Pumpkin Tofu Laksa

Laksa is a noodle soup found in Malaysia and Singapore. To my unknowing mind it seemed a cross between a pho and Thai curry, but nonetheless a successful, filling, warming autumn dish.

250 g peeled de-seeded butternut squash or pumpkin cut into 1cm cubes
300 g tofu, dried and cut into large triangles
800ml Coconut milk (I used 400 ml coc. milk and 400ml soy milk)
4 tbsp light Soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
150g rice noodles (vermicelli style)

Garnishes
150g bean sprouts
1 medium tomato, cut into wedges
1/4 cucumber, quartered and sliced
coriander
mint leaves

Spice Paste
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 red chillies, deseeded and coarsely chopped
5cm ginger, peeled and grated
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
4 kaffir lime leaves, chopped

1. Make the spice paste by putting the ingredients into a blender with a few teaspoons of water and blending until very smooth
2. Put the squash into a saucepan with 500ml salted water and boil for about 10 minutes (until tender). Save the water!
3. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok or deep frying pan and fry the tofu until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper.
4. Add the spice paste to the pan and fry for two minutes. Add the sugar and soy sauce, followed by the coconut milk and squash water.
5. Bring to a boil and add the tofu and pumpkin. Simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Meanwhile put the rice noodles in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water over them. Rest for 5 minutes, then drain.
7. To serve, Each bowl should get a handful of noodles, 2 big triangles of tofu, and squash in broth to cover. Add garnishes to your own taste at the table.

Anglo Dahl

I love this dahl; the acid of the tomatoes as a counterpoint to the creaminess of coconut milk. It's never been to India in it's life, though it probably was tasted Madhur Jaffrey's wonderfulness at some point. It is not too spicy, so if you prefer hot, add some chili flakes, fresh hot pepper or cayenne to your taste.

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped in half-circles

1 tablespoon each cumin and mustard seeds

oil 

about 1 cup red lentils

half a 400mL/16oz can of coconut milk

curry

garam masala

salt

4 small tomatoes, cubed

fresh coriander, chopped

1 cup basmati rice

1 3/4 cups boiling water

1 stock cube

1 tablespoon of coconut milk

Start the onion, carrot and cumin and mustard seeds in the oil. After the onion is soft, add the red lentils, a healthy sprinkle of curry and garam masala, the coconut milk and a splash of water. Let cook, covered. Meanwhile, put the rice, boiling water, coconut milk and stock cube in a separate pot and cook, covered, about 20 minutes. When the rice is done, check the lentils for tenderness. If all is soft, add the tomatoes and cook just until warm. Season to taste and serve sprinkled with coriander over the rice. 

Apple cider soup

Ahh, Autumn! It is the perfect time to be freshly living in a new country, especially when that country grows apples. Don't get me wrong, I love American Apples; some Fujis or Honeycrisp, even the tiny Czech apples are scrumptious at this time, but I've stumbled onto some serious Apples here. Hopefully this isn't a fluke. The English also make cider, which features in this soup. I've made apple soup before, but with curry. Curry and apples are fine friends, but this soup is so tangy and warm (and who could complain about having to drink the leftover cider) that I may be a convert.

35 grams butter
3 onions, sliced
2 apples, peeled and sliced
splash balsamic vinegar
6 small (2 large) potatoes, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1 liter vegetable stock (either fresh stock or stock cube)
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper
150 ml cider

1. Saute the onion and apple in the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot until soft and slightly browned, adding a splash of balsamic vinegar midway through the cooking process.
2. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook for a few minutes
3. Pour in the cider and bay leaves and bring to a boil
4. Add the stock, thyme, and simmer at a low heat 45 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
5. Season with salt and pepper and serve with cheese toast.

Carrot and Olive Oil Cake with White Chocolate Lemon Frosting

I've made this cake a couple of times, but it was specially requested for KT's birthday, so I decided to try it with this frosting, which I previously made for my normal, vegan chocolate cake (though the frosting is a dairy explosion). Anyway, chocolate cake with lemon frosting is a beautiful thing. I made candied lemon peels to top that, but for the carrot cake, I candied carrot curls and lemon slices...beautiful, tasty and so pretty.

Carrot and Olive oil cake
250ml (1 cup) olive oil
500g white sugar
4 eggs, beaten (these would be easily substituted for a vegan cake)
250g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or pernik spice)
1 tsp ground cardamon
1 tsp salt
500g carrots, peeled and grated

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/325F
2. Mix olive oil, sugar and eggs and carrots in a bowl. Sift the flour and other dry ingredients into another bowl and add the wet mixture to the dry.
3. Line the bottom of a 10 inch round cake tin with parchment (I used a large rectangular tin) and grease the sides. Pour in the cake batter and bake 70-80 minutes, or until a skewer comes clean from the center. Cool in tin.

White Chocolate Lemon Frosting
    * 11 ounces good-quality white chocolate, finely chopped
    * 12 ounces cream cheese (or  soft Tvaroh), room temperature
    * 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
    * 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest


1. Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler on the stove-top, let cool slightly
2.Cream the butter and cream cheese and zest with a electric mixer
3. Add the cooled white chocolate and mix.
4. Cool for at least 30 minutes and then frost cake.

avoidance eggs

Is Mercury in retrograde or something? It seems like the world is conspiring to halt my every movement, star-crossed binds and all. This isn't really that kind of blog, and complaining about the unfortunate effects of things out of my control doesn't really elucidate what I've been eating. The fridge is a strange place, and the meal that came from within was a strange beast.

1/2 bottle red wine

1 block smoked tofu, cubed
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
4 scallions, white (and purple) parts sliced
1 head baby bok choi, sliced

4 eggs, mixed with
splash sriracha
splash soy sauce


Saute the scallions in a bit of oil until fragrant. Add the tofu, then the pepper, and the bok choi after a minute. Add and the egg mixture and scramble. Eat with sliced tomato and liberal glasses of red wine. Problems avoided.

Fake Vietnamese Caramel Sauce

For a country with a fairly sizeable Vietnamese population, the Czech Republic doesn't have much in the way of Vietnamese food. After having recently discovered a Pho restaurant, that craving has been satisfied, but not so the craving for Vietnamese caramel sauce. The other day, after finding some baby bok choi, I decided to make my own version of this. I served with greens and tofu, but it's a pretty versatile sauce, and would be excellent as a gentle, stove-top poaching liquid for chicken or fish, or as a stir-fry sauce.

1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 T soy sauce
1 T sriracha (or other chilli sauce)
3 T water
3 T grated ginger

Omelette Stir-fry

Recently I've become obsessed with omelette as a protein addition to stir-fries and noodle dishes. It's a little touch of yummy, a smattering of protein, another way to use eggs, which may be something like a perfect food (self-contained, versatile, nutritionally valid, sweet or savoury...). I'm going to post two similar recipes using the same technique. Last night, having found some beautiful baby bak choi, I made

Bak Choi and Omelette with Udon Noodles

Use 1 bundle of noodles for 2 people; recipe makes 4 servings
2 bundles of udon noodles, cooked til al dente
3 small heads bak choi, washed and julienned
1 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 eggs, whisked with a dash Sriracha (or other chilli sauce) and dash salt

Sauce;
3 T sesame oil
3 T soy sauce
1 t fish sauce (optional)
2 T honey
1 t ginger, chopped finely

1. Heat 1t vegetable oil and cook omelette. Keep on a plate when cooked
2. Add a splash more oil and cook the onion and garlic until lightly browned
3. Add the pepper  and saute for a minute
4. Add the bok choi and sauce and cover
5. Slice the omelette and add once the bok choi has softened
6. Toss with the noodles and serve

Fried Rice with Omelette
Excellent hot or cold

Cook 2 cups Brown Rice with 3 1/2 cups water on a low heat until rice is tender

In a pan, make the same omelette and slice when cool enough to handle
Add to the pan vegetables of your choice (onion, garlic, cabbage, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, mung bean sprouts) and saute until tender
Add the (same) sauce, the cooked rice and the sliced omelette. Toss and serve.

matzoh ball soup

I'm not so very Jewish, but I love the food. I love the culture of cooking special things at certain times, and undoubtedly, if exposed to this aspect of another culture, would embrace it just as surely. We celebrated Passover this year, not in a bread-free week aspect, or necessarily a religious holiday aspect, but as a chance to gather friends together and eat. Though we did discuss the symbolism of it all, and the friends were invited to to their first taste of matzoh, their first hallal sandwich, and their first matzoh ball soup.

Making broth is one of the simplest things in the world, and like making bread, turns your house into a gallery of scent. Who could reject the simple smell of vegetables and garlic simmering away?

Broth
Save your vegetable cuttings, peelings (onion skins and broccoli stems, garlic cloves and herbs) and put them in a large pot. Drown them in water and cook them all day (at least 3 or 4 hours) on a very low heat. Strain the mess and use this broth for any soup. If you eat animals and have some bones/skin/cartilage, put these things in the pot too.

Matzoh balls (adapted from a recipe available on epicurious.com)

    *  4 large eggs, separated
    * 1/4 cup chicken fat (reserved from broth, if available) or pareve kosher-for-Passover margarine, melted, cooled
    * 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and dill
    * 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
    * 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
    * 2/3 cup unsalted matzo meal

Stir egg yolks and next 4 ingredients in medium bowl to blend. Beat egg whites in another medium bowl until stiff but not dry. Fold whites into yolk mixture alternately with matzo meal in 3 additions each. Cover and chill until cold and firm, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day

Form balls from the chilled matzoh meal (this makes enough for two medium-sized balls for 8 people), and reserve on an oiled tray/plate (this can be done ahead)

30 minutes before dinnertime, bring the broth to a boil and gently drop the matzoh balls into the broth. After 15 minutes, turn them over and continue cooking. To serve, spoon two matzoh balls into each bowl and cover with broth.
Delicious

Asian marinade, protein, broccoli and noodles

I do realize that protein is not actually a food. I've been trying to eat more of it though, in an attempt to broaden my horizons (and have more energy/be healthier etc) so tonight this dish was cooked with pork. However, I normally cook it with tofu or fish fillets. It is equally good with all. Somehow baking the protein in the marinade makes it incredibly juicy and flavorful and provides a lovely, tangy sauce for the noodles. Also, I prefer my broccoli almost raw, so I throw the florets into the pasta water about a minute and half before draining it, but I realize that not everyone likes crunchy broccoli, so feel free to add it earlier.

Marinade
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
2 Tablespoons grated ginger
Juice and zest of one orange
1 Tablespoon chilli sauce
2 green onions, chopped

Put the marinade ingredients in a glass baking dish and add your protein (for two people with leftovers, I use 1 block of tofu, 3 small pork cutlets, or 3 fish fillets). Marinate for 30 minutes or longer.

Preheat the oven to 190C/350F and bake, covered, turning occasionally, 30-45 minutes, or until done.

Meanwhile, cut up the broccoli and boil a large pot of water.

Add two bundles of udon noodles (or rice noodles) and cook 5 minutes. If you prefer your broccoli very soft, add it with the noodles. Otherwise, add it halfway through.

Drain noodles and broccoli and put them in bowls, topping with your lovely protein and the extra marinade. Do not actually expect there to be leftovers!

Carrot, goat cheese and tapenade sandwiches

Oh my god! I have found my new love and I'm leaving all my other shallower side affairs for this sandwich. It's a slight adaptation I've made on an Epicurious recipe, mainly using sheep instead of goat cheese (in this part of the world, spreadable sheep cheese is widely available while chevre is a huge luxury), replacing the anchovies in the tapenade with capers (why make something unnecessarily un-vegetarian?) and using grain bread instead of the recommended pumpernickel. I'm sure that if you live in another country from me and have widely available chevre, are addicted to the flavor of anchovies and partial to pumpernickel, by all means try it that way, but the way I made was quite satisfying, and I do believe it will make a perfect summer picnic food with the loaf drizzled internally with olive oil and pressed inside foil to make it a vegetarian pan bagnat.

This makes enough for a small loaf of bread (a large meal for two, or a side dish for four people)

The carrots;
4 large carrots, peeled, grated and steamed until the color is brightened but they are still crisp (I left them 5 minutes after turning off the heat)

mix together;
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp (fresh) lemon juice
2 Tsp paprika
2 Tsp cumin
1/2 Tsp cinnamon
1/2 Tsp ginger
1/2 Tsp salt

Marinate the carrots in this mixture several hours or overnight.

Tapenade;
6 oz pitted green olives (from a can/jar is fine), drained
2 Tbsp capers, plus a splash of their brine
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 lemon, juiced

mix these things in a food processor and pulse until blended but not 100% smooth

To assemble, cut one loaf of bread (I used seed and grain bread) lengthways,
spread the sheep or goat's cheese on the bottom side, the tapenade on the top, and fill the middle with carrots. Cut crossways to make smaller sandwiches and enjoy.

Chile cheese cornbread (with beer)

I'd been wanting to try making beer bread for some time when I stumbled across this recipe for chile cheese beer bread. Last weekend I made that version, and while it was pretty good, I could help thinking that I'd love it with cornmeal in, so I've gone ahead and created a new version, which is made with completely whole grain flour, no eggs or butter and is still somehow the moistest little bread I've had in ages.

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup cornmeal (fine grind, though you can add a little bit of coarse for texture)
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup frozen corn (still frozen is fine)
2 fresh chillies, chopped
12 ounces beer (I prefer dark, but light is fine)
Seeds (poppy, sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, caraway etc) for the top

Preheat the oven to 400 Fahreinheit (200 Celsius).
Mix/Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and mustard
Add the cheese, chillies and corn
Measure the beer (allow foam to settle) and add it, mixing as little as possible

Pour into a greased cake tin or muffin tins, sprinkle seeds over and bake 45minutes for a loaf, about 20 for muffins, or until the middle is just set.

Apple mash, red cabbage casserole, sausage and onion gravy

I bought a 5kg scale yesterday, so that after living in Europe for nearly four years, I can finally begin to use these metric measurements. The cabbage recipe came from a seasonal recipe calender which was a brilliant Christmas present. Cabbage is apparently seasonal, which must be true, and seeing as how there's nothing else in the shops at the moment, there's no excuse not to try it. Well, that, and it's incredibly delicious. Who knew that cabbage could be so sophisticated?

I don't really have my shit together about the photography aspect of this blog yet, so expect photos in the future. 

Apple mash; rinse, chop and boil 1kg potatoes. Chop two apples and saute in as much butter as you can possibly squeeze into a 6-inch pan. When the potatoes are soft, add the apples and butter and mash, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Red cabbage casserole; thinly chop 70grams (about half a medium) red cabbage and two onions. Place half in the bottom of a lidded casserole dish. sprinkle over cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, 2 teaspoons sugar, a good splash of red wine and about 2 knuckles of butter in nubs. Repeat this procedure, topping with 12 or more prunes. Place in a 200-degree centigrade oven for 3 hours.

Sausage and onion gravy; chop 4 kielbasa-style sausages into rounds and brown in a pan. Add a little oil and one onion, chopped. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons flour and add about 1 1/2-2 cups broth slowly, stirring until the gravy has thickened.