Ham and Parsley Terrine

This is a great dish to serve as part of a cold buffet, or to take to feed a crowd on a picnic.

Serves 6-8

Syn Free on Extra Easy

2 ham hocks, 1kg each, boiled and shredded with stock reserved

3½ leaves gelatine, soaked in cold water

125g gherkins, chopped

75g capers, chopped

75 shallots, chopped

1 large bunch flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Measure 600ml strained stock, reheat and dissolve the gelatine in this. Mix the ham, gherkins, capers and shallots together. Line the inside of a ½ litre terrine dish with cling film. Cover the bottom with a generous layer of chopped parley, then alternate the layers of ham and parsley until it has all been used up. Gently pour on the stock with the gelatine until the dish is full – making sure you leave enough room for the aspic – if the meat is too tightly packed meat the terrine falls apart when cut the next day. Leave overnight in the fridge to set.

The next day, invert the terrine, remove the cling film, cut and serve with a salad. 

 

Tabouleh with Grilled Chicken

The first time I had this dish was in a Lebanese restaurant in Libya, and from the first bite I was hooked. Tabouleh is a very refreshing summer salad and goes with almost any grilled meat. It can also be served as part of a meze table or in pita bread. I used Joe's 'Hot and Spicy Chicken Fillets', which to me are tasty rather than spicy, but each to their own. I love Joe's meat, and although it is no longer officially Slimming World approved, you can work out the syns (or rather lack of) on his website. I order their marinated meat and sausages in bulk and keep in my freezer. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

1 cup bulghur wheat

juice of 1 lemon

½ bunch fresh mint, finely chopped

½ bunch flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

2 large tomatoes

1 small onion

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Grilled chicken to serve

Put the bulghur wheat in a large bowl and add the lemon juice and a couple of tablespoons of boiling water. Leave to soak for 30 minutes, adding more water if necessary if it feels too dry, although you don't want it soggy either.

De-seed and finely chop the tomatoes, catching any juices and add to the wheat. Peel and finely chop the onion. Finally add the herbs, making sure the wheat is cold by this stage as the mint will discolour on contact with anything hot. Season well to taste and serve with the grilled meat.