Free Cooking Recipes

This is an ideal fork or buffet dish. It is very decorative and can be made in advance and assembled prior to serving.

SERVES 4

30 ml/2 tbsp vegetable oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup/90 ml/6 tbsp white wine
3-4 pickling onions (or shallots), sliced
1cup/125 g/4 oz button mushrooms, wiped
and sliced
2/3 cup/150 ml/1/2 pt chicken stock (broth) plus extra, if needed
1 tomato, peeled and deseeded
1 bayleaf
1 1/2 cups/175 g/6 oz long grain rice
1 x 1.5 kg/31/2 lb chicken. cooked
1 1/4 cups/300 ml/1/2 pt low calorie mayonnaise
2/3 cup/ 150 ml/1/4 pt fromage frais
salt and freshly ground black pepper
GARNISH
1 hard boded (hard cooked) egg (yolk sieved, egg
white chopped)
lettuce heart
strips of canned pimento (sweet red pepper)
30 ml/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Put half the oil, the lemon juice, wine, stock, mushrooms, onions, tomato and bayleaf into a pan. Season well, bring to the boil, then simmer, covered, for 6 to 10 minutes.
2. Heat the remaining oil in a pan and stir-fry the rice until it begins to go opaque.
3. Strain off the liquor from the mushroom and onion, reserving the vegetables, and add enough boiling water or stock (broth) to make the quantity up to 2 cups/500 ml/18 fl oz.
4. Pour this onto the rice, cover and cook until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is just tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Remove bayleaf, stir in the mushroom and onion and leave to cool.
5. Arrange the rice mixture in a circle on a flat dish, leaving a hollow in the centre.
6. Take the chicken meat off the bone and coarsely chop. Fold in the mayonnaise and fromage frais. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pile on top of the rice pilaff.
7. Garnish the top of the chicken with crosswise strips of pimento (sweet red pepper). Place the lettuce leaves in the centre of the dish, and sprinkle with the sieved egg yolk. Mix the chopped egg white with the parsley and spoon a thin line around the edge of the rice. Serve chilled.