Photographed yesterday in natural light.
If the word Ballotine terrifies you, then join the club. Until recently I thought it was something far too difficult. It turns out to be one of those things that is easier to do than to explain. But explain it I will!
Ballotine is a fancy name for a stuffed piece of chicken or game rolled into a sausage shape. In this recipe I've used a stuffing of mushrooms and sausage meat. But you can use anything you like as a stuffing. Last time I made them I used black pudding - but you could simply use garlic butter. Once cooked, slice each Ballotine into 3 pieces, as above. Here I served them on spinach seasoned with fenugreek and a chicken and wine sauce with juniper & and pink peppercorns.
Here's how you make them:
Ingredients:
4 skinless boned chicken thighs.
4 to 8 slices of Parma ham, Prosciutto or similar, depending on the size of the chicken thighs.
Stuffing of your choice
Method:
- Place each chicken thigh between two pieces of cling film and using a rolling pin or mallet, bash out the pieces until about 0.5cm/0.25in thick. Set the chicken thighs aside on a plate
- Place one or two slices of Parma ham on a sheet of cling film. Place one flattened chicken thigh on top, skin side down. Place a tablespoonful of the stufffing at the smaller end of the chicken thigh.
- Using the cling film to help, roll the stuffed thigh into a sausage shape. Then hold the ends of the cling film (like a Christmas cracker) and push the sausage shape away from you repeatedly, to tighten the cling film around the stuffed chicken thigh and form the Ballotines.
- Repeat with the remaining chicken and Parma ham slices. Place the Ballotines in the fridge in their cling film and leave for at least 1/2 an hour. You could leave them overnight or freeze them at this point.
- Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
- Remove Ballotines from cling film and place on a baking tray, drizzle with a little olive oil and cook in the oven for 25 minutes.
Photographed yesterday in natural light
