Oven Baked Garlic and Chili Scotch Eggs

Growing up , Scotch Eggs were a once or twice a year treat :) Usually when Mum was going to change the oil in the chip pan ...  as deep frying these is the tradition way , and it makes a big mess of your oil .  So ... In the interest of saving some $$ on oil , and choosing a healthier option , I chose to try and bake them .  First time for me , up until this point every one I have ever eat has been deep fried .   Here goes nothing!!

Ingredients:    (Makes 5 Eggs)

1lb of ground pork ( sausages out of their casings )
7 Large Eggs , Free range prefered
1 heaping TSB of Chili Powder
1 heaping TSB of dehydrated garlic chips ( or a couple of cloves minced )
1 TSB of dried basil
Sea Salt and Pepper to your own taste
Several dashes of Lea & Perrins
2 cups of bread crumbs
3 TBS of oven safe oil ( Sunflower )


Step One : Hard Boiled Eggs

Fill a large pot ( i used 8 quarts ) with water , put your eggs in , brings to a soft boil , simmer for one minute and then take pot off the heat to cool down,  leave at least 10 minutes ... then you can dunk the eggs in cold water and start peeling .


Step Two : The Meat

Crack one egg into a mixing bowl , add the pork , chili , garlic and basil and about 2/3 a cup of bread crumbs ... Mix until well blended and has a slightly sticky texture :)
Preheat your oven to 375F

Step Three : Make the Ball

Grab one egg .. and a handful of pork mix , I like to flatten it out , should look like the photo below this , and be almost enough to wrap around the egg, pretend your making large meatballs is the method , and soon the whole egg will be covered







Step Four  : Egg Wash & Bread Crumbs

Pour the remaining bread crumbs onto a plate , and whisk up an egg and a splash of water in a bowl... take each pork wrapped egg, and gently roll in the egg wash , then onto the bread crumb plate , keep going till they are all breaded :)





 

Step Five : Oven Time

Assemble your scotch eggs on a Sunflower oiled baking sheet , and into the 375F oven they go
Total cook time was 30 minutes

 

 

Step Six : Make em Even

 I set my timer to go off every ten minutes .. gently , roll the eggs around on each ten , after twenty minutes they should start getting some colour !

 

 

Step Seven : Rest

On a clean kitchen towel , or paper towel , nestle your eggs in and cover , leave them for five minutes .

 

Step Eight : Enjoy

Hot or cold your choice , I prefer mine hot ...  I like to quarter mine and sprinkle with a little hot smoked paprika .

 

That is it :) I do hope you have enjoyed this post !  What did you think of the new format ? I tried to make it a little more recipe-ish :)

I would love to hear how it went if you try this.

Peace , Love and Happy Scotch Eggs !   

Wow, 50 posts... done.

Its almost like its someones birthday !!  This is the 50th post for this blog :)) Amazing.  Thank you all for dropping by.   Of course , as soon as I put some pressure on myself to write something fantastic... my brain shuts down the writing side ....  So if you were expecting some glowing report , or recap .. well I'm sorry Hahahaha!!  What Ive decided to highlight today,  is a few of the new series I'm working on.  More of a glimpse of the future, than  a view of the past.

Good Food, Cheap :
Showing how you can eat good food, even on a tight budget with tips and tricks for saving you a bundle. Whether its how to find the best bargains, batch cooking , starting from scratch or buying a whole loin and cutting it up yourself.. it all helps.  

Follow this link for a list of all the GFC posts:
http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/search/label/good%20food%20cheap

Creative Leftovers :
Something that is a constant around here is, leftovers.  This series is all about showing you how to reuse all that extra food , and turn it into something great to eat .  NO matter how great something tastes , eating it three days in a row can be a real chore.

Follow this link for a list of all the CL posts:
   http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/search/label/creative%20leftovers


Simple & Easy :


The newest one Ive started , showing you how to eat good food, in about an hour or less.  Just because you don't have much time doesn't mean you can't eat well.

Follow this link for a list of all the S&E posts :
 http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/search/label/Simple%20and%20Easy


Farm to Fork : 


This one is going to see a lot of posts this year ,  as I delve further into the whole process of how food is grown , how it gets to your table, and whats in it .  Where to buy the good stuff, and what to avoid.

 

Follow this link for a list of all FTF posts :
http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/search/label/farm%20to%20fork



Less Words, More Food : 


The title explains it all :))

Follow this link for a list of all LWMF posts:
http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/search/label/less%20words%20more%20food



Appetizers : 


Finger foods, and snacks for entertaining or light dinners.

Follow this link for a list of all APP posts:
http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/search/label/appetizers


There are a few other series , that are still in the idea stage .  If you have any suggestions as to what you would like to see,  or feedback on the existing series,  please , don't be shy and leave a comment below.   Thanks for making these first 50 posts a success.

Happy Cooking

Rich

Chili n' Pasta Stuffed Red Peppers : Creative Leftovers

I was at a loss the other day , as to what I wanted to make/eat .   I decided on some of my chili , as it was already made ...  and I was in the mood for easy !  While I was letting the chili defrost I thought I ask on my FB Food page , if anyone had a suggestion for a future blog post ....  " Something Stuffed " was the reply , and a light bulb went off !! I could use the chili to stuff some red peppers...   Hmmmmm what to use, i was not in the mood for the usual rice style....   Curly Pasta!!!  That would be perfect , and very filling.   So Rotini it was.  This is such a simple and easy recipe , and can even be prepared ahead of time , that I'm sure it will be used again ( Most likely soon!!! )  Also , a single one of these would make a great appetizer.

Ingredients required : 
I made way too much , this will easily make 12 halves.

4 cups of your favourite Chili ( Ill be doing a Chili blog post soon, stay tuned !! )
2 cups of dried rotini pasta
6 Red Bell Peppers ( or the colour of your choice )
Mozzarella , One slice per half.
Feta Cheese - One small cube per half ( Teaspoon sized )
Olive Oil
Sea Salt & Black Pepper
Basil

It all starts with a pot of chili :))  

Red Bell Peppers,  cut in half lengthwise , with the seeds removed ( a sharp knife and a spoon work well for this ) 

Boil, and drain the pasta as per the package, you can under cook it if you like, as it will be going into the oven for about 30 minutes.  Mix it well with the chili .  ( This shot is from the day after , it filled most of this pot ) 

Simply fill the pepper halves... 

You can add some fresh onions , or mushrooms ..  whatever makes you happy 

A little bit of Feta , and a 3/16" thick slice of Mozzarella , basil and S&P and into a 350F oven for 20 minutes ,  then 5 minutes ,  or so,  more on grill ( Keep an eye on it after the 20 minutes )  

Thats it!!  Its time to eat.  I had two halves for dinner,  one for brunch the next day .  

Ive been practicing my camera work , this is without a flash ,  what do you think ?? :)) 

Of course , there is always the option of skipping the red pepper altogether lol as I did for this midnight snack :))  I also switched out the Feta for cheddar and added a couple of dashes of Lea & Perrins .

There you have it ,  a Simple and Easy way  to be Creative with Leftovers...  or a great little Appetizer that can be made ahead of time.  If you have any comments or questions please follow the link below.
Happy Cooking!! :)

Less Words, More Food 9

Playing a little catch up again with my posts, I have lots photographed .. its writing the recipes that gets me.   As some of you know I don't follow recipes when cooking , I simply grab a handful of goodies and start making dinner.   Okay , enough talking this is a LWMF post !

Making a batch of chicken stock for the freezer, ended up with 7L worth, all for basically nothing. 

A couple of different 12 grain whole wheat bread loaves.
http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/2010/10/garlic-and-onion-12-grain-foccacia.html

Less Words, More Food 8

I cant believe its been almost a week since Ive posted.   Sorry about that , Ill try and make it up with 2 posts in 2 days for you all :)   So please enjoy LWMF #8 !!

Cajun Shrimp n Bacon Stir Fry

Thick cut pork sirloin with roasted veggies and mushroom sauce ,

A recent first for me sardines on toast
http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/2011/02/sardines-on-toast-final-10-with-5.html

Chili and Honey Rubbed Roasted Pork Sirloin 

Finished plate ,  tried to a little fancy with a 3 cheese n mushroom sauce ,  despite the looks, it tasted great!   

The latest batch of Crispy Chili Cheese Bites.
http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/2011/02/crispy-chili-cheese-bites-10w5-8.html

And there you have a few of the dishes Ive made in the last week.  I do hope you have enjoyed this Less Words, More Food post .  Any comments or suggestions are much appreciated.
Happy Cooking :)

Sardines on Toast the final 10 with 5 recipe !!

Ten recipes with five ingredients.... sounds pretty easy doesn't it ??  Well , it was easy enough , I mean how hard can five ingredients be to prep and use ?? lol.  For me it was actually stopping at five ingredients that was the hardest part , not that I use twenty in my meals , but eight or ten for a full meal is about normal. I managed to make my way through the ten , though , pushing myself with a  couple of full meals, even a vegetarian one, a couple of new appetizers , even the pantry staple beef stock made an appearance.  Click here for the previous nine posts :) http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/search/label/10with5
So for my final one , I wanted to try something completely different  ( well for me at least ) I was thinking of making a dessert ( I can not even remember the last one I made ??? ) then somewhere out of left field I got the idea  to try something completely new ...  maybe not to you , but for me who has never eaten a sardine before... this was something new !!

Ingredients required ( Enough for 4 good sized pieces, or lunch for two ) 


1 tin of sardines.
1 bell pepper ( I used 1/2 a yellow & 1/2 a red, from rainbow pack )
1 hunk of crusty bread ( enough for 4 thick slices )
2 Tablespoons of Caesar dressing
Hot Sauce to Taste ( I used a great southern one Bourbon Street Bad )
Freshly cracked black pepper to suit .
( Salt is shown , but was not required )

Alternative to hot sauce ingredient - Green Onions

Assemble your ingredients .

Dice or slice up the peppers, and find a can opener.   Meanwhile , slice your bread and get it into the toaster oven.  

So thats what all the fuss was about, I've got to say , I was pretty happy that I wasn't stunk out of the kitchen .  These did have a slightly fishy smell , but nothing like what I was expecting.  

I tried just a couple the for the first one, just in case I didn't like it... but there was nothing to worry about .

This picture is slightly out of order, I as forgot to take a picture of them before mixing on the first batch .   But it really is a easy as taking the back of a fork , and smushing away .

Add in the Caesar dressing and diced peppers. Simply scoop some out and lightly press it onto the toast. 

Spread it onto your toast , giving it a slight push to help it stick.   A few dashes of your favourite hot sauce , and your set.  Looks great !! I wonder what its going to taste like ?? 

Tasted like a second piece !!  I was pleasantly surprised, I figured the bones or the smell would bother me, but nope! They tasted great , and I plan on buying more soon !!   Its a bit hard to describe the taste and textures,  but for me .. it was somewhere between salmon and tuna.  I have to admit , I scarfed it down so fast , I didn't even think about it until after the fact . 

Ill leave you with this one, I tried. Without the hot sauce, and with a little diced green onion on top.  This was  very light and tasty snack !!   

I hope you have enjoyed reading the 10 with 5 challenge posts. I know I have really enjoyed participating !!  Its been a lot of fun , and a great challenge to stop at at 5 ingredients.   Please leave a comment below and let me know what you thought ?

Less Words, More Food 7

Hi everyone , and welcome to February :) Its been a cold one here with temperatures dropping to -40C with the wind on some days :)  Lots of good warm comforting food has been required :)  Here are a few of the dishes I have made so far this month.

An Amazing Mushroom Beef & Ale Soup 

Caesar Salad with Cheese on Toast , simple but GOOD! 6 year old cheddar helps :) 

Making Beef Stock, a recent blog post click here to find it:
http://richfletchersgoodfoodrevolution.blogspot.com/2011/02/simple-easy-beef-stock-10w5-9.html

Crispy Chili Cheese Bites #10w5 - 8

I came across a simple recipe for a baked crab Rangoon ...  which I tried, with a few twists of course, and liked !!  It wasn't so much the dish, it was good , that I liked but the idea !  So simple, yet so versatile.   It didn't take very long for me to start thinking up several new ways to use a baked wonton wrapper for appetizers.  Having just made a huge stock pile of chili last week,  an idea started forming.  I just needed to keep it to 5 ingredients for the 10 with 5 challenge who's deadline is fast approaching !!  Oh being very low cost , this appetizer qualifies for my latest series Good Food , Cheap .

Ingredients required : Makes 12


12 Wonton wrappers ( $ 0.10  )  $1.50 per 100pc pkg.
1/3 red bell pepper  ( $0.25 )  $2.00 for 3
1 green onion  ( $ 0.10 ) $ 0.69 per bunch
1 cup of chili ( $0.50 ) Cost me about $28 to make 14 Quarts
1 knob of good cheese - I used 6 year old cheddar.  ( $2.00 )

Total Cost $ 3.00  per dozen 


As for how many to serve,  I would think 6 as an appetizer would be plenty,  I had 12 for a light meal, and 18 as my dinner.  I do tend to eat large portions though.

Okay , on we go :

Assemble to the ingredients.  Small muffin pans are required.  

I sliced up about a 2cm wedge of cheese ( and made 24 with it )  small dice on the red pepper, and green onion. Give the muffin pan  a quick spray or wipe lightly with oil. I happen to have some garlic infused olive oil in a mister.