Q: I'm looking for a simple recipe - and can't find it anywhere - for crumbed chicken cordon bleu. It has a ham and cheese filling. - Rob Lockem

A :As French as it sounds chicken cordon bleu is an American invention. It first cropped up in a Los Angeles newspaper in 1968. Based on dishes such as the Chicken Kiev of flavoured butter rolled around a chicken breast, or the Swiss veal cordon bleu of thin slices of veal wrapped around ham and Gruyere cheese, chicken cordon bleu is simply an Americanised version. It, too, consists of a flattened chicken breast rolled around ham and mozzarella cheese. It became a huge hit in the '70s and '80s but its popularity has since waned.

It is traditionally made with mozzarella, but with many of the commercial varieties closer to rubber than cheese I would recommend Gruyere, unless you can find a good, artisan mozzarella. I also prefer a smoked ham or you can use smoked beef if you like.

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU  (Serves 8)

Ingredients:

• 8 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 8 slices of Gruyere or mozzarella cheese
• 8 thin slices of ham
• 250ml (1 cup) flour
• Salt and pepper
• 5ml (1 tsp) paprika
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 250ml (1 cup) dried breadcrumbs

Method:

Flatten the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap, using a rolling pin or meat mallet. Once flattened lay ham and cheese slices on top of fillets and either fold over to enclose or roll the breast up and secure with a toothpick.

Season flour with salt, pepper and paprika. Roll breasts in flour. Then dip into egg and coat with breadcrumbs. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking at 200°C for 45 minutes or shallow fry until golden brown and cooked through. Don't be fooled though; they quickly turn golden on the outside but will take time to cook through, so prepare over medium heat.

REGARDING your article "In a knot over this gourd" (Grill Hills July 17), our neighbours have a glut of chouchous every summer which means that we come up with a number of creative preparations.

Chouchous must always be peeled as the skin is really unpleasant. Doing this also makes your hands a bit sticky. However, we persevere and use them as follows:

• Steaming or boiling and serving with a cheese sauce
• Parboiling and frying in sugar and butter to caramelise
• Baking with olive oil as for potato wedges; and
• Cutting them into strips of about 10mm x 10mm and pickling them. (They taste just like gherkins, and are much cheaper!)
• Add them to stews instead of potatoes
• Substitute for cucumber in salads.

My granddaughter abhors anything green. I mix grated chouchou, carrot and the like into a brownie mix. She has not yet realised that she's eating green stuff! - Sandra de Roubaix