As I’m sure I have mentioned here before, I like nothing better than spending time with good friends over a long meal and a few drinks and yesterday evening was a great example of this.
The Chairman of the Board is a life-long surfer who press-ganged me into a small band of brothers who make a twice-yearly ritual visits to his surf shack on the Northland’s east coast for surfing, seafood, ales and salty tales. Despite two of these trips and daily chats over coffee, we have never managed to get together with our respective partners until last night.
While the Chairman and our better halves settled down to getting to know each other over drinks on the deck, I rustled up a simple anti pasti of tomato slices topped with bocconcini, avocado and basil leaves, dressed with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic.
After much talk, we moved to the table and settled down to our meal. The primo course was a red pepper soup accompanied by a baby spinach and mushroom salad with a cider vinegar, olive oil and mustard dressing. The secondi was an involtini of chicken served with penne and broccoli.
With dessert, cake and coffee, this little lot took us close to midnight and our friends headed home with a parting request for the recipes below, the plan being, I believe, for the Chairman to extend his cooking portfolio beyond tuatua fritters cooked on a barbecue at the beach.
Red Pepper Soup
This soup is bursting with the best of Provence in the South of France; a combination of garlic, tomatoes, fennel and herbs that provide deep satisfying flavours without being overly rich. In hot weather, try serving it chilled as an alternative to gazpacho.
5 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 red peppers, chopped small
400 ml can choppped tomatoes,
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 thyme
2 bay leaves
500 ml chicken or vegetable stock
250 ml low-fat creme fraiche
fresh thyme sprig to garnish
In a pan, lightly saute the shallots and garlic in the olive oil until soft, then add the peppers and cook slowly until the peppers are soft. Add the tomatoes, crushed fennel seeds, paprika, herbs and stock to cook over medium-high heat until mixture comes to the boil. Remove from the heat
and allow to stand for 10 minutes. Blitz the soup in a food processor until almost smooth but still having a little texture. Gently whisk in most the low-fat creme fraiche until smooth and return to a low heat to ensure it is warmed through. Serve garnished with a spoonful of the remaining creme fraiche, a sprig of thyme and a sprinkle of paprika.
Involtini di Pollo con Penne e Broccoli
Taking the swordfish involtini recipe in the ‘Aldo Zilli’s Italian Food for Friends’ cookbook, I substituted chicken for swordfish and lengthened the cooking time accordingly. Find a good butcher who can cut and provide you with a crown; that is, the complete breast of large chicken, organic if possible, like the one I used. You can cut this into two breasts and then cut each again lengthways to provide four more than ample portions to work with.
75g fresh white breadcrumbs
40g pecorino or Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
5 green celery leaves, chopped
small handful of lightly toasted pine nuts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
75ml extra virgin olive oil
4 plump chicken breasts
2 or 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
500g penne pasta
450g broccoli, trimmed and divided into small florets
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
2 fresh red chillies, seeded and sliced or 1 tsp of crushed chillies
grated zest of 1 lemon
celery leaves, to garnish
Pre-heat the oven to 200°C/400°F. Mix together the breadcrumbs, just over half the cheese, the celery leaves, a little salt and 1 tbsp of the oil to form a rough paste. Place the chicken breasts between sheets of greaseproof paper or cling film and pound with a rolling pin to thin and flatten slightly. Remove the paper or film and lay out the four flattened chicken pieces. Divide the crumb and cheese paste equally among the pieces, spreading it out evenly. Roll
up the pieces and secure each roll with a wooden cocktail stick, or butcher’s string if you prefer. Place the rolls on a baking tray with the rosemary sprigs among them and drizzle with olive oil. Roast on a high shelf for 20 minutes, turning to brown evenly half way through. Meanwhile, cook the penne in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10-12 minutes until al dente and drain when done. At the same time, steam or boil the broccoli for 5 minutes until tender and bright green, before draining and refreshing. Gently heat the remaining 3 tbsp of olive oil in large frying pan and add the garlic and chillies. Cook for 1 minute, then add the broccoli and lemon zest. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring or tossing frequently. Stir in the pasta and the remaining cheese. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste before plating. Slice each roll diagonally and place on the pasta. Garnish with fresh celery leaves to
serve.
