Chicken and Thai Basil Spring Rolls

It was birthday and anniversary week in our household. Luckily the birthday celebration for middle son was on a Saturday giving plenty of time for a Thai inspired dinner theme.

These spring rolls are pretty easy to prepare so don't be put off thinking they are too fiddly. Even quicker if you can entice a husband to sit at the table and do the filling and rolling.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil
Half a red onion, finely chopped
2 crushed garlic cloves
3 teaspoons of finely grated fresh ginger
500g chicken mince *
2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Thai basil
2 birds eye or other chillies finely chopped
100g rice or bean vermicelli noodles
1 small carrot, grated
1 x 300g packet (20x20cm square sheets spring roll pastry)

Grape seed oil for deep frying.

*Note: If you have a heavy duty food processor why not make the chicken mince yourself, that way you know exactly what goes into it.  Simply whiz boneless chicken thighs until the consistency you require.

Method

Heat oil in a large frying pan, add onion, garlic and ginger, cook for 3 minutes until softened, stirring now and again.
Add chicken mince and break up with a wooden spoon, cook until chicken is fully cooked.
Stir in chilli and soy sauce and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat and mix in the basil and chilli.
Set aside to cool.
Place noodles in a heat proof bowl and then cover with boiling water to soften. When soft drain and using kitchen scissors cut noodles into 2cm lengths.
Combine chicken mixture, noodles and carrot.

Place a pastry sheet on a clean surface, spoon 2 tablespoons of mixture horizontally across the centre of the pastry sheet, leaving a 4cm border at each end. Brush the corners and sides with water.  Fold in the ends and roll up firmly.
Repeat until all pastry sheets have been filled.

Deep fry in grape seed oil 2 or 3 rolls at a time, drain on absorbent paper.  Keep warm in the oven whilst frying the remainder.

Yum
Mamma Marmalade

Gingerbread Ginger Cake Slice

The first bite of this slice will remind you of old school gingerbread – darkly syrupy and gingery dense. This makes a generous sized slice and is very versatile as it is also delicious served warm with ice-cream as a rich gingerbread dessert treat.  Preparation is super-fast as all the ingredients are whizzed together in a Food Processor – Easy!

My version is inspired by Alison Alexander’s recipe, originally printed in the ABC Brisbane Radio Floods Fundraiser cookbook “A Generous Helping”, which championed sharing and celebrating food memories.

   

Preparation  5 minutes

Baking          35 – 45 minutes. 

Ingredients

½ cup or 125 gram butter – melted  (do this first)

2 ¾ cups Self-Raising Flour

1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda

4 teaspoons Ground Ginger

3 cubes glace ginger – finely sliced (Optional – for a deeper ginger flavour)

½ cup Dark Brown Sugar  (Dark Brown has a stronger flavour than regular Brown Sugar)

¾ cup Golden Syrup

1 egg – lightly whisked prior to adding

1 cup warm water

Method

Melt butter

Preheat oven to 160 ˚C and prepare medium depth rectangular tray approx. 24 x 30 cm and line with baking paper.

Place all ingredients in Food Processor. Pulse until combined but do not over-process or the flour will become tough.

Pour batter into prepared tin

Bake approx. 35 – 45 minutes.  Check at 35 minutes. May need to turn tray.

Cake will be cooked when a wooden skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tray before cooling completely on a cake rack.

Optional

Top with icing when cake is cool (I used a Cream cheese icing)   

 or   

lightly dust with icing sugar or maple sugar and a dash of nutmeg.

                                   Enjoy!  Colleen

Minty Mint Pea and Ham Soup - Souper!

Pea and Ham Soup is a favourite hearty winter tradition.  Usually it is thick with a dried pea base and simmered for hours with chunky ham bones.  This soup is fast, easy and most surprisingly coming from me (who adds pulses to everything!)  - no lentils!

A fresh, light but satisfying soup inspired by a Jamie Oliver recipe.  I was surprised that the key ingredient is frozen baby green peas! Easy and Instant!  And of course the Mint! - the intense aroma  when you start blitzing it up is amazing. The soup is such a gorgeous green - and it tastes so fresh.  Just be careful not to overcook it and only add the mint at the end to preserve it's fabulous flavour and colour!

Serves 6.  Leftovers are easy to freeze and reheat within a month

5 min prep.  approx 15 minutes to cook

Ingredients

2 onions, chopped

1 potato, peeled and grated (this stops the soup being watery)

Olive Oil

3 rashers of bacon - rind and fat removed. Chopped

Optional - 1 small smoked bacon or ham bone

1 1/2 - 2 litres salt reduced chicken stock (start with 1 1/2 and add more if needed)

1 kg frozen Baby Peas (NB baby peas are smaller and sweeter) - remove from freezer and allow to de-chill a little

Good handful fresh mint – leaves only  (save some for final steps)

Salt and pepper to taste

Some hot water may be needed

Optional toppings

the remaining mint leaves, shredded

Pancetta  (1 slice  per 4 bowls of soup – more if you like)  I only use this in Winter

and 

multigrain crunchy croutons or toast fingers

or

teaspoons light sour cream or Greek Yoghurt 

                         Vegetarian OPTION
                         Omit the bacon and ham bones.
                         Substitute vegetable stock instead of chicken stock

Method

In large deep saucepan (mix needs to blended later) soften onions and potato in olive oil

Add and Fry the bacon then add the chicken stock and bring to boil.

If using, add the bacon bone and simmer for 5 minutes

Add the peas and cook for a few minutes until cooked.  

Remove from heat 

Remove the ham bone.

Add some fresh mint leaves.

Use a stick Blender to blitz until smooth

If it is too thick, add a little hot water from the jug and blend again 

Season with salt and pepper - to taste

Spoon into warmed bowls.  

Sprinkle with shredded mint, diced pancetta or a small dollop of sour cream or yoghurt.

Serve with crunchy coutons or toast fingers.

Optional Pancetta Croutons

remove crusts from day-old bread and place into roasting tray

drizzle with olive oil, mint and pancetta.    Bake 180 oC  for  10 min to crisp up

Crumble over the soup

                                           Enjoy!   Colleen

Impossible Easy as Pie - Dessert version

We have all tried the savoury version of Impossible pie, now Donna Hay has given us a sweet interpretation. What could be easier than putting all ingredients into a food processor, whiz and bake and you're done! The other good thing, is that you nearly always have the ingredients on hand so for the unexpected visitor a warm piece of pie is only 40 minutes away.

Ingredients

1 1/2 half cups of milk
3/4 cup dedicated coconut
50g unsalted melted butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/3 cup plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
3/4 cup frozen raspberries

Method

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius.
Place all the ingredients apart from the raspberries in a blender of food processor.  Whiz until smooth.
Grease a 18cm or 1 litre capacity pie dish and pour in the mixture.
Sprinkle over the raspberries.,
Place on a large baking sheet and cook 40-45 minutes, test by inserting a skewer which comes out clean.
Dust with icing sugar.

Enjoy!

Mamma Marmalade