my’bitchin’kitchen

i love meals that involve some sort of self assembly… meals where you have some input into or involvement in the final product. when we go out to dinner, josh thinks that this is just lazy…wondering what it is we are paying for if we have to put our own meal together, but i think it is fun! some examples; tacos, burritos, yakiniku, or my current favourite, san choi bao!  although i do like the pork version, i prefer to make chicken ones at home.

we recently had pork san choi bao at libertine, the renowned french vietnamese restaurant and bar located in the barracks complex. they were delicious, but i think these are just as good, and don’t come with a hefty price tag.

ps. i am very aware that i may have misspelled san choi bao… i had a great deal of trouble finding the correct spelling but may or may not be one of the following - sung choi/y bao, san choi/y bao, sang choi/y bao…if any credible source out there has the answer, please feel free to let me know!

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finally there is an inkling of autumn in the air!  i thought the day would never come when i could suitably post a soup recipe on my blog again.

cauliflower; the underrated, unsung hero and albino cousin of its more colorful counterpart; broccoli…did you know there is such thing as purple cauliflower? anyway, i really like cauliflower, i have recently discovered.  it can be tough to tackle, sometimes i am just not quite sure how to go about it…whether i should break each stalk off into neat little flowerettes or just take to the whole thing with a knife and make a big mess.  cauliflower is delicious in soup, sauces and just last night i made a cauliflower gratin with pan fried chorizo, thyme and white sauce…mmm yum.

this cauliflower soup recipe is extremely simple, but the flavours  and end result are much more impressive than you would imagine, so much so, that a whole bowl of it might be a little overbearing.  i like to serve it as an entrée with thyme sprigs, chopped chives, mini croutons and sometimes, when i’m feeling really fancy, a dash of truffle oil. the basic recipe is from donna hay issue 26…but have added a few things of my own…

i didn’t take many photos of this one because i didn’t realise it was going to be so damn good!

ingredients

1 brown onion chopped
1 cauliflower trimmed (and roughly chopped or neatly pulled apart into flowerettes…maybe this could be the new personality test!)
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
1 cup pouring cream
tablespoon olive oil
handful fresh thyme
10 chive…leaves…stalks…or just 10 chives?
small french stick / sourdough loaf, chopped into 1cm squares… you will need a handful
knob of butter (i learnt that one from jamie), melted
truffle oil (optional)
salt & pepper

method

turn oven onto the grill setting at about 180ºc. place the bread pieces in a tray lined with baking paper and combine with melted butter. place under the grill until crisp and golden; about 3-4 minutes.
brown the onion with the olive oil in a large pot over the stove. add the crushed garlic and cauliflower and stir until warmed through; about 3 minutes.
pour in the all of the stock and water (you may like to add a little more at the end, but i like my soups thick) and bring to the boil.  reduce heat and allow to simmer for 12 minutes.
remove from the heat, blend the contents together and combine the cream.
serve in demi-tasse cups with a few croutons, chopped chives, a sprig of thyme and a dash of truffle oil if you are feeling fancy too.

this is the perfect drink for a stinking hot day.  all of the flavours in this cocktail scream summer to me - mint, berries and fresh lime are a recipe for refreshing, fruity & delicious goodness.  we had these on christmas afternoon while sitting in the spa, and couldn’t get enough of them. (these are also extremely easy to drink, so be warned!)

 you don’t need to have all (or any) of the cocktail equipment to make this either - just a trusty old rolling pin will do the trick!

ingredients - to make 1

handful of frozen raspberries + extra to garnish
3 slices of lime
5 fresh mint leaves
150ml ginger beer
60ml white rum or vodka
crushed ice

method

cup your hand and place 4 mint leaves in it. cup your other hand and bring it down over the other, so that it makes a clapping noise (be careful not to squash the mint, you want to release the aroma and flavour without bruising it - also a good trick when using mint in salads).  place a handful of raspberries and 2 slices of lime in a highball tumbler.  using your rolling pin (or muddler if you want to get all professional on me), muddle the contents. add 4 of the mint leaves and top with crushed ice. pour spirit and ginger beer over the ice and stir. garnish with extra mint leaf and raspberries.

i am a little obsessed with wild pepper pizzas (located in west end and auchenflower). the thin crust is what makes them so good.  the jalapeno pizza is by far my favourite (even though it is just a starter) but even when we asked nicely, they wouldn’t give us the pizza base recipe (not that i blame them), so josh has been trying for a while now to replicate the thin crust.  this one was a byron creation - i think this is as close as we will get!

if anyone has any suggestions… please feel free to comment.

ps. if you do go to wild pepper pizza, you also have to try the pesto lamb!

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