June 2010

Tea smoked chicken with salad

Trying something new.

Servings: 2

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients
2 medium chicken breasts, skin on
1 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
300mls water

4 tea bags
115g rice
80g sugar
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

juice and zest 2 large limes
2 tbsp runny honey
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch watercress
2 Little Gem lettuces, finely sliced
150g cooked baby new potatoes, sliced, skin on warm
salt
ground pepper

Method

1. Mix the water and sugar together and pour over the chicken, then leave for 20 minutes. Stir often.

2. Place a large piece of double foil into a medium wok, making sure it comes well up the side.

3. Rip open the tea bags, then mix with the rice and sugar, then break up the rosemary and add also.

4. Place the mixture into the foil, then heat over a high heat, until the sugar starts to brown, place a lightly oiled small rack over the cooking rice and sugar mix. Making sure its suspended above with a small gap.

5. Remove the chicken from the brine and place on the rack.

6. By now there will be quite a lot of smoke, place the lid on the wok tightly and leave to cook for 15-20 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, mix the lime juice and zest, honey and oil together well, season well with salt and pepper.

8. Once the chicken is cooked, it will cook surprisingly quickly, remove and slice.

9. Mix the lettuce and watercress together adding the spuds last.

10. Place salad on the plate, then top with sliced chicken, serve warm or cold.

Work

At the moment and for the last coming , I’ve come to the cold reality that I will not likely being doing my complete 30 years in my current employment .

Britain is broken, my job is directly impacted by this very fact.

It’s very much the case of the tail wagging the dog.

Hopefully there will some good and positive news in the next couple of months.

Fingers crossed.

I feel very badly let down in my current employ, the role was completely over sold and it’s failed to live up to the advertised position.

The junior management are so very very poor at dealing with even the most evident inappropriate behaviour and I saddened that good manners is not high on their agenda.

So when I addressed the issue to a very sub standard member of staff , they failed to deal with it whatsoever .

I’m watching the clock when I’m at the office and the calendar when I’m at home , longing for the day to be free of these shores , the place of my birth but one which I cannot wait to see the back of.

It’s become a human landfill .