This one is out of one of my favourite recipe books, a gift from my sister called Wild Garlic, Gooseberries and Me, by Denis Cotter. It's really great.
This is also the last of my backlog, which means that I will probably be falling silent for a while as I have some travelling coming up.
So! The first thing I have to admit to is that in Dunedin it is impossible to find either sprouting broccoli or oyster mushrooms. So, um. That was fun.
I ended up using portobello mushrooms and ordinary broccoli, so it was probably totally different to how it was meant to be. But, it was still pretty good.
So, You start by bringing1.5 litres of water to the boil in a large saucepan, and throwing in a chopped onion, 2 chopped celery sticks, a chopped carrot, some garlic cloves (recipe says four, I probably used more, because I always do), a thumb of sliced fresh root ginger, a sliced chilli, some coriander leaves and parsley leaves. Turn down the heat and simmer for 20 mins. Then strain through a sieve and discard the veggies, keeping the broth. (This part always breaks my heart, but I assume all the goodness of the veggies in the juice by then anyway.)
Then steam 100g pumpkin diced up till it's soft. (I actually steamed this over the broth while it was cooking.) Mash it up. Stir in a tablespoon of finely chopped macadamia nuts (I used significantly more than that. Mmmmmm macadamias.), grated zest of half a lemon, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (I just squeezed it over the pumpkin and guestimated), and 2 tsp chopped coriander. Leave it to cool.
The recipe calls for 8 wonton wrappers, but I made more than that. Possibly I used too much pumpkin. I basically just kept going until the mixture was finished.
So place the wantons on a work surface, put a teaspoon of the pumpkin mixture in the middle, moisten the edge of the wrapper and fold it to make a rectangle, pressing down the edges. (A few of mine burst open, so make sure about those edges!)
Reheat the broth gently, Fry the broccoli (350g) and mushrooms (100g) in some olive oil in a pan, occasionally ladling in some of the broth to keep them moist. Add 4 sliced spring onions, and cook a little more.
Bring the broth to the boil, and drop the dumplings in, simmer for two minutes, and serve broth and dumplings poured over the fried veg.
This dish was really tasty - the broth was amazing. It didn't survive longer though, so eat it all immediately! It sort of went mushy and gross after a day.
But those dumplings - NOM. Highly recommended, even though it's a bit fiddly.
Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soup. Show all posts
Tuesday, 26 June 2012
Saturday, 23 June 2012
Spicy prawn and lemon grass soup
I honestly thought I'd written this one up, but it's not there, so I guess I didn't.
This is actually one we have made a few times in the past, so it's more tried and tested than experimental, but the deal was every recipe, and so we made it anyway. Also, because it's delicious!
Bring 1.2 litres of chicken stock to the boil in a big pot. Throw in some lemon grass. The recipe says "two lemon grass stalks", but we can't find fresh lemon grass here, so I basically just threw in a bunch of the bottled stuff. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10 mins. (It says remove the lemon grass and discard. This is probably necessary with the fresh ones, but with the bottled stuff I didn't bother.)
Add 8 lime leaves, 3 fresh red chillies, seeded and chopped, a pinch of black pepper, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce and three tablespoons of lime juice. Let it simmer for a few minutes, then throw in the prawns (225g, shelled and de-veined) and remove from the heat and leave to stand for ten mins. Stir in two chopped spring onions and some fresh coriander and serve immediately.
This is a really great soup for a starter. It's quick and easy, and light and exceptionally tasty.
Lots of thumbs up!
This is actually one we have made a few times in the past, so it's more tried and tested than experimental, but the deal was every recipe, and so we made it anyway. Also, because it's delicious!
Bring 1.2 litres of chicken stock to the boil in a big pot. Throw in some lemon grass. The recipe says "two lemon grass stalks", but we can't find fresh lemon grass here, so I basically just threw in a bunch of the bottled stuff. Reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10 mins. (It says remove the lemon grass and discard. This is probably necessary with the fresh ones, but with the bottled stuff I didn't bother.)
Add 8 lime leaves, 3 fresh red chillies, seeded and chopped, a pinch of black pepper, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce and three tablespoons of lime juice. Let it simmer for a few minutes, then throw in the prawns (225g, shelled and de-veined) and remove from the heat and leave to stand for ten mins. Stir in two chopped spring onions and some fresh coriander and serve immediately.
This is a really great soup for a starter. It's quick and easy, and light and exceptionally tasty.
Lots of thumbs up!
Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Chickpea and Lamb Soup
This one is out of a recipe book of Mediterranean Street Food. It is an awesome book.
I did the lazy version of this recipe. The recipe involves dried chickpeas, and rinsing them and peeling the skins off and so forth. I just used tinned ones, and didn't bother with any of that.
So, throw a tin of chickpeas in a saucepan, with about a cup of diced lamb, a thinly sliced onion, a third of a cup of chopped parsley, a pinch of saffron threads, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, a can of tomatoes and 2 quarts of water. Bring to the boil, and then drop in 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and leave it to boil for an hour.
Stir in 1/4 cup of broken up vermicelli, 1/3 cup cilantro, 3/4 tablespoon of tomato paste and the juice of a lemon. Reduce the heat to low, and leave it to simmer gently while you make the thickening stuff.
Which is just 3 or 4 tablespoons of flour mixed with 2/3 cup of water, which you dribble slowly into the soup, stirring to avoid lumpiness. Add salt to taste and cook till the noodles are done, and then serve hot.
My biggest issue was that I found the vermicelli really hard to work with. Unlike other noodles, it doesn't break up easily, so I ended up putting too much in and it sort of monopolised the soup. But apart from that, it was really very tasty. I love these sort of Med flavours, so I thoroughly enjoyed it.
NOM.
I did the lazy version of this recipe. The recipe involves dried chickpeas, and rinsing them and peeling the skins off and so forth. I just used tinned ones, and didn't bother with any of that.
So, throw a tin of chickpeas in a saucepan, with about a cup of diced lamb, a thinly sliced onion, a third of a cup of chopped parsley, a pinch of saffron threads, 1/4 teaspoon ginger, 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, a can of tomatoes and 2 quarts of water. Bring to the boil, and then drop in 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and leave it to boil for an hour.
Stir in 1/4 cup of broken up vermicelli, 1/3 cup cilantro, 3/4 tablespoon of tomato paste and the juice of a lemon. Reduce the heat to low, and leave it to simmer gently while you make the thickening stuff.
Which is just 3 or 4 tablespoons of flour mixed with 2/3 cup of water, which you dribble slowly into the soup, stirring to avoid lumpiness. Add salt to taste and cook till the noodles are done, and then serve hot.
My biggest issue was that I found the vermicelli really hard to work with. Unlike other noodles, it doesn't break up easily, so I ended up putting too much in and it sort of monopolised the soup. But apart from that, it was really very tasty. I love these sort of Med flavours, so I thoroughly enjoyed it.
NOM.
Monday, 19 March 2012
Butternut soup with Rosemary and Pine Nut Bread
I have been making butternut soup for years. YEARS. I have a tried and tested recipe.
This, ladies and gentlemen, may have to become my new go to butternut soup recipe. It is THAT GOOD.
It is accompanied by Rosemary and Pine Nut bread. This is also completely amazing. Here, look:
NOM.
So, you make the bread as follows:
Mix 15g dried yeast with 300ml warm water and a pinch of sugar. Blend. (I expect you could do this part however you normally would when making bread (in my case, throw the yeast in with the flour) but I was following the recipe out of curiousity, so I did it this way.) Leave for ten minutes to get all frothy.
Mix in a bowl 450g flour, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of chopped rosemary. (In the absence of fresh rosemary, I used the dry stuff.) Make a well in the centre, and pour in the yeast mixture and about 45ml olive oil. Mix to a soft dough. Knead for at least five minutes. Add 50g pine nuts. (I used 70g because that was the size packet they came in, to no apparent ill-effect.) Knead until the pine nuts are incorporated into the dough. Leave to rise for 40 mins. (Cover bowl with damp cloth)
Bash it back, then shape the dough into whatever shape you want. As you can see from the picture, I went for the "pull off roll sized bits for soup" shape. But whatever floats your boat. Brush with olive oil. Leave to rise for another 20 mins, then stick in a 220C oven for 40 minutes.
This bread is so tasty. Yum.
Okay, now the soup.
Peel and chop up a butternut, a potato and a carrot. I left out the carrot, because we didn't have any. Also an onion.
Melt 25g of butter in a large saucepan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Throw in the onion, and some bacon. The recipe says: "125g best-quality smoked bacon, derinded and finely chopped". I used what we had in our fridge. I don't know how much it was, but I did chop it fine.
Cook till the onion starts softening, then throw in the butternut, potato and carrot (if you use the carrot) along with half a teaspoon of chopped marjoram. This I did have fresh, and I used significantly more than half a teaspoon, cos that's how I roll.
Cook for five mins.
Add 750ml chicken stock, some Tabasco sauce (how much depends on your taste, really - I like it SPICY, so I put in more than the recipe asked), a pinch of nutmeg, and some salt and pepper. Give it a stir, bang a lid on and cook it until the butternut is soft. About half an hour to 40 minutes.
Let it cool a bit, then puree it. Add a cup of cream. (We didn't have a cup of cream, we had less, so I put in what we had.)
Serve with the bread.
Seriously, guys, this soup is SO good. The sweetness of the butternut perfectly compliments the smoky bacon undertones, and the bite of the tabasco. OMIGOD. So delicious. I'll be having it for lunch today too!! And the bread is gorgeous too.
HIGHLY recommended. And EASY!
Ratings:
Weren't you paying attention?
Thumbs up all round. :)
This, ladies and gentlemen, may have to become my new go to butternut soup recipe. It is THAT GOOD.
It is accompanied by Rosemary and Pine Nut bread. This is also completely amazing. Here, look:
NOM.
So, you make the bread as follows:
Mix 15g dried yeast with 300ml warm water and a pinch of sugar. Blend. (I expect you could do this part however you normally would when making bread (in my case, throw the yeast in with the flour) but I was following the recipe out of curiousity, so I did it this way.) Leave for ten minutes to get all frothy.
Mix in a bowl 450g flour, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of chopped rosemary. (In the absence of fresh rosemary, I used the dry stuff.) Make a well in the centre, and pour in the yeast mixture and about 45ml olive oil. Mix to a soft dough. Knead for at least five minutes. Add 50g pine nuts. (I used 70g because that was the size packet they came in, to no apparent ill-effect.) Knead until the pine nuts are incorporated into the dough. Leave to rise for 40 mins. (Cover bowl with damp cloth)
Bash it back, then shape the dough into whatever shape you want. As you can see from the picture, I went for the "pull off roll sized bits for soup" shape. But whatever floats your boat. Brush with olive oil. Leave to rise for another 20 mins, then stick in a 220C oven for 40 minutes.
This bread is so tasty. Yum.
Okay, now the soup.
Peel and chop up a butternut, a potato and a carrot. I left out the carrot, because we didn't have any. Also an onion.
Melt 25g of butter in a large saucepan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Throw in the onion, and some bacon. The recipe says: "125g best-quality smoked bacon, derinded and finely chopped". I used what we had in our fridge. I don't know how much it was, but I did chop it fine.
Cook till the onion starts softening, then throw in the butternut, potato and carrot (if you use the carrot) along with half a teaspoon of chopped marjoram. This I did have fresh, and I used significantly more than half a teaspoon, cos that's how I roll.
Cook for five mins.
Add 750ml chicken stock, some Tabasco sauce (how much depends on your taste, really - I like it SPICY, so I put in more than the recipe asked), a pinch of nutmeg, and some salt and pepper. Give it a stir, bang a lid on and cook it until the butternut is soft. About half an hour to 40 minutes.
Let it cool a bit, then puree it. Add a cup of cream. (We didn't have a cup of cream, we had less, so I put in what we had.)
Serve with the bread.
Seriously, guys, this soup is SO good. The sweetness of the butternut perfectly compliments the smoky bacon undertones, and the bite of the tabasco. OMIGOD. So delicious. I'll be having it for lunch today too!! And the bread is gorgeous too.
HIGHLY recommended. And EASY!
Ratings:
Weren't you paying attention?
Thumbs up all round. :)
Monday, 12 March 2012
Bourride
This was a crazy involved and complicated recipe, but omigod delicious!
Especially the rouille. Which requires harissa, so let's start there:
To make harissa, get about 115g of dried chillies. This is more than you think it is: dried chillies are light. Soak them in boiling water for half an hour or so. Then fish them out, but don't throw away the water. The recipe says destem and deseed them, but I didn't bother. I just chopped them up and threw them in the blender. But if you want to do it the proper way, go ahead. I'll wait.
Done? Cool.
Throw into a food processor, along with a clove (or two or three) of garlic, chopped.
Toast up a tablespoon of coriander seeds, half a tablespoon of caraway seeds and a tablespoon of black peppercorns. Then grind them up and throw them in the food processor too. along with half a tablespoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of vinegar. Whirrrrrr it till it becomes a paste. Add some of the chilli water if it's too thick.
Now you have harissa! Well done. It's really good on cheese sandwiches. I tell you this, because you will have leftovers!
Right, now make the rouille.
Pour two tablespoons of boiling water over 10 saffron threads. Leave for 15 minutes. Beat two egg yolks, and slowly dribble part of 300ml of sunflower oil in until it binds. When it starts to thicken, add a tablespoon of dijon mustard and the juice of a lemon. Mix what's left of the sunflower oil with 300ml of olive oil. and add it slowly and steadily while blending until you have a good thick mayonnaise. Add the saffron strands and its water, and as much harissa as you wish (depending on how hot you want it).
This stuff is so good. Seriously. NOM.
Next bit: make some crouts.
Cut a bagette into 1 cm slices brush with olive oil, and bake in an oven. Check them often, because they burn quickly!!
Do some prep:
Peel some prawns, bash up a crab. Peel and fillet some white fish (or just deskin some fillets). Peel and chop some onion and garlic, dice up a fennel head, Trim and chop celery and leek. Peel and chop some carrots, and dice up some peeled potatoes. Chop up some parsley.
Got any room on your kitchen surfaces? Well done! I hadn't, at this point.
Now, finally, we get to the soup part!
In a very large saucepan, saute the onions and garlic. Add the bashed up hen crab, and any fishie bits you have leftover - prawn shells, crab shells, fish skin, the works. Throw it all in. Add all the vegetables, and a can of tomato. Also some thyme, parsley, bay leaves and orange peel (I used grated zest). Pour in half a bottle of dry white wine. Yes, really. And 1.5 litres of boiling water. Bring to the boil, and then simmer for half an hour.
Drain through a sieve, leaving all those veggies and fishy bits behind. You only want the liquid. Don't be afraid to squeeze the liquid out of the bits. Taste and season.
This stock is totally amazing, though it hurt my heart to throw out all those veggies. But I said I'd follow the recipe, so I did.
Anyway. Finally, cut up some tomatoes and throw them in the broth. Add 16 saffron strands, and a tablespoon of some sort of anise alcohol. The recipe says Pernod, Pastis or Arak, but we just soaked some star anise in vodka for a day or two, and that worked just fine.
Add fish fillets and prawns. Cook just long enough for them to be done.
Still with me? We're nearly there.
To serve:
Ladle the broth and fish into bowls. Scatter on some parsley. Spoon the rouille onto the crouts and float them on the broth. Add some grated gruyere, and be amazed.
This recipe is really high maintenance. It was a MISSION to make.
But wow. Totally frikkin' amazing. SO tasty. NOM.
Ratings:
Me: OMIGOD DELICIOUS.
Husband: WOW YUM AMAZING.
(We really enjoyed this. ;)
Especially the rouille. Which requires harissa, so let's start there:
To make harissa, get about 115g of dried chillies. This is more than you think it is: dried chillies are light. Soak them in boiling water for half an hour or so. Then fish them out, but don't throw away the water. The recipe says destem and deseed them, but I didn't bother. I just chopped them up and threw them in the blender. But if you want to do it the proper way, go ahead. I'll wait.
Done? Cool.
Throw into a food processor, along with a clove (or two or three) of garlic, chopped.
Toast up a tablespoon of coriander seeds, half a tablespoon of caraway seeds and a tablespoon of black peppercorns. Then grind them up and throw them in the food processor too. along with half a tablespoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of olive oil and 3 tablespoons of vinegar. Whirrrrrr it till it becomes a paste. Add some of the chilli water if it's too thick.
Now you have harissa! Well done. It's really good on cheese sandwiches. I tell you this, because you will have leftovers!
Right, now make the rouille.
Pour two tablespoons of boiling water over 10 saffron threads. Leave for 15 minutes. Beat two egg yolks, and slowly dribble part of 300ml of sunflower oil in until it binds. When it starts to thicken, add a tablespoon of dijon mustard and the juice of a lemon. Mix what's left of the sunflower oil with 300ml of olive oil. and add it slowly and steadily while blending until you have a good thick mayonnaise. Add the saffron strands and its water, and as much harissa as you wish (depending on how hot you want it).
This stuff is so good. Seriously. NOM.
Next bit: make some crouts.
Cut a bagette into 1 cm slices brush with olive oil, and bake in an oven. Check them often, because they burn quickly!!
Do some prep:
Peel some prawns, bash up a crab. Peel and fillet some white fish (or just deskin some fillets). Peel and chop some onion and garlic, dice up a fennel head, Trim and chop celery and leek. Peel and chop some carrots, and dice up some peeled potatoes. Chop up some parsley.
Got any room on your kitchen surfaces? Well done! I hadn't, at this point.
Now, finally, we get to the soup part!
In a very large saucepan, saute the onions and garlic. Add the bashed up hen crab, and any fishie bits you have leftover - prawn shells, crab shells, fish skin, the works. Throw it all in. Add all the vegetables, and a can of tomato. Also some thyme, parsley, bay leaves and orange peel (I used grated zest). Pour in half a bottle of dry white wine. Yes, really. And 1.5 litres of boiling water. Bring to the boil, and then simmer for half an hour.
Drain through a sieve, leaving all those veggies and fishy bits behind. You only want the liquid. Don't be afraid to squeeze the liquid out of the bits. Taste and season.
This stock is totally amazing, though it hurt my heart to throw out all those veggies. But I said I'd follow the recipe, so I did.
Anyway. Finally, cut up some tomatoes and throw them in the broth. Add 16 saffron strands, and a tablespoon of some sort of anise alcohol. The recipe says Pernod, Pastis or Arak, but we just soaked some star anise in vodka for a day or two, and that worked just fine.
Add fish fillets and prawns. Cook just long enough for them to be done.
Still with me? We're nearly there.
To serve:
Ladle the broth and fish into bowls. Scatter on some parsley. Spoon the rouille onto the crouts and float them on the broth. Add some grated gruyere, and be amazed.
This recipe is really high maintenance. It was a MISSION to make.
But wow. Totally frikkin' amazing. SO tasty. NOM.
Ratings:
Me: OMIGOD DELICIOUS.
Husband: WOW YUM AMAZING.
(We really enjoyed this. ;)
Pumpkin Soup with beer bread
This recipe is the first in A Kitchen Safari. This book is gorgeous, and a one-way trip to homesickville for me.
The recipe is very straightforward. Cut up a pumpkin. Simmer in chicken stock.
I will admit that I roasted it first, whole, for about an hour in a medium oven. Softens it up, makes it a lot easier to cut up. I also think it adds to the flavour. Anyway.
Add leeks and a couple of potatoes. And then, the recipe says, "For fun, add any or a combination of the following:" and lists a whole big bunch of things.
I added curry powder and cumin.
Puree, season, eat.
I'm not putting the recipe for beer bread, because we know from experience that the one in the book doesn't work, and because husband made it and it was fabulous just like his bread always is. Mostly, though, because I don't know the recipe he used off the top of my head. :)
So, um, serve with your best homemade bread! ;)
Deeeelicious.
The recipe is very straightforward. Cut up a pumpkin. Simmer in chicken stock.
I will admit that I roasted it first, whole, for about an hour in a medium oven. Softens it up, makes it a lot easier to cut up. I also think it adds to the flavour. Anyway.
Add leeks and a couple of potatoes. And then, the recipe says, "For fun, add any or a combination of the following:" and lists a whole big bunch of things.
I added curry powder and cumin.
Puree, season, eat.
I'm not putting the recipe for beer bread, because we know from experience that the one in the book doesn't work, and because husband made it and it was fabulous just like his bread always is. Mostly, though, because I don't know the recipe he used off the top of my head. :)
So, um, serve with your best homemade bread! ;)
Deeeelicious.
Tuesday, 6 December 2011
Chicken and Prawn noodle broth
This one is more or less a "what it says on the can" thing. Though I played fast and loose with the recipe.
A bunch of chicken stock, some sliced chicken thighs (the recipe said breasts, but I like thighs). The recipe said throw in bok choi, but there was none at the shop, so I used some cabbage and spinach and bean sprouts because that's what we had in the fridge.
Simmer away for a bit, throw in some herbs (I used coriander), drop the prawns in once the chicken is basically done. Add some cooked egg noodles.
Tada!
It was ok. It didn't blow my mind with it's amazingness but it was quite respectable.
Ratings:
Me: Thumbs up
Husband: Thumbs up
A bunch of chicken stock, some sliced chicken thighs (the recipe said breasts, but I like thighs). The recipe said throw in bok choi, but there was none at the shop, so I used some cabbage and spinach and bean sprouts because that's what we had in the fridge.
Simmer away for a bit, throw in some herbs (I used coriander), drop the prawns in once the chicken is basically done. Add some cooked egg noodles.
Tada!
It was ok. It didn't blow my mind with it's amazingness but it was quite respectable.
Ratings:
Me: Thumbs up
Husband: Thumbs up
Saturday, 5 November 2011
Ginger, Tofu and noodle soup
This comes out of a book titled "Country Cooking". Which country? I don't know. Possibly it means "generalised peasant food", but it's hard to be sure.
I had my doubts about this one. I have never been a fan of tofu, and my experiences with bamboo shoots (for which the recipe called) has been mixed at best.
Still, we figured we'd give it as authentic a go as we could. Off we went to one of the Asian supermarkets in town to try and procure as close to the Real ingredients as is possible to get in Dunedin. We found sesame oil, which YUM. And tofu. And fresh (or close enough - vacuum packed in a fridge as opposed to in a can) bamboo shoots.
Those were the tipping point for this recipe for me.
I'm still unimpressed by tofu. It tastes like tasteless foamy rubber to me, and I just can't get on its side. Sorry.
But those bamboos! Oh my. WHAT a difference from the canned ones we've used in the past. They were succulent and tasty and amazing. And they turned this soup into a win for me.
In fact, despite my initial scepticism, this was a win all round. Everyone, even the fussy eater of the house, enjoyed it.
This is why I'm doing this. Because there's no way I would have even made it if it weren't for this little experiment. :) Now I know.
Of course, we couldn't agree on what would improve it. I said lose the tofu, add more veggies in general. (It pretty much only had the bamboo, celery and onion. And some basil.)
Fussy Teen wanted more noodles, and less bamboo.
Occasional Student wanted more. Just in general. More of everything. He was keen on the tofu though.
And husband liked it. :)
Generally, one I'd make again, though I would probably adjust the recipe. Lose the tofu. I'm the cook - my way wins!!
Ratings:
Me: Tentative thumbs up
Husband who loves food: Thumbs up
Incredibly fussy teen: Thumbs up
Occasional hungry student: Thumbs up
Monday, 24 October 2011
Almond and Roquefort Soup with Cheese Profiteroles
Today's recipe was from one of those generic all purpose cookbooks every house collects. I glanced at it and thought, oh yeah. That'll be a good lunch time dish. Looks kind of quick and easy.
LESSON ONE: Read the recipe properly!!
It was full of secret hurdles. Such as "Immeadiately and without hesitation stir in the cheese you obviously already grated due to being a mindreader! Follow it with rapidity and speed (yes! Both!) with the sesame seeds you already toasted for the same reason!!!" Um. I didn't read the recipe in advance. Bad Jax. Therefore there was significant swearing and cursing and rushing around in the kitchen to do these preparatory things which I should have done already.
LESSON TWO: Learn the non metric system. (Or only buy books that use metric in future.)
"Three ounces of cheese? AAAAALEC... How much is three ounces? Crap. Oh well, I'll just chuck it all in."
Ahem. I think maybe I put too much Roquefort in. Also, it wasn't actually Roquefort, it was some sort of New Zealand blue vein cheese, cos we couldn't find Roquefort in our little supermarket. It didn't end up being that strong though, so I guess it was alright.
LESSON THREE: There is no such thing as too much cayenne pepper, cheese or garlic.
No, really. I promise. I meant the profiteroles to have that chilli kick. Ahem.
---
This recipe is not for the faint of heart. Nor is it for dieters, people with dairy issues, or probably anyone else who values health over taste. It's mostly cheese and milk. With some flour. And some spices. Pretty much all fat.
But, dude. DUDE. When that profiterole is melting and gooey in your mouth surrounded by the creamy wonder that is the almond and blue cheese soup, it is HEAVEN.
Heaven. In my mouth. For realz.
NOM.
Thumbs up all round. (By which I mean me and the husband. No one else tried it)
Next up: I believe it is a tofu and ginger noodle soup. Hm. I have never been a fan of tofu, so we'll see how that goes.
Monday, 17 October 2011
Pea soup and Mercian Salad
*dusts off blog*
So, I finally got our cookbooks on a shelf in the kitchen where they belong. I also seem to have found my round tuits, with the help of a little Android App called Astrid which is the electronic to do list I have been searching for for years. /plug.
So, I am going to try and finally do this little cooking project I have been planning on for ages. What it entails is working my way through the books, and cooking everything in them. Starting with the first recipe in the first book, then the first recipe in the second book, and so on, till I get to the end of the shelf and cycle back around.
Yes, I realise this will take me a LONG time. We're aiming for one a week, but some weeks (like this one!) we might just achieve more than that.
The first book on the shelf is a "Best of Floyd", so you can imagine my surprise and disappointment when it didn't have even a smidge of alcohol in it! (I really hope you all know about Floyd, or that will make no sense.)
It's a mint and pea soup. Pretty basic, cream, stock, mint and peas. Some butter, some seasoning. I even made proper real stock from a chicken carcass from the night before, cos I was feeling all culinary. Very easy, very basic recipe.
I'm not sure I've ever actually had pea soup before. I was less than impressed at first. It wasn't as minty as I expected it to be (even though I used FRESH MINT! From the GARDEN! As instructed.), but it grew on me. Kind of delicate. I love peas, so that helps.
We ate the leftovers the following day and it had thickened up a bit and was much nicer. The recipe certainly didn't say "Let it rest for a day", but it seemed to have improved it.
Ratings:
Me: Tentative thumbs up
Husband who loves food: Thumbs up
Incredibly fussy teen: Meh
Occasional hungry student: Thumbs up
The Mercian Salad comes out of a Spanish cookbook, and was actually made by the husband and said occasional student, who was here for dinner. I was otherwise occupied with the baby.
It's basically a salad made of roasted veggies - eggplant, onion, red pepper, garlic. There is about a ton of olive oil involved and some lemon juice, I think.
It was very similar to a Catalan dish that the boys make when we barbeque, except instead of cooking the veg over a fire, they're roasted in the oven. So it wasn't as exotic to us as it might have been. Nevertheless, it is one of my favourite things. Roast veggie salad, eaten cold. NOMNOMNOM. Also, you know, Mediterranean food for the win.
Me: Thumbs up
Husband who loves food: Thumbs up
Incredible fussy teen: Thumbs down
Occasional hungry student: Thumbs up
Next up: Almond and Roquefort Soup with Cheese Profiteroles. Mmmmm.
So, I finally got our cookbooks on a shelf in the kitchen where they belong. I also seem to have found my round tuits, with the help of a little Android App called Astrid which is the electronic to do list I have been searching for for years. /plug.
So, I am going to try and finally do this little cooking project I have been planning on for ages. What it entails is working my way through the books, and cooking everything in them. Starting with the first recipe in the first book, then the first recipe in the second book, and so on, till I get to the end of the shelf and cycle back around.
Yes, I realise this will take me a LONG time. We're aiming for one a week, but some weeks (like this one!) we might just achieve more than that.
The first book on the shelf is a "Best of Floyd", so you can imagine my surprise and disappointment when it didn't have even a smidge of alcohol in it! (I really hope you all know about Floyd, or that will make no sense.)
It's a mint and pea soup. Pretty basic, cream, stock, mint and peas. Some butter, some seasoning. I even made proper real stock from a chicken carcass from the night before, cos I was feeling all culinary. Very easy, very basic recipe.
I'm not sure I've ever actually had pea soup before. I was less than impressed at first. It wasn't as minty as I expected it to be (even though I used FRESH MINT! From the GARDEN! As instructed.), but it grew on me. Kind of delicate. I love peas, so that helps.
We ate the leftovers the following day and it had thickened up a bit and was much nicer. The recipe certainly didn't say "Let it rest for a day", but it seemed to have improved it.
Ratings:
Me: Tentative thumbs up
Husband who loves food: Thumbs up
Incredibly fussy teen: Meh
Occasional hungry student: Thumbs up
The Mercian Salad comes out of a Spanish cookbook, and was actually made by the husband and said occasional student, who was here for dinner. I was otherwise occupied with the baby.
It's basically a salad made of roasted veggies - eggplant, onion, red pepper, garlic. There is about a ton of olive oil involved and some lemon juice, I think.
It was very similar to a Catalan dish that the boys make when we barbeque, except instead of cooking the veg over a fire, they're roasted in the oven. So it wasn't as exotic to us as it might have been. Nevertheless, it is one of my favourite things. Roast veggie salad, eaten cold. NOMNOMNOM. Also, you know, Mediterranean food for the win.
Me: Thumbs up
Husband who loves food: Thumbs up
Incredible fussy teen: Thumbs down
Occasional hungry student: Thumbs up
Next up: Almond and Roquefort Soup with Cheese Profiteroles. Mmmmm.
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