Rain Or Shine

November 27, 2011 § 1 Comment

Soup I have moods for.  But if I have to choose, I almost always go for tomato soup.  Chorizo, however, I always have a mood for.   Scanning through Donna Hay’s cookbook, it did not surprise me that I couldn’t move pass the page, not because it has rained the past few days.  This soup I can and will have over and over, rain or shine, for a very long time.  Best of all, it being a 30-minute meal is such a come-on.  With a few pieces of bread, it makes a great lunch or dinner that is fuss-free.  In fact I like it better the next day when all the flavors melds into one hearty soup.

The chorizo adds an incredible depth to the soup, perfectly marrying salty and sour.  The crisp chorizo adds more texture to a soup that has already so much texture – from the tomato chunks, crisp green beans to even the al dente but creamy bite of the chickpeas.  I made it without the green beans.  I just add a few strips before serving and while re-heating to keep the freshness and crispness of the vegetable.

Spicy Tomato-Chorizo Soup

(adapted from “The Instant Cook”, by Donna Hay)

What you need:

  • 4 chorizo sausages, sliced (I use chorizo Pamplona)
  • 2 teaspoons canola oil
  • ½ teaspoon chili flakes
  • 2 x 400g (14 oz.) cans peeled tomatoes, crushed
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 400g (14 0z.) can chickpeas (garbanzos), drained
  • 200g (7oz.) green beans, trimmed and chopped
  • Sea salt and cracked black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley (baby arugula works well too)

What you do:

  1. Place a deep saucepan over high heat.  Add the chorizo, oil and chili and cook for 4 minutes or until the chorizo are crisp.
  2. Remove from the pan and drain on absorbent paper.
  3. Place the tomatoes and stock in the saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil.
  4. Add the chickpeas and beans and cook for 3 minutes.
  5. Stir through the salt, pepper parsley and cooked chorizo and serve.  Serves 4.

Just Can’t Get Enough

November 3, 2011 § 4 Comments

Do you ever order the same dish again and again?  At my gym’s cafe, I’d order a “Spinach Salad” almost every single time and the woman at the counter will give me a smile, already predicting the order.  Not that there’s nothing else that is worth ordering… I simply love this salad to pieces even if in most days, there really isn’t a single leaf of spinach on it.  Sometimes I’d get a plate of mixed greens or a mix of spinach and arugula… so I do get the variety in that sense.  But whatever the greens are, it has become a staple lunch order when I’m at the gym.

It’s really not the greens but what goes with it that I love.  Imagine… sweet caramelized apples and raisins with chunks of blue cheese and bits of bacon.  A winner through and through, don’t you think?  But because I can have that prepared for me once or twice a week, I thought to use this as inspiration instead.  I loosely adapted Donna Hay’s recipe and came up with this terrific salad.  It has the same sweet-savory combination that goes so well with the peppery taste of Arugula but with an added crunch from the walnuts.

Caramelized Apples and Arugula Salad

(adapted from Donna Hay’s The Instant Cook Cookbook)

Blue cheese and the sweet, buttery apple dressing contrasts well together, add in the peppery tang of the Arugula – perfect.  If walnut’s not your thing, almonds are great too.

What You Need:

  • 60 grams (2oz.) butter
  • 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar (apple cider should be good too)
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar or 2 tablespoons coco sugar
  • 1 med size apple, peeled and thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup walnuts
  • Rocket (Arugula) leaves
  • Romaine lettuce
  • 25 grams soft blue cheese, cubed

What you do:

  1. Place the butter, vinegar and sugar in a frying pan over medium heat.
  2. Add the apple and walnuts and cook for 4 minutes or until apples are just soft.
  3. Place the leaves on serving plates and top with the apple and walnuts.
  4. Spoon over the pan juices and top with the blue cheese.

Enjoy!

A Master Sauce

October 22, 2011 § 1 Comment

XO Sauce that is.  It’s the sauce of all Chinese sauces; I call it a master sauce as it makes any dish extraordinary.  XO Sauce – it sounds opulent and it is but alcohol it has not, not a drop. It’s actually chopped dried seafood, usually scallops, fish and shrimps, cooked with chili, onions, garlic and oil.  Served once upon a time only in gourmet seafood restaurants, a few companies today produce it commercially – I love Lee Kum Kee’s XO Sauce and you can find it in selected high-end supermarkets.

Expensive yes but I love that it is made more available.

It is exquisite on its own but it adds oomph to noodles and pasta dishes, vegetable dishes and even on fried rice.  When I’m famished and feel like something succulent, or if I want to impress but don’t have time, XO Sauce saves the day – never fails.  Any vegetable available should suffice, really.  Here’s a favorite!

Stir Fried Broccoli and Mushroom with XO Sauce

What you need:

  •  200 grams Broccoli florets, rinsed and cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 100 grams mushrooms (shiitake or brown)
  • 2 tbsp. XO sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. peanut or canola oil

 What you do:

  1. Blanch broccoli in boiling water. Drain.
  2. Stir-fry broccoli in oil.
  3. Add garlic and XO sauce.
  4. Stir well and serve with rice.

Scones and Backaches

September 7, 2011 § 2 Comments

A few months ago, I hurt my back that rendered me useless for a few days.  “Move around”, a friend suggested.  Good advice except that with my tiny studio loaded with all sorts of junk I couldn’t really move around much.  I had this crazy idea to bake – crazy because I could hardly stand up, much less bend.  I did it anyway as I had longed to make some scones with the dried mangoes and candied ginger I purchased a while back.  The scone recipe I learned from a high school friend, now a chef.  It produced scones that are crusty on the outside but light and soft (almost creamy) on the inside.

Quite a versatile piece of cake, bread, biscuit or whatever you might want to compare it with.  While some like it with tea as a snack or dessert, I prefer it with coffee for my breakfast.  Whichever way you have it, there are endless combination you can do with a basic scone recipe, truth be told.  I once combined dried cranberries and chocolate chips.  I have in mind to try it with bacon and cheese for a savory treat someday.

Mango and ginger however, is the best combination I’ve made so far.  Sweet, slightly sour from the mango, hot and spicy from the ginger – a wonderful union, I must say.  Great scones aside, it actually alleviated that nasty ache.

Mango and Ginger Mini Scones

What you need:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 cups sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • 1/4 cup dried mangoes, cut into small pieces
  • 1/4 cup candied ginger, cut into small pieces
  • 1-1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp butter, melted

What you do:

  1. Preheat oven to 200˚ C
  2. Mix all dry ingredients.
  3. Add the heavy cream to get a soft dough.
  4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead very lightly.
  5. Flatten dough to ½-inch thick.
  6. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with some sugar.
  7. Cut into wedges and transfer to baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  8. Bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown and crusty.

Roast Sweet Potatoes

July 28, 2011 § 2 Comments

When I was growing up, I never really paid much attention to sweet potatoes or “camote” as they call it in my part of the world.  An occasional “camote-cue” during recess time in school sums up my bond with this root crop – and only if the “banana-cues” (my all-time comfort food) available are all dried up and yucky.  In recent years though, I’ve developed a deep affection for sweet potatoes that, despite its name, is not related to potatoes at all.

A highly nutritious vegetable, it has become a staple in my kitchen.  I particularly like the orange-colored variety as it has a more distinctive sweet flavor and having more beta-carotene than those with lighter colored flesh added to its appeal.  And as with all kinds of sweet potatoes, it is rich in complex carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamin C and B6.  How can you not love that?

I’ve always had it as a sweet treat but I recently discovered that its sweetness is a delicious contrast to savory ingredients.  I don’t remember anymore where I came across the idea but my favorite way to make this simple dish is to slice* the sweet potatoes as desired, sprinkle some sea salt, herbs and spices and blend with a bit of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil).  Roast until sweet potatoes are somewhat caramelized or tender.  If I’m in the mood for some heat, I add Paprika or a bit of Cayenne Pepper.

In the photo, I added flat leaf parsley, some rosemary and probably even some fresh thyme — giving it a slightly peppery / minty tang.  Either way I give my 2-thumbs up to this tasty side dish that sometimes suffices as a snack or even a quick meal.

Try it too with cumin, coriander and lemon or lime juice; how about your favorite cheese and bacon?  Or just plain salt and pepper… the possibilities are endless.

*  There is no need to peel but make sure it is scrubbed well to get rid of the soil.

Carbonara…

July 11, 2011 § 2 Comments

I’m not a fan of unless it’s this Carbonara.

The Carbonara I have known since I was a kid has cream on it and I don’t particularly like cream sauce on my pasta.  So I grew up not really caring for Carbonara.  Not even once did I attempt to order it when I visited Italy some years back.  During one regular potluck dinner, my friend talked about the Carbonara cooked for him by an Italian host on a recent trip to Italy (nope it was not even what he cooked that evening).  What got my attention was the simplicity of the dish that seemed extremely appetizing and best of all it didn’t require cream on it.  So one night I came home pretty tired but awfully hungry, I remembered that Carbonara.  I researched a bit to make sure I made it correctly and this was what I came up with.  It was simple, speedy and so satisfying I made it again the following evening.  It has since become a go to for quick and easy dishes.

What you need:

  • Pasta of your choice
  • Bacon (I used Tyrolean bacon, cut into small pieces but pancetta or regular bacon will suffice)
  • Egg
  • Parmesan Cheese, grated
  • A few cloves of garlic, minced
  • Olive Oil
  • Salt and pepper

What you do:

  1. Drop the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water.  Cook according to package direction.
  2. Fry the bacon in a little olive oil.
  3. Add the minced garlic, taking care not to burn it.
  4. Using pasta scooper, scoop the pasta straight from the pot without totally draining.  This way a bit of pasta water gets incorporated into the pan.
  5. Cook a bit until bacon and the oil coats the pasta.  Take off from heat.*
  6. In a small bowl, combine the slightly beaten egg with the cheese.  Toss and thoroughly mix this with the pasta.
  7. Season with salt and pepper.
  8. Serve with more cheese, if desired.

*Make sure when you add the egg mixture, it is away from the heat or the eggs will coagulate.  I suggest waiting a bit before tossing in the egg mixture.  Once I immediately tossed in the eggs, even if there was no direct heat, the eggs still coagulated because the pan was still very hot.  You can also transfer the pasta in a bowl and toss the eggs there.

This can be quite addicting and above all, it takes less than 30 mins to prepare.  Enjoy!

Spanish Sardines with Rosemary and Capers

April 14, 2011 § Leave a comment

Many a busy weeknight I whip up something fast and furious and this is one of the recipes I go to. The fragrant rosemary leaves and the citrusy notes of capers bring this comfort food up a notch,

not to mention that Spanish sardines (particularly this brand) is an all-time favorite.  It’s fuss-free, just throw everything into the pan, and so versatile it can be served in various ways – over rice, pasta or as a sandwich.

What you need:

  • Bottled Spanish Sardines
  • Dried or fresh rosemary
  • Capers, roughly chopped
  • Button mushrooms, sliced

What you do:

  1. Saute the mushroom in a bit of oil from the sardines.
  2. Add capers, cook for a few minutes until capers has a bit of a crunch.
  3. Add the sardines, include oil and everything else.  Cook a few minutes more.  Serve over rice or pasta.

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