FOOD:ONE OF MY FAVOURITE food writers is Ruth Watson, whose book The Really Helpful Cookbookis exactly that. She's also the presenter of a decent Channel 4 show called Ruth Watson's Hotel Rescue, during which she mentors and guides prospective hoteliers through their lofty plans to open up their dream establishment.
She always starts off simply enough, and, in typical TV style, one of the “contestants” is usually pig-headed, clueless and living in Walter Mittyville. She pokes and prods them into answering her basic questions in such a way that the major flaw with their business plans is eventually revealed.
She conquers the couples in the most constructive manner and gradually convinces them that they need to get a grip if they are going to avoid bankruptcy or divorce, or both.
Her writing is as appealing as her TV persona – no-nonsense and at times very amusing. Her recipe for chicken Kiev caught my eye as it’s one of those dishes that’s considered pretty naff but if made with a little care is damn tasty. I remember cooking it in catering college, horrified they were making us cook something so tacky and out of date. But when I tasted it, I was hooked forever.
I don’t possess a deep-fat fryer at home, for fear of what it would prevent me from fitting into, and so this chicken Kiev was shallow fried in the pan and finished off in the oven. If you do have a deep fat fryer, by all means pull it out for this majestic dish. But, as Ruth Watson puts it so perfectly, when entertaining, deep fat frying anything means that you always emerge from the kitchen “shiny and faintly hysterical”, so finishing this dish in the oven means you can instead emerge matt and victorious.
The salad is a perfect accompaniment and the dressing would also be lovely with some new season potatoes.
Posh chicken Kiev (serves two)
100g butter, softened; Handful basil leaves; Handful flat leaf parsley; 1 tbsp toasted pine nuts; 1 tbsp grated Parmesan; 4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed; Salt and pepper; 2 large chicken breasts, skinless
Crumb coating
100g breadcrumbs; 30g grated Parmesan; 1 egg, beaten; 2 tbsp flour; Big knob butter; Sunflower oil
In a food processor, whiz the butter, herbs, pine nuts, Parmesan and garlic with plenty of salt and pepper until smooth. Wrap this flavoured butter in cling film, roll it into a sausage shape and chill it it until it is very cold.
This amount makes lots of butter – more than you need for this recipe but it’s awkward to whiz less butter, and you can freeze what you don’t need.
When the butter is good and cold, make a horizontal slit in the chicken and stuff it with a good amount of butter. Close it up as well as you can. Wash your hands really well. Chill the breasts down till you are ready to finish cooking. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees/gas three.
Mix the breadcrumbs and Parmesan together and season well. Spread this out on a plate. Have the egg beaten and ready in a bowl and, on a second plate, spread out the flour and season it very thoroughly.
Dunk the chicken as follows: flour, egg, flour, egg, breadcrumb. Once you have coated all of the chicken, chill it again for 30 minutes. Shallow fry the Kievs in a large, non-stick saucepan in the knob of butter and sunflower oil. When the chicken is golden brown on both sides, transfer it to the oven and bake for seven to 10 minutes. Serve with an extra knob of the garlic and herb butter on top.
Cos salad with mustard dressing
1 tbsp wholegrain mustard; 1 tbsp white wine vinegar; 3 tbsp olive oil; 1 tsp caster sugar; 100ml cream; Salt and pepper; Bunch tarragon; 1-2 heads cos lettuce
Whisk all the ingredients together for the salad dressing. Mix with the tarragon and toss with some washed cos lettuce leaves.
