Heroes-feasting - Hello Bonjour

That wonderful home cooking! #vintage #cottagecore #supertaster #aesthetic #momcore

No new post this week either - taking a bit of an extended vacation!

No new recipe post this week, but here’s a cute screenshot from my Stardew Valley farm to make up for it!

See you next Sunday!!

Decided to do something fun with my copy of Heroes’ Feast to mark the occasion!

Baked Feta Wrap

I’ll make a better pub night, with chicken and feta! - Me

Who doesn’t love a night with friends after a long week? Whether you’re meeting up with a large group or settling in with a few close friends, it’s always nice to take some time to unwind and catch up. You know what we all don’t love? Expensive prices at bars and pubs. So, why not bring the vibe of pub night home and save some cash!

Popularized on TikTok back in 2020, the original tomato-feta sauce took the app by storm and spawned a whole batch of variations. Although I can’t find it anymore, the most interesting, to me, was from a woman roasting her cheating SO while turning this tasty sauce into a wrap (disguising the elastic as olives? Oof).

So, as midterm season comes to a close (or reaches its penultimate), this recipe is sure to make some great, easy snackables to kick off either a study sesh or a night out. Or, make your friends jealous by bringing it with you to school for an eating-out-style lunch without having to spend the cash!

Cheating SOs dni.

VEGETARIAN? No problem! Check out the results section for how to make this recipe work for you!

(Adapted from Rachael Ray’s recipe and the TikTok mentioned in the intro)

Prep: 5 mins               Cook: 1h 30 mins               Overall: 1h 35 mins*

* Will take 1h 15 mins time if not allowing the sauce to fully cool.

Ingredients*:

½ cup (118 ml) olive oil

2 pints (550 g) cherry tomatoes

One 8-ounce (225 g) block feta

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

¼ tsp. (0.5 g) red pepper flakes

4 large fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1 handful of smaller ones)

Salt and pepper

1.5 pounds (750 g) chicken strips

1 box (142 g) baby spinach

24 medium (not mini) whole-wheat tortillas

* Makes enough for ~24 medium wraps (8-12 servings).

To start, preheat oven to 400℉ (204℃) and move the oven rack to the middle.

In a baking dish, toss the olive oil, whole cherry tomatoes, salt, and pepper until all tomatoes are coated (above-left).

Next, add the feta to the middle of the baking dish. On top of the feta, add a splash of olive oil and some pepper (above-right).

Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

NOTE: I used 2 blocks of feta so I put olive oil and pepper on each block and stacked them.

While the tomatoes and feta bake, prepare the chicken.

To remove extra juices on the outside (and prevent the strips from sticking to the skillet) blot both sides of the chicken strips with a clean paper towel.

Then, sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper and lightly massage it in.

Next, heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken strips to the pan and allow to cook for 4-5 minutes a side until the inside is no longer pink and the internal temp reads 165℉ (74℃).

After cooking, remove skillet from heat and move the chicken to a plate to rest.

After 30 minutes in the oven, increase the heat to 450℉ (232℃) and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until the tomatoes and feta have browned.

Once everything has browned, remove the baking dish from the oven and add the chopped garlic and red pepper flakes. Break apart the feta block and stir so the residual heat cooks the garlic and incorporates the flavour from the red pepper flakes.

Unlike the pasta recipe, your goal here is to make sure everything is incorporated and has cooled down a little before assembling the wraps. It will take ~10 minutes to incorporate the sauce and then another ~20 minutes to cool. I recommend placing the baking dish on a wire rack to help it cool faster. If you’re in a rush, you can make the wraps with the warm sauce right after incorporating everything but it will be much harder to roll the wraps.

You’ll know the sauce is ready when you don’t see large streaks of olive oil while stirring or clinging to the sides of the baking dish.

NOTE: I recommend placing a kitchen towel or paper towel under the baking dish as you stir. I’ve made this several times now and always manage to stir a little too hard and spill some olive oil. Best to cut the spillage mess off at the pass.

TIP: Take the time when the sauce is cooling to clean the dishes created in earlier steps!

Stir in the chopped basil leaves once the sauce has cooled and everything has been incorporated.

To assemble the wraps, place a medium tortilla on a clean surface and layer a handful of spinach leaves on one side. Spoon ~1 tbsp. of sauce over the spinach and spread it out a little using the back of the spoon. Place a chicken strip over the sauce (above-left).

To wrap it up, fold the edge with the filling tightly around the chicken. Push in the corners and fold in the top and bottom edges. Continue to wrap everything tightly and fold in the corners that are created as you roll (above-right).

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5. Served warm or cold, the infamous sauce lends itself really well to being used in wrap form.

Although you may feel a little impatient while incorporating the sauce, the flavour is absolutely worth it (as is not just taking a bite of pure olive oil). Don’t skip the spinach either! The sauce is very rich and, although just using 1 tbsp. helps a little, the greens are really what stops it from becoming overbearing.

VEGETARIAN? The chicken inside can easily be substituted for Beyond Meat alternatives. However, if you’d like to change it up, reduce the amount of sauce used and pack the wrap with your favourite bagged salad! I’ve done this a couple times now and it’s tasted great!

Sooo I found this, gave me a hearty chuckle, 

Hey buddy. Mind if I get in your way while you’re shopping?

I guffawed out loud because THIS

Elven Marruth

“Sometimes reductively referred to as “root pies” by dwarves and humans, marruth are incredibly hearty closed-faced canapés that are filled with spiced and herbed mashes of vegetables (carrots, potatoes, and carrots) and then lightly baked in a flaky, buttery crust.” - Heroes’ Feast, p. 64

Eating seasonal foods is a popular option because it helps local growers, tastes fresher, and makes you feel more connected to the season. Now, this is all well and good if you live in a climate with longer or all-year growing seasons; but what can you expect to be growing when you’re knee-deep in snow?

Believe it or not, there are winter seasonal vegetables! (rip fruit, you’ll be missed until spring)

Elven Marruth from Heroes’ Feast is a great use of hardy winter-season produce. The small pastries make for a great snack alongside a warm bowl of soup or, thanks to their nutritious filling, a great meal on their own!

These small pastries also hold a special place in my heart for being the first recipe I ever made from Heroes’ Feast (alongside Underdark Lotus with Fire Lichen Spread on p. 93)!

Check out below for my process in creating the house and for some helpful tips and tricks when making this yourself! Get Heroes’ Feast here: https://dnd.wizards.com/heroes-feast

Prep: 15 mins + pie crust, if making                 Cook: 2h 30 mins

Total: 2h 45 mins

Ingredients:

1 small yellow onion, finely chopped*

1 small Yukon gold potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped*

2 cups (300 g) packed finely chopped green cabbage*

3 tbsp. (44 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. (3 g) finely chopped fresh thyme, plus 1 ½ tbsp. (4 g) picked whole thyme leaves**

¾ tsp. (4 ml) soy sauce

¼ cup (4 g) chopped fresh dill

All-purpose flour for dusting

Pastry for 2 double-crust pies, thawed if frozen

1 egg

* To cut down on prep time, roughly chop the onion, carrot, and cabbage and then process them together in a food processor. You’ll need about 15 pulses get them all finely chopped.

** To pick the whole thyme leaves, pinch a stem of thyme and run your fingers down the opposite way the leaves are pointing.

First, preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃) with the racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle of the oven. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick (silicone) liners.

Then, in a bowl, combine the onion, potato, carrots, cabbage, and olive oil and toss to coat the vegetables with the oil (top-left). Add ½ tsp. salt and a few grinds of pepper and toss to distribute (top-right).

Transfer the mixture to one of the prepared baking sheets, spreading it into a thin, even layer (set the bowl aside) (top-left).

Roast the vegetables on either rack until tender, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring and turning the vegetables two or three times (top-right).

NOTE: I misread the instructions so I spread the mixture over both sheets.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven, add the chopped thyme, and stir to incorporate it. Spread out the mixture and allow to cool to room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Leave the oven on for more baking and return the cooled veggies to the now-empty bowl. Stir in the soy sauce, dill, ¾ tsp. salt, and pepper to taste. Adjust the seasoning as necessary, and set aside until needed.

If making the filling ahead of time, turn off the oven, transfer the cooled mixture to a tupperware, and put it in the fridge until needed.

Replace the parchment paper on the baking sheet or wash the non-stick liner and return it to the baking sheet. Have a small bowl of water handy.

Dust a large piece of parchment paper or a clean work surface with flour. Working with one ball of homemade pastry at a time, or one sheet of store-bought pastry, roll the dough into a 12-inch (30 cm) circle (top-left).

Sprinkle half of the whole thyme leaves evenly over the pastry, cover with a piece of parchment paper, and roll lightly to help the thyme stick (top-right).

Flip the pastry over so the thyme leaves are on the bottom, and set aside. Repeat with the remaining pastry and remaining whole thyme leaves.

With a 4-inch (10 cm) round biscuit or cookie cutter, cut at least six circles out of each pastry round.

TIP: To keep the pastry as chilled as possible for maximum ~flakiness~ while baking, work with and cut out circles from one ball of pastry at a time. Place each cut circle on a plate covered with cling film and put in the fridge until needed.

Keep the scraps from the first dough ball in the fridge and combine with the scraps from the second dough ball. Roll out the combined scraps for extra circles.

NOTE: My pie crust recipe gives quite a bit of dough, so you’ll end up cutting out way more than the six asked for by Heroes’ Feast.

Working with as many of the pastry circles as you feel comfortable with to keep the dough chilled, place 1 ½ tbsp. (one slightly rounded tbsp.) of the vegetable mixture in the center of each round, leaving a ½-inch border around the edge.

Working with one piece of pastry at a time, moisten the edge of the pastry circle and fold over the pastry over the filling to make a half-moon shape. Press out any trapped air, press the edges firmly to seal, and crimp the edges using a fork to secure the seal.

Transfer the crimped pastries to a separate plate and keep in the fridge until ready to cook.

Repeat with the remaining pastry rounds and filling.

Once all of the pastries are ready, transfer them onto the prepared baking sheets.

In a small bowl, beat the egg with 1 tbsp. water and brush the tops and sides of each marruth with the mixture (top-left).

Bake until the marruths are light golden brown and crisp, about 25 minutes, rotating the sheets 180 degrees and switching racks halfway through baking (top-right).

Set the baking sheets on wire racks, cool the pastries for about 5 minutes, and serve hot.

NOTE: Despite the recipe only being supposed to make 12, I’ve always gotten somewhere between 18-22 marruths from the filling.

NOTE: You’ll notice the BIG marruth I’ve made on the tray. I was trying to see if I could make a larger version of this recipe since I’d made smaller ones of the Hand Pies (p. 21). However, the consensus was that the smaller ones were better. Expect 4-5 more marruths than shown if not making the big one.

Overall, I would give this recipe a 5/5. I’m usually not a huge fan of vegetable-based dishes, but these veggie turnovers are awesome. I’ve made them for weekend lunches and many a movie night and they’re always a massive hit!

The vegetables really work together with the soy sauce and herbs to create a great flavour with a texture reminiscent of a spring roll. If you’re looking for a more savoury turnover, this one’s for you.

MAKE SURE TO EAT THEM WARM though. It might just be me, but they don’t really work if they’re any colder than room temperature.

I would also recommend making the filling and pie crust on one day and assembling them the next day. It makes the cooking time a lot less daunting and not eat up your free time :)

P.S. You can make these for someone who doesn’t like onion by leaving it out. I’ve made them like this before and they said they were great!