French Parcels Recipes

PAUPIETTES DE PORC - FRENCH STUFFED PORK FILLET PARCELS

Steps:

• Flatten the pork escalopes or pork steaks with the flat of a large knife. Salt and pepper generously.
• Mix the finely diced onion with the sausage meat and add the herbs - mixing well with your hands. Season with black pepper.
• Place a spoonful of the seasoned sausage meat on each pork escalope one-third of the way down the scallop. Roll the escalope around the sausage meat, tucking the meat around the stuffing until well rolled. Taking about two feet of string, place the bundle in the middle of the string, and tie; turn one-quarter turn and tie again; turn again and tie again. When you have a neatly tied packet of pork and stuffing, clip off any excess string and proceed to tie up the rest of the pork escalopes.
• Place pork parcels in a single layer in a hot, deep sauté pan with olive oil. Brown on all sides and remove from the pan.
• Sauté the chopped shallots in the oil left in the pan. Stir until they start to colour, then add the flour and the tomato paste. Continue to cook and stir until the mixture starts to colour then add nearly the whole bottle of wine, reserving a glass for yourself if you wish!
• Place the pork paupiettes back in the pan with the bouquet garni and the sauce, cover, and simmer slowly for forty-five to sixty minutes.
• Add the sliced mushrooms and orange zest to the sauce and cook uncovered for another fifteen minutes. Serve 2 paupiettes per person with plenty of sauce and with a selection of seasonal vegetables, gratin potatoes, rice or pasta.
• To freeze: Place them in a plastic container with greaseproof paper in between them, or in a ziplock bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
• To defrost: Take the paupiettes out the night before you need to cook them and defrost in the fridge. Cook them as before when they have fully defrosted.

FRENCH PARCELS

Steps:

• Spread a teaspoon of butter on each of 4 sheets of foil. Place a steak in the centre of each sheet.
• Combine remaining ingredients and spread on steaks. Wrap foil around to form parcels and place on a baking tray.
• Bake at 180C for 30 minutes. Serve with jacket or new potatoes and salad.

STEAK AND ONION PASTRY PARCELS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 220ºC (200ºC fan assisted oven)/425ºF/Gas 7.
• Heat the butter in a heavy based frying pan and quickly seal the steaks on all sides so they are just browning. Remove from pan and allow to cool on kitchen paper.
• Add the onions to the pan and cook slowly for approximately 10 minutes until brown and tender, cool on kitchen paper.
• Cut the pastry into 4 equal pieces and roll each one sufficiently large to be able to wrap up the steaks. Place one eighth of the onions in the centre of each pastry piece, top with a generous teaspoonful of horseradish and then sit a steak on top. Top the meat with the evenly divided remaining onions.
• Brush the edges of one pastry piece with beaten egg and bring the sides up to meet over the meat. Press together firmly so that the filling is totally sealed in like a parcel, turn over and place on a lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining pastry/steak stacks. Make 2-3 cuts in the tops of the parcels, brush with beaten egg.
• Bake for 15 - 20 minutes until pastry is golden brown and depending on how rare you like the steak. Serve hot.