notes from my food diary

This is one of the first two posts that I made last year just before the Christmas holiday began.  I didn’t have time to post this and felt like maybe today is the right time to finally write about it.  Just last night I was watching an episode of Last Restaurant Standing series where they talked about takeaway meal, and in the beginning the host was talking about pasty pie   The recipe came from the book Eat Feed Autumn Winter which was given to me by Anne Bramley.  Pasty pie is a flat, mostly circular pastry pie with beef, potatoes and onion filling.  Originally this was eaten by the coal miners as lunch in mining towns of England.  The shape of the pie made it easy to transport and it could stay warm for several hours, perfect for those men who work in the mines.  More often, one end of the pie contains savory filling and the other end contains sweet filling.  That way they get to eat a meal and a dessert at the same time. 

This particular recipe used rutabagas with the beef and potatoes.  I tried hard to like rutabagas, but honestly I didn’t think I could in any way like rutabagas.  The flavor was too strong for me even though the texture was similar to potatoes once it is cooked.  I felt like my tastebud was still immature to enjoy root vegetable like this.

Authentic pasty pie is made into individual serving, but this pie was made to serve for the whole family at dinner time.  If any of you like me, who don’t like rutabaga, feel free to substitute it with more potatoes. 

Pasty Pie

Serves 6

Crust:

1 large egg yolk (reserve the white)

1 tablespoons mmilk

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1/4 cup ice water

Filling:

1 pound Russet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3/4 pound rutabaga, peeled and thinly sliced

1 pound London broil or sirloin beef, thinly sliced

1/2 cup packed chopped parsley

1 samll onion, or 1/2 large onion, thinly sliced

1 large egg white

To make the crust:  Whisk together the egg yolk and milk in a small bowl.  In a food processor, combine the flour and salt.  Pulse to combine.  Add the butter and pulse several time until the butter is the size of marble.  With the motor running, pour the ice water, then pour the egg and milk mixture until the dough forms a large clumps.  Turn the dough onto a lightly floured pastry board or counter.  Lightly knead the dough about 3 times to bring it together.  Divide the dough in half, shape each into a disk, and wrap each in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degree F.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

To make the filling: Remove one dough disk from the refrigerator.  On a lightly floured surface roll into a 13-inch circle.  Keep lifting and turning as you go to prevent sticking, and flour your surface if necessary.  Transfer the crust into the parchment-lined baking sheet.

On the bottom crust, create a layer with half of the potatoes, overlapping slightly, leaving a 1-to 2-inch border of crust.  Generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Next create a layer of half of the rutabaga, overlapping slightly.  Repeat the first two layers, sprinkling with salt and pepper and a teaspoon of water.  Layer half the London broil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and water.  Sprinkle with half the parsley.  Add all the onion, salt, pepper, and water.  Finish with the remaining beef, salt, pepper, water; the remaining parsley, salt, pepper water.

Roll the second dough disk into a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface.  Keep lifting and turning as you go to prevent sticking, and flour your surface as necesarry.  Lay the top crust over the pie.  Seal the edges of the top and bottom crust and fold over all around, using your fingers to create a rope-like design.  Make sure to leave no cracks.  In a small bowl, whisk together the egg white and 1 teaspoon water.  Brush the wast all over the crust.  With a sharp knife, make a few cuts in the top crust to allow the steam to escape.  Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until golden brown.  Cool for 5 minutes, cut into wedges, and serve.

Source:  adapted from Eat Feed Autumn Winter by Anne Bramley

I’m back posting!  I realized that it’s been a while since I posted my last entry, the time just flew out the window for sure.  Early January meant the school started, a day earlier this year, and also meant that I had to go back to work.  I got caught up with work, other activities, and pure laziness, I guess, that I haven’t had a chance to write anything here. 

This is one of the recipes that I tried from the same book.  They’re called Phyllo Cigars because their shapes were like cigars, albeit itty-bitty cigars.  I’ve made these at least once before but this was the first time I made them right.  The first time I made them, I cut the phyllo dough wrong.  They turned out great, taste wise, but the shape was nothing to be proud of.  This time, perfect.

The filling used here was ground lamb, but you could substitute it with ground beef.  The combination of rosemary and thyme married well with my Indonesian cooking that this time my family ate them with gado-gado, or Indonesian salad with peanut sauce.  My son, particularly, loved these cigars; since they’re crunchy they go well with sligthly soft vegetables in the gado-gado. 

Phyllo Cigars

Makes about 24 phyllo cigars

Lamb Filling

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup finely diced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 pound ground lamb

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Phyllo Cigars

9 to 11 sheets phyllo dough, thawed according to manufacturer’s directions

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

To make the lamb filling:

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.  Add the lamb and cook until browned, about 8 minutes, breaking the meat as it cooks.  Stir in the rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Remove from the heat and cool.  Put the mixture in a food processor and pulse until you get an evenly fine texture, being careful not to grind it to a paste.

Preheat the oven to 375 degree F.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

To make the phyllo cigars: 

Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface with the long side toward you.  Brush lightly with the melted butter.  Lay another sheet of phyllo on top.  Keep the remaining sheets covered with a damp towel.  Brush the second layer with butter.  Lay the last sheet of phyllo on top, brush the third layer with butter.  Cut the phyllo in half lengthwise so that you have 2 half-sheets, one above the other.  Cut each half into fourths so you have 8 equal-size wrappers.  With the short side facing you lay 1 scant tablespoon of filling at the bottom of the wrapper.  Roll up the filling in the phyllo dough partway.  Fold in the sides and continue to roll into a cigar shape.  Place, seam side down, on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with the remaining filling and sheets of dough.

Brush the cigars with butter and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until crisp and golden brown.

Source:  adapted from Eat Feed Autumn Winter by Anne Bramley

For a long time, pasta has been the second staple item in our family besides rice. From simpe to complicated dish, pasta equals comfort. I cooked a simple dish for Daily Tiffin: Show Me Your Lunch Box, which was spaghetti with steak. The original recipe is from an Indonesian cookbook (a compilation of pasta recipes with Indonesian flair!) and the steak’s sauce is actually accented with whole black pepper. I didn’t think that it’d be as enjoyable to eat for the whole family since my son can’t stand spicy foods. Just before I made the dish, I decided to marinade steak pieces with Montreal Steak Seasonings from McCormick brand. As a result everyone liked it and my son was happy not to have to eat spicy foods!

I posted the recipe here because I want to share with my Indonesian friends too. I’d be glad to translate the recipe here for those who wish to try it. Just let me know…

The photo was composed for my husband’s lunchbox the next day

Here is the recipe translated to English:

Spaghetti with Steak
Yields 4 servings

250 gr spaghetti
Shredded Parmesan cheese

400 gr top sirloin steak, slice thinly
Salt and pepper
1-2 tablespoons Montreal Steak Seasoning (McCormick brand)

For the sauce:
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
50 gr yellow onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
250 gr beef broth
Salt and a pinch or so of sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch diluted with 1 tablespoon of water

Marinade the steak slices with the seasoning and salt and pepper. Leave for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Once cook, drain, let it warm while you cook the steak.

Heat the pan with olive oil/butter, sautee the onions and garlic until soft. Add the steak slices and sautee until the meat changes color.

Add tomato paste, oregano, salt and sugar. Stir to combine. Pour the broth into the pan and let it boil. Lower the heat and cook with low heat until the steak is tender. Add the cornstarch solution and stir until thickened. Take the pan off the heat.

Put the spaghetti in a dish and add steak and sauce on top of it. Sprinkle shredded Parmesan cheese on top of the dish.

Source: adapted from Hidangan Pasta ala Resto book by Sufi S.Y.

When I think about rolade, my mind immediately draw a comparison between American meatloaf and rolade. They are basically the same kind of food, made of ground beef or ground turkey, or a combination of some other ground meat, eggs, bread crumbs and spices. This rolade is made extra special with the addition of more eggs, turkey bacon and white cheddar cheese slices. I made it more special by adding garlic powder in rolade, the result is excellent! Last night the three of us ate it with green salad and baked potato fries

Rolade Daging A la Picnic Roll
Untuk 8 porsi

Bahan:
400 gram daging giling
100 gram daging turkey giling (aslinya daging ayam)
3 sendok makan tepung roti
3 sendok makan bawang goreng
1/2 sendok teh pala bubuk
4 butir telur
1 1/2 sendok teh garam
1 sendok teh merica bubuk
1/2 sendok teh garlic powder

3 lembar turkey bacon (aslinya daging asap), dipotong halus panjang
3 butir telur rebus, masing-masing dibagi 2 bagian memanjang
4 lembar keju lembaran (saya pakai white cheddar cheese), masing-masing dipotong 2 memanjang

Bahan Saus:
1 buah bawang bombay, dicincang halus
2 sendok makan mentega
2 buah tomat, diparut
3 sendok makan kecap manis
1 sendok makan saus tiram
1 sendok makan saus tomat
2 sendok teh garam
1/2 sendok teh merica bubuk
1/2 sendok teh pala bubuk
1/2 sendok teh gula pasir
500 ml kaldu
3 sendok teh tepung maizena + 1 sendok makan air kaldu

Cara membuat:
Rolade: aduk rata, daging, turkey, tepung roti, bawang goreng, pala, telur, garam, merica, dan garlic powder

Gunakan loyang bongkar pasang setengah lingkaran. Gunakan bagian tengahnya. Letakkan sebagian adonan daging. Tata telur diatasnya.

Taruh irisan turkey bacon. Diatasnya tata juga keju lembaran. Tutup dengan adonan daging.

Kukus rolade. Setelah matang, goreng sampai kecokelatan.

Saus: panaskan mentega. Tumis bawang bombay sampai harum. Masukkan tomat parut, kecap manis, saus tiram, saus tomat, gram, merica, pala bubuk, gula dan kaldu. Rebus mendidih. Kentalkan dengan larutan maizena.

Sajikan rolade yang sudah dipotong-potong dengan sausnya.

Source: Sedap Sekejap magazine

Tips:
Kalau tidak ada loyang bongkar pasang setengah lingkaran, gunakan plastik dan bungkus adonan setengah lingkaran. Ikat kedua ujungnya.

Ahh…Memorial Day weekend is here. What a better way to enjoy the weekend with anything grilled! This is a recipe taken from Madhur Jaffrey’s Step-by-Step Cooking. She is a wonderful cook, writes everything in details, and produces delicious dishes. I’ve tried this recipe before and I’m sure you’ll like it too. In Vietnam, I imagine, people refer to this dish as boeuf brochette or boeuf Napoleon. This tempting dish is cooked over charcoal or wood grill and its aroma is definitely mouth-watering!

This will be my first post to enter Virtual Recipe Club owned by Savory Notebook. This month event of VCR titled Food on a Stick is hosted by Tummy Treasure. I actually didn’t know this event until I visited Gabriella’s blog because she was so nice to drop by and left few comments here. Thanks to you Gabriella!

I served this beef with rice but you can serve it as stated in the recipe, using lettuces. You will have to take the meat off the skewers and then put them on top of the lettuce leaf. On top of the meat you will put all the garnishes, wrap the lettuce and dip it into Fish Sauce Seasoned with Lime Juice and eat it. The way I eat it is to serve it with warm cooked rice, put some salad of cucumber, radish, carrots and lettuce on the side. You could add tomatoes to it too. Drizzle the salad with your favorite dressing, Asian style preferably, and enjoy your meal!

Napoleon Beef On A Skewer (Thit Bo Lui)
Serves 4

1 stick fresh lemon grass
90 gr (3 1/2 oz) onion
75 gr (3 oz) red pepper
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder, or to taste
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
450 gr (1 lb) lean steak, about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick

To Serve
about 12 crisp inner leaves of iceberg, cos, or other crisp lettuce (optional)
some sliced spring onion (optional)
cucumber slices (optional)
few fresh mint leaves (optional)
few small fresh coriander sprigs (optional)
few small fresh bean sprouts (optional)
Crisply Fried Shallot Flakes (recipe below)
Roasted Peanuts, crushed
Fish Sauce Seasoned with Lime Juice (recipe below)

Slice the fresh lemon grass crossways as thinly as possible, starting at the bulbous end and going up about 15 cm (6 inches). Discard the straw-like top.

Peel and coarsely chop the onion. Desseed and coarsely chop the red pepper. Combine the lemon grass, onion, red pepper, salt, black pepper and chilli powder in an electric blender. Blend to a smooth paste, adding a few tablespoons of water if necessary.

Put the oil in a medium, preferably non-stick, frying pan and set it over a fairly high heat. When the oil is hot, add the paste from the blender. Stir and fry for 6-8 minutes or until the paste has darkened in color; lower the heat towards the end of this cooking time to avoid over-browning if necessary. Leave the paste to cool.

Hold a large knife at a 135 degree angle to your work surface (45 degree for left-handers) and cut the piece of meat against the grain into very thin slices (i.e. at a slight diagonal). Cut these slices into 2.5 cm (1 inch) pieces and put into a bowl.

Add the paste and oil from the frying pan and mix well. Cover and set aside to marinade at least 1 hour, or up to 24 hours if possible, refrigerating as necessary. (you may put the meat on its skewers before you set it aside, if that is more convenient).

Wash and dry the salad leaves and herbs, if using. Wash the bean sprouts and immerse in a bolw of cold water until ready to use, then drain thoroughly. Arrange the salda and herbs, if using, on a serving plate.

Preheat an indoor grill or an outdoor charcoal grill. Thread the meat fairly tightly on to 2-4 skewers – the number of skewers required will depend upon their length. Grill the meat about 13 cm (5 inches) from the heat source for about 5 minutes on one side, then turn and cook on the opposite side for 3-4 minutes. Serve as suggested.

Crisply Fried Shallot Flakes

7 shallots, or 2 medium onions
Salt
Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Peel the shallots, cut lengthwise into fine slivers, and place in a bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and toss lightly. Pour on 2 cups water and leave to soak for 30 minutes. Drain well and pat dry on paper towels.

Heat a 2-inch depth of oil in a wok set over a medium heat, or heat the recommended quantity of oil in a deep-fat fryer to 375 degree F. When the oil is hot, add the shallots, and fry for 1 minute. Turn the heat down to medium-low, or the deep-fat fryer to 325 degree F and continue to fry until the shallots are reddish-brown and crisp; if using a wok, keep stirring.

Remove the shallots with a slotted spoon and spread them out on paper towels to drain. Use at once, or leave until cool and crisp, then store in a screw-topped jar until needed.

Fish Sauce Seasoned with Lime Juice
Serves 4

1 clove garlic
4 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
3 tablespoons sugar, or less to taste
3 to 4 fresh hot red or green chillies

Peel and mince the garlic. Combine it with the fish sauce, lime or lemon juice, sugar, and 4 tablespoons water. Mix well and pour into 4 individual bowls. Cut the chillies into very thin rounds and divide them among the bowls.