Weekend Foodie: Making use of convenient ingredients for a hearty meal
This dish is ideal for the evenings when you want a tasty meal without all the hard work.
Sometimes, there is just no time to cook from scratch.
- 500g chicken fillets, cut into chunks
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh mixed herbs (thyme and parsley are good)
- 1 tsp chicken seasoning
- Good squeeze lemon juice
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 x 300g packs spinach and ricotta tortelloni
- 2 tbsp pitted green olives
- 2 good handfuls baby spinach leaves, washed and shaken dry
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to finish
- Place chicken chunks in a dish and sprinkle with herbs and chicken seasoning.
- Squeeze over the lemon juice and season with freshly ground black pepper and a little sea salt.
- Leave to marinate for 20 minutes. This step can also be done in advance.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry the chicken pieces over medium heat until golden brown and cooked through, stirring.
- In the meantime, cook tortellini in a large pan of boiling water for about 3 minutes, or until cooked through and they float to the top of the pan.
- Drain and transfer to the frying pan with the chicken. Stir to mix.
- Stir in the olives and spinach with olive oil to taste. Cook till spinach wilts.
- Check seasoning and add a squeeze of lemon. Serve in warmed bowls with grated Parmesan to finish.
- 500mls milk
- 2 fresh free-range eggs plus 2 yolks
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- Finely grated zest of a lemon
- Beat milk with eggs and yolks.
- Grate in nutmeg generously. Add ground ginger and lemon zest.
- Half-fill a roasting tray with warm water.
- Pour the mix into four ramekins and sit the ramekins in the water bath.
- Place in the oven at Gas 4 180C (160C fan assisted).
- Cook for 20 minutes or until cooked, firm to touch, slightly risen but still slightly wobbly in the middle.
- Remove from oven and carefully lift out of the water bath.
- Sprinkle with extra nutmeg and serve warm or cold.
Treat yourself this weekend to a lovely Italian red wine to go with this hearty pasta dish. Chianti is a great choice with any pasta, especially where there is the richness of olive oil, seasonings and cheese added to the mix. This weekend, I’ve found a Chianti Riserva which won’t break the bank, as these aged red Italian wines often do! Castellore Chianti Riserva has had at least 24 months of ageing mostly in oak barrels, with a minimum of three months aged in bottle. That gives depth of flavour and maturity to the finished wine. So expect a good heady scent of cedar and wood alongside the typical floral notes, which have more depth from the ageing process. Find this red on the shelves at Aldi stores now, at €10.99 a bottle.
App?
