Chicken curry noodle soup

August 2, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

Recipe from “Rachel Ray in season”
Although it’s summer, I love a Thai curry in the evening and this one from Rachel Ray is so simple and full of flavor

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From start to Finish: 25 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients
2 tbsp. coconut oil or vegetable oil
2 tbsp. Thai red curry paste
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, grated
1 tsp. ground turmeric
2 cans (about 14 oz. each) unsweetened coconut milk, shaken well
2 limes—1 juiced (about 2 tbsp.), 1 cut into wedges
3 cups chicken stock
2 tsp. sambal oelek, plus more for serving
1/2 cooked chicken, skin removed and meat shredded
1 package (8 to 9 oz.) rice vermicelli noodles, cooked according to the package directions
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
Fresh herbs (such as mint, basil, or cilantro), for serving

In a medium pot, heat the oil over medium. Whisk in the curry paste, ginger, garlic, and turmeric. Whisk until the paste is fragrant and begins to incorporate into the oil, 2 to 3 minutes. (Do not let it brown.)
Gradually whisk in 1 can of coconut milk.
Add the lime juice. Reduce heat to low.
Whisk in the remaining can of coconut milk, the stock, and 2 tsp. sambal oelek.
Stir the chicken into the soup.

2. Divide the noodles among 4 bowls. Top with the sprouts, then the soup. Garnish with the herbs, lime wedges, and a spoonful of sambal oelek.

Accompaniments · Asian flavors · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Sauces · Vegan

Easily the best Thai peanut sauce out there!

July 30, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

Recipe from “Pinch of Yum” food blog

This is my most favorite sauce and I highly recommended having a jar of it in the fridge at all times. Throw over hot noodles, over fried tofu or chicken, dress salads with it and use as a dipping sauce.
It is smooth, drizzle-able, garlicky and gingery wth a good spicy sesame kick

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Yield: 1 1/2 cups (6 servings – 1/4 cup each)
Can be doubled easily

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil (toasted or dark)
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp sambal oelek or chili paste (this is where the “spicy” comes in, so add to taste)
2 tbsp sugar, honey, or agave
a small knob of fresh ginger, peeled
a clove of fresh garlic, peeled

Blend all the sauce ingredients together in a small blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.

Find everything in your house that can be dunked in this ridiculously good sauce and then get to work.

Baking · Dessert · Do-ahead

Easy one-bowl moist orange cake

July 27, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

I just LOVE one-bowl cakes, when you literally throw everything into the same bowl, mix and pour into the baking tin! This is exceptionally moist with the added bonus of a lovely orangey icing

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155g (5.4oz) butter
2 tsp grated orange rind
2/3 cup superfine sugar (caster sugar)
3 large eggs
1 cup self-raising flour
1/4 cup whole milk

Orange icing
1 cup icing sugar (confectioners sugar)
1 tsp soft butter
1 tbsp fresh orange juice, approx
1 tbsp dessicated coconut

Grease an 8″ (20cm) round cake tin with butter, line the base with parchment paper and grease the paper.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, beat on low speed with an electric mixer until all the ingredients are combined.
Increase the speed to medium, beat for about 3 minutes or until the mixture is changed in color and is smooth.
Spread into the prepared cake tin and bake in the oven for about 45 mins.
Let stand on the counter for 2 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool.
Once cold, spread the cake with the icing and sprinkle with the coconut.

Orange icing
Sift the sugar into a small heatproof bowl, stir in the butter and enough juice to make a stiff paste.
Stir over hot water (without letting the bottom of the bowl touch the water) until the icing is spreadable

Keeping time
2 days

Appetizer Vegetarian · Appetizers · Do-ahead · Vegetable-related

Bavarois de Poivrons Rouges. (A mousse of red peppers)

July 13, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

This recipe from Raymond Blanc is truly a treat and is spectacular for a Spring or Summer dinner party.
The texture is so smooth, so melting, the taste so sharp and lively that the dish is WELL worth the effort
It can be made a day in advance and who doesn’t love that!

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You will need
A 10″ wide pastry ring

1/2 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 fl oz (50ml) olive oil
2 medium ripe tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
5 red peppers, seeded and finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 gelatine leaves (soaked in cold water to soften)
3.5 fl oz (100ml) white wine vinegar
1 tsp raspberry vinegar
cayenne pepper
14 fl oz (400ml) chilled heavy whipping cream

For the jello and julienne of peppers
3.5 fl oz (100 mls)reserved vegetable juices
1 gelatine leaf soaked in cold water to soften
1 red pepper, skinned and seeded

Preparing the mousse
In a large pan, sweat the onion in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and red peppers. Season with salt and pepper and cook on a medium heat for about 8 minutes, covered with a lid.

Spoon out 3.5 fl oz (100ml) of the juices that the peppers and tomatoes have released. Strain into a bowl, reserving for the jello.
Cook the vegetables for a further 20 minutes without the lid. All the moisture will have evaporated.(You should be left with about 6-7 fl oz).
Add the softened gelatine leaves and stir until dissolved.
Cool down the pulp a little, then puree and force through a sieve or mouli-légumes.

Separately, mix the 2 vinegars in small pan and boil to reduce by two-thirds in volume. Add to the puree. Taste, then add salt and cayenne pepper. Cool down completely to room temperature.

Whip the cream in a bowl until firm and fold delicately (Using a spatula. Don’t over mix as you will lose volume) into the puree. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Place the pastry ring over a flat serving plate and pour in the mousse. Smooth the top with a palette knife and refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours to set.

Preparing the jello and julienne of peppers.
Bring the reserved juice to the boil and dissolve the single leaf of gelatine in it. Allow to cool down.
Cut the pepper halves. Divide each strip in half horizontally, and cut into very fine julienne strips 1/8 inch thick. Season with salt and pepper and reserve

Finishing the dish.
Scatter the julienne strips over the mousse and spoon the nearly set jello over the top. Refrigerate.

Serving
Loosen the mousse from the ring with the blade of a warm knife and lift the ring off.
Ease onto a flat, wide round platter

Accompaniments · Appetizer Vegetarian · Do-ahead

How to turn mozzarella into burrata in 2 minutes!

July 13, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

Abra Berens’technique turns regular mozzarella into burrata

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Well, it’s basically burrata. And it only takes two minutes.
Berens’s creamed mozzarella is simple: you tear the mozzarella and toss it with sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt.
Just like that, regular mozzarella (which I think we can all finally admit can be rubbery and dry and a little like eating slices of a softball) is transformed into something decadent and luscious and something much more like mozzarella’s cousin burrata.

1 ball (8 oz) fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup sour cream
1 lemon, zest and juice

Tear the mozzarella into rough chunks.
Combine with the sour cream, lemon zest and juice, a good pinch of salt, and a couple of grinds of black pepper.

Tear, toss, done!

Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Soup · Vegan

Simple and delicious beet gazpacho

July 12, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

This recipe is from the lovely food blog, “Feasting at home”
I happened to have all the ingredients to this dish when I found the recipe and it’s well worth making this refreshing, highly flavored cold soup.

*You don’t have to be precise with these ingredients, they are more of a guide. I wasn’t and it turned out beautifully. I like a little more sherry vinegar as it has a sweetness to it, and I roasted my beets instead of boiling them.

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1lb beets (4 medium beets, smaller than a tennis ball, about 3 inches in diameter)
1/2 cup red onion, finely diced, divided
2-3 cups chilled vegetable or chicken broth
2 garlic cloves ( 1 large or 2 two small)
3-4 small Turkish cucumbers, divided
½ cup fresh dill, divided
2 tbsp sherry vinegar, plus more to taste
½ tsp kosher salt, more to taste
¼ tsp fresh pepper

Garnishes- avocado, diced cucumber, diced beet, finely diced onion, chopped dill, baby nasturtium leaves, olive oil or yogurt or sour cream

Place beets in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer until fork tender all the way through, about 45- 60 minutes. Chill the beets.

Once the beets are cold, slip off their skins using your hands. Slice and place 3 of the 4 beets ( saving one) in a blender with 2 cups of broth.

Add the half of the chopped onion (about 1/4 cup), 2 garlic cloves, 2 sliced Turkish cucumbers (saving one) salt, pepper, vinegar and about ⅔ of the fresh dill (saving some for garnish).
Blend until very smooth.
Taste and adjust salt and vinegar. You may want to add more broth, or any of the other ingredients. It’s worth playing with until you get just the flavor you want.
Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Prep the garnishes.
Finely dice remaining beets, cucumber, avocado and chop the remaining dill. Pour chilled beet soup (the colder it is, the better) into bowls.
Top with with the garnishes.
Drizzle with a little olive oil or a swirl of yogurt or sour cream if you like. Serve immediately!

Accompaniments · Appetizer Vegetarian · Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Gluten Free · Vegan

Smokey cauliflower hummus

July 11, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

One can never have enough cauliflower recipes, especially when they come out like this!

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Makes about 2 cups (serving size: 2 tbsp.)

1/2 head cauliflower (1 to 1 1/2 lbs.), trimmed and cut into 2-in. florets (about 4 cups florets)
4.5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
About 1 tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp kosher salt, divide
½ tsp ground cumin ( I roast mine then grind it, as it’s much more flavorful this way)
¼ tsp red chile flakes
2 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
About 2 tbsp lemon juice
3 1/2 tablespoons well-stirred tahini

Preheat oven to 450°.
Put cauliflower florets in a large bowl and add 1 1/2 tbsp. oil, 1 tsp. paprika, 1/2 tsp. salt, the cumin, chile flakes, and garlic.
Toss to coat thoroughly.
Spread florets evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast, stirring once, until florets are cooked through and a little crispy, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool.
Put 1/2 cup water in a blender with roasted cauliflower and garlic, lemon juice, remaining 3 tbsp. oil, the tahini and remaining 1 1/2 tsp. salt.
Blend, adding more water if needed (up to 1/4 cup) and scraping sides often, until you have a creamy purée, about 4 minutes. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice if you like.
Spoon into a serving bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of smoked paprika.

Make ahead: Up to 3 days, chilled airtight.

Baking · Chocolate · Do-ahead

Chocolate raspberry “pudding” cake

July 8, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

Nigella Lawson’s decadent but easy recipe

“I call this a pudding cake because its texture is simply a mixture between pudding and cake, though lighter by far than that could ever imply. Think, rather, of a mousse without fluffiness: this is dense but delicate with it. And it’s heavenly at blood heat, when the gooey chocolate sits warmly around the sour-sweet juicy raspberries embedded in the cake, like glinting, mud-covered garnets. This should be eaten an hour or so after it comes out of the oven. It gets more solid when cold, and loses some of that spectacular texture.
If you have any left, wrap it in foil and heat it up in the oven, or warm it up a slice at a time in the microwave before eating it.

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Photo by Jonathan Lovekin

Serves: 8

1½ cups self-rising flour
3 tbsp good unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter (plus more to grease cake tin – I use the butter wrapper)
1 tbsp Chambord (raspberry liqueur)
½ cup superfine sugar
½ cup light brown sugar
9 oz good bittersweet chocolate – 70% cocoa solids (broken into squares)
¾ cup black coffee and 185ml / ¾ cup water or 2 tsp instant coffee made up with 370ml / 1½ cups water
2 large eggs at room temperature (beaten slightly)
9 oz raspberries (plus lots more to serve)
approx. ½ teaspoon confectioners’ sugar (to serve)

You will need: a 22–23cm / 9-inch spring form cake tin.

Arrange the oven shelves so that one is in the middle for the cake, and another just below it. Slide a baking sheet onto the lower rack to catch any drips as the cake bakes. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F.
Butter a 22–23cm / 9-inch spring form cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. Mix the flour and unsweetened cocoa together in a bowl, and set aside.

Put the butter, liqueur, sugars, chocolate, coffee and water in a thick-bottomed saucepan and stir over low heat until everything melts and is thickly, glossily smooth. Remove the pan from the heat, and let stand for a couple of minutes.

Stir the flour and cocoa mixture into the pan, and beat well – just with a spatula or wooden spoon – until all is smooth and glossy again, then gradually beat in the eggs. The mixture will be runny: don’t panic, and don’t add more flour; the chocolate itself sets as it cooks and then cools.
Pour into the prepared tin until you have covered the base with about 2cm of the mixture (which will be about half of it) and then cover with the raspberries and pour the rest of the mixture on top. You may have to push some of the raspberries back under the cake batter by hand.

Put into the preheated oven and bake for 40–45 minutes. Don’t try and test by poking in a skewer as you don’t want it to come out clean: the gunge is what the cake is about. But when it’s cooked, the top will be firm, and slightly cracked. Don’t worry about that: a little confectioners’ sugar will deflect attention. When it’s ready, take the cake out of the oven and put on a rack. Leave in the tin for 15 minutes before removing the sides of the tin; the cake must stay on its base.

When you’re just about to eat – and this should be around an hour after the cake’s come out of the oven – dust with a little confectioners’ sugar pushed through a tea strainer. Serve with lots more fresh raspberries, and Greek yoghurt, whipped double cream or crème fraîche as wished.