tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66427384059242070092024-03-06T08:02:00.169+11:00Dirty Ice Cream In Your Lunch Boxculinary adventures from San Francisco to Sydneylunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-69788267222837111102011-03-19T15:26:00.003+11:002011-03-20T00:53:53.674+11:00Quick Dinner 1 - Slightly Spicy Salt and Pepper Fish<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Reality has set in. I've had to say good bye to my life as a housewife/lady of leisure - and hello to 10 hour days that leave me with very little time or energy to prepare elaborate meals every night of the week. Planning weekly menus and cooking on the weekends to stock up for the work week are tasks that have become more important than ever. But I must admit that on some weekends, I'd rather laze about than spend the day cooking. Hence, the need for a repertoire of dinners that can be whipped up in 20 minutes flat.<br />
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</div><div>Thankfully, Mr. P has been so patient and supportive as I adjust to this change in pace. Because he works closer to home, he's put his hand up to do the prep work for me so that I walk into the kitchen with all ingredients in place and ready to go. I must say, we are making a great team so far.</div><div><br />
</div><div>This dish has become a staple for many reasons. It's quick and simple, it tastes great and is very satisfying. I guess you could also say it is pretty light and healthy, just use as little oil as possible when frying.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviXsKCt5VljbL6MAMs1Ouw6xpbFUstWMVDWbfEFCOrJrKjHMHiVF5DNhsq6hxrS4ty4KT3kJX3kxx4Goz4QHbFnn-KxufCZriybUEM1wj-JLPZBAi1Uh_uG9Xz7XrZP4hnk8Ma2iQPOw0/s1600/IMG_6808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviXsKCt5VljbL6MAMs1Ouw6xpbFUstWMVDWbfEFCOrJrKjHMHiVF5DNhsq6hxrS4ty4KT3kJX3kxx4Goz4QHbFnn-KxufCZriybUEM1wj-JLPZBAi1Uh_uG9Xz7XrZP4hnk8Ma2iQPOw0/s400/IMG_6808.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;">Dinner is Served in 20 Minutes Flat. </span></span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>4 hoki or dory fillets, sliced into 2 inch pieces<br />
<div>2-3 stalks of scallions, chopped (white and green parts separated)</div><div>1/2 a sweet red chili, minced</div><div>1-2 cloves garlic</div><div>1 egg</div><div>1 cup of wholemeal flour </div><div>salt and pepper</div><div>1 wedge of lemon</div><div>2T or less of rice bran oil</div><div><br />
</div><div>Season the fish lightly with a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper. Beat the egg in a small bowl. Spread the flour on a plate and season lightly with salt and pepper. Dip the pieces of fish in the egg and lay on the seasoned flour to coat evenly. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Saute the white scallion pieces in very little oil, add in the garlic and chili once it softens, season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Add a little more oil. When the oil is hot, slide the pieces of fish into the pan and fry for about 2 minutes on each side or. Do not crowd the pan or the coating will get soggy. When the fish is golden brown, remove from heat and keep warm in a 160C oven while cooking the rest of the pieces. When all your fish is cooked through, put them all back into the pan and toss with the scallion, garlic, chili mixture. Top with the green scallion parts and serve immediately.</div><div><br />
</div><div>We love to eat this with a salad on the side, dressed with Japanese dressing. Of course, Mr. P has to have it with hot steaming white rice. </div><div><br />
</div><div>Enjoy!</div><div><br />
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</div></div></div></div></div>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-22198008936812477252011-01-10T23:48:00.003+11:002011-01-11T00:05:16.295+11:00Jamming for the HolidaysOh dear, where did the time go? I can't believe I let two months pass without posting a new entry on this blog. I feel like I've cheated on blogging but the truth is, things got pretty busy over here. My parents were here for most of November and we had so much fun taking them around. Not to mention, I was very happy cooking for four, sometimes six, rather than two. Many dishes were made and in time, they will be shared.<br />
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Towards the end of their visit my spouse visa also got granted. Because I am now allowed to work in Australia, I have been on hyper job-hunt mode. With that, cooking and blogging have been relegated (hopefully only for the time being). Having said that I am determined to get back into it. I guess I just need some time to re-adjust my daily schedule especially because the priority did moved from experimenting and documenting experiments, to the more serious task of securing employment. Then the holidays came and went and just like that, we are well into the New Year.<br />
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I'm happy to say that I'm getting my groove back. Throughout this period, we've still had some great dinners, sumptuous breakfasts and other experiments. Having had a full week, I was extremely delighted to find time in the kitchen. Some may get this and some may find it strange but for me, being in the kitchen is truly a release of stress, tension and even a bad mood.<br />
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Falling under "other experiments" are the jams I made as Christmas gifts. One day I read a recipe for banana-mango jam from the issue of Yummy magazine that my mom brought from the Philippines. I was so intrigued, I decided to make something of the bananas that needed to be consumed before going dark. I didn't have mango though but I had apricots and passionfruit. I simply used those fruits in place of the mango and voila, I amazed Mr. P and myself with a delicious concoction that went so well with goat cheese and toast. It was really good!<br />
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Right about this time, we were thinking of gift items for the family members we were going to be seeing over the holidays. Mr. P promptly suggested that this could be it. I thought about it and decided it was a great idea to go with homemade gifts this year. I remembered an Ina Garten recipe that combined strawberries and basil. But, for the second jam that ws to go into the basket, I really wanted to use sage. My basil plant was still a baby and yet I had sage growing like a weed in our balcony. I tested both anyway and confirmed that this fruit-herb combination would work. Recipes all set and off I went to buy the ingredients, containers, and packaging supplies. It was time to jam.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmD7z8Po_8uktwc3bXkp_-05mIFK_5cRj5LqQFxQUC0jLEmSaXPJ2F-tr_7OeLdtlL4zecdI4J6ti1dhvcM2gPTbVhio6GN2-eVHZUDAKYjacoFWL8pxsQ2MgxpGo1ccGNyV1Nk3pmFDK/s1600/IMG_7658.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmD7z8Po_8uktwc3bXkp_-05mIFK_5cRj5LqQFxQUC0jLEmSaXPJ2F-tr_7OeLdtlL4zecdI4J6ti1dhvcM2gPTbVhio6GN2-eVHZUDAKYjacoFWL8pxsQ2MgxpGo1ccGNyV1Nk3pmFDK/s320/IMG_7658.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Unfortunately, I don't have photos of the jams themselves but I have photos of how I intended to pack them up for gift-giving time. We were quite happy with the look and even happier to know that the recipients and their families truly enjoyed these little concoctions.<br />
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With this experiment done, I really would like to venture into making more interesting combinations later on. I guess with anything else in life, it's just a matter of finding the perfect match.<br />
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<b>Banana-Passionfruit-Apricot Jam </b><br />
<b></b>(adapted from Pixie Sevilla-Santos' Banana-Mango jam recipe in the Sept 2010 issue of Yummy Magazine)<br />
4 cups of sugar<br />
1 1/4 cups water<br />
1 kilo of the fruits, combined (I think I had 4 bananas, 3 apricots and 3 cups of passionfruit pulp)<br />
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Cook the sugar and water until it reaches the soft ball stage (to test, drop a small amount of the boiling syrup into cold water, if you can gather the strands into a soft ball, you are there). This takes about 8-10 minutes of rapid boiling, or if you are using a thermometer (I didn't) it should be at 112C.<br />
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Once you've reached this stage, put the peeled and sliced bananas and apricots into the pot. Add the passionfruit pulp. Boil for about 15 more minutes until it reaches a jam-like consistency. Take note that while it is hot, it may seem runny. Once the jam cools, it will set more.<br />
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<b>Strawberry and Sage Jam</b><br />
1 kilo of fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced<br />
4 cups raw sugar<br />
1/4 cup lemon juice<br />
rind of 2 lemons<br />
5 sage leaves<br />
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Combine all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil, stirring consistently. Once the strawberries break down, lower the heat and add the sage leaves. Continue to boil slowly until you reach your desired consistency. The flavour of the sage will gently infuse into the strawberry mixture.<br />
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For both recipes, pour the jams into sterilised jars while hot and seal tightly. Put the sealed jars into a pot filled with water and bring to a boil. Let them sit in the boiling water for 10-15 minutes. This process will give your jams a long shelf life.<br />
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I hope this is just the start of some unlikely but lovely matches to be made in my kitchen!lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-84212358807100486362010-10-19T23:31:00.004+11:002010-10-21T10:25:58.657+11:00Tapas Platter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTj1jIBGA_w6j2hfiEupKmtqt-PaSqdaSBoooiHGLLv5aOZzSG7UVtEwKOoS0-INMDHfVqVJ0IKZTsWlnVoF_2jnLO5rmk7UGMExiay3V3Tes-RrqzWSu4vFLsy_DtZur0WWe16dbUsg_/s1600/IMG_7298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCTj1jIBGA_w6j2hfiEupKmtqt-PaSqdaSBoooiHGLLv5aOZzSG7UVtEwKOoS0-INMDHfVqVJ0IKZTsWlnVoF_2jnLO5rmk7UGMExiay3V3Tes-RrqzWSu4vFLsy_DtZur0WWe16dbUsg_/s400/IMG_7298.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I love living in cities or neighborhoods that are "walkable." In San Francisco, my favourite flat was the one on Polk and Bay. From there I could walk to the Marina, Crissy Field, Fort Mason, The Embarcadero, North Beach and even to Union Square on days when I'd be oozing with energy to climb the infamous hills of the city by the bay. I loved being a stone's throw away from the shops and restaurants of Polk, Union and Chestnut streets. It meant I could easily entertain myself when I could no longer bear one more minute stuck at home.</span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Now that I am in Sydney, I don't live within the city limits. In fact, we live quite a way from the city. The saving grace for a city girl like me is that I still have many places to walk to on days when I just need to get out. Now I enjoy walking to the beach where I still have my strip of cafes and small shops, along the coast to any of the other nearby towns and my most frequent walk - down the road to a plethora of choices when it comes to shopping for food.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I absolutely love it! I can actually spend a whole afternoon surveying all the different food stores to see what's fresh and what's on special. I then go home and proceed to plan my weekly menu and shop. For groceries, I have a choice of Coles, Woolworths and about 4 Asian ones. For fresh produce and higher end items I have Harris Farms and Dee Why Fresh Market, I have Aussie, Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese butchers to choose from, a Vietnamese bread bakery and a fish monger with the most beautiful seafood. What more can I ask for right? Sometimes I end up with too many meal ideas for the number of meals one can consume in a week. It's not a bad problem I know but there are weeks when I have to forbid myself from stepping foot in any of the said establishments in order to stick with the food budget!</span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYSYIQP-v2pG1Y6UcLBhpshYatFWCgmn5haJ2jLtT7UaS1DXA9TPWmyVO6ELmglyScFTiFEv7oohpk-sJ0WWFJx9LYiuc8xDymRG99gjOxpPIfog8zaOSuU5Ox7GRZVfvSWJfUNbHP97h/s1600/IMG_7010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYSYIQP-v2pG1Y6UcLBhpshYatFWCgmn5haJ2jLtT7UaS1DXA9TPWmyVO6ELmglyScFTiFEv7oohpk-sJ0WWFJx9LYiuc8xDymRG99gjOxpPIfog8zaOSuU5Ox7GRZVfvSWJfUNbHP97h/s400/IMG_7010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Ah! The fish monger - he is one of my favourites because he really knows his products so well. It makes me feel more confident that I am buying good stuff when the person selling it to me has great tips to share and is really passionate about his/her product. This is actually the reason why I've stopped going to one of the Asian butchers I mentioned. Each time I'd ask about a certain cut of meat, he'd just shrug and show no interest in helping me figure out what the best cut is for the dish I want to make. One day it got to me and I couldn't help but tell him that he ought to learn more about his products so that he could answer customer questions and sell more effectively. I just felt like he was not giving his products the respect they deserved. That probably sounded weird but to me, this is the reason why I really like going to the fish monger's. So... back to him. I had been buying whole fish for steaming and roasting from him, then some prawns and mussels week in and week out. Recently though he had baby octopus on special and convinced me to try it. I'd never cooked octopus and I was a bit scared about taking this new challenge on. I just had to make sure that I was not going to serve up a rubbery mess. So I asked him some questions, did my own research and even asked my chef/seafood specialist cousin about how best to prepare these babies. I was finally ready to attack and this is what I did:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Pulpo a la Plancha</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">800 grams of baby octopus</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 cup lemon juice</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 cup olive oil</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">4 cloves garlic, minced</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">2 t chili flakes</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">salt and pepper</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, garlic, chili flakes, salt and pepper. Marinate the octopus in the this mixture for 24 hours to tenderize and flavor the otherwise tasteless creatures. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(I later found out from Maggie Beer's show that you can also use mashed kiwi fruit to tenderize octopus. I'll have to try that the next time I make this dish. She also mentioned that you should check with the fish monger that the octopus has been tumbled before being sold at the market as this ensures a tender product.)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">When you are ready to cook and serve the octopus, slightly oil a grill pan. A charcoal grill is preferable but I don't have one. Drain the octopus from the marinade and sear each one for about 2 minutes on each side. You'll have to be careful not to overcook them or they'll become rubbery. Serve immediately while hot with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It turns out that making octopus is really not that difficult. I was really happy that we ended up with a light, fresh and exciting tapas platter.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEogM3qkANc3wUppFu_nY15LZWWe6XSObEMCYxylfGoZ2xsD9KFaFK2_jNpJmfv4TJeJwLN_tfoiKhtwICVMZHGp9mMaJy0IQ4uJMjs7UUnFauGbT93sgF2EZsZmfJ1aL0t6eCCt-Z2r0P/s1600/IMG_7295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEogM3qkANc3wUppFu_nY15LZWWe6XSObEMCYxylfGoZ2xsD9KFaFK2_jNpJmfv4TJeJwLN_tfoiKhtwICVMZHGp9mMaJy0IQ4uJMjs7UUnFauGbT93sgF2EZsZmfJ1aL0t6eCCt-Z2r0P/s400/IMG_7295.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The other items on the platter are:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">-</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Sobrasada on Melba Toast</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">-<b>Spinach Salad with Blue Cheese and Lemon Vinaigrette</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">-<b>Piquillo Peppers</b> - dry grill whole red peppers directly on the flame of a grill or stove top. Once charred on all sides, put peppers in a paper bag. The steam will lift the skins off so you can slide them off simply by hand. Slice peppers into thin strips.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
-</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Champignones a la Jillo</b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">: - simply saute mushrooms with olive oil, garlic, butter, parsley, thyme, salt and pepper.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><div style="font-family: Times;"></div></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">-<b>Patatas</b> - boil potatoes in water flavoured with lemon, a whole small onion, 1T whole black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, and salt. Slice into rounds and finish with extra virgin olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and chopped parsley.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
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</span></div>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-14972614714982668922010-10-14T00:29:00.003+11:002010-10-14T00:41:10.108+11:00Leftovers Part 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I can't believe it's already October. I had been planning to put in the second installation of my leftovers story before September ended but geez, time really does fly. So I was into using up my leftovers with these lovely roti wraps I found at the Dee Why Market. I just love how delicate they are and how they toast up so beautifully. After having Chicken Curry for dinner two nights in a row - I serve it again, now hidden in a wrap!</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA18UeKCpOShf4mzLqVf5CQzY3e4blva-rPtmT8Q22HNgPgY2JK75bA9SdwBzWq8Ead5j7oP6_aJ-Ftu13BGHPhavMZqGxWG3qId6D87K1Z5y70xeD_Ae6Uqi8xH5sOm1i1NTNUH3yVjyr/s1600/IMG_7334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA18UeKCpOShf4mzLqVf5CQzY3e4blva-rPtmT8Q22HNgPgY2JK75bA9SdwBzWq8Ead5j7oP6_aJ-Ftu13BGHPhavMZqGxWG3qId6D87K1Z5y70xeD_Ae6Uqi8xH5sOm1i1NTNUH3yVjyr/s400/IMG_7334.JPG" width="400" /></span></span></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I heat the roti in a griddle pan over medium heat to soften. I had made some chutney with apricots and an onion a few weeks back so I used it up here too. Feel free to make your own chutney or use pre-made ones if you have it in the fridge. Spread it along the bottom third of the roti then lay down 2 romaine leaves and some cilantro sprigs if you have some. Spoon the leftover curry over the romaine leaves and wrap tightly. Turn the wrap one or two times to brown it all around as much as possible. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you like mayo, some Japanese mayonnaise would work here. You can also add cottage or cream cheese. In place of chutney, I think slices of mango would be great too.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In case you want to make chutney, here's how I did mine. It may not be too authentic but it was still delicious: </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Apricot Chutney</b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 T oil</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 clove of garlic, minced</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 small onion, minced</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1T raisins</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 cup water</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup white wine vinegar</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 sprigs thyme</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">pinch of salt and pepper</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Saute the onion and garlic in a small sauce pan, season with salt and pepper. Add the apricots, raisins and water to the pan. Simmer for 10-15 minutes until the dried fruits soften. At this time, add the vinegar and leaves from the thyme sprigs. Let the acid cook off for another 5-10 minutes. Taste and season as needed with salt and pepper. Allow the mixture to cool slightly and then puree in a food processor or blender.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here is a rough recipe for the curry component. It is a really simple one from back home which goes as follows:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Chicken Curry</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">500 grams of chicken thigh or breast fillets - sliced and seasoned with salt and pepper</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1T oil (I use rice bran oil)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3 cloves of garlic, minced</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 medium onion, chopped</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1-2 medium carrots, cubed</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2-3 red potatoes, cubed</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 t grated ginger</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 T curry powder</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 T ground coriander</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 T cumin</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 C coconut milk</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 T fish sauce</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">salt and pepper to taste</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">water to thin out sauce if necessary</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Heat the oil in a casserole and sweat the onions and garlic over medium-high heat. Add the grated ginger and saute for about 2 more minutes the throw in the carrots and the potatoes. Next in are the chicken pieces. Sear them so they brown on all sides. Sprinkle the curry powder, coriander and cumin over the chicken pieces. Allow the spices to get toasty and then pour in the coconut milk. Bring the pot to a boil and lower heat to simmer for about 20-30 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Season with fish sauce, pepper and salt if necessary. If the sauce is too thick, use some water to get the consistency to your liking. Serve hot over brown rice, with chopped hard-boiled egg, crispy bacon and chutney on the side. And for lunch the next day, use leftovers to make these wonderful wraps!</span></span></div></div>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-9255472601754894032010-09-25T02:23:00.005+10:002010-09-25T02:41:19.351+10:00Loving Leftovers<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8t7i09NNQfYARj6YCK6bXexuhaaoQj56kvY0u3EzaVLoVr0WIxTJqUODw8iLKClOYz6lJ7RVKFMZvBk0y7-PbV_lcmbB_KRCpgDLfuZG73K-QfmBDsqYl25xMTtz7UXdpqD8_U9DRqlmq/s1600/IMG_7267.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8t7i09NNQfYARj6YCK6bXexuhaaoQj56kvY0u3EzaVLoVr0WIxTJqUODw8iLKClOYz6lJ7RVKFMZvBk0y7-PbV_lcmbB_KRCpgDLfuZG73K-QfmBDsqYl25xMTtz7UXdpqD8_U9DRqlmq/s400/IMG_7267.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adobo Flakes Wrap</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Don't you just love the feeling of accomplishment when you manage to turn leftovers into something "new" for lunch the next day? I do! Yes, some dishes work better than others in the leftover department but I think those of us from the land of adobo can agree that this one is tops when it comes to aging gracefully. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I made a huge vat of adobo recently. It was so huge that we had it for three meals and still, there was more. So, to change it up a little I decided to make adobo flakes. When I was living in San Francisco and my mom would come to visit, she would never head home without leaving a mound of adobo flakes in my fridge. It was her labour of love and it was simply the best! It could be consumed in so many ways: either on it's own, with eggs, as a sandwich, on a salad - I can go on and on. One version created by my pasta-loving brother-in-law, Mr. Noodleman was mixed into his spaghetti with marinara sauce. What a discovery! It may sound weird I know but it added heft and great flavour to a simple tomato sauce. We had so much of it one night, we almost passed out on the couch.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">So now it was my turn to make adobo flakes. There definitely is room for improvement in my version. I just flaked the meat and cooked it down with the leftover sauce until all the liquid was absorbed. Then, I fried this in a little bit of oil until it turned to a brown crisp. I need to find a way to make it as fine and crisp as mom's but I have to say that it was still super yummy and crunchy. What's even better is I found yet another way of having these magical leftover flakes one hungry afternoon. All I had in the fridge was the adobo flakes, feta cheese, wraps and spinach. So my adobo flakes wrap was born out of:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 naan wrap</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 small bunch of baby spinach</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1/2 cup or more of adobo flakes</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">about 6 cubes of feta cheese (I used low fat and it was very good.)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 T Hoisin sauce</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 T Japanese mayo (optional)</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRXLqXs5_atFJSvyovA1VGqV79wd6UqXhE9r2tV-8-6agrhv__EwmzREPvVb9NIhYHHUT1YHwFIhCY61dZUvveaVc2kVpB9T-X3vmUjnfl7v_vUFB7ukWVgsj6NlIPhD5z3u-VecjGbWr/s1600/IMG_7262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirRXLqXs5_atFJSvyovA1VGqV79wd6UqXhE9r2tV-8-6agrhv__EwmzREPvVb9NIhYHHUT1YHwFIhCY61dZUvveaVc2kVpB9T-X3vmUjnfl7v_vUFB7ukWVgsj6NlIPhD5z3u-VecjGbWr/s400/IMG_7262.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Lay the naan wrap in a pan over medium heat smear the Hoisin down the middle and the mayo next to it if you are using. Line the spinach leaves, feta cubes or crumbles and adobo flakes along the bottom half of the wrap. Roll over starting from the bottom so that the empty half can be wrapped snugly around the filling. Leave on the pan to heat through for about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate, cut in half and enjoy!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">If I had access to kesong puti here, I would definitely use it. But anyhow, the feta worked really well and the combination of the adobo with the Hoisin just made it oh so delicious. A quick lunch that got two thumbs up from Mr. P. </span>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-83639590981684912212010-09-06T23:13:00.002+10:002010-09-06T23:33:30.722+10:00Discovering the Elements of Coq au Vin<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I learned about <i>mirepoix</i> while visiting my Tita Paz in Cincinnati one summer. At the tender age of 8, I got such a kick out of saying this "fancy" French word which she explained meant the combination of onions, celery and carrots. I guess she saw that I had an interest for the kitchen as early as then. So from being her spectator and just watching her prepare meals for us, I quickly becoming her sous-chef for the summer. And boy did I prepare lots of <i>mirepoix</i> for her that year! Now that I think about it, she is surely one of my earliest cooking mentors.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Fast forward to Mother's Day back in 2001. I was still living in San Francisco and decided to treat my dear mother out to lunch at a French bistro in Yountville, <a href="http://www.bistrojeanty.com/">Bistro Jeanty</a>. It was then that she first introduced to one of the most basic French dishes: Coq au Vin. Immediately I fell in love with it. I loved how the chicken was so tender, infused with the red wine and all the yummy flavours coming from the herbs and guess what? The <i>mirepoix</i>! This is when I put two and two together, the little element I learned about at 8 years old turns out to be<i> </i>the basis of most French cooking. Similar to how the combination of garlic, onion and tomato is the basis of Filipino cooking. Note taken: <i>guisado</i> to Filipino food = <i>mirepoix</i> to French food. </span><br />
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</span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">This I can say is when I began to explore cooking French inspired dishes more and more. For some reason however, Coq au Vin was one of those that intimidated me for a while. I guess it was because from that time at Bistro Jeanty I started to order it a lot when eating out, and back then there were just some restaurant dishes that I was afraid to cook myself. I'm glad that is not the case anymore because really, Coq au Vin is a stew so it really is simple to do. </span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">This recipe may not be authentic or completely true to the classical French ways but it was satisfying, delicious and tasted like Coq au Vin to me. The method was definitely simpler than Julia Child's recipe, which I do want to try next time. </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhujKAw7p1a7lmb3mn0m2Bn2cSTq76V2d181QtO5jEWm9JDtU0WwEB8mr8byUVBI65KYGN4WNy0Kao6IwY4eZDloUVkunS0lJZtDDhhWO4Yy1nFUSIDQIttqs2mQ3LXXcNYGktKAnbaCsc/s1600/IMG_7183.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhujKAw7p1a7lmb3mn0m2Bn2cSTq76V2d181QtO5jEWm9JDtU0WwEB8mr8byUVBI65KYGN4WNy0Kao6IwY4eZDloUVkunS0lJZtDDhhWO4Yy1nFUSIDQIttqs2mQ3LXXcNYGktKAnbaCsc/s400/IMG_7183.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">6 chicken pieces (I used thighs and breasts with bone and skin on)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 T olive oil</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 T butter</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">2 strips of bacon cut into lardons</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">2 stalks of celery, finely chopped</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 large carrot, finely chopped</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 onion, finely chopped</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 T cognac</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">4 T flour</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">about 15 pearl onions</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1-2 cups mushrooms, sliced</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">2 cups chicken stock</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1/2 a bottle of red wine (should be Bordeaux but I just had Shiraz)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">bouquet garni:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">-3 sprigs of thyme</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">-a sprig of parsley</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">-3 bay leaves</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper. In an oven-proof casserole, heat olive oil and butter and brown the chicken pieces on all sides. Remove chicken from pan and bacon lardons to render the fat. If there is too much fat for your taste, drain some of it and add the mirepoix, season and brown. Once the mirepoix has browned, add the chicken back into the pan and pour in the brandy to deglaze. Bring a lit match close to the liquid to flambe. Swirl the pan around until the flame is gone. Pour in the red wine and chicken stock, add the bouquet garni and pearl onions, bring to a boil. Bring down to a simmer, add the sliced mushrooms and keep simmering for 30 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer the casserole to a 170C oven and continue cooking for one and a half hours.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Remove the bouquet garni and serve hot with scalloped potatoes, mashed potatoes or buttered noodles. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I truly had a moment making this meal. As I was prepping my mirepoix and putting all the elements of the dish together, I was smiling, thinking of my mom and my aunt. Who knew that those individual moments of discovering food in Ohio and California would lead to me cooking up a dinner that would put a huge smile on our faces down here in Sydney? The back story made the meal that much more enjoyable for me. And it made for good dinner conversation with Mr. P too.</span></div></div></div></div>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-88582321581998100032010-08-23T12:45:00.006+10:002010-08-24T23:03:37.689+10:00Holy Smokes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91UkQb0gPqyZkDFHY1QYpwjN-pCEHbX6VbqK5QNbqQkQTkyIR3ZCdHTqMG66JcIgm8dcq9WoZgteMlKtt0yBNC5zsPxbhgpjpkNayomjGxyIrG-6O34qBnrJpCyR8H-BKKiszhrk2zNbU/s1600/IMG_7147b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh91UkQb0gPqyZkDFHY1QYpwjN-pCEHbX6VbqK5QNbqQkQTkyIR3ZCdHTqMG66JcIgm8dcq9WoZgteMlKtt0yBNC5zsPxbhgpjpkNayomjGxyIrG-6O34qBnrJpCyR8H-BKKiszhrk2zNbU/s400/IMG_7147b.jpg" width="387" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Not just the fish but the entire flat was smoked! Yes, I didn't heed warnings to do this outside because I was too curious and excited to get to it. I had learned about smoking fish using simple tools like a wok and some foil from a <a href="http://www.masterchef.com.au/smoked-trout-with-a-winter-salad.htm">Masterclass</a> episode of Masterchef a few months ago. When I read this <a href="http://howtoshuckanoyster.com/2010/08/15/smoke-on-the-water/">blog post</a> last week I remembered that I wanted to try it out. </span></span></span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Taking the tips from both sources, I got started. I had some green tea leaves, trout fillets and a wok with a rack. This <i>really</i> felt like a kitchen experiment. Smelling the wonderful aroma and thinking about the rich smokey flavored fish we were going to have for dinner, I was smiling all throughout the process. Mr. P is not a huge fan of fish. He likes it but is a little picky about it. <i>Smoked</i> is not on the top of his list. Yes, I was taking a risk here but the discovery of a new technique was definitely worth it.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Lucida Grande'; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 11px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Tea Smoked Trout</b></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">400g of trout fillets</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Splash of white wine and lemon juice</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">salt and pepper</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup jasmine rice</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup tea leaves (I used the peach flavoured green tea I have now)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup sugar </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Season the fish with the salt, pepper, lemon juice and white wine while preparing the rest of the ingredients. I read that some cure the fish prior to smoking while others just go straight to smoking. So, I decided to go half way and marinate my fish briefly.</span></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-4VcZeewSVRdiCP7phEPHMny1iZzw5a6UvGDMfDMPf8KM_izFziK5xaXgQ1cgQnt-xu8_0Y6QsKvKK6uDmC4Gwb0Qp6dAIHKtXVd_KlM8Efag5gd5BM9XmXrGF_aqeZhnKiBCXQIhICS/s1600/IMG_7132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-4VcZeewSVRdiCP7phEPHMny1iZzw5a6UvGDMfDMPf8KM_izFziK5xaXgQ1cgQnt-xu8_0Y6QsKvKK6uDmC4Gwb0Qp6dAIHKtXVd_KlM8Efag5gd5BM9XmXrGF_aqeZhnKiBCXQIhICS/s400/IMG_7132.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The smoking mixture in its foil receptacle.</span></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Make a receptacle out of foil for the smoking mixture. Put the rice, tea and sugar and in it and place the whole thing at the bottom of the wok. Spray or brush the rack with some oil. Turn the heat to med-high and cover the wok. Once the mixture starts to smoke, lay the fish fillets on the rack and cover the wok tightly. Use some foil to seal off the sides if like mine, your cover is not tight enough. Allow your fish to smoke for 6-8 minutes until it flakes easily with a fork. Turn off the heat and set fish aside. (If you plan on doing this indoors, I suggested taking your covered wok outside and removing the cover there. That way most of the smoke will just waft through open air, and not into every room and corner of the house.)</span></span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZvEq8ovq6QWbhLgcnXPYxR-YYIsuPyXBV3yrY-UUjk6OBHCm5HFHVO2wCormSqgGTxB5UuDzdA-cSRGgmQQ6TPILK9-09TkeNZJbMono1yuEqfWkKvSJ7mUJyckKnyZpQUPvD19is8Sd/s1600/IMG_7136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisZvEq8ovq6QWbhLgcnXPYxR-YYIsuPyXBV3yrY-UUjk6OBHCm5HFHVO2wCormSqgGTxB5UuDzdA-cSRGgmQQ6TPILK9-09TkeNZJbMono1yuEqfWkKvSJ7mUJyckKnyZpQUPvD19is8Sd/s400/IMG_7136.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Smokin'</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I decided to make an herbed yogurt sauce for the fish.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Yogurt Sauce</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 cup of Natural Yogurt</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 clove of Garlic</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">a handful of chopped herbs: I had basil, chives, parsley and a bit of rosemary</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1T lemon juice</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2T extra virgin olive oil</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Put the yogurt in a sieve lined with a sheet of paper towel or a cheese cloth. Allow it to drain for about 6 hours. Meanwhile, grind the garlic, chopped herbs, a dash of the olive oil, salt and pepper in a mortar and pestle. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmUGgAkg5aZx8WtduKcngX8gleC43GRcIcDte092TGrjDUIUQxVU0vF98wSFHGopfkoUsV3C2aM0N4ty8EvexwuvaS-WWtiOnFJmzbzkBBSjAWTsEe_utU6Y_pE6ZyCPxmxWObzoe2ewx/s1600/IMG_7141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmUGgAkg5aZx8WtduKcngX8gleC43GRcIcDte092TGrjDUIUQxVU0vF98wSFHGopfkoUsV3C2aM0N4ty8EvexwuvaS-WWtiOnFJmzbzkBBSjAWTsEe_utU6Y_pE6ZyCPxmxWObzoe2ewx/s400/IMG_7141.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Once the mixture is finely ground whisk in the rest of the olive oil and the lemon juice. When the yogurt is ready, put it in a bowl and whisk in the garlic and herb mixture to blend. You can do this in a food processor too. Add lemon juice and/or olive oil to thin it out if necessary. Season to taste.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To cut through the rich smokey taste, I made a citrus salad and to make it a full meal, accompanied it with lentil puttanesca and a forgotten sweet potato that I just roasted.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><br />
</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Green Salad with Fennel and Citrus</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">a bunch of mixed greens good for two</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">half a bulb of fennel</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">segments of 1 mandarin orange</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'm not a huge fan of raw fennel so I just roasted it for 8 minutes in the oven with a little bit of salt, pepper and olive oil. Once done, let it cool and toss with the greens and orange segments. I like to do the segments over the salad so any juice that runs just works to further dress the leaves. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b>Lentil Puttanesca</b></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-half a red onion, finely chopped</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-1 garlic clove, finely chopped</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-1 anchovy fillet, chopped</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-1 tablespoon of capers</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-2 tablespoons of black olives, roughly chopped</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-1 tomato, roughly chopped</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-1 can of french lentils</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-2T red wine vinegar</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-1-2T extra virgin olive oil</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-1T parsley, finely chopped</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-1T basil, finely chopped</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-dash of chili flakes</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-salt and pepper</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Chop the onion finely and saute in the olive oil until tender. Add the chopped garlic to the pan. Season with a little salt and pepper. Once the garlic begins to cook, add the tomatoes and allow it to soften slightly with the heat. Toss in the anchovies, capers, olives and lentils. Stir lightly to combine and heat through. Pour in the red wine vinegar and stir through. Remove from heat and finish with the chopped herbs, chili flakes and a dash of extra virgin olive oil. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUALJWf4A4oqquyevjxz8KFwbkWvVAeRSSgN1yG594wkvv03dXkXF_L5dd_IJYp8A3mF5qs0IzB2FdAd5ec8qro5na8y2GQJBbQWDbZD2g1Mafepeimh5-6MgxL_rtU0P5JtVLKjPiKiMb/s1600/IMG_7143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUALJWf4A4oqquyevjxz8KFwbkWvVAeRSSgN1yG594wkvv03dXkXF_L5dd_IJYp8A3mF5qs0IzB2FdAd5ec8qro5na8y2GQJBbQWDbZD2g1Mafepeimh5-6MgxL_rtU0P5JtVLKjPiKiMb/s400/IMG_7143.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Due to the saltiness of the anchovy, capers and olives, you may just need to add pepper and omit the salt in the final seasoning. Check to see if the taste is to your liking.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For the final assembly, toss the fennel, greens and cooled lentils together. Arrange the orange segments nicely over the salad and place the roasted sweet potato discs neatly around the dish. I then flaked the smoked trout into slightly large chunks and put this on top of the salad, in between orange segments. Spoon the yogurt sauce over each chunk of fish. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6s7n7mTjpvDBbrKeEanqxNEAyWWDY35FzIVpRpjhDtaQ50GHM7raXA5-8vd9Xyg58Y3TrhTwdLBPzuHCwmb8rZia1K92hBMld2tbeannLzdpYnIqJCSfas9ea6_gr-qETWbUODfswikbK/s1600/IMG_7150b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6s7n7mTjpvDBbrKeEanqxNEAyWWDY35FzIVpRpjhDtaQ50GHM7raXA5-8vd9Xyg58Y3TrhTwdLBPzuHCwmb8rZia1K92hBMld2tbeannLzdpYnIqJCSfas9ea6_gr-qETWbUODfswikbK/s400/IMG_7150b.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The combination of flavours was really refreshing. Both Mr. P and I could not get enough. The light citrus and vinegar from the lentil salad cut through the richness of the fish perfectly. It was a light and delicious one-dish dinner and would make a great addition to a barbecue or a picnic.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=seas04-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000FFIL92&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></span></span></div>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-41019956076159074032010-08-20T20:53:00.003+10:002010-08-23T21:44:32.742+10:00Baking Exploits: Lemon Yogurt Olive Oil Cake and Key Lime Pie<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VmQYUBXZ7WNQkjanfSa3BLnd1WTLb6XXLYc4w9gl0vWW33O3fCVMqEASUeJbXHOj0XwCD31z0mVzd-gV9yOcKH88gngwV_pftKdJX_9i5DvnUa9DJQtxZzsmAXJQVpZ5M5iGMQLpKQfT/s1600/IMG_7127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2VmQYUBXZ7WNQkjanfSa3BLnd1WTLb6XXLYc4w9gl0vWW33O3fCVMqEASUeJbXHOj0XwCD31z0mVzd-gV9yOcKH88gngwV_pftKdJX_9i5DvnUa9DJQtxZzsmAXJQVpZ5M5iGMQLpKQfT/s400/IMG_7127.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My First Cake Ever!</span></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">My family and my close friends know that I am not a big fan of baking. I love the kitchen and I love cooking, but baking is a whole different story for me. I just really find the need to measure each and every ingredient so tedious. Not to mention, the need to follow each and every step in sequential order. In many ways, I just like to freeform. In my cooking, I usually modify a recipe that interests me so I achieve the taste I know<i> I want</i> out of a dish. Once in a while I'll follow the recipe exactly. That's when it is a dish, cuisine or a technique I'm exploring for the first time, or if it comes from someone I know is an excellent cook or chef. </span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">In my book bakers and pastry chefs are highly regarded. I think that their discipline and technique is amazing. I just love watching or reading about those who are so comfortable in their art that they can even freeform their baked goods. Amazing!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">The thing that freaks me out the most about baking is the the thought that for an amateur like me, there seems to be no way of knowing whether the goods will be perfect or, god forbid, a complete disaster! Not until it's too late. Not until the only way to fix it is to chuck it and start over. My heart hurts just thinking of all the ingredients, time and effort that could possibly go to waste. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz91Nsj5Pw0fud4W_6AspwcSpNzMNAHJLkp8fSE6WsfeJg0clWLYGvg1S2MMMiJt5tWClG21_Yq4fus66UsLvt3nOrAhN0R3Nwcv4tIRcyxUDICMFFwKquDpIdHbDUL1zhC7fBjaZ7EoXI/s1600/IMG_7083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz91Nsj5Pw0fud4W_6AspwcSpNzMNAHJLkp8fSE6WsfeJg0clWLYGvg1S2MMMiJt5tWClG21_Yq4fus66UsLvt3nOrAhN0R3Nwcv4tIRcyxUDICMFFwKquDpIdHbDUL1zhC7fBjaZ7EoXI/s400/IMG_7083.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">WET ingredients, measuring going well so far...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QL8qaLakyEu18eO6SeyFtYxoi4Kr3zAwl973_XOng7tAQybK4GH6hxTYKhzCpUE8HlmlI3JUIlLSyIhyphenhyphenYocWoxEBNQilvWQgvQb0s2AYHMzk3AnkHYHbSdZLuUKOhhyjdhNeLse5s_GY/s1600/IMG_7085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QL8qaLakyEu18eO6SeyFtYxoi4Kr3zAwl973_XOng7tAQybK4GH6hxTYKhzCpUE8HlmlI3JUIlLSyIhyphenhyphenYocWoxEBNQilvWQgvQb0s2AYHMzk3AnkHYHbSdZLuUKOhhyjdhNeLse5s_GY/s320/IMG_7085.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">All together now! Hoping for the best...</span></td></tr>
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Mr. P and I were invited by my godfather to a picnic last weekend. Days have been getting warmer and I thought, hooray, what a fun way to spend what would have been a lazy Sunday. I of course ask what we could bring and while picnic-friendly savoury ideas are running through my mind, I get a text back saying: a cake. A CAKE?! Wow, left field suggestion. God help me, I don't bake. "But you don't bake," Mr. P confirms to me when I tell him the news. We were both laughing. My fighting spirit drove me to take this challenge on, a challenge from my godfather nonetheless. I resolved that I was not going to succumb to a store-bought mix or a bakery-bought cake. I was going to bake from scratch.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I announced on my Facebook page that I was going to bake. My wonderful cousins suggested in jest a <i>donut cake</i>, because that's what our Nana would serve for dessert every Sunday. No, it is not a giant sized piece of fried dough, but rather a regular cake baked in a pan with a hole in the middle. We liked to call it donut cake as kids. I went out to the store and found exactly that pan. I thought that since it was Nana's death anniversary that week, I would make a donut cake in her memory. As I was scouring through my cookbooks and favourite food blogs, Trina and Rachel (some of my favourite food exploring friends) both came up with wonderful suggestions. Two desserts that were fitting for a beginner baker like me.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Trina's suggestion was <b>Key Lime Pie</b>. I absolutely adore anything that involves tart and sour flavours. Reading her recipe <a href="http://gourmetbee.blogspot.com/2007/11/key-west-key-lime-pie.html">here</a>, I thought it would be easy enough. This was definitely going to be my back up in case my main cake did not rise, OR taste good.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">"But how will you know that it tastes good if you can't cut the cake until it's time to serve it?" asked the very concerned husband. I think that knowing the potential for an embarrassing situation at the picnic was secretly killing him. "I don't know, I'll just follow the recipe to a T and it should be good, Rachel told me how to do it and she is one of those whose recipes I like to follow <i>exactly</i>." Obviously, I didn't realize that it would rise in such a way that I'd have to cut the top and yes, have a piece to taste before THE day.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtz5EAdvUf64il3M2qMirGWxrJ2ygcKHXy06TS4MkuIN4VIbgg36AdQIaAZrlU4ADdMtuICBhHBYvVASmibC1Z5rnegHgf3FY-kp8Kcd4oc_V8AoLnXuuW14cZYHeiCIYRjpMoNPqYC4l/s1600/IMG_7087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjtz5EAdvUf64il3M2qMirGWxrJ2ygcKHXy06TS4MkuIN4VIbgg36AdQIaAZrlU4ADdMtuICBhHBYvVASmibC1Z5rnegHgf3FY-kp8Kcd4oc_V8AoLnXuuW14cZYHeiCIYRjpMoNPqYC4l/s400/IMG_7087.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Hooray! He has risen!</span></td></tr>
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Rachel shared a fabulous Lemon Olive Oil cake recipe. I read it and it sounded very similar to Ina Garten's Lemon Yogurt Cake, only Ina's cake base had less steps. What I loved about Rachel's cake was the inclusion of Olive Oil and the topping of blueberry syrup and mascarpone cheese. So I asked Rach if it would be possible to do a hybrid and she gave me the go signal. Yes! I am going to get on with this cake. I was actually excited! </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Right as I was about to start, I speak to my awesome cook and non-baking sister Mrs. G who asks: "do you have extra ingredients in case you have to repeat?" Gosh, the faith in my baking prowess is apparent with both the spousal and sisterly units!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Here's my hybrid of both recipes:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>Lemon Yogurt Olive Oil Cake</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 1/2 cups all purpose flour</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">2 teaspoons baking powder</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 cup Greek style yogurt</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 1/3 cup sugar divided</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">3 large eggs</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">2 teaspoons lemon zest</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Preheat the oven to 170C, grease the pan, dust with flour and line with parchment paper. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Sift the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the yogurt, 1 cup of sugar, eggs, lemon zest and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients slowly into the wet. I did it in three batches. Fold the olive oil into the batter using a spatula. Once all ingredients are incorporated, pour the batter into the pan. For my pan, I just needed 40 minutes in the oven. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(At this point, I have to confess that I tasted the batter and it was not lemony enough for me. I knew about the next step but the freeform-er (and hard-headed girl) in me just HAD to add a little lemon juice. I just squeezed in the juice of about half a lemon.)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">While the cake is baking, cook the 1/3 cup lemon juice and remaining sugar in a small pan until the sugar dissolves. Set aside. When the cake comes out of the oven, allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a baking rack over a sheet pan. Cut off the top, hurray for scraps that you can taste test! Pour the lemon syrup all over the cake and allow it to soak through and cool completely.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b>For the topping:</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 pint blueberries</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 lemon, zested</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1/3 cup sugar</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 cinnamon stick</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1/4 cup water</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">1 pint mascarpone</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Combine all the ingredients except the mascarpone in a saucepan. Bring mixture to a simmer and cook for 20-30 minutes until the berries burst and the liquid comes to a jam-like consistency. Remove cinnamon stick and allow to cool completely.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Separately, whip room temperature mascarpone with the zest of 1 lemon and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I made my cake two days ahead, covered it tightly in plastic wrap and kept it at room temperature. About 15 minutes before serving, I spread the mascarpone mixture on top of the cake and poured the blueberry mixture over it. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Finally, here they are. My Key Lime Tartlets and Lemon Yogurt Olive Oil Cake. They both tasted great to me and I think the reactions proved the same. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80v9THEboCbk5IxbBjeoZyf1mT9achhVjh0mkttBsmLYHOnKgD4dPPCsKpEDHpzCkE-EIwY1HioqMpiyY4r5titUkuq59eF9yLVl69rGxL3KrZJkbnJdfPzBeHlhwpfDO942zzEJKr4Ui/s1600/IMG_7125.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh80v9THEboCbk5IxbBjeoZyf1mT9achhVjh0mkttBsmLYHOnKgD4dPPCsKpEDHpzCkE-EIwY1HioqMpiyY4r5titUkuq59eF9yLVl69rGxL3KrZJkbnJdfPzBeHlhwpfDO942zzEJKr4Ui/s400/IMG_7125.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Not so great looking but yummy nonetheless.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7u0TRWryCgGbjYfgZ9QYY7rTUJfjiSYLnXpjI_7YzTzsdATeaHCgpinvEe5oKHFuv_KKHPiN34JEtunLdJFQ6HFArpMK6v98VdPhY6BelKiOw5P_74VLOn7IecSVbxVU3PLTw4WfV_Izg/s1600/IMG_7130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7u0TRWryCgGbjYfgZ9QYY7rTUJfjiSYLnXpjI_7YzTzsdATeaHCgpinvEe5oKHFuv_KKHPiN34JEtunLdJFQ6HFArpMK6v98VdPhY6BelKiOw5P_74VLOn7IecSVbxVU3PLTw4WfV_Izg/s400/IMG_7130.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The real star of the show.</span></td></tr>
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></div>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-81073777604257741132010-08-19T01:29:00.005+10:002010-10-02T08:15:57.069+10:00Bowl Food: Thai<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dinner time is sacred, to me at least. I attribute this to the way we grew up and spent so much time at the dinner table. In our family, like most I'm sure, we sat together for meals. Dinner time however, being the only meal of the day when everyone was surely home from work or school could not be missed. All seven of us would sit and eat our dinner course by course. We'd start with soup and nobody could go on to the next course unless each one was done with their soup. If you just had one serving and I wanted to go for seconds or thirds, you and everyone would have to wait for me to finish before starting on the main dishes that followed. Once in a while, someone would get impatient about another taking long but more often, these "waiting periods" were the most enjoyable moments at the dinner table. These were the moments when lively family conversation would happen. Sometimes it would be two people conversing, other times three or four or more. It was so much fun growing up at the dinner table like this. I'm sure it is one of the things that brought us so close to each other that to this day no matter how scattered we are all over the globe, we still want to and manage to keep the lively conversations going - dinner time or not.</span></span><br />
<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUJd5YH64oOdbn32m-xjH9fKqm1gZ5tdZir3hJcbADCOezpsFzqMrzN176YNWnETSSpyMSsbw6_Lw7OAryrncSceUwUIYijwsanFigN_MhT5ankEm-EwyZJPmBTxYxzuJZBJoq60Pfb9H/s1600/familyconvo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUJd5YH64oOdbn32m-xjH9fKqm1gZ5tdZir3hJcbADCOezpsFzqMrzN176YNWnETSSpyMSsbw6_Lw7OAryrncSceUwUIYijwsanFigN_MhT5ankEm-EwyZJPmBTxYxzuJZBJoq60Pfb9H/s400/familyconvo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I'm thankful that our parents (unbeknownst to us back then) designed dinner time as family bonding time. It is something I want to continue with my own unit. So for now, our unit of two (not seven) looks forward to meal time not just for the food but for the bonding as well. More often than not, we'll sit at the table for dinner, say grace and chat endlessly over our meal. BUT, we do make exceptions. Mr. P. works really long hours so on some days, he'd rather stay on the couch from the time he gets home until the time he showers and goes to sleep. On nights like these, I make sure to prepare something that can be eaten easily with one hand holding the bowl of food and the other hand holding just ONE utensil. We'll cozy up on the couch, put on one of the shows we follow and happily eat our </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">bowl food</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. It may not be the ideal scenario for building closeness if and when we have our own kids but for just the two of us, it definitely works. It feels like quality time and dinner time all rolled into one.</span></span></div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Bowl food night last week was Thai inspired: Satay Style Chicken over rice with sauteed vegetables on the side.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Satay Style Chicken (for 2)</span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This recipe was adapted from </span><a href="http://www.andrewzimmern.com/content/chicken-satay"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. Marinate 3-4 chicken thigh fillets overnight in equal parts (as per original recipe, it's 2 tablespoons each) of:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-lime juice</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-fish sauce</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-soy sauce</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-curry powder</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-sugar</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In addition, I put in about 1 teaspoon of Sriracha sauce into the mix and seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper prior to marinating. I just think that despite the marinade, this step ensures a tasty piece of chicken. I for the life of me, cannot stand under-seasoned chicken. Cut the thighs into strips before marinating to further enhance flavour absorption of each piece.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The ideal way of cooking this is to grill the chicken if you have a barbecue grill. Since we don't I just placed the chicken pieces on a baking rack over a cookie sheet and grilled them in the oven. I put the outer leaves and unusable parts of two lemongrass stalks on the baking sheet, beneath the chicken, for added fragrance and flavour while grilling. Preheat the oven to 180C. Since the chicken had been cut into strips, it only took about 10-15 minutes in the oven. It came out really juicy and tender. For the real satay effect, you can skewer your chicken, but for this meal, it had to be bowl food.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fQz_k8Fe3XjqZY3xBF_wCZ4MvvqpS9KCslBnZPGgXoA1k_415akd7STpePYGybm_QeEHEXZrd4ruuQ588eHeLtHsD29r4TO-uBwOmVLgWH9zDeBGaPolwT7kzjrkd_1_YTEwM3Hpkz8b/s1600/IMG_7075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-fQz_k8Fe3XjqZY3xBF_wCZ4MvvqpS9KCslBnZPGgXoA1k_415akd7STpePYGybm_QeEHEXZrd4ruuQ588eHeLtHsD29r4TO-uBwOmVLgWH9zDeBGaPolwT7kzjrkd_1_YTEwM3Hpkz8b/s400/IMG_7075.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Of course, chicken satay is <i>not</i> chicken satay without the peanut sauce. Here's how I modified the original recipe:</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Peanut Sauce</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1T ground ginger</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2 cloves of garlic</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/3 red chili, minced</span></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3T ground lemongrass</span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3T chopped cilantro</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1T ground turmeric</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/2 tomato, diced</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4T peanuts</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/8 c rice bran oil and a dash of sesame oil</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/8 c soy sauce</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/8 c mirin</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2T sugar</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/8 c coconut milk</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1/8 c peanut butter</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEuitaTJLxbFbJ3aE5g75Eik9Jrzb2IS5t-9biTLLeB-W8N3nCHnotmMdibdHGuE1hzMW_eRVZwq8uUfNIdxfSx_mu39mu-5YlAQ3JTDUPNnBgv4uFXSAqd4l0teH1FevZjGDAr9yLbKZ/s1600/IMG_7074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEuitaTJLxbFbJ3aE5g75Eik9Jrzb2IS5t-9biTLLeB-W8N3nCHnotmMdibdHGuE1hzMW_eRVZwq8uUfNIdxfSx_mu39mu-5YlAQ3JTDUPNnBgv4uFXSAqd4l0teH1FevZjGDAr9yLbKZ/s400/IMG_7074.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Heat the oil in a saute pan and add in the ginger, garlic, chili, lemongrass, cilantro and turmeric. Heat over med-low heat until very fragrant. Add the tomato, peanuts and a dash of sesame oil. Continue to heat for about 3 more minutes, until tomato softens. Stir in the soy sauce, mirin, sugar, coconut milk and peanut butter. Allow the mixture to simmer for 5-7 minutes until it thickens. Stir pretty constantly so that nothing burns. Remove from heat and use a stick blender to crush the peanuts and process the mixture into a thick and slightly chunky consistency. Serve hot with the chicken over rice.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">He was happy so I too was happy. It was exactly what he needed after a long day at work. We'll definitely do this again.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; color: #111111; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;"></span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b><div class="recipe-instructions" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="box" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><h2 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: #4f2313; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1.3em; font-style: inherit; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 0px; line-height: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</h2></div></div></b></span></div>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-38822122198466711442010-08-04T01:33:00.006+10:002010-08-04T13:26:26.695+10:00Decadent Breakfast at bills<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">My friend Cat was in town with her cousin Trish and for her final morning in Sydney, we decided to have breakfast at </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><i><a href="http://www.bills.com.au/bills/index.htm#"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4c1130;">bills</span></a></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> in Darlinghurst. This is the original breakfast joint of Bill Granger and one that I have been wanting to eat at.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZAljgIwPOPHA5JZUl25H-tBbqBdoxkrBiAhDNTczXW3dDG0KEvngkFtrqjrpvHXq3c9ugxLaIX9Vfv3KCDWKd_Bw4o9klLVCZql0UvfW9eQe5DuIPAQw17m11FUx775EGhNxeLIYP2Gy/s1600/IMG_6936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTZAljgIwPOPHA5JZUl25H-tBbqBdoxkrBiAhDNTczXW3dDG0KEvngkFtrqjrpvHXq3c9ugxLaIX9Vfv3KCDWKd_Bw4o9klLVCZql0UvfW9eQe5DuIPAQw17m11FUx775EGhNxeLIYP2Gy/s320/IMG_6936.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's Cat outside the door of bills.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My breakfasts whether out or at home can NOT start without a cup of coffee. I'm glad I had that taken care of before heading out this morning because there was no way I could pass up on </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">bills Hot Chocolate made with Callebaut</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. I was expecting a cup of brown chocolate-y liquid to arrive at the table but was pleasantly surprised by something even better. A glass of warm milk with the actual nibs of Callebaut chocolate in it, melting slowly. Ah, it was decadent and it was divine. Enough said.</span></span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiEJSQVyByPZJHrOy85S18qcQR3xtkHbdBA3d5QkMY-7rzXO88ILyZdHDLkqOM4OoudKyFOfH7r-l1py2lIvbunNN-JKRBvzny_J3qmQbXlzxjjtTiOpTkiuxhAadBbF3_UOR3r5gz1fz/s1600/IMG_6928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiEJSQVyByPZJHrOy85S18qcQR3xtkHbdBA3d5QkMY-7rzXO88ILyZdHDLkqOM4OoudKyFOfH7r-l1py2lIvbunNN-JKRBvzny_J3qmQbXlzxjjtTiOpTkiuxhAadBbF3_UOR3r5gz1fz/s320/IMG_6928.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lusciousness in a glass!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Apparently, bills is famous for their organic scrambled eggs. The eggs is the food item that supposedly brought him his fortune. I decided to see for myself if it is all it's cracked up to be, and all I can say is: wow, who knew that something as simple as scrambled eggs could be so good! These are your favourite hotel style scrambled eggs taken to the next level. With a side of house cured trout, fresh butter and organic sourdough bread, I was in heaven. It reminded me of why breakfast is my favorite meal of the day.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUC6PEIf0CMZuzKDF70eDW4M6uSie76Xql0VQRdCW1_4oQMe04WNClmUA4eXaoCycq3E7Vlwd1rlKDzVNpp-lTnuu7lw1YdfEvnqu5mcESs1ORIQKFYlsSiW0m8sGhWrWThzuJMyRxBz72/s1600/IMG_6930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUC6PEIf0CMZuzKDF70eDW4M6uSie76Xql0VQRdCW1_4oQMe04WNClmUA4eXaoCycq3E7Vlwd1rlKDzVNpp-lTnuu7lw1YdfEvnqu5mcESs1ORIQKFYlsSiW0m8sGhWrWThzuJMyRxBz72/s320/IMG_6930.JPG" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The other thing I love about bills is the ambience. Glass windows that allow lots of natural light into the place, minimalist wooden furniture, and warm lighting makes the place feel smart and homey at the same time. The best part: his cookbooks are there for you to read through while you wait for breakfast to be made. Lo and behold, the recipe for his scrambled eggs calls for 2 eggs and a THIRD OF A CUP of cream. Ay! No wonder it is so rich and fluffy at the same time. Can I say decadence part two? And that I'll need a major workout tomorrow and for the next three days?</span> </span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9-TmOkIuSeVl2W6o5XOP-XCJaXLKOL-hgp2DN6SnUT0N-x3UGn0zUczZqcdBV8YiYOip8KG64PD36kO-eBh_BOFLvfqiPs7pnIaZL3De767NNrcMPmiJrhFQ6yC3m6JEHXbVxHekyTZs/s1600/IMG_6935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9-TmOkIuSeVl2W6o5XOP-XCJaXLKOL-hgp2DN6SnUT0N-x3UGn0zUczZqcdBV8YiYOip8KG64PD36kO-eBh_BOFLvfqiPs7pnIaZL3De767NNrcMPmiJrhFQ6yC3m6JEHXbVxHekyTZs/s320/IMG_6935.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The communal table at the center, making the place really feel homey.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;"></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQtU_w55CKEhBNLdLm2cbmYgJWuBl2qU4cil-DstdI1Nv9z5mhb2St6ss8L9dukio3M0wY4Cy5LjotcTymOmX_1qPmApZbjA1IxXonvV3m6g-9Fs7E0GckowV5W_1RsSll2QZG8lceLcU/s1600/IMG_6922.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQtU_w55CKEhBNLdLm2cbmYgJWuBl2qU4cil-DstdI1Nv9z5mhb2St6ss8L9dukio3M0wY4Cy5LjotcTymOmX_1qPmApZbjA1IxXonvV3m6g-9Fs7E0GckowV5W_1RsSll2QZG8lceLcU/s320/IMG_6922.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trish leafing through one of the cookbooks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here is Cat's breakfast which was equally delicious. Ricotta hotcakes with fresh bananas and honeycomb butter. Though she was looking for something salty after a while, the two bites I had were really yummy. The pancakes were as fluffy as they look and the honeycomb butter is a new pancake accompaniment that I would crave and come back for.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFNmHPJ26ceDEUEPNwltlCUkOnOxiOBX3zzfCVXCQQjJGHwUU32WQvNPH7GyhEJ70byVgr6yAV1BktlW7FiA3xqmZHQppLckhTc43BYCGnWpeJ_M0Y_6JcsjC2eAodKwhFdZZAH9UlVUX/s1600/IMG_6932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeFNmHPJ26ceDEUEPNwltlCUkOnOxiOBX3zzfCVXCQQjJGHwUU32WQvNPH7GyhEJ70byVgr6yAV1BktlW7FiA3xqmZHQppLckhTc43BYCGnWpeJ_M0Y_6JcsjC2eAodKwhFdZZAH9UlVUX/s320/IMG_6932.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So there you have it, our bills experience was a fantastic start to our morning. To burn off some of those calories we splurged on, we decided to stroll through Darlinghurst and Paddington as the sun finally decided to beat the wind and rain. And I leave you with a decadent reminder along our walk.</span></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iv0R-leXRd4mkA0f37l5Uyk-uHgh748m7liuqySYBfyeP0eYCG8qHSc8vsL2LG7yGagsALIA8TQljc5TNrktLOYYr-Rg7LtyZAJWUQfZ96JL69fzJjwHkZ1zYJi0i67uCUBy3wOInvbY/s1600/IMG_6957.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8iv0R-leXRd4mkA0f37l5Uyk-uHgh748m7liuqySYBfyeP0eYCG8qHSc8vsL2LG7yGagsALIA8TQljc5TNrktLOYYr-Rg7LtyZAJWUQfZ96JL69fzJjwHkZ1zYJi0i67uCUBy3wOInvbY/s320/IMG_6957.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Max Brenner side wall</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A day of decadence indeed! You would have loved it.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=seas04-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000I2JP7E&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></span></span></div>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-8328357766989489422010-07-22T12:42:00.002+10:002010-08-22T23:20:28.172+10:00...A Little Lamb For My Mint Sauce<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Every time I do a big grocery shop, I make sure to include some fresh herbs in my basket. Since there is only two of us eating here, I have to stop myself from buying too much for fear that they will wilt and go to waste. I've devised a system of alternating between various herbs and planning dishes around them, realizing that this allows me to push the envelope in terms of experimenting on dishes and cuisines I may not be accustomed to cooking. It also helps in changing up the flavours coming out of my kitchen, ensuring that Mr. P and I don't get stuck with the same types of dishes week in and week out.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">This particular shop saw me buying a bunch of mint for a change. Trina's previous </span></span><a href="http://dirtyicecreaminyourlunchbox.blogspot.com/2010/06/mary-had.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #274e13;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">entry</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> inspired me to try making my own mint sauce (yes, sauce, not jelly). Unlike her, I'm a huge fan of lamb and thankfully in this town, it's not too pricey. The butcher showed me a cut that he said would be great for simple pan grilling. A perfect vessel for the mint sauce I was so keen to make, I thought.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">After looking up several recipes on </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Mint Sauce</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it is oh, so simple. I settled for my own rendition which consisted of stuff already in my cupboard:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">-1 bunch of fresh mint</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">-3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">-6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">-1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">-1 tablespoon of honey</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">-salt and pepper</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Chop up the mint finely and whisk all the rest of the ingredients together. Alternatively, you can dump all the ingredients into a mini food processor and blitz to emulsify. Amazing what the addition of an herb like fresh mint can do to alter the taste of your most basic vinaigrette. The combination of flavors definitely brought out the crisp minty taste that goes very well with lamb dishes. However, don't be stuck on lamb with this one. It makes a great dressing for mediterranean style salads, chicken, fish and a whole slew of other stuff.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">For this evening, it was drizzled on pan grilled lamb that had been seasoned with salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic. Alongside the meat was roasted potato and lemony-minty orzo. Clean crisp flavours cut through the lamb's slight gamey taste. All together, it was delicious. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of the star sauce so here is an image of dinner plated up instead.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uOPKNBnAKS2aY_sYBVDuamT77vI9y6JGHDvVOWGOtMp2kRzvAohuP5HUehl4VA1Uh1Cf5DajhCENcLPbcOJIcm5O0J-UYEC_C9rJZ5UePS1nawgm3pb_dLzjQrWPOL33y1XKoTXnW0uJ/s1600/IMG_6781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2uOPKNBnAKS2aY_sYBVDuamT77vI9y6JGHDvVOWGOtMp2kRzvAohuP5HUehl4VA1Uh1Cf5DajhCENcLPbcOJIcm5O0J-UYEC_C9rJZ5UePS1nawgm3pb_dLzjQrWPOL33y1XKoTXnW0uJ/s400/IMG_6781.JPG" width="400" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Lately, I've been into making dressings, some sauces and preserves </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(like </span></span></span><a href="http://dirtyicecreaminyourlunchbox.blogspot.com/2010/07/abundance-of-oranges.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">this one</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">)</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> from scratch. I find that some of them are really not that difficult to do. I say some because I have yet to (or may never) build up the courage to make things like X.O. Sauce, Sriracha, Oyster Sauce, curry pastes and the like from scratch. So I'm starting with things that are not too daunting to me. Sauces and such that we may have gotten so used to buying pre-made, off a shelf. As Trina pointed out, by sticking to what we know and what is natural, it is possible to get the same great flavours minus the unnecessary additives. My kitchen will definitely be on experimentation mode and I hope to start churning out more complex items sooner rather than later.</span></span><br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=seas04-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001LJD35I&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-16982159425615041422010-07-07T23:41:00.002+10:002010-08-22T23:23:32.621+10:00Pica Pica for La Furia Roja<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Tonight, I decided to treat Mr. P to some pica pica. Good thing because he came home from work, hungrier than normal. The theme for tonight's pica pica was Spanish. This is in taking my dear brother J's suggestion to prepare and put up a Spanish food entry in anticipation of the huge game that is upon us. I won't share my thoughts on that, allow the game kicking off in about 5 hours to do the talking. Let's just say this house is all <i>red and yellow</i>, leave out the black please!</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">For now I'll just tell you about my </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Gambas</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> and </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Albondigas</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">For my </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Gambas</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> I don't like using tomato sauce at all. I like to do it in what I think is the classic way of just using the following ingredients:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- olive oil</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 400g of fresh prawns</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- about 6 cloves of garlic</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- about 3T paprika de pimenton</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 1T chili flakes</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- salt</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- pepper</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- a splash of lemon</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Peel and clean the prawns. Squeeze lemon over them and season with salt and pepper. Sliver garlic like you are going to make garlic chips.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">In a hot cast iron pan, cover the bottom with olive oil. When oil is heated through, put in the garlic and lightly season with salt and pepper. This is a good time to add in the paprika, I like to use a lot since this is the main source of flavor. When the garlic is starting to show a cast of golden colour, throw in the prawns and toss in the flavourful orange oil. Make sure each prawn is coated in the oil. You may season again as needed. Finish with a little more paprika if you wish, and a dash of chili flakes depending on your tolerance for spiciness. Serve with a wedge of lemon in case, but I like eating it straight up. Toasty bread is good too for soaking up the garlicky-paprika oil in the end!</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5zJtkn5PnKqbgqQkMHqEsrDKnrnc7Cnfv6p24SJqm9AyUNguJ3F3KNDktEphn8NUeSd4JQsTVQlh5Hh0Vzr-rH8_2p6lK3KGzrrzZz4wTxUWYZ6kpVGw4qPdWKzOxYpEyxF8cDTw_BMR/s1600/IMG_6501a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5zJtkn5PnKqbgqQkMHqEsrDKnrnc7Cnfv6p24SJqm9AyUNguJ3F3KNDktEphn8NUeSd4JQsTVQlh5Hh0Vzr-rH8_2p6lK3KGzrrzZz4wTxUWYZ6kpVGw4qPdWKzOxYpEyxF8cDTw_BMR/s320/IMG_6501a.jpg" /></span></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Now for the </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Albondigas</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">, I honestly just had left over beef mince from my <i>tortang talong</i> preparation so this was an impromptu addition to the menu. Great because Mr. P was happy with the meatballs he'd been clamoring for. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Ingredients:</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Meatballs</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 250g ground beef/beef mince</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- olive oil</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 1T garlic</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- half an onion</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 1 tomato</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 1T parsley</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 1T bread crumbs</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 3T parmesan cheese</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 1 egg</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Spicy Tomato Sauce</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- olive oil </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 1Tgarlic</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- half an onion</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 1 stalk celery</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- half a carrot</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 1C canned diced tomatoes</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 1T paprika</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 1t chili flakes</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- 1T red wine vinegar</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- soy sauce (just a dash)</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">For the meatballs, finely mince all the vegetables. Cook the garlic and onion until transparent and allow to cool slightly. Combine all ingredients and shape into balls. In a pan, add just a little olive oil and cook the meatballs over medium heat until brown on all sides and cooked through. Set aside.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">For the sauce, mince and saute the garlic, onion, celery and carrots until tender in a small sauce pot with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper, paprika and chili flakes. Pour in the canned tomatoes, red wine vinegar and soy sauce. Allow this to simmer until the sauce thickens. Taste the sauce to ensure that all ingredients are incorporated well, season as needed with salt and pepper. When the sauce is to your liking, pour it into the pan where you cooked the meatballs and simmer for a minute or two. This will allow you to pick up the bits on the pan and let the meat juices and tomato sauce combine. Serve on its own or with toasty bread to sop up the sauce.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK5zJtkn5PnKqbgqQkMHqEsrDKnrnc7Cnfv6p24SJqm9AyUNguJ3F3KNDktEphn8NUeSd4JQsTVQlh5Hh0Vzr-rH8_2p6lK3KGzrrzZz4wTxUWYZ6kpVGw4qPdWKzOxYpEyxF8cDTw_BMR/s1600/IMG_6501a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnK4rzwS0WQ36KdHVwmnoH5-15o4EP7uwof4DKOROA_qCza6ijOzNn41Z0RLlDG6U9vuLg_HRcppQWeWQltuXXrvvy7TbwbWr-WtWqxA8rONzAgN8FhysILXg7UyO5dmmjm0uW7uesgo0/s1600/IMG_6815a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOnK4rzwS0WQ36KdHVwmnoH5-15o4EP7uwof4DKOROA_qCza6ijOzNn41Z0RLlDG6U9vuLg_HRcppQWeWQltuXXrvvy7TbwbWr-WtWqxA8rONzAgN8FhysILXg7UyO5dmmjm0uW7uesgo0/s320/IMG_6815a.jpg" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">If you make a bigger batch and have leftovers, you can serve it over noodles the next day for a classic spaghetti and meatballs treat.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">In the meantime, I hope you enjoy these little Spanish delights. AND I hope our little pica pica fest is a prelude to a celebration for a Furia Roja win tonight (or tomorrow morning/afternoon depending on where in the world you may be reading this from). Vamos Espana!</span></span>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-82653471646478312992010-07-07T20:17:00.001+10:002010-08-22T23:24:43.602+10:00An Abundance of Oranges<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For some reason, Mr. P decided to purchase a 3kg bag of oranges when we were out shopping the other day. I thought to myself, why not, stocking up on healthy fruit to snack on is not a bad idea. Two days later, he comes home with 4 more oranges. The abundance then pushed me to think of ways to use up all this citrus.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Coupled with a craving for chocolate, I decided to experiment with a combination I like. Orange and chocolate. Presenting, store bought chocolate chip muffins with a twist of my own.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDjYr-6oBzHONQV7sNkFahiwDuVlUNYSbCiS8h2SyO4Frx22WDy_gkvP36bxUFlevTg2S9YT_uING3ap8idEI2pzUbjwWTlDBlvNW5PnYBlYQjoUowqYN2zJKNi_gsBwQpHZ1nnsvjUj_/s1600/IMG_6799.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibDjYr-6oBzHONQV7sNkFahiwDuVlUNYSbCiS8h2SyO4Frx22WDy_gkvP36bxUFlevTg2S9YT_uING3ap8idEI2pzUbjwWTlDBlvNW5PnYBlYQjoUowqYN2zJKNi_gsBwQpHZ1nnsvjUj_/s320/IMG_6799.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ingredients:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-1 box of chocolate chip muffin mix</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-juice from about 2 oranges</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-rind from 1 orange</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For the curd:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-juice from 1 orange</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-1 teaspoon flour</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-rind from 1 orange</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-1 egg yolk</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-3 tablespoons butter</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-1/4 cup of sugar</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Prepare the muffins according to box directions, replacing the water with orange juice. My mix called for 1 1/4 cup of liquid. Fold in orange rind and scoop mix into a greased muffin tin. Bake according to instructions.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Making the curd is rather simple. Put flour into a sauce pan and whisk in the orange juice. Once flour has been dissolved, turn on the heat to medium. Whisk in the egg yolk, sugar and butter. Keep stirring until butter melts and sugar is dissolved. Add in the orange zest and keep stirring over heat until mixture thickens to the right consistency. It should split when you drag the spoon down the middle of the pot. Remove from heat and let curd cool.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Once muffins are baked. Let them cool. Spread curd on muffin tops.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCqEw2VjY6qmt64pp-q__AXG6AIsJEj1N0FAyMEnizbNRvuLMxtrngA0nITXg9EcsjudaxdJVQWQecuc7gCE49OAsjSbwa0n-vZOVN8infJW7sAESXCRlwwv338tZp8pzEYhYAo9XQuwQ/s1600/IMG_6803.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiCqEw2VjY6qmt64pp-q__AXG6AIsJEj1N0FAyMEnizbNRvuLMxtrngA0nITXg9EcsjudaxdJVQWQecuc7gCE49OAsjSbwa0n-vZOVN8infJW7sAESXCRlwwv338tZp8pzEYhYAo9XQuwQ/s320/IMG_6803.JPG" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-9412212711436659082010-07-02T16:03:00.002+10:002010-08-22T23:25:28.685+10:00World Cup Food Part 2<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">As I mentioned in this <a href="http://dirtyicecreaminyourlunchbox.blogspot.com/2010/07/world-cup-food.html">post</a>, I stocked up on food for the World Cup. One night was Thai night. I guess you could say it was in celebration of the Asian teams doing better in the tournament than they usually do. I sure hope that the development of top quality football players from our part of the world continues. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For Thai night, I decided to make green curry. Okay, I kinda cheated because I used prepared curry paste, <b><i>but </i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">I added elements to make it my own. I didn't just throw in the meat and pour in coconut milk. I used prawns for this version so we had to eat it up right away.</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Ingredients:</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">- 2-3 tablespoons of green curry paste</span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">- 3 cloves of garlic</span></b></span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">- half a medium onion</span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">- 2 eggplants</span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">- 1 bunch bok choy</span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">- 1.5 - 2 cups coconut milk (add more or less to adjust heat)</span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">- 400g of prawns</span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">- 4-6 kaffir lime leaves (cut in half for easy removal later)<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">- 10 Thai basil leaves<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">- 2 stalks of cilantro (optional)<br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><div style="display: inline !important;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; font-family: Times; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><div style="display: inline !important; 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Here's how I did it: I sauteed the curry paste in canola oil. Then threw I in the chopped garlic, onions and kaffir lime leaves, and continued to saute until onions were cooked through. At this point, you add in the eggplant and after a couple of minutes, the bok choy. Pour in coconut milk and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes. Add whole prawns to the pan. I left the skin and heads on as I thought it would add more flavor to the dish (which it did!). As soon as the prawns turn pink, remove from heat. Finish with whole leaves of Thai Basil to give the curry it's well known fragrance. I'm not too sure if cilantro is part of green curry but since I had some, I just added a bit in anyway.</span></b></span></b></span></span></div></div></div></span></b></div></span></b></span></b></span></span></div></span></b></span></b></span></span></div></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></div></div></span></b></div></span></b></span></b></span></span></div></span></b></span></b></span></span></div></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></div></div></span></b></span></b></span></span></div></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></div></div></span></b></span></b></span></span></div></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span></div></div></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></b></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHvS5tZJfwAKNgXhRq-NccaxgSk2qWRD0WtCQIsP2hGmZC-z_oqAom4x0mH3ZyL2egHni1mclNJw4jX1dFwcIJt1a5KSZojloo_1JHgUVHvOvWZ1GpbDG_NAy1pfAr9Quh00I7ng9oxVr/s1600/IMG_6674.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHvS5tZJfwAKNgXhRq-NccaxgSk2qWRD0WtCQIsP2hGmZC-z_oqAom4x0mH3ZyL2egHni1mclNJw4jX1dFwcIJt1a5KSZojloo_1JHgUVHvOvWZ1GpbDG_NAy1pfAr9Quh00I7ng9oxVr/s400/IMG_6674.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Remove the Kaffir Lime leaves before serving because they are tough to chew. Serve with hot rice.</span></span></b></span></div><br />
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</span></span>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-65335322364711680982010-07-01T21:49:00.001+10:002010-08-22T23:26:09.725+10:00World Cup Food<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">June 11 came along and I was so, extremely happy that the World Cup was finally here. I could not wait to watch my favorite teams entertain the world with the beautiful game. I was anxious for the Azzurri to defend their title and excited to see a highly talented Spain team go far. Throughout the group phase, I was also very impressed with Argentina. I've always loved the skill and sportsmanship of Messi and am entertained by Maradona playing coach 24 years after his infamous </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">hand of god</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> goal. It's been great to see the new comers do well on the pitch too.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">But alas, Italy have made an early exit and I was so depressed. Yes, coming in I knew that the 2010 squad was nothing compared to that of 2006. I knew they had not been playing like the champions they were. But I was still hoping against hope that their brilliance would show against Slovakia. It did, but it came too late. The Azzurri are out and while my expectations were managed, I was still feeling down.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The games show at the worst times for us here in Sydney. One at 9:30 pm, the next one at 12 midnight and the last one at 4:30 am. This schedule, combined with our passion for the game gives us very, very little time to sleep. I had anticipated this so I resolved to at least ensure we had great meals to keep us going. Before this becomes an entry about football (another thing aside from food that I am passionate about), I want to share with you some of the dishes I've cooked up and stocked the fridge with. No matter what time of day either of us is awake and hungry, there is always something satisfying to eat.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The multi-cultural aspect of the World Cup inspired multi-cultural dishes. More to come in later posts but for now, here are the rough steps for:</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Moroccan Lamb Stew</span></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Lamb for stewing. You don't need expensive cuts for this.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cumin</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Coriander</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cinnamon</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Garlic</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Onion</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Celery</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Carrots</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sweet Potatoes or Butternut Squash</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Canned Tomatoes</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Stock</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dried Apricots</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Almonds</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Rub the lamb with salt, pepper and the first three spices. Allow to marinate while preparing the rest of the ingredients. Finely chop the garlic, onion, celery and carrots.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Dust the lamb in a little bit of flour. Then, in a large saute pan, brown the lamb for about 2 minutes on each side. Remove from heat and set aside. In the same pan, quickly brown the sweet potatoes which have been chopped in big pieces, and set aside as well. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8o1oLv1hc7DA7R317sPUoInHxrrkUCG4HDLiSha7QDmdL9_9VCwea_7P5_FoydUx5PtGbOqClvsF4ZmalBl2fAYo_S4p5r3X17NKA-teXeNdlC4tqvkLlrGDOY1Ir0-HJWuFmKWHoGVZ/s1600/IMG_6664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8o1oLv1hc7DA7R317sPUoInHxrrkUCG4HDLiSha7QDmdL9_9VCwea_7P5_FoydUx5PtGbOqClvsF4ZmalBl2fAYo_S4p5r3X17NKA-teXeNdlC4tqvkLlrGDOY1Ir0-HJWuFmKWHoGVZ/s400/IMG_6664.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Still in the same pan, saute the chopped vegetables in olive oil until tender. Season each layer as you go. Add the lamb and sweet potatoes back into the pan, pour in the stock and the canned tomatoes. Chop the apricots and stir into the pan. Allow to simmer for about 2 hours until the lamb practically falls off the bone.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeutkm28oKuUPxo282aeh_xxu1l-n_VF1RrV-yNIoZJAnGJQvmryFp7mARVnMMB7yDR3l2uVB0hiUWpUduJQ391gAlASLlVMhXScl1ARQnLc8Y0a8CsniMkpoOs8ZQDQGrQL0T_bEf9Ty/s1600/IMG_6666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTeutkm28oKuUPxo282aeh_xxu1l-n_VF1RrV-yNIoZJAnGJQvmryFp7mARVnMMB7yDR3l2uVB0hiUWpUduJQ391gAlASLlVMhXScl1ARQnLc8Y0a8CsniMkpoOs8ZQDQGrQL0T_bEf9Ty/s400/IMG_6666.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times;"></span></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Meanwhile, chop the cilantro, parsley and the almonds if they are whole. Toast the almonds for about 3-5 minutes. Finish the lamb stew with these last three ingredients.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1znYdQrxJU6MSPkTi3LbFHtDEMqkpz_B4icV987_ZkkxsTC9EgrY_vLvmNUE6xGrPN3dICWmEPTS5VriLELirm8Actc60HdkARZ7PcLLmBQBYTBoOoEUby88in89Zylg0BDXcBYTRMVd8/s1600/IMG_6668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1znYdQrxJU6MSPkTi3LbFHtDEMqkpz_B4icV987_ZkkxsTC9EgrY_vLvmNUE6xGrPN3dICWmEPTS5VriLELirm8Actc60HdkARZ7PcLLmBQBYTBoOoEUby88in89Zylg0BDXcBYTRMVd8/s400/IMG_6668.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Serve with couscous prepared with the same stock, dried cranberries, parsley and cilantro. </span></span>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-87841022668892667322010-06-10T21:42:00.002+10:002010-08-22T23:36:58.097+10:00Lemon Fusilli with Rocket<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here's an Ina Garten pasta dish that has become a favourite in our household. You'll notice we love rocket and we also love cherry tomatoes. Can I tell you how happy I am that my man does not mind vegetarian dishes, at all? Of course he looks for his meat and protein from time to time, but feeding him a bowl of pasta with veggies is so not a problem. Especially if it is loaded with - you guessed it, cheese! </span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">On weekends, I'd much rather spend quality time with him than with my kitchen. So this is when I usually whip up quick pasta dishes that will surely satisfy. It's also good timing because we can have it for lunch and have the whole day to burn off the carbs! This recipe is a bit on the heavy side, so that extra bonus is a big deal for me. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Try it sometime. Even if Mr. Bee is not a big fan of pasta, this might meet his approval. If not, I'm sure your baby bees will love it. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjla-9r2YZHOOdENCODMDD2nNI_xCZzMjfkbXbHUDG4s4iVUsx9RgknVXJQWpNzrtITMCYE2XV8G-BanTdsHguURgUjcIXHJFcehyphenhyphenNnxjvJjN_r5lyTaO93jId_RmEGe6e26uHiy0XqFYzp/s1600/IMG_6510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjla-9r2YZHOOdENCODMDD2nNI_xCZzMjfkbXbHUDG4s4iVUsx9RgknVXJQWpNzrtITMCYE2XV8G-BanTdsHguURgUjcIXHJFcehyphenhyphenNnxjvJjN_r5lyTaO93jId_RmEGe6e26uHiy0XqFYzp/s400/IMG_6510.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here's my version, modified to make it a bit lighter and more garlicky:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-fusilli pasta</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-olive oil</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-minced garlic </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-light cooking cream </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-zest and juice of 1-2 lemons</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-couple handfuls of arugula/rocket roughly chopped (Keep them slightly big so you taste the nutty/peppery flavor in every bite!)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-freshly grated parmesan cheese (super important)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">-a pint of grape or cherry tomatoes </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cook the garlic in the olive oil just until it softens and lets out its aroma. Add the cream, zest and juice of the lemons, salt and pepper to taste. Let it boil and then lower heat to simmer until the sauce thickens slightly. Cook your pasta according to package directions and drain. Immediately after draining, while still hot, return to the pot and pour in the cream sauce. Stir and allow this to simmer for a few minutes until you can see that the sauce has been absorbed by the pasta. (In Ina's recipe she transfers the pasta to a serving bowl at this point and then puts in the veggies and cheese). I however, like to drop in the cherry tomatoes so they soften slightly with the heat. I turn off the heat and throw in the arugula/rocket and stir it with the pasta quickly. Then I transfer to the serving bowl and toss with the parmesan cheese. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You'll end up with a bowl of warm, cheesy, nutty, zesty pasta that is so yummy and comforting. Perfect for a Saturday lunch. Quick enough so that you can get back to lounging around. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This will make about 4 servings. You can make more and reheat it for meals throughout the week. Feel free to experiment as well with other veggies. I think these might work: spinach, basil, asparagus, cauliflower, mushrooms. If you need the protein, grilled chicken should make a good addition.</span></span></div><div><div><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=seas04-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1400054346&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></div></div></div>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-3150993519358404752010-06-09T16:49:00.002+10:002010-08-22T23:28:21.292+10:00Mary Had<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">...a little lamb. Oh and some natural mint jelly!</span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQ0fvlSlNLPJ5mvkRIQFBy5yc5OTgublFUN4iKcptDP8Outm1msZWaRD7hgakCdndXbNaNXLcl6TWyfxd71g5w4uxBPruTodVFEIBuntC2gaDYvlIpJg835XTRQ0S-qDlzaDvsCTt_WY/s1600/P1000960.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480663354402370178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAQ0fvlSlNLPJ5mvkRIQFBy5yc5OTgublFUN4iKcptDP8Outm1msZWaRD7hgakCdndXbNaNXLcl6TWyfxd71g5w4uxBPruTodVFEIBuntC2gaDYvlIpJg835XTRQ0S-qDlzaDvsCTt_WY/s320/P1000960.jpg" style="display: block; height: 320px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I have never actually been a big fan of lamb, but seeing a bottle of Carol Hall's mint jelly made me think twice about serving it for dinner one night. Honestly, in terms of flavor, there is actually nothing too fancy or too different from the mint jelly's we've had in the past. What sold me was the fact that the jelly was clear and not green, but still had the same sweetness, crispness and minty-ness to it as the mint jelly's that we're used too.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">More than anything it makes me think twice about the number of "useless" additives we've been putting into our system all these years -- colorants, preservatives, stabilizers just to name a few.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Through the years we find out about things we can do without, where cooking is concerned at least. I guess we all learn the hard way... that there is no secret to great tasting food except for going back to the basics.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Speaking of basics, sharing with you the most basic of lamb recipes:</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';">BASIC LAMB</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Marinate Lamb chops in olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper and light soy sauce.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Brown for about 4 mins on each side in your bbq grill or in a skillet coated with great tasting olive oil.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Before serving top with some fresh rosemary if desired.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Serve with Sinangag. Oh and the mint jelly!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQiDqZdwN-ChJt8pFPL9RrFQGjVbj_NbN9HH3kPPl60vWGat_784pc13pblY8EEVW_Zn6plQgCMJC3NpQkgCnNOgeIJFLbBtLkdv8zUqU2VHrEe_3Qqqr2vyzFlDL0sHxEXbtnmt9RpA/s1600/P1000957.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480663340394295538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmQiDqZdwN-ChJt8pFPL9RrFQGjVbj_NbN9HH3kPPl60vWGat_784pc13pblY8EEVW_Zn6plQgCMJC3NpQkgCnNOgeIJFLbBtLkdv8zUqU2VHrEe_3Qqqr2vyzFlDL0sHxEXbtnmt9RpA/s320/P1000957.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div></div>Dirty Ice Creamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904286464977608180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-35383044407070214682010-06-09T11:15:00.000+10:002010-06-10T11:58:17.358+10:00Happy Breakfast<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Did I ever tell you how much we </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">love</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, no </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #b45f06;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">absolutely adore</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> breakfast? The excitement for weekends usually includes excitement for a wonderful home cooked breakfast or a nice brunch in a cafe by the beach down the road. We just love the happy feeling or starting the morning right with a cup of coffee and a plate of either of the following:<br />
-pancakes<br />
-eggs benedict (more on that in another post)<br />
-waffles<br />
-omelette<br />
-fritata<br />
-or a good old classic Pinoy breakfast.<br />
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Weekends are perfect for big breakfasts like these because we actually have the time to savour the coffee, the food and the happy breakfast vibe. Weekday breakfasts are usually just a quick bowl of oatmeal, cereal with milk, yogurt and fruit or toast with cheese. But, I decided to prepare a special weekday breakfast just yesterday, a </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Monday</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. I wanted to surprise my dear husband on his birthday. What better way to brighten the Mondays we all dread with a pleasant meal, I thought. So there I was bright and early at 7am preparing a surprise treat for him upon his arrival from his 2 - 9am shift. Yes he works crazy hours even on his birthday, so I had to do something to make him feel special.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzaqO570dL1KScGjZEQzZB6uSImKiqbMBF1wpuhgtd0FYYMRakcp4MGHzM627aOJatz3AXqQaNqCoxE_FsEs-ihqQUXFEtvzggiJgYw1EdhyrAGeGbL0dvwJixok_N2_KbZx65Sru9ygy/s1600/juice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXzaqO570dL1KScGjZEQzZB6uSImKiqbMBF1wpuhgtd0FYYMRakcp4MGHzM627aOJatz3AXqQaNqCoxE_FsEs-ihqQUXFEtvzggiJgYw1EdhyrAGeGbL0dvwJixok_N2_KbZx65Sru9ygy/s320/juice.jpg" width="300" /></span></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Nothing says good morning like a cup of coffee and of course, orange juice. To make it more exciting, I freshly squeezed an orange, muddled in some kiwi and a couple slices of lemon. Instead of lemon, I added a teaspoon of powdered iced tea to give it some kick. This definitely brought a smile to his face.</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Next on the menu was a delectable </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">fritata of scallions, mushrooms, asparagus and vintage cheddar cheese</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. Yummy! This is so easy to make.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3jSLLaNJItGmoePddwBq2fCsP9XhfG8vGoDFQcK0wDBjQ5KtWSWhKTuDBn6_NRitRXxQF2AC4Gq6dweFU86P3bxNldiXimce-HbwgF-26hzGOnWft_2raH6jk_o25Fyhn-ljZmKqhUNB/s1600/IMG_6625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn3jSLLaNJItGmoePddwBq2fCsP9XhfG8vGoDFQcK0wDBjQ5KtWSWhKTuDBn6_NRitRXxQF2AC4Gq6dweFU86P3bxNldiXimce-HbwgF-26hzGOnWft_2raH6jk_o25Fyhn-ljZmKqhUNB/s320/IMG_6625.JPG" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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In a skillet (were only two so I used a small one) melt about 1 tablespoon of butter. You'll want to use an oven proof skillet. Saute some garlic and the scallions lightly. Add in the mushrooms and asparagus once the first two ingredients slightly soften. Cook for another minute two.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcjO8jhgTu9G7x4Rwu1g5wa66oforbWW6jmNwGMWpFWV1d9QBIh57ZsVuBTnPdGqdjV3LHclnYmt_B27LBTD7V4z5bhYX1fg0vy5ADZ88QtY1QftrGN-GXVk5im8alFx6z6D35T8bmRh6/s1600/IMG_6624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfcjO8jhgTu9G7x4Rwu1g5wa66oforbWW6jmNwGMWpFWV1d9QBIh57ZsVuBTnPdGqdjV3LHclnYmt_B27LBTD7V4z5bhYX1fg0vy5ADZ88QtY1QftrGN-GXVk5im8alFx6z6D35T8bmRh6/s200/IMG_6624.JPG" width="150" /></span></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Add in 3 eggs that have been beaten and seasoned with salt and pepper. I added a splash or milk to make it extra fluffy. Stir the mixture in the pan for about a minute and the leave it over medium heat. Top with grated cheddar cheese and stick the pan into an oven at 200C for about 8 - 10 minutes until the eggs set. Serve warm with toast or on its own.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAWaMl4YN74KuDnSoN0ltuqIFQhWR9bXaJ_ANcwWzAf7OQuxer7LSiyeZBr0XekMw4iQznTgnft7GT7gkvrEJTI9N-_nxldqeY-IaWPL8taQaT_to0dds-0gTU5ocw9rr055EbZS5B0Hz/s1600/IMG_6630.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhAWaMl4YN74KuDnSoN0ltuqIFQhWR9bXaJ_ANcwWzAf7OQuxer7LSiyeZBr0XekMw4iQznTgnft7GT7gkvrEJTI9N-_nxldqeY-IaWPL8taQaT_to0dds-0gTU5ocw9rr055EbZS5B0Hz/s400/IMG_6630.JPG" width="400" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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Next on the menu was one of our favourites: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">banana pancakes</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. As one of my favourite </span></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkyrIRyrRdY&feature=PlayList&p=E1740141248D22A3&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Jack Johnson songs</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> goes:<br />
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<pre style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal verdana; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Can't you see that it's just raining
Ain't no need to go outside...
But baby, you hardly even notice
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">When I try to show you this song
It's meant to keep you
From doin' what your supposed to
Like wakin' up too early
Maybe we could sleep in
I'll make you banana pancakes
Pretend like it's the weekend now</span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></pre><pre style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal verdana; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">And we could pretend it all the time
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Can't you see that it's just rainin'</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">
Ain't no need to go outside
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Ain't no need, ain't no need
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Rain all day and I really really really </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">don't mind
</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana; font-size: 11px; font-style: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #073763;">Can't you see, can't you see
We've gotta wake up slow</span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></i></pre><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So of course in this case, he DID notice. As good as he said they were, they did not stop him from going back to work and pretending like it was the weekend. I guess we'll just sleep in and wake up slow on the Saturday then.<br />
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</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TSr8acfU1wvlekaiWyYzG5zPgKxFraMOgjyu5wthB5FyEowRRsGacXpuCwIeYY6JwV5zxMZkeeHxB8AYARY5pm1jGeL-VxQsj4z2qOgMaGk5HMp5FtN7vVDuwoDvgI7alPC8cpsaRTLS/s1600/IMG_6628.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9TSr8acfU1wvlekaiWyYzG5zPgKxFraMOgjyu5wthB5FyEowRRsGacXpuCwIeYY6JwV5zxMZkeeHxB8AYARY5pm1jGeL-VxQsj4z2qOgMaGk5HMp5FtN7vVDuwoDvgI7alPC8cpsaRTLS/s320/IMG_6628.JPG" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
<br />
Here's the Banana Pancake recipe I used, which is inspired by one of my heroes, Martha Stewart.<br />
Whisk together the dry ingredients:<br />
-1 cup flour<br />
-2 tablespoons sugar (I used raw sugar just because I like the flavor better)<br />
-2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
-1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
<br />
<br />
Then, add in:<br />
-1 large egg beaten lightly<br />
-1 cup milk<br />
-2 tablespoons butter - I forgot this part and they still turned out really good. Pretty cool, my pancakes were that much lighter then! Whisk all ingredients together until combined.<br />
<br />
<br />
Now, slice two bananas 1/4 inch thick. Melt some butter in a skillet (this part I would NOT omit). Place 5 banana rounds in the pan and spoon batter over each of them. Her recipe says to make one mini pancake per banana slice which results in really cute mini banana pancakes. Being a weekday morning, I didn't have the luxury of time so I just made regular sized pancakes of them. Flip when ready as you would a regular pancake and cook the other side until golden brown. Keep warm in the oven and serve with more butter, maple syrup or honey.<br />
Definitely a yummy meal to keep you home all morning. Enjoy!<br />
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<pre style="font: normal normal normal 11px/normal verdana; line-height: 16px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 10px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; white-space: normal;"></span></span></span></pre><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-10252212717974339112010-06-09T05:04:00.001+10:002010-08-22T23:29:21.185+10:00Haut Chocolat<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmoB3cNpYhoRSzZPGXgOLl9RhFmwabs6z67jWh6cIny2WUVkJwqRrNXnIhDdA_vwCAVHyBlrlgtdGn7RKr3dCBUol8D5Xcd4CFvnjD48Bc-23SMdL3qkaRobELvUqaqwzGVPLRunQVnw/s1600/P1000821.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480482411242576018" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqmoB3cNpYhoRSzZPGXgOLl9RhFmwabs6z67jWh6cIny2WUVkJwqRrNXnIhDdA_vwCAVHyBlrlgtdGn7RKr3dCBUol8D5Xcd4CFvnjD48Bc-23SMdL3qkaRobELvUqaqwzGVPLRunQVnw/s320/P1000821.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So while on my recent trip to Chicago, I discovered Vosges Haut Chocolat. The first time I read the description I had a mental picture of hot chocolate in a cup and a side of churros, instead of "Haut Chocolat" which I figure is their version of Haut Couture but for chocolate. So before even trying them I knew that I was in for something along the lines of super fancy chocolates dressed in Louboutin's and clad in Dior.</span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I may have been too literal but I guess the point of Vosges is to dress the cacao in one or more flavor combinations that actually work. And just like the churros with hot chocolate, I guess it's the combination of sweet and that unexpected saltiness in every bite that does the trick.</span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">With Vosges variety of flavour combos like olives and champagne or sea salt and toasted coconut you almost get a full meal in every bite!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Is there anything as "Haut" as this over there? I'm curious to find out what the Oz version might be.</span></span></div></div></div>Dirty Ice Creamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904286464977608180noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-36233196106129066462010-06-08T16:01:00.001+10:002010-08-22T23:30:03.516+10:00Somewhat Osso Bucco<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4QPZ4Sn6sdek4euXC4zi2Wz4sG5k95jtRdBB-jUFDuJTokVVihT0ccBPfNigxxG3sfOKmyU9r6jkg583KRAnBYXfIi5dXsg7WFuzGbnj3ZDhyphenhyphen4PCM56mxTU0NzRzl_gGiTMMlQ4nTtM/s1600/P1000272.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480280477836986242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk4QPZ4Sn6sdek4euXC4zi2Wz4sG5k95jtRdBB-jUFDuJTokVVihT0ccBPfNigxxG3sfOKmyU9r6jkg583KRAnBYXfIi5dXsg7WFuzGbnj3ZDhyphenhyphen4PCM56mxTU0NzRzl_gGiTMMlQ4nTtM/s320/P1000272.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Had some friends coming over for dinner one time and this is what I served them.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> You may want to try it sometime if and when Mr.P needs to load up on the protein!<br />
<br />
The recipe is a bit rough but I know you'll get it!!!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Somewhat Osso Bucco</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">15 pieces beef short ribs about the size of your flip video<br />
Marinate in garlic and light soy sauce.<br />
<br />
Brown the meat in olive oil on all sides, once brown remove.<br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> <br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrAIF2i5j31Tky5O3JMEwRkDQ1t2O88GR2FyMzfasaDbx3uVyxZ27sGoFjGlxR_IYR87weaUNnNCSCDntQyaNs11UBfmh1erRNlpWjQXy0Yfa4JucSlz7IKT_S9ADd9irNJvO_umlHk8/s1600/P1000270.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480280470064851730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrAIF2i5j31Tky5O3JMEwRkDQ1t2O88GR2FyMzfasaDbx3uVyxZ27sGoFjGlxR_IYR87weaUNnNCSCDntQyaNs11UBfmh1erRNlpWjQXy0Yfa4JucSlz7IKT_S9ADd9irNJvO_umlHk8/s320/P1000270.JPG" style="display: block; height: 240px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">To the oil in the pot...<br />
Add 1 medium onion chopped<br />
3 roma tomatoes chopped<br />
about 8 cloves of garlic (3 of which went to the marinade)<br />
put the meat back<br />
1 cup white wine<br />
add 1 can tomato paste<br />
2 cups water / or stock<br />
bay leaf<br />
salt<br />
pepper<br />
<br />
Simmer on low - medium for about 1 hour<br />
add 1 cup white wine again<br />
about 1 tbsp. oregano<br />
2 cups chopped carrots<br />
<br />
Simmer again for another hour.<br />
<br />
Serve over lemon garlic olive oil orzo (for trina and emilio), or rice (for paolo and lucca), and a side of lemony garlic pesto<br />
<br />
<br />
Hope you like it!</span></span> </div></div>Dirty Ice Creamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904286464977608180noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-14694359317843418132010-06-08T15:56:00.001+10:002010-06-09T05:20:27.667+10:00Happy Birthday<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthwwcxZMnHswhj0lrqdNZ3c1epqcE-fZnsFFZAVB5Lzgfrd1abjYituXYMEwtsgEHBgMUgh3eqzXs9GrL8gQlhAU4OOk1OkWmjDu30nsNFzl3n0KNz4uEbyvbnV0g3h640wdoTC9vdFU/s1600/P1000694.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="240" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480278125349307202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthwwcxZMnHswhj0lrqdNZ3c1epqcE-fZnsFFZAVB5Lzgfrd1abjYituXYMEwtsgEHBgMUgh3eqzXs9GrL8gQlhAU4OOk1OkWmjDu30nsNFzl3n0KNz4uEbyvbnV0g3h640wdoTC9vdFU/s320/P1000694.JPG" style="text-align: center;float: left; height: 240px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px; width: 320px; " width="320" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0); font-family: 'courier new'; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; ">Happy Birthday dear friend!</span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#351c75;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Georgia; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#351c75;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new'; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; ">Here's a little belated birthday present. It's a picture I took while </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new'; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; "> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#351c75;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new'; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; ">strolling around Chicago's Navy Pier one sunny afternoon.</span></span></span></span><br /></div></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#351c75;"><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px; ">Here's to a year of more food in the company of loved ones, and more food to satisfy your tummy as well as your heart.</span><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><div style="text-align: left;">Have a great birthday!<br /></div></span></span></span>Dirty Ice Creamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904286464977608180noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-27971177262532769432010-06-08T15:29:00.001+10:002010-08-22T23:30:31.742+10:00Cheese Monster and Tea<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_0zNU1R7Mrxig2KwzDFApmsXcbJ4SS02ojLb2_cvXKysP0JFvO9QxazlHXW6bhh-Wbo4XkBA9tpCGE8uBaDrBNl9HDrpSv-Sxslm0A5_hyphenhyphen1tS6XI5e85eAhcx0mX5Bwgjm6AZ5cwzuM/s1600/P1000054.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480272264340121410" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_0zNU1R7Mrxig2KwzDFApmsXcbJ4SS02ojLb2_cvXKysP0JFvO9QxazlHXW6bhh-Wbo4XkBA9tpCGE8uBaDrBNl9HDrpSv-Sxslm0A5_hyphenhyphen1tS6XI5e85eAhcx0mX5Bwgjm6AZ5cwzuM/s320/P1000054.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
If Mr. P truly is the cheese monster you say he is -- then sharing with you the perfect accompaniment to most of his cheese fixes.<br />
</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We've all tried pairing membrillo, quince or even fig with our cheeses, at one point or another right? But black tea??? Who would have thought it would go just perfectly?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In one of the local coop's here in the city, I discovered this bottled preserve that hails all the way from Wisconsin. The jams are carefully handcrafted by a couple passionate about creating perfect artisan preserves. Sounds super fancy I know, but what I find, is that this recipe is fairly easy to make.</span></span></div><div></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you ever find the time to make your own preserves, just by substituting the liquid component of the recipe to a potent brew of your favorite tea you'll end up with this sophisticated blend of flavours. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I actually haven't tried altering this recipe to include tea in it just yet... but maybe Mr. P might beat us to it.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My Version of Fig and Tea </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;color:#666666;"></span><br />
</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;color:#666666;"><div class="ingredients" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><h3 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: rgb(122, 122, 122); margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Ingredients</span></span></h3><ul style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><li class="plaincharacterwrap" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">16 cups fresh figs</span></span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 tablespoon baking soda</span></span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">12 cups of strong boiling earl grey tea (I would think something like Earl Grey will works best)</span></span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">8 cups white sugar</span></span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4 cups water</span></span></li>
<li class="plaincharacterwrap" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1 lemon, sliced</span></span></li>
</ul></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; width: 300px;"></div><div class="directions" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 10px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><h3 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; color: rgb(122, 122, 122); margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Directions</span></span></h3><ol style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: decimal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 16px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline- outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;color:initial;"><li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline- outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;color:initial;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline- outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In a large mixing bowl place figs and sprinkle with baking soda. Pour the boiling water over the figs and soak for 1 hour.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline- outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;color:initial;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline- outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Drain figs and rinse thoroughly with cold water. In a large Dutch oven combine the sugar and the 4 cups of water; bring to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline- outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;color:initial;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline- outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Add the figs and lemon slices to the syrup in the Dutch oven and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.</span></span></span></li>
<li style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline- outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;color:initial;"><span class="plaincharacterwrap break" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline- outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; word-wrap: break-word;color:initial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Spoon figs into hot, sterilized jars and spoon syrup over figs, leaving 1/2 inch of head space. Top jars with lids and screw bands on tightly. Process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath.</span></span></span></li>
</ol></div></span></div><div><div><br />
</div></div>Dirty Ice Creamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05904286464977608180noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-59845735090169636792010-05-20T22:51:00.001+10:002010-08-22T23:31:44.938+10:00Blue Veins<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So... did I ever tell you what a cheese monster Mr. P is? He is crazy about cheese. Between him and I, we consume so much of it and are always looking to try new varieties. Well, recently Coles had a sale. Buy 1 block of Mainland Special Reserve Premium Blue Cheese and Get 1 block of Special Reserve Gruyere Cheese. What a deal right?</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7djsDO1Y07uSOBIUR8rL3YCellSNYfmAe9QFqa_hyXfTyXo_1a75aMQodJw4yA4i0otmjGVtbP87OjGK6k-JuZSoJV5lDzyx9zLEqBPqDnT8WTAqW_j16nHBQdzOUlNaU4ta5t-FOs9Ei/s1600/IMG_6485.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7djsDO1Y07uSOBIUR8rL3YCellSNYfmAe9QFqa_hyXfTyXo_1a75aMQodJw4yA4i0otmjGVtbP87OjGK6k-JuZSoJV5lDzyx9zLEqBPqDnT8WTAqW_j16nHBQdzOUlNaU4ta5t-FOs9Ei/s320/IMG_6485.JPG" width="203" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
The Gruyere was good. Milder than the Gruyere I'm used to but yummy nonetheless. The Blue Cheese was the one that surprised us. It was so SUPER good! Creamy, bitey goodness with a hint of nuttiness. It had a distinct flavor that is not typical of the standard fare.<br />
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We've had it in so many ways already. First with a glass of Riesling, next with the salad below and last, with a home made burger. In all instances the flavors blended together so harmoniously in our mouths.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJKgI-cwyA61yemu1DejWV5mEuSUN5ad4ePUf_h10PYg3AGO_YB1jEUlXQSXJDHM31SmXpbfmur20BoaaaoPS_Z8GBZ7sgVP2oehDFcIkfcvk0ljhMZkNKu5qKUK9-W0pWNhZpCFyhRPp/s1600/IMG_6483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJKgI-cwyA61yemu1DejWV5mEuSUN5ad4ePUf_h10PYg3AGO_YB1jEUlXQSXJDHM31SmXpbfmur20BoaaaoPS_Z8GBZ7sgVP2oehDFcIkfcvk0ljhMZkNKu5qKUK9-W0pWNhZpCFyhRPp/s320/IMG_6483.JPG" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I hope you get to try it. Cheers!</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=seas04-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B002FVYQ48&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-1935235489749480732010-05-01T19:18:00.002+10:002010-08-23T13:29:40.093+10:00Red Wine Braised Beef and Couscous<div style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; font: normal normal normal 13px/19px Georgia, 'Times New Roman', 'Bitstream Charter', Times, serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0.6em; padding-left: 0.6em; padding-right: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.6em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I told you last night that I made this Beef Brisket Braised in Red Wine, right? Well, we had it tonight and it was so good. I made couscous to go with it and it was perfect. Because of Mr. P's crazy work schedule, Friday is his crash day. So, dinner has to be ready real quick so we can actually sit down together and enjoy it. Yay for me that I had the beef ready and, couscous is so quick and easy too. Here's how I did both dishes:<br />
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</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Beef Brisket Braised in Red Wine</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
I had about 750g of beef brisket and used:<br />
-4 shallots, quartered<br />
-2 cloves of garlic, chopped<br />
-2-3 cups of red wine<br />
-3 sprigs of thyme (modification from original recipe)<br />
-salt and pepper<br />
-2 tbsp olive oil<br />
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Season beef with s&p and brown on all sides with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Remove beef from pot and drain fat. Add the other tbsp of olive oil to the pot and semi-caramelize shallots on med-low heat for about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 3 minutes. Pour red wine into pot and let it reduce to about 3/4 of the original quantity. Add beef back into the pot and pour just enough water to cover the beef. I had some leftover water that I used to rehydrate shitake mushrooms, so I used this to give the sauce more body. Bring pot to a boil and then cover. Move pot into a 300 degree oven and let beef soften for about 2 hours. The flavors develop as it keeps so this can be done days ahead. Serve hot with couscous.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6FMQbo5WQxbcTZ432nQSgHL4dZbnd61LOgCDD6WycSy1pWyVUUzukuQSoDk1T-_uwl5mlZp0BaPw_EndDh2DDG6J4XtrU_vDVva1rWWgVA2tDCBTg3ScLhEk0Lg8bY8qwJPklZR8iiuk/s1600/IMG_6455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL6FMQbo5WQxbcTZ432nQSgHL4dZbnd61LOgCDD6WycSy1pWyVUUzukuQSoDk1T-_uwl5mlZp0BaPw_EndDh2DDG6J4XtrU_vDVva1rWWgVA2tDCBTg3ScLhEk0Lg8bY8qwJPklZR8iiuk/s320/IMG_6455.JPG" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" mce_name="strong" mce_style="font-weight: bold;" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Couscous with Herbs, Roasted Eggplant. Garbanzos and Toasted Almonds</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
I made this dish mainly to use up leftover garbanzos and roasted eggplant slices that I had in the fridge. Usually, package directions of couscous tell you to "cook" the grains in salted water, but I always use broth. I made some vegetable broth last night out of peels and stems from veggies that would have otherwise gone to the bin.<br />
Gather any herbs you may have. I used some thyme, basil and parsley.<br />
Chifonade the basil and just chop up the other herbs. Throw them in your serving bowl. Meanwhile, toast some almonds in the oven for about 5 minutes, until brown. Once toasted, chop them up in a food processor and add to the herb mixture.<br />
For the eggplant, I sliced them in rounds and brushed them with olive oil before grilling them in the oven for about 45 minutes. Once grilled, dice about 4 large rounds and throw into the serving bowl. Add your garbanzos to the same bowl and 1 cup of couscous.<br />
Once broth comes to a boil, pour the hot liquid into the bowl and allow couscous to soak it up. After about 2 minutes, fluff with a fork to mix everything together.<br />
It was really good and healthy too!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Mz2xTkDADcLCJ7FNfjZwZwgM6G09etgxWD0NowAHgP_x6Ywqrjr0Z8tDfSLhlItKD4CX4nKxq4TxJl1IL-hUN9KE3uzbA8jf2S_DsBgQEHak2nsVMokfGb8E6JrqvrDjEXA4OdGmT9aI/s1600/IMG_6456.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Mz2xTkDADcLCJ7FNfjZwZwgM6G09etgxWD0NowAHgP_x6Ywqrjr0Z8tDfSLhlItKD4CX4nKxq4TxJl1IL-hUN9KE3uzbA8jf2S_DsBgQEHak2nsVMokfGb8E6JrqvrDjEXA4OdGmT9aI/s320/IMG_6456.JPG" /></span></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=seas04-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000EGZ98S&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></div>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6642738405924207009.post-34732469748416345362010-04-29T21:09:00.001+10:002010-08-22T23:34:02.528+10:00Secret Pleasures Not For Public Viewing<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I bet you were wondering what on earth this was going to be about!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Well, that's what </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mother Meg says </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">about her biscuits - and I think I get what she means. They are oh so delicious. Last July, when Mrs. G. and Nole came to Sydney, Mrs. G and I scoured through the food hall of David Jones on Market Street. As you know, food window shopping is one of our greatest pleasures in life. So, we chanced on a pack of biscuits: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#38761d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mother Meg's Pecorino Cheese and Green Olive.</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> They were incredibly yummy bite sized biscuits with the just the right crisp, and wow, could you taste the cheese and olives in them. You can tell they don't scrimp on ingredients, these biscuits are bursting with flavor. As the package reads: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#38761d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">when making biscuits, precise measurements are vital, after all - it's chemistry!</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> If this is her idea of chemistry, then I'm all for it! I guess that's why I'll never be an excellent baker, I just don't have the patience for precise measurements. But Mother Meg - she's obviously precise and has mastered the </span></span><i><s><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ionic</span></span></s></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> bonding between her green olives and pecorino cheese. And guess what, she uses all organic ingredients - from the whole wheat flour to the egg yolks and everything else in between.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span><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/AVvXsEhpiyLmJVVTRGxIdARhiVy1WppYLIUdp1ge5C1ilLBzXldzqc2q2pdzN_tJfdp2fhpkYzvhEILoPtMG32LW5H8TI6TaxoerdiQnRoOhnuTUt-mVxh8_9eAJHVCpEZCi1KBmvteurlgSWmzE/s1600/IMG_6476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpiyLmJVVTRGxIdARhiVy1WppYLIUdp1ge5C1ilLBzXldzqc2q2pdzN_tJfdp2fhpkYzvhEILoPtMG32LW5H8TI6TaxoerdiQnRoOhnuTUt-mVxh8_9eAJHVCpEZCi1KBmvteurlgSWmzE/s320/IMG_6476.JPG" /></span></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Don't you just love her packaging too? The copy on it is so entertaining: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#38761d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Guaranteed to bring squeals of delight to those you love!</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#38761d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So, Mrs. G, Nole, Mr. P and I are avid fans of cheese. Though there were no squeals, (imagine Nole squealing?!) we were delighted. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">On that note, I will end with this last Mother Meg quote: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#38761d;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Savoury treats are not wicked, nor are they sinful - they are there to be enjoyed.</span></span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> Sure Mother Meg, we enjoyed them, but based on the buttery goodness, I'll have to disagree with you on the sinful part. But your biscuits are well worth it.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'courier new';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=seas04-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B001EPQQWG&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="align: left; height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe></span></span></div>lunchboxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04520293599389299016noreply@blogger.com0