Recipe 72: Roasted Peppers

So many of the recipes I am using at present have roast peppers as one of the main ingredients, so I thought I would add how to roast them in a separate entry.
Plus, roasted peppers go very well with cheese and crackers as a separate dish as well!

Roast Peppers

Capsicums

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Put the whole pepper in a baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes until the skin is wrinkled and the pepper is soft. 
2. Leave to cool for 10 minutes or until cool enough to handle, then remove the skin, stalk and seeds and chop coarsely.

Recipe 71: Chorizo, Red Pepper & Manchego Empanadas

Tonight, I was introduced to Manchego cheese. I didn't think my local supermarket would carry it, but the Hampton Park Safeway surprised me again!
What is really surprising, is that Manchego cheese is sheep cheese. It has the most odd colour, almost a clear wax like hue. But has an amazing soft taste. I would have to say it would be up there now on one of my favourite cheeses.

Recipe 71: Chorizo, Red Pepper & Manchego Empanadas

1 roasted red pepper, chopped (recipe 72)
20cm chorizo sausage finely diced
1 sheet of puff pastry
30g Manchego cheese, grated,
1 egg yolk, beaten with 1 tbsp milk (egg wash)

METHOD

1. Heat a frying pan over a high heat. Add the chorizo and fry, stirring occasionally for 3-4 minutes until it begins to shrink, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
2. On a lightly floured surface, place th sheet of pastry and cut out 12 circles, using a pastry cutter. 
3. Put the Manchego cheese, chopped roasted pepper and chorizo into a bowl and mix well. Put 1 tbsp of the mixture slightly off centre on each pastry circle. Fold the pastry over the filling, pinching the edges closed to seal.
4. Put the empanadas on a baking sheet and brush with the egg wash. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden and puffed. Serve immediately.

Recipe 70: Leek & Bacon Feuillettes

Recipe 70: Leek & Bacon Feuillettes

1 tbsp olive oil
1 large leek, finely chopped

8 rashers of rindless, bacon, finely chopped
2 tbsp white wine
4 tbsp double cream
2 sheets of puff pastry

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the leek and fry, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until soft. Add the bacon and cook for a further 3 minutes until the bacon is cooked but not crispy.
2. Add the white wine and using a wooden spoon, scrape any bits off the base of the pan and stir well. Cook for 1 minute until the liquid has almost completely evaporated, then add the cream and cook, stirring for a further 1 minute until bubbling. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
3. On a lightly floured surface, cut out 24 circles from the 2 sheets of pastry, using a pastry cutter. Gently press the pastry circles into the bases of mini-muffin tins.
4. Put 1 tsp of the leek and bacon mixture in each and press down a little so it does not fall out during cooking when the pastry puffs up.
5. Bake the feuillettes for 12 minutes until puffed and lightly golden, then serve.

Recipe 69: Ham & Mushroom Calzones

Another Friday night dish I cooked up for my mate. I personally didn't like them, but three others did. The verdict is up to you.

Recipe 69: Ham & Mushroom Calzones

15g butter
150g chopped button mushrooms
80g ham, finely sliced
1/2 recipe of pizza dough (recipe 68)
80g mozzarella cheese, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp tomato paste

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 200c. Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat until melted. Add the mushrooms and fry, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes until beginning to brown. 
2. Stir in the ham and remove pan from heat.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the pizza dough out into approximately 36cm square and cut out 16 circles using a pastry cutter.
4. Add the mozzarella  to the cooled muchroom mixture and mix well. On each dough circle put a bit of tomato paste slightly off centre and then put 2 tsp of the mozzarella/mushroom mixture and fold in half, pressing the edges together to seal. Put the calzones on a baking sheet.
5. Brush the calsones with the oil and bake for 12 minutes until golden. Leave to cool for 5 minutes then serve.

Recipe 68: Pizza Dough

Recipe 68: Pizza Dough

650g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp caster sugar
2tsp dried active yeast
1 tsp olive oil

METHOD

1. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the sugar, yeast, oil and 350ml lukewarm water. Mix together for 2-3 minutes until the dough starts to come away from the sides of the bowl. 
2. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Put in a clean bowl, cover with a clean, damp tea towel and leave to stand in a warm place for 1 hour until doubled in size.
3. Lightly sprinkle a baking sheet with flour. Punch down the dough, turn it onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes until it forms a smooth ball. 

Use dough as needed.

Recipe 67: Potato Crisps

When I looked at this recipe on Thursday night I thought " this is So So easy, yet, we still go down the supermarket aisle and pay $4.00 for a bag of crisps?! Why?".
My question was answered after trying this recipe last night. Even though the recipe is easy... the oil burns are also so SO easy to get! Today I am recovering from 4 of them, two on my hand, one on my neck and one on my forehead- all due to splash back when I put the potatoes in. 
Thus, I give this recipe out with a warning. For inexperienced people (like myself), PLEASE be careful!

Recipe 67: Potato Crisps

2 large potatoes
oil, for deep frying
seasalt (for flavour)

METHOD

1. Thinly slice potatoes using a mandolin (you want them paper thin- otherwise they just taste like potato chips you get from the takeaway store).
2. Heat the oil, test to check temperature by placing one little chip into the pan and if it sizzles and cooks then you are ready to go.
3. Deep fry the chips in batches to stop them from sticking to each other. They are done when golden and crisp.
4. Remove them from pan using a slotted spoon. Drain on absorbent paper and then season with salt.

Recipe 65: Pesto Recipe 66: Roast Pepper and Pesto Mozzarella Skewers

Friday night - girls night in. Got a scary movie, Cheeses from the local deli, wine cooling in the fridge and a few tapas from my recipe books to try so I can catch up to my target goal of 96 (hoo hum... I might be able to get to 70 recipes by the end of the night but pulling 30 out?- I am seriously behind!) by the end of this week. It doesn't make this challenge any easier when I am away for 3 weeks next week in New Zealand. Just hoping I get to try a few recipes over there - Argh.

Recipe 65: Pesto

makes a small cup

1 large handful of basil leaves, chopped
125ml oilve oil (extra may be needed)
30g pine nuts
2tbsp grated parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, chopped
salt and pepper

METHOD

1. Put the basil, oil, pine nuts, parmesan and garlic in a food processor (or blender) and process for 2 minutes until the mixture forms a paste. If too thick, add more oil, taking care not to add too much. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Transfer to an airtight container and leave to stand for at least 1 hr before serving.

Awesome tip about making pesto- if you do store it in an airtight container, it can be frozen for up to 2 weeks and still have the good consistency!

Recipe 66: Roast Pepper and Pesto Mozzarella Skewers

16 small bocconcini balls
1/2 recipe quantity of the pesto (above recipe)
2 red peppers (capsicum)
16 pitted black olives
1 small bunch of basil leaves coarsely chopped

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180c. Put the bocconcini and pesto in a bowl, mix gently to coat, then chill, covered in the fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, put the whole peppers in a baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes until the skins are wrinkled and the peppers are soft. Leave to cool for a few minutes and, when cool enough to handle, remove the skin and cut the peppers in half. Remove stalks and seeds and then slice each of the peppers into 8 thin strips about 10cm long.
3. Fold 1 pepper strip into thirds and thread it onto a skewer to form an s shape. Add 1 olive and 1 mozzarella ball. Repeat with the remaining skewers. Sprinkle with the basil leaves and serve.

I made only 8, as I doubled the amount that was on the skewers.

Recipe 64: Chicken Pot Pie

Working on making meals now that have very limited leftovers, due to the fact that 1) we do not have money for a whole heap of food and 2) we are starting to run out of freezer space with left overs!

As my husband constantly tells me, "I am not feeding an army". So to combat this, I have employed the use of the 'ramekin' and so far, so good. This recipe only used 250g of chickent breast, leaving me with another 250g to be used at a later date. Considering the 500g parcel cost me about $9.00, this pie, hypothetically cost me less than that for 2! All the ingredients I have already in the house and its nice to know that we can still eat nice food on a small wage.

Chicken Pot Pie

Makes three ramekin pies

250g chicken breast, shredded

1 cup chicken stock

1 carrot peeled and diced

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 small onion, diced finely
1 sheet of puff pastry

6 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1  cup milk

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 tbsp dry sherry

1 Tbsp minced fresh parsley

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 egg (for egg wash on the pastry)

 

3 ramekins


METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200c. In a largepan, melt butter on medium heat. Add the onions and carrots and cook until the onions are translucent (about 10 minutes). Add the flour and cook, stirring, one minute more. Whisk in the cup of chicken stock. Whisk in the milk. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring often. 
2. In another pan, lightly cook the chicken meat and then add the chicken meat, thyme, sherry, peas, parsley, salt and pepper into the largepan and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Divide the warm filling among the three ramekins.
3. Prepare the crust. cut the puff pastry sheet into quarters, place one quarter on each ramekin and roll the excess pastry around the top of the ramekin, pressing down with a fork to form a crust. (If you do not have enough pastry for a ramekin - this is where the extra quarter comes in handy).Fold the excess dough under itself and use the tines of a fork to press the dough against the edge of the ramekins. Cut a 1-inch vent into each individual pie. Use a pastry brush to apply an egg wash (beat the egg with 1 tbsp of water and then brush on to the pie- this will give the pastry a nice brown colour when cooked) to each pie.  
4. Bake at 200c for 25 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Recipe 63: Stuffed Capsicum

As a student I lived on nothing but the cheapest of foods, which was generally noodles. I now hate noodles and stir fry's because of my years living with no money. I should really take a photo of my fridge right now as it breaks my heart. We are out of money and until the husband gets paid I have to try my hardest to make interesting meals with next to nothing. Luckily we had two capsicum left and a bit of mince, so finding a recipe on Best Recipes that contained very little ingredients allowed me to adapt it and make it for dinner.

Stuffed Capsicum

Depending on how many capsicum you have, depends on the serves.

2 medium sized capsicums, topped off and hollowed out
250g beef mince
4 tbsp rice
300ml water
1 onion
2 tsp crushed garlic
cup grated cheese
Basil and tomato sauce (recipe 7)

METHOD

1. Fry onion and mince once cooked, add rice and 300ml water
2. Add the crushed garlic and 1/2 cup of the basil and tomato sauce into the mix (boil down so its not watery and that the rice has taken most of the liquid and is not raw)
3. Stuff the capsicums with the rice and mince mix 
4. Place in oven proof dish like a casserole pot, add the remaining basil and tomato sauce around the capsicum.
5. Sprinkle the cup of grated cheese on top of the capsicums, bake at 180c for 50 minutes or until the capsicum have been cooked.

Recipe 60, 61 & 62: Black Satin Chocolate Raspberry Cake (My 29th Birthday cake)

Ok, so the reason why I have separated this one recipe into three is because you can use the three recipes in any other individual baking and do not neccasirly have to go together. Recipe 60: Sour Cream Chocolate Cake, Recipe 61: Raspberry Sauce and Recipe 62: Black Satin Raspberry Frosting. Such a complex cake, but my goodness definitely worth it- Especially for those special occasions. I was lucky enough to have my parents over and my mother was relegated to the beater as I do not have a stand  alone mixer (which is a bit of a necessity in this recipe- although if you don't have one, just get a mate over to hold the electric hand beater whilst having a glass of wine!)

Recipe 60, 61 & 62: Black Satin Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Preparation: 2 hours, plus baking, cooling and chilling time...

(best to do Recipe 60 and 61 the night before)

Recipe 60: Sour Cream Chocolate Cake
150g unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
125g unsalted butter
1/3 cup copha (vegetable shortening)
1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cup white sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 large whole eggs, plus 2 large eggs separated (4 eggs in total)
3/4 cup sour cream
1 cup milk

IMPORTANT- all of these items should be at room temperature.

METHOD

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 180c. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of three 9-inch (21cm) round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with baking paper and dust the sides of the pans with flour (tap out excess).
2. In a medium bowl, using a whisk, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt until thoroughly blended.
3. In another medium bowl (this is where the electric mixer comes in handy- if you have one- use that bowl). beat the butter and copha until  creamy. Add the brown sugar and while continuing to beat (where you friend now comes in if you don't have a mixer), gradually add 1 cup of the white sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time over a 6-minute period. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue beating for 1 to 2 minutes longer, until the mixture is light in texture and off-white in colour. Beat in the vanilla extract.
4. Melt the chocolate in another bowl, whilst the chocolate is cooling. Break the 2 whole eggs into a measuring cup and add the 2 separated egg yolks. Beat with a fork until forthy. At a medium speed while continuing to beat, slowly add the beaten eggs to the batter. Add the sour cream and beat until smooth. Beat in the cooled chocolate (you still want the chocolate runny, but not so hot that it will start cooking the cake).
5. At low speed, one third at a time, beat in the flour mixture, alternating it with milk. Mix briefly just until each addition is barely incorporated into the batter. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Mix the batter for 10 more seconds.
6. In a smaller bowl, beat the 2 egg whites at low speed until frothy. Gradually increase the speed to medium-high and beat the whites until soft peaks start to form. One teaspoon at a time, add the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and continue beating the whites until stiff, shiny peaks form.
7. Using the spatula, fold the beaten egg whites into the bater to lightin it. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and smooth it with the back of a soup spoon.
8. Bake the cake layers for 15 minutes. Reposition the cake pans so that the pans at the back of the oven rack are placed in the front. Continute to bake for 5 to 10 minutes longer, until the edge of each cake layer has pulled away slightly from the side of the pan and the center springs back when gently pressed with a finger.
9. Cool the cake layers in the pans set on wire racks for 5 minutes before turning them out.  Cool the cake layers completely (this is why I suggest baking this and then leaving overnight).

Recipe 61: Raspberry Sauce
340g frozen raspberries
2/3 cup white sugar
2 tsp arrowroot
1 tbsp water
1-2 tbsp of black raspberry liquer such as chambord.

METHOD

1. In a noncorrosive medium saucepan, combine the frozen raspberries and sugar. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves and the raspberries start to soften. Continue to cook at a gentle simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until the raspberries are completely softened.
2. Press the raspberry mixture through a fine meshed sieve into a measuring cup. Discard the seeds and then place the raspberry liquid back into the pan.
3. Put the arrowroot in a small cup. Slowly stir in the water until the mixture is completely smooth. Scrape the arrowroot mixture into the raspberry puree and stir until blended
4. Cook the raspberry puree over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 30 to 60 seconds, until the sauce is transluscent. DO NOT BOIL LONGER THAN 1 MINUTE, or the sauce will become watery. Remove the pan from the heat.
5. Cool the sauce to room temperature and stir in the liquer to taste. Transfer the sauce to a bowl, cover and refrigerate.

Recipe 62: Black Satin Raspberry Frosting
570g semisweet (dark) chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 1/4 cups evaporated milk
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup black raspberry liquer, such as chambord
4 tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

1. Melt the chocolate.
2. Put the evaporated milk, butter, liquer and vanilla extract into a food processor with a metal chopping blade. Add the melted chocolate.
3. Process for 20 to 30 seconds until the frosting is thick and creamy.
4. Use the frosting immediately.

Assembling the cake:
In between each layer of cake add a slather of frosting and raspberry sauce (you will need to use all the raspberry sauce in the layers- but reserve some frosting as you need to ice the rest of the cake). Put the layers together and then frost the rest of the cake.