Pirojkis
Serve by themselves or as an accompaniment to Borscht.
Pastry;
2 3/4 cups flour
150g butter
2 eggs plus 1 egg yolk – beaten
pinch salt
Make a well in the center of the flour and put all ingredients in. Mix together to form a firm dough. Roll out several times, folding each time.
Filling;
3 eggs
200g cream cheese
100g butter
powdered nutmeg
salt and pepper
parsley
Boil 2 eggs, shell and mince. Blend all ingredients together.
Roll dough and cut into circles – about 8cm diameter. Place a small spoon of filling in each, fold in half and seal. Brush with egg and bake at 200c for about 20 minutes.
Building Damien a Gazebo
Wood,
Nails,
Paint,
Canvas,
Pillows,
Hammock.
Since Damien is such a groovy guy and seems to have a strange fascination with gazebo’s, it may occur to you at some point that it would be a grand idea to build one for him.
Don’t resist this urge. He is a Leo and makes an effort to react well to presents.
Gazebo’s should be brightly coloured and comfortable and I am sure he would let you smoke bongs in it occasionally. You can also think of the envious neighbours who would gaze upon our gazebo and sigh, thinking of the discontent they feel in their own lives, which could so easily be filled by a brightly coloured recreational garden ornament such as ours.
Assemble all ingredients in a logical and eye-pleasing manner. Wrap and serve.
Noncompliant Chicken Wontons
500g Chicken mince
100g cashews – ground
2 eggs
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 small red capsicum, roasted, peeled and de-seeded
1 small onion, grated
2 handfuls of baby spinach – blanched in boiling water
3 cloves garlic, crushed
The idea of wonton wrappers (any quantity will do)
Breadcrumbs (enough to form a firm rollable doughy mix)
Salt to taste
Brown onion, garlic and chicken in a tiny bit of oil. Make sure to stir well so the mix doesn’t stick together. Take off the heat and mix in all ingredients except the idea of wonton wrappers which should be discarded.
Form balls out of the mix and roll them in more breadcrumbs – deepfry.
I served these with soy sauce but they would have gone just as well with sweet chillie or sweet and sour sauce. Presenting them on a bed of salad is also a good idea.
Pollo Taco Frito
Chicken, cooked as pollo frito
3 fresh chillies, finely chopped
Flour tortillas
Mix all together, season to taste and allow to stand for as long as possible for chilli to permeate chicken.
Roll up in corn tortillas and pan fry.
Tostadas
Toasted corn tortillas – 2 per serve
Top with shredded lettuce, crumbled chorizo, diced tomato, fresh sliced onion, guacamole and hot chile sauce (chipotle).
Serve cold.
Mini Samosas
6 tbsp sunflower oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1cm piece root ginger
350g potatoes, diced
1 tbsp Masaman curry paste
75g peas
4 sheets filo pastry
Fry garlic and ginger. Add potatoes and cook for a further 10 minutes. Stir in peas and paste and cook uncovered. Allow to cool. Divide each sheet into 3 and brush the edges with oil.
Roll mix into triangles. Brush with oil and bake for about 20 minutes at 200 degrees.
Chicken Wontons
1 tbsp sunflower oil
4 spring onions, finely chopped
75g cooked chicken, diced
100g bean sprouts
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2.5cm ginger, crushed
1 tbsp soy
1 tsp honey
1 tsp sesame oil
20 wonton wrappers
Combine all ingredients in a frypan, cook and allow to cool.
Roll in wonton wrappers and deep fry.
Spring Roll Filling
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 cm ginger, chopped
6 spring onions
225g cooked prawns
1 tbsp soy
1/2 tsp sugar
12 spring roll wrappers
150g bean sprouts
1/2 small red chilli, diced
Fry garlic, ginger, spring onions and prawns. Add soy and sugar and simmer. Add bean sprouts and chilli, then remove from heat and drain. Wrap and deep fry.
Thai Crab Bites with Spiced Coconut Dip
450g white crab meat
1 stalk lemon grass
2 red chillies, chopped
2 tbsp coriander, chopped
1 egg yolk
2 tbsp double cream
1 tsp cornflour
vegetable oil
Heat the cream and cornflour until thickened, then combine
with other ingredients and shape into balls. Chill to firm up.
Deep fry.
Coconut Dip
1 tbsp sesame oil
4 spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp thai red curry paste
400g tin coconut milk
1 tbsp soy
Fry spring onions, stir in curry paste. Pour in coconut milk and bring to boil. Reduce by half and stir in soy.
Chicken Vol au Vent Filling
300g chicken breast (diced)
1 small onion (diced)
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk
2 cups cheese (grated)
3 tbsp chopped parsley
50g roux
1 tsp turmeric
Salt and pepper
Fry onions and chicken breast until browned, add all ingredients except the cheese and simmer gently until greatly reduced. Add the milk and blend. The cheese should be stirred in whilst the mixture is still hot. Try and aim for a fairly dry mix at the end. A small amount of breadcrumbs can be added at the end to fine tune the mixture.
