Scrolls

This week at The Weekly Feast HQ we are babysitting my littlest niece and nephew for a couple of days. Tuesday was a rainy and miserable day (so please excuse the terrible quality of this week's photos!) and Mr 4 was desperate to get outside and play. His attention span was wavering, being stuck inside. Lego had lost its excitement, we had already watched a movie, and he was just getting plain restless. So while Miss 17mths was having her nap I decided it was the perfect time to do some baking with Mr 4.

Scrolls are a perfect recipe to bake with kids who have a short attention span. They are super easy and are made up of several quick steps with breaks in between. They are also super versatile and make a great lunch box item for school or work and freeze really well. Today we chose to make 'pizza' scrolls using things we had in the fridge.



Mr 4 was quite excited to measure out the ingredients and feel the dough once it was mixed, but I think he was sceptical when I told him we were going to leave the dough to rest and that it was going to get bigger. So when I brought the dough out half an hour later he was quite impressed to see how big it was! He was very excited about the whole baking experience, until the scrolls came out of the over when, in true 4 year old style, he decided he didn't even want to try them. Oh well, more for the rest of us I say!



This week's tips and hints:
* As I said these are great for using whatever you have in the fridge. Today we used ham, cheese and tomato sauce but the possible fillings are as limitless as your imagination.
* I used my Thermo-style mixer, Dorris, to mix the dough which made the whole experience even easier, but you can easily make the dough by hand.
* I find it's a good idea to lightly oil the bowl you plan to prove your dough in the help stop it from sticking.

Enjoy! Xxx

Scrolls




Serves: 10 -12
Prep time: 50 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

310g (1 1/3 cups) warm water
1 sachet of dried yeast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
510g (3 1/2 cups) plain flour
30g (3 tbls) extra virgin olive oil

desired fillings, eg ham, cheese, tomato sauce

Method

Thermo-style mixer Dough Method
Add water, yeast, salt, sugar, oil and flour to bowl.
Mix on speed 6 for 12 seconds.
Mix on knead for 1.5 minutes.
Place dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and place in a warm spot. Allow to prove for 30 minutes.

Normal Dough Method
Place water, yeast, salt, sugar, oil and flour in a bowl.
Mix with a spoon until just combined.
Use your hands to form a ball and knead for 10 minutes.
Place dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and place in a warm spot. Allow to prove for 30 minutes.

While the dough is proving, prepare your filling.

Once dough has finished proving, turn out onto bench and punch down.
Form a ball again and then roll dough out to form a large rectangle (it doesn't matter if it's a bit wonky).
Evenly cover the dough with your desired fillings.
Starting from one side, roll up your dough until you reach the end and it forms a roll.
Using a knife (a bread knife will do) cut your roll into even sections and place on a baking paper lined tray.
Place the scrolls in a warm spot and allow to prove for another 15 - 20 minutes.

Once the scrolls have proved, place the tray in a cold oven.
Set oven to 180°c - 190°c and cook for 15 - 20 minutes until scrolls are golden.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.

Sunday Roast: Yorkshire Puddings

Sunday roasts have held a place in our family for as long as I can remember. When I was little my Nan would cook a roast every Sunday after church. As I grew older and then when we moved away from my grandparents Sunday roasts still happened but they weren't the huge family affair and they didn't happen every weekend. But like all things wonderful, the Sunday roast has come around again and has started a tradition for a new generation.

Life is busy and things get in the way of the little things we sometimes enjoy. But for the most part one of my brothers, his wife and their two little ones are at Mum and Dad's for a family dinner on the weekend. We mix it up every once in a while and have tacos or lasagne but most weeks it is a roast. And I have to say that I love the 'tradition' of it. The memories that are being made, the delicious food we share and the crazy, silly things we talk and laugh about at the table.



Last weekend we mixed it up with a Saturday night dinner and a simple meal of jacket potatoes using bolognese left over from my Super Charged Lasagne. So when Sunday came around and I was longing for that roast and a little bit of nostalgia as well.

As I mentioned, as a kid it was my Nan who cooked the Sunday roasts and let me tell you they generally had all the trimmings. One of my favourite trimmings is Yorkshire Pudding. I mean how much more of a nod can there be to my family's heritage than gorgeous little golden puddings to go with your roast beef and gravy! I haven't had Yorkshire Pudding in... well I can't even remember when the last time was. So my mission last weekend was to give this nostalgic classic a go. My puddings ended up with a hollow centre but let me tell you they did not disappoint! I am going to do a bit of research and try them again in the near future to figure out what went wrong but they tasted super yummy so I'm not stressed. I have a feeling it might be from leaving the fat filter in the oven after the roast which has a tendency to mess with baked goods.



This week's tips/hints:
* These little babies are just wonderful with your roast beef and lots of delicious gravy.
* Once they have cooled, pop the leftovers in the freezer. Now you can have Yorkshire Puddings ready whenever you want them!
* Make sure you get the pans and the oil really hot. The batter should sizzle when you pour it in.
* Make sure you let the batter rest for at least 30 minutes. This is a really important step in ensuring that your batter is smoother leading to deliciously light and crispy puddings.

Enjoy! Xxx

Yorkshire Puddings

Serves: 12
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 15 - 20 minutes

Ingredients

3 eggs
115g plain flour
285ml milk
a pinch of salt
vegetable oil

Method

Whisk eggs, flour, milk and salt together until well combined.
Pour batter into a jug and let rest for at least 30 minutes.

While the batter is resting, preheat oven to 225°C.
While the oven is warming up, place a 12 pan muffin tray in the oven, on the top shelf.
Once the oven is up to temp and the muffin tray is hot, carefully remove the tray and close the oven again to maintain the high heat.
Place a tablespoon of vegetable oil in each muffin hole.
Pop the tray back in the oven for 5 minutes or so until the oil is smoking hot.
Slide the shelf with the tray half way out and fill each muffin hole with Yorkshire Pudding batter and gently slide back into the oven, as quickly as possible.
Allow the puddings to cook until they are golden and crispy, about 15 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DURING THIS COOKING TIME! It will lead to sunken puddings.
Remove from the oven and serve as soon as possible.

Comfort Food: Supercharged Lasagne

Comfort food. It is a marvellous thing and everyone you know has at least one type of comfort food. Now I'll be honest, none of my comfort foods could be termed 'healthy'. I like to comfort myself with salt and carbs and greasy food. Two of my big comfort foods though are lasagne and mac & cheese.



I remember, as a teen, that my best friend's Mum made THE BEST MAC & CHEESE EVER! I'm sure she still does but it's not really convenient for me to turn up on her door step requesting mac & cheese anymore. So for years I have been trying to perfect my own recipe. I still haven't managed it but I will not give up!

Lasagne, however, I have got down pat. Basic lasagne is in my regular rotation of meals that I cook, sometimes though you just want or need that little bit extra. Enter my supercharged lasagne. This baby takes the classic to a new level, with added bacon, mushrooms and five types of cheese.

The added bonus is that I cooked up a double batch of bolognese mince so that we can have jacket potatoes for a cheeky Saturday night dinner as well.

This weeks tips and hints:
* I chose to use a packet of shredded four cheese blend and some extra parmesan cheese. You can use any cheese you want. I often just use tasty cheese.
* This recipe is great for adding hidden veggies for those stubborn kids (or grown ups ;) ). Simply grate some carrot and zucchini into the mince.
* You could add the mushrooms to the mince, instead of layering them.
* Similarly you could keep the bacon as whole short cuts and layer it through instead.
* I have found that using fresh lasagne sheets makes a huge difference. You can buy them from the fridge section at the supermarket. They are also great for cannelloni, no more breaking dried pasta tubes, simply roll them around your filling!

Supercharged Lasagne

Serves: 4-6
Prep time:
Cooking time:

Ingredients

1-2 cups cheese
fresh lasagne sheets
3 Portobello mushrooms, thinly sliced

Bolognese Mince
1/2 onion, diced
2 pieces short cut bacon, diced
500g beef mince
1 tin crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt & pepper, to taste
dried or fresh herbs (I use thyme, oregano and basil), to taste

Béchamel Sauce
30g butter
60g plain flour
500ml milk
1 cup cheese
salt & pepper, to taste
nutmeg, to taste

Method

Fry off onion in a large frypan until them begin to change colour.
Add the diced bacon and gently fry until the onion is golden.
Once the onion is a nice golden colour, add the mince and brown on a medium-high heat. Use a spoon to gently break apart the meet as it cooks.
Once the mince has browned add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, herbs and salt & pepper, lower heat to medium-low and simmer gently until the sauce has reduced down and thickened.

While the mince is simmering, melt butter for béchamel sauce in a saucepan.
Add flour and cook for a minute or two, stirring regularly.
Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly.
Bring sauce to the boil, stirring constantly.
Reduce heat and simmer, stirring regularly, until it begins to thicken.
Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Set aside until you are ready to assemble. Stir occasionally to stop a skin from forming.

Gently fry off mushrooms in a little butter and olive oil.

When you are ready to assemble preheat oven to 200°C.

Now get ready to layer!
Scoop a little of the sauce out of the bolognese and spread around the bottom of you baking dish.
Place a layer of lasagne sheet on top of sauce, cut pieces to fit.
Place a third of the béchamel sauce.
Place half of the mushrooms.
Top with half of the bolognese.
If you are feeling particularly naughty, add a little cheese.
Place another layer of lasagne sheets.
Place another third of the béchamel sauce.
Place the rest of the mushrooms.
Top with the remaining bolognese.
Place a final layer of lasagne sheets.
Top with the remaining béchamel sauce.
Finish off with a layer of cheese (I add a generous sprinkle of grated parmesan here) and a sprinkle of herbs.

Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes - 1 hour, depending how crispy and golden you like your cheese.

Serve with your favourite sides. In our house we love to have potato gems, garlic bread and salad. Enjoy!