A small culinary success

ONCE A week, at least once a week, I have an experimental cook day. This entails my trying out something I haven’t done before – a new recipe, perhaps, or a novel culinary skill. Maybe it’s just like today’s, a different way to prepare a chicken casserole.


I take a couple of chicken breasts – purchased for the purpose the other day from our excellent butcher – and I make sure they are skinless and have as little fat as possible. Both breasts are then buttered all over and placed in a casserole dish, along with some generous seasoning, a handful of roughly cubed mushrooms and a good sprinkling of chopped fennel from the garden. I then pour in lemonade – yes, ordinary lemonade! – and cover the dish with foil before popping it into moderate oven for fifty minutes. I serve these with sautéed potatoes and minty garden peas, and I must say I’m inordinately chuffed with the result. Very tasty indeed! Happily, too, is My Good Lady’s choice of wine, a delicate Sicilian Pinot Grigio, which compliments the meal perfectly.


One of my modest culinary triumphs!