FAUX 'McD' APPLE HOT POCKETS

My hubby who gave this name to my new recipe. Actually, this recipe was found when I cleaned my refrigerator. I want to use all the ingredients that I had before I go to get our weekly groceries, so when I saw a pack of spring roll's wrapper laid alone in the freezer I told myself that I should use this wrapper before the wrapper getting hard and can not be use anymore. Then, I looked into my kitchen top drawer and there they are 3 apples are sitting nicely. Luckily the weather are super cold now so it made those fruits stay fresh.

This is a very very easy recipe, no fancy ingredients needed to make this faux hot pockets and it didn't take long time to prepare it. So, let's give a try ;)

Apple Hot Pockets

Ingredients:
1/2 package of spring roll's wrapper
3 medium apples, peeled and diced
1 cup of sugar
200 ml water
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsps tapioca starch solution
1 liter of vegetable oil

Preparation:
Boil water and sugar in a saucepan over high heat until boiling and the sugar is dissolved. Add in apples and cinnamon, stir it well. Turn down the heat into medium heat. Cover the saucepan and keep stir it occasionally.
Once the apples are tender and the sauce are reduce to 1/3, add in tapioca solution. Keep stir it until the sauce are thick.
Cool it down before use.

Finisihing: lay one sheet of spring roll's wrapper on a flat surface. Scoope 1 spoonful apple mixture and put on the wrapper. Wrap it as you wrap spring rolls. Do it again until the wrappers and apple mixtures are finished.

Frying: heat the oil in a big frying pan over high heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the apple pockets until brown and crisp. Serve it immediately.

Also, I made banana hot pockets since we had 'the forgotten' small-fingersize banana ;)



Banana Chocolate Hot Pockets

Ingredients:
1/2 package of spring roll's wrappers
1 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips (or you can use milk chocolate chips)
1 tbsp unsalted butter
12 small-fingersize banana
1 liter vegetable oil

Preparation:
In a bowl, combine chocolate chips and butter. Steam it in the steamer until melted. Stir it until the chocolate are thoroughly melt and shiny.

Finishing: lay one sheet of spring roll's wrapper on a flat surface. Put 1 banana and 1 spoonful chocolate sauce. Wrap it as you wrap spring rolls. Do it again until the wrappers are finished.

Frying: heat the oil in a big frying pan over high heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the banana pockets until brown and crisp. Serve it immediately.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE

It's been ages I want to make homemade sausage. Unfortunately, it is not easy to find sausage casing here *or I dunno where to buy it*, until few days ago, my hubby found it at a butcher store.

This is my second attempt to make homemade sausage. My first attempt, I used pork leg without casing. And, yesterday, I used pork butt with casing. For some reason, I like pork leg more than pork butt (the original recipe is using pork shoulder). The sausage texture is little bit different. Both are good tho :).

And for me there is nothing best than a homemade sausage :)

Italian Sausage

Ingredients:
3 lbs pork shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes (Belzy -- choose the pork with 85% fat to avoid dry sausage)
4 tsps crushed fennel
2 tsps ground coriander
2 tsps crushed red chilli flakes
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsps fresh ground blackpepper
Sausage casings

Directions:
Toss together pork with spices and salt in a large bowl or ziplock bag. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Using a 1/4-inch meat grinder, grind the pork mixture. It's ready to use.

NOTE: if you use ground meat, combine the spices with 2 tbsps water first, then toss the ground meat with spices mixture.

SCALLION PANCAKE

This food reminds me of those old days when I was studied in Nanjing, China. Along the way from my apartment to the university, there were plenty of food shops, also stalls. So, while I'm walking to my university, for sure I'll stop by at one of those shops. And, there were one little shop which was selling this scallion pancake (there is a mandarin name for this dish, but unfortunately I forgot already! Oh my oh my, my mandarin is getting worse now!), and I loved to buy this scallion pancake for my breakfast. This dish is really simple yet tasty. especially if we eat it while its hot still.



Then one day, I found scallion pancake from a disney magazine!! Woghhhh.....a traditional chinese breakfast recipe was published at a western magazine!?!? That's cool :). Also, all of us know that disney magazine is a kids' magazine. Oh my oh my, the recipe must be an easy one.

To make the story short, I make it for our breakfast. The funny thing was my husband. When I asked him does he want scallion pancake for breakfast? Right away he refused it. Until one day, I made it and told him that is chinese style pancakes. Guess what? He ate it, and he liked it!! Hahahahah......at last, I told him that is scallion pancake.

So, this dish became another fave breakfast for us.......yummmm.....



Scallion Pancake

Ingredients:
For Pancake:
3 cups flour, plus more for rolling
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup water, plus more for mixing
1 bunch scallions (Belzy -- I add more scallions)
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsps vegetable oil

For Dipping Sauce: (whisk all ingredients together)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp grated or minced fresh ginger
1 tsp crushed red pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup chopped scallions

Directions:
1. In large bowl, stir together the flour and salt, then form the mixture into a mound. Make a well in the center and add the water, first filling the well, then pouring what remains around the sides of the bowl. Use a large spoon or rubber spatula to combine the ingredients into a soft, raggedy dough. If it doesn't pull together after about a minute of stirring, add water, one tbsp at a time (up to 4 tbsps), to help the dough take shape.

2. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball. Working with floured hands, knead the dough until it's smooth and apringy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Shape it back into a ball and set it aside to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. While the dough rests, prepare the scallions, then set aside.

4. Roll the dough into a log. Halve it crosswise, then cut each half into three pieces. Place five of the portions in a large bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap.

5. Dust your hands and work surface with flour. Roll the sixth dough portion into a fairly round (1/4-inch-thick pancake). Spoon 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil onto the dough and spread it evenly over the pancake. Scatter 2 generous tablespoons of chopped scallion on top, leaving a 1-inch border.

6. Roll the pancake into a log. Beginning at one end, wind the log into a spiral as if shaping a cinnamon roll, then tuck the loose end underneath. Use your palm to gently press the dough into a disk. Dust the dough lightly with flour, then roll it into a pancake 6 to 7 inches in diameter.

7. Warm a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat, then coat the pan with 1-1/2 tsps of vegetable oil. Use a scallion slice to test the temperature of oil. If it sizzles at once, th eoil is ready for frying. If it doesn't, wait about 30 seconds and retest the oil with another scallion slice, repeating as necessary until the oil is hot.

8. Carefully lay the pancake in the skillet and fry it until its edges puff up and the bottom is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the pancake, drizzle another 1/2 tsp of oil around the edges of the pan, and continue frying until the second side is golden brown, about 3 minutes more. Transfer the pancake to a serving plate. Repeat the steps 5 through 8 for the remaining dough. Serve it hot or warm with dipping sauce.