Chelsea's Mince And Cheese Pie

As you may have noticed in my IMK post, I have a Kiwi cookbook by Chelsea Winter Homemade Happiness on my shelves.  I've been dying to try out some of her recipes, and here is the first: beef mince and cheese pie.  A Kiwi classic apparently, that you find everywhere.  Strangely, Mr P. and I have never noticed it on our trips to New Zealand, but next time we will be keeping a serious eye out for them.

One pie I did notice and eat in NZ was ling pie, bought from service stations if you can believe it.  Delicious!  And of course, on our wedding anniversary getaway to Tasmania last week, I had to have myself a curried scallop pie - guaranteed to have 6 scallops in each pie.  They're so tasty, but only really taste brilliant in Tasmania.  Always a good excuse to go back.  And did I mention the delicious bratwurst hot dogs down there?  But that's another story.

pie, glorious pie

Serves 6:

ingredients:

3-4 tbs olive oil

1 kg. (2.2 lb) beef mince

2 brown onions, finely chopped

2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

6 cloves of garlic, crushed or very finely chopped

2 sprigs' worth of rosemary leaves, finely chopped

1½ tbs dried oregano

1 bay leaf

1 Litre (4 cups) salt-reduced beef stock

½ cup (110g.) tomato paste

1 tbs Worcestershire sauce

1 tbs Vegemite or similar yeast spread

2 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp vinegar - I used red wine vinegar

½ tsp ground black pepper

2 tsp cornflour mixed with 2 tbs cold water  (possibly 2 extra tsp plus extra cold water may be needed to thicken it)

2 sheets of ready-made butter puff pastry - frozen is fine; but make your own if you have some time on your hands - tee hee:) 

1-2 tbs semolina (optional) - my idea

200g. cheddar cheese, sliced

1 egg whisked with 1 tbs milk or cream

1 dsp sesame seeds and 1 dsp poppy seeds (optional)



Method:


Heat up 1 tbs of olive oil in a large frypan, and tip in half the mince

Break it up and stir around for about 10 minutes till beautifully browned

Now either take the cooked mince out, and tip in the other half to brown also, OR do it in 2 frypans at once, like I did

Pour the extra oil into your frypan, now serenely emptied of mince

In go the onions, celery and carrot

Stir for about 10-15 minutes, till wonderfully soft and tender

Now add garlic, rosemary, oregano and bay leaf

Stir in for a few minutes

The browned mince now goes back into the pan

The stock, tomato paste, Worcester, Vegemite, mustard powder, vinegar and black pepper go in too

Stir in the cornflour slurry, and let it simmer away for 30-45 minutes, stirring now and then

You want it 'nice and thick' (as Chelsea says), not watery 

Check for seasoning and add some salt, pepper and chilli flakes if you fancy - and take out the bay leaf

Place the pastry over the base of a large pie dish

Sprinkle the semolina over the base, if using - I find it helps keep the base non-soggy

Spoon the filling into the pie dish, and top with the sliced cheese

Whack on the pastry top, press down hard with your fingers to crimp and seal the pie, and brush over the egg wash for a golden finish

Scatter the sesame and poppy seeds over the top, if using

Make sure you cut a steam hole in the middle of the pie, or use a ceramic pie bird

Place the pie dish on the lower shelf of your oven at 200C or 180C fan-forced

Bake for about 50 minutes till golden brown

Let it rest for a few minutes

Serve with mash or boiled spuds, and/or steamed veg.



Notes:


I blitzed the veg. in my food processor; so much quicker than chopping by hand, folks

I put a baking tray into the oven to get hot, then sat the pie dish on it during the baking time.  This helps the pastry base to cook well

You may need to add more cornflour, as I did - I ended up putting in another 2 tsp cornflour with another tbs or 2 of water

Okay, let's be honest here - it took about an hour all up to get this mixture thick and lovely.  Maybe I didn't have the oventop hot enough, or my frypan was too big for the hotplate, or ... there was just too much liquid to start with.  I don't know, but it took ages to reduce down

Tip:  Buy ready-sliced cheddar!

(some) ingredients gathered

blitz the carrot, celery and onion 

use 2 frypans at once - so much quicker  

cook up the veg. and herbs till tender   

thick and very tasty filling

sprinkle on the sesame and poppy seeds before baking 

rich and filling slice of pie

tasty, cheesy, oozy pie

my carrotty doodle                         

In My Kitchen - February 2018

I have things to show you, folks.  Probably too many things.  But this is a catch-up, isn't it?  Mr P. gave me things for Christmas; I bought myself things; other people gave me things.  Okay, you get the picture.  I hope you have lots of things to show us all too.  So here's the instructions:


Here are the options to add your post:

1. Adding via the link button at the bottom of this post.  Instructions can be found on the sidebar of this page, under Add your IMK link
2. Comment on this post, providing a link to your post so I can add it to the linky list below
3. Email me: sherrym1au@gmail.com, with your link or any queries about the link process




And here in my kitchen is:

interesting look into the life of a well-known cookbook editor

She is/was known for saving Anne Frank's Diary from an editor's slush pile.  And introducing Julia Child's cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking to US cooks.  Being a huge reader myself, I was fascinated with this look into the editor's world.

furikake seasoning

I love Japanese everything!  And at least I have a good idea what this one is, due to the English label :=)

Japanese chocolate I think; maybe Korean? 

Bought this in Melbourne on our short break.  Nope, simply not possible to resist a Japanese/Korean grocery store.

yep,more furikake!

Mr P. and I love rice so this is going to be a treat on our ricy dishes.  I love the way that Japanese foods seem to incorporate fish into everything - even their condiments and my fave rice crackers.  Dried bonito rules!

BB8- kitchen timer

I love BB8 - who doesn't?  This is a very cute timer whose head spins before beeping Star Wars music at you.

BB8 mug and lid

I came upon this in a gorgeous tea shop in the outer hills of Melbourne.  There you will find gloriously cute tea pots and mugs and wonderful chocolate and tea and bits and bobs.  A veritable tea wonderland.

Kiwi cook Chelsea Winter

Chelsea won New Zealand Masterchef a few years ago, and has published a cookbook every year since.  Five already!  I'm looking forward to trying out some of her recipes soon.  Wait for it, wait for it ... as Barney used to say.  (What do you mean, you've never watched How I Met Your Mother?)

a tin of honey from our Tassie friends  

Our Tasmanian friends came up at Christmas, bringing goodies for us.  Beautiful, strongly flavoured honey made by Tassie bees.  Go the bees!

a gift from my cousin

A gorgeous little bowl which matches our blue and white kitchen.  Thanks, coz.

a great quote from Edith Head, inimitable Hollywood costume designer

While down in Melbourne, we took a drive out to Bendigo.  This is a beautiful old town, full of historical buildings from the gold mining era of the 1850s.  We headed to the well-respected Art Gallery which was holding an Edith Head exhibition.  She was a Hollywood costume designer for many years, and won 8 Oscars for her work.  Brilliant stuff, in a time when it wasn't so normal for women to work outside the home.

a gift from hubby for Christmas 

   


I just love this one, now sitting on my kitchen wall.  It is called "the Nameless Child", by Sherry McCourt.  She uses vintage materials like old maps and books and turns them into beautiful paintings.  This one was based on a schoolgirl in a 1940s school photo.  Check Sherry out on Facebook.  (the artist, not me:=) )


And that I think is that for this month's IMK post.  Looking forward to catching up with you all!  Please join in, and show us all the fab things you have in your kitchen.


(The link will be open to the 11th Feb Aus time., to give O/S bloggers enough time on their 10th of the month.)



   

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Sherrys Pickings

Sushi & Nori King Street - Review

I confess - I am a sushi addict and I have no shame.  Mr P. and I have been indulging for many years, and there looks to be no cessation of our wild obsession/addiction.  So when we heard there was a fairly new eating precinct nearby with a new sushi place, we were in like Flynn, as the old saying goes.  

The old Exhibition grounds have been taken over by restaurants, hotels and apartments.  It makes sense to have multiple use of this space that used to sit unused for 11 months of the year, but I did like the untouched aspect of it before.  Anyway, we now have a new(ish) place to indulge our fetish for rice and raw fish.

look out for the fishy sign

So yes this is a sushi train, and yes most plates are $4.50 each with premium plates being $8.  Mr P. is not a fan of the narrow, wooden seating, though I don't have any problems with it.  There are a few booths but once again the seating is all hard, wooden furniture.  We have now eaten here 3 times over the last couple of months.  The staff are not effusive or terribly pro-active, (and our waitress had trouble understanding our English) but get the job done eventually.

black rice with tuna and avocado 

You don't often see black rice, so I was happy to try this one.  The rice was a great colour, and had a nutty taste with a bit of texture.  Both Mr P. and I were fans.

prawn lollipops with spicy sauce $8

Prawns with a crunchy coating and a tangy sriracha mayo sauce.  Looks like panko breadcrumbs which are always extra crunchy.  I enjoyed these fishy morsels.   

Tiger roll (chicken)

For some reason, this is called a Tiger roll.  Well I guess everything tastes like chicken, doesn't it?:=)   Even tigers.  Not bad.  Pretty much your everyday maki roll.

Dynamite roll

More maki.  Avocado and imitation crab meat I think.  I love Kewpie mayo but sometimes you can have too much.  

chicken gyoza

What can I say?  You know what these are like.  A dumpling is a dumpling is a dumpling.  And I loved them.

cute little jars of pickled ginger 

Good to see this is not the pink stuff which has been dyed.  This was quite tangy and thank heavens, not sweet.  And I adore the pretty little jars.

tuna cheese rolls

Slightly odd and a bit different, but I liked it.  I mean what's not to like about tuna with melty cheese all over it?

veg spring rolls

Crunchy on the outside, vegetable-y on the inside.  Mr P. loves spring rolls, so he had to have these.  He said to tell you they were good.  Oh, and he said he thought kids especially would love them on the sticks.  He could have lived without them, though :=)  Not really a stick kind of guy.

brown rice with tuna and avo

These were just fine.  I liked the brown rice, which gives it a point of difference.  And you can tell yourself it is sooo healthy (teehee.)

teriyaki chicken

I would have liked a bit more flavour here.  The sauce just didn't have enough pizazz.  It was adequate but not exciting.  (Mr P. agrees with me here.)

some kind of fish? 

Oops, I forget what this was.  Looks like fish of course.  Oh well, you get the picture.  Rice and fish and mayo most likely :=)  And nothing wrong with that either, she says munching happily. 

grilled scallops

These were delicious; plump and lightly grilled with great texture; not overcooked.  They were a teeny bit smothered in the sauce though.

tempura veg. or is it soft shell crab?

Tempura veg.?  Not entirely sure.  Looks a bit like the tempura soft shell crab I saw spinning round the train.  Mr P. thinks it is the soft shell crab.  Once again, crunchy outside, perhaps a bit nondescript inside - okay if not outstanding.  But hey, anything deep fried can't be bad :=)
  

and yes it's licensed

A glass of Sauv Blanc to keep me happy.

I LOVE these tiles

Okay, so this is another sushi train, but it has some interesting and different choices.  (Mr P. has me tell you that he thinks the quality is above average, and everything is fresh and innovative.)  I like that the regular plates are all the same price, which seems to be the current fashion ATM.  I love the decor - those tiles! - and the bright, light atmosphere.  They have a takeaway bar at the front also; handy for nearby workers.  You can have a quick bite or linger in a booth, as half a dozen young things were doing the other day.  Melty cheese anyone?



Ph: 07 3252 9511
Cnr of King and Machinery Sts.
Bowen Hills Q 4006



     

Cucumber And Yoghurt Soup - Perfect For A Hot And Steamy Night

Who can believe that we are now in the thick of 2018?  And here is my first recipe blog post for the year - a cold, smooth soup that is just right for the very steamy nights we are having here in sunny Brisbane.  Ironically, Mr P. and I went down to (usually) cool, grey Melbourne to visit family and friends and boiled in the 41C heat!  (105F for you folk of North American climes.)

Years ago when I lived in share houses with lots of crazy people, my housemate and I used to make a version of this soup with loads of garlic.  We didn't have a food processor so I guess we had to grate and chop everything by hand.  Eek!  Must have taken us ages.  Worth it though:=)  We all went around the next day with garlic burn - hmm, I mean breath.  

dive in to some icy cool soup 

Recipe from the brain of Sherry's Pickings:


Serves 4 as an entrée, generously:


ingredients: 


1.5 long thin cucumbers, roughly peeled and chopped into large chunks = approx. 470g. (1 lb.)

3-4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

a (very) large handful of walnuts - about 80g.

1 large, ripe avocado - peeled and chopped into large chunks

zest and juice of 1 large lime (or 2 small)

sea salt to taste - maybe 1/4-1/2 tsp

ground black pepper to taste 

200 mLs iced water - add more if you like it thinner

a pinch of dried chilli flakes (optional)

5-6 ice cubes, plus extra for serving

1-2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

500g. plain thick yoghurt

a large handful of green herbs, torn roughly or chopped - I used chives and parsley but use your fave - plus extra for serving



Method:


Pretty much, you are just going to blitz everything in your food processor

Start off with the chunks of cucumber and whizz

Then add the garlic cloves; and whizz some more

Throw in the walnuts and yep - blitz 'em

Add the rest of the ingredients except the yoghurt and herbs and blitz away till smooth and lush

Now chuck in the yoghurt and herbs and whizz again

Serve with the extra herbs, and throw in an ice cube or 2 to each bowl if desired

Nice with a brown rice cracker or 2


Notes:


Use whatever kind of cucumber you prefer; it will all taste good

Dill and mint are also good in this soup but we like parsley and chives more:=)

Experiment with the amounts and herbs; have it how you like it

Make sure you have a large food processor, or make it in batches

I only added half the yoghurt into the processor, then whisked in the rest later

Sparkling water gives it a nice zing

gather your ingredients

zap those cukes

more zapping (I used sparkling water)

lots of blitzing later...

pour into a large bowl and whisk in the ice cubes 

sprinkle on some extra herbs

This soup will leave you feeling very virtuous and refreshed.  All that delicious and tasty, nutty. garlicky fun.  Just make sure your loved one eats it too.

my cucumber doodle

In My Kitchen - January 2018

I gulped when I wrote that title!  But I'm really looking forward to a new year, as this one wasn't the best year in the Pickings' household chronicles.  A death, lots of illness, misunderstandings and general all-round funky vibes, as in the smelly and musty sense. 

As I promised/warned in my last post, this is IMK Lite this month.  Just a quick hellooo before the New Year arrives.  I hope you have all had a wonderful, fulfilling holiday break.  We had a very quiet Christmas on our own mostly, but with a brief lunch foray to some friends down the road.  Air con essential in this hot and humid Summer we are having. 
    

Just in case you've forgotten how after your Christmas stupor (kidding) :=)


Here are the options again to add your post:

1. Adding via the link button at the bottom of this post.  Instructions can be found on the sidebar of this page, under Add your IMK link
2. Comment on this post, providing a link to your post so I can add it to the linky list below
3. Email me: sherrym1au@gmail.com, with your link or any queries about the link process



So, in my hot summery kitchen:

cute leafy tumblers

Yep you guessed it; these are from our friend Brooke at Red Door Studio.  I do like a good, solid tumbler to drink water from.  And this is good - and solid.

more oil and garlic

I always order a box of biodynamic garlic every Christmas from Elmswood Farm.  I was worried I might run out (eek! garlic panic), so I bought an extra box this year plus more olive oil.  The cloves with skin on, go into the freezer in plastic bags and last us all year.

Discworld tea towel 

Do you know the Discworld?  Have you read Terry Pratchett?  I am a big fan of his literary creations, and I love Gimlet's Deli which sells only the best rat pie surprise.  Free range rats of course.


I do have a few more things I could show you, but I will save them for the February IMK, when we are all back on board.  Happy New Year, folks!  It has been a big pleasure being your host this year.  See you next year.  Thanks heaps for joining in, especially to the stalwarts who manage it very often.  Much appreciated and enjoyed by us all.



   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   

                      

Sherrys Pickings