A new Wattie’s cookbook has four recipes of things to make with all that flour and all those cans of Wattie’s that you panic-bought.
CURRIED LAMB SAUSAGE ROLLS
Prep time: 20 minutes. Cook time: 20–25 minutes.
1 small onion, finely diced
2 tsp Gregg’s Curry Powder
400g lamb mince (or beef, pork or chicken mince)
½ cup soft breadcrumbs
¼ cup Wattie’s Tomato Sauce Replace lamb with beef, pork or chicken mince.
2 sheets ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed
1 Tbsp milk
Sesame seeds for sprinkling
1) Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan assisted). Line a baking tray with baking paper.
2) Heat a dash of oil in a pan over medium heat and gently sauté the onion until soft. Add the Gregg’s Curry Powder and cook for a further minute. Set aside to cool.
3) In a bowl, mix together the lamb mince, breadcrumbs, onion mixture and Wattie’s Tomato Sauce 50% Less Sugar. Divide the mixture into 4.
4) Cut the pastry sheets in half. Spoon a quarter of the mixture down the centre of a pastry sheet and brush the edge with a little water to seal. Roll the pastry to enclose the filling. Place on the prepared baking tray, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining pastry and filling.
5) Brush the pastry tops with milk and sprinkle over sesame seeds. Bake for 20–25 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the filling is cooked. Transfer to a wire rack (removing the rolls from the baking tray when cooked will ensure the pastry doesn’t go soggy) and allow to stand for 5 minutes before cutting each roll into 5 pieces. Serve warm with extra Wattie’s Tomato Sauce 50% Less Sugar on the side.
CAFE-STYLE BAKED EGGS AND BEANS
Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 20–25 minutes.
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, sliced
1 red capsicum, deseeded and sliced
1 yellow (or green) capsicum, deseeded and sliced
½ tsp Gregg’s Ground Smoked Paprika
1 cup Wattie’s Crushed and Sieved Tomatoes
420g can Mexican chilli beans (or replace with baked beans)
4 eggs
Handful of fresh parsley leaves, chopped
50g feta, crumbled (optional)
1) Heat the oil in a lidded frying pan (approx. 24 cm diameter) over low heat. Add the onion and capsicums and sauté until the vegetables are soft. Add the Gregg’s Ground Smoked Paprika and cook for a further 1 minute. Add the Wattie’s Crushed and Sieved Tomatoes and chilli beans. Stir while bringing the sauce to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, to allow the sauce to reduce by about a third.
2) Break the eggs over the beans and sauce. Cover. Reduce the heat to low and cook for a further 10–15 minutes or until the whites are firm. The yolks should still be runny.
3) Scatter over the chopped parsley, and feta if wished, before serving with crusty bread or toast on the side.
GINGERBREAD “PEOPLE”
Prep time: 20 minutes (plus 30 minutes refrigeration). Cook time: 15 minutes.
2 cups flour ½ tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp Gregg’s Ground Ginger
1 tsp Gregg’s Ground Cinnamon
1 cup soft brown sugar, firmly packed
150g butter
1 egg
1 cup icing sugar
1) Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan assisted). Line 2 baking trays with baking paper.
2) Sift the flour, baking soda, Gregg’s Ground Ginger and Gregg’s Ground Cinnamon together into a food processor or mixing bowl. Add the soft brown sugar.
3) Add the butter and pulse in the food processor or rub with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add the egg and pulse or stir to mix. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour to the mix. Work the dough into a ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4) Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface or between 2 sheets of baking paper until 5mm thick. Using cookie cutters, cut shapes and place on the baking trays. Form the leftover dough into a ball and re-roll and repeat cutting out until all the dough is used up.
5) Bake the gingerbread for 8–10 minutes or until cooked and golden. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
6) Make the icing by sifting icing sugar into a bowl. Mix in 3–4 tsp hot water to make a piping consistency. Using a small piping nozzle, fill a small piping bag with icing and decorate biscuits.
CHURROS WITH CINNAMON SUGAR
To make this gluten free: use 1¾ cups gluten free flour and ½ tsp xantham gum. Sift both ingredients in a bowl or food processor with Gregg’s Ground Ginger or Ground Cinnamon, as per step 2.
Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 10–15 minutes.
¼ cup caster sugar
1 tsp Gregg’s Ground Cinnamon
1 cup water
30g butter ¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 cup flour
Oil for deep frying
1) To make the Cinnamon Sugar: Mix together the sugar and Gregg’s Ground Cinnamon. Set aside.
2) To make the Churros: Place the water, butter, salt and sugar into a small saucepan. Bring to the boil, making sure the butter has melted. Remove from the heat. Add the flour and vigorously beat using a wooden spoon until the mixture leaves the sides of the pan and forms into a ball.
3) Fill a piping bag, with a star nozzle, with the warm churro dough. Pipe lengths of dough 7–8 cm long onto a tray lined with baking paper. Place in the freezer until firm enough to lift off the tray without breaking them.
4) Pour enough oil into a saucepan or deep fryer to a depth of 8 cm. Heat at 180°C.* Drop the churros into the hot oil and fry until they turn golden and crispy. Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.
5) Toss the churros in the cinnamon sugar while they are still hot. Serve warm.
If you haven’t got a thermometer, a good gauge is to drop a cube of bread into the hot oil. It will take 45–60 seconds to turn golden.
It is important to have the correct oil temperature. Too hot and the churros will brown before they cook on the inside. Too cold and the churros will absorb too much oil and be greasy.
Churros can be frozen completely on the tray. Once frozen, pack into sealable plastic bags. You can cook them from frozen in the hot oil.
Serve churros with warm chocolate or salted caramel sauce if wished.
All recipes appear in the best-selling cookbook The New Everyday by Wattie’s Heinz (Hachette, $39.99), reviewed with all due seriousness by Steve Braunias.
