stuffed chicken breast with sun-dried tomato and spinach, wrapped in bacon and served with broccoli puree, aubergine, red pepper and blue cheese sauce

ingredients

for two

2 chicken breast boneless and skinless

4 slices of streaky bacon

 1small jar sundried tomato

2 handful spinach

1 red pepper 

1 aubergine

broccoli

2 potatoes

50 g of blue cheese

100g butter

100ml double cream

100ml white wine

flour for coating

salt and black pepper

vegetable oil

method

1. Turn the chicken breast over so that the smooth side is on the chopping board. Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket the length of the breast under the small fillet - be careful not to cut all the way through the chicken breast.

2. Open the pocket and put the spinach and the sundried tomato into the pocket. Fold the chicken back over to seal the ingredients inside.

3. Take two slices of bacon, place them on the chopping board. Massage the bacon so that it doubles in length. Place each chicken breast on top of two slices of bacon at an angle, and roll up tightly so that the bacon seals the chicken breast packet closet. Seasoning with salt and pepper.

4. Bring a pot of water to a high simmer.

5. Roll out a long sheet of cling film. Roll up each chicken breast tightly. Compress as much air out of the chicken as you can when rolling it. Tie the loose ends of the plastic wrap together in a double knot.

6. Once the water has simmered, turn down the heat. Put the chickens in and leave to cook for 30 minutes.

7. Place the peeled potatoes in salted boiling water and cook them. When they are almost ready, add the broccoli and cook for 5 more minutes.

8. Drain the potatoes and broccoli. Blitz the broccoli with half of the butter and mash the potatoes with the remaining butter. Mix together broccoli puree and mashed potatoes, cover, and leave on the side.

9. Cut the pepper and aubergine to chunky pieces Sprinkle them with salt and black pepper.

10. Heat the oil in the frying pan.

11. Coat the aubergine and pepper pieces in the flour and fry them in hot oil for 2 minutes each side.

12. Take out the chicken from the water and place them on
the chopping board. Cut the ends of the cling film off. There will be some juice inside the wrap, keep it for the sauce. Fry the chicken in hot oil each side for a minute or until golden colored.  

13. Put that liquid in a saucepan, add the wine and crumble the blue cheese in. Cook and reduced by 50%. Pour the cream in and cook 1 more minute.

14. Cut the chicken in halves.

15. Now you are ready to arrange the plates. Share the broccoli and potato puree on two plates. Put the aubergine and red pepper next to puree, the chickens in the middle, and pour the sauce on the top of the chicken. I add deep-fried rice noodles for a decoration. 

I hope you enjoy making this delicious chicken dish and will keep coming back to see more recipes from Chef Stef's Kitchen

Bon Appetit

Cherry Omelette with Buttered Asparagus

Ingredients for two

2 egg

200 g cherries stoned and halved

30 ml milk

6 asparagus

50 g butter

1 tsp oil

salt

black pepper

balsamic reduction 

Method

1. Beat the egg with the milk, salt, and pepper,

2. In a two small frying pans heat the oil.

3. Pour the egg mixture.

4. When it begins to set, tip in the cherries and place under the grill. Heat for 2 minutes.

5. In another frying pan heat the butter and add the asparagus in. Cook them for about 2 - 3 minutes.

6. On two plates arrange the omelets, place the asparagus on top, decorate with fresh cherries and do dots with the balsamic reduction.

I hope you enjoy making this delicious omelette and will keep coming back to see more recipes from Chef Stef's Kitchen

Bon Appetit

How to Make White Bread

 Ingredients

400g white strong bread flour plus extra for dusting 

15g fresh yeast or 7g of dried yeast

1tbsp salt

350ml warm water

a half tsp sugar

Method

1. Crumble the fresh yeast into a small bowl, add the sugar, 50g of the flour, and about 100 ml of the warm water. Mix well; leave it for about 10 minutes or until the mixture starts bubbling and has doubled in size.

If you use dried yeast you don't need to do this, so go to section 2.

.

2. Sift the flour in a large bowl, mix in the salt then make a small well in the centre.

3. When the yeast is ready, pour it into the well then slowly start to add the warm water, at the same time begin squeezing the mixture together to form a dough, making sure you pick up all the flour in the bowl.

4. Transfer the dough onto a clean surface that's already been dusted with flour.

I've added a quick video below to show you the process of kneading dough.

Sprinkle flour from time to time. Continue to do that for about 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and pliable.

Chefs tip: Cut the dough with a knife a few times during the kneading process. This adds more air into the dough making the cooked bread softer and more fluffy.

5. Put the dough in the bowl and leave for an hour to rise, or until it has doubled in size.

6. Oil loaf tin and dust with flour.

7.  Turn the fully risen dough onto the work surface and knead for a minute, then mould the dough into the shape of the type of loaf you are looking for.

8. Put it in the tin and leave to rise again for 40 minutes - 1 hour.

Chefs tip: If you would like to.add a cheesy flavour to your bread, lightly brush egg yolk on the top, sprinkle with grated cheese then place into the oven to cook.

9. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.

10. Once the dough has risen again place it in the oven. After 10 minutes turn the oven to 180°C and bake for 50 more minutes.

11. Take out of the oven and turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool

I hope you enjoy making your own bread and will keep coming back to see more recipes from Chef Stef's Kitchen

Bon Appetit