If you asked an average Lithuanian what his/her favourite vegetables were, I'm almost sure that the answer would be potato and beetroot. I grew up eating beetroot and potatoes and Lithuanian cuisine is full of dishes with these amazing vegetables. Today for dinner I made simple chicken cutlets crusted with bread crumbs and ground walnut, fried in a pan and finished up in the oven. On the side I decided to make tasty beetroot salad. It's still winter, so is there a better time for this vegetable if not winter?!
What we need:
2 chicken breasts
2 tbsp of bread crumbs
2 tbsp of ground walnut ( use a food processor)
1 teaspoon of oregano
1 egg
2 tbsp of flouır
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 lemon
for beetroot salad:
2 medium beetroots, boiled or oven-roasted
1 onion
2 tbsp of white vinegar
½teaspoon of sugar
½ teaspoon of salt
black pepper
1 bay leaf
olive oil
a handful of parsley
What we have to do:
1. Cut each chicken breast lengthwise to make cutlets. Beat them to make thinner and season with salt and pepper.
2. Mix breadcrumbs with wallnut, oregano, some more pepper. Beat 1 egg. Roll the chicken in flour, then in the egg and then the walnut/bread crumbs. Fry in a pan with some oil for 1 minute on each side, just until the crumbs get the colour. Then transfer on a baking sheet and finish them in the oven (175C) for 10-15 minutes.
3. For salad, slice the onion and pour it over with 1 glass of boiling water, add vinegar, sugar, salt, black pepper, bay leaf. Let it marinate for at least 15 minutes. Then cut the beetroots into stripes, mix with chopped parsley and pickled onion. Season with salt and pepper and some olive oil.
4. Serve chicken cutlets with beetroot salad. Add some lemon ( it goes so well with the walnut crust). Enjoy!!!
