Tuesday, August 9, 2016

Cheese Stuffed Peppadew Stuffed Buns #BreadBakers

Cheese stuffed Peppadew stuffed buns are fluffy with a savory surprise on the inside. They are super easy to make and would be a fun addition to your holiday meal or summer barbecue.


My neighborhood grocery store has a decent deli counter for such a small place. You can walk all the way around it, cheeses on one side, whole smoked turkey breasts and salami, etc. for slicing on another side, along with hot and cold prepared dishes sold by weight. My favorite side by far offers a colorful assortment of marinated stuff: olives, baby octopus, roasted artichoke hearts, lemons, anchovies and peppers, just to name a few.

Even the tasty Peppadews come in three versions, filled with Parmesan, feta or blue cheese. This month my Bread Bakers are creating delicious breads with peppers and it occurred to me that a festive Peppadew peeking from within a soft bun would be a very good idea. I was not wrong.

This recipe is adapted from one on the King Arthur website, meant to make 24 relatively quick yeasty dinner rolls.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon yeast, instant preferred
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup or 60ml warm water
1 cup or 240ml warm milk
3 to 3 1/2 cups or 375- 440g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon olive oil
12 cheese stuffed Peppadews

Method
Measure the yeast, butter and sugar into a large mixing bowl or into the bowl of your stand mixer. Add in the warm water and milk and set aside for 6 to 8 minutes or until you see foam forming in the bowl. If you don’t see the yeast foaming, throw the whole thing out and go and buy some new yeast.

Add the salt and 2 1/2 cups or 312g of the flour to the bowl and mix in well. It’s going to be quite wet still.



If you are using a stand mixer, switch over to the dough hook and add a tablespoon of flour at a time with the mixer running, until you have a soft dough. Otherwise, add it and mix in with a wooden spoon.

Knead with the machine or by hand until the dough is smooth and elastic. Make a ball with the dough and drizzle the olive oil into your bowl.

Put the dough ball back in and turn it around a couple of times to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with some cling film or a damp cloth and set in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Lay a couple of layers of paper towels out on a small plate and line the stuffed Peppadews up to drain, first cheese side down, then cheese side up. You don’t want to lose your cheese filling, just to get rid of most of the marinating oil.



Bonus: Use the marinating oil that’s left behind in your deli container as a salad dressing, mixed with a little lime or lemon juice.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and cut it into 12 equal pieces. You can, of course, eyeball this but I have a digital scale I love so I weigh the whole dough ball, then divide by 12 to figure out how big each piece should be and weigh the bits as I cut them off.

Roll your dough pieces into balls.

Use a rolling pin to roll each ball into a circle and place a stuffed Peppadew cheese side down on the circle.



Gather up the sides of the dough circle and pinch them together to enclose the pepper securely.



Put the bun pinched side down on your baking pan. Which means, that the Peppadew is cheese side up again inside the bun. I lined my baking pan with a silicone mat but you could also use baking parchment.

Continue rolling and filling and pinching until all 12 buns are done.



Cover the baking pan lightly with cling film and allow to rise at room temperature for about 20 minutes. (Assuming your room temperature isn’t too cold – if you are baking in the dead of winter and your house is cold, find a warm spot to leave them.)

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°F.

Bake the buns for about 20-25 minutes or until they are nicely risen and golden brown all over.



Remove from the oven and allow to cool. If you choose to serve these warm, keep in mind that the Peppadew and cheese will be very hot and might burn you as you bite into them.



Enjoy!

Many thanks to our host this month, Sue of Palatable Pastime. I know folks who grow their own peppers are enjoying an abundant crop this time of year so I’m sure they’ll welcome our creative recipes for using those peppers up. Check them out!

BreadBakers
#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page.

We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.


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Sunday, August 7, 2016

Grilled Corn Ravioli Caprese Salad

Nothing shouts summer like a Caprese salad with lovely deep red, vine-ripened tomatoes, except perhaps a grilled corn ravioli Caprese salad. The smokey sweet corn adds more summer sunshine and the ravioli make this tasty dish more filling.


I love corn on the cob cooked anyhow you’d like to cook it. Boiled, steamed, grilled, roasted - love them all. I could cook a pot of fresh corn on the cob and eat the whole thing and call it a meal, no other dishes necessary. But for this week’s Sunday Supper theme of summer corn, that hardly sounded like a recipe worth sharing.

Cook corn on the cob.
Slather with butter.
Sprinkle with salt.
Eat.
Repeat.

So I had to get creative. Inspiration struck when I came across a package of fresh Italian ravioli called Girasole or sunflowers. They were shaped like flowers, the outside pasta cut like tiny petals, and were filled with tomato, mozzarella and olives. They would be perfect for adding to a Caprese salad, topped with grilled sweet corn! You can certainly use whatever ravioli you have available, though I'd avoid ones with meat or seafood if you are serving this at room temperature and need to leave it unrefrigerated for a while.

Grilled Corn Ravioli Caprese Salad

Recipe Type: Salad
Author: Stacy Rushton
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 6
Vine-ripened tomatoes layered with ravioli, fresh mozzarella and basil, then topped with grilled sweet corn. Like summer should always be.

Ingredients
  • 1 package - about 9 oz or 250g fresh ravioli
  • 4-5 ripe summer tomatoes
  • 2 small ears sweet corn on the cob
  • 9 oz or 250g fresh mozzarella
  • small bunch fresh basil
  • sea salt for salad plus more for water to boil ravioli
  • black pepper
  • good extra virgin olive oil
Method
Boil the ravioli according to package instructions, in salted water. Drain and cover with a damp cloth to keep the ravioli from drying out. If you are a perfectionist - as I can be sometimes - count the ravioli. Now you know how many slices to cut the tomatoes and mozzarella into to make it all come out even.


Grill the corn on grill pan over a medium high heat until it has lovely grill marks all over. Turn every couple of minutes till done. Remove from the heat and allow to cool. When the cobs are cool enough to handle, cut the niblets off with a sharp knife.

Slice your tomatoes and your mozzarella. (See comment on ravioli above.)

Pick the leaves off of the basil and discard the stalks. Set aside the smallest ones for garnish and cut any large ones in two.


On a large platter, start arranging your salad: ravioli, mozzarella, tomato, basil. Repeat until you have used up all of your ingredients.


Sprinkle on the corn and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Give the whole salad a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil then sprinkle on the remaining basil.



Enjoy! 


If you love sweet summer corn, you are going to love the line up my Sunday Supper family has for you today! Many thanks to Ellen from Family Around the Table who is our host this week, and our event manager, Renee of Renee's Kitchen Adventures.

Appetizers
Breakfast and Salads
Side Dishes
Main Dishes
Desserts


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Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Pineapple Pink Lemonade Shaved Ice #FoodieExtravaganza

Pineapple pink lemonade shaved ice: Make some naturally pink lemonade with pineapple especially for shaved ice or popsicles. Shaved ice melting on your tongue and a cold, cold spoon against your cheek are one of the great joys of summer.


A few weeks ago I shared a nostalgic recipe for Sunday Supper, pink lemonade with crushed pineapple. It was something my grandmother liked to serve when we were visiting. I think it fancied up a meal to have a special drink.

While a cold glass of pink lemonade with pineapple is ideal on a hot summer day, it cannot beat the same made into shaved ice. Many years ago a friend gave our family a very simple shaved ice maker when she arrived for a holiday visit. It came with three little tubs that you could fill with the juice or the liquid of your choice, stack and freeze. At first I always had a couple in the freezer, at the ready. And then, as often happens, the novelty wore off – I think one or more international moves got in the way too – and the ice shaver was neglected.


After I made the natural pink pineapple lemonade, the old ice shaver was hunted down and exhumed and put back into use! For those who are interested, mine was made by Pampered Chef. They still sell them, if you can find a Pampered Chef rep in your area. An Amazon search reveals many ice shavers on the market.

Ingredients for one 2 quart or 1.89 liter pitcher
1/2 cup or 100g sugar
1 (15 oz or 425g)crushed pineapple in light syrup
1 1/2 cups or 355ml freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 cup or 177ml (or more to color to your liking) cranberry or pomegranate juice

Special equipment: Shaved ice maker

Note: If you can only find the crushed pineapple in heavy syrup, you might be able to skip making the simple syrup. The heavy pineapple syrup should sweeten the lemonade enough without additional sugar.

Method
Make simple syrup by dissolving the sugar in 1/2 cup or 120ml of hot water. Set aside to cool.

In your large pitcher, combine the crushed pineapple with its syrup and lemon juice. Add some ice and water to almost fill your pitcher. Remember that you need room for the cranberry or pomegranate juice and some simple syrup. Stir well.

Add the red juice and taste the lemonade.


Add enough of the simple syrup till it’s sweet enough for your liking. (See note above if using crushed pineapple in heavy syrup.)

To make the shaved ice, give the lemonade a vigorous stir and pour it into the little vessels that come with the shaved ice maker. Cover with the provided lids and pop them in the freezer.

Set a timer for 30 minutes and 1 hour. Each time your timer rings, give the little lemonade containers a shake to redistribute the crushed pineapple as the lemonade begins to set. Depending on the efficacy of your freezer, you might have to give it a third shake. Then freeze till solid.

To remove the frozen lemonade from the little plastic bowl, run it briefly under warm water.

Put a bowl under the ice shaver and put the lemonade into the top. Fix the handle by squeezing the spring closed and screw the top on to the bottom.


Turn the handle to shave the ice into the bowl. Easy peasy; it takes mere seconds. That blade inside is sharp so do be careful not to leave the ice shaver around where children can reach it. And store it up high, some place safe.


Each cylinder of lemonade makes two bowls like you see pictured. When you can't shave any more, remove the handle and scoop out the small sliver of remaining pineapple lemonade.



The pineapple adds lovely flavor and texture and the lemonade is so refreshing. Don't forget to hold the cold, cold spoon to your cheek or fevered brow occasionally as you eat. :)

Enjoy!



Summertime is the best time for lemonade! In fact, National Lemonade Day is celebrated each year on August 20th.  My Foodie Extravaganza group is bring you our recipes a little early so you can plan ahead! Many thanks to Lauren of Sew You Think You Can Cook for hosting this month.

Check out all the lovely lemonades and lemonade-inspired recipes you have to choose from:


Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays or shares recipes with the same ingredient or theme every month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook group Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out here.

Pin Pineapple Pink Lemonade Shaved Ice!

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Sunday, July 31, 2016

Dueling Gyozas - Pork vs. Tofu #SundaySupper

With a good hit of fresh ginger, garlic and chili pepper, these gyozas will delight your whole family, vegetarians and meat eaters alike. Bonus: They are fun and easy to make!



First off, let me say that dueling gyozas is a misnomer. There's really no competition between the two. Both are delicious. That said, I couldn't name this recipe pork and tofu gyozas because that would imply that each gyoza contained both of those ingredients. Which they do not. Half are pork, half are tofu. The other seasonings and ingredients are otherwise almost identical.

We had been living in Southeast Asia again for just a couple of years when I first learned about gyozas from Jamie Oliver on his show Oliver’s Twist, circa 2004. Kinda funny, when you think about it. Living in Kuala Lumpur, Japanese friends and restaurants all around me and I find out about gyozas from a English chef on television!  The gyoza episode was called East Meets West and, in typical Jamie style, he made them look so easy.

I scribbled down the ingredient list as I watched and have made it with my daughters ever since. Since we like things spicy, we add fresh red chili peppers to both the filling and the dipping sauce. Oh, and Jamie also puts sake - Japanese rice wine - in his filling. I never have sake in the house, so I just leave it out. The original calls for ground pork but when the girls left home for university and became vegetarians, we adapted the recipe to use firm tofu as an alternative.

Not only is this one of our favorite family recipes, it’s a great group activity. Gather everyone around the kitchen table, put your fillings and gyoza skins in the middle, and get filling and folding. As the saying goes, many hands make light work and we have a lot of fun chatting and joking while getting it done.



If you’d like to watch Jamie make gyozas, here’s a link to the show on YouTube. East Meets West is actually Season 2, episode 22, but this is the only link I could find.

Ingredients
For the dipping sauce:
5 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 red chili, minced
1 tablespoon chopped green onion

For the pork filling – for 40-45 gyozas
10 1/2 oz or 300g ground pork
1 cup or 100g finely sliced Chinese cabbage
5 green onions, chopped finely
2-in length of ginger, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chili pepper, minced - optional
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil

For the tofu filling – for 40-45 gyozas
1/4 oz or 7g dried porcini mushrooms, rehydrated, drained and chopped
10 1/2 oz or 300g firm tofu, cubed and drained
1 cup or 100g finely sliced Chinese cabbage
5 green onions, chopped finely
2-in length of ginger, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chili pepper, minced – optional
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sesame oil

4 packages gyoza skins  - about 25 per packet - you'll have some left over.
2 tablespoons oil for pan

Method
Start by making your dipping sauce by combining all the ingredients, so that the minced chili has time to infuse. Set aside.

In large bowl combine your green onions, sliced cabbage, ginger, garlic, chili pepper and pork.



For the tofu filling, in another large bowl, mash the tofu with a fork until it’s in big crumbles then add in your mushrooms, green onions, sliced cabbage, ginger, garlic and chili pepper.



Sprinkle the soy sauce and sesame oil into each filling bowl.


Mix well with a fork and pan fry a small amount of each to check seasoning. Add a little more soy sauce if the filling still needs salt.

Get yourself a small bowl of cool water and dip one finger in it. Run your wet finger around the outside of the gyoza skin.  Place a spoonful of the filling mixture on top of the skin.

 Close edges carefully, making sure there is no air inside.



Wet the semi-circular edge and then make pleats around it.



Set it pleat side up in a non-stick skillet coated with the oil. Press down gently to flatten out the bottom a little bit so the gyozas can stand up.



N.B. With this many gyozas, you are going to have to cook them in batches or use more than one pan. Also, you will want to keep the tofu ones separated from the pork ones if you are serving strict vegetarians. When they are cooked, they are pretty much identical from the outside.

Continue with remaining filling until all of your gyozas are made. These guys are listed under appetizers below but we often make a whole meal of them.

The tofu filling


Tip: You can freeze the gyozas now in a well-sealed container and cook them from frozen when you are ready to eat. They just take a bit longer to cook.

Heat your pan and fry the gyozas until the bottoms are brown and crispy.


Add 1/2 cup or 120ml water to the pan and cover the pan tightly.



Steam over low heat for 8 - 10 minutes, until the gyozas are cooked through and the water has evaporated.

Serve with the dipping sauce.



Enjoy!



This week my Sunday Supper family are sharing their kids' favorite recipes. We hope you find some new family favorites among them. Many thanks to our host Ellen of Family Around the Table and our event manager, Renee of Renee's Kitchen Adventures for all of their hard work.

Appetizers

Snacks

Main Dish

Desserts

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board. Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Pin Pork or Tofu Gyozas! 

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Monday, July 25, 2016

Raspberry Mini Muffins #MuffinMonday

When you have fresh raspberries that are past their best, mash 'em and make raspberry mini muffins. Sweet raspberries mean not a lot of sugar is needed in these little beauties so they are perfect as a snack or breakfast.



This month I'm in Jersey, Channel Islands so I've been reveling in homegrown or at least locally grown produce. I buy fresh from the markets plus I have a big collection of what my daughters call "pity jam" in the cupboard. You know, from the little old ladies who take a table at markets and donate their proceeds to charity. Yes, I can make my own jam and often do but they look so sweet behind their small stalls, jars all neatly arranged with cloth squares tied to the top and handmade labels. And even if the proceeds don't go to charity, I just can't help myself.

We were at a carboot sale the other weekend and one lady, not so old this time, had baskets of local raspberries and strawberries for sale. I bought two baskets of the raspberries, which we ate with homemade meringues and whipped cream but as they started turning a bit soft, making muffins seemed like the ideal way to use them. And indeed it was.

Ingredients - for 2 dozen mini muffins
1 cup or 125g flour
1/4 cup or 50g sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup or 110g mashed raspberries plus more for decoration, if you've got some
1 medium egg
1/4 cup or 75g Greek yogurt
1/4 cup or 60ml milk
2 tablespoons canola or other light oil

Method
Preheat oven to 350°F or 180°C and prepare your mini muffin pans by lining them with little paper muffin cups, buttering or spraying with non-stick baking spray.

In large bowl, sift together the dry ingredients.

In smaller bowl, whisk together the raspberries, egg, yogurt, milk and oil.



Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredient and fold until just combined.



Divide the batter between your muffin cups. Add a decorative raspberry to each muffin, if desired. I only had 12 nice ones so one pan got raspberries, one pan was plain.


Bake in the preheated oven about 12-15 minutes or until the muffins are browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. They turned an interesting blue in places but were most delicious.



Enjoy!


As almost always with Muffin Monday, we don’t have a theme so our bakers make whatever inspires them each month. We hope some of them will inspire you to bake muffins!



#MuffinMonday is a group of muffin loving bakers who get together once a month to bake muffins. You can see all our of lovely muffins by following our Pinterest board.

Updated links for all of our past events and more information about Muffin Monday, can be found on our home page.

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Sunday, July 24, 2016

Perfect Lentil Burgers

The perfect lentil burgers have two secret ingredients, mozzarella cheese for fat and moisture and smoked paprika to mimic a little charbroiled flavor. Truly, you will not miss the meat. 

Food Lust People Love: The perfect lentil burgers have two secret ingredients, mozzarella cheese for fat and moisture and smoked paprika to mimic a little charbroiled flavor. Truly, you will not miss the meat.
Nobody likes a dry burger is one of my mottos. This goes for chicken and beef but it goes double for vegetarian patties. A little fat that won’t evaporate off when cooking is key. I first made these lentil burgers using bread I had baked with thick mozzarella slices in the dough.

The whole family declared them the perfect lentil burgers. The problem was, how to recreate them without having to bake that bread again each time, lovely though it was.


I took apart the bread recipe, figured out about how much mozzarella must have been in the number of slices I used for the first perfect lentil burgers and then added that into the new patty mix with plain whole grain sandwich bread. Much to our delight, it worked. I’ve made these lentil burgers many times since and they are always one of the first things my younger daughter asks for when she comes home. Hope you enjoy them!

Perfect Lentil Burgers

One note about the main ingredient, Puy lentils: You don't have to use green lentils actually grown in the Puy region of France because those can be pricey. I do recommend that you source the (almost) identical French lentils grown in other regions of France. They hold their shape much better than any other lentil I've tried, most of which go from not quite cooked to too mushy in a heartbeat. The French lentils will make a much better burger.

Ingredients – for four patties (about 7oz or 200g each – a substantial patty!)
4 slices whole grain sandwich bread
1/4 medium purple onion
2 eggs
3 1/2 oz or 100g mozzarella, grated
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne (I also use more. We like things spicy.)
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Fine sea salt
1 cup or 210g uncooked (or about 2 1/2 cups or 485g cooked/rinsed) Puy lentils
(If you are cooking them, boil with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda till tender. Drain and rinse.)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and more for pan

To serve:
4 buns
Sliced tomatoes
Lettuce
Sliced onions
Your favorite condiments – mayo, mustard, ketchup, etc. We like mayo with a little garlic and lemon juice added too.

Method
Toast the slices of bread and cut them into cubes. Chop the onion up.

Process the toast cubes and the onion until the bread is in crumbs. Add the eggs and process until well combined.


Tip the mixture out into a bowl. Add the grated mozzarella and mix well.  Add the smoked paprika, cayenne, a generous sprinkle sea salt and a few good grinds of black pepper. Mix well.



Add the rinsed, drained lentils and the extra virgin olive oil. Mix well.



Form into four patties.

Food Lust People Love: The perfect lentil burgers have two secret ingredients, mozzarella cheese for fat and moisture and smoked paprika to mimic a little charbroiled flavor. Truly, you will not miss the meat.


Pan fry in non-stick pan or griddle with an extra drizzle of olive oil until golden on both sides, about 6-7 minutes a side should do it.

Food Lust People Love: The perfect lentil burgers have two secret ingredients, mozzarella cheese for fat and moisture and smoked paprika to mimic a little charbroiled flavor. Truly, you will not miss the meat.


Serve with sliced tomatoes, onions and lettuce on a hamburger bun. You wanna put more cheese, you surely can but it's not necessary. We never do.

Food Lust People Love: The perfect lentil burgers have two secret ingredients, mozzarella cheese for fat and moisture and smoked paprika to mimic a little charbroiled flavor. Truly, you will not miss the meat.


Enjoy!

This week Sunday Supper is sharing a plethora of creative hamburger and hot dog recipes that you are going to love! Many thanks to our host Christie of  A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures and our event manager Shelby of Grumpy's Honeybunch for all of their hard work.

All American Burgers & Dogs
Cluck Burgers
Worldly Burgers & Dogs
Where's the Beef Burgers
Where's the Bun Burger
Dessert Burger
How to

Pin the Perfect Lentil Burgers!


Food Lust People Love: The perfect lentil burgers have two secret ingredients, mozzarella cheese for fat and moisture and smoked paprika to mimic a little charbroiled flavor. Truly, you will not miss the meat.

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