Pasties and Butter Tarts

Just to clarify: pasties is pronounced with a short "a." Not the stick on bras, the northern Michigan meat and vegetable pies. I know what you're thinking: Sarah is posting a recipe with meat? Well, I made them last night for Father's Day (Happy Father's Day, Dad!), and they turned out so well that I decided to blog about it. Butter Tarts were also on the menu, but I think I've blogged about those before, so they get an honorable mention for all of the hard work. I know, it's been quite a few months since I've been on the blog scene. What can I say? I got busy. Married life is hectic. Anyway, just for fun, here's my family after the photo shoot for the wedding:

I did not manage to take any pictures of the pasties last night, but they tasted wonderful. For reference, I am including veggie alternatives, because Mom, Chris, and I certainly didn't have the meat version. The crust was perfectly flaky - I would strongly suggest following the recipe exactly (as I did, against my usual m.o.).

Crust

3 c. flour
1 1/2 sticks butter (cold and cut into bits)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. water

In a large bowl, combine flour, butter and salt. Blend ingredients until well combined and add water, one tablespoon at a time to form a dough. Toss mixture until it forms a ball. Kneed dough lightly against a smooth surface with heel of the hand to distribute fat evenly. Form into a ball, dust with flour, wrap in wax paper and chill for 30 minutes. Note: this is enough for either the meat or the veggie version. Double if making both.

Filling

1/2 lb. ground beef
3 carrots, chopped
1 lg. onion, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 c. rutabaga, chopped (can substitute turnip)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Veggie Substitute

1/2 lb fresh green beans
3 carrots, chopped
2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 lg. onion, chopped
2 radishes, minced (I used radishes instead of rutabaga because Saipan has no rutabaga)
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tbsp. butter, softened

Combine all ingredients in large bowl. Divide the dough into 6 pieces, and roll one of the pieces into a 10-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Put 1 1/2 cups of filling on half of the round. Moisten the edges and fold the unfilled half over the filling to enclose it. Pinch the edges together to seal them and crimp them decoratively with a fork. Transfer pasty to lightly buttered baking sheet and cut several slits in the top. Roll out and fill the remaining dough in the same manner. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Put 1 tsp. butter through a slit in each pasty and continue baking for 30 minutes more. Remove from oven, cover with a damp tea towel, cool for 15 minutes.

Breakfast Crepes

Breakfast is certainly not my usual forte, but for some reason, I was inspired last Saturday. Probably had to do with sleeping in, and having my mother actually stay at home instead of diving on Saturday morning. Anyway, it started with fruit crepes, and eventually became a girls' breakfast with tea, outside on the patio (see the opening picture).

The crepes themselves are quite simple to make, as shown in the recipe. The trick is the accompaniments. For this breakfast, I included frozen blueberries, frozen strawberries, butter, and powdered sugar in a sifter (sifted sugar comes out smoothly, without clumps). My mother suggested completely thawing the fruit and then mixing in sugar, a sort of compote. Perhaps I'll try that next time. Anyway, your imagination is the limit for what can be served with the crepes: whipped cream, cinnamon and sugar, syrup, pesto - okay, I just love pesto, and it might be a little odd on crepes, but you get my point.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup flour
2 egg whites
1/2 cup soy milk (or skim if you prefer)
1 pinch salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup mixed frozen berries, your choice
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar for dusting

DIRECTIONS
Whisk together the flour, egg whites, milk, salt, and oil in a large bowl until smooth. Batter should be thin and runny.
Lightly coat a skillet with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet. Tilt the pan in a circular motion to allow the batter to spread to the edges. Cook until the bottom is light brown, about 2 minutes. Flip the crepe and cook another 2 minutes. Place fruit in crepe, fold in half. Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve.

Tomato Dal Soup

You may be wondering what exactly a picture of Chris and me has to do with Tomato Dal Soup, and I don't really have a good answer, other than that I forgot to take a picture of the soup and this picture is nice. Observe the bunny ears which Chris cannot resist making during a picture of us, even if he doesn't put them behind my head. Not sure why, but if he's making bunny ears, his smile seems more natural. Something about making trouble and smiling...

Anyway, I made Tomato Dal Soup the other night, and it is now a favorite of the household. Chris made two requests for this week's menu: tomatoes and avocado. I've done great with the tomatoes, but not so much with the avocados. Will try to remedy that tonight. This recipe does take a while to cook properly, but it's not labor-intensive so you can wonder off and cook other things while waiting for the soup (I made couscous tabbouleh). Below is a picture of the lovely vegetable buillion Joeten Garpan is finally stocking, and the stock adds a nice compliment where the original recipe only called for water.

Ingredients
5 tablespoons picked-over split skinned yellow lentils
4 cups vegetable buillion
1 1/2 tablespoons ghee (butter very slowly heated until browned)
1 1/2 teaspoons black mustard seeds (I substituted ground yellow mustard with a nice result)
2 fresh hot red chilies such as serrano or Thai, halved lengthwise
1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Garnish:
fresh cilantro sprigs

Method
Wash dal (lentils) in several changes of water until water runs clear and drain well in a sieve. Cook dal at a bare simmer in 1 1/2 cups water in a 3-quart saucepan until most of water is evaporated and dal has consistency of a paste, This process took me much more than 1 1/2 cups of water, but I just kept adding water until the dal broke down into a paste. Should take 40 to 45 minutes, stirring frequently during last 15 minutes to prevent scorching.
Heat ghee in a 6-quart heavy saucepan over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then cook mustard seeds and red chile, stirring, until seeds begin to pop. Add 1 1/2 cups water and remaining ingredients (but not dal paste). Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add dal paste and remaining cup water, stirring to incorporate. Bring soup to a boil, stirring occasionally, and season with salt and pepper.

Asparagus Soup

In honor of St. Patrick's Day (Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!), I am posting green food - namely, Asparagus Soup. I know, I know. The title evokes childhood memories of "Ew, I hate asparagus." Well, I used to think that as well, but this soup recipe might just change that. If seasoned well (don't be shy with the nutmeg, salt and pepper), it has a rich flavor that tempts going back for a second bowl.

There is another reason I am posting a soup recipe today. Today, unsuspecting that this was a day unlike many others, I walked into Joeten Garapan with my Mom for some snacks. They had restocked the spice area, and that naturally drew my attention. And then I saw it. Blue label, white container, in the buillion section. The label? VEGETABLE BUILLION! Yes, Saipan finally has vegetable buillion after 5 solid months without it. I think I actually squeaked in my excitment. Not sure if I amused or embarassed my mother, but this was truly a special day. I got four containers and will buy more with the next paycheck. And you know what that means: more soup blogs! So enjoy, and I hope anyone who reads my blog for the next few weeks really loves soup.

Ingredients
• 1 3/4 lb asparagus, woody ends removed
olive oil
• 2 medium white onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, trimmed and copped
• 2 leeks, trimmed and chopped
• 3 cups vegetable stock (chicken stock will substitute if you have no vegetable stock at hand, but I did!)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
nutmeg to taste

Method
Chop the tips off your asparagus and put these to one side for later. Roughly chop the asparagus stalks.
Get a large, deep pan on the heat and add about 1/4 cup of olive oil. Gently fry the onions, celery and leeks for around 10 minutes, until soft and sweet, without coloring. Add a little water if the pan becomes too dry.
Add the chopped asparagus stalks and stock and simmer for 20 minutes with a lid on.
Remove from the heat, let cool slightly, and then use either a regular or hand held blender (or food processor) to blend the soup in batches. Season the soup in each batch with salt, pepper and a hint of nutmeg until just right.
Put the soup back on the heat, stir in the asparagus tips, bring back to a boil, and then remove from heat. Asparagus tips should be slightly cooked while retaining their crunchy texture.

Flour Tortillas

As promised, I am posting my flour tortilla recipe today. I would have posted a recipe for asparagus lemon gnocchi, but I left the gnocchi to boil too long, and they became a stew. The stew turned out quite well, but perhaps I'll blog about things I actually intended to create. As stated in the fish taco blog, I made flour tortillas from hand, and it took a great deal of time and effort. If you don't have a spare hour and desire a good workout, just buy the tortillas in the store. These did turn out tasty, but as I said, quite a bit of effort.


INGREDIENTS
4 cups flour (white or wheat)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup warm water

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking powder. Pour in water; stir to combine. Mix in additional water in 1 tablespoon increments, until a soft pliable dough is formed.
Knead briefly on a lightly floured surface. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces. Cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
Flour each ball well, place between two pieces of wax paper and roll out to desired size and thickness.
Heat an ungreased skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Peel away wax paper and grill rounds until brown flecks appear underneath. Turn and cook other side. Serve warm or cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Cabbage, Ginger and Sesame Stir Fry

This recipe has quite a citrus bite - very refreshing and the perfect side dish for a light fish dish.

Ingredients (serves 4)
2 tbs sesame seeds
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbs peanut oil or sunflower oil
1 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 lemon, juiced
1 small (about 1kg) savoy cabbage, finely shredded
1 tbs chopped fresh coriander
1 tbs light soy sauce
Freshly ground pepper

Method
Heat a wok or large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the sesame seeds and cook, tossing until golden. Set aside.
Heat the sesame oil and peanut oil in the wok or frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the ginger, garlic and lemon juice and stir-fry for 10 seconds. Add the cabbage and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until it just begins to wilt.
Remove from the heat and stir in the coriander, lemon juice and soy sauce. Season with pepper. Serve immediately sprinkled with the toasted sesame seeds.

Fish Tacos

Fish tacos are a staple at my house, mostly because my fiance insists upon it. If ever I ask the family what they want for dinner, Dad says meat or "I don't care," Mom says spaghetti, and Chris says fish tacos. It never fails. I attempted to take pictures of last night's fish tacos I made for Chris, but my camera just was not cooperating. The one thing I did catch was the tortilla rising. Check out that tortilla! That is a lovely bubble.

The latest thing Saipan ran out of is tortillas, and so I made my own. A word to the wise, don't make your own tortillas unless you have a significant amount of time to waste. Otherwise, you'll work yourself into exhaustion rolling the darn things out. Anyway, I'll post the recipe in another entry soon, just in case anyone is desperate for tortillas, and hope the fish tacos inspire.

Ingredients
Fish:
3 fish fillets, preferably Mahi Mahi or Tilapia, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp season salt
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Veggie Mix:
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
2 tsp white wine
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp season salt
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Tacos
Tortillas
Grated Cheese
Salsa
1 cucumber, chopped

Method
Heat olive oil in medium skillet for fish, and then sauté garlic until slightly browned. Add all other ingredients, mixing well, and cook until fish just begins to flake.
Heat olive oil in large skillet for veggies, and then sauté garlic and onion until garlic is slightly browned. Add spices and bell peppers, and sauté until just beginning to soften.
Heat olive oil in small skillet for mushrooms, and then sauté garlic until slightly browned. Add white wine and allow to heat. Add mushrooms and cook until fragrant.
Combine mushrooms with other veggies, then serve veggies and fish with all remaining taco ingredients.

Stuffed Tomatoes

During one of my grocery shopping exertions, I found large, ripe, beautiful looking tomatoes. This may not seem like a news-worthy event, but Saipan has not had decent tomatoes in months now. To celebrate, I decided to try my hand at stuffed tomatoes, but I just could not find a recipe that suited what I wanted. In the end, I made my own recipe, and I couldn't be more happy with the results (unless, of course, I had remembered to include the black olives I had originally planned to use). Two stuffed tomatoes make a rather filling meal, and I served mine with baked spring rolls - but that must wait for a new entry.
Ingredients
8 medium tomatoes
8 oz feta cheese
1 lb spinach
12 oz mushrooms
1 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

Method
Cut top off of tomatoes and scoop out and discard seeds.
Sauté garlic in heated olive oil until slightly brown and then add mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are fragrant and then add spinach and stir. Cook until spinach is slightly wilted, and then remove from heat.
Combine feta cheese, mushroom mixture and pine nuts, and then stuff tomatoes with mixture.
Bake at 375 F on an oiled, ridged baking sheet for 20-25 minutes until tomato skins split.

California Rolls

Meet my sous chef of the evening. Here is my wonderful fiance with the Ube ice cream that I made him throw out last night. He's quite proud of his several-year-old science experiment, which formed rather nice ice crystals. Not only did he mostly make the California Rolls last night, he also had to put up with me throwing out the vast majority of his refrigerator contents in preparation for the move. What can I say? Food that expired in 2006 just holds no appeal for me.

Anyway, as mentioned, last night we made California Rolls for dinner, along with baked Mahi Mahi. The seasoning on the fish turned out wonderfully, but the fish was a little dry for my tastes. I'll blog about fish-baking when I get a little better at it. As for the California Rolls, I prepared the ingredients, but most of the credit goes to my wonderful sous chef Chris. He assembled the rolls like an expert, I must say. Didn't even have to fire him last night. The recipe is rather simple, but it makes for a fun dinner - and healthy, too!

Ingredients
10 nori (seaweed) strips
1/2 cucumber, cut into wedges
1/2 lb crab, cut into wedges
1 avocado, cut into wedges
1 cup sticky rice, cooked
~1 tbsp rice vinegar

Method
Mix vinegar and rice.
Place one nori strip onto a sushi rolling mat (see picture). Using moist fingers, spread about 2 tbsp rice on nori, leaving room at the end to seal the roll. Place one or two strips of cucumber, crab and avocado on the rice, and then use the mat to roll the nori. Wet the end to seal, and place, seal down, on a cutting board. Let sit for about 2-3 minutes, and then use very sharp knife to cut into bit sized pieces. Repeat until all nori sheets are used.

Raspberry Yoghurt Muffins

Last Saturday I woke up and had a definite and strong muffin craving. No muffin mix in the pantry (my favorite is blueberry), and no obvious muffin additions in the fridge. And then I spotted the plain yoghurt, and figured why not. I found a recipe for yoghurt muffins, but then I had another idea: raspberry jam. This recipe is almost entirely from my imagination, and this is one time where my experimental side served me well.

Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, soft
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup plain yoghurt
1/4 cup raspberry jam
1/2 tsp lemon juice
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

Method
Beat together sugar and butter until fluffy. Add vanilla extract and stir.
Mix together yoghurt, raspberry jam and lemon juice, and then add to butter mixture.
Mix flour and baking soda, and then combine with butter mixture. Stir to combine well.
Pour batter into non-stick muffin tin and bake at 350 F for about 10-15 minutes.
Makes 12.