Hi, foodies in the Hive!
I hope you had a super delicious breakfast today :p
I woke up early today with the idea of preparing zucchini carpaccio for brunch. I love this recipe not only because it is a delight of flavors and vitamins but also because it tastes like the sea; and the reason is that I use the same ingredients for the garnish, just as if it were calamari or shrimp. It is a very fresh and light carpaccio, and thanks to the breaded chicken it will hold you perfectly for hours.
I don't usually add chicken, but today I decided to give the recipe a dramatic twist. In addition, I omitted the usual Parmesan cheese and added a light vinaigrette of vegetables typical of my hometown.
1 medium zucchini
200 gr of chicken in irregular pieces of 3 cm approx.
1 tablespoon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey, and 1 teaspoon salt to marinate the chicken
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oregano to bread the chicken pieces
1/2 cup of white onion and sweet chili vinaigrette (vinegar, salt, and sugar)
1/3 cup of mayonnaise with mustard, lemon, parsley and cilantro pesto
1/4 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup of carrots
1/2 cup lettuce
1/2 lemon for sprinkling on the raw zucchini slices
Marinate the chicken in mustard, honey and salt while preparing the salad, mayonnaise and vinaigrette.
Bread the chicken pieces by dipping them in the breading flour.
Be sure to move them around so that the breading sticks completely to the surface of the chicken. Then let it rest for 5 minutes before removing the excess flour to fry them.
You won't need a lot of oil, just enough to keep them from sticking; I used 1/2 cup corn oil. I fried them for 6 minutes over medium heat. First the oil should be very hot and then you lower the heat to medium.
Chop the onion and chili very finely. I used "aji rosa" and "aji jobito"; the latter is only grown in my region, as the conditions for its production have not been replicated so far, despite many attempts.
Prepare a simple vinaigrette using 1 teaspoon sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon white vinegar. Pour the vinaigrette into a glass along with the chopped vegetables and set aside.
Cook the carrots and corn kernels in water with a pinch of salt. Then let them drain well. And keep the clean lettuce at hand because it's about time to assemble our zucchini carpaccio.
Use a mayonnaise with mustard and lemon or a balsamic mustard if you prefer. I used a homemade mayonnaise with a good deal of mustard and lemon and added parsley and zucchini pesto (you can see here how I prepared these dressings at home.
Thinly slice the zucchini. I used the mandolin from the cheese slicer. Immediately make a bed with the slices and sprinkle with a little lemon juice. Do not salt the zucchini or it'll start to dehydrate and you will have a plate full of zucchini water.
Put the amayonnaise in the center. This will be the support for the salad and the chicken, so that they won't spread to the sides. Drain the vegetable vinaigrette and spread as desired over the zucchini.
Place the lettuce, carrot and corn in the center; then put another bit of mayonnaise to support the breaded chicken crown.
It is advisable to eat the zucchini carpaccio while it is still fresh, as it will begin to dehydrate after a few hours.