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Keshi Yena

Keshi Yena (Filled Cheese Shell) serves 10-12 For the chicken filling, rub with the juice of several limes: 1 lb. chicken breasts

1 lb. chicken thighs Season the breasts and thighs with: Salt and pepper

Poultry seasoning

Minced onion Let them stand for several hours. Then either arrange the pieces in a shallow baking dish, and after browning the chicken under the broiler, bake it for one hour at 350 , deboning it when cool enough to handle, or choose this more frugal method of preparation. Brown the chicken in three tablespoons butter, then place it in a heavy kettle with: 4 quarts water

2 tsp. salt

12 peppercorns

1 or 2 onions

1 celery stalk with leaves

bay leaf, bruised Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for twenty minutes, or just until chicken is tender. Strain and reserve the broth, discarding the vegetables Debone the chicken and set aside. After the chicken has been prepared by one of the above methods, sauté in two tablespoons butter: 3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

4 onions, sliced

1 large green pepper, chopped

1Tbs. parsley, minced, or a few drops Tabasco sauce

Salt and pepper Add and stir in well: 2 Tbs. ketchup

1/4 cup pimento olives, sliced

1 Tbs. capers

1/4 cup raisins

2 Tbs. piccalilli The chicken, or 1 lb. ground beef, lightly browned, if beef is to be substituted for the chicken. Simmer until the tomatoes are reduced, about twenty or thirty minutes. Remove from the fire and permit mixture to cool. If keshi yena is to be baked, preheat oven to 350 , if it is to be steamed, begin heating water in the bottom of a double boiler. Beat and add to the meat mixture: 3 eggs, reserving about 6 Tbs. Generously butter a casserole or the top of a double boiler. Before placing the cheese shell in it, spoon three tablespoons of the reserved beaten egg into the bottom of the container. Half fill with the meat mixture and add: 1 or 2 hard-cooked eggs Fill shell to the top with remaining meat and cover with: The original cap of the Edam, from which the wax has been removed, or a few slices of cheese. A word of caution! Never use soft young cheese for keshi yena. Drip the remaining three tablespoonfuls of beaten egg over the top of the cheese as a sealer. (Place the lid on the double boiler). Set the casserole in a pan of hot water, or the double boiler top over the simmering water. Cook for one and one-quarter hours. Reverse keshi yena on a heated platter and keep warm for the cheese becomes hard and unappetizing if permitted to cool. In place of the cheese shell, two pounds of Edam or Gouda slices may be used to line the cooking container. The slices should overlap and create the same effect as the shell. Add filling cover with additional slices and follow directions for baking or steaming the shell. The traditionalist with a great deal of time and patience, may scoop out a four-pound Edam or Gouda, taking care not to pierce the shell.