• 10 – 12 chicken breast fillets, with skin
• 2 – 3 Tbl olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 4 – 6 celery sticks, finely diced
• 250 gr streaky bacon, fairly finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 250 gr mushrooms, diced fairly finely
• 1 packet chopped spinach, cooked, chopped
• 300 – 400 gr ricotta
• 1 egg
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Tbl melted butter
• 1 – 2 Tbl soy sauce

Preparation:

• Saute onion and celery gently in oil until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes.
• Increase heat and add bacon. Cook for a few minutes, until the bacon starts releasing its fat. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring constantly, on high heat until the mixture is dry and cooked through.
• Mix with the ricotta, egg and spinach, seasoning well with salt and pepper (and a dash of ground nutmeg, if liked). The mixture should be fairly moist.
• Lightly salt the chicken on the skinless side, then, carefully, spoon a portion of stuffing under the skin, smoothing the skin over to spread the filling evenly.
• Place, skin side up, in a single layer in an oiled baking pan – place them close together as they shrink considerably while cooking. Mix together the butter and soy sauce, and brush over the chicken skin.
• Bake at 190 – 200 C for about 35 – 45 minutes, until well-browned and cooked through.
• To serve, cut each fillet into 3 – 4 pieces on the diagonal, and pour over the pan juices.

Serves 12.

Ingredients:

• 1 large whole roasted/barbequed chicken
• 175 ml vegetable oil
• paprika for sprinkling
• 600 – 800 ml water
• 3 long celery sticks, trimmed, sliced
• 45 ml lemon juice
• 500 g cherry tomatoes
• large pinch saffron threads
• 300 g long grain rice

Ingredients: Dressing:

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 15 ml curry powder
• 60 ml red wine vinegar
• 20 – 30 ml lemon juice
• salt & freshly ground pepper
• 90 ml vegetable oil
• 60 ml tomato juice or passata
• 30 – 45 ml smooth apricot jam
• 250 g cottage cheese

Preparation:

• Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Place the measured water in a saucepan with a teaspoon of salt and the saffron.
• Bring to the boil, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the rice, return to the boil, cover and let it simmer on the lowest heat possible until all the water has been absorbed.
• Add extra water, if it seems that the rice will not be cooked by the time all the water has disappeared – I find that I almost always need some extra water. The finished rice must be moist, but not mushy.
• Remove from the heat, and allow to cool for 20 minutes, then stir gently with a fork. Set aside.
• Cook the onion over medium heat in about 20 ml of the oil until soft, but not coloured, stirring occasionally.
• Add the curry powder and cook gently for a minute or so. Add the tomato juice and vineger and cook till reduced by about half.
• Stir in the apricot jam, and leave on the switched-off plate, so that the jam melts. Taste, and if it seems very acid add a little more jam (or palm sugar, if you have any).
• Cool slightly, then blitz in the processor until smooth, scraping down the bowl as necessary.
• Add most of the lemon juice, the cottage cheese, salt and pepper and blitz again, and then, with the motor running, pour in the remaining oil.
• Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary. This must be very well-seasoned as the whole dish depends on the sauce for impact.
• Pull the skin off the chicken, then tear off the flesh from the bones, shredding it with your fingers. Toss the chicken with just over half of the curry dressing and set aside.
• Skin the cherry tomatoes – pour boiling water over them, let stand for about 1 minutes, then drain. The skins should come off easily.
• Combine the cooked rice and the celery, stirring gently together.
• Make a vinaigrette with salt pepper, the lemon juice and vegetable oil.
• Whisk well together, then pour three-quarters of it over the rice. Toss gently, but thoroughly to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Toss the remaining vinaigrette with the cherry tomatoes.
• To serve – pile the saffron rice onto the centre of a round platter, and arrange the chicken on top. Garnish with clusters of cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with the paprika. Serve the remaining dressing separately.

Notes:

• Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world – a teaspoon of ground turmeric makes a very acceptable alternative here – actually I think it is preferable.

Serves 4 – 6.

Ingredients:

• 1 roasted/bought barbequed chicken
• 1 medium pineapple
• ½ cup shredded coconut
• 4 spring onions, sliced

Ingredients: Dressing:

• 1 tsp curry powder
• ¼ tsp 5 – spice powder
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• ¾ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup coconut milk

Preparation:

• Toast coconut until golden – either in medium oven for about 5 minutes, or on a dry frying pan, stirring constantly.
• Peel pineapple, and cut the flesh into bite-sized chunks.
• Pull the skin off the chicken, then strip off all the flesh from the bones, and cut it-tnto bite-sized pieces.
• Combine in a bowl with the coconut and spring onions.
• Whisk together all the dressing ingredients, then pour over the salad. Stir gently but thoroughly. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Notes:

• Use dessicated coconut, though, I think, the original recipe meant fresh shredded coconut to be used.

Serves 4 – 5.

Ingredients:

• 125 g sliced salami
• 2 x 432 g tins red kidney beans
• 2 x 310 g tins butter beans
• 250 g button mushrooms, wiped, sliced
• ½ cup sliced black olives
• 4 green shallots (spring onions), chopped
• 250 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Ingredients: Dressing:

• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 – 2 tbl chopped fresh basil

Preparation:

• Drain all the beans. Rinse and drain again thoroughly.
• Cut salami slices into strips, and combine in a bowl with beans, mushrooms, olives, shallots and dressing. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight – and up to 3 days if preferred.
• Add tomatoes, and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessry.

Serves 4 – 6.

Ingredients:

• 2 small or 1 large smoked chicken(s) (or use smoked chicken breasts, diced)
• 3 – 4 mangoes, peeled
• juice of 1 lime/lemon

Ingredients: Dressing:

• 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• ½ – 1 tsp salt
• ½ – 1 tsp sugar
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 – ½ teasp curry powder
• freshly ground pepper
• 300 ml oil vegetable oil
• 2 – 3 tbl wine vinegar
• 2 tbl boiling water, if necessary

Preparation:

• Put the egg, egg yolk, mustard, salt, sugar, garlic, curry powder and pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Whiz briefly on medium speed.
• Increase speed to maximum then gradually add the oil, starting very slowly, and increasing the rate as the dressing starts to thicken.
• Add the wine vinegar, adding it gradually according to taste. Spoon the mayonnaise into a bowl. Refrigerate until needed.
• Cut the mango fleah off the pips, and cut into cubes. Combine with the lime juice.
• Pull the skin off the chickens, then strip off all the flesh from the bones, chopping it into bite-sized pieces. Add it to the mango flesh and mix.
• If the mayonnaise seems thick, blend in the boiling water to make it a coating consistency. Fold it into the chicken mixture, and stir gently but thorougly to combine.
• This much mayonnaise may be more than you need for this dish – don’t ‘drown’ the chicken and fruit with the dressing – it keeps very well in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Serves 6 – 10.

Ingredients:

• 2 x 425 g tin tuna chunks
• ½ cup chopped black olives
• 250 g pasta (fusilli, medium shells)
• 1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
• 310 g cooked cannellini beans (or one tin)
• ½ cup chopped green olives
• 1 tbl olive oil
• 1 bunch English (baby) spinach

Ingredients: Dressing:

• 45 g tin anchovy fillets, drained
• 1 small red chilli, finely chopped (optional)
• 1/4 cup oil (a mixture of olive and vegetable oils gives the best taste)
• salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar

Preparation:

• Drain the tuna. Drain the beans, rinse and drain again. Combine the tuna, beans and olives in a bowl.
• Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and place in another bowl.
• Heat the oil in a pan, add the garlic (if using) and sizzle gently. Add the spinach and toss until wilted, being very careful not to burn the garlic.
• Add to the pasta together with the tuna mixture.
• Chop the drained anchovies very finely, and combine with the remaining dressing ingredients.
• Whisk together very thoroughly, and check and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Stir gently into the salad.

Notes:

• Anchovies are fairly pricey, so if you want to make a budget dish use 1 – 2 tablespoons of fish sauce instead

Serves 4 – 6.

Ingredients:

• 12 drumsticks
• 2 tbl coarse-grained mustard
• 2 tbl soft brown sugar
• ½ teasp salt
• 3 tbl tomato sauce (ketchup)
• 2 tbl wine vinegar
• Tabasco sauce to taste

Preparation:

• Score the drumsticks deeply and place in a non-reactive dish.
• Mix the rest of the ingredients and pour over the chicken. Cover and marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
• Drain off the marinade and EITHER braai OR cook under the grill, brushing frequently with the marinade while cooking. Serve hot or cold.

Serves 6 – 8.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbl olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• ¼ teasp caraway seeds
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 tbl thick tomato paste
• salt & freasly ground black pepper
• sour cream for serving (optional)
• 2 small onions (preferably red), wedged
• 1 tbl Hungarian paprika (sweet, not hot)
• 8 – 10 chicken portions
• 1 tbl red wine vinegar
• 1 – 2 tsp sugar
• 450 g cherry tomatoes (optional)

Preparation:

• Brown the chicken in the oil, adding salt and pepper lightly.
• Remove from the pan, and add the onion to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring, then add garlic, paprika and caraway seeds and cook for another minute or so.
• Mix together the stock, tomato paste, sugar and vinegar and stir into the pan.
• When it starts to boil, return the chicken to the saucepan, add a little boiling water, cover,and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and the sauce has reduced.
• Check the seasoning, then stir in the tomatoes and cook for a further.5 minutes.
• Serve very hot with cream spooned into the centre of the dish.

Serves 4 – 6.

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breast fillets
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 fresh green chilli, seeded, chopped roughly
• 2 cm fresh ginger, peeled, chopped roughly
• 4 tbl chopped fresh dhania
• Finely grated rind of one lime
• 3 tbl lime juice
• 2 tbl light soy sauce
• 1 tbl caster sugar
• 175 ml coconut milk
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

• With a sharp knife cut three deep diagonal slashes in the skinned side of the chicken. Place in a single layer in a shallow non-reactive dish.
• Blitz the remaining ingredients in a food processor to a smooth puree. Spread the puree on both sides of the chicken breasts.
• Cover the dish and allow to marinate for at least one hour and up to about 4 hours. (If you are doing large quantities, they may marinate overnight in the refrigerator).
• Drain the excess marinade from the chicken.
• Cook EITHER under a preheated grill for about 12 – 15 minutes (brushing with marinade and turning as required) until cooked and golden, OR cook, over medium heat in a frying pan in a little oil, preferably peanut.
• If you have grilled the breasts, simmer the remaining marinade in a small aucepan for a couple of minutes. If you have fried the breasts, pour the marinade into the frying pan and simmer for a couple of minutes – the second cooking method is the one I prefer.

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken, jointed (or equivalent portions)
• oil
• 50 ml tomato sauce
• 5ml curry powder
• 1 onion, very finely chopped or grated
• butter
• salt & pepper
• 50 ml fruit chutney
• 10 ml Worcestershire sauce
• 5 ml Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

Preparation:

• Remove excess fat from chicken portions. Season lightly on both sides.
• Brush a shallow baking dish with oil, and place the chicken portions, skin side up and fitting fairly snugly in a single layer, into the dish.
• Mix together the remaining ingredients, except the butter, and spread the mixture over the chicken.
• Bake uncovered at 160° C for ahout 1 hour. Leave the chicken in the dish and remove as much fat as possible.
• Place a small pat of butter on each portion (to make it glossy) and return to the oven for a further 15 or so minutes, until the chicken is a deep rich colour and cooked through. This last procedure with the butter is entirely optional, hut it does add extra flavour and visual appeal.

Serves 4 – 6.