Prosciutto - Chickenbreast with potatoe gratin

 Of course during those festive days you eat quite a lot of sweets. Everyone bringing, offering his home made biscuits. All of them delicious, all of them "the one biscuit" that you have to try... But let´s confess - and even sweetlovers like me - we are looking for something salty after these sugarmarathon... Looking through my new cookbooks that Santa Claus brought me, I found quite a lot of delicious proposals for cooking. But to try a new recipe I like to have more time and not to try it the first time by an invitation dinner or lunch... So thinking about what to cook and getting satisfiyed the whole family I rememorated this recipe from Jamie Olivers Cookbook "Ministry of Food". It´s one of my favourite cookbooks. The recipes are simple but nonetheless with a certain twist... The potatoe gratin is one of our try and error family recipes that combines the "assignments" from different cookbooks.

You need (serves 4 person):

- 600g chicken filet

- 80 g Prosciutto di Parma (thin slices / 1 per person)

- 1 organic lemon

- 1 Tbsp. thymeleaves

- 50 g fresh grated Parmeggiano

For the Potatoe gratin:

- 800 g Potatoes

- 400 g heavy Cream

- 3 big eggs

- Some butter

Salt and pepper to season and some olive oil

To prepare:

1. Start with the Gratin as it needs about half an hour to bake and some preparation time until ready for baking in the oven. Peel the potatoes and cut them in rather thin slices. Put the potatoes in a bowl filled with very salty water and let soak for about 30 minutes (or even longer)

2. Mix together Cream and eggs and season enough with salt and pepper.

3. Butter small ramekins (or one pieform) all over. Drain the potatoes and dry them with a some kitchen paper. Lay the potatoes in the oven prooved ramekins a little bit overlapping. Pour over all your Egg-Cream-Mix and place in the 180 C preheated oven for about 25 minutes (until the surface gets a little bit brown and crusty)

4. Meanwhile cut your chicken breast in pieces adapted for 1 person. Score the underside with a small knife in a cris-cross fashion. Season with some pepper. Grate some lemon zest on them and sprinkle some fresh grated Parmeggiano and the thymeleaves on each Filetpiece.

5. Lay some Prosciutto on each Filet to cover it on one side. Then drizzle with some olive oil.

6. Cover the filets with a clingfilm  and give the filet a few bashes with the flat side if a meat tenderizer (or the flat bottom of a pan) until about 5 mm - 1 cm thick.

7. Pour some oil in a non sticking pan (you want need very much) and heat up to medium heat. With the Prosciutto side down transfer the filets in the pan and fry for some minuits. Then turn over and fry the other side.

8. Serve together with the potatoe gratin and some green salad....

Quick Chicken Ragout

Shame on me! First: I´ve done only few posts in october! Second: I´ve posted only sweet things! Third: This has to be changed :). So here the first post for november and it is not a sweet one! It is sort of a Ragout made with chicken breast and is done in short time and really simple to cook.

You will need (for 2 - 3 persons):

- 400g chicken breastfillet (without skin or bones)

- 150g crème fraiche

- 100 ml warm vegetable stock
- 1 small onion

- 1 Tbsp. paprika (I use the sweet paprika powder)

Some salt and pepper to season and some oil for frying the meat.

To prepare:

1. Cut the chicken breast in more or less equal slices. Cut the onion in cubes

2. Heat up some oil in a deep frying pan. Stir in the onions until slightly golden brown and add the chicken. Roast on each side for some minutes

3. Add the vegetable stock and the paprika and let simmer for about 15 minutes (depends on the size, thickness of your chicken pieces)

4. Stir in crème fraiche, season with salt an pepper and .... thats it!

The Ragout is delicious with some noodles or some rice. We ate the Chciken Ragout with so called Spätzle, also very fine. But I think you want get ready done Spätzle not everywhere. Of course one can do them itself but thats another story...  - I would start to cook the rice before preparing the Ragout as he would need longer time than your Ragout. The noodles or Spätzle (if you use ready done from the supermarket) can be done meanwhile the chicken is simmering. -

In reminiscence of my stay in Kazakhstan



Lemon Chicken



First we went to the 24h open Market in Astana and got a lot of delicious things and then we made this Lemon chicken...
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1. You need a fresh chicken, some herbs (like thyme, sage, rosmarin...what ever you like), one organic lemon, olive oil...potatoes, 2-3 onions, salt, pepper and paprika.

2. Preheat the oven to 180 C.

3. First cut herbs and mix them up with some butter. With your fingers divide the skin from the meat of the chicken and place your butter mixture under the skin.
4. With a fork or a fine knive make some holes in the lemon before you put it in the middle of the chicken (as you can see it on the picture).  
5. Rub the skin of the chicken with a mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper and paprikaspice.
6. Cut the potatoes into wedges (it is not necessary to peel the potatoes) as well as the onions and the peeled butternut squash. 
7. Drizzle a oven tray with enough olive oil and put the onions, potatoes, butternutsquash on it. Season with some coarsely minced herbs, salt and pepper. Than put the prepared chicken on it. 
8. Place the tray in the oven for about 50 minutes (depends on the size of your chicken). After 20 minutes turn the chicken to get it well roasted on each side.. 
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And then enjoy it with a good glass of wine and good friends...