Served up as a chicken melt.
About a year ago, I made some of my own vinegars. After leaving them to age for a while to allow the flavours to develop, I started trying to think of ways to use them. I've used a number of them in different things (I used my apple and rosehip vinegar in my Black Pudding and Pumpkin Pie, and I used some of my lemon vinegar in the Creamy Lemon Pasta for example). An idea I had a while back was to use the rosehip vinegar in a homemade mayo and then to use that mayo as the flavour base for a chicken salad. It took a while but I finally got around to it. And I'm glad I did, too. It was nice to make my own mayo again after a bit of a hiatus since making my other ones. You could use apple cider vinegar instead of the rosehip vinegar for an easy swap.
Recipe
Cook Time: approx. 1 hour -- Portions: 4-6 -- Cooking Level: Easy
Ingredients:
for the mayo:
1 egg yolk
3/4 c rapeseed oil
3 tbsp rosehip vinegar
1 tsp mustard (preferably whole grain)
pinch of sumac
salt to taste
For the chicken salad:
2 c shredded leftover roast chicken
2 celery sticks, diced
2 1/2- 3 tbsp rosehip mayo
3-4 tbsp yoghurt
1 tsp mustard
1 spring onion, dicced
1/2c raisins
For the melts: butter, toast, grated cheese to top, urfa biber
1) Place the egg yolk in a small bowl and beat with a whisk. Then, very gradually, whisk in the oil, a few drops at a time to begin with. You can go a bit faster once it begins to emulsify. As it thickens, add the vinegar. Once all the oil is incorporated, stir in the mustard (I used some of my homemade wholegrain mustard) and the salt and sumac. Set aside.
2) In a large bowl, place the shredded chicken, then mix in the other ingredients.
For the Chicken melts: Butter a cast iron skillet, then arrange pieces of toast on the bottom. Spoon chicken salad on top, sprinkle with grated cheese and urfa biber. Bake at 180°C until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown, 10-15 minutes.
I was really pleased with these. They made a relatively quick and very easy dinner to assemble. Trying to juggle Little Bit and Littler Bit's schedules, I made the mayo and the chicken salad ahead of time, then the melts were extremely quick and easy when we got home. The flavour of the rosehip vinegar worked in the mayo, but was less pronounced than I would have liked it, and even less so in the chicken salad. As a whole though, the flavours were delightfully balanced. The mayo, yoghurt and cheese do produce a rather rich meal, but in my defence, temperatures outside were decidedly negative and we had been out rolling in the snow.
Swaps and substitutions:
If need be, it would work equally well with leftover turkey.
Use apple cider vinegar instead of the homemade one, or in a pinch, use a pre-made mayo.
Skip the raisins and toast to make it keto-friendly, or use gluten-free toast for a gluten-free meal.
Instead of Urfa Biber, use your favourite tandoori or paprika to sprinkle over the top.
Leftover cabbage in the fridge? Slice some thinly and use that instead of the celery.
Book Pairing: While mixing the mayo, I was listening to Adam Kay's This is Going to Hurt, all about his time in the NHS. Having worked in the NHS just after he left, it did bring back some memories, some good, some bad. Nurses had it easier than junior doctors at that point, so my experiences were quite different, but many experiences resonated, from idiots in A&E, especially on a Friday night (looking at you Glasgow), to the unavoidable, or even worse, the avoidable deaths. It was entertainingly written for the most part, and I did enjoy it, but it was bittersweet. I do definitely recommend it if you feel you don't understand why nurses and doctors have been striking in UK.
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