Japanese Gyoza

OK foodies, apparently my menu has consisted of food from the 1970’s, so I have had to lift my game and bring the menu forward 50 years.  Welcome to 2020!

Japanese Gyozas are fantastic.  The kids will love them!  So will the adults…

Gyoza 

500g minced pork

Gyoza wrappers (from the dairy case)

2 cups shredded Wombok (chinses cabbage)

3 cloves minced garlic

3 sprigs chopped spring onion

1 carrot, finely chopped

½ teaspoon finely chopped ginger

chopped chives (if you like)

2 tablespoons Hoi Sin sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

a pinch of salt and pepper

Dipping sauce

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

½ teaspoon sesame oil

Sesame seeds

Blend all the gyoza ingredients.  Place a teaspoon of the mixture onto a gyoza wrap.

Using your hands and little water, gently fold the front side of the wrapper into the pattern as seen in the photo.  This excellent YouTube video will assist:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uzGezdkuso

To cook, heat a pan on the stovetop.  Warm a tablespoon of sesame oil and pan fry the gyoza on the base only.  When golden brown, add two tablespoons of water and quickly place a sealed lid over the pan so the water is trapped and it steams the rest of the dumplings.

After a couple of minutes, check to ensure they are internally cooked.

Make sure to use the fantastic dipping sauce.

Enjoy!

Saganaki (Greek or Cypriot frying cheese)

For those of you who have never tried Saganaki or Haloumi, your time starts now!  For the rest of you I’m preaching to the converted, so you already know what is below…

This cheese is awesome.  It takes three minutes from fridge to feast. 

It is not a strong cheese, it is just delicious.  It is so good the manufacturers have to limit each pack to two pieces only, which is the right quantity!

It can be served as an appetiser in Greek restaurants, but if the Greek restaurant is not open, bring the restaurant to you!  Saganaki and Haloumi are available at all Maxi stores.

How to cook:

-       warm stovetop frypan on medium heat.  Don’t add oil just yet,

-       open refrigerated pack, there are two pieces which require delicate separation,

-       soak for a minute in bowl of warm water,

-       remove from water and dust in both sides with flour,

-       add a tablespoon of olive oil to your frypan,

-       when the oil has heated, add the cheese slices, pan fry for about a minute on each side until they are a delicious golden colour.

-       eat them whilst they’re hot!

So Good!

Be game and try Saganaki. 

Home Made Sausage Rolls

Hi Foodies, now these sausage rolls are ‘easy peasy lemon squeezy’ to make.  They taste so good.  Everything tastes so good… 

This is my daughter’s recipe.  She made them, I ate them.  They were very good!

Ing. 

500g premium mince meat

500g pork or sausage mince

4 sheets frozen puff pastry (Borgs is working well right now)

1 cup breadcrumbs

2 eggs one for sausage mixture, the other for coating the rolls before they cook)

1 onion, finely chopped

1 large carrot, finely chopped

3 cloves fresh garlic, finely chopped

5cm fresh ginger, finely chopped (makes a difference!)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

2 tablespoons black and white sesame seeds for topping

Method

Preheat oven to 200c fan forced

Thaw the puff pastry on the bench.

In a bowl, mix the mince meats, bread crumbs, carrot, onion, ginger, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and one egg.  Mix it thoroughly using your hands until the mixture is consistent.

Cut the pastry sheets in half.  Divide the mixture into eight equal portions and place the mixture onto each sheet and roll into a roll.  Seal the edges.

Gently cut the rolls into the sausage roll pieces by gently sawing, not pressing with your knife.

Place the rolls seam side down onto a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Whisk the remaining egg and brush it over the rolls.  Sprinkle on the sesame seeds.

Bake for 18-20 mins or until the pastry is golden.

Now eat! 

Giant Sausage Roll!

This is a sausage roll for the whole family.  It requires a longer cooking time than the smaller sausage rolls and can be served in slices.  Tomato sauce is necessary!

School holidays may mean that you have extra helpers who will love to eat this, so they should love to assist you to make it as well!

Ing

1 or 2 sheets thawed puff pastry

1 onion, finely chopped

1 kg premium mince meat

1 or 2 carrots, finely grated

A handful of Continental parsley

3 cloves garlic

Mushrooms (if you choose)

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (Grana Padano)

2 eggs

1 teaspoon Massel powdered Chicken stock

Cracked or freshly ground pepper

Murray River Pink salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 225c.

In a small bowl, beat the two eggs.  Put a little of the egg mixture aside to be used to coat the roll before it is placed in the oven.  The rest of the egg mixture can be placed into the mix. 

In a bowl, mix, by hand, the onion, mince meat, eggs, grated carrot, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper and Massel chicken stock.  If using mushrooms, slice them into long strips and add them also. 

Lay your thawed pastry sheet on the bench.  Place a very large amount of meat on the pastry, shape and round the meat over.  Gently pull the pastry sheet towards you over the meat.  Now pull the other side over the meat.  Seal the two pastry ends together by pressing the pastry together.

Slowly roll the sausage roll over so the seam is on the bottom.  Place the roll onto a baking tray with baking paper so the roll doesn’t stick to the oven tray.  Using a small sharp knife, slice the pastry on the top of the giant sausage roll in straight parallel lines.  Paint the separated egg mix all over the sausage roll.   

Bake at 225c for 45 mins or until the pastry turns a golden-brown cooked colour.  Then it is ready.

If you have spare meat mix, which you should, make a second giant sausage roll that can be used for lunches, another dinner or an afternoon snack.

Enjoy.

The Brendan Burger

Tonight was burger night. A self-serve, create your own burger from the usual ingredients.

I made six big meatballs from 750g premium beef mince, one chopped onion, a handful of breadcrumbs and one egg. Cracked pepper and Murray River pink salt of course.

The balls were flattened and pan fried in olive oil for about 5 mins. Meanwhile the Tip Top burger buns were split into two (a top and a bottom) and gently toasted in the oven grill.

Once the burgers were cooked I used the same pan to cook six fried eggs, not flipped, and laid a piece of melting cheese on the egg before they were removed. Too easy!

Brendan's Construction: buttered bread base, chopped iceberg lettuce, meat burger, tomato sauce, egg and cheese, then the top bun.

I had a can of beetroot and pineapple rings awaiting opening, but it's not summer, so they stayed in the can for another day.

I took one bite and said 'good burger'!

Easy to make at home, kids love them and they are healthy! All the food groups are represented: protein, carbohydrates, sugar, a little fat and a lot of flavour!

Make them on the weekend. Get the kids involved. The sooner your children learn to cook, the sooner you can handball the task!

Stay well, stay safe.

Kind regards,
Brendan Blake

Six large meatballs

750g premium beef mince, one onion, breadcrumbs and one egg. Salt and pepper of course.

Everyone loves Pizza

The base is the most important thing.

Preheat the oven to 230C. "00" type flour (very important) measure 440gms of flour. Add two teaspoons of Lowan dry yeast, a teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon of olive oil and 310ml warm water. Mix in a bowl using a wooden spoon. Once mixed, tip the dough onto the bench and knead until smooth!

Place the dough into a bowl lightly covered in olive oil and cover with clear film. Place into a warm place and let it rest for 30 mins whilst it doubles in size. If the added water is too hot or too cold the dough will not rise.

Once risen, punch the dough, knead it again for two mins and cut it into four equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball and press the base out with your fingers. Flip the dough several times and keep pressing until your base is thinly stretched, the right size and full of 'finger marks' to hold the sauce!

The tomato base is a 50/50 mix of 'Pomodoro Passato' (puree) and Leggo's tomato paste. Spread evenly leaving a 10mm edge.

The pizza mix cheese goes on next. Cheese placed below your ingredients will melt. Cheese on top of your ingredients will harden.

Add your favourite toppings, lightly pour a good coating of olive oil, add a pinch of salt and cook for about 10 mins or until the edges start to brown.

Easy! Delicious!

Italian Bruschetta (pronounced Brusketta)

I was taught to make authentic Italian Bruschetta by my friend Sergio Di Benedetto, in Agrigento, Sicily in 1993. He lives in a house adjacent the Temple of Concordia in the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, central Sicilia. In his garden were Greek columns and statue ruins you might expect to see in a museum, but alas, they were items picked up on the valley floor!

This is the authentic way to make Bruschetta and it is so simple, variations need not be created!

Toast your bread. Good heavy sour dough is best.

Take a peeled clove of fresh garlic and rub it across the surface of the bread. The garlic will erode as if it were a piece of soap. Don't use too much garlic or the flavour will be quite strong, unless you're an avid garlic lover.

In a bowl dice ripe tomatoes, chop fresh basil and add fresh olive oil, marine salt and a light sprinkle of freshly ground pepper. Mix it all together.

Place the tomato and basil mix on your garlic infused bread and eat.

Excellent!

Easy Home made Sausage Rolls

The demand for minced meat from our fabulous butchers has never been so high. Therefore it is timely that I provide my Sausage Rolls recipe, a dish that I prepared last night with much delight! Feel free to smother them with tomato sauce, or not! They are good either way. Kids love sausage rolls. During the holidays it may be a great time to spend some quality time in the kitchen with the kids, making a meal that everyone will enjoy.
The format of providing a photo of the ingredients seems to work, so that maybe that will be the format from now on.
Preheat the oven to 225c. Layout your frozen Pampas Puff Pastry sheets individually on the bench so they start to thaw. In a mixing bowl place 1kg minced beef, a finely diced onion, a handful of finely chopped Continental Parsley, a sachet of rolled oats, a handful of grated Grana Padano parmesan cheese, two eggs, a teaspoon of powdered Massel Chicken Stock, a good sprinkle of Murray River Pink Salt and of course freshly ground pepper.
In a separate bowl, beat an egg.
Mix, by hand, all the ingredients until they are well mixed and consistent.
Gently cut each pastry sheet into three strips. Remove a strip, lay the sausage roll filling into the centre of the strip. Paint the edge closest to you with the beaten egg, then pull the pastry over the top of the rolled filling and seal in onto the egg covered strip. If you roll the roll towards you, the seal will be underneath, which is where it should be.
Cut the roll into three smaller rolls. Place the rolls onto a baking tray covered with baking paper. This ensures your rolls come out cleanly and there is little to wash up!
Once all the rolls are laid out, gently score lines into the top of the roll for heat transfer. Coat the rolls completely with the beaten egg.
Place into the now heated oven and allow to cook for about 25 mins or until they are a dark golden colour. Don't eat them too soon, they're hot!
Enjoy.
Kind regards,
Brendan Blake