Paul Watters grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland and has been a chef for almost 30 years. Cooking has always been his passion from when he first started cooking at the age of 16.
Paul told us, “Cooking has been a part of my life from the early years. It’s a tough job but I have always loved and enjoyed what I do, therefore one thing is clear to me even after all these years – I have been a very fortunate person to have gathered all of this precious experience by working in the most amazing places with incredibly talented individuals all over the world.
This lockdown has been an eye opener for many chefs as during this time being a chef unfortunately it is not possible to work from home and so I thought it would be nice to give something back, through my knowledge and love of food.”
This idea later became a Facebook page called Simple Tasty Healthy by PW, where he shares all aspects connected with cooking and food appreciation.
Its content ranges from soups to curries and even simple ideas on how to cook something tasty at an affordable price.
“To me personally, the ability to be helpful and to have purpose is incredibly important – a true life altering experience so to speak. I think as a country we will come out of this pandemic as kinder and stronger human beings, a better place to be, something to be truly proud of, and I look forward to getting back to normality as we know it as soon as possible.
Seeing smiles on people’s faces whenever you show them how to cook amazing food and how to enjoy the whole process is the greatest reward itself.”
Roast stuffed chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto ham stuffed with cream cheese chestnut mushrooms and baby spinach with a celeriac and potato mash, baby carrot, asparagus tender stem broccoli and a rosemary gravy. Serves 4
Stuffing
- 250g chestnut mushrooms (cut up small)
- 400g baby spinach
- 200g cream cheese
- Chicken filets x4
- 200g prosciutto ham
- Black pepper to season
Celeriac and potato mash
- 1 celeriac (cut into bite size chunks)
- 8 large potatoes (cut into bite size chunks)
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 4 tablespoons of semi skimmed milk
- 1/2 Handful of chopped flat leaf parsley
- Salt and white pepper to taste
Vegetables
- 400g asparagus
- 400g baby carrots
- 400g tender stem broccoli
Gravy
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 clove of garlic crushed
- 1 tablespoon of tomato puree
- 1 1/2 pints of chicken stock
- 2 sprigs of garlic picked
Method
- First of all preheat the oven to 180.Then move onto the stuffing this can be also done the day before to save time. In a large pan fry off the spinach in a little oil and water and season with salt and pepper. Allow to wilt and withdraw from the frying pan into a small bowl.
- Bring pack to the heat add a knob of butter and a little oil to fry the mushrooms season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 – 3 minutes and allow to cool.
- For the chicken cut down the middle and butterfly and gently pat out, Smear 2 tablespoons of cream cheese to each filet. Add 2 tablespoons of spinach and mushrooms at the start of the chicken. Place 3 rasher of prosciutto ham on a board or large plate and roll(chefs tip add 3 cocktail sticks into the chicken top middle bottom this will help keep its shape)
- Once completed heat a large pan add a drizzle of oil to the pan add the chicken season with black pepper cook for 5 minutes each side and transfer to a oven proof dish and cook for a further 10.
The Gravy
In the same frying pan add diced onion and garlic and rosemary and tomato puree add chicken stock bring to the boil and thicken with preferred gravy mix
Vegetables
- In a sauce pan bring 1 pint of salted water to the boil add carrot and cook for 3 mins, add broccoli and cook for a further 2 minutes, add asparagus and cook for a further 2 minutes strain bring back to the heat to keep warm. Once the potatoes are cooked add a little milk and butter and for extra colour add the chopped parsley.
- The chicken will be ready when everything else is and it will leak some juice add to the gravy for extra flavour. Transfer to a chopping board and allow to rest for a few minutes.
The Presentation
Add the mash onto the plate. Arrange the vegetables on the plate. Slice the chicken to your liking and place on top of the mash drizzle the gravy as required and garnish with some picked parsley and fresh rosemary Enjoy Simple tasty healthy by PW
