I love the taste of cooked chicken and this chicken and goats cheese salad is also a great way to use left over chicken. It makes for a very tasty lunch.
Irish goats cheese is creamy, mild and delicious. It does not have a strong taste. We are using one from Bluebell Farm’s Artisan Cheese in the restaurant for a while now and it goes down very well. It is produced in Charleville, Co Cork by Victor and Breda O’Sullivan and I am happy to recommend it.
For this tuna and pitta salad you will not find better than Shine’s Wild Irish Tuna from Killybegs. It is widely available around the country and it is delicious. A lot of people enjoy tuna and another simple meal is to have it with some pasta.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Chicken and goats cheese with baby leek and roasted pepper salad
Serves four
12 baby leeks, trimmed and cut into slices on the diagonal
olive oil, for cooking
2 roasted yellow peppers, cut into strips (or use a jar of mixed chargrilled peppers)
good pinch chopped fresh thyme
squeeze of lemon juice
dash of balsamic vinegar
handful pitted black olives
1 cooked chicken, meat shredded off into bite-sized pieces (discard all skin and bone)
4 x 2.5cm (1in) slices goats cheese log
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
crusty bread, to serve
Tuna and pitta salad
Serves four
25g (1oz) butter, melted
2 oval pitta breads
2 beef tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, cut into quarters lengthways and diced
6-8 radishes, trimmed and thickly sliced
1 large bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
400g (14oz) jar tuna in olive oil, drained
For the dressing:
juice of 1 lemon
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
10 fresh mint leaves, finely shredded
good pinch paprika
6-8 tbsp extra-virgin rapeseed oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper