mmmmmmmm salad... really?!

I have to say I never thought I would write something about salad. The Scot and I are both on the same page when it comes to eating leaves, they are an excellent thing to have with a real meal but certainly not one themself... or so I thought. In the bizarrely unseasonal summer that we experienced over the weekend I actually found myself craving the watery crunch of a refreshing crisp lettuce.

Aside from rocket, watercress and lambs lettuce I am of the opinion that you can leave your soft frilly salad leaves, they add very little to the dining experience apart from awkward situations when you can't quite get the whole thing into your mouth, you smear salad dressing all over your face and get tickled by a stray strand. I love a good bit of crunch and flavour, although don't mention the I.C.E.B.E.R.G. word near me, it isn't salad, it is water - green, solid water. When I was at university the only place I would eat salad was the incredible Alpha Bar in Oxford's Covered Market, mainly because you could have something that you could argue was healthy but without a leaf in sight. However, I digress.

On Saturday I had a lovely lunch of a crispy, zingy, meaty, salty, salady goodness. I've became slightly obsessed with pomergranate (predominantly as a homemade mojito ingredient) so had to include it. So here is my try at a non-boring chicken salad. Apparently it is going to be frost and snow this weekend so I'll be reverting to shepherds pie in no time.

Chicken, feta and pommergranate salad

For 2.
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts shin off
Olive Oil
thyme
sage
paprika
salt & pepper

1 organic Romaine lettuce
handful rocket
handful of cubed feta
seeds of 1/2 pomergranate
15 fresh anchovies (not tinned, ick)

dressing
juice 1 lemon
glug olive oil
tbsp cider vineagar
tbsp condensed milk
salt and pepper

Instructions:
1. mix the marinade for the chicken together and cover the chicken for 30 minutes
2. Put the chicken breast under a pre heated grill for 5 or six minutes each side
3. Chop up the chicken breast into strips and plonk on top of shredded lettuce and rocket
4. Scatter the anchovies, feta and pomergranate over the top
5. Mix the dressing up in a jar and pour over




At the end of the day it is still a salad but for a salad it tasted good!