Tag: snack
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PK’s NoRecipe Insalata Caprese
Does it get any easier than this to wow your guests? Try this simple but visually appealing starter salad and you won’t be disappointed 🙂 .
Arrange slices of mozzarella and tomato on a plate. Garnish with some salad greens (I used Mizuna), basil, olive oil and cracked pepper.
Enjoy,
PK
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Bish’s Burning Mango Salsas
A long time ago I was in Darwin for work and had a few extra days to explore a place I now think of as one of my favourite Australian cities. One of my fondest memories was going to the markets and sampling food that was really unique – fusions of different cultures and tastes I’ve struggled to find anywhere else.
One of the strongest memories of taste was of some dried mango that was dusted with chilli and salt. I’ve not seen this for a while, and with my mother in law giving me a bag of mangoes the other day I decided to embrace my inner Top Ender and see what I can create.
Salsa 1: Mango Salsa with Chilli, Lime and Salt
Take your bounty of mangoes and remove all the flesh from the fruit – as much as you can! I cut the cheeks off and then score the flesh, invert the skin and slide the chunks off (make sure to let the juice dribble in as well, don’t lose that!). Then separately, take a mortar and pestle, and crush up some dried chillies (I still have some really hot birds eye ones from a crop a year or so ago, so I use two for about a small bowl of fruit), and chuck them into the mango chunks. The final two touches – salt (a pinch for a small bowl, but start light and add more if you need to), and some zest of a lime and the juice (about ½ a lime’s worth for a small bowl).
Salsa 2: Mango Salsa with Balachaung
The second one is a bit of a cheat. I am quite fond of a condiment called balachaung, which is a sort of dried relish of dried shallots, garlic, shrimp, salt and chilli. It is a super tasty, hot, salty topping that works a treat on leftovers like fried rice. I get mine from the local Asian supermarkets (pretty much my basket always has some “sweet meat”, a can of soy bean milk and a can of “grass jelly drink”. I’ll have to take PK shopping there sometime…
Repeat the steps above to get the fruit cut up and into a bowl, and then sprinkle the balauchaung on top of the mango. That’s pretty much it – but be careful that you don’t overdo this one.
Serving
Both of these salsas are pretty good by themselves (or on crackers or something), but they also are a pretty good accompaniment to seafood like prawns… which is how we’re going to eat these ones tonight!
Bish
PS pair this dish with Craigo’s NoRecipe BBQ Prawn Skewers
Here are more posts by Bish and uses of chillies:
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PK’s Baked Mashed Potato, Bacon and Cheese Balls
I normally have enough leftovers for at least one lunch when I cook dinner for my family. So you can imagine how good these potato balls are if I had to buy lunch at work the next day :).
Really easy to make ahead of time and sort of healthy as they are baked and not shallow fried, you and your kids will love them.
Notes:
- Make more than you think you need, they are addictive
- You could work in mashed sweet potato and or pumpkin to get vegetables into picky eaters
- They will need to set in the fridge for a bit before cooking
You will be:
- Prepping the ingredients
- Making the potato balls and rolling in breadcrumbs
- Cooking the potato balls
- Serving them up hot
You will need:
- Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooled mashed potato
- 1/2 cup finely diced vegetables (I used celery and spring onions)
- 1/4 cup of cooled finely chopped crispy bacon
- 1/2 cup of breadcrumbs
- 3/4 cup of grated cheese (I used a mix of Parmigiano-Reggiano and cheddar)
- 1 egg (beaten)
- some spray olive oil
- Equipment:
- a chopping board
- a long sharp knife
- a saucepan for the mashed potatoes
- a potato masher
- a frypan for the bacon
- a fork or whisk to beat the egg
- a mixing bowl
- several plates
- an oven tray lined with baking paper
Prepping the ingredients
- Make your mashed potatoes, aiming for 2 cups worth, and pop it in the fridge to cool.
- Fine chop the bacon to end up with 1/4 cups worth, cook to your liking and then pop them in the fridge too.
- Chop the 1/2 cup of vegetables.
- Grate the 3/4 cup of cheese.
- Beat the single egg.
- Mix the above ingredients in a mixing bowl.
- Put the 1/2 cup of bread crumbs on a plate.
Making the potato balls and rolling in breadcrumbs
- Roll small balls of the potato mix and then roll those in flour.
- Pop them onto an oven tray and then into the fridge to set for at least 15 minutes.
They look pretty yummy already:
Ready for the oven:
Cooking the potato balls
- Give the top of the balls a quick spray with spray olive oil and pop the tray into a fan-forced oven (pre-heated to 200C).
- Cook for about 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Perfection:
Firm on the outside with a lovely soft cheesy texture inside:
Serving them up hot
Perfect with some fresh vegetables, sauerkraut and some dipping sauces (tomato and sour cream mixed with fresh coriander) or in a bowl by themselves as finger food :).
Enjoy,
PK
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PK’s Jalapeno, Cheese and Bacon Hot Pockets
A good friend of mine recently asked me where my inspiration comes from when I decide what to cook.
Well, there are a number of factors, sometimes I need to use something in the garden that is going gang busters :).
For example, I have so many home grown Jalapeños and I am always looking for ways to avoid wasting them. There are only so many frozen chilis this family needs and all my friends’ freezers are full of them too.
I came across a recipe called Bacon Jalapeno Cheese Bombs and I knew I had found a winner (see it here). I thought it was excellent but I wanted to use home-made bread dough as I am a dough making newbie.
The result is something that growing up (in Perth, Western Australia) we called ‘hot pockets’. Basically a small chewy bread product full of cheesy goodness.
Notes:
- I was experimenting so they all look a bit different. Next time I am going to glaze them more with the egg mix and also add chopped coriander and diced capsicum.
- My taste-testers also suggested the best ones had a higher ratio of filling to dough and that adding a bit of salt to the dough mix would be good.
You will be:
- Prepping the fillings.
- Making the bread dough.
- Making the hot pockets.
- Cooking the hot pockets.
- Serving them up hot.
You will need:
- Ingredients:
- 600g bread flour and yeast (about enough to make 1 large white loaf)
- extra plain white flour to knead the dough
- a large handful of chopped jalapeños
- 2 large handfuls of cooled chopped crispy bacon
- a large chunk of mozzarella (in brine or vacuum packed is best)
- a small cup of milk or a whisked egg for glazing
- Equipment:
- a chopping board
- a long sharp knife
- a rolling pin
- a large bowl for making dough
- a large bowl for proofing the dough
- an oven tray line with a sheet of baking paper
- a pastry brush
Steps:
Prepping the fillings
- Chop the bacon rashers, cook them on the barbecue (for that smoky taste) and then pop them into the fridge to cool (you need about 2 handfuls).
- Finely chop the jalapeños with the result being about a handful.
- Slice sections of mozzarella, I went for discs about the size of an Australian 20c coin.
Making the bread dough
- Follow the standard method of making bread dough to just after the first rising (making bread dough is so much fun!).
- Give the dough ball a quick kneading and then roll it out somewhat.
Making the hot pockets
- Take a small ball of dough and flatten it down with your hand.
- Pop a disc of mozzarella on it, followed by some crispy bacon bits and chopped jalapeños.
- Then fold the dough around the fillings, crimp and then mould a bit with your hands.
- Pop them on a baking paper lined oven tray as you go.
- When you are finished, glaze each ball with egg or milk and then sprinkle any filling leftovers on the tops :).
Balls of dough ready for fillings:
They see me rollin’ (albeit badly):
Cooking the hot pockets
- Pop the tray into a pre-heated fan forced oven set to 200C.
- Cook for about 15 minutes and or they look golden brown.
Serving them up hot
Even though they can be improved, the result looked, tasted and smelt amazing :).
They were even good the next day after a quick zap in the microwave.
Enjoy,
PK
Related Links:
- see more recipes using chilis here
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Selby’s NoRecipe Chilli
Hey PK, I saw you were asking about ‘no recipe’ recipes and it made me think that mine would definitely be chilli … there are a few reasons for this, it is great sharing food, it’s pretty easy to adapt for vegetarian, vegan and gluten free friends and it can also be eaten with rice, in tacos or nachos … here’s my camping kitchen soft taco version tonight from Emu Park in Queensland, Australia.
I don’t want to make out this is anything like authentic Mexican chilli but my versions always have at least kidney beans, tomatoes, capsicum, onion and are seasoned with paprika, cumin and garlic.
Tonight I added beef mince and corn to the chilli and we had fresh mashed avocado, sour cream, cheese, lettuce and tomato to add to our soft tacos.
Selby
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Selby’s Easy Camping Chilli
Hey PK, I saw you were asking about ‘no recipe’ recipes and it made me think that mine would definitely be chilli … there are a few reasons for this, it is great sharing food, it’s pretty easy to adapt for vegetarian, vegan and gluten free friends and it can also be eaten with rice, in tacos or nachos … here’s my camping kitchen soft taco version tonight from Emu Park in Queensland, Australia.
I don’t want to make out this is anything like authentic Mexican chilli but my versions always have at least kidney beans, tomatoes, capsicum, onion and are seasoned with paprika, cumin and garlic.
Tonight I added beef mince and corn to the chilli and we had fresh mashed avocado, sour cream, cheese, lettuce and tomato to add to our soft tacos.
Selby
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Dr C’s NoRecipe Roast Onion and Pumpkin Pizzas
My scrumptious roasted onion and pumpkin pizzas with spinach and crumbled feta.
Simply mouth watering,
Dr C.
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Dr C’s Roast Onion and Pumpkin Pizzas
My scrumptious roasted onion and pumpkin pizzas with spinach and crumbled feta.
Simply mouth watering,
Dr C.
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PIZZA , PIZZA, PIZZA
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15 MINUTE MEALS
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Dr C’s NoRecipe Tandoori and Coriander Rissoles
Dr C has the right idea on the minimal recipe idea so his is the first ‘RecipeFree’ cab off the rank. Experiment with your own quantities and remember to enjoy yourself :).
He writes:
Try my tandoori and coriander rissoles with chili and mint yoghurt. Eat them with salad or whack’em between two bits of toast with fresh spinach. Yum!
Take say 500 g beef mince and combine with a good whack of tandoori paste, an egg, lots of breadcrumbs (say 2 cups), coriander sprigs and chopped spring onions.
Add salt & pepper, chili and make patties however large or small you want but be consistent.
The only limit to the serving options is your imagination.
Enjoy,
Dr C.
See other ‘RecipeFree’ posts here.
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Dr C’s Tandoori and Coriander Rissoles
Try my tandoori and coriander rissoles with chili and mint yoghurt. Eat them with salad or whack’em between two bits of toast with fresh spinach. Yum!
Take say 500 g beef mince and combine with a good whack of tandoori paste, an egg, lots of breadcrumbs (say 2 cups), coriander sprigs and chopped spring onions.
Add salt & pepper, chili and make patties however large or small you want but be consistent. Then fry the rissoles until they are cooked all the way through.
The only limit to the serving options is your imagination.
Enjoy,
Dr C.
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OTHER OFF THE CUFF MEALS
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