Recipes by Leonard Frey: Chick a la Chuck; Scotch Eggs

Leonard Frey's Chick a la Chuck

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts
Paprika
Freshly ground pepper
Two 10 1/2-oz. cans "Italian-style" white clam sauce
2 tsps. minced scallion
1 1/2 tsps. Worcestershire sauce
A few drops of fresh lemon juice
Cooked white (or saffron) rice
Fresh minced parsley

1. Have chicken at room temperature. Cut in 1/2-inch strips. Season well with paprika and freshly ground pepper. Skim off fat that floats on top of clam sauce, discard. Heat sauce with scallion, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice to boiling. Cook to reduce in volume by one-third.

2 Add chicken, cook until meat is barely white through. Taste to correct seasonings. Serve the "whole business" over cooked white (or saffron) rice. Garnish With snipped parsley. Serve with endive, cherry tomatoes and red onion salad made with an oil and vinegar dressing. Serve with a well-chilled Graves wine. Serves 4.

Leonard Frey's Scotch Eggs

4 hard-cooked eggs
3 ozs. mild-flavored fresh pork sausage (in bulk)
Pinch of minced fresh parsley
A few gratings fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp. finely grated lemon rind
Pinch of dried sage (or thyme or savory)
1/2 beaten egg
Fine bread crumbs
Vegetable oil

1. Strips shells from eggs. Combine sausage, parsley, pepper. lemon rind and sage (or thyme or savory). Mix well. Roll out on lightly floured board. Divide into four portions. Enclose each egg in seasoned meat mixture.

2. Dip eggs in beaten egg and coat in bread crumbs. Cook in deep fat until crisp and golden. Serve whole or slice in half across the center. Place each half on a piece of fried toast. Serve as appetizer, savoury (a salty tidbit consumed by the English in lieu of dessert) or a supper dish.

Thoughts: Leonard's favorite "pub fare" can be made many ways with forcemeat (ground ham, minced suet, lemon rind, bread crumbs, parsley and sweet herbs or pounded anchovies). For a supper dish, the eggs can be oven-browned and served with an herb-flavored tomato sauce.