Fridge Staples: Greek Yogurt Savoury Scrolls

So a few weeks ago since I discovered the recipe for Greek Yogurt Cinnamon Scrolls we've been having a savoury version with cheese, shallots and mushrooms nearly once week (sometimes twice a week!). Perfect for school lunches and as snacks for road trips.

The first time I tried this it was with some leftover shallots (spring onions) and cheese and then it progressed to versions with leftover mushroom and then bacon or ham.

As these have quite a bit more filling I had to double the original dough quantity for this version. No regrets... as I've said this one has been made on a weekly basis since.

Greek Yogurt Savoury Scrolls
Approx 10-12 large scrolls

Dough
2 x 160g tub of greek yogurt
2 cup self-raising flour (extra 2 tablespoon may be required)
2 to 4 tablespoons softened butter

Filling
2 shallots or spring onions, thinly sliced (I like to use the top green part for this recipe)
3 to 4 medium button mushrooms, finely diced
½ cup grated tasty cheese

Method
Preheat oven to moderate 190°C. Lightly grease a baking tray.

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 large 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. Sprinkle shallots or spring onions and mushrooms evenly over the dough.

Roll the dough into a log and slice evenly into 10-12 pieces approx 2.5cm wide. 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. Sprinkle grated cheese over each scroll, avoiding the gaps.

Bake for 20-25 mins until dough is cooked and scrolls are lightly golden.

Note: Ideas to try in the near future would be to add some bacon, bbq chicken, corn, spinach, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, pizza  sauce, other cheeses such as fetta, blue or camembert to the filling mixture.

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.

Winter Soup: Sweet Spiced Pumpkin Soup

As I mentioned in my previous post, it's winter time here in Sydney. I'm not sure why but it seems so much colder than the past few years. Where I had only put my heater on a few times last winter, it seems that this winter I've had the heater on nearly every night and I am dreading the next electricity bill.

So with winter and the cold weather comes comfort food and I love the old pumpkin soup for a quick and easy filler. Over the years I've tried a number of different recipes for pumpkin soup but have more or less settled on this version I'm going to share. I'm eating a bowlful now as I type this post...loving the velvety finish ~ yum!

Sweet Spiced Pumpkin Soup
Approx 6-8 hearty servings

4-6 cups pumpkin (approx sizing as I forgot to weigh it, sorry!)
4 large carrots, peeled and quartered
1 sweet potato, peeled and quartered
6 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 large onion
2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock (or 1 stock cube)
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
To serve, honey and nutmeg (to taste)

Method One - Baked
Chop pumpkin, carrots, sweet potato, potato and onion into large pieces and bake at 200°C oven until soft. You can leave the pumpkin skin on as it will be easier to remove when it is soft after baking. Once vegetables are soft, allow to cool and scoop pumpkin off skins and add to a large saucepan with other vegetables and stock. Bring to boil and allow to cool slightly before adding nutmeg and blending with a handblender until smooth.

Method Two - Boiled
Sauté onion in a large saucepan until it is just translucent, add vegetables and stock. Make sure there is enough water to cover the vegies. Bring to the boil and then turn heat down to low-med to allow the potatoes and carrots to cook to the stage where they 'mash' if pushed against the side of the saucepan with a spoon. You may wish to cook pumpkin and sweet potato separately to the carrot and potato as they require a short cooking time. Allow to cool slightly before adding nutmeg and blending with a handblender until smooth.

Serve with a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of nutmeg.

Notes: Now usually when I do a baked dinner I will add a few extra pieces of pumpkin, carrots, sweet potato and potatoes and set them aside to make soup. Baked vegies add more flavour, Carrot is for a richer colour, Sweet potato is for sweet flavour, Potato is for a richer thicker texture. Honey adds just a little bit of pizazz or if you're more traditional then serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Freezing Tip for Soups click here

Winter Soup: Hearty Potato Bacon and Leek Soup

So it's winter time here in Sydney and the making of my potato, bacon and leek soup is long overdue. This soup is nice and thick and the bacon makes it a meal instead of a snack. (I used a little more bacon than usual which you can see in the picture...mmm bacon!)

In all fairness I should warn you that since I started making this version, I've often found myself disappointed with the potato and leek soup at cafés as they are usually weak in flavour, too watery or they have a funny green tinge due to the leek being blended up with the potato instead of nice chunks of soft buttery leek ribboned throughout.

I guess I've been ruined for all potato and leek soup from cafés nowadays and my sincerest apologies to you if you find yourself ruined likewise after making this one too. (hee hee!)

Hearty Potato Bacon and Leek Soup
Approx 6-8 hearty servings

1 large leek, washed and trimmed
5-6 rashers of bacon (or more or less to taste)
6-8 large potatoes (depends on size of saucepan)
2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock (or 1 stock cube)

Trim the rind off the bacon and set aside as it will be used later. Dice the bacon and leek and sauté in a large saucepan until the leek is glossy and just softened. Scrape this mixture into a bowl and put aside. You should not need to add any oil as the bacon fat will be plenty to stop any sticking to the pan.  

 

Whilst the bacon and leek is sautéeing, peel and quarter the potatoes and then once the saucepan is emptied of bacon and leek, place the potatoes in the saucepan together with the rind and stock and enough water to bring the level to just over the potatoes.The flavours from the leek and bacon will add to the flavour of the stock.

Bring to the boil and then turn heat down to low-med to allow the potatoes to cook to the stage where they 'mash' if pushed against the side of the saucepan with a spoon.

Remove the rinds and allow to cool slightly before blending the mixture with a handblender until smooth and then pour into the bowl of bacon and leek.

Serve with a season of pepper and your favourite toasted bread!

Note: The above quantities are all approximate as I find that it depends on the size of your saucepan or pot. I tend to make big quantities of soup that I can freeze for lunches or quick dinners. You may find that you prefer to thin your soup down a bit more than I do. That's fine, all you need is a little hot water to get it to the consistency that you prefer.

Freezing Tip for Soups
As I only have a small freezer I like to be able to stack things as flat as possible so I use the ziplock sandwich-sized bags to freeze my soup in. You just need to make sure the soup is cool enough before pouring into the bags. Once they are filled with a mugful of soup, simply zip the bags and lay them flat on the bench, push any pockets of air towards the zip and re-ziplock the bag. If I have the shelf space I will stack them one or two high and then once frozen restack them to the side of the freezer. When re-heating, I usually microwave the whole bag for 20-30secs which is enough to thaw the soup (without melting the plastic) to be able to pour into a mug to complete reheating of the soup.

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