Fridge Staples: Greek Yogurt Cinnamon Scrolls

We buy the 4 x 160g Farmers Union Greek Yogurt for curries that we often make but we still seem to run out of time as the last tub reaches the best before date, so instead of having to eat it as-is (which I find hard to do as I suspect I'm lactose intolerant) or wasting the tub of yogurt, I thought I'd find a quick and easy recipe from the internet and discovered Goodie Goodie Lunchbox's Yogurt Dough Cinnamon Scrolls. As the tub is only 160g there was less yogurt than the recipe called for so I had to scale the ratios of ingredients as per below.

Greek Yogurt Cinnamon Scrolls
Approx 8 scrolls

160g tub of greek yogurt
1 cup self-raising flour (extra 2 tablespoon may be required)
1 to 2 tablespoons softened butter
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons milk, optional

Method
Preheat oven to moderate 190°C. Lightly grease a small pan or tray. I used a cake sandwich pan as I like to arrange my scrolls in a daisy pattern as pictured above.

Empty yogurt into a large mixing bowl and sift half the flour over the yogurt, lightly mix before sifting over the rest of the flour and mixing it until a soft dough forms. Note: If the dough is too wet then add a tablespoon of self-raising flour at a time and lightly knead in the bowl with a rubber spatula until it's smooth to touch. Be careful not to overwork the dough as you don't want to develop the gluten as you would in bread making.

Roll and shape dough into a small rectangle between two piece of waxed baking paper or lightly oiled baking paper until 1.5cm thick.

Spread softened butter over the rectangle of dough evenly and right to the edges.  Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle evenly over the dough.

Roll the dough into a log and slice evenly into 8 pieces.  Lay the scrolls on their sides in the prepared pan with a 5mm gap in between to allow for the dough to expand and slightly squash together. You can also brush milk over the scrolls before baking to add a bit of shine to the scrolls.

Bake for 8-10 mins until dough is cooked and scrolls are lightly golden.

Note: Ideas to try in the near future would be to add some pie apple, berries or well-drained tinned fruit or crushed nuts to the filling mixture.

Pantry Staples: Tuna Rice Pie or Quiche

Every family seems to have a different version of what they consider pantry staples. Mine pantry always included eggs, rice and tuna so this tuna rice pie or quiche recipe was always in regular rotation for dinner and enjoyed cold for lunch the next day.

I don't have the original recipe but I've adapted this to suite the taste and dish size from a few I've found online. You could substitute the capsicum for any vegetable you wish such as peas and/or corn and whilst I prefer the taste using tuna in spring water, you can use a flavoured tuna but ensure that it's well drained.

Tuna Rice Pie or Quiche

Approx 6 hearty servings

Crust

2 cups cooked white rice

2 tablespoon melted butter

2 tablespoon onion, diced

1 teaspoon oregano

1 egg, lightly beaten

Filling

1 tablespoon butter

½ onion, diced

½ green capsicum, diced

3 or 4 eggs, lightly beaten

¾ cup milk

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon parsley

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to season

1 large tin tuna in spring water, well drained and flaked

Make the Crust

Preheat oven to 180°C. In a medium bowl mix together the rice, melted butter, onion, oregano and egg. Press into the base and sides of a lightly greased 9" pie dish or casserole dish. Bake for 10-15 minutes until slightly golden and firm.

Make the Filling

Whilst the crust is baking, melt the butter in a small skillet, add the onion and capsicum and sautée over a medium heat until soft. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl or jug, mix the eggs, milk, cheese, seasonings and sautéed mixture together.

When the crust is done, top with drained flaked tuna and pour egg and cheese mixture over the top of the tuna. Careful not to overfill your dish.

Bake at 180°C for 35-45 minutes until the centre is puffy, firm and domed. A knife or skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.

Remove the pie from the oven and let it stand for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Note: If your pie ends up being watery, next time ensure the tuna is well drained and reduce the milk by a couple of tablespoons. I use long grain but any rice will do as long as the rice is not wet or soggy before using in the crust mixture.

Biscuits: Sunflower and Parmesan

So it's been awhile since my last post but in my intro/bio I never promised regular posts. The past 8 years have seen many ups and downs but I'm now the most settled and happy than I've ever been thanks to my beautiful partner and his two sons and two cats. This post is dedicated to him in order to share one of his favourite snacks with you.

Sunflower and Parmesan Biscuits
Approx 30-40

150 g unsalted butter
¾ cup grated parmesan cheese

⅓ cup grated  cheddar cheese
1¼ cups plain flour
2-3 tspn lemon pepper seasoning
¼ cup sunflower seeds
¼ cup grated parmesan cheese extra for topping
fresh chives or parsley, optional

Method One - Electric Beaters (per the Women's Weekly Biscuits and Slices book)
Preheat oven to moderate 180°C. Line 2-3 oven trays with baking paper.
Using electric beaters, beat butter until light and creamy. Add parmesan and cheddar cheese and beat until combined.

Using a metal spoon, fold in sifted flour and seasoning. Combine mixture with well-floured hand. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3  minutes or until smooth. Roll out dough between two sheets of baking paper to 5 mm thickness. Use a 4-5 cm cutter, cut out your desired shaped biscuits.

Place on prepared trays, allowing room for spreading. Sprinkle the top of each biscuit with a little of the extra parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes of until golden brown. Allow biscuits to cool on trays.


Method Two - Processor  (my hack for when you have cold butter)
Preheat oven to moderate 180°C. Line 2-3 oven trays with baking paper.
In a large bowl, sift flour and seasoning and set aside. Using electric food processor, add cold butter, parmesan and cheddar cheese and process until  it looks like small clumps as pictured below.

Add butter and cheese mixture to flour bowl and combine with a well-floured hand. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead for 3-4 minutes or until smooth. As the mixture is very crumbly  you will need to "work" and press the dough together until it comes together by rolling and folding the dough between two sheets of baking paper.

Roll out to 5 mm thickness and using a 4-5 cm cutter, cut out your desired shaped biscuits. Place on prepared trays, allowing room for spreading. Sprinkle the top of each biscuit with a little of the extra parmesan cheese.

Bake for 10-15 minutes of until golden brown. Allow biscuits to cool on trays  before consuming to prevent burnt fingers. #yum

Note: I've been attempting to grow herbs and have added some of our fresh parsley or chives to this mixture. You could also add some chilli to add a bit of zing if you wish.