Extracting Potatoes from a Honeycomb!!

I know it sounds absurd and you all must be thinking, "How can one collect potatoes from a honeycomb?"
I myself never knew that until I bumped into this interesting recipe on Wasafat Sahla awi by Yasmeen Ali. The picture looked so promising that I had to give it a try but unfortunately, the recipe is stated in Arabic only, whereas, my skills for the language are limited only upto reading and writing. But thanks to the modern facilities of internet that help you deal with nearly all problems in your life. Once Mr. Google Translator provided me few hints on the ingredients, my refrigerator automatically helped me find a way of my own to reach the beehives. However, special thanks to Yasmeen Ali for the first kick.

So, here is my route to finding the potato - honeycomb.

Potato Honeycomb

Potato Honeycomb




Ingredients:

1/2 kg Potatoes, boiled and peeled
4 tbs Parsley, chopped
2 small Red Chillies (Piri Piri from glass)
Zest of a Lemon
Salt
White Pepper
1 tsp Lemon Juice
Mozarella Cheese, cut in small cubes

1 Whole Chicken Breast (I used 3 whole chicken leg quarters, deboned ofcourse)
1 tin Button Mushroom Slices  or 1 cup of fresh ones
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp Garlic Powder/ 3 cloves Fresh Garlic
1 medium Onion, chopped
1 cup Broccoli
3/4 cup boiled Sweet Corn
Salt
Red Chili Flakes
2 tbs Oregano, chopped (or 1 tbs dried)

200 ml Fresh Cream
1/2 chicken bouillon cube (I used Knorr)
a pinch of Salt
1 tbs Corn Starch


2 tbs Butter
1 tbs Chopped Thyme (optional)


Blanch broccoli in salted water (I always add some lemon juice to it; gives a tangy fresh flavour).

Strain broccoli and put aside till further use.

Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a frying pan and cook the boneless chicken strips for a while. The moment it turns white, add garlic, onions and mushrooms to it. Cook for another 2 minutes.

Add broccoli, sweet corn, salt, chili flakes and oregano.

Transfer the chicken and veggies into a baking dish.

Mash potatoes, add salt, parsley, lemon zest, piri piri and white pepper. Mix well and make small balls by placing a cube of mozarella cheese in the centre of each ball and covering it fully with the mashed potatoes around.

Now place the balls on top of the chicken-vegetable base, adjusting close to each other forming a honeycomb.

Flatten a bit with the back of a spoon and distribute knobs of softened butter on top. Sprinkle chopped thyme, place mozarella rests on side.

Mix cream, bouillon cube, salt in a cup and microwave for a minute.

Pour this on top of the potato-balls. And bake in preheated oven (230C) for 20 minutes or until the top starts turning light golden. Enjoy with baguette or fresh home-made bread rolls.

Ive also placed few bees on top which I made by cutting black olives in the centre and placing sweet corn in it for adding yellow colour to the bee. Adjusted spaghetti pieces to make antennae. I actually wanted to make the wings as well (with corn flakes) but the tempting aroma made me forgot almost all the accessories:P

Happy Cooking friends!!!