Quick Pizza Rolls

 

These are busy days when there never seems to be enough hours in the day to get the things done that you really want to get done and this is only the beginning of the Holiday Season!  Just wait a week or two and everything is going to be really crazy!



Busy days like this are when it's nice to have something quick and easy up your sleeve that you can rustle up at the drop of a hat for lunch or supper.  Something quick like these Quick Pizza Rolls.  If you have a tin of croissant dough in the fridge, you have a meal, be it breakfast, lunch or dinner!



I don't know about your kids, but mine were always crazy about pizza or anything that even remotely  resembled a pizza, and things like this were high on their list of favourites.   Back home you could buy frozen pizza pockets and pizza rolls, and they liked them, but I think it's even better if you can rustle up something similar yourself.



Something which they will still like but isn't loaded with too much junk.  With a tiny bit of ingenuity you may even create something which is better than those frozen things.  I have used the tinned croissant rolls here and a mix of cooked bacon, onions, olives, mushrooms, garlic and sun dried tomatos, all chopped pretty fine.  The only cheese is a light spread of roasted pepper cream cheese along with a light dusting of parmesan on the outsides.



They were quick to make, delicious to eat and quite filling.  You can vary the fillings as desired, to reflect your own desires and tastes.  This is just a basic recipe that you can really feel free to run with.   They would also make a delicious light main dish when served up with a bowl of hot tomato soup!   Enjoy!

*Quick Pizza Rolls*
Makes six

Printable Recipe  

This is an easy recipe that is a real kid pleaser, using refrigerated croissant rolls. 

1 package of refrigerated croissant rolls

3 slices of streaky bacon, finely chopped

3 large closed cup mushrooms, chopped

1/2 small red onion, finely chopped

1 small clove of garlic, peeled and minced

4 sun dried tomatoe halved chopped

1 dessertspoon of basil pesto

6 pitted green olives, chopped

6 black olives, chopped

flavoured cream cheese (I used roasted pepper)

Oil spray and finely grated parmesan cheese  

  

Pre-heat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. 

Place the bacon into a skillet along with the mushrooms and onions.  Cook, stirring until the bacon is cooked through and the onions and mushrooms have softend and begun to turn golden brown.  Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool somewhat.  Stir in the chopped tomatoes, olives and basil pesto.  Mix well.

Unroll your croissant dough.  Spread some cream cheese down the centre of each, leaving a border all around.  Spoon some of the bacon mixture down the centre of each, again leaving a border.  (Don't be too generous or you will have blow outs!)  Roll up from the large end, sealing the edges and twisting the ends.  Place onto a baking paper lined baking sheet.  Spritz each one with some cooking spray and dust with Parmesan cheese.   Bake in the heated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.  Serve warm.

Note:  The cans of regrigerated croissants over here are more like real croissants and come six to a can.   You can use the refrigerated ones over in America, but they may not look the same.  Alternatively, you could split baked croissants and fill with the filling and then wrap in foil and heat through.  (In which case you may need to double the filling ingredients!)

Lemons, Pasta and other things

I make no apologies for it . . . when it comes to my every day cooking, I can be rather lazy.   I don't like a lot of fiddle faddle and faffing about.  I like to just get on with it.  I also don't like to eat out of tins, so I try find a compromise somewhere in the middle.   A middle place where I can cook from scratch, but where the cooking is quick, easy and simple.

Don't get me wrong . . . I do enjoy a challenge and will rise to it on occasion . . . but occasion is the key word here, and every day cooking isn't an occasion.  Which doesn't mean that the food isn't tasty or delicious or exciting.  It just means that it doesn't take a lot of work to create it.



That's why I like to keep a well stocked store cupboard and larder of essentials such as pasta, tinned tomatoes, fresh lemons and herbs, cheese and dairy, amongst other things.  Those are things you will always find in my house and having them means I always have a tasty and quick meal at my fingertips.

Over the next three weeks The Sunday Times is publishing a pull out Ultimate Cookbook as part of the Incredible Edibles Food Series, dedicated to food and dining.   This weeks focus is Quick Eats, and you can get your copy of The Sunday Times Ultimate Cookbook: Quick Eats this weekend, on Sunday the 24th November, featuring no less than twelveof the finest, tastiest and quickest  recipes brought to you by twelve different celebrity chef's.



As you can see there are some very nice names there . . . and you will find amongst the twelve a delicious recipe for Tom Kitchin's Pork Chops with Tomato Compote and James Martin's (The King of Desserts) Marshmallow Whiskey Ice Cream, not to mention a signature pudding from "The Ivy" restaurant in London.  Who says quick eats have to be  un-exciting!



I could not wait to get stuck into the recipes and since I had some lovely De Cecco Linquine pasta in the cupboard and a lovely bowl of fresh un-waxed lemons I decided to make Nigella Lawsons delicious sounding Lemon Linquine.  The pasta hater was out for the day, so I did not make the whole recipe.  Happily I was able to successfully reduce it to serve just one.

 

It used simple ingredients . . . liguine, fresh lemon, cream, parmesan cheese . . . some seasoning, fresh parsley as a garnish . . .



It went together lickety split . . . in the time it took to cook the pasta . . . it was basically done and I was indulging myself in a delicious carb fest . . .



Which made me very . . . very . . . VERY happy indeed!   As I sat there munching away on this lemony, creamy, buttery deliciousness  with a big smile on my face . . . I had to ask myself the question . . . why aren't more things in life this quick, delicious and easy?

*Nigella's Lemon Linguine*
Serves 4

Printable Recipe  

A deliciously simple pasta dish, with a sauce that's low of effort, but high on flavour!

900g linquine (scant 2 pounds)

2 large free range egg yolks

160ml of double cream (2/3 cup heavy cream)

8 TBS freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

the zest of one un-waxed lemon, plus the juice of half the lemon

(more as needed)

fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

60g unsalted butter (4 TBS)

2 to 3 TBS chopped fresh flat leaf parsley  

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to the boil.  Add the linguine and give it a good stir to separate the strands.  Cook according to the package directions, stirring it occasionally and cooking it at a slow boil.

While the pasta is cooking, whisk the egg yolks, cream, cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice with a fork just to blend.  Have ready the remainder of ingredients.

When the pasta is done, remove 1 cup of the cooking water and quickly drain the remainder in a sieve.  Toss it back into the empty pot and stir in the butter, swirling it about to make sure each strand is coated with butter.  Add the egg mixture, tossing it together with the pasta to coat, adding some of the cooking water only if the pasta seems dry, and only about 2 TBS or so.  Pour into a large serving bowl, and scatter the parsley on top.  Serve immediately.

Note:  I served extra Parmesan cheese to grate over the individual servings at the table.

Get your copy of The Sunday Times Ultimate Cookbook:  Quick Eats this weekend, on Sunday the 24th November, the second in a four-part series.  Featuring a selection of the finest recipes of the celebrity chef era.  The Ultimate Cookbook is part of  The Incredible Edibles Food Series dedicated to food and dining.  Upcomng editions in the series are  Brunch & Baking on Sunday December 1st and Dinner Party on Sunday December 8.

Visit thesundaytimes.co.uk to subscribe and to find out more details about exclusive Times + chef events hosted at some of the country's best restaurants.