Cheesy Sage and Onion Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This recipe came about because I had some leftover sage and onion stuffing that I wanted to use up, and was inspired by Delia’s lovely recipe for vegetarian sausage rolls. 

For two people

2/3 slices of stale bread

½ small onion, or a shallot

½ tsp dried sage

Salt and pepper to taste

1 or 2 tb grated cheese (a mix of strong cheddar and parmesan is very good)

2 chicken breasts

4 slices of parma ham/prosciutto

To make the stuffing simply pop the first four items into a small blender/mini chopper and process.  Add to a bowl with the grated cheese and mix together.

Lay the slices of parma ham/prosciutto out on a chopping board, butterfly the chicken breasts and place in the middle of the slices of ham/prosciutto.  Add half of the stuffing mix to each breast fillet, fold up and wrap in the ham.  Pop into an oven proof dish, season with black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.  Cook at 180^oC (350^oF / gas mark 4) for 30 to 35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

  

The link to Delia’s recipe for vegetarian sausage rolls is :

(http://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/type-of-dish/pastry/vegetarian-sausage-rolls.html)

Boozy Braised Steak and Onions with Mustard and Horseradish

 This is another variation on a theme, steak and ale pie filling with a little twist.  The addition of cherry tomatoes gives it a summer twist and practically makes it a salad!  The weather here has turned unseasonably autumnal and I was looking for something comforting to cheer us up!

For two people :

1 pieces of braising steak

2 small or one large onion/s

1 clove of garlic

1tb flour

1tsp English mustard powder *

1tsp creamed horseradish

2 anchovies

1tsp Worcestershire sauce

Bottle of ale of your choice – we like the Wychwood range

7/8 cherry tomatoes

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the mustard powder with the flour and season with salt and pepper, use to coat the two pieces of steak.

Peel and halve the onions, cut into half-moon slices, peel and chop the garlic and chop the anchovies.

Arrange half the onion slices on the bottom of an oven proof dish, sprinkle with a little of the surplus flour and mustard mixture, add the steaks and then the rest of the onion slices and another sprinkle of surplus flour mixture.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, scatter the chopped garlic into the dish along with the chopped anchovies and dot with horseradish.  Pour over the ale and give everything a gentle stir.

Cook at 170^oC (325^oF / gas mark 3) for three and a half hours.  Add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and stir, then add the cherry tomatoes and pop back into the oven for a final half an hour cooking.

*if you can’t get mustard powder simply add 1tsp made English mustard to the casserole with the horseradish.