Cheese&Onion Chicken Rolls with Vegetable&Dried Plum Salad

I haven?t eaten meat or poultry for many years now, and even when I HAD to try some chicken recently (I really HAD to), I was surprised how different the taste and the texture were from what I had in my memory? Perhaps I had some idealistic impression about chicken meat in my mind, which didn?t match my current sensation. So I?m not going to become a carnivore in the nearest future? expect for fish, which I can?t resist. But, there?re things you can know and feel even if you can?t try them. I?m talking about these chicken rolls now. Stuffed with mild cheese and golden-brown onions, they?re so simple and appetizing ? even to me. Like most chicken dishes, they?re quick to prepare and attractive. This recipe has been one of our family favourites for many years now. Mom also used to make similar rolls of beef, but nowadays my parents prefer poultry. Besides, thanks to that golden crust chicken rolls look much much more attractive than meat rolls.

While the rolls were cooking, we quickly made some a salad with fresh vegetables, apples, and dried plums. Who doesn?t love dried fruit in a salad? I?m convinced that adding a handful of chopped dried plums, dried cranberries or even figs is the easiest way to add some special twist to a mix of fresh vegetables and greens. I also love some pine nuts in this salad, but we didn?t have any at hand this time.

And hey, we have first strawberries from Spain here already. They taste almost like local summer strawberries. First strawberries are such a delicacy that you don?t even want to cook anything with them, they?re perfect alone. Weeks pass before you start thinking of some strawberry parfaits or shortcakes or crumbles? and then there?re endless possibilities? I can?t wait to cook with strawberries this summer!

Cheese&Onion Chicken Rolls

4 chicken fillets

60g mild-flavoured cheese

1 onion

Vegetable oil

Salt to taste

12 toothpicks

Makes 12 rolls

Dice the onion and fry it with vegetable oil and salt until golden-brown.

Shred the cheese and mix it with the onions.

Wash the fillets and pat them with a paper towel. Cut each fillet slantwise into 3 smaller fillets, sprinkle with salt.

Put 1 tsp of the cheese&onion mix onto each of the fillets and roll them up into cylinders. Fix each roll with a toothpick.

Cook in an open skillet over a medium heat with some vegetable oil until ready and golden-brown on both sides.

Vegetable and Dried Plum Salad

100g Frillice lettuce

70g firm feta

½ apple, peeled

½ red bell pepper

15 black olives, pitted

15 dried plums

Olive or walnut oil

2 tbsp pine nuts (we didn?t use)

Serves 4

Cut feta, apple, and bell pepper into small cubes. Cut lettuce and halve olives. Cut dried plums into 3-4 pieces each.

Combine all ingredients, add pine nuts and toss with olive or walnut oil.