tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62046874092369801882024-03-05T17:46:52.239-08:00Teeny Tasty TriumphsGabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-65734609309840558832013-11-23T08:06:00.000-08:002014-08-06T12:37:46.999-07:00Chicken like my Papa makes it. You know those adverts that stereotype family gatherings and the idea
of coming home to a certain brand or meal? Think Richmond sausages
(ew) or Clover (Lurpak all the way, sorry) - if I could make an advert
on this theme about my family this chicken is what I would have to deck
out in lights. <br />
<br />
I'm not entirely sure how to give the
legend that is my father's fried chicken full justice in a blog post in
all honesty. Seriously. I'm pretty sure my Dad has cooked this on at
least 4 different continents, in hundreds of different kitchens, on
holiday, at friend's, actually anywhere I've ever called home, even in a
caravan with one hob and no oven (madman). Basically it would terrify me
to try and count the amount of times I have eaten this. We have had
gluten free varieties, veggie varieties, and have
probably tried every different type of breadcrumb from fresh to dried to
Panko to mixed with herbs and Parmesan. <br />
<br />
This is a recipe very close to my heart and I do not share it with the
world lightly therefore the instructions here are minimal and leave
space for you to find your favourite breadcrumb texture or extra
seasonings. I call it a recipe but really its more a series of processes but it is so worth the effort. I mean, who doesn't love fried chicken?<br />
<br />
1. Ready your troops (rolling pin, flour, beaten egg, breadcrumbs and chicken)<br />
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2. Between to sheets of baking parchment, bash the chicken out thin<br />
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3. Dip into seasoned plain flour<br />
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4. Egg<br />
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5. Crumb. (Really bash the breadcrumbs in so they're compact. The more you can get stuck on the better.)<br />
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6. If you don't end up with flour-egg-crumb balls of glue on the end of your fingers you're doing it wrong.<br />
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7.
Shallow fry on a medium heat in olive oil until golden on both sides -
because the chicken is beaten out thin that should be sufficient time to
cook it though.<br />
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In other news - I went to the Good Food Show last Sunday (Happy early Christmas to ME) and saw these chaps. <br />
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Hollllaaaaa Greg/John. *Ticks life accomplishment box*<br />
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Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-13375170635107789832013-10-30T09:44:00.002-07:002014-08-06T12:38:30.585-07:00Freakin' love me a farmers market. <br />
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It has been 6 months. 6 months of London life; a move, a new neighborhood and culinary experiences that have ranged from the informal drunken joy of discovering the new local chicken shop to culinary-gasiming over the raspberry souffle cloud of dreams in high heels courtesy of Micheal Roux at the Langham. <br />
<br />
A few weeks ago I had the joy and merriment of discovering my new local farmers market in Queens Park. (I now live in Queens Park. Or alternatively I say Kilburn. It depends on how fancy vs 'urban' I feel that day.) This pretty much involved my flat mate and I running around eating every cheese sample available and spending far too much money on purple cauliflowers.<br />
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We were keen on something Thai for dinner but didn't fancy the usual chicken or prawn vibe so decided to go a little left field and bought some duck from a raather nice man at the farmers market. To accompany it I made a thai green curry vegetable broth. It was a real Sunday treat and serving the duck as such ensures you get the rendered down crispy duck skin vibes everyone loves.<br />
<br />
Serves 2 with leftover paste. <br />
<br />
2 duck breasts, skin scored and seasoned<br />
1 tbsp flavourless oil<br />
<br />
For the curry paste:<br />
2 lemongrass stalks<br />
2 kaffir lime leaves<br />
stalks of a bunch of coriander<br />
3 fat garlic cloves<br />
2 inch piece of ginger or galangal<br />
zest of 1 lime<br />
2-3 hot thai chilles<br />
1 tbsp fish sauce<br />
1 red onion<br />
<br />
An assortment of vegetables , I used aubergine, cavolo nero and cauliflower<br />
Tin of coconut milk<br />
1 chicken stock cube<br />
500 ml water<br />
palm (or brown) sugar<br />
lime juice<br />
the leaves from the bunch of coriander, chopped<br />
2 more lime leaves finely shredded <br />
fish sauce<br />
<br />
Steamed rice<br />
<br />
Pre heat oven to 200˚C<br />
<br />
Blitz all the ingredients for the paste in a processor or bash it up in pestle and mortar.<br />
<br />
Now get the duck on. Place it skin side down on a medium heat in a frying pan for 6-8 minutes until golden brown, pour off the fat regularly and then seal the other side for 30 seconds.<br />
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Now on a rack in a roasting tin in the middle of the oven roast the breasts for 8 -12 minutes (8 for rare, 12 for medium, cook it anymore and you don't deserve to eat it because your a bad person)<br />
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While the duck roasts take two table spoons of the paste and sweat in the oil until fragrant. Add the cubed aubergine, stock cube, water, coconut milk and shredded lime leaves then leave to simmer until the aubergine is nearly cooked through and the sauce has reduced by about a 3rd. Now throw in the cauliflower, broken into florets and the cavolo nero shredded for the last 5 minutes.<br />
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The duck should be about done now, whip it out and leave to rest for 10 mins.<br />
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When the veg is cooked balance the sauce. Taste it, think about it and then pimp it with the sugar, fish sauce, lime juice and coriander and even freshly sliced chilli if required until you have a salty/sweet/spicy/sour dreamy harmony. <br />
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Serve the veg and sauce on a bed of steamed rice and top with the sliced duck breast. <br />
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<br />Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-11058176248063243962013-04-20T02:57:00.002-07:002013-10-30T09:54:08.545-07:00Ain't no party like an S Club party.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">So <span style="font-size: small;">last </span>weekend hailed the mark of my 22nd year on this earth. </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Coincidentally
April is also turning out to be the month of my Dad moving house - as a
consequence I felt it would be appropriate to wave a fond farewell to my
childhood home with a (dinner) party. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">The night
ended up being a culmination of Mexican food, beer pong, my somewhat
legendary 90s playlist and far<i> far </i>too much tequila. I was pretty much
still feeling worse for wear 3 days later.</span></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Now
to the food. I went long with three varieties of chilli (hot, not and
veggie), rice, nachos, sour cream and an industrial amount of guacamole.
Apart from the positively stupid amount of rice I cooked and minus the
odd doggy bag I packed up for a few drunkards to take home in the wee
hours, amazingly, it all got demolished. </span></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Sadly
a few tequilas down I was more interested in eating the food than
taking pictures of it meaning that there isn't much photographic
evidence of the meal - however the recipe I adopted was the Jamie Oliver
cowboy chilli from Jamie's America. The combination of smoked, dried and
fresh chilli along with the use of coffee instead of stock is inspired
and generates an insane depth of meaty flavor. Personally I opted for a
pulled pork version rather than beef but either would work a treat. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shout
out to Maddy the megababe for the most ridonculous cake a girl could
ask for and to Abbie the sly <span style="font-size: small;">C</span>inderella sister cleaning up in the
wings. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Love and thanks also to everyone who
came from near, far and for all the amazing presents, cards and
flowers. You all rock my 90s kid socks<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Serves 8-10</span></span></div>
<div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 </span>kg Pork shoulder, trimmed, cleaned and cubed </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">3 tbsp olive oil</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">3 onions, diced</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">10 cloves of garlic, crushed</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">3tsp ground cumin</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">3tsp smoked paprika</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 cinnamon sticks</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 bay leaves</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">3</span> tbsp brown sugar </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1tsp dried oregano</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">500 ml coffee</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">1 dried chipotle chilli</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 fresh chillies, chopped </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 Tins chopped tomatoes</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">2 tins, drained kidney beans</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Salt & pepper</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Firstly make your coffee and drop in the dried chilli to rehydrate a bit and infuse.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">While
that is happening, sweat your onions until soft in the oil and then add
the garlic, fresh chilli and spices. Sweat for a further few minutes
until fragrant.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Add the pork and stir to coat
in the spice mix and add your coffee, sugar and the dried chilli chopped up<span style="font-size: small;">. T</span>hen throw in your tinned tomatoes<span style="font-size: small;"> and s</span>eason liberally.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cover
and cook on a low heat for as long as you can afford (min 4 hours).
Personally I simmered mine for about 5 or 6 and then left in the fridge
over night to mature. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">An hour or two before
game time shred the meat, I personally fished it all out the sauce,
shredded it and put it back in. This also gave me the opportunity to
fish out the<span style="font-size: small;"> various</span> cinnamon sticks and bay leaves on the assumption that a dunk
person may end up chewing on them.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">When
the pork is shredded and back in the pot throw in your beans, check the
seasoning and bring up to the heat to simmer without a lid on to
thicken and reduce for a further half an hour.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Serve with your favorite Mexican condiments, I'd recommend fresh guacamole, sour cream and lime (and tequila).</span></span></div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-23484148314492357602013-03-02T09:59:00.001-08:002013-04-20T02:57:29.550-07:00Noodle Soup (Again).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8rwCKm6GXbUPk6K9PJ8m-JVbdGtJ8t98qSwt3LKianqwdYuTW9Em4rwKQRHTLl4x4nm_ZNmi-3cbNRWqOORr0qA8xrCRZ-ywzutfUKzl73QhivBQzrD8k4f42OwNgzEJXMO9Q720eXm9/s1600/IMG_0752.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz8rwCKm6GXbUPk6K9PJ8m-JVbdGtJ8t98qSwt3LKianqwdYuTW9Em4rwKQRHTLl4x4nm_ZNmi-3cbNRWqOORr0qA8xrCRZ-ywzutfUKzl73QhivBQzrD8k4f42OwNgzEJXMO9Q720eXm9/s640/IMG_0752.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Living with my Dad is acting like culinary kryptonite at the moment. Most people laugh at me when they learn that my average day involves my Dad and I pinging each other emails across London with subject lines such as 'yummy' and 'lets make this' followed by an evening of cooking and watching the Good Food channel, all the time discussing how friggin' awesome what we've cooked that day is. If I say so myself we are probably the best fed pair of workers in SW London - at the moment Monday seems to be the day for our version of the Olympics. <br />
<br />
There are a fair amount of noodle soup recipes on this blog. This is something I refuse to apologise for because, you know what? There is about to be another. This one sits somewhere between Vietnamese, Thai and Schezuan (I think) and was the product of one of mine and my fathers rather elaborate Monday evenings. It is a feast of textures and layers of flavor and is yours to do what you will with, whether you want it more lime-y or chilli hot etc. <br />
<br />
Serves 2<br />
<br />
For the Chicken:<br />
4 x Chicken thighs, skinned, boned and blitzed in the food processor<br />
2 tbsp flavorless oil<br />
a good handful of sesame seeds<br />
1 tbsp of runny honey<br />
<br />
For The Paste:<br />
1 stick of lemongrass, outer woody leaves removed<br />
thumb sized piece of ginger<br />
2 fat garlic cloves<br />
1 hot red chili<br />
<br />
For the noodle soup:<br />
1/2 tin of coconut milk<br />
500ml good chicken stock<br />
juice of 2 limes<br />
2 tbsp soy sauce<br />
bunch of mint finely chopped<br />
a few spring onions shredded <br />
2 bok choy<br />
1/2 a red pepper in slices<br />
rice noodles for two<br />
<br />
Firstly get a frying pan on to heat to get screaming hot - while you wait blitz the ingredients for the spice paste in a processor.<br />
<br />
When the frying pan is hot fry the chicken in the oil, smashing it up into the consistency of a course mince. Keep frying and tossing until it goes golden and crunchy.<br />
<br />
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<br />
Add the sesame seeds to toast off and then for the last 30 second stir in the honey ensuring it coats the chicken. Turn out onto some kitchen paper to drain off any excess fat.<br />
<br />
Now in a big pan or wok in a little more oil sweat off the spice
paste and when fragrant add all the liquids and the noodles. When the
noodles are nearly done add the other veg to lightly soften. <br />
<br />
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<br />
Ladle into big bowls and top with the chicken, mint and spring onions. <br />
<br />
<br />
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<br />Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-4228317019039707402013-02-04T13:21:00.000-08:002013-02-04T13:23:40.689-08:00'Whatever I had in my fridge' Calzone.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today I got home from work, opened the fridge and let my culinary instinct take over. </div>
<br />
It
pretty much went like this: *sees left over pizza dough* - "hmm don't
fancy pizza. What could I do instead? Flat breads? Nah. Hmm. Not sure. Err…CALZONE." (yes I talk to my fridge).<br />
<br />
I stuck it in Google for
inspiration and ended up taking Jamie Oliver's advice that anything
could go in one very seriously. This is literally a once around my
fridge concoction.<br />
<br />
If your not a ridiculous food enthusiast and
don't have a bread maker a pizza dough recipe can be found here -
http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/uncategorised-recipes/pizza-dough. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Makes 4 Calzone.</div>
<br />
1 Pizza Dough recipe <br />
Either shop bought or homemade tomato sauce<br />
1/2 a butternut squash, cubed<br />
1 bulb of fennel <br />
4 rashers of bacon<br />
2 cloves of garlic<br />
small bunch of parsley<br />
1/2 a red chill<br />
1/2 a bag of rocket<br />
pinch of dried oregano<br />
Cream Cheese<br />
Parmesan<br />
<br />
In a deep frying pan fry off the bacon and then throw in the squash.<br />
<br />
After
another few minutes sweat the garlic, oregano and chill in until
fragrant, add the tomato sauce and a good glug of water. <br />
<br />
While
the squash softens roll out balls of dough into circles and spread the
cream cheese on the dough leaving a 2 cm cheese free zone around the
perimeter.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
When the squash is soft and the water has evaporated in the pan add
the fennel (added late to retain crunch) parsley, rocket and season.
Let the rocket wilt and then allow the mixture to cool. <br />
<br />
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</div>
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<br />
<br />
Spoon the mixture into your rolled out circles of dough and top with a
healthy dose of Parmesan. Try and resist the temptation to over fill
them.<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
Fold the dough over into semi circles and then crimp the edges
(probably with more talent than I demonstrate here), sprinkle with
Parmesan again and bake until golden and crisp (about 15 minutes). <br />
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<br /></div>
<br />
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</div>
<br />
<br />
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<br />
<br />Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-2993606111764560592012-12-16T09:53:00.000-08:002012-12-16T09:55:04.164-08:00Salted Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies<br />
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<br />
I am one of those people who has a real thing for salt and sweet flavour combinations. Whether it is cheese and fruit, honey and soy, or my personal favourite guilty pleasure; salted popcorn with a packet of minstrels at the cinema, I'm pretty much a mega fan. I'm aware of the fact that when you are already indulging in something which perhaps isn't the healthiest it makes little sense to pair it with something else that doesn't do your body any good. However, I'm of the opinion that if your going to eat something bad you might as well eat something really bad to make it worth while. <br />
<br />
I must say, it does seem these types of flavour combinations are becoming rather trendy at the moment, the various chocolate brands creating salted varieties of their milk chocolate and Heston Blumenthal's Salted caramel popcorn Ice cream to name a few examples. <br />
<br />
If you are similarly partial to this idea I implore you to bake these cookies. The brown sugar in them gives them that classic American Cookie style bendy/gooey factor and since making them between my Dad, Sister and Colleagues I think they get mentioned at least once a week making me feel they are definitely worth undertaking again and again.<br />
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Makes 36-40 Depending on Size.</div>
<br />
225g butter<br />
200g soft brown sugar<br />
175g caster sugar<br />
2 eggs, beaten<br />
1 teaspoon baking powder<br />
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda<br />
250g chocolate chips<br />
sea salt flakes. <br />
<br />
Preheat Oven to 180 Degrees.<br />
<br />
Cream the butter, add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg a bit at a time and the vanilla extract. <br />
<br />
Mix in the dry ingredients together and fold them in, finally adding the chocolate chips.<br />
<br />
Divide mixture into balls on a baking tray lined with greaseproof paper allowing plenty of space for spreading.<br />
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Bake for 4 minutes, sprinkle with the sea salt and bake for a further 4-6 minutes. <br />
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You want to finish cooking them before they colour too much, they might seem too gooey but once the sugars in them have cooled down they will firm up at which point you can transfer them from the baking tray. <br />
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<br />Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-60585330962381625882012-10-25T05:25:00.000-07:002012-10-28T07:44:40.200-07:00Spicy Coconut Chicken Noodle Soup.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjid6w_v1c2xoLM8gPpqG5xVoEH52TcFW2PfoqvWC_VmO_9ulWkVvR1Or5saWK9Yv_bfCT36KtFMtaJ2pGee5-B-Zzk4FiGINWrKD_BMOruDxN05UsVaLUEqq_54b9D9P9UHYa0NzhSzG_7/s1600/photo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjid6w_v1c2xoLM8gPpqG5xVoEH52TcFW2PfoqvWC_VmO_9ulWkVvR1Or5saWK9Yv_bfCT36KtFMtaJ2pGee5-B-Zzk4FiGINWrKD_BMOruDxN05UsVaLUEqq_54b9D9P9UHYa0NzhSzG_7/s640/photo2.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For once I actually have a genuine excuse for my absence from this little Blog. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I got robbed. Literally. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Two weeks ago, two young scallywags broke into the house, smashing far more windows that was really necessary to get in and swiped various things in the house including my laptop, iPod and all my car keys, making blogging a bit tricky. The crowning glory moment within this farce was probably having to pay to have my own car clamped so it couldn’t be driven away in the middle of the night.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">On a more culinary note, I’m really into noodle soup at the moment. When I have my one treat-eat-out-at-work lunch of the week I have been experimenting with the various noodle soups on offer near my office, I can safely say the superfood sobas at <span style="font-size: small;">P</span>od are superior to many out there.</span></span></div>
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<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">This recipe lies somewhere between a
tribute to my favourite Kare Lomen at Wagamama and the Vietnamese Pho noodle
soup. It has real depth of flavour and is thoroughly heart warming especially
given the arctic weather at the moment. Of course due to my chilli addiction
mine was practically lava it was so spicy but the fragrance of the lemongrass
and galangal along with the creamy luxury of the coconut milk turns this dish
into a real, quick, easy week night treat.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Serves 2-3</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For <span style="font-size: small;">T</span>he <span style="font-size: small;">P</span>aste:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 lemongrass stalks, outer leaves removed, bruised and roughly chopped</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2.5 cm piece galangal root, peeled & roughly chopped</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 garlic cloves, peeled & finely chopped</span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; color: #503f2b; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 onions, peeled & roughly chopped</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 red pepper, deseeded & roughly chopped</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 tsp sweet paprika</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 tsp fennel seeds</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 hot red chili, chopped</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">½ tsp turmeric</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">½ tsp curry powder</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 tsp shrimp paste </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 tbsp vegetable oil</span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; color: #503f2b; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Enough noodles of your choice cooked to packet instructions</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 Can of coconut milk</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Juice of 1 or 2 limes (depending how juicy they are)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 chicken breasts, sliced into strips</span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; color: #503f2b; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">½ pint chicken stock</span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; color: #503f2b; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For Garnish:</span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; color: #503f2b; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 handfuls of beansprouts</span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; color: #503f2b; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Finely shredded cucumber and spring onion</span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; color: #503f2b; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Fresh coriander finely chopped</span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; color: #503f2b; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Roasted sesame seeds for garnish</span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In a food processor blitz all the ingredients for the paste until smooth. Add a touch of water to help it blend if necessary.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sweat the paste in the oil and when fragrant throw in the chicken strips. When they have sealed add the liquids and noodles and bring to a simmer. </span></span></div>
<div style="-moz-font-feature-settings: normal; -moz-font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">When the chicken is cooked through ladle into deep bowls and serve with the various garnishes. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbDOZRZPslzYoOZ4Kw1azF74PQasLWMB9bD_ORDhmLfaZkmGlfZBbc0zwcGGKikwtpwCfj5m7nFA_Dx32vo4DqAcIX2iMEvOBlwCMtqvx5tmaOAMzXKD1J36nMhIGATiLDk3_b1-OC_Gz/s1600/photo3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbbDOZRZPslzYoOZ4Kw1azF74PQasLWMB9bD_ORDhmLfaZkmGlfZBbc0zwcGGKikwtpwCfj5m7nFA_Dx32vo4DqAcIX2iMEvOBlwCMtqvx5tmaOAMzXKD1J36nMhIGATiLDk3_b1-OC_Gz/s640/photo3.JPG" width="480" /></span></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-21435128226538882242012-09-16T10:42:00.000-07:002012-10-28T07:45:08.534-07:00White Chocolate and Raspberry Muffins.<!--StartFragment-->
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3d925mxKaWtUCLFRQC3bl9rqWtiMj_Tg9tWA_K7PkPN_Ejy-09sV5PMQobOMgNqTuAUsE87MJEmJI9fVBfoV4iLXQAb3P2zKA-pn0xca2HY8vJBHn89He3pwc1FdcAASUQceDAUveQr0/s1600/IMG_0344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj3d925mxKaWtUCLFRQC3bl9rqWtiMj_Tg9tWA_K7PkPN_Ejy-09sV5PMQobOMgNqTuAUsE87MJEmJI9fVBfoV4iLXQAb3P2zKA-pn0xca2HY8vJBHn89He3pwc1FdcAASUQceDAUveQr0/s640/IMG_0344.jpg" width="600" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Upon
reaching this weekend all I really wanted to do was curl up with the latest
episode of MasterChef. Seriously, work had been crazy and I was feeling rather
under the weather. However I must say, when I do finally reach the weekend
after a busy week I often find it hard to turn off and just allow myself to
laze around. </span><span lang="EN-US"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">To keep myself entertained and housebound in an attempt to give my body the quiet weekend it obviously needed I decided to bake. It ended up being quite an elaborate affair. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"></span><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Amongst the homemade pizza, shortbread and
various other culinary adventures I embarked on over this weekend these muffins were the
stars. The tart raspberries marry wonderfully with the sweet white
chocolate and the buttermilk keeps the muffins fabulously moist. The seal of
approval for me was my dad eating 2 in one 4pm sitting. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Adapted from Lorraine Pascale’s ‘Home
Cooking Made Easy’,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Makes 12 muffins.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">350g self-raising flour</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Pinch of Salt</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">250g Soft brown sugar, plus extra for
topping</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">350ml buttermilk</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2 eggs</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">150g butter, melted and cooled</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">200g raspberries</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">150g white chocolate in small-ish chunks. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Preheat your oven to 200 degrees C and
lines your muffin tins with squares of baking parchment. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Put the flour, bicarb, salt and sugar in a
big bowl and stir to combine. Add the buttermilk, eggs and butter and stir
everything to get a smooth thick batter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vP4plrUWJmrLx8jWGIwXePU6Xq4LKZUbYQeAqwGOLGZy5XgM_C-9Fslj75DUkvgrZxefRiXEsnPCRxcWYrU7PdQ_Sna_1tpxHhrxt_XtmSnK9DE6i-p83PzoJP8mFZKX25cRVI23XOL3/s1600/IMG_0328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vP4plrUWJmrLx8jWGIwXePU6Xq4LKZUbYQeAqwGOLGZy5XgM_C-9Fslj75DUkvgrZxefRiXEsnPCRxcWYrU7PdQ_Sna_1tpxHhrxt_XtmSnK9DE6i-p83PzoJP8mFZKX25cRVI23XOL3/s640/IMG_0328.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Fold in the raspberries and chocolate and
spoon evenly into your tin.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSog4e1BBbD0l6bcTKkdRM5uQnohx-xXeKjW5jzE5uJ5pwgF0KL1KXxINp-rqveJdio9J4E0sT1VYEhCrG8zjutckynIB42UVy-78iYPRSKQpyli6MdPSJLdKxcx7xctx6NB3a3CHjUAZ1/s1600/IMG_0329.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSog4e1BBbD0l6bcTKkdRM5uQnohx-xXeKjW5jzE5uJ5pwgF0KL1KXxINp-rqveJdio9J4E0sT1VYEhCrG8zjutckynIB42UVy-78iYPRSKQpyli6MdPSJLdKxcx7xctx6NB3a3CHjUAZ1/s640/IMG_0329.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden
then give each muffin a sprinkling of the sugar and put back in the oven for 10
minutes more to finish baking until a deep golden color.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Serve hot or cold. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Btew8XUqkPjOttTeWAqqlCTTBYsUPyTZBw-YxJk82gdbyqI5FE-jozl1BtT2Gn4_zgYBZl0Z-6yL2JJsSevb9bkEYaT9A_iVYRHI1_54tP5Eeb-oS9lz1E3e5_rxeGeniyV0dpRI_pK2/s1600/IMG_0338.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="636" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Btew8XUqkPjOttTeWAqqlCTTBYsUPyTZBw-YxJk82gdbyqI5FE-jozl1BtT2Gn4_zgYBZl0Z-6yL2JJsSevb9bkEYaT9A_iVYRHI1_54tP5Eeb-oS9lz1E3e5_rxeGeniyV0dpRI_pK2/s640/IMG_0338.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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***For anyone who reads this far down this post - I now have around a dozen muffins for my dad and I to work our way through. If anyone wants to stop by and contribute to the eating effort it would be greatly appreciated. Well done for reading to the end.***</div>
<!--EndFragment-->
Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-54188965369964716852012-09-09T12:10:00.000-07:002012-10-28T07:43:34.199-07:00Meat and Two Veg. Fancy Style.<!--StartFragment-->
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOd4RYrY1wjO9-kj6ixURQKXAyO2AphXYf2o9z0lvGmmry3DXtJ917xgVZLPxpUk3QomfHzWLJFDklNseWZstJQUBJVTJ5lHLRgA7KBDhpVeji0G4GzaB-Gkmt5S1x8K_VWOAXzfv_m3_8/s1600/IMG_0314.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOd4RYrY1wjO9-kj6ixURQKXAyO2AphXYf2o9z0lvGmmry3DXtJ917xgVZLPxpUk3QomfHzWLJFDklNseWZstJQUBJVTJ5lHLRgA7KBDhpVeji0G4GzaB-Gkmt5S1x8K_VWOAXzfv_m3_8/s640/IMG_0314.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So despite my declarations of loyalty to my
little Blog unsurprisingly something came along to bugger them. To explain my
month long absence could be rather complicated but to put it simply, a full
time London based job, whilst still trying to maintain my Brighton citizenship
along with my sanity and some semblance of a social life is not cohesive with a
large amount of free time. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Before you get me wrong though, I enjoy
the busy-ness and the new job. It is film production orientated and Old
Street based and a steady income whilst learning loads are some of the larger perks of
the situation. However. It is also admittedly rather dangerous regarding my
retail habits. I managed to spend £50 in Urban Outfitters
yesterday and then a further £70 in Zara (must open a saving account and start
doing sensible things with my money).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But anyway back to the case in hand. This
recipe is firm family favorite and with my little sister heading back to
boarding school Sunday evening it seemed like a fitting way to set her up for
the week. It is absolutely delicious but surprisingly light, given of course you
don’t stuff yourself, but I must say it probably doesn’t exactly fit the Indian
summer we’ve been subjected to over the last few weeks. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Serves 4</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">4 Venison Steaks at room temperature
trimmed and lightly covered in olive oil and seasoned. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1kg floury potato, Maris Piper or something
similar</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1 head of cabbage, shredded</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">a couple of sprigs of rosemary</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">½ a red onion finely chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">½ a garlic clove finely sliced</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2 good knobs of butter</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">400ml red wine</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">400ml good stock, ideally chicken</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1 dessert spoon red currant jelly</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">olive oil</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">salt and pepper</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Firstly chop your spuds so they’re about
the size of a big walnut and par boil them for a few minutes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Drain them and let them sit and steam for a
minute whilst you shred your cabbage.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Tip the potatoes back into your empty pan,
cover them in a couple of good glugs of olive oil, season liberally and gently
rough them up a bit. The idea is to get the edges of each potato to go a bit
flaky and floury but these bits to stay stuck to the potato with the olive oil
because this is the bit that will go amazingly crunchy when roasted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4y3hjztXSgRYFZ4NPVFSFkxH-bR76oalk6dxOG-mrsXfdUJGrfyMcv94UB5jnn-XTbuIE1tEnw1LyfTSjP1NhmLbuuhIvfJp5VPAPryEIlcMWBXehgu3-Pz5nYrj5mlCN5SUt-16BhIPB/s1600/IMG_0294.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4y3hjztXSgRYFZ4NPVFSFkxH-bR76oalk6dxOG-mrsXfdUJGrfyMcv94UB5jnn-XTbuIE1tEnw1LyfTSjP1NhmLbuuhIvfJp5VPAPryEIlcMWBXehgu3-Pz5nYrj5mlCN5SUt-16BhIPB/s400/IMG_0294.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Tip them out onto a roasting tray and nestle a
few sprigs of rosemary rubbed with olive oil amongst them. Stick the whole lot in a
hot oven say about 220 degrees turning every 15 minutes until they’re gloriously
golden and crunchy (around 30-40 minutes).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Whilst your potatoes are roasting get on
with your sauce, in a knob of melted butter and a glug of oil sweat the onion
and when soft add a sprig of rosemary and your garlic. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Sweat that until
fragrant, add your stock and wine and leave to simmer until it has reduced by
two thirds. At this point stir you can sieve the sauce if you want, I couldn’t
be bothered.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguM5ocEgzAgeupoyXziZTPerNsXJ7d7TkU625po4gUezZ2b8BiWTne8woPo3ddxUtJgPBWu9mKvHfyEj-cd6yyCd9-QyQ1iEE3o3e8Pz8-omG6jSj_MG_nvrAYhyqPZnfVtLfr7xkq5KiI/s1600/IMG_0295.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguM5ocEgzAgeupoyXziZTPerNsXJ7d7TkU625po4gUezZ2b8BiWTne8woPo3ddxUtJgPBWu9mKvHfyEj-cd6yyCd9-QyQ1iEE3o3e8Pz8-omG6jSj_MG_nvrAYhyqPZnfVtLfr7xkq5KiI/s400/IMG_0295.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Stir in the red currant jelly and whisk in a cold
knob of butter to thicken the sauce slightly. Leave to keep warm. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Steam your cabbage and when everything is ready it's venison o'clock. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYao3L-3YbeLr08BHgNZG175QE13jDVZfIM7DDrMbbtQi_3pr00RWsFRcVBck2Xui46YCXNIxkzJMtPV2e-JC7NkRkF55hy9VREvJjMZ6ffiXKapp0XK1GOK7AmRmuCZmrmt_E4ndlgSu/s1600/IMG_0300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYYao3L-3YbeLr08BHgNZG175QE13jDVZfIM7DDrMbbtQi_3pr00RWsFRcVBck2Xui46YCXNIxkzJMtPV2e-JC7NkRkF55hy9VREvJjMZ6ffiXKapp0XK1GOK7AmRmuCZmrmt_E4ndlgSu/s400/IMG_0300.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Fry for 5 minutes on each side for medium
and 4 on each side for rare, if you must have it well done go ahead and
massacre it but you might as well go and have a chew on a pair of old leather boots. Just saying.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZr0uVIjGYByjGFyYaoR48GVCOgCH0aT2Pe5OeN8BH2yYV4dD2tfZwDyuGbLP0fH2KFexn_RK7S_zGh5jNyJEFN8TivAgGTYb_GHKIuEnm_el0r5KEXi6LS-WU6hLGSEo8m_iprvlQ1Be/s1600/IMG_0313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpZr0uVIjGYByjGFyYaoR48GVCOgCH0aT2Pe5OeN8BH2yYV4dD2tfZwDyuGbLP0fH2KFexn_RK7S_zGh5jNyJEFN8TivAgGTYb_GHKIuEnm_el0r5KEXi6LS-WU6hLGSEo8m_iprvlQ1Be/s640/IMG_0313.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
(Apologies for how fluro the photos are. My dad's kitchen lights combined with a crappy camera don't equal the most forgiving photos. )<br />
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Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-41941040663764398502012-07-23T13:14:00.001-07:002012-08-04T07:35:08.672-07:001 Steak, 2 Sauces.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtnKY_j86PPUptyGrxUAwho57yBinfruOJDcT8rY4fARpbOECP7jHVht9rpIQXYXcydCJergBaVY5O6CK8rzTC2yKJdwEqu129NHjClpgb2pwpzvW1WWl4tH86OMcd1WVpZMYNjcxobNlg/s1600/IMG_0106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtnKY_j86PPUptyGrxUAwho57yBinfruOJDcT8rY4fARpbOECP7jHVht9rpIQXYXcydCJergBaVY5O6CK8rzTC2yKJdwEqu129NHjClpgb2pwpzvW1WWl4tH86OMcd1WVpZMYNjcxobNlg/s640/IMG_0106.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Now that I’m officially a graduate I’ve
been spending a bit more time than usual at my dad’s house in London. Free
electricity, a full fridge and cupboards upon cupboards of cookery books being
a few of the many perks. It also however means I get to raid my dad’s pantry. If you hadn’t noticed, yes, he probably gave me the cookery gene. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">This cupboard is like my own version of an
Aladdin’s Cave; Kaffir Lime Leaves, Smoked Paprika, infused Olive Oils, I mean
you name it and he’s probably got it so, for me, it is TERRIBLY exciting. Recipes
that previously have been out of my reach due to being hamstrung by my more
meager Brightonian spice rack and budget are suddenly throwing themselves out of cookery
books and hitting me between the eyes. This recipe threw itself at me particularly hard so I chose to make it last week. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">This is a Jamie Oliver concoction (with a few tweaks) and I
largely undertook it because it seemed ridiculous. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Steak…with two sauces?! I mean, firstly,
surely you are just going to loose your steak amongst all those flavors, which is
a waste in itself, and secondly how on earth are a peanut sauce and a salsa
verde going to marry up? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The answer? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Absolutely, flipping, fantastically.
Seriously. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I’m not joking. I mean the peanut sauce is
bloody awesome in itself (a week later my dad has STILL got the last of it in
the fridge because it was so good he can’t face throwing it away), as is the
Salsa (we finished enough for 4 between the 3 of us in one sitting) but put
them together, in your gob, with a well cooked piece of meat, a crunchy chip
and your literally reaching culinary nirvana. I’ll shut up now. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">For the Steaks:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">4x 200g sirloin or rib-eye steaks</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1 clove of garlic, halved</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">For the Peanut Sauce:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">100g roasted peanuts</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">50g seasame seeds</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1 tsp dried oregano</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1 tsp dried cumin seeds</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1 tsp fresh thyme leaves</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1 teaspoon smoked paprika</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">3 cloves of garlic, chopped</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">juice of 2 limes</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">100ml extra virgin olive oil</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1 or 2 green chillies, chopped</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1 tbsp honey</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">salt and pepper </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">200ml water</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">For the Mexcian Salsa Verde:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Bunch of coriander, chopped</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Bunch of Mint, chopped</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1 clove of garlic, chopped</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1 red chilli, chopped</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">4 large spring onions, chopped</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">2 tomatoes, chopped</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">juice of 2 limes</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Firstly get your steaks out of the fridge
to bring up to room temperature while you make your sauces. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">For the peanut sauce, in a dry pan toast the peanuts and then add the sesame seeds, oregano, cumin seeds, thyme,
paprika, chilli and garlic and cook for another minute to release all their
flavors. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Tip the whole lot into a food processor
with the rest of the ingredients and whiz it until smooth. Taste and adjust, it
may need more sweetness or sourness, it can all depend on how juicy your limes
were and how hot your chili was etc. When your happy with it tip it into a bowl
and move onto the salsa.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Throw all your chopped ingredients onto a
big board and keep chopping until it is very fine. Then put it in another bowl,
season, add the lime juice and a good lug of extra virgin olive oil. Again,
taste and maybe adjust until you're happy.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">For the steaks get a frying pan or griddle
pan smoking hot and rub your steaks with olive oil and sprinkle with fine salt
(no pepper, it will burn) then fry on each side to your liking, to add a bit of extra flavor you can rub the exposed side of the steak with the halved garlic clove
between flips. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Let the meat rest, then carve and serve
with the sauces and chips. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-2976566846368838692012-07-12T10:29:00.000-07:002012-07-12T10:29:38.129-07:00Venison Sausage Ragu.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsAyigXtOmNwCN_VpbPhYraVy26l6gKoaPbAzkvDAwcb2fPN7Lp9B6lh2NrzBOifLZGN901ghM8ZKiagiCdA5g-W4yJgrFMmEBZ1W67QatYTMJsmfApdhX9DFQBLit1DWyG8cON_gG7AU/s1600/IMG_4401.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsAyigXtOmNwCN_VpbPhYraVy26l6gKoaPbAzkvDAwcb2fPN7Lp9B6lh2NrzBOifLZGN901ghM8ZKiagiCdA5g-W4yJgrFMmEBZ1W67QatYTMJsmfApdhX9DFQBLit1DWyG8cON_gG7AU/s640/IMG_4401.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">So it’s been a while but I think I’m now
back in the blogosphere for good (well, I can only hope). The last month has
been crazy with getting degree results, two weeks of waitressing at Wimbledon
Tennis and being in London for a bit. However I’m back in Brighton from next
week for my graduation, (yes. GRADUATION. I feel so old. Sob.) so normality
should soon resume. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">This was a recipe I threw together as a
result of getting very overexcited about some venison sausages I found on deal
in the supermarket. Needless to say I indulged and inspired by the ‘pregnant
Jools pasta’ episode of Jamie’s 30 minute meals I put together this ragu. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It delicious, meaty and rich meaning that
the accompanying simply dressed salad is a really lovely addition, you could
use any sausages you want really as long as they’re reasonably good quality, I
just got very excited as a student with the prospect of venison.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Serves 4 </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">6 sausages </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1 large onion, chopped</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">3 cloves of garlic, chopped</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">½ red chili, chopped</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">handful of mushrooms, chopped</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1 tin of chopped tomatoes</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">good glug of red wine</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1 tsp sugar</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">fresh basil, stalks chopped and leaves
shredded</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">enough pasta for 4, cooked to packet
instructions with a ½ mug of the
starchy pasta water saved</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">parmesan</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">bag of salad (I used a watercress and
peashoot mix)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">olive oil</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">lemon juice </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">salt</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">pepper </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">In a dry pan on a medium heat, squeeze out
the innards of the sausages and break up with a wooden spoon until you have a
mince-like-consistancy. When the meat has started to develop caramelized edges,
reduce the heat, add a glug of olive oil, the onions and mushrooms. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Once the veggies have sweated down, add the
garlic, chilli and basil stalks and sweat until fragrant. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Throw in the tomatoes, sugar, wine and a
good tin full of water, season to taste and leave to simmer until the majority
of the liquid evaporates. </span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">When your happy with consistency of the
ragu add the pasta and the pasta’s cooking water. This will help the sauce take
on a velvety-coat-all-the-pasta vibe.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Serve with the salad drizzled with some
extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice, scattered with parmesan shavings.</span><br />
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0jm74nNGBDnbdJZJBZqtbaYhR_t-A7ATZd9NZltYB6c0UI7oemgybv-SsmJ0epBHLpKLMhRLgyItLbYNiarmA7HZHfn53xxMxcnETcHF2OCcwHer5U3hLIsWj25IdODoQB2P8ZaN6ZY5/s1600/IMG_4392.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0jm74nNGBDnbdJZJBZqtbaYhR_t-A7ATZd9NZltYB6c0UI7oemgybv-SsmJ0epBHLpKLMhRLgyItLbYNiarmA7HZHfn53xxMxcnETcHF2OCcwHer5U3hLIsWj25IdODoQB2P8ZaN6ZY5/s640/IMG_4392.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-50145696134856701662012-06-10T10:15:00.000-07:002012-06-10T10:15:57.306-07:00Baked Rhubarb and Ginger Cheesecake.<!--StartFragment-->
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<span lang="EN-US">This is the third and final post from the
meal I cooked my Mum for her birthday the other week. This is the dessert
element. Mum had a vast amount of rhubarb growing in the jungle that is her
veggie patch so we wanted to use that up. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Coincidentally my mum is also completely
obsessed with ginger (seriously, she must spend an absolute fortune on the
ginger cordial she is hooked on) therefore I thought a rubarby-gingery dessert
would be just the ticket and a perfect marriage of flavors. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I decided on a cheesecake, having made a
few over the last few months for various events, I’m a bit of a baked cheesecake
wiz currently and therefore thought considering how much food prep I had to do that day it would
be a safe bet. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
I used the recipe I found here - http://www.waitrose.com/home/recipes/recipe_directory/b/baked_rhubarb_and_ginger_cheesecake.html<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It was really refreshing to use the mascarpone
instead of cream cheese as a change. I found it really gave a lightness and fluffyness to the cake. I also chose to reduce the syrup created through
poaching the rhubarb down much further than the recipe suggests to. This created
a very intense, sticky syrup that I drizzled over the cake before serving it
which really gave a zingy-spicy tang to cut through the creamy rich cake. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">It was all around just awesome if I say so
myself, and potentially one of the most grown up deserts I’ve made in a long
time. Definitely recommended.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-73220114403924393612012-06-04T05:32:00.000-07:002012-06-04T05:38:28.326-07:00Mum's Birthday Meal (Part 2)<br />
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">So I re-read what I posted yesterday in
preparation for writing up the rest of the meal and was struck by something. I
referred to myself as a student, which, effectively, I'm not anymore. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Obviously after hyperventilating and having
a mild panic attack regarding my rapidly oncoming middle-aged-ness (I mean I
have a job interview next week, like for a real grown up person J-O-B, Lordy.) i’ve got back to this post but felt that I should point out my mistake. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Aanyway, this is the dip/condiment post of
the meal. </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">First up, the spiced aubergine. This is how
I would envision an Italian Caponata would end up if it had a roll around in
your spice cupboard. Essentially it is a spiced auberigine stew, but cooked and
reduced down so its more of a condiment to pile on crusty bread, I’m pretty
sure you could also reduce it even further than I did and chutney-afy it. Might
actually try that sometime soon. Good Idea.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Serves 10 (as a tbsp sized dollop)</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2 tbsp olive oil</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">25mm cube fresh ginger, chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">6 cloves garlic, crushed</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">800g aubergines, roughly chunked</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"></span>1 can chopped tomatoes</div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1tsp fennel seeds</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1/2 tsp cumin seeds</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1tbsp ground corriander</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1/2 tsp cayenne pepper</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1 1/4 tsp salt </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1. Toss the aubergines in half the oil and put under a hot grill turning periodically until brown on all sides.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2. Sweat the garlic and ginger until fragrant, then add the spices, cook for another minute then add the browned aubergines and tomatoes with an extra can of water and the salt and some pepper. </div>
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<br /></div>
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3. Simmer until reduced and aubergines are soft. Can be served hot or at room temperature. </div>
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<br /></div>
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<br />
Next we have the sweet potato dip. This
recipie, as are many that I feature on this blog are from the cookbook I
received when I carried out a professional cookery training at The Grange
Cookery School in Frome. From the entire month of cooking and eating, this is
one of the dishes I made and ate which I really remember falling head over
tastebuds in love with. Like most
dips it takes some palate intelligence, tasting and adjusting to your liking
but its dream worthy when made well.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Serves 10 (again as a tbsp sized dollop)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2 tbsp olive oil</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1 kg Sweet potato, peeled and cubed</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1 small bunch mint, chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1 clove of garlic, crushed</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2 tbsp tahini</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">juice of a lemon</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1/2 tsp cinamon</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
salt and pepper</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
1. In an oven pre-heated to 220 degrees roast the potato tossed in the oil until soft.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
2. When roasted blitz all the ingredients apart from the pine nuts in a food processor.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
3. Taste and adjust with more lemon/salt/pepper if necessary and serve with the pine nuts stirred in and drizzled with some olive oil. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And finally we have some good old
tzatziki. My little sister was appointed tzatziki lady for the day as she seems
to have serious preferences when it comes to the dip. The cucumber has to be
diced (rather than traditionally grated) and it can’t be too garlic-y in her
book. Personally I’m more down with a slightly more traditional version but in
all honesty there was SO much garlic knocking around this meal perhaps it was
good that the tzatziki wasn’t of my usual garlic-bomb variety. Abbie didn’t
really follow a recipe for this but this one I’m sure would suffice if anyone
is looking to recreate this meal - <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tzatziki_13049">http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/tzatziki_13049</a>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’ll post the dessert recipe
element of this blogging-meal-extravaganza tomorrow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-74051719642269591212012-06-03T10:43:00.000-07:002012-06-03T10:43:19.863-07:00Mum's Birthday Meal (Part 1)<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhaDMBOCgZMLWCvfLQO658GwD3xtUbvNFbIXKllzlioZEdt1UpUW_50Qe7L21Jl3QgqWghx2COCGJqU9Vh_F6BV89gEfTynNwdLaOcuFaQM9QidRxnPjIG7NhIokKENDJyYdtoebXgUSIR/s1600/IMG_0040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhaDMBOCgZMLWCvfLQO658GwD3xtUbvNFbIXKllzlioZEdt1UpUW_50Qe7L21Jl3QgqWghx2COCGJqU9Vh_F6BV89gEfTynNwdLaOcuFaQM9QidRxnPjIG7NhIokKENDJyYdtoebXgUSIR/s640/IMG_0040.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
It was my mum’s birthday on Thursday and
she was having a crowd of friends over for dinner. Being the thrifty (and
admittedly broke) student that I am I offered to cook the dinner so she could
just relax and have a nice evening with a friends and I could give her a gift
which I didn’t have to pay for.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I opted for a Greek vibed
meal, well, ‘feast’ might be the more accurate term. We were hosting a
vegetarian so there had to be enough of a veggie option meaning that the meat I
did cook was more token than a centerpiece but nonetheless it all went down a
storm. I’m gonna split the recipes between a couple of posts since otherwise
the size of this could get a little out of hand.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The token piece of meat present for the
carnivores was a small, slow roasted leg of lamb. The recipe can be found here:
<a href="http://www.ocado.com/webshop/recipe/slow-cooked-greek-lamb/1490">http://www.ocado.com/webshop/recipe/slow-cooked-greek-lamb/1490</a>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_z-fiwYe1yiH1Nc-RYqjFZU7yaCGM6T6fG9PYwqsv4tINC90phU4GbxXr8YH_X_-DPRTryFLg1Js1ZX6jQltCa8ltv-ZFLLzw4fRdYPSKIDdu4TJdfiQI95yBeorqhkOCMAec7Magcbu_/s1600/IMG_0044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_z-fiwYe1yiH1Nc-RYqjFZU7yaCGM6T6fG9PYwqsv4tINC90phU4GbxXr8YH_X_-DPRTryFLg1Js1ZX6jQltCa8ltv-ZFLLzw4fRdYPSKIDdu4TJdfiQI95yBeorqhkOCMAec7Magcbu_/s640/IMG_0044.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The combination of the slow cooking with
the spice rub created a really sumptuous piece of meat which was really worth
the time and effort of cooking and basting it for so long. I got overexcited
with eating/serving it so forgot to take a picture of the carved meat but
trust. It was goood. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Next on the agenda were two salads, firstly
a green bean mint and garlic salad. For this I simply lightly steamed the
beans, and fried off some slithers of garlic in a tbsp of olive oil then added
some more oil and balsamic vinegar to taste and then lots of chopped mint. I tossed the beans
in this and scattered the dish with some toasted pine nuts. Simple but again, good. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7Do1mcrUYxZhNf815EOpcI9UitI9ZvRzZ_yXDWMSL6MG51iA9nHjwGXrHIc17wQOm5-YnSLb901mYnx-WQHOwuAxiJaSp49teFGO6PvN1J3QG5J9to7WXsXUEte8pYfth7JF-JBNDqZt/s1600/IMG_0039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB7Do1mcrUYxZhNf815EOpcI9UitI9ZvRzZ_yXDWMSL6MG51iA9nHjwGXrHIc17wQOm5-YnSLb901mYnx-WQHOwuAxiJaSp49teFGO6PvN1J3QG5J9to7WXsXUEte8pYfth7JF-JBNDqZt/s640/IMG_0039.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Secondly I made Nigella Lawson’s Ultimate
Greek Salad: <a href="http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/the-ultimate-greek-salad-220">http://www.nigella.com/recipes/view/the-ultimate-greek-salad-220</a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">If you have never made this before. I implore you, do it. It has completely
changed my perception of the world of Greek salads. The marinating of the red
onions creating the chemical-reaction-type thing is inspired and it could
almost be a meal in its self with some nice bread. Seriously. It’s the
business. Big style. I'd even go so far as to say it might be my favorite salad ever. Yes, I went there. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqwpe4swHPfedQtdXqFyCinaODhvSYdZjJW4cG6YtdTxidxcMOSvcLyo7zQQ0q8i1Iv4I48yVmjK6eACELKCyVo2keVBkTJu9PTjNmKORz9F0Ucvno7y24tMTZdVFJNOFpOHBCZinoook/s1600/IMG_0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqwpe4swHPfedQtdXqFyCinaODhvSYdZjJW4cG6YtdTxidxcMOSvcLyo7zQQ0q8i1Iv4I48yVmjK6eACELKCyVo2keVBkTJu9PTjNmKORz9F0Ucvno7y24tMTZdVFJNOFpOHBCZinoook/s640/IMG_0038.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Right, that’s all for today, I’m feeling a
condiment post tomorrow with the tzatziki, sweet potato and aubergine dips. So
watch this space. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-88920752214046656572012-05-25T10:06:00.003-07:002012-05-25T10:09:37.719-07:00Vietnamese Noodle Soup<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_V1t97EtpfXBgFmlBhenqFBczeWtFte1IBelwmoEItyogjhTL2dyJDHU98pq8xlvyWgOW4RwcXDuhinNDGWHt4tSlnbZotesK1xXox0Og3IBBcE7qNx_vPrESVzIPVJAHTopASMrlDtwa/s1600/IMG_4367.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_V1t97EtpfXBgFmlBhenqFBczeWtFte1IBelwmoEItyogjhTL2dyJDHU98pq8xlvyWgOW4RwcXDuhinNDGWHt4tSlnbZotesK1xXox0Og3IBBcE7qNx_vPrESVzIPVJAHTopASMrlDtwa/s640/IMG_4367.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So I’m back in the blogosphere! It has
taken several years but amazingly (and rather terrifyingly) I’m done with my
degree. Finally things can return to normal and I can return to blogging
without the impending doom of deadlines or dissertation stress.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I had the house to myself last week so
rather than spending the night periodically freaking out about monsters under the
bed (and every other available dark space), I had a dinner date with a friend,
she bought the wine, and this is what I cooked.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It pretty much is the perfect dinner party
meal, it looks and tastes impressive and it’s a bit different, but it actually really isn’t effortful. You can prep everything beforehand and if you make the
broth in advance and do all your chopping all you have to do is sweat the herbs
and throw everything in a big pot. Occasionally I make this with chicken as
well but since my friend is vegetarian/occasionally vegan I omitted the chicken
in favor of tofu but in all honestly I’m not sure it needs either, guess it just depends
if your feeling the need for some protein.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Serves 2</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2 cloves of garlic, chopped</span></div>
½ a hot red chili, chopped<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">zest of 1 lime</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">thumb sized piece of ginger, chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Enough tofu for 2, cubed</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">various green veg (I use pak choi and green
beans)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Enough noodles for 2, cooked according to
packet instructions</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">½ a can of coconut milk</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1 veggie stock cube</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">500ml water</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">juice of 2 limes</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">large handful of coriander, chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">large handful of mint, chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2 tbsp soy sauce</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Heat the water and stir in the stock cube,
add the coconut milk, soy and lime juice and taste/adjust to your liking so you
get a good balance of salt, sour and sweet flavors in the broth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In a large pan or wok, fry the tofu until
golden then sweat off the first 4 ingredients.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRodS8zrTnED5b39dlhR_pCNnGHON1w8mMa-N2gK48zsyudRbI0GiwFvVCklc6mkiMqJRNeM84jpriMgQYXs8vbe1UN48HIKwFiT44JvltiByseYfFC6i99oV7eZWS0JfZB_pFqInS-Bsu/s1600/IMG_4349.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRodS8zrTnED5b39dlhR_pCNnGHON1w8mMa-N2gK48zsyudRbI0GiwFvVCklc6mkiMqJRNeM84jpriMgQYXs8vbe1UN48HIKwFiT44JvltiByseYfFC6i99oV7eZWS0JfZB_pFqInS-Bsu/s640/IMG_4349.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Add the veg and cover with the broth and simmer
until everything is tender.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Add the noodles, bring back up to heat then stir in the herbs and ladle into large bowls. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ecWxfPpADROZGB3lDflmdC32I3WpNnAo0cQoZ8jAZOwdnV8W6X085CmEfRgVzD-Q7xdCGaiIWLg7CSD_QY6N7sB0EDmuSYiDwgZ9l8I3Snxk3WR1_xhXUPUGTYkXbN0csgfi9IyRcube/s1600/IMG_4370.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ecWxfPpADROZGB3lDflmdC32I3WpNnAo0cQoZ8jAZOwdnV8W6X085CmEfRgVzD-Q7xdCGaiIWLg7CSD_QY6N7sB0EDmuSYiDwgZ9l8I3Snxk3WR1_xhXUPUGTYkXbN0csgfi9IyRcube/s640/IMG_4370.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-52239695312949170782012-05-04T03:32:00.000-07:002012-05-04T03:32:27.035-07:00Roasted Vegetable Tart.<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1hEJmSA5JzkPJZtlCaa5IX00yCyk6nwDfypdocXdbPGzOeleg2XSSy9SQTMqD6ZQkzmGi_cDTwidVOBbo9LxW6ja1kR7Vr6mR2Pg4UHwmsKA1ZvOd9ZvU3nXlNrQ9mLv_fid3-NJviZF/s1600/IMG_4330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN1hEJmSA5JzkPJZtlCaa5IX00yCyk6nwDfypdocXdbPGzOeleg2XSSy9SQTMqD6ZQkzmGi_cDTwidVOBbo9LxW6ja1kR7Vr6mR2Pg4UHwmsKA1ZvOd9ZvU3nXlNrQ9mLv_fid3-NJviZF/s640/IMG_4330.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Amongst the final weeks of my degree I am
really struggling to find time to cook, well more accurately, the time to go to
the supermarket. After 2 weeks (don’t ask, I have no idea how I survived) I
FINALLY went and turned to a family favorite for my evening meal along with a
LARGE glass of wine. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I like to think that this dish has a lot of
the satisfaction factor of a pizza, but is crunchier, quicker to make from
scratch and somehow fools you into thinking it's healthier. In truth, I’m not
sure it actually is given the butter laden pasty but I tend to choose to just not
think about that. What ever it is, it's yummy.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Its also hugely flexible, the
‘sauce’ you use on the base could be anything from cream cheese, to tomato
puree, to ricotta, to pesto and the topping can comprise of anything really - veg, meat, cheese, the options are endless.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I made individual tarts because I think
they’re cuter, however the recipe below is for one big one for convenience
factor.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> </span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Serves 4 (if very hungry)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2 tbsp Olive oli </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1 sheet pre-rolled puff pastry.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">½ tub cream cheese or ricotta</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2 tbsp pesto</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2 large sweet potatos, peeled and cubed</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2 courgettes, cubed</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">handful asparagus spears, chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2 onions, wedged</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2 cloves of garlic, whole</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1 large aubergine, cubed</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Freshly grated parmesan</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Firstly get your veg on. Throw it all in a roasting
tin with some olive oil and seasoning, roast until soft and you can easily push
a knife through the potato.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">While this happens get your pastry ready,
score the pastry about 2 cm in from the edge to outline the edge of your filled
section. Spread the cream cheese and then the pesto on top inside of these
lines, leaving the 2cm boarder clear.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">When the veg is ready pile it on top of the
cream cheese and pesto then top with the parmesan.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8j5fIoPjibgm8m6ctTwOeX_qdLDC4UMAi3pfmyubpjHyrbwllh6qpYYc0js2uzPHycQltyDjrcWzuce1OTDbm2A7Av5xeMsSC_aBOC7wVboIW7hFvmwy8kLZqTpUgB8p_4OFNTFH_EPet/s1600/IMG_4312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8j5fIoPjibgm8m6ctTwOeX_qdLDC4UMAi3pfmyubpjHyrbwllh6qpYYc0js2uzPHycQltyDjrcWzuce1OTDbm2A7Av5xeMsSC_aBOC7wVboIW7hFvmwy8kLZqTpUgB8p_4OFNTFH_EPet/s640/IMG_4312.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Bake the tart until the edges of the pastry rises and turns golden. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_57sQ7iluCCk14UANB3W2w55PlTLaLie2VxPaJTus0uST7Yz_fy2z9kW1OZcxTJvZsbPUZTqlilvDmQLGRvDWZdiaoB4lfSimwWZiqybvky4gTtoAvajUBxwB2IOYL9XwuFSEwPM42ZXm/s1600/IMG_4345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_57sQ7iluCCk14UANB3W2w55PlTLaLie2VxPaJTus0uST7Yz_fy2z9kW1OZcxTJvZsbPUZTqlilvDmQLGRvDWZdiaoB4lfSimwWZiqybvky4gTtoAvajUBxwB2IOYL9XwuFSEwPM42ZXm/s640/IMG_4345.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-7552500577862363382012-04-26T13:04:00.000-07:002012-04-26T14:35:14.519-07:00Veggie soba noodle soup.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigokdXSm0etGK39lMa2fcQpYvyDTl7zAqxNqHU5eltqfcYcyqOgT5l_6EnHDuRzl7oLaUhe7SMBhjluvo5H6Nu3bEBkqvCBjeLgpurPaojhOqx97Np7WeVayZbZNGCa3nQwV52RhR6bWgA/s1600/IMG_4311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigokdXSm0etGK39lMa2fcQpYvyDTl7zAqxNqHU5eltqfcYcyqOgT5l_6EnHDuRzl7oLaUhe7SMBhjluvo5H6Nu3bEBkqvCBjeLgpurPaojhOqx97Np7WeVayZbZNGCa3nQwV52RhR6bWgA/s640/IMG_4311.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Last week was crazy. No exaggeration. One
of my two dissertations, a 15 minute documentary, was due last Thursday meaning I was literally
chained to an editing booth at university for the entirety of the week. In all
honesty I don’t think I had a real meal for about 48 hours over Wednesday and
Thursday. Again. No exaggeration. Wednesday night saw a dinner of a multi-bag of salt and vinegar
chipsticks and an energy drink. Things were bad. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">My body however was only on the road to
further destruction with the celebration of my 21<sup>st</sup> birthday on
Friday night. Needless to say by Sunday after I’d finally sobered up I was
feeling rather fragile and in need of some nourishment. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This is one of those things that you eat
and just know it’s doing you good, its like the cure-of-all chicken noodle soup but japanese-y, with a good kick of chili to clear out your sinuses. It’s very economical and because you cook
everything in the broth you don’t loose any of the good for you stuff
in the veggies. Plus it’s probably the easiest thing I’ve ever made. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Serves 2</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">2 bundles soba noodles</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1 carrot, cut into battons</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">handful of sugar snap peas</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1 onion, sliced</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">½ red pepper, sliced</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">thumb sized piece of ginger, cut into
matchsticks</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1 fat garlic clove, chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">½ red chili, sliced</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">1 good quality veggie stock cube</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">½ tsp toasted sesame oil</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">lime juice</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">soy sauce</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">sugar</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Literally throw everything apart from the
lime, soy and sugar in a pan and cover with cold water.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Bring it up to the boil and simmer until
the noodles are cooked, you want the veggies with a bit of bite left in them</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Now add the last three ingredients to taste
until it works for you, ladle into big bowls and nourish yourself.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-88245943673494487352012-04-15T08:23:00.001-07:002012-04-15T08:23:41.691-07:00Thai Sweet Corn fritters and Tom Ka Soup.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqqJk2hOEjQ8VrK_OPnwe2T2bHxgcrsbDs4JVro1VdtgpYGnHPvNIFQx3f7q8707kN2PbPDS5XTOR8_k93VhWCuSA1hr2yKqmfYBldrAGfo5DmbcI_YbjpUYx1GK-OuOk6g2vAsEf2wz1/s1600/IMG_2765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzqqJk2hOEjQ8VrK_OPnwe2T2bHxgcrsbDs4JVro1VdtgpYGnHPvNIFQx3f7q8707kN2PbPDS5XTOR8_k93VhWCuSA1hr2yKqmfYBldrAGfo5DmbcI_YbjpUYx1GK-OuOk6g2vAsEf2wz1/s640/IMG_2765.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">This is two components of a sharing platter
at one of my favorite Brighton restaurants the vegetarian mecca that is Food
for Friends. I bought my dad the cookbook a while back after he took me there
for lunch and have been DYING to cook these recipes eversince.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">Him, my sister and myself went to a friend’s
for Easter Sunday lunch and we were asked to proved the starter and this is
what we (meaning I) put together.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">It is SO worth finding your way down to a
local Asian food market and getting yourself the fresh kaffiar lime leaves,
lemongrass, galangal and tom ka paste. It really adds a freshness and vibrancy
to the final product that you will never get from the freeze dried varieties
you can get from Waitrose etc.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">Also I apologize for the quality of the
photos – I’d left the camera I usually use in Brighton so was reduced to using
my sister’s iPhone. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">Adapted from the food for friends cookbook:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">Serves 6 </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US"><u>For the soup: <o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">2 cloves of garlic, chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">3 sticks of lemon grass, outer leaves
removed and chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">25g galangal or ginger, chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">1 red chili chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">1 small white onion, chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">1 small bunch of coriander, leaves and
stalks chopped</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">30g green curry paste</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">70ml water</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">1 veg stock cube</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">1 tin coconut milk</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">1 tblsp tom ka paste</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">3 tbsp tamari</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">50g palm sugar</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">2 kaffir lime leaves</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">juice 1 lime</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">handful coriander leaves </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">In a pan heat some oil and sweat off the
onion, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, chili and coriander.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">When that is soft, add the water, curry
paste and stock cube, simmer for 15 minutes then ass the coconut milk and
tom-ka paste.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">After 15 minutes further simmering add the
rest of the ingredients, mix well and blend until smooth.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">Serve with a final squeeze of lime and
scattered with black roasted sesame seeds. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<u><br /></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US"><u>For the fritters: <o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">2 sticks of lemongrass, outer leaves
removed and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>bruised</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">4 tsp of ginger/galangal</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">3 cloves of garlic</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">4 kaffir lime leaves </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">small bunch of coriander</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">1 tblsp thai green curry paste</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">juice 1 lime</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">salt and pepper</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">600g fresh sweet corn, lightly steamed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">2 tbsp sugar</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">1 egg, beaten</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">a little plain flour</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">In a processor wiz up the first 8
ingredients then tip into a large bowl with the sweet corn, egg, seasoning and
enough flour to create a very stiff batter:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaoAvTsYqzZ63ZppTJSUleVMOhotj4C7LYDdDqW05EhTvUwqmOU4MZJE65IdgxXUd2LtizM3E94oa0LwzzYpndksGhYZUhvsubX0ckCVDJP9MdLbW6WOssFLFqCBzvZ7J2gThcPRxoFh4/s1600/IMG_2756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggaoAvTsYqzZ63ZppTJSUleVMOhotj4C7LYDdDqW05EhTvUwqmOU4MZJE65IdgxXUd2LtizM3E94oa0LwzzYpndksGhYZUhvsubX0ckCVDJP9MdLbW6WOssFLFqCBzvZ7J2gThcPRxoFh4/s640/IMG_2756.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">In some vegetable oil fry dollops of the
mixture, flattening them out a bit and only flipping when they have had enough
time to properly set and brown on the first side:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBITRd3gGbVz5tP5Ex9J3b63aI4zIA-iIh8EVlWIYRaq6sA7Lg6Pbgz6i0EGWvXOfBolzAb4I2avBtThHMklwRHLemUUdkloREN2HWRJUb_VQ3GpunayOSYbhpgL8on_og1BKuFeDJw1c/s1600/IMG_2754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfBITRd3gGbVz5tP5Ex9J3b63aI4zIA-iIh8EVlWIYRaq6sA7Lg6Pbgz6i0EGWvXOfBolzAb4I2avBtThHMklwRHLemUUdkloREN2HWRJUb_VQ3GpunayOSYbhpgL8on_og1BKuFeDJw1c/s640/IMG_2754.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US">Drain on kitchen paper and serve with a
garnish of julienne of carrots, spring onions, green mango, and toasted cashews
drizzled with some lime juice. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2cBbTGrIlbe5n5iezO0Wuotb_KkPrEsL7jHMD8WvwvIV8T2Z_D9z_9VMMrNP99csWUfxh_UKLdDQv9rzIdvtOxQY8XuKhtAgyUIv6oeOJGQs-VPvDJ1g2rVbLKJirGVNG9wXFUsRd-k0/s1600/IMG_2766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2cBbTGrIlbe5n5iezO0Wuotb_KkPrEsL7jHMD8WvwvIV8T2Z_D9z_9VMMrNP99csWUfxh_UKLdDQv9rzIdvtOxQY8XuKhtAgyUIv6oeOJGQs-VPvDJ1g2rVbLKJirGVNG9wXFUsRd-k0/s1600/IMG_2766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU2cBbTGrIlbe5n5iezO0Wuotb_KkPrEsL7jHMD8WvwvIV8T2Z_D9z_9VMMrNP99csWUfxh_UKLdDQv9rzIdvtOxQY8XuKhtAgyUIv6oeOJGQs-VPvDJ1g2rVbLKJirGVNG9wXFUsRd-k0/s640/IMG_2766.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-90157765195753649092012-04-06T05:35:00.003-07:002012-04-06T06:45:51.496-07:00Basil, Mint and Pea Carbonara.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXe01ELlWuvCiYefUIfIbIlkRAzafJNlHsBIm8dcZfID9Y-YuP8RHJSGgZWCy9-rln0s_kwjpqc8RRwzoox-7cVCjIhG4c0lJKip9arbq2TiIvxKYq0YTAzgU9dYGCJb3H7sY86I8V82kv/s1600/IMG_4281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXe01ELlWuvCiYefUIfIbIlkRAzafJNlHsBIm8dcZfID9Y-YuP8RHJSGgZWCy9-rln0s_kwjpqc8RRwzoox-7cVCjIhG4c0lJKip9arbq2TiIvxKYq0YTAzgU9dYGCJb3H7sY86I8V82kv/s640/IMG_4281.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Now we all know I love my carbs. Bar home baked, really good, crusty bread, my favorite has to be pasta. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Fresh, dried, baked however it comes I will consume it by the bucketful. A housemate of mine actually gave up pasta for lent and I just don’t know how she did it (she caved earlier this week in the supermarket when faced with filled tortellini), but the period of time she managed for I must say was commendable, truly! I, on the other hand refused to give anything up for lent. Attempting to cut out anything of my diet would definitely result in my demise. I therefore pre-empted this failure by not bothering at all. Whoops. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This is one of my favorite pasta dishes, I think I originally got it from my Dad, where I get most of my cooking inspiration, who got it from a Jamie Oliver book. Adding chopped basil with the mint was my own prerogative and I think it works well but obviously leave it out if you don’t fancy it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3ASYFPb1TFMFURvbMqkAlymwxsTuPEOchfmpRkzW0OTqYPzWxX277vS09hq0kWUfZRZNGR0wH5kA0RoIH982yC33i3vEnfQd_vK2yl-UbntzX9UILPBdRxAyIoVsyyPdoYKiPP5gekRE/s1600/IMG_4267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI3ASYFPb1TFMFURvbMqkAlymwxsTuPEOchfmpRkzW0OTqYPzWxX277vS09hq0kWUfZRZNGR0wH5kA0RoIH982yC33i3vEnfQd_vK2yl-UbntzX9UILPBdRxAyIoVsyyPdoYKiPP5gekRE/s640/IMG_4267.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I’m going to do the lazy thing today and simply provide a link to the recipe on the Jamie Oliver website - my dissertation has literally pushed me to the cusp of insanity and I think staring at a computer screen for any longer may actually send me proper loopy, apologies.</span></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><a href="http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/farfalle-with-carbonara-spring-peas">http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pasta-recipes/farfalle-with-carbonara-spring-peas</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Enjoy. </div>Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-75017071162180402572012-03-24T13:30:00.001-07:002012-03-24T16:28:01.238-07:00Prawn, Pea and Herb Risotto.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZTXvw2cYBKxsPuRioxgF8yPk6mUFMtxpBMpC9oiuwbexKng4gQOuUvXEWHO43w4YKZeU0EyMnYcM-D1OmcvdLMY4E9v_RN7ipZ1lDjW3P_QJGEM_xVfX5qDpwqoLNKtrE1X5Pw-UZwf7/s1600/IMG_4232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMZTXvw2cYBKxsPuRioxgF8yPk6mUFMtxpBMpC9oiuwbexKng4gQOuUvXEWHO43w4YKZeU0EyMnYcM-D1OmcvdLMY4E9v_RN7ipZ1lDjW3P_QJGEM_xVfX5qDpwqoLNKtrE1X5Pw-UZwf7/s640/IMG_4232.JPG" width="640" /></span></a><br />
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So this is the other half of my Mother’s Day post. Thought I’d spit it up and spread it over two posts because of how busy I am. This was what preceded the epic chocolate fondants which I blogged about earlier this week for the dinner my sister and I made for mum on mother's day.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLD-tJnMVEHWGf5E3XlSBw6jsJRYkBrVoJEDyz-i9bHw7dyUp_ycx03xp93E6nIBsaZlxTdobdz_TzG8LdU_AxRv3kLNGrw5zIfH4RSuTyTXMqze_yTMglI6EQ4ugFBQYX3M3kBoHzWWxF/s1600/IMG_4220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLD-tJnMVEHWGf5E3XlSBw6jsJRYkBrVoJEDyz-i9bHw7dyUp_ycx03xp93E6nIBsaZlxTdobdz_TzG8LdU_AxRv3kLNGrw5zIfH4RSuTyTXMqze_yTMglI6EQ4ugFBQYX3M3kBoHzWWxF/s640/IMG_4220.JPG" width="640" /></span></a><br />
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For those who don’t know this is the period of the year considered by most third year students to be dissertation hell, or revision hell depending on the way your degree swings.<br />
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My degree swings in a way, which makes the next month editing hell. One of my two (yes two) dissertations is making a film. Me and two of my peers have chosen to make a documentary on Female Mixed Martial Artists. To anyone else that is girl cage fighters. Exciting huh?<br />
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The downfall of this is having now collected all our footage we now are spending day after day in a windowless editing booth (while it is beautifully sunny in Brighton I may add) trying to string a coherent film together. I love it yes, but after staring at a screen for 8 hours in one sitting trying to work out if a clip needs another millisecond shaved off it to make the scene run more smoothly I tend to feel like I have cotton wool for a brain and don’t fancy cooking anything too elaborate later in the evening.<br />
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Annnnyway back to the risotto…My sister fought with me bitterly about the addition of basil to this recipe but I definitely stand by it and would even go as far as saying this may be the best risotto on this blog to date. Bold. I know.<br />
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Serves 3<br />
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2 tblsp olive oil<br />
large knob of butter<br />
1 onion, chopped<br />
3 cloves of garlic, crushed<br />
glass of dry white wine<br />
half a pepper, sliced<br />
enough risotto rice for 3<br />
1 pint stock, (chicken or veg)<br />
200g frozen peas, thawed<br />
250g raw prawns, peeled and sliced length ways<br />
large handful basil, chopped<br />
large handful mint, chopped<br />
good squeeze of lemon<br />
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To start with get your stock hot, and mash half the peas with a little bit of the butter.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVF4gHvagBnlQvfxE9RabztlzAiJcnwrW91ht3chDORrY06T3Ow8BoI5U_MIe1_CdX41m7O_-ONdVGTjLtFdLoal9VVTAXwxhLoUv-n2gCMSLeH4ie8PPzSX2QRWqrvw1YDM4FQH8xFPO/s1600/IMG_4211.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUVF4gHvagBnlQvfxE9RabztlzAiJcnwrW91ht3chDORrY06T3Ow8BoI5U_MIe1_CdX41m7O_-ONdVGTjLtFdLoal9VVTAXwxhLoUv-n2gCMSLeH4ie8PPzSX2QRWqrvw1YDM4FQH8xFPO/s640/IMG_4211.JPG" width="640" /></span></a><br />
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Sweat the onion in the olive oil and the rest of the butter, when soft add the garlic.<br />
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When fragrant turn up the heat and add the rice , fry until slightly translucent and add the wine. When the alcohol has burnt off add the peppers and start adding the stock ladle by ladle adding the next when the last has been completely absorbed, stirring frequently to massage the starch out of the rice.<br />
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When the rice is nearly cooked, throw in the prawns, whole peas and when the peas are cooked and the prawns have turned pink stir in the mashed peas herbs and a squeeze of lemon.<br />
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Season to taste and serve drizzled with olive oil.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7ePjJkp0_50JE44N_wu6w1pKfH_uqflfeQvo87kNChSCiuAxNmQJ-TMfeMCAZc4Z7B7AmRD8bPycvDnwet-XEsg-1cwZzK3fn0HFaZ2CRKfwLBLsd-lsnxKcC_AYdpmLH2QRDtiobZbu/s1600/IMG_4233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_7ePjJkp0_50JE44N_wu6w1pKfH_uqflfeQvo87kNChSCiuAxNmQJ-TMfeMCAZc4Z7B7AmRD8bPycvDnwet-XEsg-1cwZzK3fn0HFaZ2CRKfwLBLsd-lsnxKcC_AYdpmLH2QRDtiobZbu/s640/IMG_4233.JPG" width="640" /></span></a>Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-71251798410794401772012-03-18T13:21:00.000-07:002012-04-06T06:49:56.510-07:00Mother's Day Chocolate Fondants.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4QaajzJUSkMpJx8FFNCDkFKeOu8UHn29zplCYHeuc4NsbcB73itq4CKsKBPP_6X_ocugOMqjyzDlwrhR8V5XrmDmqUVc-xUvs2MVYfyaJXHDehklpK5p_c091cVBxDP7hzYwU61J6cW5/s1600/IMG_4245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge4QaajzJUSkMpJx8FFNCDkFKeOu8UHn29zplCYHeuc4NsbcB73itq4CKsKBPP_6X_ocugOMqjyzDlwrhR8V5XrmDmqUVc-xUvs2MVYfyaJXHDehklpK5p_c091cVBxDP7hzYwU61J6cW5/s640/IMG_4245.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I’ll freely confess I am not much of a pudding person but give me a chocolate fondant and there is literally no stopping me. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">The outside, with a crunch of sugar, then the soft sponge and the silky oozy middle, so intensely rich but still more-ish at the same time, served with some berries and cool cream, or even better ice-cream, so you get the hot/cold contrast and it all just melts together on your tongue ….. Ok. I’ll stop now. You get the idea. Chocolate fondants are MEGA yum. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">I made these for mother’s day, my little sister suggested the menu, a prawn, pea and herb risotto (apparently one of mum’s favorites) followed by chocolate fondants with ice cream (again apparently one of mum’s favorites). I’m still suspicious that she just asked me to cook what she wanted to eat rather than it having anything to do with mother’s day, but mum loved it none the less.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Makes 4</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">100g 70</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Symbol;">%</span><span lang="EN-US"> cocoa solids, dark chocolate</span></div>
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Bake for 8 - 10minutes until set enough to hold their shape but still runny in the middle.</div>
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YUMYUM:</div>
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Aaand, OHHH HIIYAAA:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadkCyIdK9bDxtF83HuF2-SGtJ8esfPGc-e25j4Web8BL6MX83xQTR4nnpE-ogZB8-feldaPAnxi5NEkNsMzp8G8YgNR9ObFaCtPj2rY6rGUdizuwcvoHD03Tc0lpuIgdY4n4yD5Vjm8p5/s1600/IMG_4252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadkCyIdK9bDxtF83HuF2-SGtJ8esfPGc-e25j4Web8BL6MX83xQTR4nnpE-ogZB8-feldaPAnxi5NEkNsMzp8G8YgNR9ObFaCtPj2rY6rGUdizuwcvoHD03Tc0lpuIgdY4n4yD5Vjm8p5/s640/IMG_4252.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-86438664474537569742012-03-14T13:44:00.004-07:002012-03-14T17:10:10.379-07:00Holly's Bake.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInn1MlwjfcWIiVmFIg_o3UVE5m0tLjdz6wmKuzCd2E5SR3x-1Bfzc2jX_hL7-ThN7tBuSrcLzUV29Zo1JWPDGvztTijKkxuJ9j-g1CflpJXoepCKML7lF5OAOAp6HDORAmhRNZxWOEPt5/s1600/IMG_4191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgInn1MlwjfcWIiVmFIg_o3UVE5m0tLjdz6wmKuzCd2E5SR3x-1Bfzc2jX_hL7-ThN7tBuSrcLzUV29Zo1JWPDGvztTijKkxuJ9j-g1CflpJXoepCKML7lF5OAOAp6HDORAmhRNZxWOEPt5/s640/IMG_4191.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">This is one of those recipes that has real a family legacy. Whenever we serve it the story that comes with it is obligatory, so obviously I feel compelled to share it here.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Back in 2000 my dad took a sabbatical off work and as a family we went traveling, the trip culminating in us living in New Zealand for 5 months. My sisters and I went to school there, we rented a house and adopted a full on Kiwi lifestyle for the duration of our stay. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">A family favorite was always this bake. It features layers of chicken, mozzarella and grilled vegetables on a bed of homemade tomato sauce. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">One time Elle, my older sister, had a friend called Holly around and my parents served this for dinner. Holly enjoyed it so much she asked for the recipe and attempted to make it at home for her parents. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Before I continuing I should point out that there was not much of a foodie culture out there, not in the way us Brits do it anyway. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">One of the most prominent issues I recall having was the fact that they didn’t have Heinz tomato ketchup. Instead, they had this monstrosity of a condiment called ‘Whatties tomato sauce’, the local replacement for my beloved Heinz. Its tag line was ‘you’ll always be a Kiwi if you love our Whattie’s sauce’, needless to say, not being a Kiwi, I was not a fan.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">But anyway, back to Holly. It transpires she had later attempted to make this dish but instead of making a tomato sauce with chopped onions, garlic and tinned tomatoes etc, she had simply up-ended several bottles of ‘Whattie’s tomato sauce’ into a baking dish and then layered the chicken, veg and mozzarella on top. Not so yummy me thinks.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">So, to honor her valiant effort my family named the dish after her.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Here is my (I promise more yummy than Holly’s) version: </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">2 tblsp olive oil </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">2 chicken breasts</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">2 large courgettes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">1 block of mozzarella</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">1 small bunch of basil, leaves picked and stalks finely chopped</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">1 tin of chopped tomatoes</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">1 onion, chopped</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">2 fat cloves of garlic, chopped</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">½ a chili, chopped</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">1 tsp dried oregano</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">large handful freshly grated parmesan</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Salt and Pepper</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Pre heat your oven to 200 Degrees.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In a pan sweat the onions in half the oil. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">When soft throw in the garlic, chili, oregano and basil stalks. Sweat until fragrant then add the chopped tomatoes and half a tin of water. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Season and leave to simmer until it thickens. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">While that simmers slice your courgettes, brush with rest of the olive oil and stick under the grill, turn when golden and remove when soft and golden on both sides. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Meanwhile, slice your chicken breasts lengthways into 4 strips and your mozzarella into slices. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">When everything is ready assemble the bake;</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5qX-eXnNuNhg0QiNqAgNvpB3LjFmxqIJZvrrV_P4QhQoGy578zyo1v2uqFubIs0yQDbN6ejI3colx5H_YGjsUpdpEYq-3pz7PeDYGhGLNBZr-x_lmDFi15TDhybyrQJIOHxXvtucmXxN/s1600/IMG_4163.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu5qX-eXnNuNhg0QiNqAgNvpB3LjFmxqIJZvrrV_P4QhQoGy578zyo1v2uqFubIs0yQDbN6ejI3colx5H_YGjsUpdpEYq-3pz7PeDYGhGLNBZr-x_lmDFi15TDhybyrQJIOHxXvtucmXxN/s640/IMG_4163.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Put the tomato sauce in the base, then in rows layer the courgette, chicken, and mozzarella until the dish is full. Push some basil leaves in between some of the layers and then sprinkle with the parmesan.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uxtOtu0uJ0sKWGdr8kOCGy9TdKtvcB5NquVqid3ZHAbuKo_Kn3EMm0URIZxwCcD1Goaq3UXqC8CcIig4OpuhMg_HIjXup9Mun1JOohYUqgCgkHIkXfBaUg5qrMtNjXayJkz3T6xpg9Bc/s1600/IMG_4165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4uxtOtu0uJ0sKWGdr8kOCGy9TdKtvcB5NquVqid3ZHAbuKo_Kn3EMm0URIZxwCcD1Goaq3UXqC8CcIig4OpuhMg_HIjXup9Mun1JOohYUqgCgkHIkXfBaUg5qrMtNjXayJkz3T6xpg9Bc/s640/IMG_4165.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Bake until golden on top and bubbling. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Serve with pasta, crusty bread or whatever you fancy. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqp-3k43ryKjPhMCwWZuQS2icYxvP87sgAxu-lPebxyPHQeAaOklnHKWsKe23cx4GdHhE6HHL4xV-n4VOLgzVNRdX-t3TEKyZbGO9cyD0agibPMBIzWnWvx04T2keMZuaEdLaDXNFH7hA/s1600/IMG_4194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyqp-3k43ryKjPhMCwWZuQS2icYxvP87sgAxu-lPebxyPHQeAaOklnHKWsKe23cx4GdHhE6HHL4xV-n4VOLgzVNRdX-t3TEKyZbGO9cyD0agibPMBIzWnWvx04T2keMZuaEdLaDXNFH7hA/s640/IMG_4194.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-46811194175061302532012-03-12T11:05:00.003-07:002012-03-16T10:33:41.760-07:00Olive Focaccia.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEila-84mBZQ61jYNbFOuWW7vRDx4HNob_Tobf_uh-OX9OS1uVRYAcW0-rVgb471cjt996zJhdP3Ps6QkReBBZDg9x-NsDOfDH8g2SOfiTYNcV576G3UFvFCwJMPpFFg1zse1MLW4GbRfQxq/s1600/IMG_4148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEila-84mBZQ61jYNbFOuWW7vRDx4HNob_Tobf_uh-OX9OS1uVRYAcW0-rVgb471cjt996zJhdP3Ps6QkReBBZDg9x-NsDOfDH8g2SOfiTYNcV576G3UFvFCwJMPpFFg1zse1MLW4GbRfQxq/s640/IMG_4148.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">MMMmmm. Carbs. MMMmmm. Carb-y carb-y goodness.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I must say, I could live without meat, I could live without sugar but a life without carbs would not be a good one in my book.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">If you hadn’t worked it out I’m definitely not one of those girls who comes out with the constant refrain of ‘oh, sorry, I’m on a carb free diet’ or ‘I’m just trying to not eat carbs at the moment’. Ohhh no.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Don’t get me wrong, those who do it are welcome to. Just means there is more for ME. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">NOM.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Aaannyywaayyy…</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">I loooveee foccacia bread. Love love love love. It’s definitely my favorite type of bread. Throw in some olives and some nice oil and vinegar to dip in and I’m a gonner. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">You’ll be likely to find me a few hours later, twice the size and covered in tell-tale crumbs. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">So this is officially one of my favorite things. EVER. (I’m quite enthusiastic about it if you hadn’t noticed…)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">4 cups Strong bread flour</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">1 tsp Sea salt</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">½ tsp Sugar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">2/3 cup Tepid water</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">1 tsp easy bake yeast</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">½ cup olives, roughly chopped. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Combine the water and yeast and leave to stand until a head forms.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">In a large bowl combine the flour, salt and sugar. Add the liquids (it will be sticky). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Knead it until it forms a smooth dough which springs back if you poke it.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Leave in an oiled bowl to rise covered in clingfilm until its doubled in size.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Knock back briefly and mix in the olives then push flat into a well oiled tray (Like this:)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhGdv1fDEX3hyphenhyphenkhk1w9TF2TBWWVxX_TTe2q_7dSDLsWfBUfrqSa3Gl9tHuG3TRoE0KSpna1nr6Qi04FGIuwBgCIRplWZ4ixaYgAtiKtON7Ehka8jIfJ1ucLe-KLzMc1SAOc589Skd6PAC/s1600/IMG_4133.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhGdv1fDEX3hyphenhyphenkhk1w9TF2TBWWVxX_TTe2q_7dSDLsWfBUfrqSa3Gl9tHuG3TRoE0KSpna1nr6Qi04FGIuwBgCIRplWZ4ixaYgAtiKtON7Ehka8jIfJ1ucLe-KLzMc1SAOc589Skd6PAC/s640/IMG_4133.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Leave to rise a bit again for around 20 minutes then dimple, sprinkle with some more salt and olive oil.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Bake until it develops a golden crust and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US">Devour (in one sitting if you're me).</span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYpwvLe8Hm4tQoouO_gm3vQMiMSJd0eAw1C5wFF3An4-RthrjNiDVhMEPn4JM5hslW-9b3h-pEBfTXv8HoszvEZLlvGKfBGp2nV30OufxAoJyWxDgFDk70X1KPwkkHol13T_jTHgv1SQw/s1600/IMG_4150.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyYpwvLe8Hm4tQoouO_gm3vQMiMSJd0eAw1C5wFF3An4-RthrjNiDVhMEPn4JM5hslW-9b3h-pEBfTXv8HoszvEZLlvGKfBGp2nV30OufxAoJyWxDgFDk70X1KPwkkHol13T_jTHgv1SQw/s640/IMG_4150.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-7512136942298287912012-03-03T04:59:00.002-08:002012-04-06T06:55:03.620-07:00Sweet and Spicy Tofu.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiME9H8m8pneWgfELuohBgwIWWydewmZjlJGRVcQcw_HNlVIjzrKHAT4OpfVCWTxIEp3nk8olbK1J5xMTDY28jQvZUrk5-ZVME7ZhK0giRpWXvPsWW9LYKBoAgrQ-zicNp1NPkncmkSxTH8/s1600/IMG_4120.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiME9H8m8pneWgfELuohBgwIWWydewmZjlJGRVcQcw_HNlVIjzrKHAT4OpfVCWTxIEp3nk8olbK1J5xMTDY28jQvZUrk5-ZVME7ZhK0giRpWXvPsWW9LYKBoAgrQ-zicNp1NPkncmkSxTH8/s640/IMG_4120.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">If you live in Brighton, you no doubt will have come across Pompokos and fallen in love at first bite. If you haven’t. Well. I don’t really want to know you if I’m honest. Because then we can’t go together. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">For those poorly educated souls reading this who don’t know what/where Pompokos it’s a (very) small Japanese restaurant in Brighton. The food is humble, cheap and fast. No exaggeration here. A main course is less than a fiver and you’ll receive it less than 10 minutes after ordering (I think the fastest I’ve ever received my food is within 3 minutes…as long as they keep doing it I don’t want to know how).</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">They specialize in huge bowls of sushi rice topped with your choice of meat cooked to your liking, Japanese Katsu curries and various side dishes from gyoza to miso soup and octopus balls (which one of my housemates confirms are actually rather tasty..!) . They also do various yaki-soba-type stir-frys but from a wealth of experience I can confirm that the rice bowls and curries are where it’s at. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">My personal tipple when there is either Pumpkin Katsu Curry (bread crumbed and deep fried pumpkin with a Japanese curry sauce) or Tori Chilli Don (Rice topped with fried chicken and onions in a spicy, tangy sauce) with a side of some obligatory chicken gyoza. I can’t lie, whenever my day has the prospect of Pompokos I agonize over the decision between these dishes ALL DAY. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">This dish is somewhat of a tribute to Pompokos, and a rather yummy one. As usual I didn’t really have any meat in so opted for a tofu version and made it ridiculously spicy but use your own (probably more sensible) judgment as far as the chili goes and you'll enjoy this. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEVepaSz2deJYfh80CEmL0kSDRItE4ay2FcklJyMdN10ONb9HOC5KlDb9IGKIG6LeCGmvzYWR4-XTU-Psykuvy1EKD55HN_Tpe295pUO-Syvw-nLvUeHW_7EUJFOCb9VidkLSSkT1v_sG/s1600/IMG_4117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCEVepaSz2deJYfh80CEmL0kSDRItE4ay2FcklJyMdN10ONb9HOC5KlDb9IGKIG6LeCGmvzYWR4-XTU-Psykuvy1EKD55HN_Tpe295pUO-Syvw-nLvUeHW_7EUJFOCb9VidkLSSkT1v_sG/s640/IMG_4117.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Serves 2 hungry people.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">200g Firm tofu, cubed</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">3 tbsp corn starch</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1/3 cup sweet chili sauce</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1/3 cup soy sauce</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1/3 cup stock (either chicken or veggie)</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">4 fat garlic cloves, chopped.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">2 tbsp Sesame seeds, toasted.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Chili flakes to your chili preference</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">½ tsp toasted sesame oil.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">1-2 tbsp Sunflower oil.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Large onion, chopped into small wedges.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Handful of Sugar snap peas.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">Dust your cubed tofu in the cornstarch and then in a wok heat the sunflower oil. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">When hot throw in the tofu and fry, as it starts to turn golden throw in the onion.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">As that softens, combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl to create the sauce and when the tofu is crisp and the onion soft but still with some bite pour in the sauce and the sugar snaps and simmer until it reduces and thickens.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US">When the sauce has reduced and looks sticky-ish taste to check the seasoning and adjust as necessarily.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"></span><span lang="EN-US">Serve with rice or noodles garnished with more sesame seeds. </span></div>
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<br /></div>Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6204687409236980188.post-53022780389994274882012-02-29T09:36:00.001-08:002012-04-06T06:56:04.891-07:00Chorizo, Spinach, Mushroom and Red Pepper Rice.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Last night I came home from University and knew one thing. I wanted a glass of wine. I’d had a productive day finalizing what to write my dissertation on and was feeling smug.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">When I got home though my dreams of a cooling beverage to celebrate my dissertation-awesomeness were dashed. There wasn’t any wine in the house. Disaster. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">However… What’s the best excuse for getting a bottle in? Making risotto. Of course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">So, off to co-op my housemate and I went. A skip, hop and a purchase of white Chilean later, happily with wine in hand I threw this together for the both of us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">I feel like this would be created if a risotto got it on with a paella and had sweet, sweet, rice-y babies. Here the smoky, heat of the sausage, marries with the hearty, irony spinach and the sweet red pepper beautifully.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">As usual this was amalgamated out of what I had in the fridge, which unfortunately was missing some fresh herbs last night. I feel either some fresh thyme, or chives might have gone down a treat stirred in at the end. Nonetheless the final product was de-lish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Serves 2.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">A medium sized white onion, chopped finely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">2 cloves of garlic, chopped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial;">200g cooking chorizo, chopped. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">1 tsp paprika.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">½ tsp dried thyme<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Enough Arborio/risotto rice for two<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">A good slug of a dry white wine<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">1 pint good chicken stock<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Half a red pepper, sliced<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">A large handful of good mushrooms, chopped<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Large handful of freshly grated parmesan<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">To start with get your stock hot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Secondly in another pan melt half the butter and then add the olive oil to raise the butters burning point. Over a low heat sweat the onions and as it goes translucent add the peppers, mushrooms and chorizo, when the sausage starts to leak it’s oils, add the garlic, paprika and thyme and sweat until fragrant, season.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Throw in the rice and increase the heat, fry for a minute then add the wine and simmer until the harsh alcohol smell burns off and the rice absorbs the liquid. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">Now start to add the stock bit-by-bit adding more after the last has been completely absorbed, stirring frequently, massaging the starch out of the rice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: Arial;">When the rice is nearly cooked, pour in a last slug of stock and cover. Leave the rice to stand for a couple of minutes with the heat off so it can relax. Stir in the parmesan and serve. </span></div>
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</span></div>Gabihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06046750067756174344noreply@blogger.com2