This soup is incredibly satisfying while still being good for you. To make it, I thinly sliced some garlic, chili pepper, red pepper and shitake mushroom, and trimmed the ends off of a bunch of snap peas. I then put a pot of vegetable stock on a burner to heat. Once the stock had started to boil I added the vegetables as well as some spinach noodles, more on those later. While everything was cooking away I shredded some Chinese cabbage and set it aside. Once the noodles were cooked (about 4-5 minutes) I scooped out the noodles and vegetables, using a slotted spoon, and put them into a bowl. I then topped it off with the shredded cabbage and poured some hot stock over the whole thing. Since the noodles and vegetables only cook for a short time they don't get too soft, and adding the cabbage right at the end makes sure that it stays nice and crunchy while you eat.
As for the noodles, they are something really special in my opinion. While living in Singapore a couple years ago I came across somthing called
"White Jade Noodles" that are a simple, light, noodle made from white flour. They were my absolute favourite addition to quick soups and the occasional stir fry, being more soft and tender than a rice noodle but without the fried taste of most Chinese noodles. And then I came back to Canada and couldn't find anything like them anywhere, and trust me, I have been looking. Then a couple days agon I stumbled upon some spinach noodles in a local grocery store that looked startlingly similar to white jade noodles. Upon reading the ingredients I found that they were almost the same, save for the addition of spinach, and snatched them up on the spot. As hoped, the noodles cooked up just the same as I remembered and I will be making a trip to the store, soon, to stock up on these in case they become scarce.
*These noodles even come pre-devided into individual serving sizes!
Random images start to form on her forehead. Like a projected screen.
*That's supposed to be a train. Seemed relevant at the time.
*Is that Woody Allen in her head?
Ingredients:
Hot Chocolate:
The squid still turned out crispy and tasty. And, to make the meal feel more complete I served it with a big leafy salad.
Maybe too much spinach?
I used the basic shepherd's pie recipe out of the classic Joy Of Cooking for this, just substituting the ground lamb the recipe calls for with ground chicken. Some other minor changes were made, including adding peas (who doesn't like peas... except my mom's dog Elmo - he hates peas), and extra seasoning to the broth.
This recipe comes from Anna Olsen's Sugar and, in my opinion, is the perfect recipe. I love my chocolate chip cookies to stay chewy and the inclusion of corn starch in the dough keeps them that way. To make these cookies you will need:
This isn't a traditional carbonara by any means, but I feel at has enough similarities to still be called one. To make the pasta I cut a handful of grape tomatoes into halves, minced one clove of garlic and tore up a couple handfuls of baby spinach. I then whisked up two eggs with a splash of cream and a handful of grated parmesan cheese, along with a bit of sea salt and black pepper. I did this while cooking up a pot of spaghetti. Once the pasta was cooked, and drained, I tossed the vegetables and garlic into the pot and mixed around til the spinach started to wilt. I put the whole thing back on medium heat on the stove and poured in the egg and cheese mixture and continued to stir. The eggs only need about a minute on some heat to coat the pasta and cook. To finish, season with some more salt and pepper if needed and serve.
Last night I tried out a recipe for beef with oyster sauce that I got from Kylie Kwong's Simple Chinese Cooking, which you can find here.
Since the roasted chicken and butternut squash recipe I made recently only called for a quarter of a squash per person, I had half of a butternut squash n my fridge needing to get eaten. My solution, make risotto!
Combine the water, rice and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes (or until the water has been absorbed. Stir in the milk and sugar and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. At this point, add the raisins, vanilla, ground cinnamon and nutmeg to taste and continue to cook over medium heat for another 10 to 20 minutes. You want the rice and milk to look like a thick porridge. Be careful that you don't over cook the mixture though, or else you will get a solid mass of rice instead of a creamy pudding once it cools. Pour the whole thing into a large bowl, or individual bowls, cover with plastic wrap (pressed down onto the pudding to prevent a skin) and leave in the fridge to set. Serve garnished with a sprinkle or cinnamon.
This fish isn't steamed in the traditional sense but it's close enough. I call this fish steamed because by cooking the fish sealed up with some liquid in a hot oven, the fish will cook in the trapped steam from the liquid. So even though it's cooked in an oven the fish stays light and moist and doesn't dry out at all.
