Pizza Rustica All’Inglese

This is a bit of a cheat, as I've done a very similiar pie to this one before, but the filling in this one was so good, I had to share.



200g lean pork
200g streaky bacon (aprox 150g de-rinded)
125g mild cheddar
100g Lancashire cheese
250g cottage cheese, drained in a sieve and processed
2 big or 4 small spring onions
1 clove garlic
2tbsp chopped parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
freshly ground black pepper
1 heaped tbsp dried breadcrumbs

using the pastry dough here


Mince the pork and de-rind the bacon in a food processor. Render the fat from the bacon, or just use oil, and fry the minced pork and bacon for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool slightly, then add all the other ingredients except the breadcrumbs.
Preheat to 200c/400f, and put in a baking sheet. Roll out the larger disc of pastry to cove the bottom and sides with a few cm of overhang. Sprinkle the bottom with breadcrumbs, then fill with the mixture. Roll out the rest of the dough to make a lid. Fold the overhang over and seal by pressing down with the tines of a fork. Just before baking glaze the pie with the milk salt egg combo, and stab it here and there with the prongs of a fork to make steam holes.
Bake at 200c/400f for 10 minutes, then turn it sown to 180c/350f and bake for a further 45 minutes. Leave the pie to cool at least 10 minutes, but 25 is better.

This is a Nigella Lawson recipe from "How to be a Domestic Goddess". This pie filling is so good! Bacon and cheese and more cheese and then some parsley and spring onions to mislead you into thinking that it's actually kind of light. I loved it. Nigella can do no wrong. I bet this one would be really good cold at a picnic too.

Mexican Empanadas

Salty/Sweet and wrapped in dough. What could possibly be bad?



250g/8oz Flour
1/4 tsp salt
6tbsp lard, diced (I used Trex (Crisco) instead)
4tbsp butter
6-8tbsp iced water
beaten egg for glaze
sesame seeds

for the filling:
1&1/2 tbsp oil
75g/3oz chopped onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
250g/8oz Pork fillet, diced (I used mince)
175g/6oz, firmly packed grated sweet potato
4 juicy prunes, stoned
125ml/4oz unsweetened pineapple juice
1tbsp tomato paste
2tsp chili powder
slat




Heat the oil and sauté the onion and garlic till soft. Add pork and cook stirring till it is lightly browned, add in all the other filling ingredients and continue cooking till the excess liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and cool.

Put the flour salt and fats in the food processor, and process till it resembles bread crumbs. Add enough iced water to make a soft dough, shape into a ball and chill for 20-30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and roll them out to 6 inch rounds. Put one eighth of the filling in each one, dampen the edges and fold over to make half moon shapes. Press the edges and crimp with a fork. Place on a greased sheet, brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake at 190c/375f for 35-40 minutes

Another from the book "Essential Mexican Cookery", which I found at a car boot sale (yard sale) for about 50 cents. This was the best 50 cents I think I ever spent.

This is very different from the Spanish Empanada that I made some weeks ago. That one was one massive pie, where as these are nice small individual ones (kids love small individual anything). Also this was a much more simple pastry dough, and obviously a very different kind of filling. This one was so super easy to make, and in the end, my husband said he liked it better.

I have to admit, it was totally spot on (though I still love the Spanish one too). The filling had the salty sweet combo that I am so fond of. The pineapple juice and sweet potato were well balanced by the chili powder. It had the nicest kick to it. The sesame seeds too, really good touch, don’t skip them.

These are also a fun group cooking activity. Unfortunately my son was in the throws of a tantrum at the time, so he missed out on helping, but my mom (who is here visiting right now) made some very nice ones!

Super fun, extra good, all around fabulous recipe!!

Chai

1/2tsp black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick (about 3 inches)
6 whole cloves
6 whole cardamom pods
1 piece fresh ginger (2inches), unpeeled and thinly sliced
Zest of 1 orange, removed in wide strips
4 bags of black tea, such as Darjeeling, Orange Pekoe, or English Breakfast
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup sugar

Crush all the spices (not the zest).
Put the crushed spices and the zest in a pan with 3 cups of water, bring to a boil and reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and add the tea bags, let steep for 5 minutes.
Discard the tea bags, add the milk and sugar and bring to a simmer, stirring till the sugar dissolves. Strain and discard the solids, serve hot.


I used to get this at cafés in Brooklyn all the time, but I had never made it myself. This was so much better then the kind I used to get. The fresh ginger gave it this amazing bite, and the sugar sweetness made me want to just curl up and take a nap. I think this is a perfect drink for that one quiet moment amid the chaos.

I’m going to make this again, no question.

Gratin of Rigatoni with Roasted Vegetables

6oz/175g rigatoni
1heaped tsp grated parmesan, for the topping

For the roasted veg:
2 medium courgettes
1 small aubergine
1lb/450g tomatoes, skinned
1 medium onion, peeled
1 small red pepper, deseeded
1 small yellow pepper, deseeded
3tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
2oz/50g pitted black olives, chopped
1 heaped tsp capers
2oz/50g mozzarella, grated
Salt and pepper

For the cheese sauce:
1pint/570ml milk
1&1/2oz/40g plain flour
1&1/2oz/40g butter
pinch cayenne pepper
2oz/50g parmesan, finely grated
a little freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper

Start preparing the courgettes and aubergine an hour ahead of time. Chop them into 1&1/2 inch/4cm chunks, leaving the skins on, and layer them in a colander with a sprinkling of salt between each layer. The put a plate on top of it and weigh it down with something heavy to draw out moisture. After and hour, squeeze, and dry them in a tea cloth.
Preheat the oven to 475f/240c
Now quarter the tomatoes and chop the onions and peppers into 1&1/2 inch chunks. Next arrange all the veg on a baking tray. Sprinkle with olive oil and chopped garlic. Give everything a good mix to coat and spread out as much as possible. Season with salt and pepper and roast on a high shelf 30-40 minutes, till browned and charred at the edges.

Make the cheese sauce- place the milk flour butter and cayenne into a medium saucepan and place it over a gentle heat. Using a balloon whisk, begin to whisk while bringing it to a gentle simmer. Whisk continually till you have a smooth glossy sauce, and simmer very gently for 5 minutes. Add the parmesan and whisk again allowing it to melt. Season with salt and pepper and some freshly ground nutmeg.

Meanwhile, when the veg are about 5 min from being ready, cook the pasta for exactly 6 minutes-no longer. Drain the pasta, and in a large bowl combine with roasted veg, olives capers and cheese sauce. Turn the oven down to 400f/200c. Layer the mixture into a gratin dish, a third at a time, sprinkling the mozzarella over each layer, and finishing with mozzarella. Sprinkle with parmesan and bake another 6 minutes (if you make it ahead of time it will need 35-40 minutes)

So as some of you know my mom is out here visiting right now, and she picked this one out. I'm really glad she did too, because I had noticed it before in my Delia Smith Vegetarian cookbook, but I was still kind of on the fence about it.

It was a great choice. It came out so well. There is not too much pasta, so it still feels more like a vegetable dish with pasta, as opposed to a pasta dish with vegetables. Also, the sauce, although it's a cheese sauce tastes really light. Maybe it's because it doesn't have tons of cheese, or maybe it's the nutmeg, but it was surprising. The vegetables were gorgeous. Even the ones that look slightly burned (it's a really hot oven), were actually flavorful and lovely.

This was really great! Thanks mom!

Chinese Vegetable Dumplings

I have always loved chinese dumplings, and I always assumed that they were incredably difficult and time consuming to make, because how could something so delicious be easy? I was so wrong. Not only are they easy, they are fun too!



For the dough:
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup boiling water
In a bowl, mix the flour and 1 cup boiling water until a soft dough forms.
Knead the dough on a lightly flour surface about 5 minutes, or until smooth.

Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a roll 12 inches long and cut each roll into 1/2-inch slices.

Roll 1 slice of dough into a 3-inch circle and place 1 tablespoon pork mixture in the center of the circle. Lift up the edges of the circle and pinch 5 pleats up to create a pouch to encase the mixture. Pinch the top together. Repeat with the remaining slices of dough and filling.

For the filling:
• 1/2 pound firm tofu
• 1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
• 1/2 cup finely chopped bok choy
• 1/4 cup finely chopped water chestnuts
• 1/4 cup finely chopped bamboo shoots
• 1/4 cup finely chopped garlic chives
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 package potsticker or gyoza wrappers
• 2 tablespoons oil for frying the dumplings
PREPARATION:
Drain the tofu, cut into cubes and mash. Wash and prepare the vegetables. Combine the tofu with the remainder of the ingredients and seasonings.

Lay out one of the gyoza wrappers in front of you.
Dip your finger in the water and moisten the edges of the wrapper.

Place a heaping teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper.

Fold the gyoza wrapper over the filling and pinch the edges to seal it shut. (You may want to use a cornstarch/water mixture to make this easier).

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet or wok.When oil is ready, carefully add the dumplings and cook on high heat until golden brown (about 1 minute). Without turning the dumplings over, add 1/2 cup of water and cover. Cook for about 1 minute to cook the raw filling and then uncover and continue cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Serve the potstickers with the burnt side on top, with potsticker dipping sauce or soy sauce mixed with minced ginger for dipping.


I wanted to make vegetable dumplings, but I also wanted to make the dough myself, so what I have listed here is two recipes, both from About.com. One is for Veg dumplings using premade wrappers, and one is the dough from some meat dumplings.

These were so much fun to make!

I had always thought that flour and water alone would just make glue, but it turns out it makes a really good dumpling dough. It was really easy to make and really easy to roll too. Next time I make them I will probably roll them slightly thinner, but then again, maybe not.

The filling was great. I couldn't get the right kind of tofu, so I skipped it, but it was fine without it. Really crispy and dumpling-y.

The method of cooking was interesting, and they looked cool in the pan. All in all there is nothing bad to say about this recipe. I love it!

Chocolate Guinness Cake

Oh my god. You have no idea. This is the best cake! There was a thing I said about some pork chops that I made, how I would never need to try another way because I had found the absolute best recipe. Well, this is my chocolate cake. I will never need to bother with another chocolate cake again. It can get no better then this.



For the cake:
250ml Guinness
250g unsalted butter
75g cocoa
400g caster sugar
142ml pot of sour cream
2 eggs
1tbsp vanilla extract
275g plain flour
2&1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For topping
300g Philadelphia Cream cheese
150g icing sugar (powdered)
125ml double or whipping cream

Preheat to 180c/350f

Pour the Guinness into a large wide saucepan, add the butter in spoons or slices, and heat until the butter is melted, at which time you should whisk in the cocoa and sugar. Beat the sour cream with the eggs and vanilla, and pour into the Guinness mixture, and finally whisk in the flour and bicarb.
Pour the batter into a greased and lined tin and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Leave to cool completely on a cooling rack, as it’s quite a damp cake.
When the cake is cold, make the icing. Whip the cream cheese until smooth, sieve over the icing sugar then beat them both together. Or do this in a food processor, putting the unsieved sugar in first and blitzing to remove any lumps before adding the cream cheese. Add the cream and beat again until it is a spreadable consistency. Ice the top of the cake so that it looks like a frothy pint.



On St. Patrick’s day we bought some Guinness to have with our Dinner, and we didn’t finish it, so in looking for something to do with it, I found this recipe in the Nigella Lawson book “Feast”. One thing I should mention is that when you are making the frosting be sure to add the cream a little at a time. You may not need all of it. I added mine all at once and had to adjust because it was way too runny.

You don’t actually taste the Guiness, but it adds a heartiness to the cake that is kind of hard to describe. It’s like it makes it substantial as opposed to just sweet. That plus the contrast of the cream cheese frosting make this the kind of cake that you could just keep eating and eating. Also, it’s fun to melt butter in beer.

Many people will be fed this cake. That will be my mission.

Devilled Drumsticks with Cucumber salad

We picked my mom up from the airport today. We’re all really excited about it, this is her first time visiting us out here.This recipe was chosen for it’s ease of preparation, as there was quite enough excitement for the day.



12 chicken drumsticks
2tbsp sesame seeds

Coating:
2tbsp olive oil
2tbsp White wine vinegar
2tbspKetchup
1tbsp Dijon mustard
1 small onion, quartered
2tbsp dark brown sugar
1 large clove of garlic, crushed
1/4 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper

Put all the coating ingredients into the food processor, and puree until fairly smooth. Make 3 deep cuts in each drumstick, arrange in a single layer, in a shallow oven proof dish, spoon the coating over them, then sprinkle with half the sesame seeds.
Roast at 190c/375f for 30 min, or until they are cooked through. Halfway through, turn and baste and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.

From Mary Berry’s Complete cookbook

Classic Cucumber salad
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1 hothouse (seedless English) cucumber, unpeeled, cut into 1/8 inch think slices
1/2 red onion, cut in half through the stem, then sliced very thin.

Mix the sugar salt and vinegar till it has all dissolved. Throw in the cucumber and onion and toss to coat.

From Food to Live By


I made this with the Twice Baked Potatoes because you can make them a day in advance.

It was a really quick and easy dinner. I barely had to be in the kitchen. The potatoes were great, and the cucumber was really perfect. So simple, so good, even the boys ate theirs.

The chicken was alright. I have to admit that I didn’t love it. It was very subtly flavored considering the ingredient list, and the sesame seeds were a really good touch. Still, I found them under whelming.

Mushroom Gougere

Kind of weird looking, kind of not great, but the pastry was oh so much fun.



Pastry:
115g/4oz flour
2.5ml/1/2tsp salt
75g/3oz/6tbsp butter
200ml/7oz cup cold water
3 eggs, beaten
75g/3oz diced gruyere or mature Gouda cheese

Filling:
1 small onion, sliced
1 carrot coarsely grated
225g/8oz mushrooms, sliced
40g/3tbs butter
5ml/1tsp tikka or mild curry paste
25g/1oz/2tbsp flour
300ml/1&1/4 cup milk
30ml/2tbsp fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
30ml/2tbsp flaked almonds


Preheat to 200c/400f, and grease a 9 inch pan

Pastry:
Sift the flour and salt unto a piece of greaseproof paper.
In a large pan heat the butter and water till the butter just melts, but do not let the water boil. Fold the paper and shoot all the flour in at once. With a wooden spoon beat the mixture rapidly until the lumps become smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Beat the eggs gradually into the mixture until you have a soft, but still quite stiff consistency, you may not need all the egg.

Stir in the cheese, then spoon the mixture round the sides of the dish, put aside.

To make the filling:
Saute the vegetables in butter for 5 minutes. Stir in the curry paste and the flour. Gradually stir in the milk and heat until thickened. Mix in the parsley, season well then pour into the center of the pastry.
Bake 35-40 minutes, sprinkling on the almonds for the last 5 minutes or so.

This was really not great. I found that the filling was kind of generic, like it didn’t really know what it wanted to be. The pastry on the other hand, was gorgeous. It’s the first time I’ve made this kind. If you are out here then I could tell you that it’s probably the way they make Yorkshire puddings (or at least similar). If you are in the States, I don’t know what I could compare it to. Something to note, when it is raw it will just be the thinnest strip of dough, but when you put it in the oven, it totally explodes into this big puffy pillow of pastry. So Much Fun.

Don’t bother with this one though, I will find something better to do with that dough.

Chorizo and Chickpea stew w/Meatballs

Not the best picture, sorry, it looks better in person.



Chickpea stew
For the chickpeas:
1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
1 bay leaf
6oz chorizo

For the meatballs:
2 slices white sandwich bread, crusts removed
10 oz ground pork
1/4 cup grated onion
1 small egg, lightly beaten
1tsp coarse salt
1/2tsp fresh ground pepper
olive oil

For finishing the stew:
2tbsp olive oil
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
1 medium sized carrot, finely diced
4 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
2 large ripe tomatoes, chopped
1tsp sweet smoked paprika
3tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
Coarse salt

Put the chickpeas in a pot, and add cold water to cover by 2 inches, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the bay leaf and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for an hour replenishing the water when necessary.

After an hour, cook the chorizo in boiling water for 2 minutes, and drain it. Add to the chickpeas and continue to cook for a half hour, till the chickpeas are tender, but still al dente, adding more water to maintain the liquid level.

Meanwhile, place the bread in a small bowl, add cold water to cover and let soak for 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze out the excess liquid, then finely crumble the bread. Place the bread, pork, onion, egg, salt and pepper in a bowl. Gently knead with your hands till combined. If the mixture is too moist to form into meatballs, refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat to 425f

Shape the mixture into meatballs about the size of cherry tomatoes. Arrange on a baking sheet, and bake, shaking the pan once or twice, till they are lightly browned and firm to the touch, about 12 minutes. Set aside.

To finish the stew, Heat the olive oil, add onion, carrot, and half the garlic. Cook till soft, but not browned, about 5 min. Add tomatoes cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the paprika, stir, then stir the mixture into the chickpeas. Cook the stew 15-20 minutes longer till the chickpeas are very tender.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer chorizo to a cutting board, and cut it into 1/2 inch slices, return it to the pot, gently stir in the meatballs, and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Place the garlic, parsley and a pinch of salt in a mortar and mash into a paste, stir into the stew and let it cook 5 more minutes.

This whole process took 2 hours exactly, I know because I got home a little later then I was planning, but made it to the table before it was too late for the boys.

I made one adjustment because I didn't have any slices of white bread in the house, so I used oatmeal instead (thanks for the tip Anthony!) It worked really well. The meatballs came out really light and fluffy.

As with the Albondigas soup I made last week, the boys loved the tiny meatballs, they were just the right size for tiny hands. My husband and I really liked this one too. There were no left-overs.

This one was from The New Spanish Table

Crab Meat Enchiladas and Guacamole

Guacamole
2 large ripe avocados
3tbsp lemon or lime juice
2 garlic cloves crushed
40g/1.5oz chopped spring onions
1-2 tbsp chopped mild green chilies, or jalapenos
2tbsp chopped fresh coriander
salt and black pepper
125g/4oz Skinned, seeded and chopped tomatoes

Cut the avocados in half and carefully remove the peel and stones. Scoop out the flesh and sprinkle with a little of the lemon or lime juice to stop it from discoloring.
Coarsely mash the avocado with the remaining lemon or lime juice. Add everything else and mix well, then cover and leave in the fridge for at least an hour.

Enchiladas De Jaiba (crab stuffed tortillas)
Oil for shallow frying
12 soft corn tortillas
450ml/3/4 pint red chili sauce (recipe below)
500g/1lb crab meat
250g/8oz grated cheddar cheese
125g/4oz diced mozzarella cheese
1 small red onion, finely chopped
3tbsp chopped fresh coriander

Heat the oil in a large shallow pan and shallow fry the tortillas one at a time over moderate heat for a few seconds until they become limp. Do not overcook them or they will crisp. (I actually skipped this part)
Pat tortillas with absorbent paper towels, then spread each one with some chili sauce (below). Put some crab meat down the middle of the tortilla. Sprinkle some of the cheeses on top (making sure you are reserving some for the top). Add some chopped red onion, roll up the tortillas and place them in a buttered oven proof dish.

Pour the remaining sauce over the top, then sprinkle over with the remaining cheese and bake at 200c/400f for 15 to 20 minutes.

Serve with sour cream and guacamole

Salsa Roja (red chili sauce)
5 small dried chilies, crumbled
3tbsp boiling water
425g/14oz canned chopped tomatoes
4tbsp oil
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
1.5 tbsp wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
Place chilies and boiling water in a food processor. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the juice. Add the chopped tomatoes to the processor and blend until smooth. Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onion and garlic until soft. Stir in all other ingredients and simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

These are from a book called Essential Mexican Cookery. It doesn’t seem to have an author, but it is published by Chancellor Press. I found this book at a car boot sale (like a yard sale), for 50p. Excellent! It has already earned back it’s price and then some.

These were really good, and also really easy to make. I didn’t fry the tortillas, and I really don’t think they were any worse off for it. I also made the last two with just cheese, no crab no onion for the boys. My older son, who is going through a seriously picky eating phase, ate his whole plate, and tried to wrestle away his brothers too. That is really saying a lot.

The Guacamole was really good too. This one is a definite keeper, and I’m absolutely going to try more stuff from this book.