We’ve now had two weeks of our Savoury Master Chef competition and this time next week we’ll be naming our finalists! There have been a wonderful variety of dishes cooked over the past two weeks. Here are some from this week:
Laura’s tantalising broccoli quiche including home-made pastry
For the Pastry:
Ingredients: 225g of Plain Flour, A pinch of Salt, 50g of lard, 50g of margarine, 2 tbsp of cold water,
1. Mix flour and salt in a food processor, then add in the fat and margarine in little pieces.
2. Turn on the food processor and gradually add water to your mix.
3. Remove the dough and place it in the fridge for about 30 mins.
4. After that time, roll out the pastry and use accordingly.
For the Quiche:
Ingredients: Pastry (see recipe above), 1 sliced onion, 150g of broccoli cut into small pieces, 3 eggs, 150ml of milk, Salt and pepper, 100g of grated cheddar cheese.
1. Heat the oven to 190 degrees and line a greased flan ring with pastry.
2. Place the chopped Onion in boiling water for 2 minutes, add the broccoli and boil for a further 2 minutes. Drain well.
3. Lightly beat the eggs with the milk and seasoning.
4. Place the drained broccoli and onions in the base of the flan and pour over the egg mixture. Sprinkle over the cheese and bake in the oven until golden brown.
Looking delicious… 
…ready to serve
Ingredients
100g wholemeal plain flour
25g self-raising flour
50g butter
50g red Leicester cheese
12g porridge oats
2 tbsp milk
A handful of sweetcorn
- Combine the flours in a bowl and rub together with the butter until like breadcrumbs.
- Grate the cheese and add to the mixture, along with the porridge oats.
- Add the milk and sweetcorn, and stir everything together well. Using your hands, bring all of the ingredients into a ball.
- With a rolling pin, roll the dough out until it’s the thickness of a pound coin.
- Use cookie cutters to shape the oat biscuits. Place the biscuits onto a sheet of baking paper, and then place onto a baking tray.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 160 degrees C (140 degrees C fan) Gas Mark 3, for approximately 10 minutes.
Ariella recommends spreading cream cheese over the biscuits. Delicious!
Falafel
Ingredients
| 8 dried apricots (extra because I like them) |
| Olive oil |
| 1 small onion, chopped |
| 1 garlic clove, chopped |
| 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed |
| 50g fresh breadcrumbs |
| A squeeze of orange juice |
| 1 teaspoon ground cumin |
| Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt |
| 30g milled flaxseed (I add this because my brother needs more fibre and omega 3) |
Pitta
Ingredients
| 125g strong white bread flour |
| 125g whole meal flour |
| 1 tsp salt |
| 1 ½ tsp instant yeast |
| 2 tsp olive oil |
| 160ml cool water (you may not need all the water) |
- Put flour into a large bowl Add salt to one side and, yeast in the other
- Add the oil and 120ml water
- Mix with one hand. Until soft and sticky – add more water if necessary (20-40ml)
- Oil a clean surface. Tip dough on to it and knead for 5-10 mins
- Put into a lightly oiled bowl & cover until doubled in size (1-3 hours)
An hour later…
- Soak the apricots in boiling water to cover for 15 mins. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp oil in a small frying pan over medium heat.
- Add the onion and garlic and fry gently for about 10 mins, until soft.
- Drain the apricots and put into a food processer with the onion and garlic, chickpeas, breadcrumbs, flaxseed, orange juice and cumin. Process to a thick paste. The paste should be smooth and well amalgamated. Add some seasoning.
- Take heaped teaspoons of the mixture and roll into balls.
- Preheat oven to 200˚c fan assisted. Put a baking stone in for the pitta.
- Put the falafel in the oven to bake for 15mins.
- Knock back the pitta dough on a floured surface
- Divide into 6 and shape like a ball. Flatten each and roll into an oval shape (0.5-1cm thick)
- Dust baking stone with flour and lay pitta on it.
- Bake for 5-7mins until it puffs up and starts to colour.
- Serve pitta with falafel…and sweetcorn, hummus and tomatoes (or your favourite crudités)
Ingredients
1 cup jasmine rice
½ barbecued cooked chicken (diced)
½ cup cream
250g bacon rashers (cooked & diced)
1 cup grated cheese
Salt & pepper
2 sheets shortcrust pastry
1 egg
- Cook rice as per directions on packet.
- Preheat oven to 200°C. In a large bowl add rice, diced chicken, cream, bacon, cheese, salt and pepper and mix well.
- Cut the pastry sheets in half, diagonally. Spoon mixture evenly onto each pastry half, and then brush edges with egg and press together into a triangle shape.
- Flute edges if desired.
- Brush each parcel with egg and cut small slits in the top with a knife.
Cook for 15-20 minutes until golden brown
