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 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 37 & 38: Simple Cheesy Pasta, Complex Macaroni Cheese

"Cheat!" I hear you say - Well, not really. When you think about it all recipes are loosely based off one another. So in this blog entry I am going to provide the simple, 10 minute Macaroni Cheese and the more complex one, which I also have tried but on more rare occasions as it takes a bit longer and to be honest if I am grasping at straws for a meal - I generally want the quick version!
I haven't included mushrooms in either recipe as I am not a huge fan on fungi, but obviously this can be added aswell.

Recipe 37: Simple Cheesy Pasta

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp plain flour
2 cups milk
1 tsp chilli powder 
2 cups grated tasty cheese
1 cup shredded ham
2 cups of cooked pasta (e.g. spirals, macaroni, penne)
salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Melt butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour and cook until frothy.
2. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until sauce boils and thickens.
3. Reduce heat, add chilli and grated cheese. When cheese has melted, add ham and cooked pasta, stir to combine.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste serves 4

Recipe 38: Complex Macaroni Cheese

2 tbsp butter2 tbsp plain flour
1 small onion, finely diced
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 cups grated tasty cheese
1 cup shredded ham

2 cups of cooked pasta (e.g. spirals, macaroni, penne)
1 cup breadcrumbs

salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add onion and cook until clear.Stir in flour and cook until frothy.
2. Add mustard powder, gradually add milk, stirring constantly until sauce boils and thickens.
3. Remove from heat, add 1 cup grated cheese.  When cheese has melted, add ham and cooked pasta, stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. pour mixture into an oven proof dish. Sprinkle the cup of breadcrumbs over the the top of the mixture and add the remaining cheese to the top aswell.
5. Cook at 190c for 20 minutes or until golden and heated through. serves 4

 

Recipe 33: Quick Stew - Joss Style

I used to love steak. Growing up on a farm allowed me to appreciate meat- knowing where it came from, how the animal was raised and ultimately how it was culled. However, ever since my pregnancy I cannot stomach the thought of steak. I can handle meat in stews etc, but not by itself.

So when hubby cooked up rump steak last night, I could barely stomach the thought of eating it. I didn't want to waste it, so what was left (which wasn't much after the man had a go at it) was quickly and easily made into a stew for lunch. 

Quick Stew

Left over meat - chopped
Frozen mixed vegetables
Boiled Potatoes (again left over from the night before)
1 tsp Gravy mix (or cornflour to thicken up)
1 cup Water
Pepper and Salt (for taste)
1 tsp Chilli powder



METHOD

1. Add Chopped meat with water bring to boil
2. Reduce heat and add frozen mixed vegetables, also add chopped potatoes. Cook for 6 minutes at a simmer until the veges are cooked.
3. Add 1 tsp chilli powder and 1 tsp Gravy mix (I use gravox) to make a thick sauce (add more water if you want it more runny). Taste and add salt and pepper for taste.

Recipe 30: Angel hair pasta with Garlic and Olive oil

Only six recipes behind.... May have to get creating this week with some more recipes- can't have my husband beating me on this resolution!
Recipe 30 is a 10 minute easy meal. Apart from Jamie Oliver, one of my other favourite chef's is Ed Halmagyi or "Fast Ed" and this is one of his.
I love quick and easy meals especially when its a quarter to 6 on a weekday and the husband is due to walk in at 6pm!

Angel hair pasta with Garlic and Olive Oil

6 cloves Garlic
6 anchovy fillets
2 lemons
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely
800g dried angel hair pasta
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup breadcrumbs
1 red chilli, finely diced
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper


METHOD

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Peel and chop the garlic very finely, Chop the anchovies very finely as well.
2. Set a frying pan over a medium heat, whilst this is heating, grate the lemon zest finely, then halve the lemons.
3. Drop the angel hair pasta in the boiling water and stir well - this will take only 4 minutes to cook.
4. Pour the olive oil into the pan and add the garlic, anchovies and lemon zest. Stir well then add the breadcrumbs  to the mix and stir.
5. Drain the pasta (after the 4 minutes) thoroughly and toss into the pan.
6. Stir in the chilli, parmesan and parsley. Squeeze the lemon juice in and season with salt and pepper. - serves 4

Recipe 27: Sweet Runner Bean Stew

This stew goes fabulous with grilled fish or by itself. I use it as a lunch as a main and for dinners as a side dish with grilled fish resting on top. If you don't have fresh rosemary, just use a couple of teaspoons of dried rosemary instead.

Sweet Runner Bean Stew

600g runner beans, trimmed
olive oil
1x 100g jar of anchovy fillets, in oil
5 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 dried red chilli, crumbled
2 x 400g tins of crushed tomatoes
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lemon


METHOD

1. Heat a large saucepa, big enough to hold all the ingredients, and add 2 tbsp of olive oil plus the oil from the jar of anchovies.
2. Chop four of the garlic cloves and fry them gently with the anchovies and dried chilli until it all goes soft and the anchovies break down into a mush. 
3. Pour  in the crushed tomatoes and add the beans and rosemary.
4. Season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. 
5. Place a lid on the pan and simmer gently for 12 to 15 minutes or until the beans are nicely cooked. (If the sauce gets a little dry, add a splash of water and give the beans a stir)

Recipe 26: Country Style Meat Patties

Growing up in literally the middle of nowhere meant no takeaway food.
However, since moving to Melbourne I can't seem to stop myself wanting to eat out Western, Eastern, Indian, you name it- I want to absorb the flavours. Perhaps it is because I never had it as a child and now, I want to make up for lost time.... or more than likely, am just so god damn lazy.
But, this blog isn't about how great restaurant food is. This is a place where I can solely focus on recipes that 'warm the heart', 'feed the stomach' and 'make you feel contented' without breaking the bank.

So takeaway night, is generally now 'home pizza night'. Although one recipe I have perhaps failed to write up earlier is my homemade burgers. So simple , so cheap and always a winner- I am only going to give the meat patty recipe, as obviously just after cooking a meat patty, you grill some buns (or toast some bread), add some lettuce, tomato, pineapple, (Bacon and an Egg if you want the "works"), mayo, tomato sauce and cheese, and you have got yourself a 'healthy' burger.

Country style Meat Patties

Makes about 8 patties

1 onion finally diced
Handful of dry mixed herbs - Thyme, Rosemary, Marjoram, Basil, Oregano ad Sage (or herbs of your choice)
500g Beef mince
1 egg
2 cups of breadcrumbs

METHOD

1. Combine the mince, onion and herbs together with hands until all mixed in. Season with salt and Pepper.
2. Add egg and mix in with hands
3. Add breadcrumbs slowly, (depending on the quality of the mince and the size of the egg, you may need less or more of the breadcrumbs.) you want to keep on adding until you can put the mince into balls without a) them falling apart (too much breadcrumbs) or b) mince slipping through your hands (too little breadcrumbs). IF you get to the stage where they are falling apart as you have added too much breadcrumbs, just add another egg.
4. Once at the right consistency to your liking, flatten out into patty shapes and either cook straight away - or I recommend popping them in the fridge for a few minutes to let them set. Then cook just like you would with a brought one- hot pan, flipping over when golden brown.

Recipe 18: Maple-glazed chicken

I am so gutted I gave the Donna Hay recipe book to my mates husband for Christmas, there were so many awesome recipes to try out! I am starting to feel bad as when I am over there I end up just sitting in the kitchen going through their recipe books! This serves two as well, so there is no waste- something that is now become so important as finances are getting tighter.

Maple-Glazed Chicken

1/4 cup Maple syrup
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1/2 tsp seasalt flakes
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
2 x 200g skinless chicken breast fillets
roasted parsnips and steamed sugar-snap peas, to serve.

METHOD

1. Place the maple syrup, water, chilli, salt and pepper in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
2. Bring to a simmer and add the chicken.
3. Cook for 4-5 minutes each side or until chicken is cooked through. 
4. Serve the chicken with the pan sauce, roasted parsnips and sugar snap peas.