Lithuania: Stuffed Chicken Thighs baked with prunes, Pink Potato and Beetroot Salad, and Summer Radish Salad with Dijon Mustard Dressing
Lithuania sits on the edge of the Baltic Sea at the crossroads between eastern, central and northern Europe. Once the largest country in Europe, Lithuania is now one of the newest independent countries in the World. Amazingly, centuries of occupation do not seem to have dampened the connection Lithuanian people have to their land and their food culture.
Lithuanian culinary traditions are strongly influenced by the changing cycles of the four seasons. Age-old traditions of agriculture and wild food-foraging in fair weather and food preservation (such as pickling) to prepare for colder times, have formed a unique cuisine that features root vegetables, mushrooms, fruits, berries, greens and dairy products. Despite the apparent richness of these ingredients, Lithuanian cuisine is subtle, being characterised by fresh herbs such as dill rather than spices.
Officially known as the Republic of Lithuania, the cookery style of this ‘crossroads’ country is eclectic. Numerous nations have contributed to the depth of Lithuania’s cuisine. It shares culinary similarities with its Baltic neighbours Estonia and Latvia, and also has historic food exchange practices with Poland, France, Russia and Germany. This is a colourful and fresh cuisine that is simultaneously simple in its ingredients and deep in it flavours.
Our Lithuanian menu included
STUFFED CHICKEN THIGHS baked with prunes
PINK POTATO and BEETROOT SALAD
and
SUMMER RADISH SALAD with Dijon Mustard Dressing
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STUFFED CHICKEN THIGHS
Ingredients:
· 6 large deboned chicken thighs, skin on
· Salt & pepper
· 12 pitted prunes
· 2 tbs sunflower oil
· 4 tbs horseradish sauce
Stuffing Ingredients
· 1 ½ tbs butter
· ½ onion, finely diced
· 250 gm ground chicken
· 1 egg
· 1 slice day old white bread
· 1 ½ tbs milk
· ½ tbs chopped fresh parsley
· ½ tbs chopped fresh dill
· 1 tsp brown sugar
· ¼ tsp salt
· 2 pinch white pepper
Method:
1. Salt and pepper the chicken thighs on both sides and leave in the refrigerator for at least two hours to ‘marinate’
2. While the chicken is ‘marinating’ make the stuffing
3. Melt butter and sauté onions gently until glazed, then leave aside to cool
4. Soaked bread in milk then squeeze out the milk
5. Beat the milk together with the eggs
6. Combine the cooled onions with all the rest of the stuffing ingredients
7. Knead stuffing ingredients until they are well mixed
8. Put the stuffing in the fridge for half an hour to firm up
9. Heat the oven to 180 ° C (350° F)
10. Lay the chicken thighs out flat on a board with skin side down
11. Place equal amounts of the stuffing onto each thigh (about a heaped tbs)
12. Fold the thigh over to cover the stuffing and shape into an oval parcel
13. Place chicken pieces, folded side down, on a sunflower oiled cooking pan
14. Snuggle the pitted prunes around the chicken
15. Brush the chicken with sunflower oil and bake for 1½ hours
16. Serve with Horseradish sauce on the side
this is a q_zine original recipe created from several found at:
PINK POTATO SALAD
Ingredients:
· 4 medium sized potatoes
· 3 medium sized beetroots
· 440 g can of small white beans
· 2 large pickles, diced finely (or 3 tbs sauerkraut)
· 2 eggs, hard boiled, shelled and cut in large dice
· 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley
· 2 tbs chopped fresh Dill
· Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
· Pinch of sugar
· 4 tbs sour cream
Method:
1. Boil whole potatoes and beetroots (with skin on), in separate pots until they are tender but not overcooked, for about 25 minutes
2. Remove potatoes and beetroot from hot water and let them cool completely
3. Peel and cut potatoes and beetroots into cubes
4. Mix potatoes, beets, dill and pickles together in a bowl
5. Drain the liquid off the beans and add to the potato mix
6. Mix the sour cream, parsley, salt, pepper and sugar together to make a dressing then fold it through the salad
7. Finally add the boiled egg and gently fold all the salad ingredients together
8. Chill in the fridge until ready to serve
this is a q_zine original recipe created from several found at:
SUMMER RADISH SALAD
Ingredients:
· 1 bunch radishes, washed and sliced thinly
· 1 large crunchy cucumber, halved and sliced thinly
· ½ small leek, washed, cleaned and thinly sliced
· 1 butterhead lettuce, sliced thinly
· 1 small bunch spring onions, (or bunch of chives), chopped finely
· 1 tbs chopped fresh parsley
· 1 large carrot, peeled and shaved
· 1 heaped tbs honey
Dressing Ingredients:
· 4 tbs mayonnaise
· 2 tablespoons apple vinegar
· 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
· ½ tbs olive oil
· 2 pinch garlic salt
· 1 pinch finely ground black pepper
· 2 tbs chopped fresh dill
· Pinch of sugar
Method:
1. Place all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake until it is all combined into a creamy dressing
2. Mix the radish, cucumber and leek together in a large bowl
3. Add the carrots, lettuce and onion and parsley and fold together
4. Shake the dressing jar again to ensure a creamy dressing then pour over the salad and fold all the ingredients together
5. Pour the honey over the salad and fold the salad again to combine
6. Serve immediately
this is a q_zine original recipe created from several found at:
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