Beer and food that rolls: NZ cheese rolls and chicken flautas

There are so many things to update on and so little time! Today I’ll have to be satisfied with describing my weekend of beer and roll-y food.

Friday night’s last minute decision to attend The Great Australasian Beer Spectapular was a definite winner, if you count drinking watermelon beer, coconut beer, chilli-chocolate beer and smoky beer (from NZ’s own Mussel Inn) as a win. Which I do. Not only was it a great event but it seemed to have an unintended but pervasive effect on the rest of my weekend by bringing out my beer and pub food side.

Saturday was the day my flatmate finally decided I was a lost cause. Not because I came home at 1am and singed all the hair off my hand and arm trying to light the grill in our oven (which I did do, but she doesn’t know that. I was stone cold sober I might add). No, she lost her faith in me because of cheese rolls. For anyone outside of New Zealand (or the South Island apparently), I am sick of explaining a cheese roll so see more info here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese_roll. The look of utter disgust on her face while she watched me whip up these delicacies was absolutely hilarious to behold and her hesitant approach to trying one even more so. But trust me make this recipe, toast some up when you’re hungry, freeze some for when you want to toast them up, and you’ll never look back.

Cheese rolls
*400g-ish tasty cheese
*1 packet Maggi Onion Soup mix
*1 can evaporated milk
*1 small onion, chopped finely (optional)
*1 tsp mustard powder (optional)
*3 loaves sandwich bread

-Mix the evaporated milk, soup, onion and mustard powder in a pot over a medium heat
-Add the cheese slowly till it is all melted in and the mixture is thick
-Spread a bit of mixture quite thickly on a slice of bread then roll up using 2 rolls so it is a cylinder shape (terrible explanation but you get what I mean). Stack with the seam side down to keep its shape
-Keep going until you’re out of mixture. It’ll usually get you about 2 and a half loaves worth. But work fast because the mixture sets quickly. If you have a handy helper this part is WAY better as a two person job

My second major culinary effort this weekend stepped it up a notch, creating a glorious union of beer AND cylindrical food. If you’re a good multitasker you’ll like this one

Poached chicken Flautas (adapted from http://healthy-delicious.com/2012/03/baked-chicken-and-spinach-flautas/)
*1kg chicken breasts
*one 375ml bottle of beer
*2 cups of water (slightly more than the beer)
*a few handfuls of spinach
*1 jalapeno
*1 packet of tortillas
*1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp chilli flakes
*handful of cheese

*add the beer, water and chicken into a pot. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes until the chicken is cooked
*pour out all but 1/3rd of the beer and water mixture and add the spinach and chopped jalapeno, heat on a low temperature until the spinach is wilted
*cut the tortillas directly down the middle and grate the cheese
*after the chicken is cool, shred it and sprinkle over the spice mixture
*place some mixture (enough that you can still roll it up) along the long edge of one of the half tortillas and roll it up, place seam side down on a baking tray
*repeat, adding the spinach to every second or third roll
*lightly coat flautas in oil and bake at 220 degrees celcius for 10 mins either side

I hope you enjoy these recipes! But I suggest doing so in moderation if you have a healthy respect for your coronary arteries.

Advertisement