Monday, March 06, 2006
Chicken Roulades with Truffles
I've just realised that we've had a bit of a chicken overdose over the last few weeks. I'm sure this is mostly due to the cold, wet weather. If the sun refuses to come out for days on end and the moisture penetrates everything, there's nothing like a good roast to warm you up in the evening. However, the constant lemon and herb roast was starting to get a bit samey, so I let myself be inspired by an absolutely fabulous dish I had in January at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant in London and opted for mushroom gravy and truffles. But I wanted to do more than make a bad copy of Ramsay's truly wonderful creation. For a change, I felt inspired to experiment again. The result was a filleted chicken leg, stuffed with onio
n, garlic, wild mushrooms and Speck Alto Adige (a lightly peppered, smoked bacon from the Alto Adige region of Italy), lightly whipped mashed potatoes, wild mushroom and onion gravy and buttered baby kale. As I've cooked all other elements before, I will only give you the recipe for the chicken here. Just a few tips, though: The kale wants to be lightly cooked in butter, a bit like the Brussel tops not long ago. Omit the vinegar or wine I mentioned in my other kale recipe. You want a more subtle flavour here. Also, make sure not to overcook it. For the gravy, follow my recipe for onion gravy and add some wild mushrooms - preferable fresh ones, but dried porcini will do in a pinch - after the onions are cooked. Allow them to stew in the butter for 2 to 3 minutes before adding the flour. Then proceed as indicated in the recipe. Also, as you will have the two leg bones left from this recipe, I suggest you make your own chicken stock for the gravy. The difference in flavour is incredible. But let's get on with the chicken.2 chicken legs, bones removed
4 to 6 thin slices of Speck (alternatively, use Parma or Serrano ham or a lightly smoked bacon with little fat on it)
¼ onions, cut into thin slices
2 small garlic cloves, julienned
1 ½ tbsp dried porcini mushrooms, chopped
a few springs of fresh thyme
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. Lay the chicken legs out, skin side down, on a plate or chopping board. Arrange the other ingredients evenly across the middle, starting with the Speck. Roll the chicken up and tie them into loose parcels. You can also pin them together with some toothpicks. Transfer them, skin side up, to a shallow baking dish and put them in the oven. After about 15 minutes, reduce the heat to 180 degrees Celsius, and baste the chicken with the fat that has dripped out. Return to the oven for a further 35 minutes. Baste once or twice during that time. Turn the heat back up to 200 degrees and continue to roast until the skin is crisp and golden, about 10 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pan and allow to rest in a warm place. Pour the fat off the juices and deglaze the pan with a few drops of white wine or water. Add the juices to the gravy, stir briefly and serve with freshly sliced truffles or wild mushrooms, fried briefly in olive oil.
Christine at 9:32 pm
