Sweet, herby, and comforting, this is an incredibly heart warming and satisfying dish. Balls of beautiful free-range, organic chicken mince, hazelnuts, dates, garlic, and lots of rosemary, sit on top of a heavier-than-it-looks mash of new seasons pears, parsnip, and cauliflower. Finished simply with a crumbling of my favourite goats cheese and drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. They’re just wonderful.
500g organic, free range minced chicken
2 French shallots, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ cup rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
¼ cup medjool dates, finely chopped
¼ cup toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
½ tsp ground nutmeg
Sea salt
½ head of cauliflower, chopped into small pieces
2 parsnips, peeled and diced
2 pears, peeled and diced
2 tbsp crème fraiche
½ tsp nutmeg
2 cups baby spinach, washed
Olive oil
Good quality goat’s cheese
Fill a large pot with water and add parsnip, pear, and cauliflower. Bring to the boil, reduce heat and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until pear and vegetables are soft and can easily be mashed with the back of a fork. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a pan, add the shallots, garlic and rosemary and cook until soft – about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken mince with the cooked onion and garlic mixture, medjool dates, hazelnuts, nutmeg, and a good pinch of sea salt. Mix using your hands until well combined. Roll into balls – depending on the size you want, this recipe can make up to 16 small balls.
To finish off the mash, add ½ teaspoon of nutmeg, crème fraiche, and a good pinch of salt to the cooked vegetables and pears, using a blender or a masher, blend everything together until you achieve a fairly smooth mash. Season to taste.
Heat some more olive oil in the pan over medium-high heat and add the chicken balls. Cook, turning occasionally until golden and cooked through – about 5-10 minutes.
While the balls are cooking, wilt the spinach in a pan over medium-high heat with a splash of water. Set aside and keep warm.
To serve, pile the mash onto a serving plate. Top with the wilted spinach and then the chicken balls. Scatter with some good quality goat’s cheese, some extra virgin olive oil, and extra rosemary sprigs and hazelnuts.
Serves 4
Yum, they look incredibly morish! Love the flavour combo – rosemary is so inderused in anything other than lamb.
I agree.. rosemary and chicken is a beautiful combo and should be celebrated! …and yes, these are dangerous little delights – have one and you can’t stop! Kx
Mmm… X
Just fantastic, Kate – love the idea of a pear and parsnip mash… might have to steal that one 😀
It’s a winner! Enjoy 🙂
Cheers Frugal. Enjoy the P & P combo 🙂
This looks superlative! Pear and parsnip! I’d never have thought!
Superlative.. my oh my, what a compliment. Thank you, Sam! Kx
It’s autumn on a plate. The photos are gorgeous Kate.
Thank you for the lovely comment Amelia!
Thanks Amelia. 🙂 Kx
Oh my goodness, I think you’ve hit every one of my favorite notes! Even as we are longing for spring to finally arrive, these autumn flavors still sound absolutely wonderful. Beautiful photos, too.
Thank you for the lovely comment, Michelle! Kx
Reblogged this on Alfonso Mujica.
This looks so interesting!
This is amazing – we loved it! Healthy food that looks and tastes like fine dining. Easy to prepare too – I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed it for dinner tonight. I’ll definitely be making this again and again. Thank you!
What a lovely comment. Thank you, Annella. I’m absolutely thrilled that you liked the recipe. Kx
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