There are thousands of recipes that involve wrapping up food. This Blog will give new recipes on a regular basis from around the world.
Tamales are ubiquitous throughout Central and South America and found in other Latin countries such as Spain. They almost always contain corn, either fresh, or dried and ground corn. They were probably first made back in Mesoamerica earlier than 8000 BC and it is generally believed that the Aztecs were the first to make tamales.…
Dumplings are ubiquitous in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Russia, Ukraine and other countries. These are delicious. I have taken the liberty of doing my own version of these Pelmeni, as I prefer food a little more savory than what is considered the original recipe for Pelmeni. The picture above is of frozen Pelmeni. These are…
This is a fairly simple recipe, but putting it all together can be a bit challenging. Wrapping the date in the shrimp and then in the bacon requires at least 2 toothpicks. Also you want to bake these enough that the bacon is a crisp as possible, without burning the shrimp and date. These can…
These are easy to make, impressive and your guests will love them. They are finger food, easy to pick up, and just a small bite each, an amuse bouche. The crepe batter is from my blog on sweet crepes, so it is a all-purpose flour crepe without the sweetness. The filling here is savory not…
Beignets are the Louisiana official state Doughnut. The beignet usually uses a choux dough, a moist dough that allows steam to puff up the beignet, a choux pastry. Making a choux pastry is a bit of a challenge and the recipe below is a fairly simple moist yeast dough. In the 17th century Settlers from…
The origin of spring rolls is distinctly Chinese. The roll, as all of us have come to understand it, originated during the Jin Dynasty, 266-420 D. Originally the term “spring roll” indicated a wrapped roll filled with spring vegetables and was a celebratory dish when spring arrived. The concept has spread around Asia and most…
Stromboli is a stuffed Italian bread that originated in the USA. Romano’s restaurant in Philadelphia claims to be the first to provide Stromboli on their menu. The Stromboli is similar to the Calzone, which was invented in Italy in the 1700s in Naples. The basic difference between the two is how they are shaped and…
This is a great recipe for a side or appetizer. I was not able to fold over the dough and make an appetizing looking round packet, see pictures below. The skills of Chinese chefs are beyond my expertise. I found that using my pasta maker make a uniformly thick dough and using two rounds made…
This blog will be a bit long, which doesn’t match the simplicity of making these onigiri. These rice balls, which come in many different sizes and shapes, different fillings, and different preparations are simple and delicious. As you can see from the featured image, you can be very creative in shape, design, filling and just…
In my research on pasteles, I wondered what the classical sides were that complemented those wonderful “tamales”. A Puerto Rican potato salad is often mentioned. This is my iteration of that delicious salad, which does not need to just be served with pasteles! Notes: I love Yukon Gold potatoes and find that when mixed with…