S.T.E.L.: Cheese and Sausage Bundles


Cheese and Sausage Bundles

Ages ago, I made this one hot drowsy afternoon for my and the Gorilla. We wanted something easy, delicious and gratifying. I stumbled upon this recipe in my mom's cook book and thought it was simple enough and worth a shot. Turns out its a lot trickier than expected.

Despite many errors(that could have been avoided if I was patient), the result was still delicious and yes, I cheated a little. I substituted a lot of the ingredients (well, some) and the result was truly astounding.

A crispy, slightly eggy tasting shell that is typical of Chinese wontons greets you on first bite and as the shell disintegrates, an explosion of meat and cheese occurs in your mouth and all you can think about is how the taste is so distinctly Mexican and before you know it, you are suddenly overcome with the urge to shout,"OLE!"

I lied about the "OLE!"part. I was more overcome with the urge to shout,"This is awesome!"

If you like to see the original recipe, you can view it here.

Sausage and Cheese Bundles -S.T's Version
Makes 40 bundles

Ingredients:

1/4pound bulk hot Italian pork sausage
1cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
2 Green capsicums,finely chopped
2 stalks of finely chopped spring onion
40wonton wrappers
1quart vegetable oil for deep frying

Method:

Remove the meat from the sausage skin. Fry the sausage filling until brown. Set aside to cool.

Combine sausage, cheese, capsicum and onion in medium bowl. Spoon 1 round teaspoon sausage mixture near 1 corner of wonton wrapper. Brush opposite corner with water. Bring folds to meet each other, forming a fan shape.

Repeat with remaining filling and wonton wrappers.

Heat oil in heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat until deep-fat thermometer registers 365°F. Fry bundles, a few at a time, about 1-1/2 minutes or until golden. Adjust heat to maintain temperature. (Allow oil to return to 365°F between batches.) Drain on paper towels. Serve with salsa or sour cream!

TIPS:

When making this, make sure that the sausage mixture is completely COOLED before adding the cheese and capsicum and green onions! I cannot emphasize how important this is. Hot sausage meat + cheese = GOEY MESS!
If you find your bundles sticking together when you place them together, sprinkle flour to avoid them sticking together.
To avoid splattering of oil when frying, make sure that your hands are COMPLETELY dry when making the bundles. The water causes the splutter splatter which can disfigure you!
To test if oil is hot enough, do the float test. Plop a little bit of wonton skin into the oil. If it floats up immediately, you are good to go!
Oil gets hotter as you fry, so be sure to monitor the flame. Also, remove any floaty bits as they get burnt as you cook.
These can be made ahead of time. Just stick them in the fridge until you are ready to cook them! Warning, cooked ones lose flavour quickly so its best eaten on the day its made.