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Cooking, Recipe and Food Blog

Spring Vegetable Parcels

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Cooking each guests Vegetables in their own Paper parcel keeps the flavour in the vegetables for longer, increases the flavour, looks sophisticated and classy too!

Baby Carrots

Serve it with a joint of Meat (or Fish!), out on the Table, fresh on peoples plates, ready for them to open themselves on the table when they’re ready to be served

To Serve 6
3 Small Courgettes, cut into 1cm thick wheels
300g Baby Carrots, ends trimmed
350g Baby Leeks, trimmed
340g Sugar Snap Peas
6 Sprigs Mint
100g Butter, cut into 12 cubes

1. Heat the oven to 190C, and cut six squares about thirty centimetres square out of Baking Paper, and lay them out on a clean, dry work surface.
2. Divide the Vegetables into six portions, and lay them out in the centre of each piece of Baking Paper, add a sprig of Mint and a cube of Butter and drizzle a tablespoon of water over each parcel. Fold the parcels up and tie with a bit of cooking string at the top.
3. Place each parcel on a baking tray, and cook for fifteen to twenty minutes, then remove and place each parcel onto a different plate. Cut the string, trying to keep the paper intact, and serve with freshly cooked Meat.

Photo Courtesy of: ccharmon

Crispy Chinese Greens

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These shreds of crispy fried Chinese Greens are a superb addition to any Chinese meal – they’re particularly good served as a starter, along with some Sesame Prawn Toasts and a Crisp Dry White Wine.

Spring Greens

You can use different Nuts in place of the Peanuts – try some Cashews, Toasted Peanuts, or even some Sunflower Seeds. Using a mixture of the Nuts and Seeds is also a good idea for a bit of variety – as with every great recipe, experiment and you’ll be able to tailor something to what you prefer personally.

To Serve 4
700g Spring Greens
600ml Sunflower Oil
1 1/2tsp Caster Sugar
Salt
25g Natural Roasted Peanuts, halved

1. Remove the thick stems from the Spring Greens, and wash the leaves well. Dry thoroughly, before removing rolling them together tightly, and shredding them finely with a very sharp knife.
2. Spread the Shredded Spring Greens out on kitchen paper, and dry again – they must be completely dry before they go into the Oil for frying. If in doubt, leave them for a while sandwiched between two sheets of kitchen paper.
3. Heat the Oil up in a Large Wok or deep pan until it is just smoking. Remove from the heat, and add the Spring Greens, and stir well. Return the pan to the heat, and fry for about two minutes, stirring all the time.
4. Using a Slotted Spoon carefully remove the Fried Greens and place on a plate lined with Absorbent Kitchen Paper, and very carefully pat dry and leave to drain for a few moments.
5. Turn the Crispy Greens onto a warmed plate, and sprinkle with the Sugar and Salt (to taste) and the Nuts.

Photo Courtesy of: Avlxyz

Home Made Spring Rolls

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Spring RollsIf you like your Chinese food like I do, you’ll love these Spring Rolls. Fresh, crispy and less fatty than the ones you can get from a take-away, but still taste great. You can chance some of the ingredients if you want to make them closer to what you want, but I’m a massive fan of these as they are.

They’re great as a starter, party food, or as a side dish to a wide range of meals. Sadly, they can’t be frozen, but you can just adjust the quantities to make a smaller amount (even though you’ll still want more!)

To make 48

6 medium fresh onions, thinly sliced

1 ½ tbsp Oil

3 Spring Onions, thinly sliced

2 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped

½ kg Minced Pork

1/3 Cup tinned Water Chestnuts, finely chopped

2 tsp Fish Sauce

1 tbsp Soy Sauce

2 tbsp Oyster Sauce

48 small Spring Roll Pastry Wrappers (or Filo Pastry for pies if you can’t find any – they need to be in 12cm squares)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/3 Cup Rice Vinegar

1/3 Cup Sweet Chilli Sauce

1.       Sauté the onions in half a tablespoon of Oil, until they are brown.

2.       In a Wok or large pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of Oil, and sauté the Onions and Garlic until soft. Add the Meat and continue to cook, stirring all the time to break up any large lumps.

3.       When brown, add the Mushrooms, Water Chestnuts, Cabbage and the Fish, Soy and Oyster Sauces. Stir until the Cabbage has wilted, and allow to cool.

4.       Pre-heat the oven to 180 C, and grease two baking trays (or cover them with non-stick baking paper. Lay the pastry sheets out diagonally, and place a small teaspoon of the mixture in the middle, and brush around it with the beaten egg.

5.       Take the two corners opposite each other, and bring them in to the middle. Bring the third corner in, and then roll towards the fourth, so that the point is in the middle of the roll.

6.       Spread the rolls out in the tray, so that the fourth corner is facing down, and brush the top with some more egg.

7.       Bake for around ten minutes, until golden brown.

8.       Serve warm, after mixing the Rice Vinegar and Sweet Chilli Sauce together.



Photo Courtesy of: Avlxyz