By Patty Pie
Chef Pauline McAloon has lost her head and we hope it doesn’t end up in a pot of soup! With the spookiest day of the year just around the corner we chained Pauline to the stove and warned we would send in the Ghost of Halloween Past if she didn’t come up with the grossest dinner ever! Not one to back down from a challenge Chef Pauline has outdone herself and has prepared a spooktacular meal fit for the scariest trick or treater! All of this leads me to think – Halloween must be a really fun day at Pauline’s house!
Remember to follow @paulinemcaloon on twitter – if you dare!
Slime Soup!
By Pauline McAloon
This soup can be made in 20 minutes and it’s a great way to get the children to eat peas! I used frozen peas which are just as good as fresh peas and a lot quicker. You could add mint if you wanted to, although my kids were put off by the flavor, you know your kids best…
The soup can be made ahead of time or even the day before.
[print-me]
I medium onion-diced
2tbsp unsalted butter
1lb frozen peas/4cups
2 cups organic low sodium chicken stock
2tbsp cream
Salt & Pepper to taste. I used 1 tsp of salt and ½ of pepper.Method:
Melt the butter in a large skillet, add onion and sauté until soft but not brown, about 8-10 minutes.
Add chicken stock, peas, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cook until peas are just al dente.
Liquidize in a blender.*Be very careful when blending anything hot. DO NOT fill the blender, blend in batches until smooth.
Just before serving add the cream, stir.
Monster Sausage Rolls
By Pauline McAloon
This is a twist on the classic “British” sausage roll, which I love. They are traditionally made with Pork, but there are so many variations that I used what I had in my fridge, which was mild Italian sausage. You can use Pork, Chicken or Lamb sausage, whatever you like or you can us the basic recipe and make a different filling each time.
These sausage rolls can be used for dinner or cut into smaller pieces for a picnic or the kid’s lunch box, or as finger food if you have friends over for drinks…You will not believe how easy this recipe is…Endless Possibilities.
Prep: 10 minutes Cook Time 40-45 minutes Oven 350c 180.f
Ingredients:
1 sheet store bought puff pastry-thawed(Pepperidge Farm) if available.
1lb Italian Sausages
1tsp Fennel Seeds-lightly toasted
1 egg – beaten
Method:
Toast the fennel seeds for 2-3 minutes, just until they release their perfume. Cool slightly then crush them in either a pestle & mortar or pop them into a storage bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
Make a slit down the sausages with a knife to remove the meat from the skin, place meat in a bowl, add the fennel and mix well with your hands.
Unfold the pastry sheet, divide into 2 and roll each half to a long strip, approx 3 inches wide and 12inches long.
Roll the sausage meat with floured hands into a “sausage” shape as long as the pastry, place meat on pastry and fold the pastry to enclose the meat. Brush edge with a little egg wash and seal well.
Cut the sausage roll in required size, brush with egg wash, make 3 cuts on top, place on baking sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown.
Allow to cool slightly before serving…(these babies are hot!)
*Tips: I like my sausage rolls a little bigger and thicker, hence the cooking time, but you can easily make them narrower which will cut the cooking time down. When they are golden brown they’re ready. My experience is a minimum of 25 minutes is required to ensure the “sausage” meat is cooked.
*These can be made ahead of time and warmed in the oven at 300.c for ten minutes, before serving.
*Frozen Pastry is usually found in the chillers of your store beside the pre-made flan and pastry casings.
*The sausage rolls are great with your favorite baked beans, and the kids will love it.
Blood “N” Guts Mashed Potatoes…Spookylicious!!!!
By Pauline McAloon
Your little monsters will love these, they look gross but taste great. I served them to my wee monsters in individual dishes but one large dish is fine, whatever works for you.
Ingredients:
1lb potatoes – peeled and diced
1 cup mozzarella cheese – shredded. The mozzarella will give the “guts” texture to the potatoes…YUK!
Green food coloring
Tomato ketchup – squeezable bottle
2tbls Unsalted Butter
1/2tsp salt.
Method:
Boil potatoes in salted water. Drain, add the butter & mash.
Add green food coloring, I used about 8 drops. Mix well with fork to incorporate.
Add grated cheese and mix well.
Put potatoes into you chosen dish/dishes and pour the ketchup over the top in a bloody type manner (if you know what I mean) and drip the ketchup down the sides of dish for a gory effect.
When Pauline emailed me these recipes I knew in a flash what Halloween dinner is going to be at our house! Thanks Pauline! So fun and so creative and I know they are going to taste great too! 😉
Everything looks so delicious. I don’t like pea soup but I would be all over those Monster Sausage Rolls. I have never had ketchup on mashed potatoes before but I would be willing to give it a try.
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Thanks Pauline. This is really quite creative and fun!
Love it! 😉 How fun!
Thanks pattypie the sausage rolls look so good. No pea soup for me either, but any soup would be great with the sausage rolls. Kids would really have fun with all of these dishes.
OK The slime soup is fine I love pea soup. The sausage rolls look edible if I ever find anything edible again. But i must say them mashed potatoes are disgusting. Not in the taste way I am sure they are good. But if I put them in front of me right now you better believe Ill be running for a bathroom. YUCK!
Yikes Lynn I think I remember reading you are pregnant right? 😉
Yes so if Chef Pauline has a maybe non nauseous recipe for me.Id appreciate it. LOL
Lynn, maybe broth would be better for now. Just a thought. 🙂 Hope you get to feeling better soon!!
Those sausage rolls look yummy!
These are cool. Normally , my kids wouldn’t eat pea soup but giving food interesting names might make it more attractive. I just might give it a whirl. Thanks!
LOL, I hope Chef Pauline has been unchained from the stove because this is wonderfully horrible meal for Halloween. Thank you Pauline!
My daughter is asking me to make the Monster Sausage Rolls right away.
I don’t know about the soup. I don’t care for peas and am flashing on Linda Blair. Could I substitute some steamed pureed broccoli?
I just love the green mash potatoes.
Hi Lynn Brady, So sorry that the menu makes you feel sick, it was really meant more the the little monsters in your life, my own husband won’t go anywhere near the potatoes either! lol. Being pregnant can be a challenge when it comes to what you feel like eating, I remember it well.You could have the mozzarella mashed potatoes without the food coloring and tomato sauce, and or have baked potatoes, scoop the potato out add the cheese,load the potato back up and cook for a few minutes under the broiler?You could also add your favorite herb to the potato, like Basil or fennel? As for the “slime” soup, I have a 30 minute recipe for a great Tomato Soup if Patty would like me to post it? Thank you for the feed back, it’s always appreciated. Be Well. Chef Pauline…
Hi Lily….of course you can use steamed broccoli instead, any green veg will do the trick.Tip: I always use the stock of the broccoli, I know most people cut it off and throw it away, but if you cook it until just tender and blend it with the florettes then nothing goes to waste and you will be suprised with the mellow flovor the stocks give.Also I have often used the stocks only for soup when using the florettes for something else, that way I get two dishes from the one vegetable…just a thought…enjoy…Chef Pauline
Thanks for the tips about the mellowness of broccoli stalks, Pauline. We ate them as kids, but now it’s hard for me to find the whole head because the florets are so much more popular. I was planning on making a broccoli cheese soup next week and would like that “mellowness” for mine.
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I love the little sausage rolls. Are they mummies?
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Yuck to the mashed potatoes. I can imagine the kids would like them though.
Thanks Pauline. And Ann, I agree, broccoli stalks are good. We ate them as kids too, still do. Sigh, I usually have a freezer full of fresh broccoli, but not this year.
Pauline, I have never made home-made tomato soup. LOL, it has always been a can Campbell’s at our house, but I always wondered how it was made and would love to make some. I bet it’s really good w/fresh tomatoes.
These recipes sound oh so yummy and perfect for Halloween. I am slowly trying to change our diet to move away from gluten so some of these recipes are great to get to the veggies part! 🙂
Who would have ever thought I would say that slime soup is cute? LOL
Yummy! I LOVE pea soup, and the sausage rolls would be a welcome indulgence. I like that the soup only has a bit of cream in it. Not too rich