Friday, May 10, 2013

Apple Faux Samosas

I love the taste of baked apple. I was looking for something to make as a side with a molasses maple apple cider pork tenderloin.
I immediately thought of apples and I tried to think of something new to make. This is what I came up with.

Apple Samosas:

Filling:
2 Apples, peeled, cored, and cubed
1 Cup of Raisins
1 1/2 Cups of Fireball whiskey
1 Clove crushed garlic
1 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 tsp Chile flakes
1/2 cup Molasses
 4 or 5 Strips of Bacon, baked and crumbled

You can use puff pastry for dough.

Toss the raisins in a pot and add molasses, garlic, vinegar and whiskey.
Reconstitute the raisins by simmering them in the whiskey. Stir often since the mix will become a toffee quickly.
Add the raisins to the cubed apples, along with the chile flakes, and the bacon.

Roll out the dough and cut into squares. Add a tsp of fillings and fold into triangles. Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 Degrees. If you would like a nicer brown colour, you can use an egg wash.

You can also fry the samosas.

Bon Appetit!

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Little Polish Girl's recipe for Pho

I absolutely love various types of Asian foods, including soups. Pho and Udon in particular. When I realized that I was spending most lunch times eating at the Viet-Thai restaurant across from my work, I decided it was time to learn how to make my own Pho broth.

I looked up various recipes and then through a process of trial and error, I made up my recipe.

The traditional Pho as far as I understand is made on a beef broth base. I usually use chicken broth since I tend to have some around and I use it a lot.


1 Pot full of chicken or beef broth
4 or 5 Thick slices of Daikon raddish
1 Tbsp of Soy Sauce
2 Tbsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1 tsp Rice vinager (do not use sweet rice wine vinager)

Spice Mix:
4 Star Anise
1/2 Cinnamon Stick
5 Whole cloves
Peppercorns
Three leaves thai basil
1 Small cube of fresh ginger
2 Cloves of Garlic

Set the pot of broth to simmer. Put the spice mix in a tea diffuser or wrap in a cheesecloth, and add to the broth. Add in all the rest of the ingredients. Let simmer for at least an hour. Make sure to add water to replace what boils out. If you want a stronger flavour, you can add a bit more sugar, soy, and fish sauce. The spice flavour needs time to diffuse across the broth.

Boil some pho noodles and serve with some sliced chicken, thin beef slices, or shrimp, green onions, bean sprouts, and Sriracha sauce.

Yum!

Update: A friend of mine recommended adding a tablespoon of peanut butter to the broth while it simmers. I tried it and the result was delicious. If you like peanuts, this is a winning combination.