Seasonal Cyprus dinner

Chicken Ballotine with Commandaria Sauce

For the chicken
4 chicken breast fillets
200g spinach, frozen (well drained)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Smoked Spices
Freshly ground pepper
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
For the sauce
200g pumpkin, cut into cubes
150ml commandaria
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon butter
1 sprig of fresh thyme
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 200C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Mix the spinach with the olive oil and pepper. Open the chicken fillets, fill them with the spinach and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap to form a ballotine (like a thick sausage).
Simmer the rolls in a pot of water for 8 minutes so that they hold their shape.
Immediately transfer them to ice water for 3 minutes, then remove the film.
Wipe the fillets dabbed with paper towels.
Brush with olive oil, season with smoked spices and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.
Let the meat rest and cut into thick slices. Sprinkle with parsley.
For the sauce, sauté the pumpkin with the butter in a small pan, add the thyme, rosemary, honey, commandaria, salt and pepper, and let it thicken. Serve with the meat on a bed of rice.

Pumpkin Soup

500g pumpkin chunks, thinly sliced
1 potato or sweet potato, peeled, thinly sliced
1 apple, peeled, thickly sliced
1 medium onion, thickly sliced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1.5 litres (or as needed) vegetable broth
100ml dry white wine
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/3 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For garnish
Frothed milk or whipped cream
Chopped walnuts or pecans
Pumpkin seeds
Mixed spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves)

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a flat baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cut the pumpkin into wedges (like a melon). Remove seeds and fibres with a knife and cut it into slices.
Peel the potato, apple and onion. Cut them into slices.
In a bowl, place the pumpkin, potatoes and onions. Mix them well with the melted butter, salt and pepper and spread the vegetables on a flat pan with the parchment paper.
Bake at 180C for 30 minutes or until golden.
While the vegetables are cooking, take a large saucepan and add the broth, wine and spices inside.
After the vegetables are cooked, add them to the pot along with the spices, thyme and broth.
Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Turn off the heat. With a hand blender, blend until pureed. To get a more velvety texture, pass it through a sieve. If necessary, add more broth.
Serve the soup with the garnishes.

Recipes provided by the Lidl food academy. Stasikratous 34, Nicosia 1010. https://www.lidlfoodacademy.com.cy/