Steamed Moneybags

I’ve been on the lookout for ideas for easy but tasty and eyecatching finger foods lately and I liked the idea of making some Asian inspired Moneybags but I thought they might be a bit time consuming or tricky to make, but I decided to give it a go and to my surprise they were really quite simple and quick to make and certainly effective to look at – and by all accounts tasty to eat as they all disappeared very quickly.

 

Id  like to have taken some photos of the process of making them – I might do that in a separate post but I only had my tablet with me –  and I didnt want to get icky meaty fingers all over the screen picking it up and putting it down – and besides- I wasnt really sure they would work out well enough for a blog post anyway!! – so I may make another batch later this week and add some photos of the process .

In the  mean time heres the photo I took just before I put them in the Steam Oven

 

STEAMED MONEYBAGS

INGREDIENTS

250gm minced pork meat ( lean)
1 small spring onion finely chopped
1 2-3cm knob ginger grated
1 small chilli finely chopped
2 cloves garlic –crushed and chopped
1tspn salt
1tbsn sesame oil
1tbspn hoisin sauce
1tbsn rice flour ( or cornflour will work too)
25 wonton wrappers
25 chives – thicker chives work more easily

METHOD

Mix all but the last 2 ingredients in bowl.
Roll a small ball of meat mixture ( approx 2cm diameter) .
Take wonton wrapper in one hand and place meatball in centre and bring up edges of wrapper and pinch together  to form a parcel . Tie with chive .( This isnt as hard as you might think- the wonton wrapper sticks to itself fairly easily so you can put the parcel down while you tie it with a chive)
My chives from my garden were quite thin and broke fairly easily – so use thicker chives or garlic chives to make the tying easier.

Dip tops of moneybags in water ( I did this because some of my wrappers were quite floury) then place on perforated try and steam at 100 degrees for 25-30 minutes . Alternatively you could steam these in a bamboo steamer in a wok.

Serve with your favourite dipping sauce

DIPPING SAUCE
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1 chilli chopped
1 tbsn grated ginger
1 tbsn hoisin sauce

Mix all ingredients together in small bowl and sprinkle with a few pieces of chopped chilli and chive if desired.

Delightfully Easy Apple Tarts

 

 

 

I dont make dessert on a regular basis. Often the only time we eat dessert is if we have guests, and I have to admit only part of the reason is health related- probably the biggest reason is lack of time and basic laziness on my part.

Even when we have friends over, these days I’m always on the look out for something simple  for dessert. Food is more about the company these days and I dont like to spend hour upon hour in the kitchen preparing fancy meals – simple, fast  and delicious is my preference.

So here is a dessert that covers both those requirements- Its certainly quick to prepare and its one of the easiest desserts around – and adaptable – if you dont have apples you can swap them out for pears, peaches, apricots , bluberries – you name it .

Make more than one each if you can because if you serve these with a dollop of vanilla icecream and youll find yourself wanting a second one !

 

DELIGHTFULLY EASY APPLE TARTS

(Makes 6 tarts)

 

INGREDIENTS

1 –2 apples – halved then sliced into thin slices ( approx 3 mm thick)
1 sheet of ready rolled puff pastry ( approx
1/4 – 1/2 cup apricot jam.
1/4 cup almond meal
1/4 cup raw sugar ( optional)

 

METHOD

Preheat oven to 200C ( 400F)

Cut pastry in half and then each half into 3 portions .
Prick central area of pastry leaving 1 inch border around edge unpricked.
Spread approx 1 large tspn of apricot jam over central area of each pastry portion then sprinkle with approx 2 tspn of almond meal.
Arrange overlapping apple slices  in row down centre of pastry over almond meal.
Melt remaining jam with a bit of water in  microwave or on stove top and brush over entire tart covering apple and pastry edges.

Sprinkle with raw sugar ( optional)

Bake in oven for approximately 15 minutes or until pastry is puffed and golden.

Serve warm with cream or icecream.

Apple may be replaced with any other firm fruit.

Summer Sparkler–a Summer Afternoon Cocktail Refresher

 

 

 

Anyone who knows me well knows I’m a fan of fruity cocktails – I love experimenting and trying out my new creations and the ones I love the most are those which are refreshing, light and citrusy.

Ive long been a fan of 42 Below Feijoa Vodka  which is odd as Im not a great fan of the fruit itself eaten raw. ( For those who are unfamiliar with feijoa you can read about them here)

Anyway the best part of the feijoa IMHO is its aroma which is that of  mid afternoon  sunshine – yeah I know you didnt think sunshine had an smell – but seriously if you could imagine the smell of a hot summer afternoon by a pool then you know exactly what feijoa smells and tastes like.

Feijoa Vodka is the perfect addition to any summer cocktail.

My other more newly developed love is for flavoured ciders ( these are the alcoholic variety ) – The Swedish brand Rekorderlig being my recently favoured  brand but there have been numerous local brands pop up on the shelves of supermarkets and liquor stores lately. including the one I used for this cocktail – Wildside Feijoa and Passionfruit Cider

Combining cider and Feijoa Vodka seemed to me like a perfect match for a summer cocktail – and so I came up with the Summer Sparkler.

 

SUMMER SPARKLER

INGREDIENTS

1 500 ML bottle cider ( I used WildSide Feijoa and Passionfruit Cider but you could try it with any other variety)
125ml 42 below Feijoa Vodka
500ml Ginger Beer or Ginger Ale
125ml  lime juice- unsweetened – I use lime juice a lot in cooking and cocktailis so I buy it in a bottle – I love the St Andrews 1 ltr bottles – but you can use any unsweetened lime juice – or squeeze it yourself.
1 lemon or lime sliced
Several sprigs of mint

METHOD

Mix all ingredients in a jug and top with mint lime and ice.

Pour and Enjoy.

Asian Glazed Meatballs

 

I’m always looking for recipes I can adapt for the Steam Combi ovens and it seems they can be quite hard to find so I have been experimenting again at work and came up with these yummy morsels.

This recipe will work in a regular dry oven as well as the Steam Combi oven so dont be put off if you don’t yet own one.

The secret to this recipe is that you put them in the oven twice, once to nearly cook, then remove them and toss them in the glaze, then return them to the oven to set the glaze.

The meatballs themselves have plenty of flavour but I think we eat with our eyes as well and the glaze not only imparts added flavour but makes them even more tempting to eat with the glistening golden brown coating.

 

These are great to serve as fingerfood  alone or with a dipping sauce, or you can serve as a meal with rice  in which case I would double the glaze recipe and drizzle the remainder over the meatballs when serving.

 

ASIAN GLAZED MEATBALLS

INGREDIENTS

MEATBALLS
500gms minced pork
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small onion, finely chopped
knob of ginger, grated
small bunch coriander, chopped finely
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs ( or use fresh )
1tspn green herb stock powder ( or use any other stock powder you desire- garlic,chicken or beef will work fine as well)
2 T Hoisin Sauce

GLAZE
2T Hoisin Sauce
4T Sweet Chilli Sauce
2 t Soy Sauce
1T Lime Juice
2T brown sugar

(To make glaze combine all ingredients in saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved)

3 T  or more Sesame Seeds

METHOD

If using regular dry oven preheat to 180C ( 350F) In Steam Combi oven choose  Combination and preheat to 190C

Using your hands mix all the meatball ingredients together , and form small balls ( slightly smaller than a ping pong ball)

Place on greased baking dish and cook for 13 minutes.

Remove from oven and toss in glaze. Sprinkle or roll in Sesame Seeds.

Return to oven and cook for further 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Mini Strawberry Tarte Tatin ( Steam Combi or Conventional Oven)

 

 

Today at work I wanted to do some comparison cooking – to cook the same thing in a dry oven and also in a steam combi oven to see the differences in the results .

I wanted something easy and with available ingredients and I recalled a Mini Tarte Tatin recipe I had seen by Donna Hay in one of her cookbooks.

I normally make Tarte Tatin in a cast iron frypan but I had some mini cake tins and thought i would give these a go.

The resulting individual desserts were yummy , easy to make and delicious in both the dry oven and the steam combi – however the steam combi definitely resulted in  much lighter puffier pastry .

For a dessert in a hurry this is delicious dessert will leave lips smacking and wanting more.

STRAWBERRY MINI TARTE TATIN

INGREDIENTS: ( for 4 tarts)

12 Large or 16-20 small strawberries, sliced lengthwise
2 tablespoons  butter
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tspn Vanilla paste
2 sheets pre rolled  butter puff pastry

4 small pie dishes or small cake tins
(If using loose bottom cake tins you will also need to cut baking paper to line the base and sides of each tin.

 

METHOD:

Line cake tins with baking paper if necessary ( no need to do this for tins that dont have loose bottoms)

Place sliced strawberries in the bottom of each dish, arrange the bottom layer nicely with the larger outer edges toward the outside and the points toward the middle ( this will be the top of the tart when it is cooked)  . There is no need to pay so much attention for anything except that bottom layer.

In a small saucepan melt butter, and stir in brown sugar and vanilla and stir until melted and caramelised, but be careful not to burn .

Pour caramel over strawberries .

Cut 2 circles of pastry the size of each tin and carefully cover the fruit and tuck down the edges to form a good “seal” .Cover with second disc of pastry .

Heat oven to 200 degrees celcius ( 390F)

( Use Steam Combination if you have a Steam Combi Oven)

Cook for 20 minutes till pastry is risen and golden .

Rest for a couple of minutes then invert onto plate.

Serve with Cream or Icecream .

( You can replace the strawberrries with many other different fruits – Blueberries, sliced apricots or peaches,sliced pineapple,plums, apples or even bananas.)

If you cant get butter puff pastry, regular puff pastry will work just as well – it just doesnt quite have the same rich yumminess)

Apricot Stuffed Lamb Rack ( Steam Combi or Conventional Oven)

 

One of my favourite cuts of meat is a Rack of Lamb. – Its so quick to cook and gives such an elegant result .

There are so many variations on how to cook it but this method will wow your guests and its really so easy to do.

This can be cooked in a Conventional Oven or in a Steam Combination oven.

 

Conventional Oven – heat to 210C

Steam Oven – Use  half steam and 220 C

Firstly trim away some of the fat from the edge of the lamb leaving about 1/4 to half an inch .

Then take a small sharp knife and cut a slit in the meat about half an inch from the bone on each end of the rack  – With your finger bore a hole through the rack to form a tunnel.

Taking the stuffing a teaspoon full at a time stuff it into the tunnel until you have half filled it, then turn and stuff the other end.

Heat some oil in a frying pan and brown the meat, starting with the fatty side and then doing each end and the underside of the rack.

Just a few minutes will be sufficient .

 

Place the rack in the preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes for medium rare ( slightly pink meat inside)

Remove and let stand for at least 5 minutes if you can before slicing through each bone for serving

 

 

Apricot Lamb Stuffing

1/2 Cup Chopped Dried Apricots
1/2 Cup Chopped Raw Cashew Nuts  ( or you can replace with Breadcrumbs if you wish)
1 Spring of Rosemary ( Strip leaves from stem and discard stem)
small handful of Fresh Mint Leaves
1 tspn Sweet Paprika
1/2 tspn Salt
2-3tbsn lemon juice. and rind of half a lemon

Place all ingredients in foodprocessor and blitz to crumb consistency.

Apricots may be substituted with dates, prunes or any other dried fruit .  Mint and Rosemary may be substituted with any other fresh herbs.

Secret Ingredient Breaded Chicken

Last night I had decided to cook chicken for dinner. I had some chicken tenderloins and wanted a quick tasty meal from them.

I opened my pantry and tried to let inspiration flow from within… not a lot flowed… But then I saw a new packet of Panko Breadcrumbs and thought that perhaps I should crumb the chicken.

Trouble is that crumbed chicken really needs a bit of resting time after you’ve crumbed it for the coating to “set” enough so that it doesn’t fall off when you cook it. – Isn’t that so frustrating when you spend time and get your fingers covered in eggy breadcrumbs just to have the crumbs fall off when you cook the chicken?

Additionally i fancied something a little tastier than regular crumbed chicken anyway.. so what to do….

Then it struck me – Sitting on the shelf next to the breadcrumbs was a new jar of mayonnaise. –

“Well “ I thought “It will either be fantastic, or disgusting  but I’m going to give it a go.

So into the bowl went about half a cup ( or so) of mayonnaise, and to that I added my spices. Now here you could completely use your imagination. If you have a favourite spice mix or dry marinade rub – add that – I made up a mix that Ive used with chicken in the past which includes brown sugar,Smoked Paprika, Black Pepper, Coriander, Mustard Powder, Garlic, Chili and Turmeric

(See below for quantities to make it in bulk)

I added about 2 tablespoons of the mix to the mayonnaise and mixed it up and then added the chicken and stirred it all around until it was well coated.

The thick mayonnaise really sticks well to the chicken and makes it easy for the breadcrumbs to stay stuck.

I used Panko Breadcrumbs but you could use regular dried breadcrumbs if you wanted.

I decided to pan fry the chicken to see how well the crumbs stuck  ( its when i pan fry that I often find the crumbs stick to the pan and not the chicken despite using a non stick pan)

Anyway – SUCCESS- the crumbs stayed stuck to where they should and the colouring from the spice mix made the chicken a beautiful golden brown ,and whats more the entire family were raving over the chicken.

You could oven bake the chicken instead of pan frying if you wish- in fact after giving my chicken a quick browning on both sides I did put it in the oven to finish off cooking.

I served  my chicken on a salad of rocket ( arugula), halved cherry tomatoes, red pepper and eggplant(which I had cut into long slices and basted with olive oil before putting on my griddle pan to cook) , and asparagus .

Unfortunately I was out of potatoes so had to resort to oven fries ( not my favourite form of potato)

 

Smokey Sticky Chicken Rub Spice Mix

3Tbspn Brown Sugar
3 Tspn Smoked Paprika
3 Tspn Garlic Flakes
2 Tspn Sea Salt
1 Tspn Coriander
1/2 Tspn Mustard Powder or Yellow Mustard Seeds
1/2 Tspn Dried Chilli Powder
1/2 Tspn Turmeric

Mix all together with Mortar and Pestle, or whizz up in spice grinder – Store in airtight container.