Scotch Eggs

So Scotch Eggs are pretty retro. I remember them from childhood dinners but I had never attempted them before, partly because I was put off by having to deep fry them. Luckily there are an abundance of  baked versions out there. I took a photo of this recipe from an old Better Homes and Gardens magazine and then promptly lost all other details. 

The verdict? Really tasty! The kids loved the surprise egg in the middle and I loved that they tasted just as good cold from the fridge the next day. Perfect for school lunches or a picnic. I guess some things are a classic for a reason!

Baked Scotch Eggs

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine

6 large boiled eggs

500g pork and veal mince

2 rashers of bacon

1 small onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 ts dried oregano

1 tbs worcestershire sauce

1 tbs tomato sauce

1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs

olive oil spray

Preheat oven to 180 / 160 degrees celsius fan-forced. Lightly grease a baking tray with oil spray and set aside.

In a large bowl add the mince, bacon, onion, garlic, oregano and sauces. Add some freshly ground black pepper and mix well to combine. Use your hands for best results. Divide the mixture into 6 equal portions and roll each into a ball. 

Using wet hands, flatten out each ball into a large patty, place the egg in the middle and wrap the mince patty around the egg, making sure it is completely enclosed. Repeat with remaining mince and eggs then roll each of them in breadcrumbs and place on the baking tray.

Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Fruit Scones

Apart from being absolutely delicious, what I love about scones is that they take no time at all to prepare! There are lots of scone recipes out there, most of which contain cream and most of which I find very rich and a bit heavy. This recipe is one I have been making since I was a kid. It's virtually foolproof. I even make it in a food processor and they still turn out well!

Fruit Scones

Recipe from The Australian Women's Weekly Original Cookbook, ACP 1977, p194

3 cups self-raising flour

1/4ts salt

1/4 cup sugar

60g cold butter, in chunks

1 cup milk

1 egg

1 cup sultanas or dried fruit of your choice (I used mixed fruit)

Preheat the oven to 270/250 degrees celsius fan-forced. Lightly grease a baking tray and set aside.

Sift the flour into a large bowl and rub the butter in using your fingertips. Stop when the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Stir in the sultanas and sugar then add the beaten egg and most of the milk. Use a butter knife to bring the dough together, it should be soft and not too sticky.

Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and gently bring together, patting it out to approximately 2cm thick. Use a 5cm (2 inch) cutter to cut out rounds and place on prepared tray, leaving a centimetre or so between them. Gently press together the scraps and dough and repeat. Brush the tops with milk and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until they are golden brown and smelling delicious.

Makes approx 12 depending on the size of your cutter.

These are also great to freeze for snacks. Scones do tend to dry out a little when frozen but if you don't overbake them, a quick zap in the microwave will freshen them up. A generous smear of butter also helps!

TWD BWJ - Biscotti

I think every baker has something they fear, whether it be caramel, pastry or decorating cakes. For me in the past it has been biscotti. Sounds crazy for something so simple but I have never been able to get it right! So in an attempt to overcome this silly fear I made this week's pick twice (which I never do).

I have a huge bag of raw almonds in the fridge so that's what I went with rather than buying hazelnuts. 

Batch one I made with almonds, vanilla and cinnamon and replaced the booze with milk. The dough mixed up well, looked great when it was baked but then pretty much fell apart when I sliced it. So I ended up with chunky crumbly-edged tooth-breakers. Really tasty dunked in tea but not much good for anything else!

Batch two I made with almonds, cocoa and brandy. I chopped the nuts up more finely and when it came time to slice I used my best serrated knife and took it really slowly. 

Success!  These were pretty much the perfect biscotti. I got the size right, they sliced cleanly and were lovely and toasty. And of course delicious! I would happy giving these as gifts come Christmas time which is a pretty big tick of approval!

Our hosts this week are Jodi of Homemade and Wholesome and Katrina of Baking and Boys. They will have the recipe for the original hazelnut biscotti on their blogs so make sure you go and check it out!

Meatless Monday - Chole Chaat (Chickpea Curry)

Chole Chaat is basically a chickpea and tomato curry flavoured with ginger and garam masala. It is hearty and warming and just perfect for this ridiculous cold-snap we are having in Brisbane at the moment. 

It is hands-down one of our favourite meals and both our boys practically lick their plates clean when we have this for dinner, which is a pretty big tick of approval! I honestly don't think I was eating chickpea curry at 19 months old!

Like most curries it tastes better the next day so make it ahead of time, even a few hours, if you can.

Chole Chaat

Adapted from A Little Taste of India, Murdoch Books, 2003 p129

3 cans of chickpeas

2 tbs ghee or oil

1 onion, finely diced

1 ts ground coriander

1 ts ground cumin

1 ts ground turmeric

1 ts garam masala

2 cm piece fresh ginger, grated

2 red chillies, finely diced (or 1/2ts hot chilli powder)

1 tin diced tomatoes

1 tbs veggie stock powder

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the onion until golden and softened. Add the dry spices and cook 1 minute. Add the ginger, chilli and tomato and stir to combine. Add the chickpeas and 1 tomato tin of water along with the stock powder. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 - 30 minutes. Serve with brown rice and a sprinkling of fresh coriander.

Serves 4. 

This post is linked with Veggie Mama's Meatless Mondays:

Sunday Baking - Apple and Cinnamon Muffins

I've been thinking a lot about healthy lunchbox ideas recently. My husband takes his lunch to work every day (saving us literally thousands of dollars a year!) and always likes a little sweet something to have with his morning coffee. It's now also only a matter of months until Oscar starts kindy next year when having interesting and healthy treats will become even more important. 

These apple and cinnamon muffins are something I've been making for awhile and are a bit of a twist on what can be a sugar and fat-filled indulgence. They stay really moist and are perfect to freeze for lunches.

Apple & Cinnamon Muffins

Recipe by me

3/4 cup self-raising flour

3/4 cup wholemeal plain flour

1/4 cup rapadura or brown sugar

1 ts baking powder

1 ts cinnamon

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup low fat milk

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 ripe banana, mashed

1 large apple, washed and grated (skin and all)

1 egg

Preheat oven to 180 / 160 degrees celsius. Line a 12 cup muffin tray and set aside.

In a large bowl add the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, oats and sugar and whisk to combine. 

In a smaller bowl place the milk, egg, coconut oil and banana and whisk together. 

Add the grated apple to the dry ingredients then pour over the wet ingredients. Using a fork, stir until only just combined.

Spoon the mix into the prepared tray and bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean. Makes 12. Suitable to freeze.

I was pretty happy with this batch but they did stick to the paper cases a bit. Not a huge problem though and Oscar loved eating the extra 'cake' on the paper!