If I had a garden I would set aside a patch for growing herbs. How nice it would be to gather them fresh for a recipe – to make mint sauce to go with lamb or add basil to a tomato sauce for pasta or to chop some fresh parsley for a garnish. Luckily my supermarket has a wide range of fresh herbs – oregano, thyme, rosemary, sage and dill among others.
Dill is a common ingredient in Russian, Scandinavian and Eastern European cuisines where it is used in such recipes as sauces and salads and for pickling.
I didn’t realize how many beneficial properties it has. It boosts digestion and the immune system, contains calcium, is an anti-inflammatory and an anti-flatulent!
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
4 oz. rice noodles
1 x chicken breast
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbsp. olive
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 an English cucumber – sliced then each slice quartered
12 black olives – cut into quarters
2 oz. feta cheese – cut into little cubes
Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. dill – finely chopped
1/4 of a shallot – finely chopped
Cook the rice noodles in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and leave to cool.
Place chicken breast on a piece of aluminum dish in an ovenproof dish, pour over the lemon juice and olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Make a parcel out of the aluminum foil, place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes until cooked through. Remove from oven, let cool then cut into bite-size pieces.
Into a large bowl put the rice noodles, chicken pieces, cucumber, olives and feta cheese.
Make the dressing by whisking together the juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon, Dijon mustard, olive oil, dill and shallot. Pour dressing into the bowl and toss together well (the ‘hands’ in the photo and really good for tossing the salad and separating the strands of noodles).
