Summer you beauty

View from the cliff path

Summer days like these are for bikinis and dresses and shorts. For large hats and the smell of sunscreen. For soft serve ice- cream and cold beers.  For sitting on my favourite bench on the cliff path and watching the fishermen. And for crunchy Chicken salad.

My crunchy Chicken salad

Serves four

Vinaigrette:

• 7ml wholegrain mustard
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 10ml clear honey
• 150ml olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Salad:

• 400g skinless chicken breast fillets ( free range, happy(ier) chickens taste nicer)
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 30ml olive oil
• small bunch of dill, chopped
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cucumber, cut into big dice
• 250g ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 carrot, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 200g mange toute, sliced
• 100g fine green beans, blanched and cut in 2cm pieces
• 100g asparagus, blanched and cut into 2 cm strips
• 50- 80g feta cheese, crumbled or sliced
• 100g rocket, or cos lettuce (or both) dressed with a little olive oil
• Maldon salt and black pepper

Grill those little chicks. 

1. Whisk together the mustard, lemon juice and honey. Add the olive oil in a steady stream while whisking continuously. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Season the chicken breasts and marinade in mixture of lemon juice, olive oil and dill for thirty minutes.
3. Heat up a grill pan until smoking hot and grill the fillets on each side for a minute or two, to make those pretty lines. Usually, colour is flavour.
4. Pour a little of the dressing over the chicken, and place in a 180 C oven for 6 minutes.
5. Allow to cool. Combine with other ingredients and season with Maldon salt and black pepper. Serve remaining dressing alongside.