creative
cooking
Eating well made easy
Gordon Ramsay’s tips for a Healthy Appetite
GORDON RAMSAY is a chef, restaurateur Braising: Braising involves browning of oil you’ll need for cooking. A slightly acidic
and star of the TV shows Hell’s Kitchen and, food at high heat, then slowly cooking it with marinade serves the dual purpose of tender-
more recently, The F Word on the Food Network. a little liquid in the pan. Generally, the pan is izing food and enhancing the flavour. Cuts of
His latest cookbook, Gordon Ramsay’s Healthy transferred to the oven after browning, but meat and poultry that take longer to cook,
Appetite: Recipes from The F Word, features braising can be done on the stove if you use a such as chicken legs, are better precooked (by
more than 100 dishes that are packed with tight-fitting lid. I’m very fond of pan brais- poaching or roasting), then finished off on a
fresh, vital ingredients cooked in the healthiest ing—adding just a touch of water, wine or hot stovetop grill pan or the barbecue.
way to achieve maximum flavour. Sprinkled stock to a skillet containing browned meat, Poaching: I love poaching fish and tender
throughout the book are featured ingredients vegetables, fish or poultry, then gently sim- cuts of meat, such as chicken breasts and lamb
and helpful hints. mering until cooked. or beef tenderloins, as the meat remains so
In the following edited excerpt Ramsay lists Griddling: Griddling and barbecuing are tender and moist. And you can enhance the
his favourite methods of cooking to maintain fun ways to cook, and I love the slightly smoky flavour by poaching in a flavoured stock. Some
flavour and nutrients without adding too much quality they impart. It is best to marinate the
fat.—Stephanie E. Ponder food beforehand, as this reduces the amount
Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Wrapped in Sage
and Prosciutto
4 large chicken breasts,
about 170 to 200 g ( 6 to 7 oz.)
8 sage leaves, divided
75 mL ( 5 heaping tablespoons) ricotta
Sea salt and black pepper
© MATTHEW DONALDSON
8 prosciutto slices
20 mL ( 4 teaspoons) olive oil
Handful of thyme sprigs
1. Cut a deep slit along one side of each
chicken breast, without slicing through,
then open it out like a book. On a clean
cutting board, mince 4 sage leaves, then
mix into the ricotta and season with salt
and pepper to taste. LISA BARBER
2. Lay two prosciutto slices on the cutting board, overlapping them
slightly. Put a sage leaf in the middle and lay an open chicken breast
on top. Spoon a quarter of the ricotta mixture onto the middle of the
chicken, then fold the sides together again, to enclose the filling. Now
wrap the prosciutto slices around the stuffed chicken breast. Wrap in
plastic wrap. Repeat with the rest of the chicken breasts and chill for
1 to 2 hours to firm up slightly.
3. Heat the oven to 180 C (350 F) and place a roasting pan in the
oven to heat up. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and add
the olive oil. When hot, pan-fry the prosciutto-wrapped chicken, in
batches if necessary, for 2 minutes on each side until browned. Lay a
few thyme sprigs on each chicken breast, then place in the hot roast-
ing pan. Cook in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on size, or
until the meat feels just firm when lightly pressed.
4. Cover the pan with foil and rest the chicken in a warm place for 5 to
10 minutes. Slice each stuffed breast thickly on the diagonal and arrange
on warm plates. Serve with steamed greens and light mashed potatoes or
a zesty couscous. Serves 4.
Gordon Ramsay believes
that, with little effort, everyone can make small changes
to improve their diet.
