Minestrone In Minutes : IHCC - for Deb

One of the co-hosts at I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), Deb, has recently lost her mother. We, at IHCC is making a potluck dish to honour Deb, to offer some comfort by way of food, during this time of bereavement. Deb loves soups, so I have made a comforting bowl of pasta soup.

A meatless soup (I've used vegetable stock), which do not take much time to prepare. I've used elbow pasta instead of ditalini.

"I hope, Deb, that you would find some comfort in this bowl of pasta soup, even though it is only virtually. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family."

Minestrone In Minutes
(adapted from "Nigella Express", Nigella Lawson)
Serves 2-3
1 (14-oz) can mixed beans (sometimes sold as mixed bean salad) or other canned beans
3 cups hot chicken or vegetable stock
1 cup tomato-based pasta sauce of your choice
4 oz ditalini or other soup pasta

1. Drain the beans and put them into a saucepan with the hot stock and pasta sauce.
2. Bring the pan to a boil and then add the ditalini, cooking according to package instructions.
3. Once the pasta is tender, switch off the heat, remove the pan to a cool surface, and let stand for 5-10 minutes if you can bear to wait. The pasta swells in the soup and everything just gets better.

I'm linking this post to I Heart Cooking Clubs (IHCC), for Deb.

Parker House Rolls

These rolls are simply wonderful, soft, fluffy, with just the right amount of sweetness and great eaten on its own with a cup of tea or coffee. I've already made these twice! Really easy to make.

The recipe is rather huge, as it makes 24 rolls, so I have halved the recipe to make 12 rolls, just nice for my family. Bobby Flay did not mention anywhere in the recipe on the suitable size of baking pan to use, and for half a recipe with 12 rolls, I have used a 9"square pan which is just perfect.

The dough is really easy to work with, and the rolls bakes up high  with lovely golden brown crust.

Look at the softness of the rolls. They are soft, fluffy and really good! Great eaten on its own as the rolls has a light sweetness to it. I had two with a cup of coffee for my breakfast. The rolls stays just as soft on the next day.

The second time I made the rolls, we had it as a weekend breakfast with some sliced luncheon meat, cheese slices and my homegrown cucumber. Yummy!

* my measurements for half a recipe, yield 12 rolls, listed in blue

Parker House Rolls
(source from : foodnetwork.com , Bobby Flay)
Makes 24 rolls
1-1/2 cups milk (3/4 cup)
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for brushing (60gm salted butter)
1/2 cup sugar (1/4 cup)
1 package active dry yeast (1 tsp)
1/2 cup warm water (1/4 cup)
3 large eggs, lightly beaten (1 egg)
1-1/2 teaspoons salt (1/8 tsp)
6 cups all-purpose flour (3 cups plus 2 tbsps)

Place milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and sugar and let cool. Dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit until foamy. Combine milk mixture, eggs, yeast, salt, and 1/2 of the flour in a mixer with the dough attachment and mix until smooth. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and stir until a smooth ball forms.

Remove from the bowl and knead by hand on a floured surface for about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 60 to 70 minutes. On a floured surface, punch down the dough and shape into desired shapes. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover again and let rise until doubled, about 30 to 40 minutes.

(I divided the dough into 12 equal pieces, about 65gm each, shape into rounds and placed in a greased 9" tray. Cover with cling wrap and let rise until doubled, remove cling wrap, proceed with baking).

Preheat the oven 350F.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter before serving. (I baked for 23 minutes, tent the top with foil during the last ten minutes of baking, as the the rolls are already golden brown).

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I am linking this post to "Cook Like A Star : Bobby Flay" event hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out and Grace of Life Can Be Simple.

Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Olives & Capers

A simple pasta lunch. Very tasty and delicious. I bought a small jar of anchovies in oil a few months ago. Wanted to use that in a pizza but ended up in this spaghetti dish instead. 

I love anchovies in oil, but do not buy it often, as it is pretty expensive. I like it's taste and the flavours it gives to a dish. I've read from the internet about the labour intensive process involve in the making of Anchovies In Olive Oil, that's the reason why they are expensive. Yup, there's a lot of labour involved, mostly done by hand. 

Very simple and easy pasta dish, the ingredients are cooked, refer to the recipe below,  and then the cooked drained spaghetti are tossed in, season with salt and lots of black pepper, and a light drizzling of olive oil.  Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Olives & Capers
(adapted from "Gordon Ramsay's Fast Food", Gordon Ramsay)
300gm dried linguine or spaghetti
sea salt and black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 large red onion, peeled and chopped
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
6-8 anchovies in oil, drained and finely chopped
200g pitted black olives, quartered or chopped
3 tbsp capers, rinsed and drained
250gm cherry tomatoes, halved
handful of basil leaves, shredded

Add the pasta to a pot of boiling salted water and cook for 8-10 minutes or until al dente.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a wide pan and fry the garlic, onion, chilli and anchovies for 1-2 minutes. Add the olives, capers and tomatoes, and stir over a high heat for a few more minutes until the onions are soft.
Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce and shredded basil. Taste and adjust the seasoning (salt probably won't be needed because the anchovies, capers and olives are quite salty).
Divide among warm bowls and drizzle over a little more olive oil, if you wish, before serving.

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I'm linking this post to Cook Like A Star (Gordon Ramsay) hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Yen of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake.

and

Cook-Your-Books #15 @ kitchen flavours

Spelt Focaccia with Rosemary and Garlic

Made this garlicky focaccia for tea-time. This is simply wonderful when eaten while still warm, with a cup of warm tea. 

Recipe calls for Italian '00' flour, which I have replaced with bread flour. And same amount of spelt flour is used. Snipped some rosemary leaves from the garden pot and some garlic cloves from the pantry, and I'm ready to knead! 

Make the dough as per instructions in the recipe below, cover and leave to rise until doubled in size. When the dough has risen, knead gently and placed dough on a lightly oiled baking sheet, pulling the dough to the size of A4 sheet of paper, about 1cm thick. Make indentations with your fingers all over the dough, place the whole garlic cloves in some of the indentations, scatter rosemary leaves all over. Some salt may be sprinkled over if desired, but it does not need it. I've used  3/4 teaspoon of sea salt for the dough, did not sprinkle any on the dough, and I still find it a little salty. I have however used some garlic powder to sprinkle over the dough, I love garlic powder! And drizzle some olive oil all over. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. 

Freshly baked! It smells so garlicky nice while it is baking. There's crushed garlic in the dough, whole garlic cloves and garlic powder on the crust. Garlic overload? Yes, please!

Very nice focaccia, the crust is chewy with soft crumbs inside. This focaccia is very good when eaten while still warm, we ate it by just pinching chunks of it off the tray. It gets stale rather quickly when it has completely cooled down, and gets very chewy. In this case, best eaten dipped in hot soup.

Spelt Focaccia with Rosemary and Garlic
(adapted from "Healthy Appetite", Gordon Ramsay)
Serves 6
15gm fresh yeast or 7g fast-action dried yeast
250ml lukewarm water
200gm spelt flour
200gm Italian "00" grade flour, plus extra to dust (I use bread flour)
1 tsp fine sea salt, plus extra to sprinkle (optional) (3/4 tsp)
2 tbsp chopped rosemary leaves, plus extra whole leaves for sprinkling
6-7 garlic cloves, 2 peeled and finely crushed, the rest in their skins
about 50ml extra virgin oil , plus extra to drizzle
some garlic powder (my addition, to sprinkle)

If using fresh yeast, put 2-3 tbsp of the lukewarm water in a small bowl and crumble in the yeast. Stir to dissolve and leave for about 10-15 minutes to foam.

Sift the flours and salt together into a large bowl, tipping in the bran left in the sieve. If using fast-action dried yeast, add it at this stage. Stir in the chopped rosemary.

Make a well in the centre. Add the crushed garlic, then pour in the yeast liquid (if using fresh yeast), olive oil and most of the remaining water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together. Add the rest of the water as necessary, a little at a time, to form a soft but not sticky dough.

Press the dough together then top it onto a lightly floured surface. Knead for about 5 minutes to for a smooth, elastic dough. Place in a lightly oiled large mixing bowl, cover with a clean tea-towel and leave to rise in a warm spot for about 2 hours until the dough has doubled in size.

Heat the oven to 200C/Gas 6. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly. Place on a well-oiled baking sheet and gently flatten with the palms of your hands. Pull and shape it towards the edges of the baking sheet to form a 1cm thick rectangle, about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. Press with your fingertips to create indentations in the dough.

Stud the dough randomly with rosemary leaves and whole garlic cloves and drizzle over a little olive oil. If you wish, sprinkle over a little sea salt. (I omitted the salt and sprinkled with some garlic powder, it does not need anymore salt!) Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Leave to cool slightly. Slice and serve while still warm, with barbecued fish or meat.

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I'm linking this post to Cook Like A Star (Gordon Ramsay) hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Yen of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake.

Little Thumbs Up : Ingredient - Flour event, organized by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Doreen of My Little Favourite D.I.Y, and hosted by Diana of The Domestic Goddess Wannabe

and

Cook-Your-Books #15 @ kitchen flavours

Mamak Mee Goreng (Gordon Ramsay)

How often do you have mee goreng (fried noodles) at mamak stalls? I do not frequent mamak stalls very often, but the last time I was there was about two months ago, right after a day of shopping with the family, and everyone was hungry, since we had our dinner really early that day, so by 10.30pm, our tummies are rumbling, and we stopped by the mamak stall near my house. I ordered a plate of Mamak Mee Goreng (it was ages since I last had any!), of course, specifically requested that my plate of mee goreng, "mesti tambah pedas", which meant, "extra spicy"!!  And boy, was it spicy, the noodles was a little too moist, but it tasted good and I was hungry. I finished everything on the plate! 

For my friends outside of Malaysia, you must be wondering about this "mamak stall". The term "Mamak" refers to the Muslim Indian immigrants from South India, whose forefathers have settled in Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia, centuries ago. Mamak stalls are run by them, and these stalls are a part of the daily hangout spots for the young and old, especially popular for young adults and teenagers. These stalls are opened until the wee hours of the morning, while some operate 24 hours daily. A good mamak stall can attract hundreds of customers daily and these spots are especially crowded during the world cup season, as most of these stalls would have set up a huge projector-TV for the customers to watch the football matches while enjoying their meal. A season of booming business for them!

Mamak stalls can be found almost everywhere in Malaysia, but are extremely popular in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. The most popular food served at any Mamak stalls are ; mee goreng (fried noodles), roti canai (paratha), instant noodles, teh tarik/teh halia (milk tea/milk tea with ginger). Of course, they have lots of other food and beverages on their menu.

There are many variations of Mamak Mee Goreng. Vegetables like cabbages or mustard greens, firm tofu, fresh tomatoes wedges can be added. Some are fried with eggs mixed in, which makes the noodles a little too moist and sometimes soggy, which puts me off. I prefer the drier ones, without any eggs thrown in with the noodles, preferring the eggs served separately, either fried or hard-boiled. Just like this plate of Mee Goreng, from Gordon Ramsay's cookbook, Gordon's Great Escape Southeast Asia. 

I have replaced the squid with fish balls as I went to the market a little later than usual that morning (woke up late!), and the squids are all sold out! I like it that this recipe has potatoes. Most of the mamak stalls nowadays have omitted potatoes and used firm tofu instead, which is delicious too, but you should try it with potatoes if you have not tried it before. And I have added in lots of beansprouts as I love lots of beansprouts in fried noodles. I have used Lingam's chilli sauce (that was what I had), and since it is already sweetened, I have used regular dark soy sauce to replace the sweet dark soy sauce. I would cook this again, though the next time, I'll use chilli paste instead of chilli sauce and would not use the sweet dark soy sauce. And the lime is a must, Mamak Mee Goreng always tastes better with a squeeze of lime over!

Does this come close to the ones from the Mamak stall? Well, it is better than most of the ones I've eaten, but then, each mamak stall has their own way of cooking with different ingredients, so it really, much depends on your own taste bud.

My fondest memories of Mamak Stalls, was, when I was in my early 20's. A group of us would always head on to these stalls right after our weekly session of badminton and sometimes after squash during the weekend. A nice place to hangout, have a cup of teh tarik, maybe a plate of mee goreng or roti paratha, just relax and chit-chat with friends. And we could sit for hours, the stall operators would not chase us away!

What's your fondest memories with Mamak Stalls? 

** my changes in blue. I've cooked 1kg of noodles and used 500gm of beansprouts
Mamak Mee Goreng
(adapted from "Gordon's Great Escape Southeast Asia", Gordon Ramsay)
Serves 4
Sauce :
2 tbsp chilli sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
2 tbsp dark sweet soy sauce
2 tbsp peanut oil
a few tablespoons water (my addition)

Stir-Fry :
2 tbsp peanut oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
2 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless, finely sliced
1 potato, peeled, boiled and diced
2 tsp curry powder
50gm beansprouts 
500gm fresh cooked yellow noodles (mee)
2 squid, cleaned and cut into rings

Garnish
2 spring onions, finely sliced
8 large poached prawns, peeled and de-veined
2 red chillies, finely sliced
1 lime, cut into wedges
2 eggs, hard-boiled and quartered lengthways

To prepare the sauce, combine all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well and set aside.

Heat the peanut oil in a wok and cook the garlic and shallots for 1 minute. Toss in the chicken, potato and curry powder and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until the chicken and potato have coloured, and the potato is crispy.

Add the sauce to the pan and mix well, ensuring that all the ingredients are evenly coated. Allow the sauce to boil and reduce slightly. Add the beansprouts and noodles and stir-fry for a further 3-4 minutes, until the noodles start to crisp up in some places, then remove. The wok should now be quite dry. When the noodles are ready, toss in the squid and continue to cook for a further 1-2 minutes until it is ready.

Divide between four plates and garnish each with the spring onions, poached prawns, red chillies, lime wedges and egg quarters.

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I'm linking this post to Cook Like A Star (Gordon Ramsay) hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Yen of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake.

and

Cook-Your-Books #15 @ kitchen flavours

Old-Fashioned Meatloaf (Paula Deen)

This meatloaf is really delicious! I've read the great reviews about this meatloaf from Paula Deen's website and knew that I will just have to try it. I'm so glad I did. Meatloaf has been on my list of to try for ages, and what better recipe to start with, other than Paula Deen's, especially when those who have tried it, raves about it! 

I have used about 600gm of ground pork instead of beef. Mix all the ingredients together ; pork, ground black pepper, chopped onions, chopped bell pepper, egg, canned diced tomato (drained), and oats (which I've used rolled oats) till evenly combined. Season with some salt, and I tested a teaspoon by frying it with a few drops of oil in a small saucepan, to check on the seasoning. You would not want to bake the whole meatloaf and then discovered later that it is under-seasoned! Adjust the seasoning accordingly, if needed. As soon as I've tasted it, I knew that this meatloaf is going to be good! So tasty!

To make the sauce for the topping, combine tomato ketchup, brown sugar and prepared mustard (I've used Dijon mustard).

Place the meat mixture in a baking loaf pan, (size 8-1/2" x 4-1/2"). Level the top, and spread the sauce topping over it. I've spread half of the sauce over the meat, and at halfway thru baking time, the top remains just as moist, so I've added about only a quarter more of the sauce over and continue baking until done.

Bake in a preheated oven at 375F for 1 hour. Since I've used more amount of meat that the recipe calls for, I've baked the meatloaf for an additional 20 minutes. Let cool in pan, and turn it out gently on to a plate.

The meatloaf is so moist, and very tasty. Delicious! At first, I thought that the top would be dry at the end of baking time, but it remains just as moist. I made a little bit more of the sauce, and we had the meatloaf plus the extra sauce, with plain white rice, and some stir-fry green veggies. Yummy!

Old-Fashioned Meatloaf
(adapted from pauladeen.com)
1 lb ground beef (I used ground pork)
1-1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
8 ounces canned diced tomato (without juice)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats (I used rolled oats)

Topping :
1/3 cup ketchup
2 tbsps brown sugar
1 tbsp prepared mustard

Preheat oven to 375F.
Mix all meat ingredients well and place in a baking dish. Shape into a loaf.
Mix ingredients for topping and spread on loaf. Bake for 1 hour.

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I'm linking this post to Cook Like A Star event, featuring Paula Deen and The Deen Brothers, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Diana of Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

This shall be my last post for "Cook Like A Star - Paula Deen and The Deen Brothers". I would like to thank everyone who has joined us, there are still two more days if you would like to submit your posts. Cook Like A Star's next featured chef is Gordon Ramsay, in the month of August, Bring out those Gordon Ramsay books off your shelves and start cooking! Link your posts to the following hostesses ; Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Baby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake.  

Quick Spaghetti and Meatballs

The kids requested for pasta dinner last week. Found this easy recipe from The Deen Bros. website. I made the sauce a few hours earlier, which is a time saver. I have a few extra hours in the evening,  and managed to clear some stuffs from my potted garden which I've been postponing for weeks. When it was almost dinner time, I simply cook the spaghetti till al dente, reheat the sauce and dinner is ready. 

The meatball takes only minutes to mix and shape into balls. They are then fried in a little oil till brown all over, and even though the recipe calls for marinara sauce, I have used spaghetti sauce with basil, which is poured into the saucepan. You can use any of your favourite sauce. I have added in a can of button mushrooms, roughly sliced. Bring the sauce to a simmer, turning the meatballs now and then, for about 20 minutes. Season with some salt and pepper if necessary. Keep warm, and reheat just before serving.

The meatballs are really delicious, especially so, before the sauce was added in. I fried one meatball to check on the seasoning, and they were so good! My son was asking for more and was disappointed that the rest was cooked with the sauce.

Serve with some sprinkling of grated Parmesan, and some shredded basil leaves. A very nice meal, quick, simple and yummy! 

Quick Spaghetti and Meatballs
(adapted from thedeenbros.com)
1 pound ground beef (I use ground pork)
6 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for serving
1/4 cup plain unseasoned bread crumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1-1/2 teaspoons The Lady's House Seasoning (I use salt to taste, 1/4 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
3 tablespoons olive oil
One 24-ounce jar marinara sauce (I use basil spaghetti sauce)
1 pound spaghetti

In a bowl, combine the beef, Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, egg, house seasoning and oregano. Use your hands to form the mixture into 2-inch round meatballs.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes total, or until golden brown. Add the marinara sauce and reduce the heat to medium. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are no longer pink. Cover and keep warm.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Drain well. Divide the spaghetti among four shallow bowls and top with the meatballs and sauce. Garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Servings : 4

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I'm linking this post to : Cook Like A Star event, featuring Paula Deen and The Deen Brothers, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Diana of Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

Lettuce, Cucumber and Cherry Tomato Salad with Ranch Dressing

I made this salad a few weeks ago when we had this baked chicken for dinner. This is a really simple salad, easy and quick to put together especially if you are rushing for time when preparing the main dishes. Another lovely recipe from The Deen Bros.

Recipe uses romaine lettuce, though any lettuce can be used, and here I have used Green Coral Lettuce, with Honey Cherry Tomatoes and some Japanese cucumber.

The Ranch Dressing is so yummy, we love it! According to The Deen Bros., any extra dressing can be used as a dipping sauce for chicken fingers or chicken wings, and can be covered in the refrigerator for a week. We like all the flavours in the dressing; the garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, minced garlic, chopped fresh chives, parlsey, mayonnaise, milk and white wine vinegar. The only thing I omitted was celery seeds, since I did not have any. I do agree with The Deen Bros., this dressing would be great as a dip for crispy fried or baked chicken.

To serve this easy salad, drizzle some dresssing over the salad, toss gently and enjoy! I would definitely make this dressing again, to enjoy with some fried or baked chicken the next time. 

Romaine, Cucumber, and Grape Tomato Salad with Ranch Dressing
(adapted from "Y'all Come Eat", The Deen Bros)
Dressing :
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons buttermilk (I use milk)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon celery seeds (omit this)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 large clove garlic, minced

Salad :
2 large heads romaine lettuce, outer leaves removed
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 cucumber, coarsely chopped

1. For the dressing, whisk together the dressing ingredients; set aside.
2. For the salad, chop the lettuce into bite-size pieces; place in a bowl with the tomatoes and cucumber. Toss salad with just enough dressing to lightly coat the greens (reserve extra for another use). Serve immediately.

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Cook Like A Star event, featuring Paula Deen and The Deen Brothers, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Diana of Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

and Cook-Your-Books #13 @ kitchen flavours

Souper Sundays @ Kahakai Kitchen
See Ya In The Gumbo Potluck #138 @ Ms. enPlace

Mini Cheeseburger Puff Pies

Mini Burger for breakfast? Mini Pie for breakfast?  Can't make up your mind? Well, combine them together, and you can have it as Mini Cheeseburger Puff Pies! These are super easy, fun and yummy to eat!

 I really like this book "Y'all Come Eat" by The Deen Brothers. Ever since I bought this book from the BBW sales a couple of years ago, I have only made a few recipes from it, and lots of stick-on notes on most pages! And am so glad to make full use of it for this month's CLAS! 

These are really easy to make, with store-bought puff pastry, I've used Pampas Puff Pastry. Firstly, prepare the patty. I have replaced the ground beef with ground pork, which is mixed with some ketchup, Dijon mustard, salt, black pepper and I have added some mayonnaise and chopped fresh parsley as well. Make this mixture into patties and fry in hot oil on both sides until brown and cooked. Drain on kitchen paper towel to rid of excess oil.

Roll out the puff pastry to about 3mm thickness, cut to squares that is big enough to wrap around the burger patties. According to the instructions in the recipe, place one burger patty on each square and top with shredded cheese. Wrap the pastry around the patty to fully enclose and pinch the edges together to seal. I have however, place the shredded cheese first on the pastry, then top with the burger patty, wrap the pastry around the patty to fully enclose, pinch the edges together to seal, and place it seam-side down on baking sheet. Brush the top of pastries with egg wash. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven at 400F, until puffed and golden brown.

 These are great for breakfast, brunch or tea-time snack.

Best eaten warm, minutes from the oven! Yum!

Mini Cheeseburger Puff Pies
(adapted from "Y'all Come Eat", The Deen Bros)
8 ounces ground beef (I use ground pork)
2 teaspoons tomato ketchup
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoon mayonnaise (my addition)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (my addition)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
all-purpose flour for dusting
1 sheet puff pastry (from a 175-ounce package)
2 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
1 large egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the beef, ketchup, mustard, salt, and pepper (mayonnaise and chopped parsley). Form the mixture into 8 equal-size patties. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Brown the patties in oil about 1 minute per side.
3. On a lightly floured surface, unfold the pastry. Cut the pastry lengthwise into four equal strips, then cut strips in half crosswise. Place one patty on each strip and top with cheese. Fold the pastry up around the burgers and pinch the edges together to seal, molding to fit around the patties. Brush the tops of the pastries with the egg mixture. (I placed the shredded cheese first on the pastry, top with the patty, fold pastry around the patty and pinch the edges together to seal. Place it seam side down on baking sheet, with the smooth rounded side on top).
4. Place the mini burgers on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until puffed and golden. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

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I'm linking this post to Bake-Along #62, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Lena of Frozen Wings and Joyce of Kitchen Flavours

Cook Like A Star event, featuring Paula Deen and The Deen Brothers, hosted by Zoe of Bake For Happy Kids, Diana of Domestic Goddess Wannabe and Joyce of Kitchen Flavours.

and Cook-Your-Books #13 @ kitchen flavours

Tomato, Ham and Cheddar Pie : Bake-Along #62

For this week's Bake-Along, with Lena and Zoe, my selected theme is "Savoury Pie/Tart". If I'm given a choice to select between a slice of cake and a slice of savory pie or tart,  I would reach out for the pie or tart! I'm a savoury gal! 

At that time when I selected this theme for our Bake-Along, I had a recipe in mind, but the last few weeks has been kinda busy, and that recipe requires some advance preparation. So I have decided to try this easy recipe at the last minute, yes, I made this only yesterday!

One thing's for sure, I sure am glad that I've given this recipe a try. It was a hit with the family.

Since this month's Cook Like A Star featuring Paula Deen and The Deen Brothers, I decided to try this Tomato, Ham and Cheddar Pie from the book "Y'all Come Eat" by The Deen Brothers. 

While the pie is cooling on the rack, the daughter says, "This looks like a pizza"! Hubby, when home from work says "You made pizza today?"  Huh...!!!

This is an easy pie to make. Firstly, make the pie crust. I used the food processor to make the dough and it takes only 2-3 minutes, easy peasy! There's shortening used in the recipe, but I have omitted that, and also did not add any salt to the dough since I've used salted butter. The dough comes together pretty quickly, and I've used only about 1-1/2 tablespoons of iced water. As usual, pat the dough into a disc, cover tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. I refrigerated mine for about 2-1/2 hours, meanwhile take a nap, like I did! haha!

Roll out the chilled dough into a 11-inch round, and line the dough into a 9-inch pie pan. The dough is a little soft, but with some sprinkling of flour, it helps. If there's any hole or tears, it can easily be patched up. Trim the edges, prick the base all over with a fork, and blind bake the dough by covering the dough with a large piece of foil and fill with several cups of dried beans, at 375F for 20 minutes. Remove foil and beans, bake crust for another 5-10 minutes until pale golden.

Tip : do not throw out the scraps of dough from the trimmings, reserve it to patch up some cracks or tears of the crust after baking. There's two small cracks on mine, so I've used the reserved dough to patch up the little tears, do it gently so as not to break the crispy buttery crust further. 

The filling : A cup of mayonnaise is spread over the base (I've used slightly less than a cup), scatter the chopped tomatoes (drained, to rid of excess moisture), sliced ham and sliced green onions (from the garden), sprinkle with salt (which I've omitted), black pepper and paprika. Top with grated mozarella and cheddar cheese. I have forgotten to sprinkle the filling with black pepper and paprika before topping with the cheese. So I've sprinkled them over the cheese, before baking. I did not measure the amount of cheese, but simply mix about a cup of each and sprinkle them over the filling. Bake the pie for 30 minutes until the cheese has melted and beautifully golden.

Let cool slightly, cut into slices and serve with some basil leaves from the garden.

Yummilicious! The mayonnaise adds a wonderful taste to the pie, an interesting ingredient that I would never have thought to use as a base for a pie. The crust is buttery and tender, even without the shortening. With tomatoes, ham and green onions, topped with Mozarella and Cheddar cheese, and a buttery tender crust, this is one delicious pie!

(my changes listed in blue)

Tomato, Ham and Cheddar Pie
(adapted from "Y'all Come Eat", The Deen Brothers)
1 cup mayonnaise (I've used about 2/3 cup )
1 9-inch prepared pie crust (recipe follows)
2 large tomatoes, finely chopped (about 1-1/2 cups) (I used 2 medium, drained the chopped tomatoes)
1/2 cup thinly sliced ham (about 3/4 cup)
3 green onions, sliced (about 1/3 cup) (I'v used about 1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon salt (omitted)
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
pinch paprika
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced (about 2 cups) }(I've used 2 cups
4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded (about 1 cup)      } in total)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spread the mayonnaise over the bottom of the piecrust. Scatter the tomatoes, ham, and green onions over the mayonnaise. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Top with the cheeses.
2. Bake about 30 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Garnish with chopped basil.

Basic Flaky Single Piecrust

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt (omitted)

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces

2 tablespoons shortening (omitted)

2 to 3 tablespoons ice water (used about 1-1/2 tablespoons)
pie weights or dried beans

1. In a food processor or large bowl, pulse or whisk together the flour and salt. Pulse or cut in the butter and shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pulse or cut in enough ice water until dough just comes together (it should not be sticky).
2. Press the dough into a ball; using the palm of your hand, flatten it into a disk. Wrap disk tightly in plastic wrap. Chill for 1 hour or until ready to use.
3. Preheat oven to 375F. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into an 11-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie plate with dough. Prick the bottom of the piecrust all over with a fork. Trim off any excess dough and crimp the edges decoratively.
4. Line the bottom and sides of the piecrust with aluminium foil. Pour pie weights or several cups of dried beans into the foil, evenly distributing the weights.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and foil. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more or until pale golden.

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