Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad with Feta and Vino Cotto
Pearl barley is a popular addition to this hearty soup enjoyed regularly in our household.

These are just two of the many home cooked meals I have served up to my family of eight enthusiastic eaters this week…so far.

The zesty Chicken Salad was prepared in two stages. The chicken breasts were another Jamie Oliver branded product that I was interested in trying out. The skinless breasts came marinated in a mixture of lemon, cayenne pepper, turmeric and paprika. I found the thickness to be uneven so I had to keep a close eye on them as I barbecued the pieces. Once cooked through, I sliced each one diagonally and then refrigerated the lot. 

About half an hour before serving, I took the chicken out of the fridge to take the chill off and tossed together the salad. This included baby spinach leaves, roughly chopped red oak lettuce, grated beetroot, sweet little grape tomatoes and salty Greek feta cheese. A drizzle of olive oil with Maggie Beer’s vino cotto and the salad was ready. 

I should add that just before dressing this salad, I put aside a portions for my children to eat for school lunch the next day. A wedge of lemon was included to squeeze over as an impromptu dressing. 

At the first hint of a chilly evening ahead, my Hearty Veal and Vegetable Soup becomes a fixture on our family table. The recipe was originally posted on the 22nd May 2013. This time I also added 1 cup of pearl barley for added wholesome flavour and texture. 

Now that baby Maksim is approaching the 9 month mark, I even started blitzing some of the food I make for his older siblings so that he can eat it too. This particular dish (in baby pureed form) was wolfed down by him within five minutes, with an extra couple of potions popped into the freezer for another day.