The last days before the clients departure I try to make do with what is available in the house so that nothing goes to waste, and usually the process provides me with new ideas for flavour combinations.
I had a chicken which I broke down (of course I made a stock form the carcass to freeze up for July when we return!) and marinated overnight, skin off, in:
Soy, 1 cup
Honey, 2 tbsps
Orange juice, from 1 pc, roughly 1/2 cup
the salad is a mingle of:
Lettuces, properly washed, well dried, and carefully cut
Spinach, fresh baby leaves
Spring onion, very thinly cut
Orange fillets, that greatly matched the same under flavour from the marinade in the chicken, which was baked and thinly sliced.
Raisins
But the key here is in the vinaigrette, and this is why I always stress the importance of a well - equipped pantry that offers variety. I needed a medium to tie the umami notes in the marinade with the fresh leaves and citrus from the orange. And a bottle of molasses was screaming for it! So, for the vinaigrette:
Molasses, 1,5 volume
Apple cider vinegar, 1 volume
Olive Oil, 2 - 3 volumes, depending on the desired intensity
Salt, to taste
The chicken was baked in the oven and thinly sliced, I was surprised by how juicy it turned out due to the specific overnight cure. The orange fillets in the salad enhance the same under flavour in the meat from the marinade, the raisins give a sweeter bite every now and then, and the strongly flavoured vinaigrette makes up for any lack of more ingredients. Overall a great tribute to zero waste management!