Hi guys!
It's meat free Monday and I have finally found the time to cook something again. As the weather is still cold and not too nice I decided to go for a soup and add a little seasonal twist. I still had some sweet potatoes I wanted to use in a curry, but as they were the only vegetables around, I decided in their favour. The recipe is not from any cook book - I use the same amounts of vegetables in relation to broth every time and add spices depending on my mood.
Here's the recipe:
500g (17.6 oz) sweet potatoes, peeled
1l (4 cups; 32 fl.oz) vegetable stock
1 onion
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
cinnamon powder
salt and pepper to season
100ml (little less than 1/2 cup) orange juice
1) Cut the onion into pieces. Peel the sweet potato and cut it in 1/2 inch (1cm) pieces.
2) Heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the onion. Cook for about 4 minutes until softened. Add the sweet potato cubes and cook for about 10 minutes until they start to brown.
3) Add the warm vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30 minutes or until soft.
4) Blend the soup in a blender or use a hand-held blender. Add the orange juice. Season with salt, pepper and cinnamon to your liking.
Serves: 4
Active preparation time: 15 minutes
Total preparation time: 45 minutes
Here's how it looks:
I added orange juice because it goes great with sweet potato as it nicely contrasts the sweetness of the potato with its acidity. Cinnamon is a typical christmas spice and brings spiciness and an unexpected moment to the soup. Salt and pepper will help round the soup.
Have fun trying!
Hi guys!
Soo, with Christmas arriving a lot faster than I thought and the weather cooling continually, I have been in the mood for a few wintery snacks and I am a huge fan of baking with ginger, as you may know from erlier posts. I found this recipe for gingersnaps in Cynthia Barcomi's "I love baking". There is something about cookies, rolling dough and looking at them while baking in the oven that's almost meditating to me. I simply love it. So here is the recipe for you all to share my excitement:
325g (2 cups + 1 tablespoon; 11.5 oz) plain flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons powdered ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
125g (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
200g (1 cup; 7 oz) granulated sugar
60ml (4 tablespoons) sugar beet syrup or golden syrup
2 tablespoons honey
1 egg
optional:
150g (5 oz) candied ginger, chopped
150g (5 oz) dark chocolate, chopped
1) Preheat the oven to 185°C (365°F). Line a baking tin with baking paper.
2) Beat the softened butter for about 2 minutes until it starts to lighten. Add the sugar and beat for another 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the syrup, honey and the egg and beat for a few more minutes.
3) Add the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda and spices, and mix until a dough forms. If using the ginger or chocolate, fold them in.
4) Put teaspoons of dough on the baking paper and do not press them down. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies have turned golden brown. Let them cool on a cooling rack.
Yield: 36 according to Cynthia, I ended up with 48 cookies using dessert spoons for measuring the dough.
Active preparation time: about 30 minutes
Total preparation time: about 60 minutes (if you need 3 turns baking the cookies)
© Copyright: Cynthia Barcomi, "I love Baking", p. 131
Here's how mine turned out:
I love the spicy note these cookies have. The ginger, cinnamon and cloves make a great spicy combination and are perfect when combined with sweet cookie dough. I did not add either candied ginger nor chopped chocolate because I wanted to try the plain dough and spice combination, but I would imagine pieces of candied ginger to work beautifully.
Have fun trying!
Hi guys!
I don't know how the weather has been with you, but Switzerland has definetely seen better days. It is foggy the whole day with no sunshine coming through and pretty cold, so I've been in the mood for warming, comfy food mostly. Soups are a big part of my diet in autumn and winter and I love trying new things and new combinations. Soups are easy and fast to cook and provide you with a lot of vitamins from the vegetables. I first came upon the combination of celery and pear when it was served in a restaurant close by and I was smitten with the taste. The celery makes a great, earthy and slightly peppery base while the pear adds sweetness and a little acidity. Whether you enjoy it as a cream soup or plain without added cream, this soup is surprising and pleasing. Here's the recipe:
1 bulb root celery (about 750g (1 1/2 lb; 24 oz); you want to end up with 500g (1 lb; 16 oz) once peeled)
1 to 2 pears (about 400g (14 oz); (300g (10.5 oz) peeled))
1 l (4 cups; 32 fl.oz) vegetable stock
1 onion
Olive oil
lemon, juice, pepper and salt to season
1) Peel the root celery and cut into pieces (about 1,5 cm (1/2 inch) wide). Peel the pear and cut into small pieces. Dice the onion.
2) Heat about 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Sautée the onion for 4-5 minutes until soft, then add the diced root celery and pear and cook for about 5 minutes.
3) Add the vegetable stock, bring to the boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, uncovered.
4) Blend the soup with a hand-held blender or kitchen machine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the soup is rather thick, add water until it has reached your desired consistency.
Serves: 4
Active preparation time: 15 minutes
Total preparation time: 45 minutes
Here's how it looks:
The soup is creamy in texture even without any added cream. I like it best without cream, but I certainly know people who love their soup with cream. You could also add a dollop of crème fraîche to it before serving. This soup combines different flavours beautifully: a peppery, earthy note from the celery, rich sweetness from the pear, salt, lemon juice and pepper to complete the circle.
I hope you are going to like it as much as I do.
Have fun trying and happy Thanksgiving!
Hi guys!
The past weekend has been rather dreadful in Switzerland. Saturday brought a day full of rain and sunday wasn't much better. The only thing I was craving was cozying up on the couch with a good book, a cup of tea and my ultimate comfort food. I have talked about comfort food at other times already, but if I had to decide on my ultimate go-to recipe for an instant mood-lift it would be the best stir-fried chicken from Gwyneth Paltrow's "Notes from My Kitchen Table". This is like chinese take-away - except it's better because you know what's in it. It does mimic the typical sweet and sour taste of chinese perfectly.
Here's the recipe:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoon cornflour
coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped garlic
4 tablespoons peeled and finely chopped ginger
4 large spring onions
pinch crushed chillies (optional)
125ml (4 fl. oz; 1/2 cup) rice wine vinegar
125g (4 oz) dark brown sugar (unrefined if possible)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh coriander, for serving
1) Cut the chicken breasts into small cubes (about 2cm, 1 inch). Toss the chicken with the cornflour, a large pinch of salt and quite a bit of pepper. Chop the ginger and garlic and finely slice the spring onions (white and green parts).
2) Heat the oil in a large non-stick wok over medium-high heat (this is a gentle stir-fry). Add the garlic, ginger, spring onions, and crushed chillies, if using them, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
3) Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
4) Add the vinegar, sugar and 5 or 6 grinds of black pepper. Boil on high for 3 minutes, or until the sugar has really caramelized, the vinegar has mellowed a bit and the whole mixture is dark brown and sticky and lovely.
5) Add the soy sauce, cook for another 30 seconds and serve immediately, sprinkled with the coriander.
Serves: 4
Active preparation time: 20 minutes
Total preparation time: about 30 minutes
© Copyright: Gwyneth Paltrow, "Notes from my Kitchen Table", p. 157
Here's how it looks:
I know, it's not a real beauty, but the chicken is coated with caramelized sauce and perfectly soft and tender. This dish has a signature spicy note from the ginger, sourness from the vinegar and a lovely hint of sweetness from the sugar. Unrefined dark brown sugar is not as sweet as regular refined sugar, so try and find unrefined sugar. It really makes a difference. I normally leave the coriander and omit the garlic in this recipe, especially when I am having classes the next day and don't want to smell of it. I serve mine with brown rice as I find it complements the dish better with its stronger taste than a basmati rice that has a very fine taste.
Have fun trying and cozy up when autumn brings the chilly weather!
Hi guys!
Monday indicates it's time for another meat free recipe to give you all an idea on how tasty vegetarian or vegan meal options can be. Today's recipe comes from Heidi Swanson's 101 cookbooks blog. The blog is one of my go-to spots for healthy and tasty (you don't need to compromise here!) recipes. I really am in the mood for some comfort food as the weather has been bringing a lot of rain lately.
Here's the link to the recipe:
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/lively-up-yourself-lentil-soup-recipe.html
Here's how mine turned out:
I used black Beluga lentils. They are pricier than the average green lentil, but they hold their shape nicely and have a great taste. What I love about this recipe is the great combination the tomatoes and lentils make. I personally would have never thought of combining these two, except for in a chili con carne recipe. But while the tomatoes bring a nice sweetness and fruitiness, the lentils add earthy flavor. This soup makes the perfect recipe for a rainy day out or a fast, comforting dinner.
Have fun trying!
