mini pasties

we recently held a fundraiser at work called pie-day friday. everyone baked something, we all donated money for charity, and had a great time standing around eating everyone else’s baked goods for lunch.

a number of people promised cakes, so i opted to make something savoury. since childhood i’ve loved pasties – but haven’t ever made them before. so i made these up – and guess what, they worked!

these mini pasties are after the traditional style, with easy-to-find ingredients. the recipe makes small pasties in large quantities – good for a winter party, a pre-christmas after-5 tete-a-tete, perfect for a pie day friday.

* serves: up to 20 people
* degree of difficulty: medium
* make time: 1 hour prep, plus baking time

what

filling:
600g lamb mince
600g potatos
600g carrots
2 sticks celery
1 large onion
2-4 cloves garlic
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp flour
2 branches fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika (optional)
1 teaspoon oil

outer:
10 x sheets frozen pastry (your preference of puff or shortcrust)
1 x egg white

how

dice all the vegetables (except peas) and finely chop garlic.

fry onion and garlic in oil; add mince and brown.

add diced vegetables, rosemary, seasoning and paprika, stir through, turn to low heat and cover.

cook gently for about 20 mins or until the vegetables are softened.

remove from heat, stir through peas and parsley, cover and allow to stand for another 10 minutes.

meanwhile, heat oven to 180 degrees C.

defrost frozen pastry sheets as per instructions, in batches as you use them. Cut each sheet into four.

in each quarter, put 2 tablespoons of filling, then fold in a triangular shape and press the edges tgether. Pinch the edges into a pattern.

place pasties in batches as you make them onto a baking tray lined with baking paper, brush with egg white for a shiny finish, and bake for 20 minutes or until golden.

eat straight away, or allow to cool and reheat later.

makes approx 40 small pasties.

vegetarian variation: omit the mince and use vegeetable stock.

stuffed squash

dear Suzie Q, thankyou for the enoooooormous zuchini you found in your garden patch (it was 2 feet long – seriously!)

in view of your kind donation, and because you asked me what the heck anyone would do with that much zuccini, here’s the recipe. it’s completely made up, and so you should feel free to change it a bit, a lot, or throw it out entirely and make something else like zuccini patties.

hope you’re enjoying the leftovers for lunch…

what

1 overgrown zuccini that is too big for normal cooking (we used to call these a ‘squash’ when i was little)
500g mince (i used pork & veal mince)
1 large carrot
2 celery sticks
1 very ripe tomato
1 onion
1 cup of wholemeal flour/oat flour/breadcrumbs
herbs (i used garlic, basil, chives, sage, tabasco) and seasoning to taste
1/2 cup of tomato juice
olive oil

how

heat your oven to 200 degrees c, and get out a baking tray. cut the zuccini in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds. if the zuccini is too long and you have to quarter it, leave some seeds at the cut end to form a ‘wall’ to stop the stuffing from spilling out.

chop the onions, carrot, celery and tomato into very very small pieces, and saute them in a good dash of olive oil with the garlic, herbs and seasoning until soft.

put the raw mince into a bowl, adding the flour/breadcrumbs, tomato juice and a tablespoon of olive oil. toss in the cooked vegetable mix, and stir until thoroughly blended. the mix should be sticky and clump easily, not runny or dry. this is your stuffing.

spoon the mince stuffing into the hollowed-out zuccini. form it into a little heap on top of the zuccini, and use it all up.

bake for about 20 minutes or until mince is cooked. serve with some salad.

something different?
use a different mince meat (or even poultry, fish or tofu if they float your boat);
change the vegie combo, eg. mushrooms and eggplant, or pumpkin, sweetcorn and fetta;
change the seasoning, eg. coriander, basil, ginger, lemongrass and soy or fish sauce

chili con carne

I’ve never been to the Americas and so freely admit this may not resemble the real thing. It is, however, a good and easy comfort dish that sticks to the ribs. It can be made by the least kitchen-savvy and freezes well.

 

chili con carne will never win any beauty prizes - but it will please the stomach and warm the heart. Close your eyes, and eat up.

Miss K, you rang me from the supermarket last night because you’ve lost track of the version we wrote down once a few years ago. I thought I’d have to make it again to accurately recall the specifics – until I remembered the recipe was borrowed by the Inverell Community Health staff for their Winter Warmers Cookbook. And I just happen to have a copy. How odd is that?

 

 

500 grams lean beef mince

1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, grated
1 large zuccini, grated
1 – 1 1/2 cups beefstock
2-3 cloved garlic
salt and chilli to taste (suggest 3 dried chillis)
1-3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 heaped teaspoons each of cumin and garam masala
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon tumeric
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 x 375g tins kidney beans

brown rice for 4 people
optional for serving: grated cheese and/or sour cream

heat a generous amount of oil in a large saucepan

when the oil is warm, add spices and fry for 30 seconds. add the onions and garlic, then the mince. fry until mince is brown.

stir through the tomato paste, then add beef stock and grated vegetables. bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cover.

simmer for about 45 minutes. in the meantime, cook the rice.

drain the kidney beans and add; bring back to a medium simmer and cover. simmer for 10-15 minutes.

serve chili on a bed of rice. feeling fancy? add a dollop of sour cream and sprinkle with grated cheese.