Showing posts with label snacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snacks. Show all posts
One thing which I really fell in love with when I was living in the UK was Indian Food. I had of course experienced curry prior to moving over to England. As a young army wife living on a British Army base in Southern Alberta, I had been introduced to it by some British friends. It was love at first bite.
Then when we were living in Fredericton, New Brunswick a number of years later we were introduced to Vegetable Samosas at the Fredericton Farmer's Market which was held every Saturday. I fell in love with those also!
My oldest son and I both loved them and I used to make Samosa deliveries to him after he had grown up and left home and was living in an apartment in downtown Fredericton. Good times!
When I moved to the UK I belonged to an International Women's group in Chester. One of the ladies was Asian and used to make the nicest Indian appetizers. Samosas, pakoras, onion bhaji, etc. They were all fabulous.
A friend of mine, Joy, also made the most beautiful beef/lamb samosas. I enjoyed them at her house many times. You can find her recipe here. We met on Food.com when it was known as Recipezaar and actually spend loads of time in person as well. We share lots of happy memories of time spend together and good food eaten.
My favorite samosas are vegetable ones. I could gobble up a whole plate of them. The recipe I am sharing with you today is a mixture of two recipes. The filling comes from a cookery book entitled World of the East Vegetarian Cooking by Madhur Jaffrey.
The method of putting them together has been adapted from a samosa recipe on BBC Food by Anjum Anand from her book Indian Food Made Easy.
There is nothing out of the ordinary except perhaps for the phyllo dough. This is readily available these days in most grocery stores.
For the filling:
- 4 medium potatoes, boiled, unpeeled and cooled
- 4 TBS vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and minced
- 1 cup (152g) frozen peas
- 1 TBS peeled and grated fresh gingerroot
- 3 TBS minced fresh parsley (or coriander/cilantro)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 4 TBS vegetable oil
You will also need:
- 1 packet of ready made phyllo pastry
- 5 TBS melted butter
I like to use fresh coriander/cilantro, but I know a lot of people don't like the taste of it. You can use fresh flat leaf parsley in its place. You will want to toast the spices before you make the filling. This really brings out their flavors.
This is very easily done in a dry skillet. Just pop them into the skillet and cook, stirring, until they become quite fragrant without burning. Set aside to cool.
I really love the simplicity of these ingredients. There is nothing too extraordinary required, but the flavors and textures when put together are fabulous!
HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE SAMOSAS
These only look complicated. The hardest part is probably folding them up in the pastry. Just follow the instructions and they go together very easily. Once you get the first one done, the rest are simple. Baked and not fried. Quite often I will make the filling a day ahead of time and keep it covered in the refrigerator until I am ready to fill and bake them.
To make the filling, peel the potatoes and dice them into a 1/4 inch dice. Pop into a bowl and set aside.
Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the ground coriander, garam masala, and ground cumin. Cook, stirring until the mixture becomes very fragrant. Set aside and leave to cool.
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently until it turns light brown in color. Add the peas and the ginger, along with 3 TBS water and the parsley. Cover, lower the heat and cook for several minutes until the peas are cooked through.
Add the diced potatoes, salt, and the toasted spices, along with the lemon juice. Cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust seasoning adding more salt if needed. Take off heat and leave to cool completely.
Unroll the phyllo pastry. Cover with some plastic wrap and a damp tea towel. Peel off one piece, keeping the remainder covered. Lay out onto a flat clean surface and brush with melted butter.
Fold one third of the pastry lengthwise towards the middle. Brush with butter again, and fold in one third from the other side. to make a long strip that is triple layered.
Place one heaped spoonful of the filling mixture at one end of the strip, leaving a 1 inch border. Take the right corner and fold diagonally to the left, enclosing the filling and forming a triangle. Fold again along the upper crease of the triangle. Keep folding in this way until you reach the end of the strip.
Brush the outer surface with additional butter. Place onto a large baking sheet, which you have greased with butter. Lightly cover while you make the rest of the samosas.
Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6.
Bake the tray of samosas in the center of the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Serve hot with your favorite Indian condiments. I like chutney with mine!
These really are one of my most favorite things. I could eat a whole plate of these and nothing else and be quite happy. You can sprinkle seeds on them prior to baking if you like. Sesame, poppy or nigella seeds are quite popular.
I love mango chutney with mine, but any jarred chutney works well. I recently purchased a variety of chutney's from Blighty's, which is an online British Food supplier, but if you are keen to make your own, I found some really tasty looking samosa dip recipes here.
If you are as fond of East Indian Flavors as I am, you might also enjoy the following recipes:
COCONUT CHICKEN CURRY - This chicken curry is fabulously fruit and rich, without being overpowering. It is actually a great dish to make when you are first introducing someone to Indian flavors. Its quite simply delicious! Lovely with steamed rice and some naan bread.
LAMB ROGAN JOSH - Lamb lends itself beautifully to curry dishes. This dish starts with a homemade curry paste and is very easy to make. It has a bit of a kick, but not overly so. It smells amazing when it is cooking. It is moderately spiced. The lamb gets melt in the mouth tender. Delicious with pilau rice and crisp poppadoms for scooping up all of that lush sauce.
Vegetable Samosas
Yield: 24 samosas
Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 1 H & 5 M
The filling for these delicious samosas has been adapted from a Madhur Jaffrey recipe in her book, World of the East Vegetarian Cooking. Madhur Jaffrey is the Queen of Indian cookery!
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 4 medium potatoes, boiled, unpeeled and cooled
- 4 TBS vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and minced
- 1 cup (152g) frozen peas
- 1 TBS peeled and grated fresh gingerroot
- 3 TBS minced fresh parsley (or coriander/cilantro)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground cumin seeds
- 2 TBS lemon juice
- 4 TBS vegetable oil
You will also need:
- 1 packet of ready made phyllo pastry
- 5 TBS melted butter
Instructions
- To make the filling, peel the potatoes and dice them into a 1/4 inch dice. Pop into a bowl and set aside.
- Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the ground coriander, garam masala, and ground cumin. Cook, stirring until the mixture becomes very fragrant. Set aside and leave to cool.
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently until it turns light brown in color. Add the peas and the ginger, along with 3 TBS water and the parsley. Cover, lower the heat and cook for several minutes until the peas are cooked through.
- Add the diced potatoes, salt, and the toasted spices, along with the lemon juice. Cook over low heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Taste and adjust seasoning adding more salt if needed. Take off heat and leave to cool completely.
- Unroll the phyllo pastry. Cover with some plastic wrap and a damp tea towel. Peel off one piece, keeping the remainder covered. Lay out onto a flat clean surface and brush with melted butter.
- Fold one third of the pastry lengthwise towards the middle. Brush with butter again, and fold in one third from the other side. to make a long strip that is triple layered.
- Place one heaped spoonful of the filling mixture at one end of the strip, leaving a 1 inch border. Take the right corner and fold diagonally to the left, enclosing the filling and forming a triangle. Fold again along the upper crease of the triangle. Keep folding in this way until you reach the end of the strip.
- Brush the outer surface with additional butter. Place onto a large baking sheet, which you have greased with butter. Lightly cover while you make the rest of the samosas.
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6.
- Bake the tray of samosas in the center of the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, until crisp and golden brown.
- Serve hot with your favorite Indian condiments.
Notes
These can be frozen (unbaked), so long as you have used fresh phyllo pastry. Just freeze on a baking tray until frozen solid and then pop into an airtight container. They will keep for up to six months. When you are ready to cook them, no need to thaw. Brush with more butter and bake until golden brown and heated all the way through.
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Are you ready for the holidays? I have a few more things that I want to make like my mince pies and some short bread cookies.
I'm really excited because I have family coming over from New Brunswick for Christmas. My oldest son and his family. This will be the first Christmas in 24 years that I have had any of my children here and the first time ever I have had grandchildren here for Christmas!
So it's all very exciting!
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My goal is to make this the best Christmas ever. None of us knows how much longer we will be around or what can happen. I am going all out with this one, making it as special as I can.
We are having Turkey on Christmas Day at my sister's and on Christmas Eve we are having a Beef Tenderloin roast.
I plan on playing games with the family on Saturday night and so I have gotten in a bunch of fun card games like Yahtzee, Family Charades, and a really fun one called Things.
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Today I decided to make some Homemade Bits & Bites for us to snack on while we are having fun on Christmas Eve. My sister had made some earlier this week and hers tasted really nice.
They were not as salty as some I have made in the past, and definitely not as salty as the commercial ones! I asked her for the recipe, and she happily shared it with me.
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The original recipe came from here. It did make rather a lot however, so I have cut the recipe in half. It still makes a fair bit, but I am sure we will be able to work our way through it!
When you think of how much you are paying for the commercial brand, it only makes sense to make your own and to be honest, I have always felt that homemade tastes far superior. Plus it is made with all natural ingredients.
There are no surprises here or any MSG, etc.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE HOMEMADE BITS & BITES (SMALL BATCH)
Very simple ingredients. Some seasonings and flavorings and a whole lot of crunchy bits! Oh and butter. Yum!
- 1/2 box (75g) Cheez-it crackers
- 1/2 bag (100g) Goldfish crackers
- 3 cups (85g) Cheerios
- 3 cups (165g) Shreddies
- 3 cups (87g) Rice Chex
- 3 cups (126g) small pretzel or pretzel sticks
- 1 cup (240g) butter, melted
- 2 1/2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Tabasco Sauce (or to taste)
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 Tbsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (In UK use very mild chili powder)
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I can't remember if they have Cheez-its in the UK or not, but I think they have something very similar. What you want is a small cheese cracker. I think Jacobson's makes one.
The other difficult thing to procure over there would be the rice chex cereal. Just use more of the other cereals, or you can use Bugles in their place if you can get them. I seem to recall them having those.
I'll tell you what else would be nice in the UK, plain potato hoops. Incredibly moreish.
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Some people add Spanish peanuts to the mix. I don't. I guess I worry too much about one of the children choking on one.
I used pretzel hoops, but you can use pretzel sticks if you like. I think the sticks are more traditional.
If you don't want the mix to be too hot or spicy, cut back on the Tabasco sauce. Also, in the UK, the ordinary chili powder is far too strong, only use a fraction of the chili powder asked for or use a very mild version.
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HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE BITS & BITES
Other than being a bit time consuming with all the stirring, etc. these are very simple to make and well worth all the time.
Preheat the oven to 250*F/121*C. Have ready a large baking tray or roasting tin.
Mix all of the cereals, crackers and pretzels together in a large bowl.
Whisk together the melted butter and all of the seasonings. Pour this mixture over the cereal mixture, tossing everything together well to coat.
Spread the mixture out on the baking sheet, or in the roasting pan.
Bake for 2 hours, stirring very well without crushing every 15 minutes. (Try to pull the ones from underneath up.) At the end of that time the mixture should be dry and toasted. If not, cook for a further 15 minutes.
Leave to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
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I am not sure why, but this always seems to be a Christmas snack to me. Something to munch on while you are immersing yourself in all of those Hallmark Christmas movies!
Or, yes to nibble on when you have people over for drinks or games.
It doesn't need to be the holidays to enjoy this, however. This tasty snack is great any time of the year, whether you are watching football matches or hockey games or whatever.
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It's great for teen parties and get-togethers. I also happen to think it makes a great hostess gift, or even a gift for your neighbors and friends during the holidays.
Just pop it into a pretty jar and tie it up with a ribbon. Nobody will be complaining! I guarantee!
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EASY PIZZA ROLLS - Children love these, even the big children! They are so quick and easy to make. Serve hot with some marinara sauce for dipping!
CARAMEL POPCORN - Crunchy sweet and incredibly addictive! A delicious snack for when you are watching movies together as a family, packaged up and given as gifts for Christmas, or as a tasty share around on Bonfire Night!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
Yield: 15 cups (approximately)
Homemade Bits & Bites
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 10 M
Ingredients
- 1/2 box (75g) Cheez-it crackers
- 1/2 bag (100g) Goldfish crackers
- 3 cups (85g) Cheerios
- 3 cups (165g) Shreddies
- 3 cups (87g) Rice Chex
- 3 cups (126g) small pretzel or pretzel sticks
- 1 cup (240g) butter, melted
- 2 1/2 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Tabasco Sauce (or to taste)
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1/2 Tbsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (In UK use very mild chili powder)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 250*F/121*C. Have ready a large baking tray or roasting tin.
- Mix all of the cereals, crackers and pretzels together in a large bowl.
- Whisk together the melted butter and all of the seasonings. Pour this mixture over the cereal mixture, tossing everything together well to coat.
- Spread the mixture out on the baking sheet, or in the roasting pan.
- Bake for 2 hours, stirring very well without crushing every 15 minutes. (Try to pull the ones from underneath up.) At the end of that time the mixture should be dry and toasted. If not, cook for a further 15 minutes.
- Leave to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
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The recipe which I am sharing with you today for soft Puffed Wheat Squares is one which I adapted from the page Mennonite Girls Can Cook. These are the best puffed wheat squares.
They are soft and chewy and ooey, gooey, and filled with lots of lovely chocolate flavor. I do not believe that this recipe is Mennonite in origin, but I could be wrong, and often am.
Puffed Wheat cereal is an all-natural product. It is made from whole grains of steamed wheat that are pressurized and then depressurized to create a soft, spongy type of breakfast cereal.
Loads of families had this type of cereal for breakfast when I was a child. It was this or oatmeal. Both were wholesome. Both were economical. We used to get the puffed wheat in a huge bag, but now it comes in a much smaller bag.
This is the brand that I used. You can get it at No Frills, Loblaws, Superstore or the Independant here in town. Fat free and no sugar added.
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Making these squares I was reminded of when my children were growing up. They loved me to make things like these and I made them often. These or Rice Krispie squares. Both were quick and easy snacks that they loved.
They were great for putting into the lunch box or for enjoying as a nice light snack before bed. I have a photograph somewhere of my kiddos helping to clean out the pot after making squares like this. That was their favorite thing to do.
I didn't mind in the least. Good times and happy memories were being made!
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I small batched this recipe to make only 16 (2-inch) squares and half of them I am sending over to my sisters. I don't need a full batch of these around my house! They are so good, and I know I would be tempted to eat them all!
Yes, I am that greedy, especially when it comes to things like this that feel very nostalgic to me. When I am eating one of these, I feel just like a child again.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PUFFED WHEAT SQUARES
Simple store cupboard ingredients. You might have to run to the store for the puffed wheat, but I am betting you have everything else!
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter
- 1/2 cup (175g) corn syrup (in the UK use golden syrup)
- 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
- 1/8 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 3 heaped TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (not the drink mix)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 5 cups (100g) puffed wheat cereal
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I just use regular salted butter. For me it is a bit pretentious to use unsalted butter for cooking with. I can't afford to have both in my kitchen. Think about it, our mothers never had unsalted butter. Never killed us.
I just cut back on any salt (if required) in a recipe to make up for it. There is no salt in this recipe.
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I used golden corn syrup. In America I would use light corn syrup and in the UK I would use Golden Syrup. YUMMMM!!
I already explained what the cereal is above.
Cocoa powder is the type of dry cocoa powder that you would use in baking. Here I use the brand called Fry's. You just need to make sure you are not using powdered chocolate drink mix such as what you would use to make hot chocolate.
Cocoa powder has nothing added to it. It is pretty much just ground cocoa beans. No sugar. No milk. Just the cocoa powder.
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HOW TO MAKE PUFFED WHEAT SQUARES
It doesn't get much easier than this. Melt some stuff together, pour it over the cereal and press into a pan. Wait for it to set up and cut.
Butter an 8-inch square baking pan really well. Set aside. (Alternately you can spray your pan with some canola oil cooking spray.)
Place the butter, both sugars, corn syrup, and cocoa powder into a medium, heavy bottomed, saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce to a low bubble and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the vanilla.
Have the wheat puffs ready in a bowl. Pour the hot mixture over top and mix everything well together. Press into the prepared baking pan. (I found a rubber spatula did a really good job of this.)
Leave to stand until set and then cut into squares to serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
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And that's it. Easy peasy lemon squeasy. I love how they cut so easily into perfect squares. Do be warned, they are addictive. So scrumptious that you can trick yourself into having "just a nibble" and before you know it . . . well, you know . . . gone!
Disappeared. Nada left. In a puff of smoke. Wheat puff smoke. Scrumptious!
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This is my Grandmother's plate. It was a wedding gift. It's not worth anything but means the world to me. I think she would like that I am still using it all these years later.
If you would like some other ideas about delicious cereal snacks, do check out the following:
SWEET MARIE SLICES - These are chock full of crunchy-ness, and chewy-ness, and peanuty-ness, and scrummy-ness . . . with just the right amount of chocolaty-ness to make them incredibly moreish, can't put me down . . . addictive-ness!
SUGARED DATE SQUARES - I like to make these around Christmas time, but they are good anytime. Delectably scrumptious little bites of cereal and dried fruit, cut into squares and rolled in powdered sugar. Betcha can't eat just one!
Puffed Wheat Squares (small batch)
Yield: 16 (2-inch)
Cook time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min
A lovely taste of nostalgia. A quick and easy make that the whole family will love. You will need an 8-inch square pan.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter
- 1/2 cup (175g) corn syrup (in the UK use golden syrup)
- 1/2 cup (100g) white sugar
- 1/8 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 3 heaped TBS unsweetened cocoa powder (not the drink mix)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 5 cups (100g) puffed wheat cereal
Instructions
- Butter an 8-inch square baking pan really well. Set aside.
- Place the butter, both sugars, corn syrup, and cocoa powder into a medium, heavy bottomed, saucepan. Bring to the boil, stirring. Reduce to a low bubble and cook for two minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the vanilla.
- Have the wheat puffs ready in a bowl. Pour the hot mixture over top and mix everything well together. Press into the prepared baking pan. (I found a rubber spatula did a really good job of this.)
- Leave to stand until set and then cut into squares to serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: theenglishkitchen@mail.com
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
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