PICNIC SANDWICH: HOISIN CHICKEN BAGUETTE

Smoky chicken & crunchy veg makes a popular baguette for picnics...

East meets west in a baguette stuffed with hoisin chicken & crunchy veg 
'It was all a huge hit but  this was by far the best sandwich of the lot!' Tasters

67goingon50's Hoisin Chicken Vegetable baguette was the favourite out of all the sandwiches served when it catered a sandwich/finger food buffet recently. (The others were Tuna Nicoise, Cheese with Tomato Jam & Mushroom & Egg) 

The colourful mix of succulent chicken, smoky Asian sauce and crunchy vegetables was clearly a striking and satisfying combination. 

It's a great way to use up leftover chicken and salad vegetables. 

For the event, 67 used 1 1/2 large baguettes and cut them into 15 pieces.  Delicious as they were, the portions were also a bit messy to eat;  in future, 67 will either stick to sliced bread or cut the baguettes into larger pieces and wrap the bottoms in serviettes.

The Hoisin & chicken can be mixed the night before but it's better if the mayo is added when making the sandwich.

Cost: depending on what's in the cupboard, say £2
Makes: 4 portions but multiplies easily 

Ingredients:
   1x10inch baguette

   1/3-1/2 cup cooked chicken, shredded or in small dice
   couple of tablespoons diced celery
   couple of tablespoons diced raw bell pepper
   approx 1.5 teaspoons hoisin sauce*

   any lettuce except iceberg, washed & dried completely (it may be necessary to dab the leaves with paper towels to get rid of any moisture) 
   
   2-3 tablespoons Yoghurt-mayonnaise with lemon

   thin slices radish

Method:

1. Mix chicken, celery, bell pepper & enough Hoisin sauce to moisten but not overwhelm the chicken.  Refrigerate overnight if you wish.
2. When ready to proceed, slice a thin layer off the top of the baguette 
3. Remove some of the bread from the bottom layer, forming a groove.
   
   
   
4. Put down a layer of completely dry lettuce, pressing it into the groove; add a little yoghurt mayonnaise.
   
5. Add the chicken hoisin mix, mounding it into the groove.  Drizzle a little more yoghurt-mayonnaise on top.
6. Garnish with layer of radishes 
7. If necessary, remove some of the bread from the top slice to allow it to sit nicely over the filling
8. Wrap in tinfoil and cut at site

Comments:

'The Hoisin filling was amazing but the bread was kind of explosive and maybe not for a polite gathering!' 

*Lee Kum Yee

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.   

MINI BEEF KOFTAS FOR PICNICS & BUFFETS

67's spicy Greek style koftas in miniature, make perfect canapés...

first posted 2018/ updated 6/25

Beef Mini-Koftas
'Everyone loved these! And they looked really good.' Tasters

A platter of spicy little barrels of beef was included in 67's first formal catering event, a lunch for activists at the local elections. They went down a storm.  

The mini-kofta are full of intense flavours - spicy, herby and meaty - and, accompanied with an exotic tahini sauce, brought exclamations of delight.  

It's a perfect dish to make ahead; the flavour deepens as it sits.  Most of it can be prepared up to two days ahead: the meat can be mixed and moulded and the sauce made; both can be refrigerated in a couple of layers of cling film until needed.  The vegetable crudités, which add colour as well as crispness, can be prepared the night before.

The mini koftas in the photo are made with low-fat beef mince.  Lamb is traditional used but lower-fat minced turkey thigh also works well.   

Cost: £6.50'ish+ for beef; total £5'ish (5/23); turkey is more expensive
Makes: 24+ mini-koftas 

Ingred:
   500 gm minced beef
   1 med onion or half a Spanish onion, grated or processed into small shards OR an equivalent fodmap-friendly fennel bulb, (tough outer leaves and fronds removed, soaked in a 3/4:1/4 solution of water & vinegar 20 mins, drained and 1/2 inch removed from the bottom of the leaves and stems).

    1.5 tsp paprika
    1.5 tsp cumin
    1 tsp cinnamon
    1 tsp dried coriander
    zest of one lemon
    2-3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped medium fine, or 1 tsp dried
    2-3 tbsp fresh parsley or chives, chopped medium fine, or 1 tsp dried
    1 egg (opt)
    pepper & salt

Method

1. Spread out mince on a sheet of greaseproof paper
2. Cover with onion and dried herbs only; mix well with two forks or with hands, ensuring the herbs are blended into the meat.  Work lightly; the koftas should be moist and yielding, not hard as rocks
3. Add lemon zest & fresh herbs; stir well, distributing everything evenly; mix in egg if using.  Break off a tablespoon; fry to check for seasoning; add pepper & salt as needed 
4. Use a small 1.5 inch/4 cm ice cream scoop to divide the mix into equal pottions.  Form each into a barrel shape; place on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper, leaving a little space in between. 
5. Cover loosely in 2 layers of clingfilm,  ensuring the pan is air tight;  refrigerate overnight
6. When ready to cook, allow mini-koftas to come to room temperature.
7. Preheat oven to 180c/350f
8. Bake 15 mins, or until centres are no longer pink 
9. Transfer to a cooling rack lined with paper towels; once no longer hot, scrape or rub off any juices that have seeped from the mini-kofta
10. Spear kofta with cocktail sticks
11. Arrange on a platter around tahini dressing and Chinese crudités   

Tahini Dressing:

   200gm/7oz thick o-fat dairy or plant yoghurt

   4 generous tbsp mayonnaise
   2 tsp lemon juice or white wine vinegar
   1 med clove garlic, finely grated
   2 tbsp chopped fresh mint or 2 tsp dried  
   pepper & salt
   2 tbsp good tahini
   1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds (opt)
   
Mix well

Comments from political activists & council candidates:
    'Loved these!'
    'Beautifully spiced though I could have used more heat.'
    'Looks so pretty.' 
    'These are really, really good.'

   
Tip:

• make these in larger sizes for a portable lunch
• finely diced fresh chillis or chilli flakes can be served in a separate dish 

                          

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.   

WHEAT FREE TABOULEH, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, low-carb

Utterly refreshing Tabouleh for the wheat & gluten phobes; in fact Everyone!

updated 4/25; first posted 2018

Lighter brighter tabouleh; you won't miss the wheat

Tabouleh used to be one of 67's favourite summer salads until cracked wheat began to aggravate skin problems.  This common-wheat and gluten-free version is just as fresh, juicy and reviving and thoroughly enjoyable to eat.

Serve it as a side, with meat or other protein, or mixed in rice or pasta salads for a lovely layer of flavour.  

67 is not sure where this recipe is from - all the Blogger has is a scribbled note stashed inside a book - and apologises for not being able to acknowledge the source.

Like ordinary tabouleh, this wheat-free version is a splendidly satisfying.   

It's very easy to put together.  And though the recipe does require fresh not dried herbs, it won't break the bank.  

Cost: £3.50'ish (4/2025)
Serves: 2-3 but multiplies easily 

Ingreds:
     4 vine tomatoes OR regular tomatoes that have been sliced or in chunks, sprayed with olive oil and lightly salted
    1 tbsp cooked brown rice (opt)
    50g shallots or mild purple onions or whites of spring onions OR (for fodmap phobes) green of spring onions
    1/2 lemon
    75gm/2.6oz fresh parsley
    15gm/1/2 oz mint
    pepper & salt

Method:

CALAMARI RICE SALAD, quick & easy, leftovers, wallet-friendly

Sometimes it's a relief not to cook...

updated June 2021

A quick tempting meal with the help of deli friends & a superb wheat-free tabbouleh

When life's ultra-busy, it's a relief to know that a food from the freezer, leftovers and deli treats can produce a fabulous meal in minutes.

Deli ingredients offer great flavour boosters when it's too hot or you're too tired to cook.  With their variety of sauces - hot and spicy or mellow Italian - they will transform cold rice or pasta and vegetables.   

67's first choice of deli treats* will usually be calamari and prawns but the antipasti mix of artichoke hearts, olives and sun-blush tomatoes always appeals.  When deli food is (as often happens) on special at 3 for £7 instead of £3.50+ each, that's a bargain!

Mediterranean Calamari Rice Salad arose out of an excess of Wheat Free Tabbouleh (which itself used up an excess of parsley & mint) and a few leftover artichokes, sun-blush tomatoes and olives from an antipasti mix.  They were all added to pre-cooked brown rice (in this case, defrosted overnight) with calamari in beep-sized pieces.  Lovely!

However (see tips below) you can obviously start from scratch.  Fresh calamari is wonderful and most fishmongers know exactly what to do with it but you will need to cook with care - it turns rubbery very quickly.  Obviously the dish will no longer be quite so frugal but on the other hand, not excessive either, considering the convenience and saving in time. 

Feeds: 1 but see tips below for 4 or more
Cost: min £1.00 plus leftovers; more if starting from scratch

Ingred:
   3-4 tbsp brown rice
   2-3 tbsp wheat free tabbouleh
   2-3 tbsp artichoke hearts, fronds removed
   a few sun blush tomatoes
   a few olives
   pepper & salt
   couple of pinches chilli flakes or a shot of tabasco (opt)

 1/2 container deli calamari or freshly prepared & cooked calamari

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients together
2. Check seasoning
3. Serve at room temperature

Comments:
'So easy to put together. If all leftovers tasted this good, I'd be as happy as Larry.' Retired writer

Tips:

• add more rice to make this dish go further
• for 4 or more: 1 coffee mug rice, cooked per instructions and cooled; 1 deli container calamari (sauce of choice), 1 deli container antipasti drained, enough of 1 recipe Wheat Free Tabbouleh to moisten but not overwhelm the rice salad ingredients 

*usually M&S

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.