Veggie Curry Puffs with Herb Yoghurt

I must give credit to Mr H. for this recipe - whilst house/dog sitting at the tree house last weekend we prepared some snacks and supplies, including very tasty curry puffs made from scratch.  I have to admit, it is time consuming making your own pastry and filling the little pockets, but well worth the end result.  Crisp, fresh pastry is wonderful! And you can freeze them, just defrost before frying.

Veggie Curry Puffs with Herb Yoghurt

Pastry

3 cups plain flour

200g chilled butter, chopped

2 egg yolks

1/4 cup water

pinch salt

1. Process flour, butter and salt in a food processor, until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add egg yolks and water, then combine with your hands.

2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 mins or until smooth. Wrap in glad wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Make filling in the meantime.

3. Slice dough in half with a butter knife.  Roll each piece of dough until 5mm thick on floured surface with floured rolling pin. Using an 10cm biscuit cutter, cut rounds from each pastry half.

Filling

You can use anything you like as a filling, I used whatever veggies I had on hand.  It's good to have a pumpkin or potato base.  Same goes with the seasoning, the more the merrier!

100g pumpkin, mashed

100g sweet potato, mashed

1 cup broad beans, shelled

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 brown onion, finely chopped

1/2 tsp ground cumin seeds

1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp curry powder

2 tsp oregano, chopped

salt and pepper

1. Combine all ingredients, and let cool for about 10 minutes.

2. Spoon 1 tablespoon of vegetable mixture into centre of each pastry round. Wet edge of pastry and fold in half to enclose mixture, pinching edges together to seal.

3. Half-fill a large fry pan or wok with vegetable oil. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. shallow-fry curry puffs for 1 to 2 minutes or until pastry is golden. Transfer to paper towel to drain.

Serve with herb yoghurt

200g natural yoghurt

1 tbsp parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

salt and pepper

Next time I will try oven baking, for a healthier option.  I'd love to hear what veggies you use if making this recipe?
Enjoy.
Elise xo

The Red Hen - A Review

Italian is one of my favourite cuisines and I've been longing to devour another delicious, creamy pasta dish ever since my trip to Italy over a year ago.  Italy has a fantastic food culture nourished by passion and basic recipes.  Quality ingredients and loving preparation are fundamental to creating the perfect Italian dish.

I was lucky enough to be invited to a special dinner at The Red Hen with a group of food lovers.  Located amongst Indonesian, Ethiopian, Greek, Vietnamese, Mexican and Tibetan restaurants on Hardgrave road, West End, it is definitely a culturally diverse place to be, and also very appetising place to be. 

I'd never met my fellow dinner companions in person, but sure enough conversation flowed easily as we all shared a common interest - food. 

For entree we shared five items from the menu:

Polpettine di pollo - chicken meatballs served with a white wine sauce and crostini.

Calamari fritti - fried baby calamari served with fresh rocket, lemon wedge and aioli.

Bruschetta al pomodoro - toasted sourdough with fresh tomato, basil, garlic, extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Involtini di melanzane al forno - oven baked eggplant parcels filled with ricotta and fresh herbs, served with napoletana sauce and topped with parmesan cheese.  This was definitely my favourite entree, full of fresh ingredients and lots of cheese.

For main course I had to make a decision, a very hard decision based on the enticing menu selection.  I eventually decided on the gnocchi al gorgonzola - housemade potato dumplings with gorgonzola, cream and spinach.

It was an excellent choice, perfectly creamy with strong gorgonzola flavour, garlic, and freshly chopped spinach.  If you're a blue cheese lover, this one is for you.

And just when I thought I couldn't possibly fit anything else in, it was dessert time! I was told, the Rich Chocolate Brownie is the best in Brisbane.  Moist on the inside with a delicate crust, the sweetness melted with slight bitterness from the cocoa. Mouthwatering.

To sum up, The Red Hen is a great casual dining spot in West End and you won't be disappointed by their good, hearty comfort food.  The dishes are simple with only 4-5 ingredients, classic, authentic Italian, made with love.

The Red Hen is BYO (corkage $5 per bottle).  Gluten free bread and pasta options $2.00.

Elise dined at The Red Hen as their guest.

Food and Wine Celebration - James Street

I’d just like to make a quick announcement about an exciting foodie event coming up next week.  James Street Markets will be celebrating 10 years next week with a huge program of food, wine and style events. The James Street Food & Lifestyle Trail, 15th-20th October, will involve restaurants and shops along James Street showcases their wares.

Here are a few of my top picks:

Gerard's Bistro - live cooking demonstrations throughout the day Saturday 20th, including free tastings of breakfast bites from the new menu and spring cocktails with Matty Hewitt, Bar Manager and Bartender of the year 2010.

Magnolia Interiors - partnering with Marie Claire Executive Fashion Editor, Jane Roarty, showing you how to set the perfect table for summer entertaining whilst sipping champagne. 11am Saturday 20th.

Taste - wine education with Mezzanine Wines, Italian varietals. $10, 1pm Saturday 20^th.

Scrumptions Reads - book launch for the Brisbane Foodie Guide by Karen Reyment, lucky door prizes of Hardie Grant book packs, Foodies' Guides, champagne and goodies from a selection of those featured in the book. 2pm Saturday 20th.

Visit the website to view the full program of events.