Deli Favourites- Fun Tips and Ideas

From talking to customers in the shop over the last few weeks, it seems that everyone's appetite is disappearing with the hot weather, and I couldn't agree more. I myself have been snacking and lunching on different cheeses, olives and cold meats from our lovely delicatessen, so I thought this week I would show you how I've been putting them to use to eat more lightly in the hotter weather.

1. Parma Ham and Melon has long been a favourite on Spanish tapas menus and is deliciously refreshing in the hot weather. My mum made these gorgeous little bundles as nibbles for a BBQ we had the other weekend. Simply cut melon into small sections, and add a folded piece of Andrew's Parma Ham, sliced thinly on request, attaching to the melon with a cocktail stick.

2. As well as our excellent Italian Buffalo Di Mozzarella that we sell as a whole ball in a pot, we also sell the same cheese in little individual balls in a pot. This makes it really easy to tear into salads for lunches. Serve here as I did with a plate of tomato spaghetti for a quick yummy lunch on a hot day.

3. I absolutely adore this Finnochiona salami which has to be my favourite of all the salamis that we sell in the shop. Finnochio translates as fennel in Italian, and the small pieces of fennel running through the salami give it a delicate but very unique taste. What I love about the salamis we serve in the shop, apart from their taste, is that we slice on request so customers can have as much or as little as they like and as thick or thin as they like it. A friend made me a lunch of a couple of slices of the Finnochiona salami with a light salad the other day and it was simply delicious!

4. We have now started selling small pitted black olives, thankfully, as it means I no longer have to fiddle about taking the stone out each time I want to cook with them. For easy potatoes with a summer feel, I slice roasting potatoes and add them to a roasting dish with thyme, olive oil and sliced black olives. Roast for 45 mins in a hot oven until golden, stirring occasionally. The olives give the potatoes a delightful flavour even if you want to discard them afterwards. This potato dish is also lovely if you add our Bridge Farm lamb cutlets 10 mins before the end of cooking, as the meat juices enrich the flavour of the potatoes even more. 

Mediterranean Risotto

Risotto is one of my favourite things to cook from scratch, but if I don't have the necessary store-cupboard ingredients- of which the list can be quite long- it can be expensive and take a considerable amount of time. In such times of need, I love that I picked up this sun-dried tomato and black olive risotto mix that Dad has started to stock in the shop.

I gradually added boiling water to the risotto mix in a pan for 25-30 minutes (instructions are on the back), adding some leftover cooked + sliced chicken breast, grated parmesan, and a knob of butter 5 minutes before the end. So simple yet so yummy!

 I think this recipe would be great for dinner parties when you want to impress with little effort or equally great for mid-week suppers. You can add as much or as little as you want to it as it is so delicious to start with. However if I were to make it really special, I might add some fresh sun-dried tomatoes and fresh herbs to garnish and give it that extra something.

NB: Click to see my moroccan chicken, couscous, and tzatsiki recipe that I cooked using a Mediterranean Couscous mix from the same range.

Mediterranean Stuffed Chicken Breasts

First created to use up feta and olives in the fridge, this is one of my favourite things to cook all year round even if it does sound particularly summery.  Easy to cook when entertaining, as it can all be prepared before hand, you can adapt this recipe for individual tastes and budgets. We do a lovely range of olives at Andrew's and for this recipe I use the Mix Italia - a lovely blend of black and green olives as well as capers and peppers. The sweet flavours balance out the Greek feta we sell perfectly, but if you prefer say plain black olives, I would use some chopped cherry tomatoes in with the stuffing. I use Serrano ham to wrap the chicken breasts because of its robust flavour that is slightly stronger than Parma ham, but cheaper alternatives such as streaky bacon can also be used.

Ingredients for 6 people
6 chicken breasts, as large as possible.
6-12 slices of Serrano ham 
1 pack of Greek Feta finely diced
150 -200 grams of Mix Italia Olives finely chopped 
Dried mixed herbs 
Fresh basil finely chopped
Extra Virgin Olive oil, black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to 190°C. Then mix the chopped feta, chopped olives, and herbs in a bowl. Drizzle with plenty of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper for seasoning. 
Slice open your chicken breasts lengthways to butterfly them, being careful not to cut all the way through. 
The Serrano ham may be small slices it all depends in which case you may want to use two slices per chicken breast, this is up to you. 
Lay out your ham on a chopping board, place your open chicken breasts on top, and divide the mixture between as shown. This then makes it easier to close your chicken breast and wrap the Serrano ham around the breast to keeping the mix within. Secure with a cocktail stick if necessary. Place on baking tray and put into pre-heated oven for 30 minutes. Presenting the chicken breasts cut in half allows you to check they are completely cooked inside before plating up. Serve on a bed of salad for a light meal,  or with rice, vegetables and gravy for something a little heartier.