Parma Wrapped, Stuffed Chicken Fillets with a Mushroom Sauce, Grilled Asparagus and Sweet Potato Wedges

Today I made Parma Wrapped, Stuffed Chicken Fillets with a Mushroom Sauce, Grilled Asparagus and Sweet Potato Wedges

I really think everybody should have a recipe up their sleeve that they can use if they ever have to make dinner for somebody and really want to impress but are no Jamie Oliver. The star player of this dish is definitely the Mushroom and White Wine Sauce. You could literally drink this sauce by itself, it's creamy and rich and the White Wine cooks off so you're left with this intense flavour. Then the wild Mushrooms sweep in and lifts the sauce to a whole other level. The chicken fillets are stuffed with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Black Pudding and Goats Cheese. These three ingredients go amazingly well together. You have the creaminess of the Goats Cheese, the intense tomato flavour from the Sun-dried Tomatoes and the rich meaty flavour of the Black Pudding

This dish is served with Sweet Potato Wedges and Grilled Asparagus. Seeing as the sauce is quite rich, you want to keep your accompaniments as light and simple as possible. You can find the recipe for the Sweet Potato Wedges here. The Asparagus is kept pretty simple as the original taste of Asparagus is so good you don't need to play around with it too much. This dish is like a funky cousin to the Chicken Pascal. In the way that the chicken fillet is stuffed and wrapped. I find when chicken is breaded so heavily it's very filling, using only the Parma Ham in this recipe means you're staying away from all those extra carbs and the Parma Ham crisps up lovely .

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

For the Chicken:

• 4 Chicken Fillets
• 10 Sun-dried Tomatoes
• 50g  Black Pudding
• 70g Goats Cheese
• 8 slices Parma Ham - wafer thin
• Olive Oil

For the Sauce:

• 100-150g Wild Mushrooms
• 50-70mls White Wine
• 100g Cream Cheese
• Salt
• Pepper

For the Asparagus:

•  Large Bunch Asparagus
• Drizzle of Olive Oil 
• Juice of half a Lemon
• Sea Salt
• Cracked Black Pepper

Instructions:

1. Butterfly the chicken fillets by slicing down one side of the chicken fillets 3/4 of the way through so it creates a little pocket in the chicken fillet. Set out all chicken fillets.

2. Cut up the Goats Cheese, Sun-dried Tomatoes and Black Pudding. Divide out the filling into the four chicken fillets. I normally start with the Black Pudding and then followed by the Goats and then the Sun-dried Tomatoes.

3. Close up the pocket, securing all the filling inside, take two slices of Parma Ham and lay them out so they're overlapping slightly. Then wrap the Parma Ham around the chicken fillets. If you are worried that the cheese might escape you can place a toothpick through the side that is open. I normally place a few crushed Garlic Cloves and Sun-dried Tomatoes around the Chicken Fillets and drizzle with Olive Oil but this is optional.

 

 

4. Place the stuffed Chicken Fillets into the oven at 190°C for 20-25 minutes. While the Chicke Fillets are cooking you can make the Mushroom Sauce. Saúte the mushrooms in a drizzle of Olive Oil, Cracked Black Pepper and Sea Salt. 

 

 

5. Add in the Cream Cheese and mix it around with the Mushrooms, the Cream Cheese will start to melt. It's at this point you can add in the White Wine. This will thin out the sauce which will have been quite thick due the the Cheese.

 

6.The flavours of the sauce will start to develop as the Alcohol in the White Wine cooks off. At this point you can taste the sauce to see if it needs any more seasoning. If it seems a little thick you can thin in out slightly with a dash of cream or milk.

 

 

7. To prepare the Asparagus you must hold one with your two hand and snap it, below where it breaks naturally is quite woody and you want to get rid of this part. Line the one you prepared with the other stalks and cut all of them at the same point - to save time. I normally dress the Asparagus in a bowl or pan - drizzle the Olive Oil, a squeeze the Lemon Juice and season with Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper to taste.

 

 

 

8. I normally cook my Asparagus for this dish on a George Foreman as it doesn't remove any of the nutrients and it leave a lovely mark on the stalks.  Move the Asparagus to the Grill and cook for 5-8 minutes. You want the stalks to have softened but not gone limp.

 

 

9. Take the Chicken out of the oven, the Parma Ham should be after crisping up and the Chicken should be cooked through. Continue to cook if the Parma Ham hasn't crisped up yet.

 

 

10. Take up the chicken fillet straight away. Finish the Asparagus with with a final squeeze of Lemon Juice and pile up beside your Sweet Potato Wedges. Top with lashings of your Mushroom Sauce and enjoy. 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

"Wine improves with age... The older you get the more you like it."

Black Pudding, Bacon and Asparagus Pizza

Today I made Black Pudding, Bacon and Asparagus Pizza

Pizza seems to have made it's way more and more into our staple diet over the last number of years and with it, into our hearts. With more pizza joints than pubs scattered across the country. Whether it's a Friday afternoon dinner, a mid-week snack or a late night feast, pizza is our go-to food. For every good pizzeria out there, there are an equal number of bad ones. I never really saw the point of frozen pizzas, for the same amount of time it takes to cook a frozen pizza you could have your own pizza made and it tastes a million times nicer.  Making your own pizza means you can make it as healthy or naughty as you like. Nothing beats the taste of fresh pizza dough and sauce, "just like mamma use to make".

The Pizza I made today uses a quirky combination of the freshest and finest ingredients all stocked in Ardkeen Quality Food Store. The pizza has a crispy golden brown base with an inner softness that you'd never get from a frozen pizza or boxed pizza base. The sauce tastes fresh, sweet and tangy. This fresh sauce is made using the best tomatoes I could find, Grantstown Suntini Sweet Tomatoes, which are grown a mere 4 miles from Waterford City. The secret weapon to this sauce is the OHCo Cajun Spice a fantastic Irish Organic Spice Company that Ardkeen Quality Food Store are newly stocking. The pizza toppings comprises of The Award Winning Rosscarbery Black Pudding, J. Crowe and Sons Dry Cured Streaky Bacon, Asparagus tips and Creamy Mozzarella.  

Ingredients:

(12 Inch Pizza)

For the Dough:

• 200g DeCecco Pizza Flour - and dusting flour
• 1 Packet Dry Yeast
• 120mls Warm Water
• 1 Teaspoon Honey - I like to use Déise Honey
• 1/2 salt Teaspoon
• 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil

For the Sauce:

• 12-15 Grantstown Suntini Sweet Tomatoes
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/2 Teaspoon Basil
• 1/2 can Cirio Tomato Pureé
• 1 Teaspoon OHCo Cajun Spice
• 1/4 Teaspoon Déise Honey
• Pinch Of Salt

For the Toppings:

• 1/3 pack of Rosscarbery Black Pudding - Cut into cube
• J. Crowe and Sons Dry Cured Streaky Bacon - cut up small
• 8-10 Asparagus Tips
• Creamy Mozzarella - amount may very on level of love of cheese

Instructions: 

Pizza Base

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.  I normally start with the pizza dough so it can be proofing while I make the sauce and prepare the toppings. Sift the pizza flour into a large bowl - preferably glass. In a jug put the warm water, stir in the yeast till all the yeast is dissolved then add the honey, Salt and Olive Oil. Make a well in the flour and pour in half the water and yeast mixture. With a metal spoon start to incorporate the flour and water, then add in the remainder of the water and continue to mix. Normally at this point I switch to using my hands.

2. When  you have brought the dough together it will start to come away from the bowl, feel free to add a little more flour if the dough feels very sticky. When you have it together, turn the ball of dough out on to a floured surface. Begin to knead the dough by using the heels of your hands moving them in opposite directions almost trying to tear the dough then bringing it back together again. Do this for 2-3 minutes till it starts to look smooth. 

3. Put the smooth dough ball into an oiled bowl, flip the dough over once so that it is covered in the oil. Place cling film or a towel over the bowl, I normally use a damp towel to keep the dough from drying out during the proofing process. Place in a warm, dark place - Tip - I normally turn on the dryer while I'm making the pizza dough so by the time I have it ready the inside of the dryer is the perfect temperature. So you have your warm, dark place. Just make sure you don't turn the dryer on... But you can use a Hot Press or anywhere that's dark and warm. Leave the dough proof for 30 minutes. 

   Tomato Sauce

 4. While the Dough is proofing you can make the Pizza Sauce. Drizzle the Olive Oil into a frying pan. Crush or finely chop the garlic and add that in when the oil is hot. Fry for a few minutes then add in the finely chopped Red Onion. Cook these together till the onions start to soften, this normally only takes a few minutes. The onion will start to go transparent.

 5. Cut your Grantstown Suntini Sweet Tomato's in half and add them to the onion and garlic, fry these until the tomatoes start to soften, at this point I normally use a thongs to give each tomato a little squish, this helps to break the tomatoes down. These tomatoes are grown only 4 miles from Ardkeen Quality Food Store and are delivered daily so they are literally picked from the vine and then delivered to the store within hours.  It's at this point I add in my secret ingredient of 1 Teaspoon of OHCo Cajun Spice.

  6. Work in the spice, you may need to add a teaspoon of water at this point to loosen the sauce. Everything should be after cooking down and softening and start to look like a sauce - there is no need to blend this sauce, the ingredients are so fresh they cook down to . At this point add in your Cirio Tomato Pureé and honey. The honey brings out the natural sweetness of the fresh tomatoes. You can taste the sauce at this stage and see if you need to add salt or pepper. I didn't add any to my sauce as I just love the natural taste of the tomatoes. 

7. Add in the Basil now at this point. You can use fresh Basil if you wish but I normally just use Heritage Dried Basil. You still get that same Basil-y flavour and it's not wilting away in my fridge. Everybody knows tomatoes and basil are best friends and in this sauce you can taste why.

Toppings

8. Preparing the Toppings are super easy. Cut off the amount of Rosscarbery Black Pudding you wish to use, I normally use about a third, cut it in half then into little cubes, or slices if you prefer. Make sure the pieces are not too big and are all the same size as you want them all to cook well and all at the same time. 

9. Cut the J. Crowe and Sons Dry Cured Streaky Bacon into small pieces, around the same size as the black pudding cubes so that everything cooks at the same time. You can trim a little of the fat off if you wish. 

10. For the Asparagus, cut just where the tip part of the Asparagus begins and about the same amount down from that - this is the most tender part of the Asparagus. 

11. Take out the bowl containing the pizza dough from the dryer, it will have doubled in size. The next step is possibly my favourite part of making pizza. You need to knock the air out of the dough. It just so happens that the best way to do this is...... punching it repeatedly. When you have gotten the dough back to it's normal size again you and turn it out on to a floured surface.

12. The dough will be very smooth and if you press it with a finger it will spring back into place again. Make sure your surface is well floured as the dough will be slightly moist from the oil. Start to work the dough back into a ball again, sprinkling with a little flour as you need it. Begin to start pressing the air out of the dough and flattening it and getting it into the "pizza" shape aka a circle... Feel free to work it into a square or rectangle depending what shape tin you are going to cook it on. 

13. When you have it formed into the general shape you like, you can move it to your tin and work it out to the edges. I normally prick the dough with a fork a number of times before I load on the tomato sauce, I like my pizza quite saucy so I don't hold back but you can certainly add less if you wish. 

14. Now is the time to load on those toppings. I like to take my organised chaos approach to this step too. You want to make sure that you get a little bit of everything in each bite and that the toppings are not on top of each other so that It all cooks at the same time. I normally put on the Award Winning Black Pudding first then intertwine the Bacon around the Black Pudding, then the Asparagus Tips and finished with the Mozzarella, you can either slice the Mozzarella or tear it, I usually tear it as it gives a more rustic look. 

15. Bake the Pizza for 20-25 minutes at 200°C. Until the cheese is melted and starting to bubble. You can lift the base slightly with a spatula to make sure the base is nice and golden. I sprinkled this pizza with a little fine grated Mozzarella before serving. 

"Home is where the pizza is." 

Creamy Pesto Pasta

Today for dinner I made Creamy Pesto Pasta



I've always been a huge fan of pasta dishes and pretty much anything with pesto, so this dish was a no-brainer really. I found myself reaching my limit of tomato and cream based sauces fairly quickly and had to start thinking outside the box. This dish is super easy to make and can be made in no time, it also tastes just as good the second day, I normally make a little too much for dinner so I have lunch sorted for the next day - give those sandwich bags a day off. 









Ardkeen Quality Food Stores is well known for having a great selection of the freshest fruit and vegetables. It's the next best thing to actually growing them in your own garden. Seeing as maintaining a vegetable garden is like having a full time job, I'll gladly leave it to the experts. In this recipe I'm using Asparagus and Chestnut Mushrooms. I have a slight obsession with this combination of vegetables. There are so many different types of mushrooms available these days, but I do have a soft spot for Chestnut mushrooms. Feel free to just use button mushroom or if you're feeling adventurous you can find a selection of wild mushrooms in Store.

Ingredients:

(Serves 2)

• 200g pasta - I used Giant Conchiglie but you can use any shape you like
• 2 large chicken fillets, sliced
• 150g Cream Cheese
• 100g "Wild About" Nettle Pesto
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• Pinch of Salt
• Bunch of 7-8 Asparagus, cut in half
• 5 Large Chestnut Mushrooms, sliced
• 2  Tablespoon Pine Nuts
• Grated Parmesan - To serve

Instructions:

1. Boil water in a large pan with a pinch of salt. Add pasta and stir to loosen from end of pan.

2. Put a little Olive Oil in a frying pan and when the oil is hot add the chicken strips and fry until cooked through. Add mushrooms to chicken as it starts to turn slightly golden. Fry for a few minutes.

3. To prepare the Asparagus, hold the stalk at both ends and snap, where the asparagus break naturally is where it needs to be cut. The part below where it breaks is very woody and not palatable. If you snap one of them you can line it up with the other stalks and then cut the rest of them at the same place to save some time. Cut the prepared stalks in half. After a few minutes add the Asparagus and continue to fry for a further 3-4 minutes.

4. Make sure you keep an eye on the pasta as it does have a tendency to boil over and ruin your oven top. Check your pasta to make sure it's cooked. I like to serve my pasta Al Dente, with a slight bite to it but you can cook it slightly longer if you wish. Strain the pasta and add to the chicken.

5. When everything is tossed together add in your pesto and stir through, I normally add in a little of the pasta water at this stage to loosen the pesto. The pesto I used in this recipe is from a quirky Irish company called "Wild About". When the pesto is mixed through then you can add the Cream Cheese, I normally use the Original Philadelphia but there are so many different types of Cream Cheese these days so feel free to experiment.

6. Let the sauce simmer for a few minutes, I normally don't add any seasoning at this point as I find there is enough flavour coming from the pesto and cream cheese. 

7. Take up the pasta, making sure that each person gets a little bit of everything. I normally like to finish it with a dusting of grated Parmesan and topped with 

pine nuts. 

“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”