Here, semolina makes a light and crisp crust for a comforting schnitzel. This crispy chicken schnitzel with peas is a winning combo of warm, crispy skin, and a spicy tasty pea salsa.
INGREDIENTS Serves 2
For the salsa
90ml olive oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
80g frozen peas or petit pois, plus 150g extra for the braised peas
Fine sea salt and black pepper
For the braised peas
60g unsalted butter
2 large shallots, peeled, halved and roughly chopped (110g)
1 baby gem lettuce, cut into 6 wedges
2 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and roughly chopped
50g plain flour, plus 1 tbsp extra
200ml chicken stock
For the schnitzels
150g fine semolina
1 medium egg, beaten
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, plus extra to serve
2 tablespoons wasabi paste
2 chicken breasts, skinless
10g mint leaves, roughly chopped
Put two teaspoons of oil in a medium saucepan on a medium heat, add the mustard seeds and cook for two minutes, until they start to pop. Take off the heat, stir in 80g of the peas and leave to cook in the residual heat. Transfer to a mortar, add a quarter-teaspoon of salt, then crush gently and put to one side.
For the braised peas, return the saucepan to a medium heat and add the butter. Once it’s melted, add the shallots and half a teaspoon of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for two minutes, until slightly softened. Add the remaining 150g peas, the lettuce wedges and the anchovies, and cook for a further five minutes, until softened. Add a tablespoon of flour, stir for a minute, then pour in the stock. Turn the heat to low and leave to braise for 10 minutes, until nicely thickened. Set aside.
Put the remaining 80ml olive oil in a large frying pan on a medium-high heat. Put the flour and semolina in two separate wide, shallow bowls. Mix the egg, mustard and wasabi in a third shallow bowl. Put the chicken breasts on a board and, using a meat mallet (or the base of a small heavy saucepan), gently bash them to about 2cm thick. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, then, one by one, coat first in flour, then in the egg mixture and finally in the semolina, shaking off the excess as you go.
Carefully lay one piece of chicken in the hot oil, fry, turning once halfway, for three minutes, until nicely browned all over. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain, then repeat with the second coated chicken breast. Leave to rest for a minute or two, then cut each breast in half.
Stir two-thirds of the mint into the braised peas, then pour into a lipped platter and arrange the chicken on top. Garnish with the salsa, sprinkle over the remaining mint and serve with extra dijon mustard on the side.
Original Recipe Yotam Ottolenghi writing in the Guardian
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