp thyme leaves
250g sachet cooked rice/grains
Salt & pepper
Knob of butter
Method
Heat the oven to 200°C. Line a baking tray.
Half the squash, scoop out the seeds and
stringy bits. Score the fl esh and rub with
olive oil. Season and put a knob of butter
in the cavity of each half. Bake in oven for
45 – 90 mins depending on the size of your
squash.
In a small pan with a splash of oil, slowly
cook the onion until soft and slightly crispy.
Allow to cool.
Meanwhile – put 150g of the cheese in a
bowl, along with 20g of the toasted pine
nuts, the rice or grains. Add the cooled
onion. Once the squash is soft, remove
from the oven, scoop out most of the fl esh
and add to the bowl. Mix well and check
seasoning. Once well combined, spoon
back into the squash shells. Top with
remaining cheese and pine nuts and put
back in the oven for 15 mins until the top is
brown and bubbling.
This is a meal in itself and needs nothing to
accompany it, although some broccoli or a
green salad wouldn’t go amiss.
Chicken Kiev /Serves 4
4 chicken breasts – boneless & skinless
75g unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic – crushed
½ lemon – zested
2 tbsp parsley – chopped
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
75g fl our – add a tsp paprika (optional)
2 eggs – beaten
150g breadcrumbs – add parmesan (optional)
Sunfl ower oil for shallow frying
Method
First make the garlic butter. Mix together the butter,
garlic, lemon zest, parsley, salt & pepper. Place in cling
fi lm, shape into a cylinder & freeze for about 20 mins.
Meanwhile get 3 shallow bowls ready. One with fl our,
one with beaten egg & one with breadcrumbs. Heat
oven to 200°C. Then prep the chicken. The aim is to
stop the garlic butter leaking out while the chicken is
cooking. You can google YouTube videos on how to
do it. I used a really sharp knife and made a thumb
size pocket in the thick end of the breast. Be careful
not to break through the bottom. Once the garlic
butter is hard, slice it and use it to stuff the cavity
in the breast. Use cocktail sticks to seal shut. Then
toss the breast in fl our, then egg, then breadcrumbs,
making sure they are well covered.
Heat the sunfl ower oil in a frying pan until a little
crumb sizzles. Fry chicken for 3 mins on each side,
until golden. Transfer to a baking tray lined with
greaseproof paper. Bake in oven for 20 mins or until
cooked through. Hopefully the butter will still be inside
the breast. If you get any leakage simply spoon back
over the breast to make it even crispier. Delicious
served with a green salad and new potatoes.