Someone was looking for a "soft aubergine/eggplant spread with tomatoes" and I knew exactly what they were talking about. There's a dish in Russia, our Eastern neighbour, which is called IKRA or fake caviar. I got this recipe from Russian friend Galina back in Edinburgh sometimes around 2000. Still makes a regular appearance in our kitchen. It's lovely on a slice of toast, or as a condiment or spread on a mezze-table. Russian aubergine spread IKRA 1 large aubergine/eggplant 1 large onion 2 garlic cloves 2 tomatoes 1 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice salt and freshly ground black pepper fresh parsley or dill Prick the aubergine with a fork here and there, then place into a preheated 200C/400F oven and bake for about 60 minutes, until fully cooked and slightly charred on the outside. Flip over once or twice during baking. Remove from the oven, let it cool. Then cul half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh. Place into a cutting b...
Recipe originally posted in August 2006, fully revised and updated with a new photo in June 2013.
The first time I cooked this delicious dish was in August 2006 in Edinburgh. I had some Estonian visitors from Cambridge. Trying to stay close to our Nordic roots, I had boiled some potatoes (the staple back home) and scoured the Swedish Arla site for recipes. This recipe for klassisk sommarkyckling aka Classic Summer Chicken caught my eye and, with small adaptations, was served to my friends. They liked it, as did I. The creamy-mustardy sauce was especially delicious, and dill added a very summery touch indeed (the original recipe used chives, which also sounds lovely).
That was seven years ago - and I still cook this to my family every now and then. I'm especially fond of the crispy bacon garnish, which complements the mild chicken and the creamy mustard sauce beautifully.
Chicken with creamy mustard and dill sauce and crispy bacon
(Suvine kanaroog koore-sinepikastmega)
Serves 4
about 500 g chicken thigh fillets or chicken breast escalopes*
butter for frying
200 ml whipping or double cream
2 tsp Dijon mustard or 1 heaped Tbsp mild MEIRA mustard
2-3 cloves of young garlic, skins off and slightly crushed
100 grams of smoked bacon rashers, chopped
3-4 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
To serve:
500-750 grams of new potatoes, boiled
sliced cucumbers or this wonderful shaken Estonian cucumber salad
Heat the butter in a heavy-bottomed frying pan. Add chicken fillets and brown on both sides (7-8 minutes in total).
Pour over the cream, add garlic cloves and mustard. Cover the pan and simmer on a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Add the chopped dill, season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, fry chopped bacon on a dry non-stick pan until golden brown and crispy. Transfer onto a sheet of kitchen paper to drain off excess fat.
To serve, place chicken fillets on heated plates, pour some sauce on top and sprinkle with crispy bacon.
* A chicken escalope (also called 'scallop') is a thin piece of chicken breast meat that's been pounded to make it thinner. If you cannot find them at your butcher or local supermarket, then it is really easy to make them yourself.
Place a large chicken breast on your chopping board and cut it horizontally into two. If your chicken breasts are on the small side, then cover with clingfilm/plastic wrap and simply pound them with a rolling pin until about 3-4 mm thick.
UPDATE 12.8.2006
Kalyn has included this recipe in her weekly round-up of South Beach Diet friendly recipes. Thank you, Kalyn!
Amsterdam-based Swedish foodblogger Henrik made this dish and liked it
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