Life happenings when the recipe doesn’t go to plan

Life happenings don’t always go to plan. Do you find that? Your recipe isn’t always the way others do it. The recipe has to be changed, altered, or given up. When we put our own personal stamp on things you will find it is rarely the same as what others do. But we try! Some – like life “doers” are seasoned cooks and hardly need much instruction (it seems) to go ahead full steam to get things processed, produced, or thrown away! Now I’m going to blame Esme for the following antidote. I’m laughing as I was thinking of her giving me little bits of motivation to get a recipe or two happening. Here is a recipe I chose to do. This is what happened!

Ah – now I sighted a recipe about 3 weeks ago and popped it onto my Pinterest to try. After all -it was easy, wasn’t it? Asparagus Filo rolls seemed easy enough and here in Australia Asparagus season was in full swing.

this For later use

Never mind that I hadn’t used Filo pastry for hmmm about 18 years. Then only once and then under strict instruction from a seasoned cook who was right with me. She chose frozen pastry but showed me how to deal with the finicky part of it with a tea towel. Anyway, this recipe said you could use fresh so that would be easy. I’m all for easy, aren’t you?

Okay – well, I had only looked at the recipe 3 weeks ago and then quickly. I didn’t remember how much asparagus so I bought 2 bunches anyway. (On special and very fresh). It had Parmesan (the recipe that was) – but what the heck – ditch that I’ll use Feta – since I’ve got that in the fridge (you know how people can easily diverge from what they are instructed to do? Yes me too – I hardly ever diverge with cooking but this time I was onto something! – or so I thought!) Can it be very tasty with just Asparagus and the cheese? I think I will saute up a couple of onions in a wee bit of olive oil. I also heard to make it vegan you could put mustard with the asparagus. So that’s my hubby fixed – I would make some with just the mustard.

Okay now I opened up the Filo pastry and yes it was easier to deal with than frozen – but oh so much of it! I tripled up my first lot with one asparagus spear. Oops – later I found that was too much!  But I was on a roll and I cut off about 1 inch off the bottom of the asparagus spears which was the exit of the woody part. Next, I laid the spear down nicely on the laid-out pastry. My sauteed onion had cooled (well mostly!) and I put some along the spear. With the Feta I used a potato peeler to peel bits to then spread along the spear and onion mix. Hmmm – that didn’t work so well but maybe because the potato peeler was for potatoes?

Oh dear – these Asparagus Rolls won’t stop coming. I knew I shouldn’t have got a whole pack of Fillo pastry. Two bunches of Asparagus? Whose ideas was that? The original recipe said 15 minutes! I’m still going here and it’s 3/4 of an hour! Rolling and cutting them up like sausage rolls but it wouldn’t work making them long so I thought. (There’s diverging from the recipe again)

Ah ready to put one batch in the oven – but I need another baking tray! since I have a lot left to do. Get my Smart oven on. Let’s try 180 degrees C like they said. Oh, the oil? That’s right it was oiled between each layer of pastry – but I stopped the layering after doing 3 layers and thinking it was too thick. Hmm – well, maybe I will just oil the top. Oh – no pastry brush (we moved and I haven’t sighted it alongside 2 pie plates, the waffle maker, and a few other odd kitchen things) – so I can’t use alternatives. Or can I? The hubby’s paint brushes from the garage? Nope. His artist paint brushes? Nope.  Fingers make the grade – that will be it. Don’t worry about the oily residue – just wipe them on the tea towel.

Oh no – this second batch I thought would be the final run! But no it makes up a full pizza tray and the pastry and asparagus still keep coming. Who’s idea was this??! Okay, 3rd pizza tray comes out. But alas I’ve run out of onion to go with the mix. But that’s okay hubby can have his mustard lot without the onion. I’m near the end and I’ve now got more Asparagus than pastry – but that’s fine I’ll make them end at the same time (so I have the last lot with double Asparagus.

The oven dings – the first batch is ready. Bit crispy – well I did only use a bit of olive oil – I wanted them to be more healthy. Okay, put the temperature down to 175 degrees this time. Hubby comes and tries them (remember he will eat anything) and says delicious. I notice he doesn’t have a second one (or am I just being negative?!)

The second batch is a little less crispy – so I will work at 165 degrees for 17 minutes, not 15 minutes like last time. This exercise is taking 3 times as long as the recipe – but it’s a bit like life isn’t it – you don’t follow a recipe and if you don’t you are not sure what you are going to get. Plus it takes a lot longer – but hey – you’ve got 3 plates of Feta Asparagus Rolls aka “new recipe”…  Now how do I tell hubby they are mains now and not an appetizer?

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From Deborah’s kitchen (I’m going to sit down and get full on some “Fillo rolls”) They don’t taste too bad either! Want some?

Catch you later!