Money Bags

Money Bags

This entails a detailed job but it’s worth every bite! I think it would have been easier if I have a short pastry but unfortunately, I can’t find it in the grocery store here, so for pastry needs, I’m doing it at home. I wouldn’t mind though.

Here’s how:

Meat Filling:
½ Kilo ground meat
1 white onion (Finely chopped)
2 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
Salt and pepper
Red pepper (finely chopped)

Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl making sure all the ingredients are well incorporated. Do this ahead while making the pastry.

Pastry dough:
3 cups flour
Pinch of salt
100 g butter, chopped

2-3 tablespoons iced water

Procedure:

In bowl of flour add knobs of butter and a pinch of salt. Work on the butter by pressing them with your finger tips; coating the butter with the flour, until the butter is well mixed with the flour. This will give a crumbly mixture. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing each addition until it forms a soft dough. Turn mixture into floured board. Knead until the dough becomes fine. Add more flour if necessary. Shape the dough into a log. Cut into 3 portions. While working with 1 portion, refrigerate the other two portions. Flatten each portion as flat as possible using a rolling pin. Cut into 3 inch square. Put 1 teaspoon meat mixture into each square and gather the ends at the top of the meat. Do this by lifting the diagonal opposite sides of the dough; seal partially by pressing just before the edges and do the same with the other two sides. Carefully press the edges all together to seal, forming a sack of money with a little handle.

Optionally, cut ½ cm of the edge of the dough, forming like a string and use this to seal each pack of meat by pressing the meeting ends. Leave an extra string to it would look more realistic like a pack of money tied with a string.
Place the packed meat in a flat plate lined with plastic to avoid the dough from sticking to the plate. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before frying. This allows the dough to be firm.

Deep fry few at a time until golden brown with a moderately fire, but not very slow. The dough absorbs a lot of oil if the oil is not so hot. Heat up the oil first and turn the fire moderately slow after adding the money packs.

Spicy Star Mini Pizza > Entry for Blog Party #4 "The Holiday Edition"

The party blog

The thought of joining the blog party, hmmm made me scan my new Jamie Oliver’s book, he got no finger foods in it but he got “beavies” one of his items is Margarita, luckily I have the ingredients! (I think its d first time I am making something complete with the required ingredients, I admit). I don’t have margarita glass, just take this wine glass okay?

Anyhow here is Oliver’s recipe of Margarita.

2 shots of Tequila
1 shot Cointreau
1 shot of freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt and lime wedge to serve.

Here, I added a sprig of fresh mint leaves from our garden.

So, what to make for finger food?

At first I was looking to make a mini pizza for finger foods. Thinking about the theme of the party, I think it would be nice to have some fancy shapes like stars instead of plain circle. Instead of putting tomato sauce at the base, I put thin slices of tomatoes to have a vibrant red color. To satisfy, I need something to put at the center. Something that would contrast in color. I think black olives would look great. When I put them on top, I thought of its flavors. They are all mild and maybe another red dot of chili sauce at the center of the olives would give a bang of flavor to contrast the mild tastes! Aha! Now I don’t have a name! Can u name it for me please?

Ingredients:

Meat mixture
Black pitted olives
Hot sauce
Small tomatoes
Pastry

Meat Mixture
2 boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
¼ cup bread crumbs

Preparation:
Dice the chicken breasts as small as you can. Add bread crumbs and add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside while making the pastry.

Pastry dough:
1 ½ cups flour
Pinch of salt
50 g butter, chopped
2-3 tablespoons iced water

To make the pastry:

In bowl of flour add knobs of butter and a pinch of salt. Work on the butter by pressing them with your finger tips; coating the butter with the flour, until the butter is well mixed with the flour. This will give a crumbly mixture. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing each addition until it forms a soft dough. Turn mixture into floured board. Knead until the dough becomes fine. Add more flour if necessary. Shape the dough into a log. Divide into 2 then flatten the down as flat as you can; using a rolling pin.

With a cookie cutter, press it into the sheet of pastry dough and carefully lift the formed dough into a baking tray.

Place a slice of tomato on top; add a tiny ball of meat mixture on top of the tomato. Place a cut of olive on top and bake for 15 minutes at 200 degrees C or until the sides of the base turn slightlybrown. When done, remove from the oven and add a dot of hot sauce into each olive whole. Voila! Please pass it around.

Enjoy! Happy Holidays everyone!

Cheese Puffs

Cheese Puffs

I got this recipe from an appetizer mini cookbook, but as usual, I deviated from the original recipe due to unavailability of ingredients. Apart from that, I have changed its proportion as the original recipe seems too plenty for two. I added some flavor like nutmeg and pepper which were not included from the original recipe.

I love every bite these cheese puffs! It’s cheesy, soft and elastic in the inside but crisp on the outside. Great contrast of texture. Best served while still hot.

Ingredients:

2 Cups grated tasty cheese (flamingo or Gouda preferably)
or any cheese that melts when heated.
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
2 eggs
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Extra bread crumbs for coating
Separate egg yolk from white. Mix egg yolk with cheese, breadcrumbs, paprika, and nutmeg. Beat egg white until stiff. Slowly fold in into yolk mixture. Add black pepper. Form into small balls and coat with bread crumbs. Deep fry few at a time in30 seconds or until golden brown. Drain in kitchen paper and serve immediately.

Bread Stripes

Bread Stripes

Ingredients:

5 pieces sandwich bread
Fish paté





Procedure:

Flatten sandwich bread using a rolling pin. Spread fish paté over the flattened bread and roll the sandwich slowly, not breaking the sandwich. Cut into 1 inch thick. Serve with toothpicks.

CHIPS

CHIPS

Chips anyone?? Chips are the easiest appetizer to prepare huh.. just open up the pack and serve! tsk.. tsk... Yes! it is ready-made chips. I just love the way it was arranged and the vibrant colors. The sauce in the middle is mixture of mayonaise and ketchup. Posting this for the sake of "presentation" Whatelse could make the eyes eat before the mouths? It is absolutely the presentation!

SPRING ROLLS

Spring Rolls

Honestly, I did not make these.. Ordered from a favorite chinese restaurant called "OCEANS". Mixed vegetables and beef spring rolls. I love the presentation and this is one of my favorit food photos! Served during my farewell party way back in Abu Dhabi.

Onion Rings

Onion Rings

I have tried making onion rings before but ended with soft and very oily. Once I had tried very thick coating. But here is the perfect batter for that! I got this from my sister Dels before.

Ingredients:

Thinly sliced onions
Oil for frying

Batter:
½ Cup flour
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 beaten egg
¼ Cup water

extra cornstarch

Mix all the batter ingredients until smooth. Place extra cornstarch for coating in a separate plat. Dip each sliced onion into the batter and coat with extra cornstarch. Deep fry few at a time. Garnish with sauce and serve immediately while still crispy.

Crispy Kangkong

Crispy Kangkong

I’ve been wondering what could I have for the kangkong we have in our small garden. The helper usually takes it home coz I don’t know what to do with it. I remember once we went to a restaurant in Dumaguete and one of the appetizers they have is “crispy kangkong” I Used the same batter with my previous post for onion rings. The secret is.. serve immediately while still crispy!

Gidunggo (Flavored Oil)

Gidunggo (Flavored oil)

Thisi is exotic flavored oil smells devine with just the right amount of hotness of various chilli.. Just soft enough for everybody’s' taste!

Ingredients :

2 Cup Olive oil
3 grated Carrots
1 Piece red bell pepper
2 whole pieces star anise
6 cloves garlic
2 pcs. bay leaves
6 pcs. small red chilli
1 tablespoon whole black pepper
1 teaspoon whole white pepper

Procedure:

Heat olive oil in a pan and add carrots. Fry carrots until crisp and drain. Discard the crispy carrot and keep the oil. Put all of the other ingredients in a bottle and add the hot carrot oil. You may add various kinds of chilli according to your liking. Store in room temperature.

This oil is smells so great! You can use it to flavor the oil you are using for sautee or you may serve it directly to the table as an optional flavor. This really adds an appetizing taste to your dish, may it be sallad or meat. Anybody can just add the right amount of oil on their food while eating! which my husband loves to do... Actually I've learned this from my husband and modified a bit from his original gidunggo.. This is famous in Angolan cuisine. Enjoy!