Monday, September 25, 2006

"This is nice. Where did you get it, honey?"




Chicken and Leek Roll
from the Main/Savoury Ugly Binder

















1 tablespoon oil
2 medium leeks, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup shredded fresh basil leaves, couldn’t get any so used the squeezy tube blend stuff
300g minced (ground) chicken
1 cup stale breadcrumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
Extra 1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoon sesame seeds
extra fresh basil, to garnish

1. Heat oil in a large pan. Add leeks, onion and garlic; cook, stirring, until onion is soft. Cool
2. Combine cooked onion mixture, basil, chicken, breadcrumbs and egg in a large bowl. Mix well, using hands.
3. Spoon mixture down one side of pastry, leaving a 2 cm border, to form a log-shape, Roll pastry, folding in ends to enclose filling. Place seam-side down onto a greased oven tray. Brush extra egg over pastry; sprinkle with sesame seeds.
4. Cook in a hot oven, 200˚C, for about 30 minutes or until pastry is browned all over and the filling is cooked through.
5. Serve with garden salad. Garnish with extra basil.

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I have made this a couple of times and it has turned out great each time. I think that it does need salt and pepper and would add it in the chicken mix if it wasn’t for the kids. Instead, I leave it out during the cooking and Hubby and I add at will on our plates. Usually I do serve it with a salad but since Offspring #2 has begun eating (mostly) what we have for dinner I cooked vegetables to go with this tonight. Yeah, I was feeling lazy and couldn’t be bothered cooking her veges and making a salad too. #2 is doing really well with her eating – she’ll demolish just about anything I put in front of her - but I don’t think she is up for salad just yet. I figured that if I was cooking veges for one person I may as well cook them for four.

An aside – Hubby was halfway through his dinner when he said, “This is really nice, honey. Where did you get it from?”

Me: “Umm… the kitchen!”

We live in Red Dirt Central, no butcher, no specialty shops you big dope! Anything ‘special’ that I serve up, I make!

5 comments:

Unknown said...

THis looks interesting. I've always wanted to cook with leeks but haven't yet. Just keep surprising that hubby with delicious meals! :-)

The Cookbook Junkie said...

I've never cooked with leeks or puff pastry. Ah, I have so much ground left to cover.

Nick LOVES salad. I don't think he started on that until about age 2.

Annie said...

I too have'nt tried cooking with leeks, but would like too. Your recipe looks really great!

Red Dirt Mummy said...

Thanks ladies. Leeks are so easy to cook with - they are onion-y in flavour but much milder and when cooked in recipes are smoother in taste and texture. I use them as the base to my pumpkin soup instead of onions, mmmm...yum.

Paula, #1 loves salad too. Based on how much #2 loves food in general I'm sure she will too. I thought they started on it around 2 but can't really remember much from the first time round.

Anonymous said...

This recipe looks wonderful. I've never cooked with puff pastry but I might just start with this recipe. Mmmmmmmm.