Chicken Kiev

A couple of weeks ago, Z challenged me to make her a Chicken Kiev for tea.  We used to eat shop bought Kievs regularly but, since we've stopped buying ready meals, they have fallen off the menu.  I love a challenge but this one had me worried.  What if all of the garlic butter came out of the chicken?  What if I burned the breadcrumbs making sure the chicken was cooked through?  I was running scared.  Then last weekend we stumbled on a field of wild garlic and the challenge was on.

Z had already made a block of wild garlic butter so I didn't have to mess around with that.  All I had to do was gently butcher a couple of chicken breasts to create a pocket for the butter, preferably a pocket that would close and keep the butter inside.  I made my incision behind the mini fillet, hoping to use it as a seal for the hole.

With the chicken stuffed with the butter I coated them in seasoned flour, egg and breadcrumbs and fried them in a couple of tablespoons of oil.  I then transferred them to the oven for about half an hour in an attempt to make sure that nothing was burnt or raw.  When the cooking time was up I presented Z with the results of the challenge and it was declared a success.  A bit more care with the original butchery and they would have been perfect but for a first attempt, I'm happy.

Pasta with Rocket and Wild Garlic Pesto

After a week of late nights it was nice to be home with the sun still in the sky.  It was also nice to be able to relax with the family.  I know I like to relax and wind down by cooking, but I also love quality time with Z and R.  This means that I have relegated the planned meal to tomorrow night in favour of a fast and tasty supper.

We made our own pesto yesterday with pine nuts, rocket from the front garden, wild garlic from Wilton Park, parmesan and plenty of olive oil.  This was simply added to cooked pasta and served with a rocket and parmesan salad.  And relax.