Yups, I'm doing NaNoWriMo this year, I'm now officially crazy :p
For those who don't know what NaNoWriMo is, it stands for National Novel Writing Month and basically about 170,000 people all over the world are attempting to write a 50,000 (or more) word novel in a month.
Why? Because we can.
You can find my profile here, feel free to leave a message. As soon as I have a plot and I title I will post it there but for now, I'm just going with the flow...
Tuesday 2 November 2010
Monday 25 October 2010
Things I saw...
...on my way home from school today.
1. No less than 5 ambulances.
2. 4 guys each wearing a different part of a santa claus costume.
3. A guy brushing his teeth while riding a bike.
4. A kid dressed as a blue power ranger.
5. A dog carrying a bread bag that seemed to contain a bread, too.
6. A toddler staring at some dog poo on the sidewalk with huge fascination and it definitely wanted to pick it up. I wonder if it did...
7. BArbie's car.
8. A guy riding a bike wearing nothing but a dressing robe (this was very gross).
9. The white power ranger.
1. No less than 5 ambulances.
2. 4 guys each wearing a different part of a santa claus costume.
3. A guy brushing his teeth while riding a bike.
4. A kid dressed as a blue power ranger.
5. A dog carrying a bread bag that seemed to contain a bread, too.
6. A toddler staring at some dog poo on the sidewalk with huge fascination and it definitely wanted to pick it up. I wonder if it did...
7. BArbie's car.
8. A guy riding a bike wearing nothing but a dressing robe (this was very gross).
9. The white power ranger.
Sunday 24 October 2010
Byrd
This lovely old lady is Byrd, she is somehow related to the pigeon but nobody knows the exact relation. Despite her old age she has very good sight and hearing as well as a good memory. The only thing she sometimes forgets (on purpose maybe) is that she's married to Bryn.
Sunday 12 September 2010
Seven things you didn't know about me
Normally I don't do this kind of things but seeing as several people tagged me I figured I'd fill this in for once. The idea is simple. I just write down seven things you (hopefully) didn't know about me already. Simple, right?
1. I never wear gloves while cooking except for when I'm slicing or cleaning chicken filet. I absolutely hate the feeling of raw chicken filet and how it sticks to your hands so I avoid this by wearing a rubber glove. I don't have this problem with meat or fish, only with chicken.
2. My ideal job would be baker or chocolatier.
3. Secretly (okay not really) I'm a HUGE fan of the Studio 100 musicals; particularly the Piet Piraat ones. I own them all on DVD even though they're really meant for kids. They are however brilliant and hillarious. In fact, I'm going to watch one of them now ^^
4. My room is an absolute mess at the moment. My annual after-exam-cleaning is looooooooooooong overdue.
5. I'm more homesick for Australia now than I ever was for home when I was there (or anywhere else for that matter). Odd, isn't it..
6. I own around 40 pairs of earrings, not including the pairs of which I lost one. I also own a bunch of necklaces and pendants but I always wear the same one. My lovely boyfriend gave it to me and I feel weird without it.
7. My bike has a flat tyre. It has been flat for over two years. Yes I am ashamed of this..
So there you go, seven things you (hopefully) didn't know about me. I'm not going to tag anyone but feel free to do one of these yourself :)
Oh my...
It seems to have been ages since I last posted something.. I'v been quite busy so it's time for a speedy upodate.
First of all the cooking challenge. I did finish it but I forgot to post the recipes. Apart from that I've just been busy with school, exams and work. Regular classes start again in a week so things should hopefully go back to normal then :)
First of all the cooking challenge. I did finish it but I forgot to post the recipes. Apart from that I've just been busy with school, exams and work. Regular classes start again in a week so things should hopefully go back to normal then :)
Saturday 8 May 2010
Week 32: Spice Cake
This is a variation to the classical 4/4 cake (quatre quarts). You start by taking four eggs and beating them an equal amount of sugar (roughly 50 grams per egg) and about a tablespoon of cinnamon, one tablespoon of ground cloves, one tablespoon of ground coriander seedsand one tablespoon of ground cardemom (pretty much the same as in Aachener Printen). Add the same amount of butter (again, about 50 grams per egg) and then mix in the same amount of self-raising flour.
pour the batter into a greaed and floured cake tin and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200ºC for 45-60 minutes depending on the type of cake tin you use.
pour the batter into a greaed and floured cake tin and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200ºC for 45-60 minutes depending on the type of cake tin you use.
Week 31: Aubergine soup
You start by frying two red onions and two cloves of garlic in some olive oil. Add 2 medium sized aubergines and sautée for a few minutes. Pour in fur cups of chicken broth and two cups of tomato juice. Add Thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Leave this all to simmer for about half an hour and sprinkle some grated (or chopped in my case) mozzarella over your plate before serving. Yumm!
Week 30: Turkey tajine
I just realised that I haven't been posting my recipes for the past five weeks... Oops, sorry!
First off we have another dish in the tajine. You start by heating four tablespoons of olive oil and baking 600 grams of turkey filet (diced). When the turkey has browned on all sides, add one chopped onion, two cloves of garlic, about two cm of grated ginger, half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, the juice and zeste of half a lemon, one tablespoon of cumin powder, half a tablespoon of brown sugar and half a tablespoon of salt. Stir this all together and add two green capsicums (cut into strips) and 500 grams of peeled potatoes (You need the little ones though). Add enough water to just cover everything crumble a chicken broth cube over this all and let simmer for 25 minutes (with the lid on it, ofcourse).
Finish off with some fresh coriander and enjoy!
First off we have another dish in the tajine. You start by heating four tablespoons of olive oil and baking 600 grams of turkey filet (diced). When the turkey has browned on all sides, add one chopped onion, two cloves of garlic, about two cm of grated ginger, half a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, the juice and zeste of half a lemon, one tablespoon of cumin powder, half a tablespoon of brown sugar and half a tablespoon of salt. Stir this all together and add two green capsicums (cut into strips) and 500 grams of peeled potatoes (You need the little ones though). Add enough water to just cover everything crumble a chicken broth cube over this all and let simmer for 25 minutes (with the lid on it, ofcourse).
Finish off with some fresh coriander and enjoy!
Friday 9 April 2010
Week 29: Onion Rings
Not a personal favourite but one of my friends wanted me to make them for her. They're quite easy to make though. You start by taking one large onion (or more depending on the amount of batter you make), peeling it and slicing it into thick rings.
for the batter you need to take one cup of flour, 2 teaspoons of salt, one and a half teaspoon of baking powder, one egg, 2/3 cup of milk and one tablespoon vegetable oil. combine all of these ingredients into a sticky batter and throw in the onion. Heat your frying pan to about 190°C and fry the onion rings until they're golden brown. I wouldn't recommend frying all of them at once because they will stick and this will make it more difficult to eat them.
for the batter you need to take one cup of flour, 2 teaspoons of salt, one and a half teaspoon of baking powder, one egg, 2/3 cup of milk and one tablespoon vegetable oil. combine all of these ingredients into a sticky batter and throw in the onion. Heat your frying pan to about 190°C and fry the onion rings until they're golden brown. I wouldn't recommend frying all of them at once because they will stick and this will make it more difficult to eat them.
Monday 29 March 2010
Week 28: Leek Crumble
This dish sounds weird but it is absolutely delicious and very easily altered. This is the basic recipe but you can easily replace the leek with zucchini or mushrooms or... or you could use the crumble on top of a ratatouille! Very versatile recipe and oddly enough very tasty.
You start by making the crumble itself. You need to mix 200 grams of flour, 150 grams of soft butter (not melted!) and 100 grams of Parmesan cheese (pulverized). Now depending on the type of flour you use you might have to add more flour or butter. Some types of flour simply absorb more butter than others. You want to have something that crumbles in your hands when you try to make a ball of it but it has to still stick together in small clumps (are you still with me? I'm confusing myself here)
Set that aside and chop 3 sticks of leek in fairly thin rings as well as a red onion. Sauté all of this in some butter. When the leek starts to soften add some water, milk and a vegetable stock cube. Leave this to simmer for another minute or two and then add a bit of soy cream (or regular if you prefer that) and some salt and pepper. Add a handful of grated cheese and see if the sauce is binding well. If not add some cornstarch dissolved in water. You want the sauce to be quite thick or else the crumble will suck up all the liquid in the sauce and turn into a layer of dough instead of the nice dry crumble we want.
Pour the leek mixture into an oven dish and sprinkle the crumble mixture on top (you will not need all of this. Refrigerate the rest and use it some other time, it will easily last a week in a closed container).
Bake in a preheated oven at 180° for about 15 minutes (or until the crumble is baked dry and golden) and enjoy!
You start by making the crumble itself. You need to mix 200 grams of flour, 150 grams of soft butter (not melted!) and 100 grams of Parmesan cheese (pulverized). Now depending on the type of flour you use you might have to add more flour or butter. Some types of flour simply absorb more butter than others. You want to have something that crumbles in your hands when you try to make a ball of it but it has to still stick together in small clumps (are you still with me? I'm confusing myself here)
Set that aside and chop 3 sticks of leek in fairly thin rings as well as a red onion. Sauté all of this in some butter. When the leek starts to soften add some water, milk and a vegetable stock cube. Leave this to simmer for another minute or two and then add a bit of soy cream (or regular if you prefer that) and some salt and pepper. Add a handful of grated cheese and see if the sauce is binding well. If not add some cornstarch dissolved in water. You want the sauce to be quite thick or else the crumble will suck up all the liquid in the sauce and turn into a layer of dough instead of the nice dry crumble we want.
Pour the leek mixture into an oven dish and sprinkle the crumble mixture on top (you will not need all of this. Refrigerate the rest and use it some other time, it will easily last a week in a closed container).
Bake in a preheated oven at 180° for about 15 minutes (or until the crumble is baked dry and golden) and enjoy!
Friday 19 March 2010
Week 27: Beef Stroganoff
This is absolutely delicious! You have to try it sometime.
You start by taking 500-600 grams of beef (typically you would use filet but I used the same meat I use for Stoofvlees, the harder parts) and cutting it into strips of about half a cm thick. Set aside.
Combine one and a half tablespoons of mustard (mine is very spicy so use more if yours isn't), a quarter teaspoon salt, one tablespoon flour and one tablespoon water to form a smooth mixture and set aside.
Fry two onions (cut into thin rings)in two tablespoons of oil. Lower the fire a bit and add 250 grams of sliced mushrooms. Fry this for 4-5 minutes and set aside.
Fry the meat in another two tablespoons of oil until cooked through. Add 125 ml of beef stock and lower the fire. Add the mushroom mixture and stir well. Add the mustard mixture and stir until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Put the fire as low as you can and add 200 ml of sour cream. Stir well and serve!
Great with potatoes!
You start by taking 500-600 grams of beef (typically you would use filet but I used the same meat I use for Stoofvlees, the harder parts) and cutting it into strips of about half a cm thick. Set aside.
Combine one and a half tablespoons of mustard (mine is very spicy so use more if yours isn't), a quarter teaspoon salt, one tablespoon flour and one tablespoon water to form a smooth mixture and set aside.
Fry two onions (cut into thin rings)in two tablespoons of oil. Lower the fire a bit and add 250 grams of sliced mushrooms. Fry this for 4-5 minutes and set aside.
Fry the meat in another two tablespoons of oil until cooked through. Add 125 ml of beef stock and lower the fire. Add the mushroom mixture and stir well. Add the mustard mixture and stir until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. Put the fire as low as you can and add 200 ml of sour cream. Stir well and serve!
Great with potatoes!
Monday 15 March 2010
Week 26: Green gazpacho
I won't bother to type out the recipe this week cause it failed. I don't know why though, I followed the recipe exactly but I ended up with some weird green cucumber mush rather than soup.
Ah well, let's hope for more success this week.
Ah well, let's hope for more success this week.
Friday 5 March 2010
Week 25: Flambéed vegetables
This week I did something I had never done before (and I had a wet towel with me at all times :p) I flambéed something! It was all quite easy actually and quite tasty too.
You start by cutting one carrot, one medium-sized zucchini and one onion in thin strips (julienne) as well as dicing three tomatoes. Sautée all the veggies in some butter for a few minutes and add 100 ml of Ricard (or another anise flavoured liquor) and then set it on fire (I shouldn't be this excited about this part). Leave it to burn out and then add 100-150 ml of vegetable stock. Leave to reduce until you have a thick sauce and season with pepper and salt. If you don't have enough sauce you can add some ketchup to compensate. In the end I added some salted capers but this was totally a spur of the moment thing.
I had this with rice and some sautéed spinach but I'm actually thinking it would be great with fish or prawns.
You have to be careful with dishes like this though, if you have an extractor hood (or whatever it's called) remember to switch it off and keep an eye on the flames all the time. We don't want any kitchens catching fire, now do we?
You start by cutting one carrot, one medium-sized zucchini and one onion in thin strips (julienne) as well as dicing three tomatoes. Sautée all the veggies in some butter for a few minutes and add 100 ml of Ricard (or another anise flavoured liquor) and then set it on fire (I shouldn't be this excited about this part). Leave it to burn out and then add 100-150 ml of vegetable stock. Leave to reduce until you have a thick sauce and season with pepper and salt. If you don't have enough sauce you can add some ketchup to compensate. In the end I added some salted capers but this was totally a spur of the moment thing.
I had this with rice and some sautéed spinach but I'm actually thinking it would be great with fish or prawns.
You have to be careful with dishes like this though, if you have an extractor hood (or whatever it's called) remember to switch it off and keep an eye on the flames all the time. We don't want any kitchens catching fire, now do we?
Sunday 28 February 2010
Week 24: Mushrooms à la Grecque with a twist
This week I made a variation to a classic. Start by taking half a kg of mushrooms and snapping of the stems. Depending on the size of them cut them in half or quarters and sauté them in some olive oil. Add three fairly large tomatoes that have been coarsely chopped. Add two chopped up cloves of garlic, one tablespoon of tomato purée, one tablespoon of ketchup, one tablespoon of cilantro seeds, about 20 green olives (in slices), one teaspoon of white wine vinegar and one teaspoon of lemon juice. Let this simmer for a while until you get a nice tomato sauce.
Now here's the twist. Traditionally you would let this cool in the fridge and serve. What I did was add about 300 grams of coarsely chopped spinach (a little bit at a time) and serve it warm. It adds a whole new dimension and it's totally yummy ^^
Now here's the twist. Traditionally you would let this cool in the fridge and serve. What I did was add about 300 grams of coarsely chopped spinach (a little bit at a time) and serve it warm. It adds a whole new dimension and it's totally yummy ^^
Wednesday 17 February 2010
Week 23: Vegan Celery Curry
Start by chopping up one onion and 250 grams of mushrooms, take an equal amount (in size) of celery and chop that up too. Sauté all of this in a cooking pot with some olive oil for a few minutes. Add some sage, salt and pepper, half a teaspoon of hot curry and some soy sauce. Add 50 cl of white wine and 100 cl of low-fat soy cream and leave to thicken for a few more minutes.
Just before serving add 5 chopped up slices of tinned pineapple and leave on the stove for another minute and then it's done!
Easy, fairly quick, yummy and vegan :D Goes great with rice!
Just before serving add 5 chopped up slices of tinned pineapple and leave on the stove for another minute and then it's done!
Easy, fairly quick, yummy and vegan :D Goes great with rice!
Week 22: Zucchini-Potato Casserole
Woops, forgot to post this last week. It's a very simply yet delicious dish. You start by taking 250 grams of boiled potatoes and 250 grams of zucchini and slicing them (not too thinly) and placing them (alternatively) in a greased in quichedish. Chop up two cloves of garlic and mix them with 250 cl of cream, salt and pepper and teragon. Pour this over the potatoes and zucchini and sprinkle with some cheese.
Bake in a preheated oven at 220°C for 20 to 25 minutes (until the cheese has been grilled nicely).
Very easy and very delicious!
Bake in a preheated oven at 220°C for 20 to 25 minutes (until the cheese has been grilled nicely).
Very easy and very delicious!
Monday 8 February 2010
Religious Books: Bhagavad Gita
I finally finished reading the Bhagavad Gita! It took me about 4 months although that seems like more than it actually is seeing as I only read it on the tram on my way to school and only on the days where I could still fit the book in my bag with all my school stuff.To be honest I'm slightly disappointed. I expected it to be a more gentle book with less harsh and strict guidelines but in the end it's just another way to justify the distinction between the socia classes (obviously in favour of the rich). The story is quite simple, God (in the form of Krishna) speaks to Arjuna on the battlefield of Kuruksetra where he is leading his troups against his own family (but they have stolen the throne from him so it's all justified apparently). Arjuna doesn't want to fight because he doesn't want to hurt his family and because he thinks it's wrong to kill (which it is in my opinion). Krishna then tells him that we should live according to the prescriptions of our class, therefore Arjuna, being a ksatriya or warrior, should fight, it his his duty. Krishna also tells him the story of birth and rebirth, aka reincarnation, and says that death is like changing clothes so Arjuna killing his family and friends is fine because they'll just get reborn anyway. Only those who always think of Him (Krishna) and meditate and do their prescribed duties will eventually reach Krishna's planet.
This is basically the base of Hinduism as it is constantly repeated throughout the book. Worship Krishna and do your prescribed duties and Krishna will love you and you well get the chance to join him on his planet.
Another constantly repeated item is that Krishna is everywhere (like literally). He is in all of us in the form of our soul (or atman). Interisting is that they define how large our soul is (one hundreth of one hundreth of the tip of a hair) but not where it is situated (although it is most likely in the stomach seeing as Krishna is apparently the stomach of the universe making everything function properly).
Basically, I think the Gita was written by a rich prince or something similar to keep the poor people from starting a riot and taking over the country. Just like with any other religion it's something to trick the minds of people into believing that 'God' gave everything they have and that they should be grateful for it, live the way they should and shut up. I'm all for being grateful for what you have but not grateful towards anyone vague up on some strange planet.
That said there is some good stuff in it too. After all, yoga is based on the hinduistic scriptures (though hardly mentioned in the Gita) and even though Krishna thinks those who perform yoga for the physical benefits are idiots I still think it's quite enjoyable and soothing. I also liked the part about reincarnation despite it being a mere attribute to justify Arjuna's war.
I could never be a true hinduist though (partially cause that would mean abstinence), in my opinion there are more interesting people and things to think of than Krishna and there are far too much goals to reach to just sit back and do my prescribed duty without the ambition to go places. But hey, I could be wrong, after all there are millions of hinduists all over the world...
Saturday 6 February 2010
Week 21: Cannelloni
Another cannelloni recipe this week but a regular, non vegetarian one. You start by taking one chopped up onion and frying it in some olive oil with a crushed and finely chopped clove of garlic. Add 500 grams of minced meat (I prefer chicken but any type will do I suppose) and fry it so it gets nice and crumbly. Add one grated carrot and three chopped tomatoes and fry this for a few minutes, add 25 grams of butter and 90 ml of cream. Let thicken (add some cornstarch if needed) and cool down once done.
Next you need to prepare a bechamel sauce with 50 grams of butter (I've explained how to do that before) and then you have a choice. Originally the recipe said to use plain bechamel sauce but I personally think a cheese sauce would taste much better. Try not to let this cool down as it will thicken and it won't be easy to use later on. Prepare your pasta according to the directions (ideally you'd have cannelloni that doesn't need pre-cooking as it is the easiest to fill) and spread a good layer of cheese/bechamel sauce in your oven dish. Fill the cannelloni with the meat/tomato sauce and place them on top of the cheese/bechamel sauce. Finish off with the rest of the cheese/bechamel sauce and some additional grated cheese.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 190°C for 40 minutes and you're done.
As you've probably noticed this is a dish that requires a fair bit of time but it is absolutely delicious and so worth it! (Unless you're lazy and prefer store-bought microwave stuff)
Next you need to prepare a bechamel sauce with 50 grams of butter (I've explained how to do that before) and then you have a choice. Originally the recipe said to use plain bechamel sauce but I personally think a cheese sauce would taste much better. Try not to let this cool down as it will thicken and it won't be easy to use later on. Prepare your pasta according to the directions (ideally you'd have cannelloni that doesn't need pre-cooking as it is the easiest to fill) and spread a good layer of cheese/bechamel sauce in your oven dish. Fill the cannelloni with the meat/tomato sauce and place them on top of the cheese/bechamel sauce. Finish off with the rest of the cheese/bechamel sauce and some additional grated cheese.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 190°C for 40 minutes and you're done.
As you've probably noticed this is a dish that requires a fair bit of time but it is absolutely delicious and so worth it! (Unless you're lazy and prefer store-bought microwave stuff)
Friday 29 January 2010
Week 20: Carrot and honey soup
This may sound weird but it's absolutely delicious. You strt by taking two leeks and 800 grams of carrots and coarsely chopping them. Sauté the leek for a few minutes and then add the carrots, and one bayleaf. Leave to sauté for a few more minutes and add two and a half liter of vegetable stock and leave to simmer for about half an hour. Mix the whole thing and at two tablespoons of honey.
Make sure to not let the soup boil after you've added the honey as it will burn and lose all its awesomely healthy qualities. If you want you can add a tablespoon of cream right before serving but I don't think the soup really needs it.
Make sure to not let the soup boil after you've added the honey as it will burn and lose all its awesomely healthy qualities. If you want you can add a tablespoon of cream right before serving but I don't think the soup really needs it.
Tuesday 26 January 2010
Week 19: Goat milk cheese and zucchini pasta
Very easy but tasty dish this week. Start by boiling your pasta, drain but keep one cup of the cookin liquid. Meanwhile take one medium-sized zucchini and cut it into thin half circles. Fry the zucchini in some oil with some salt, pepper and terragon. Fry until the zucchini is cooked and soft. Take the cup of cooking liquid you kept and add 125-150 grams of goat milk cheese. I recommend using one that tastes a little bit stronger for a richer sauce. Stir in de cheese until it dissolves (this will smell quite weird) and then add the pasta again and keep stirring until the sauce is nice and creamy. Obviously you can add all the spices you want here but I liked it nice and clean so you can taste the cheese well. Serve with the zucchini and some extra goat milk cheese or parmigiano.
Thursday 14 January 2010
Prawn-melon salad
Seeing as Dani wanted to see more of my own recipes I'll post one right now. It's incredibly easy, incredibly healthy and even more delicious.
You start by taking some prawns (I had a few left from last week) and cleaning them the same way. Then you take about a table spoon of neutral oil (I used sunflower seed oil) and add a bunch of your favourite spices (I cheated and used a stirfry mix I have but obviously you can just add whatever you like). Mix this well and coat the prawns, let set in the fridge for two to three hours.
While the prawns are marinating, take one Galia melon and dice the flesh (or make melon balls if you prefer them). Take a seep plate and put some rocket salad on the bottom, put the melon balls on top of the salad and start frying your prawns in some more of the sunflower seed oil until fully cooked. Add your prawns to your plate and add a bit of freshly ground pepper.
Voila! A weird combination but it's absolutely delicious.
You start by taking some prawns (I had a few left from last week) and cleaning them the same way. Then you take about a table spoon of neutral oil (I used sunflower seed oil) and add a bunch of your favourite spices (I cheated and used a stirfry mix I have but obviously you can just add whatever you like). Mix this well and coat the prawns, let set in the fridge for two to three hours.
While the prawns are marinating, take one Galia melon and dice the flesh (or make melon balls if you prefer them). Take a seep plate and put some rocket salad on the bottom, put the melon balls on top of the salad and start frying your prawns in some more of the sunflower seed oil until fully cooked. Add your prawns to your plate and add a bit of freshly ground pepper.
Voila! A weird combination but it's absolutely delicious.
Monday 11 January 2010
Week 18: Aubergine soufflé
This week (I actually prepared the recipe in advance this week for once but sssshhh) one of my friends said I couldn't make a soufflé. Obviously I was left with no other choice than to prove him wrong which I did almost straight away.
You start by taking one fairly small aubergine (about 250 to 300 grams is perfect) and peeling and dicing it. Bring one liter of water to a boil with a tablespoon of vinegar and boil the aubergine cubes for one to two minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.
Try to squeeze most of the water out and quickly sauté the aubergine. Add a large tablespoon of flour and make sure the aubergine is well coated with it (you're actually making a roux here but because the butter was absorbed by the aubergine you have to form it around the aubergine). You probably guessed it already but next we need to add some milk until we have a sauce of nice thickness. Season with pepper, salt and nutmeg and add around 25 grams of grated cheese. Remove your saucepan from the fire and let the mixture cool a bit. Beat two egg whites with a pinch of salt. Your aubergine mixture should have cooled enough by now for you to stir in two egg yolks and after that gently folding in the egg white (the less stirring the better).
Preheat your oven to 200°C and put your soufflé in ramekins (or teacups like I did) and put them in a large oven dish halfway filled with boiling water (au bain-marie) and bake for 25 minutes.
I don't know why it is considered a very difficult dish. It is definitely true that you need to eat it straight away because as it cools you can see it getting less and less puffy but that is fairly logical. This was the first ever time that I tried to make it and as you can see it worked like a charm. It puffed up perfectly and the taste and texture were great. Definitely worth a try!
You start by taking one fairly small aubergine (about 250 to 300 grams is perfect) and peeling and dicing it. Bring one liter of water to a boil with a tablespoon of vinegar and boil the aubergine cubes for one to two minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water.
Try to squeeze most of the water out and quickly sauté the aubergine. Add a large tablespoon of flour and make sure the aubergine is well coated with it (you're actually making a roux here but because the butter was absorbed by the aubergine you have to form it around the aubergine). You probably guessed it already but next we need to add some milk until we have a sauce of nice thickness. Season with pepper, salt and nutmeg and add around 25 grams of grated cheese. Remove your saucepan from the fire and let the mixture cool a bit. Beat two egg whites with a pinch of salt. Your aubergine mixture should have cooled enough by now for you to stir in two egg yolks and after that gently folding in the egg white (the less stirring the better).
Preheat your oven to 200°C and put your soufflé in ramekins (or teacups like I did) and put them in a large oven dish halfway filled with boiling water (au bain-marie) and bake for 25 minutes.
I don't know why it is considered a very difficult dish. It is definitely true that you need to eat it straight away because as it cools you can see it getting less and less puffy but that is fairly logical. This was the first ever time that I tried to make it and as you can see it worked like a charm. It puffed up perfectly and the taste and texture were great. Definitely worth a try!
Week 17: Spinach and Prawns
My dad bought a tajine a few weeks ago and this week I used it for the first time. It's typically used for stews and stuff but obviously I had to make something completely different (nevertheless delicious) in it.
You start obviously by taking the prawns (about 500 grams) and getting the shell (or whatever it's called) off and deveining them (scroll down for an instructional vid if you fon't know how to do that) and setting them aside again for now. Chop up two onions, a clove of garlic and two tomatoes and fry them in some olive oil in your tajine with some salt and pepper. After a few minutes add the prawns and put lemon slices on top of the prawns and top this with some cilantroand put the lid on for five to six minutes. Stir and check your if your prawns are cooked. If not, leave to simmer for a bit more until cooked. Take them out of the tajine and keep warm. Add 600 grams of chopped up spinach along with one chili pepper (without the seeds if you don't want your food to be too spicy, although this also depends on the kind of pepper you use) and stir this every once in a while until the spinach has fully shrunk down (won't take more than a few minutes). Stir in your prawns again and let simmer for another minute or so. Put the (still closed) tajine on the table (oven mitts!!!) and open to reveal the amazing aroma of this dish. No cooking pot can give you that lovely first impression of a dish...
You start obviously by taking the prawns (about 500 grams) and getting the shell (or whatever it's called) off and deveining them (scroll down for an instructional vid if you fon't know how to do that) and setting them aside again for now. Chop up two onions, a clove of garlic and two tomatoes and fry them in some olive oil in your tajine with some salt and pepper. After a few minutes add the prawns and put lemon slices on top of the prawns and top this with some cilantroand put the lid on for five to six minutes. Stir and check your if your prawns are cooked. If not, leave to simmer for a bit more until cooked. Take them out of the tajine and keep warm. Add 600 grams of chopped up spinach along with one chili pepper (without the seeds if you don't want your food to be too spicy, although this also depends on the kind of pepper you use) and stir this every once in a while until the spinach has fully shrunk down (won't take more than a few minutes). Stir in your prawns again and let simmer for another minute or so. Put the (still closed) tajine on the table (oven mitts!!!) and open to reveal the amazing aroma of this dish. No cooking pot can give you that lovely first impression of a dish...
Saturday 9 January 2010
Tuesday 5 January 2010
Week 16: Vegan Risotto
I've had some green lentils lying around in a cupboard for a while now and figured it was time to finally use them so I went looking for a recipe and found this. I modified it just a tiny bit but you'll see why later on.
You start by chopping up one and a half sticks of leek (you need about 2 cups chopped up), 1 red capsicum (about half a cup), one red onion and a clove of garlic. Sauté all of this for a few minutes and then add 3 cups of vegetable broth ,one and a quarter cup of brown rice and pepper, salt and basil. Let this all simmer for about 40 minutes while stirring every once in a while so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Meanwhile wash three quarters of a cup of green lentils and let them cook in some water (three cups water for one cup lentils) for 20 minutes. Make sure the water boils before you put in the lentils or they will stay quite hard. Drain the remaining water and add to the rice and vegetables once the 40 minutes are over. Here's where I changed it a bit, normally you would be done now but what I did was add one chilipepper and some extra curry powder to give it a bit more taste because I thought the taste was quite faint. Reheat a bit until it's piping hot (it said so in the original recipe :p) and serve with some finely grated carrots and freshly choppped parsley on top.
Hope you enjoy it!
You start by chopping up one and a half sticks of leek (you need about 2 cups chopped up), 1 red capsicum (about half a cup), one red onion and a clove of garlic. Sauté all of this for a few minutes and then add 3 cups of vegetable broth ,one and a quarter cup of brown rice and pepper, salt and basil. Let this all simmer for about 40 minutes while stirring every once in a while so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
Meanwhile wash three quarters of a cup of green lentils and let them cook in some water (three cups water for one cup lentils) for 20 minutes. Make sure the water boils before you put in the lentils or they will stay quite hard. Drain the remaining water and add to the rice and vegetables once the 40 minutes are over. Here's where I changed it a bit, normally you would be done now but what I did was add one chilipepper and some extra curry powder to give it a bit more taste because I thought the taste was quite faint. Reheat a bit until it's piping hot (it said so in the original recipe :p) and serve with some finely grated carrots and freshly choppped parsley on top.
Hope you enjoy it!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
