Last week the lovely chaps at Clearwater Hampers sent me their
Smoked Hamper, full of delicious goodies to try – a selection of gorgeous
smoked meat and fish, plus all the trimmings. It really got my tastebuds
tingling and I had no trouble getting inspired with recipes to make, although I
must admit, when it came to the smoked salmon – which is my particular weakness
– I just tucked into it straight away with fresh bread and a sprinkle of lemon
juice and black pepper! It was too good to resist, and of course really good
ingredients need very little dressing up.
When I tried the smoked chicken with rosemary and
juniper, I thought straight away that the rich, smoky flavour would be delicious
with the velvety yolk and silky white of a soft-boiled egg. Served with fresh
green leaves and a little homemade vinaigrette, using the scrumptious
Tracklements Wholegrain Mustard from the hamper, it made a fabulous lunch.
Ingredients
100g Rannoch Smokery Smoked Chicken
2 eggs
A large double handful of fresh spinach, rocket, baby
green leaves and watercress
To make the
dressing:
1 tsp Tracklements Wholegrain Mustard
2 tbsp good-quality olive oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
A pinch of salt
A tiny splash of white wine vinegar
Serves 2
Start by preparing your eggs – fill a small pan with
boiling water, add a small splash of white wine vinegar (this doesn’t affect
the flavour, just makes the eggs easier to peel afterwards) and place on a high
heat. Once it comes to the boil again, carefully add the eggs and set a timer
for two minutes. When the timer goes, remove the pan from the heat, cover with
a lid and leave for another six minutes. The result should be two eggs which
are not quite boiled, so that the yolk is still slightly oozy but the white is
firm.
While the eggs are cooking, make the vinaigrette. Pop all
the ingredients in a jug and stir rapidly for about thirty seconds, so that it’s
well-combined. Have a little taste to make sure all the flavours are in
balance, then drizzle over the fresh leaves and toss to coat them with the
dressing.
To prepare the chicken, use a sharp knife to cut the
chicken breast into thin slices. Arrange on top of the dressed salad leaves. Once
the eggs are ready, gently tap on your work surface to crack the shell and then
peel it off. Carefully cut into four wedges, lengthways – if you don’t press
too hard with the knife, the yolk should slice easily without spilling. Lay on
top of the salad and serve immediately.
