Cornish Pasties

Cornish Pasties

Yield: 10 pasties

 Use the Pastry for Pasty dough for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS 

FILLING

8 ounces lean ground beef

6 ounces boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 medium onion, finely chopped

4 -5 tablespoons beef gravy or 4 -5 tablespoons beef stock

1 teaspoon dried herbs ( thyme, marjoram, sage)

salt and pepper

milk

DIRECTIONS

Combine beef, potatoes, onion and herbs and season generously with salt and pepper.

Stir in enough beef gravy to bind mixture.

Roll dough out on lightly floured surface to thickness of 1/8 of an inch.

Using 5-6 inch in diameter, round cutter, cut 10 circles.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Lightly grease baking sheet.

Mound meat mixture lightly in center of each circle; brush border with milk; fold dough in half over filling, pinching edges together to seal.

Brush pastries with milk.

Arrange on prepared sheet.

Bake 10 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 340F and continue baking until pasties are light brown, about 45-50 minutes.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Pastry for Pastys

FOR THE PASTRY

8 oz butter

10 oz hot water

2 cups flour , plus extra for dusting

1 tablespoon sea salt

1 large free-range egg , beaten

Bring your butter and water to the boil in a large pan, then take the pan off the heat.

Stir the flour and salt into the mixture bit by bit with a spoon, until you’ve got a dough.

Tip it on to a floured surface and use your hands to shape it into a smooth disk.

Put the disk of dough into a floured bowl, dust the top with flour, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes (Sometimes longer.  Make sure the dough is cool before working.  If you let it go overnight, bring it to near room temperature before working it.)  

Cannelloni

We made this for 65 people at Southminster for our SPC Together Spring Celebration.  It was very well received. 

Tomato sauce (use canned sauce)

White Sauce (Recipe follows)

2 TBSP butter

1 lb boneless skinless chicken

1 medium onion

1 garlic clove

2 TBSP white wine

1 large egg

2 tsp tomato paste

½ tsp salt

1/2 tsp rosemary

1 package of frozen spinach 10oz Drained and squeezed free of water!

10 uncooked cannelloni shells

Boiling water

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

White Sauce

3 TBSP butter

3 TBSP flour

½ tsp salt

1 ¾ half and half

Instructions

Prepare White sauce

Melt butter over medium heat

Stir in flour and salt until bubbly

Whisk in half and half and stir till the mixture thickens.

Set aside to mix into recipe.

Prepare Cannelloni filling

Add butter to pan and heat chicken.

Remove from pan to separate plate and let cool.

Add onion and garlic to drippings in chicken pan. Cook till onion is translucent.

Add wine and cook till wine evaporates.

Transfer onion mixture to bowl and whisk in egg, tomato paste, salt, rosemary, pepper and salt and nutmeg and 1/3 cup of the white sauce.

Finely chop chicken and spinach and add to onion mixture.

Heat oven to 350.

Cook Cannelloni shells in boiling salted water until al dente about 6 to 10 minutes.

Drain shells and rinse in cold water.  Drain well.

Coat bottom of 13 X 9 pan with Tomato sauce. 

Fill each shell with ¼ cup of the chicken mixture. Place in baking pan and spoon white sauce over each shell.  Finish with tomato sauce.  Sprinkle with cheeses and bake uncovered for 35 minutes until golden.

Focaccia

     

Inspired by Carol Field

3 ten inch rounds or two 11 X 16 sheets.

Ingredients

2 ½ tsp active dry yeast

¼ warm water

½ tsp sugar

2 TBSP Olive Oil

2 ¼ cup water at room temperature

7 ½ cups  AP flour (half AP and half Bread Flour if you wish)

1 TBSP Fine salt

Directions

Stir yeast into the warm water and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Let it stand for 10 minutes till foamy.

Stir in 2 ¼ cup water and olive oil.

Add 2 cups of flour and salt and mix together.

Add up to 5 and ½ cups of flour as needed until the dough comes together. 

Knead on a flour surface till velvety and soft-not sticky!  About 8 to 10 minutes.

1^st Rise

Place dough in an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let it rise till it has doubled in sized about 1 ½ hours.  (I found an hour was enough time)

2^nd Rise

Cut the dough to desired shape and press into your oiled pans or sheets.  Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 more minutes.

3^rd Rise

I have never had the patience for this step but Carol recommends that you dimple the dough with your fingers, cover it with a towel and let it rise for 2 more hours!!!!! 

Top with your choice of toppings.  I like to put Extra Virgin Olive oil with Rosemary and Sea salt one loaf.  Pesto sauce all over the second and herbs such as basil, oregano and thyme with parmesan cheese.  Do what you like and experiment to find that awesome combination.  Tomorrow I am going to make some with some sautéed onions and olive oil.  Let your imagination rule the day!

Bake in a hot oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes, turning as needed.  You can spray misting water over the baking dough three times in the first ten minutes if you wish.  Eat warm!

Roasted Baby Carrots with Honey and Orange

We made this for 70 people at a dinner at church and it was very well received.  I should  have made more!  :)

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds slender baby carrots, trimmed, scrubbed

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for drizzling

1 teaspoon (packed) finely grated orange peel

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

1 1/2 tablespoons honey

 Sea salt

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°F. 

Arrange carrots in single layer on rimmed baking sheet.

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and orange peel; sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss.

Pour orange juice over; cover tightly with foil.

Roast until crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.

Remove foil. Increase oven to 450°F.

Drizzle honey over carrots.

Roast uncovered until carrots are tender and browned in spots, about 10 minutes longer.

Transfer carrots and any juices to platter.

Drizzle lightly with additional olive oil.

Sprinkle with sea salt.

Zuppa Toscana Soup

 From Anita Isom

INGREDIENTS

16 oz. Jimmy Dean regular sausage

8 slices of bacon, chopped in small pieces

½ large onion, diced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced

32 oz.  chicken broth

2 1/2 cups water

5 medium Yukon gold potatoes, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper, to taste

4 cups fresh spinach

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Parmesan cheese, grated

INSTRUCTIONS

Brown sausage in a large pot or dutch oven.

Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Cut bacon into small pieces  and add bacon to pot and cook until crispy.

Stir in chopped onion. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until onion is translucent.

Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.

Add chicken broth and water to the pot. Add crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper if desired.

Add thinly sliced potatoes (I cut in half and then sliced) and the cooked sausage to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Continue cooking until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.  (I cooked on low longer - about 30 minutes)

Add the spinach to the soup, and simmer for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the heavy cream and let heat through.

Ladle soup into bowls and serve with Parmesan cheese.

Cheese Boats (Peinirli)

By Akis Kitchen

Ingredients

For dough

350 ml water, at room temperature

1 packet active dry yeast

pinch of granulated sugar

450 g hard flour (bread flour)

70 g whole wheat flour

10 g salt

1 teaspoon olive oil

For peinirli – pizza boat

50 g butter

200 g gruyere, grated

100 g cream cheese

pepper

5 slices of bacon, cut in to pieces

50 g butter, melted, for brushing

fresh oregano (optionally)

Instructions for the dough

In a mixer’s bowl, add the water, yeast and sugar.

Whisk by hand so the yeast can activate.

Add the flour and salt.

Beat for 5-8 minutes using the hook attachment, until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Remove from mixer’s bowl and transfer to another bowl that has been brushed with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.

Cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and set aside for 1 – 1 ½ hours, until it doubles in size.

When ready, dust a clean working surface with flour and place dough on it.

Divide the dough into 5 pieces and shape each piece into a ball.

Roll out each ball of dough into small oval shapes.

Preheat oven to 400  Convection oven. 

For the peinirli – pizza boat

Divide the pieces of butter over each oval shape, about 10 g of butter for each.

In a bowl, combine the gruyere, cream cheese and pepper, until the mixture comes together. At this point you can add any of your favorite herbs.

Spread the cheese mixture nicely over each oval shaped dough, dividing it evenly between them and add the bacon.

Create peinirli – pizza boat by raising the edges of the dough and folding it inwards to form a border.

Line 2 baking pans with parchment paper and dust with some flour.

Transfer peinirli to baking pans. (2 on one and 3 in the other).

Bake for 15-20 minutes, making sure to switch the pans positions half way through baking time so that they all cook evenly.

When ready, remove from oven and brush the border with melted butter.

Sprinkle with some fresh oregano and serve.