Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Our parents party food!

1 cup cracker crumbs (a sleeve of saltines = 1 1/4 cup)
1 lb ground beef
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp soy (soya) sauce
1 tsp worcestershire
salt and pepper

combine all the above and form into meat balls (I bought a handy dandy thing that looks like scissors but forms meat balls)
Place on foil lined rimmed cookie sheet and bake at 350 x 20 minutes. makes 40-50 meat balls

1 1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tsp dry mustard
2 tbs corn starch

Combine all the above in sauce pan bring to boil
add cooked meatballs and simmer on low for about an hour

Olive Tapenade

Really good on toasted ciabatta bread or crackers, you can use a mixture of black and green olives. However better quality olives yield a better result.

1/2 cup ripe calamata olives pittes
2 tbs capers drained
2 anchovie filet
2 cloves garlic peeled
2 tbs extra virgin oil
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
pepper to taste

12 slices toasted ciabatta bread or french

Chope all ingredients finely and mix well. Food processer makes quick work here

Bruschetta

One of the greatest skills in the kitchen is to use every last bit of food without it being thrown away. It is a good day when there is day old bread and too many tomatoes at my house. The vinegar will give the tomatoes a few extra days working as a preservative

4 cups chopped tomato about 4 large
1/8 cup olive oil extra virgin
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried basil or 1 tbls fresh chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped or 4 tsp chopped garlic
2 chopped green onions optional
grated Romano or Parmesan cheese

french bread sliced
brush slices in olive oil
toast on grill pan or I use a panini press or an indoor grill. Garnish tomato mixture with cheese and serve on toasted bread

tomato mixture is also very good served on greens as a salad!

Egg Rolls

Growing up in rural New Brunswick in the 60s before the advent of the fast food chains, we frequented independant Take-outs. Most of these offered Chan egg rolls on their menu. I still miss these crispy treats with the flattened ends that made great handles to pick em up and and a greasy crunchy end to your meal.
Good egg rolls are difficult to find, even the Moon Palace on King Square is long since gone.
So I make my own

16 oz pkg egg roll wrappers
1 beaten egg
cold water

1 lb pork ground
1/2 med cabbage shredded about 3 cups
6 mushrooms chopped
6 green onions chopped
8 oz bamboo shoots chopped

2 tbls soya sauce
2 tsp five spice powder (in Oriental section of grocery store)
1 tsp sugar
salt pepper to taste

Because I have already pulled the food processer out to chop the vegetables, I chop boneless pork chops with fat removed yo fine texture

Stir fry pork in Wok with some veg oil. about 1 tble. Remove pork to large bowl
Combine Soy, spices and corn starch mix well set aside
Stir fry all vegetables in another tablespoon oil 1 minute
Add soy mixture
Stir fry one more minute. Add to pork and stir

Seperate wrappers brush with beaten egg. Place 1/4 cup mixture on each wrapper. Fold bottom corner over middle. Roll in two sides and rols to complete wrapper. Press edges tightly with moistened finger to seal product

heat 2 inch veg oil in wok to 360 dgrees
Fry 3-4 at a time turning when golden, approx 5 mins total frying time

Place wire rack on cookie sheet so egg rolls can drain while you fry next batch
Serve now with plum sauce or hot mustard sauce
or place wax paper on cookie sheet, space eggrolls evenly, place in freezer until frozen. Place egg rolls in plastic bags.
Place frozen egg rolls in 375 oven 20 minutes to reheat

Makes 16. Today I decided to cut each wrapper into four to make bite size egg rolls. It was a long tedious chore, wrapping all 60, that I will not repeat soon

Sausage Rolls

1 lb sausage (I prefer Hot)

2 Phyllo Pastry Sheets thawed

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons basil

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

salt / pepper to taste

mustard of choice (I prefer dijon with horseradish)

2 sheets wax paper

Preheat oven to 350

Unfold each pastry sheet on a sheet wax paper

Spread 1/2 sausage on each sheet Phyllo becareful not to press pastry. Leave 1/2 strip bare at top.

Grate garlic clove over each, sprinkle 1/2 cheese, 1/2 basil on each and salt and pepper.

Starting at bottom roll up toward bare strip, rolling pastry tightly over filling.

Wrap with wax paper sheet place in freezer 1 hour.

Slice the rolls into 1/2 inch slices. Place slices on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake approx 30 mins until golden. Serve with mustard.