HERE is a dish to get us through the dog days of early March, when there is little seasonal and exciting to be bought at the markets. Our local country market lasts about 90 seconds these days, the paucity of vegetables causing all and sundry to leave rather forlorn, and mostly empty-handed.
So to cheer us up here is a masterly, fun dish. Kevin Thornton stumbled upon it by accident, he admits, while messing around with some Thai dishes. The magic of it is the fact that no one ever guesses that the sauce is pop!
The sweetness of the fizz breaks down completely, and the final suggestion is reminiscent more of a vermouth than a kiddie's drink. It is a dish which you can eat time and again, and it is terrific fun to cook for your mates and to see them trying to guess the mystery ingredient.
Kevin Thornton's Chicken With A Sauce Of 7 Up And Ginger
For two servings:
2 breasts of chicken, olive oil, thyme, small piece of root ginger, finely diced,
2 shallots, diced,
1 clove of garlic, crushed,
175ml (6floz) 7Up,
300ml (i/2 pint) home-made chicken stock, garlic, chives,
50ml (2 floz) cream or yoghurt, salt and pepper.
Marinate the chicken for an hour in a little of the 7 Up and some olive oil and thyme.
Heat an oven-proof frying pan. Add some olive oil and then slap in the seasoned chicken. Turn when they begin to brown and saute on the second side, then place in a hot oven and cook for 10 minutes.
Saute the shallots and garlic in some more olive oil. Add the 7 Up and boil to reduce by half.
Add the stock and reduce by half again. Taste and season. Add the finely diced ginger and cook for three to four minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven. Strain the sauce over the chicken and cook for a further two to three minutes. Add cream (or you can add yoghurt, in which case remove the chicken and allow the sauce to cool before adding the yoghurt). Garnish with garlic chives. Kevin suggests a tagliatelle of vegetables is a good accompaniment to this dish.