Archive for September, 2009
Keeping kids happy and eating with sausage rolls
Last afternoon i found myself in an odd predicament. I was completely out of my element as i was organising a birthday party for my nephew and twelve other five year olds.
And after some botched attempts I found myself a winner. A kids recipe that is easy to make as well as yummy.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup fresh white breadcrumbs
- 80ml (1/3 cup) milk
- 500g Keells chicken sausages
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1 egg, plus 1 egg extra, lightly beaten
- 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, just thawed
- Sesame seeds, to sprinkle
- Tomato sauce (ketchup), to serve
Do it Sasha style..
- Combine breadcrumbs and milk in a bowl and set aside until milk is absorbed. Place sausages in a food processor with crumbs, onion and egg. Process until well combined, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to chill.
- Place a sheet of pastry on a lightly floured surface and cut horizontally into two. Spoon a quarter of the mixture along the centre of each piece of pastry. Fold over a long side of pastry, brush with egg, then fold other side over to enclose, slightly overlapping in the centre, and make a long sausage shape. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling to make 4 rolls.
- Place rolls, seam side down, on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cover and refrigerate for 1/2 hour until firm.
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Carefully diagonally cut each roll into seven. Brush with remaining egg and place on baking sheet. Use a sharp knife to make 2 small slits on top of each roll (to prevent rolls from splitting) and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden and puffed. Serve warm with the tomato sauce.
This dish got rave reviews and was loved by both kids and adults alike.
when strange is good: my meat and maggi invention
Yesterday night, after a gruelling day of work, I found myself in a rather experimental culinary mood.
So i decided to mix, the two things i love to eat and are supremely easy to cook: maggi and sausages.
The results , if I do say so myself was an absolute culinary delight and will go down in the history of food classics.
Ingredients:
- one pack of instant maggi noodles
- 250 grams pack of keells chicken sausages
- salt and pepper to taste
Do it Sasha style…
Cook the maggi noodles as you normally do. Shallow fry the keells chicken sausages and add them to the maggi.
Enjoy the dish.
Serves two.
going back to the classic: spaghetti and meatballs
Last night, my parents decided to drop in for a visit to see how i was coping with the pressures of living alone.
Though usually i find myself frazzled at the very idea of unexpected guests, this time i found myself unusually calm.
My secret: i had a golden recipe in hand. The spaghetti and meatballs i made using a pack of Keells meatballs was cooked in 15 minutes flat and left my parents pleasantly surprised.
Here’s how you can be an italian chef yourself:
Ingredients:
- 250 grams Keells meatballs
- one packet of spaghetti
- two table spoons of pasta sauce
- salt and pepper to taste.
Do it Sasha style…
Bake or shallow fry the meat balls till golden brown. While you are browning them bring your pasta sauce to a simmer. Add sauce to cover the meatballs a little more than half way. While they’re cooking, bring pasta water to a boil and cook your spaghetti. Drain the pasta, season it with the sauce, garnish with grated or flaked cheese
Serves four.
keeping it light: a salami salad
One of the biggest misconceptions regarding meat is that unhealthy. Meats are, infact, one of the healthiest food items providing you with all your major vitamins and proteins.
Here i share with you one of my favourite easy-breezy healthy salad recipes and its yummy to boot to.
Roasted Beet and Salami Salad
Ingredients
3 medium beets, trimmed
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
4 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, minced
250 grams keells pork salami, chopped
salt and pepper
Do it Sasha style…
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Wrap the beets in aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove them from the oven, unwrap and allow to cool. After about 10 minutes, peel them – if they’re done, the peel should come right off. Chop the roasted beets.
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss. Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving
A hotdog contest with a twist
Today was one of those ideal weekend days. Good compay, great weather and even better food.
In an exceptionally culinary mood, my friends and i decided to have an innovative hotdog contest. The one with the most imaginative and ofcourse, edible hotdog would be declared winner.
Armed with a truck load of Keells frankfurters and grit we started off.
At the end of some truly disastrous, and surprisingly yummy recipes the winner was decided.
Here I’ll recap the recipe for you
Ingredients
- one 250 gms pack of keells frankfurters
- two long hot dog breads
- mozarella cheese as desired
- two table spoons of store bought pizza sauce
Do it Sasha style..
Place hot dog in bun. Cut pork frankfurter in half and lay 1/2 pc. on each side of hotdog the length of the bun. Squeeze pizza sauce over hot dog, top with mozzarella cheese. Heat in microwave until hot dog is hot and cheese is melted. (About 40 seconds)
The dish is ready to serve and by popular vote most definitely a winner.
Serves two.
Party food for dummies(part 2): Roast pork with stuffing.
Continuing with our tutotorial on party foods, we now come to the main course.
As i continually remind my friends and family, in this day and age one needn’t be a gourmet chef to create gourmet delights.
All one needs is some imagination and of course, a shop selling Keells products nearby.
The Keells roast pork with suffing comes cooked and perfectly flavoured.All you need to do is heat it and serve with with a side of baked potatoes and steamed vegetables.
And don’t worry, no one will ever know, why you’re spending such little time in the kitchen cooking it up! Like i say, Keells is instant gourmet and instant delight.
Ingredients
500 grams keells pork roast with stuffing( yes thats it)
Do it Sasha style..
Just heat the pork roast in the microwave oven. Serve it with steamed vegetables and mashed potatoes.
Serves four.
Party food for dummies(Part 1): Cocktail sausages
The festive season is slowly creeping up on us. And along with that comes a barrage of houseguests. Some of you might be having trouble creating extensive menus. The next two entries will teach you what to cook and help you release your inner chef.
Over the years i have come up with a ist of fun light and easy to make cocktail snacks that have kept my guests coming back for more.
Here’s one of my perennial favourites:
Ingredients
- 250 grams pack of Keells cocktail sausages
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Do it Sasha Style…
Preheat the oven to 200C/400 degrees F.
Whisk together the oil, honey and soy sauce and pour over the sausages, then use your hands, or a couple of spatulas, to move everything about in the pan so that all the sausages are slicked.
Roast for 25 to 30 minutes; give them a shuffle about halfway through cooking if you happen to be near the oven.
Serve using decorative tooth picks for extra chutzpah.
The recessionist foodie: Keells chicken cheese and onion.
In the current economy, every person wants is looking for value for their money.
From bags that double up as pants to even luxury designers taking out low end ranges the list is endless.
The Food Industry is not wary of the trend. Keells has introduced an ingenious product keeping in mind the recessionist foodie.
They have introduced the “chicken cheese and onion” which includes cheese and onion embedded in a chicken sausage. This product offers good taste, the ease of cooking and economical prices all rolled into one.
Value for money: always good.
The amazing flavor of cheese chicken and onion combined: priceless.
Ingredients
- 250 grams pack of Keells chicken cheese and onion
- 1 tbsp Oil to fry
- Mayonnaise and mustard as condiments
Do it Sasha style…
Defrost and shallow fry the contents of the 250 grams pack of Keells chicken cheese and onion.
Serve with a dollop of mayonnaise and mustard and a heaping of mashed potatoes
Serves two.
The simple pleasures of life: a sausage sanwich.
Sometimes simple is good. And surprisingly, so is gluttony.
In a world where fancy French foods with even fancier names rule the roost, last night I found myself craving the old school charm of a sausage sandwich.
Nothing overly urbane or fanciful, just simple whole wheat French bread, fresh vegetables and some (okay a lot of) Keells breakfast sausage.
And well, to say the least, the recipe definitely took me back to older, simpler and much tastier times.
Here is the recipe I used. Try it. Tell me how it works. And don’t forget to make your additions. Remember, there’s nothing like too much meat when it comes to a sandwich.
- 1 pack of Keells chicken/pork breakfast sausage
- 1 chopped onion
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 4 Slices of whole-wheat/multigrain/brown bread
- 4 slices Mozzarella cheese
- 1 tomato sliced
- 200 gms lettuce
Do it Sasha style….
Sausage Sandwich Directions
Crumble the Keells chicken/pork breakfast sausage into a skillet. Add chopped onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat until sausage is thoroughly cooked; pour off excess fat. Stir in ketchup and oregano. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Place bread slices on paper towel-lined plates.
Place sausage mix on it. Add a slice of cheese, sliced tomatoes and fresh lettuce.
The sandwich is decadent and ready to be devoured.
Serves one very hungry person.
Fun Day with Sunday’s Frank
Cocktail Franks
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup currant jelly
- 1/2 cup chili sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 16 ounces cocktail franks or regular hot dogs cut in 1-inch slices
- 1 can (8 ounces) pineapple tidbits, drained
Procedure:
In small sauce pan combine equal portions of mustard and black currant jelly. Heat slowly over low heat until jelly melts and sauce becomes smooth and well blended. Remove strings from cocktail frankfurters and place in sauce to heat, approximately 5 minutes.
Tip to Serve:
To serve, place mixture in fondue pot and let your guests help themselves. A great recipe for catering with any of our Boar’s Head Frankfurters.
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