Baked Vegetable Samosas

I adore the Curry Puffs that the Malay community in Katanning are famous for and wanted to make something similar but without the deep frying.
I checked quite a few recipes and came up with my own variation. The pastry is very easy to work with and scraps can be rolled twice. You can use ready made puff or shortcrust, but it's not as nice.

Baked Vegetable Samosas
Makes about 30 cocktail size

1 onion, quartered
1 clove garlic, peeled
2cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into coins
2 Tbsp ghee or oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp ground cumin
2 - 3 tsp mild curry powder (I use one that I make myself)
500g potatoes, peeled and diced
3/4 cup water
2 tsp salt
1 cup frozen peas
Juice of one lemon
chopped coriander or mint

Pastry
290g plain flour (I use bread flour)
1/2 tsp salt
125 chilled butter, cut into cubes
1/3 cup iced water
1 egg yolk
Extra egg yolk and 1 Tbsp water

Chop onion, garlic and ginger in Thermomix on speed 5 for a few seconds. Scrape down bowl.
Add ghee and set machine to cook on 100, 3 minutes, speed 2.
After 2 minutes, add spices and continue to cook for a further minute. Add potatoes, water and salt and cook on 100, reverse, speed soft for 10 minutes or until potatoes are soft and starting to break up. (No MC).
Add frozen peas and lemon juice and cook for a further 3 minutes on 100. Make sure most of the water has evaporated. If it hasn't, drain it off. Different potatoes absorb differing amounts of water. Some may need even more. Add chopped coriander and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees C. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
Wash and dry bowl thoroughly.
To make pastry, place flour, salt and butter into bowl and blend on speed 5 for a few seconds. Add water mixed with egg yolk and blend again until it starts to come together.
Turn out onto silicone mat and press together. Wrap in mat and refrigerate 20 minutes.
Divide pastry in half for ease of use. Roll out thinly and cut 10cm circles. Mix egg yolk and water together in MC. Brush each circle with egg yolk mixture and place a heaped teaspoon of filling in the middle.
Press edges of each piece together to make a semi circle.
Beginning on the right hand side corner if you're right handed, pinch the pastry together and pull away slightly, roll it over on top of itself. move to the left of this bit and repeat. Continue all the way around the edge until you have the typical plaited look of a curry puff.
Pierce pastries all over with tip of a knife (I forgot to do this with the first batch and some of them burst at the seam) and brush with egg yolk mixture. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden.

Serve with  Coriander Raita or Sweet Chilli Sauce

Coriander Raita
1 cup plain yoghurt
1/2 small cucumber, de-seeded and grated and drained in a colander lined with paper towel
2 Tbsp chopped coriander

Mix together.

Bean Stew

Bean Stew doesn't sound particularly appetising, but this is quite delicious! Of course, it's a vegetarian meal, but that shouldn't put any carnivores off. It could be served over a grilled chicken breast or a lamb steak. This is a recipe for the Thermomix.
I've been scouring my recipe books and the net for vegetarian recipes using legumes and pulses to replace the protein component that meat supplies in our diet. It's important to limit our meat intake as it is acid forming and takes a long time to digest unless accompanied by the right enzyme producing vegetables. Plus, meat is horribly expensive!

I wasn't really able to find a recipe that appealed to me, so I made one up instead, adapting a Gordon Ramsay (horrors - can't bear the man!) recipe.

Bean Stew
1 onion, cut into 8ths
2 cloves garlic
3 sprigs oregano
3 sage leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes, (optional)
1 large carrot, diced
220g chopped vegies (I used baby aubergine, green pepper and a small tin of champignons)
2 bay leaves
400g water
3 tsp vegetable stock
2 tomatoes skinned, roughly chopped
Ground pepper
2 cans 4 Bean Mix
plain yoghurt

Chop onion, garlic and herbs by tipping on to spinning blades of TMX at speed 5. Scrape down and add oil and spices. Cook on 100c for 2 minutes at speed 1.
Add carrots, water, herbs and stock and cook on 100c for 5 minutes, speed 1, reverse. Add chopped tomatoes and vegies and cook on 100c for 15 minutes, speed 2, reverse. Add beans and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes as before. Add pepper.
Serve with a dollop of yoghurt and fresh chopped parsley. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired.
 

Vegetable Medley with Tomato Passata

This is one of those dishes that I've had at a restaurant and have re-created at home. In this case, the Venice in Albany. It's a vegetarian meal, but can be easily prepared for carnivores by the addition of some crumbed veal, pork or chicken.
This is a summer dish as you will need a lot of fresh ripe tomatoes. 

It sounds complicated as there are quite a number if steps involving a bit of preparation, but it's not difficult at all. If you happen to have some left over risotto, this is a great way to use it up. The stuffing ingredients can vary depending on what's in your fridge or garden.

Vegetable Medley with Tomato Passata
1. Zucchini stuffed with roasted pumpkin, fetta and topped with mozzarella
2. Tomatoes stuffed with zucchini, spinach and basil
3. Green Capsicum stuffed with mushroom (or vegetable) risotto.

Make the Tomato Passata first:
2 kg tomatoes
30ml olive oil
1 onion
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp tomato paste
salt (requires quite a bit, but to your own taste) and pepper

Peel tomatoes by dropping into boiling water for a few seconds. Slit skin with a sharp knife and peel. Chop into quarters. Sauté onion and garlic in hot oil. Add tomatoes and simmer until tender. Add tomato paste and salt and pepper to taste. Blitz with a stick blender. Set aside.


While the Passata is cooking, make a Risotto of choice.  I make a Mushroom Risotto in the Thermomix because I don't have to worry about stirring it. I use a mixture of dried porcini, chantarelle and fresh mushrooms.

1. ZUCCHINI
Slice zucchini in half lengthwise. Allow one zucchini for three people. Chop half of the zucchini into tiny dice for the tomato filling. Hollow out the other half and place in a steamer basket.
Filling for Zucchini
olive oil
1 cup small dice pumpkin or sweet potato
1/2 onion, small dice
1/4 cup crumbled fetta

Saute pumpkin in oil until browned, add onion and sauté until softened. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add fetta and set aside. When zucchini half has been pre-steamed, (I use the Thermomix) press into cavity. Top with grated mozzarella.

2. TOMATO
Peel by piercing a few holes in each tomato and dropping into boiling water for a few seconds. Allow one tomato per person. Slice top from peeled tomatoes and remove seeds and flesh, leaving just a shell.
Filling for Tomatoes
1 Tbsp butter
diced zucchini
spinach leaves
basil
pepper

Sauté zucchini in butter and when soft add spinach and torn basil leaves. Stir until wilted. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. Allow to cool and fill tomatoes. Top with fresh breadcrumbs and grated parmesan.

3. CAPSICUM
I find it's best to turn capsicums upside down as the stem end is more stable. Remove the stem and turn on it's end. Slice the top from each capsicum (1 small one per person or half a large one). De-seed and remove membranes. Place in steamer basket with zucchini and steam until just softened.

Fill with risotto and top with garlic breadcrumbs and mozzarella.

Mushroom Risotto, Pumpkin ( haven't added fetta yet), Zucchini/Spinach

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Place all stuffed vegetables into a wide dish, such as a lasagne dish and place enough Tomato Passata in to cover base of pan to 1 cm depth. Place dish in oven for about 20  minutes to 1/2 an hour or until tomato is softened and toppings are cooked and browned. While this is cooking, put the remaining Passata in a saucepan and heat gently on the stove.
 
Place each vegetable on a serving plate, cutting zucchini into portions and spoon sauce around base to cover plate. Top with sprigs of basil or parsley. Add crumbed veal, pork chops or crumbed chicken for the carnivores.

Unfortunately, this was devoured before I had a chance to photograph the finished product!