Well, it was Christmas, so I thought I should ditch the two-and three-ingredient dishes at least for one day, and devised this lovely looking, and very easy dish. Sliced cold on a platter at lunch time it was Christmas chicken-with-stuffing a new southern hemisphere way.

Its closest culinary-relative is probably a galantine, but this dish is baked, not poached, and uses chicken pieces rather than a deboned bird. (OK, I’ll admit I dreamed it up and was just working it out as I went along. It tasted very good though.)

Don’t wait for next Christmas. This will be appropriate any time.

FESTIVE CHICKEN ROLL

Stuffing:

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

approx. 3 cups of soft breadcrumbs from good quality fruit bread*

2 cloves garlic, crushed

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup chopped apricots

1/2 cup pine nuts (could be toasted first) or use toasted slivered almonds

1 tablespoon cumin seeds (could toast first)

1/2 cup mint leaves (about 3-4 tablespoons, chopped)

1 large egg

100g pancetta slices

500g-650 g chicken tenderloins

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in wok or large frypan and toss breadcrumbs and garlic until beginning to brown and crisp. Add salt and pepper, apricots, pine nuts, cumin seeds, and remove from the heat. Stir in chopped mint and finally, when cooled, add the egg, mixing well.

Lay pancetta slices out on a large sheet of kitchen baking paper. There should be four. Fill any gaps with scraps of pancetta.

Arrange chicken tenderloins over this making sure there are no gaps. As they are sort of wedge shaped, alternate them so they fit snugly. Press down firmly. Season with salt and pepper. Spread filling over the chicken and press on firmly then, using the paper, roll up tightly, tuck ends in carefully, and put the paper-wrapped roll in a deep glass baking dish. (I use a deep clear pyrex one, but anything that will keep it snugly in place will do).

Bake in a preheated 180C oven (160C fan-forced) for one hour. Cool in the dish on a rack for 30 minutes, then refrigerate until cold. Slice thinly and serve with salad or as desired.

Serves 8-10.

*best to do this in a food processor