Chicken breast with Serrano ham and Mozzarella

Chicken breast stuffed with delectable Serrano ham and springy Mozzarella cheese is a simple, yet delicious, meal to serve during the coming festive period.

The sauce is based on the traditional salsa de vino de Málaga and its sweet flavors accompany the succulent chicken perfectly.

Mozzarella is an Italian cheese originating from Latium and Campania and although buffalo milk is still used in these areas, much of the Mozzarella from the rest of Italy is made with cow’s milk. It is a fresh cheese with a mild taste but when made with buffalo milk it has a much more delicate flavor.

Lyonnaise potatoes and some steamed vegetables like broccoli, French beans and carrots are an ideal accompaniment to this dish.

Your choice of wine is limited only by your imagination but a Coto de Imaz Rioja Reservacomplements this meal perfectly. Its seductive spice, tobacco and herbal aromas and silky fruit flavors are the essence of a traditional Rioja and the aging in oak barrels combines the classic marriage of wine and wood.

If your preference is white wine, then El Coto also offer an intensely aromatic El Coto Rioja Blanco that has an exquisite after taste of fruit and fine herbs.

Ingredients

4 Large chicken breast

8 slices of Serrano Ham

1 Mozzarella ball

Pepper& oregano

1 Egg

Bay leaves

1 glass dry sherry

75ml water

2 garlic cloves

Chicken stock cube

100G Raisins

Teaspoon brown sugar

½ Teaspoon flour

Olive oil

Method

Clean and trim the chicken breasts and then butterfly each one. Lay the opened breasts on a flat surface and brush each one with some beaten egg, a sprinkle of oregano and some pepper. Lay two slices of Serrano ham across each beast and then place a few thin slices of Mozzarella along the middle of the ham and roll the chicken breast into a secure cylinder. Place the rolls on a piece of kitchen foil and roll this into a tube twisting the ends of the foil to seal each parcel. 

Place the chicken rolls into a roasting tin and add a little sherry, water and the bay leaves and bake in a pre-heated oven for 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Set aside to cool a little before removing the foil. 

Using a small sauce pan, gently sauté the chopped  garlic in a little olive oil for one minute and then add the raisins and brown sugar to the pan cook for a further one minute before adding the flour.

Mix the ingredients to form a paste and add the wine, stirring continually so that a sauce forms.

Add the water, stock-cube and any juices left from the roasting tin, and simmer for five minutes until the sauce has reduced a little.

Serve the chicken sliced into medallions with the sauce poured over. Bon appetite!

French beans and Serrano Ham

200grams French beans

6 Slices of Serrano ham cut into small pieces

1 Small onion chopped

2 garlic cloves (sliced)

50 grams pine nuts

Paprika, salt, pepper, lemon juice

Method

Blanch the French beans in boiling water for one minute and then drain.

For best results, use a heavy based frying pan -Dry-fry the pine nuts for two minutes, whilst shaking the pan regularly so that they do not burn, and then remove from the pan.

Sauté the onion, garlic and paprika in a little olive oil until the onion is translucent and then add the French beans and pine nuts and continue to sauté for two-three minutes, or until the beans are cooked, but crisp. Season with salt and pepper and a little lemon juice, and serve.

Garlic mushrooms with Serrano ham and chillies

10 large cultivatedmushrooms (quartered)

100 grams diced Serrano ham

4 cloves garlic (sliced)

1 glass Tio Pepe or sherry

1 small red chili (optional)

Olive oil

Method.

In a heavy based frying pan, sauté the garlic and chili in a little olive for one minute and then add the quartered mushrooms and diced Serrano ham and cook for a further two minutes. Next pour in the Tio Pepe and continue cooking for two or three minutes.

Serve with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the delicious juices.

Roasted asparagus and Serrano ham

6 Slices Serrano ham

12 Asparagus spears (Fresh green variety)

Olive oil

Sea salt

Coarsely ground black pepper

Method

Pre-heat oven to 200ºC 

Trim the tough woody stalks from the asparagus and then blanch in boiling water for one minute: remove from water and set aside.

Cut the slices of Serrano ham in half and wrap each asparagus with a piece of the ham. Place the spears in a lighted oiled roasting tin and drizzle each with olive oil and a pinch of the salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for 10 minutes.

Serve with aioli.

Tapas for the fiesta!

December is a time when many of us are planning parties and reunions with friends and family in order to celebrate the festive season, and it is also a time when we will be thinking of creative ideas in the kitchen.

Serrano ham will play a big part in the Christmas menus of restaurants and private parties all over Spain and it may be servedin conjunction with an array of typical Mediterranean ingredients, orwith nothing more than a glass of crisp Tio Pepe or sparkling Cava.

Serrano ham can be combinedwith an array of vegetables like fresh asparagus spears, French beans or steamed new potatoes, or combined with rocket and cherry tomatoes to make an exciting salad to serve as an accompaniment.

Simplicity is of great importance and the following dishes will make an attractive display of mouth-watering flavorsthat can be used as a tapa, a starter, or simply as an accompanying vegetable for a main meal.

They are all simple to prepare and cookso you’ll be able to spend more time enjoying the fiesta, instead of assiduous hours in the kitchen. Felices fiestas!