#18 Fun with Dough!

Shownotes for #18 Take a Can of Biscuit Dough!

The music for the opening and ending of the show is Fast Food Rampage by the The Touch Ups, courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network.

Stuff you need to know for this show's recipe:

All the recipes here are an hour or less. Total preparation time for is less than 30 minutes.

Talk Back! We are a Snacking Community. Go to the End of these Shownotes and click on comments. Leave your thoughts and experiences. Or email me at [e-mail].

The podsafe music used in the show:

Today, I'm playing "Things are Looking Up" by the underground california rock band American Heartbreak. They've just released a new CD which you can check out on their webpage, as well as the west coast club dates. This is the band that includes Michael Butler on bass. He's the host of the Rock-n-roll Geek podcast. Enjoy.

Here is the lead recipe I describe in the show:

Handling the dough. Turn on the oven to 450 degrees before you open the can of dough. The dough should be filled by the time the oven gets to the proper temperature. There are eight rounds in a can of dough. Begin by separating them on your work surface. Put down some plastic wrap for rolling the rounds. Don't use flour. It will only toughen the dough and make it slide on the surface. You want it to stick. Refrigerator dough is very forgiving. You can always roll it up in a ball and start over again. However, it's a good idea to let it rest five minutes if you do. It is hard to get the dough to stick to itself. A little water on the tip of your finger makes a good glue. trace it on just before you close the dough. Then press the edges very firmly together. Let the dough rest for a few minutes before backing. Brushing the dough with a egg yolk, mixed well with a little warm water will give the finished piece a nice shine. Bake all of these savory pastries for 8 to 10 minutes on baking paper (parchment, not waxed) or quick release aluminum foil.

Cheese bakes and Parmesan Sticks

These are the best ones to start with, until you get used to playing with the dough. Roll a single round out into a flat round shape as thin as you can get it. For the cheddar bakes, lay about 2 or 3 tbs of grated cheddar cheese on the bottom half of the round. Fold the other half over the cheese and firmly press the edges together. Bake as above.

For the parmesan sticks, grind some fresh pepper on the dough and a little salt. place 2 or 3 tbs of grated parmesan cheese even on the round, avoiding the edges. Starting at the bottom, roll the dough over the cheese to form a tight cigar. Crimp the edges together along the seam and at the ends. Bake as above.

To make cheese bites. Cut the separated dough into thirds. flatten each piece. Put a cube of cheese in the middle and fold the dough over sealing tightly. Shape the dough into a ball between your fingers. Make a mixture of equal amounts of finely crushed corn flakes, parmesan cheese and salt. Melt 3 tbs of butter. Dip each ball in butter, then in the mixture. Bake as above. They are done in about 7 minutes. Serve hot.

Empanadas

Roll a single round out into a flat round shape as thin as you can get it. For any of the fillings below, place 2 or 3 tbs in the center of bottom of the round and fold the top over. Press firmly.

Meat filling (enough for 24 empanadas or three cans of dough!):

2 tsp. olive oil
1/4 c chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic smashed and chopped
1/2 lb ground meat (your choice of beef, veal, lamb, turkey, seitan or grated tofu)
2 tsp finely chopped fresh jalapeno pepper (or the pickled variety from last week's show)
Salt and pepper
2 plum tomatoes from the can, drained and crushed
1 hard boiled egg, finely chopped
2 tbs cilantro leaves
2 tsp fresh lime juice

Cook the onions and garlic in the olive oil for about a minute. Add the ground meat and cook stirring until no longer pink. Transfer to a bowl and combine with the other ingredients. Allow to cool completely before filling empanadas.

Veggie Filling (enough 16 empanadas or two cans of dough):

2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground turmeric 1/4 c chopped onion
2 cloves smashed garlic
1 small bag of frozen diced mixed vegetables (any variety)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbs cilantro leaves
2 tsp fresh lime juice

Cook the spices in the olive oil over medium heat until fragrant. Do not burn them. Add onion and garlic and gook for 1 minute. Add the bag of diced vegetables and stir until the vegetables are warmed through, most of the liquid has evaporated from the pan and the vegetables are glazed with the oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Off the heat, stir in cilantro and lime juice. Allow to cool completely before filling empanadas.

Sausage roll

1 can biscuit dough
8 hot dogs/tofu dogs, grilled or warmed in hot water, or cooked breakfast link sausage
Mustard of any variety, to taste

Nothing could be simpler. Roll a single round out into a flat elongated oval shape as thin as you can get it. Slit the sausage on one side and lay cut side up on dough. spread a thin layer of mustard on the sausage. put the sausage back together. Rolling from the bottom, first cover sausage. Then continue to roll to the top. Press the seam firmly together.

Quickie Bites

1 can biscuit Dough
1 egg
1/2 c half and half
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c chopped red pepper
1/4 c chopped onion
1 tbs butter
1/4 cup chopped left-over chicken, turkey, ham, pork, shrimp, fish, etc.
1 tbs chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, or any other flat leaf herb
1/4 cup shredded melting cheese

Heat the oven to 375. This is lower than the package directions. Beat the egg and then add the cream. Beat together until smooth. Saute onion and pepper in hot melted butter over medium high heat, stirring constantly until very soft, about fifteen minutes. Add the left-over meat or fish and heat through. Salt and pepper to taste. Generously butter 24 miniature muffin cups. Separate dough into pieces and cut each in half. Press dough into bottom of each grease muffin cup covering the bottom and the sides. Divide the onion-pepper-meat mixture among the dough filled cups. Spoon approximate 1 tablespoon of the egg and cream into each cup. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Cool slightly and remove from muffin cups. What you don't eat keeps in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for a few days. Can be reheated in a toaster over (not microwave)

Thumbprint Cookies

You'll want to make a lot of these.

2 cans of biscuit dough
1/2 c butter or margarine, melted
1 can or jar of prune, apricot, apple, cherry, or cheese filling (from the bakery section)
2 tbs butter, softened
3 tbs flour
1/4 c sugar.

Heat over to 375. This is lower than the package directions. Separate dough. Dip one side of dough into the melted butter. Place butter side up on an ungreased cookies sheet. Make a large deep thumbprint in the center of each biscuit. Fill this cup with a heaping teaspoon of filling. Combine the softened butter, flour and sugar and mix well. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over each roll. Bake 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm.

Here are some additional recipes from the show :

 

Here is the shopping list for next week:

Next week I'm going to tell you about how to make

Here is a list equipment you will need for next week: