Published: 22 July 2010
by CLARE LATIMER

WE have had so many emails and letters from locals about our shop closing, mostly remarking on the fact that they will not be able to stroll in and buy their favourite treats.   

Therefore this week and next I am going to give you recipes of some of the most 

popular things that have sold for so long in the shop so that you will be able to cook them at home. 

Chicken Carabela

This has to be one of the oldest and most successful of any recipe that I have made up.

It started in Majorca where my parents had a home and we mucked around with ingredients. 

It became so popular that we named it   after the house out there.  It is like Coronation Chicken but in my view much better, with more punch to the flavour.  

It will certainly remain one of the top 10 with the outside catering that I am carrying on with, but here it is for you to have a go.  

You can make some sauce at least two weeks in advance – just leave out the stock as that will go off if left more than a few days – then add the mayonnaise and stock or water on the day of serving.

Ingredients • Serves 4-6
1 x 1.4kilo chicken, cooked, with the meat cut into bite-sized cubes and the carcass reserved
1 tbsp oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 teasp curry powder
1 tbsp tomato puree
Juice of 1 lemon
3 fl oz chicken stock or water
2 heaped tbsp sweet mango chutney
10 fl oz mayonnaise
1 ripe mango.

Method

Boil the chicken carcass for about 30 minutes in 600ml water to make the stock or, since the sauce has a strong flavour anyway, just use water.   

Put the oil, onion and the curry powder in a frying pan and fry slowly for 10 minutes or until soft. Add the stock or water, tomato puree, lemon juice and chutney.  Stir well and simmer for five minutes. Leave to cool.  

Stir in the mayonnaise and then add the chicken. 

Transfer to a serving dish, then garnish with the slices of peeled ripe mango. Keep the dish chilled in a fridge until ready to serve.

HOMEMADE MAYONNAISE

Do not use virgin olive oil as it is too strong.   You can use half vegetable and half olive oil so it is lighter. It is easy to make and tastes better than bought mayonnaise. You can make this in a blender and just add the oil very slowly and it is much less effort, but here is the worst scenario!

Ingredients • Serves 6
2 egg yolks
1 teasp Dijon mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
300ml olive oil.

Method
Put the egg yolks into the bowl with the Dijon mustard, lemon juice and a little seasoning and whisk well until smooth. Gradually add the olive oil in a very slow, steady stream, whisking all the time. You should end up with a smooth, quite thick mayonnaise that stands in peaks.  Check for seasoning and then put into an airtight container until ready to use.