20120116 Madeira Cake

(SOURCE: Nigella Lawson - My Mother-in-law's Madeira Cake)

I woke up this morning feeling not so great because of awfully swollen fingers and feet (I know I should be grateful already as my face/hands/feet have only started swelling since last week when I hit 38-week pregnancy). The frosty and sunny morning lifted my mood a little, but I needed another dose of mood booster to kick start this week. I thought a warm slice of pound cake would do the job and was keeping my fingers crossed that I had all the ingredients I need in the cupboard. I found this Madeira cake recipe online and it looks like a pound cake, so it would do! I love it when the house is filled with the smell of baked goods. This is my first Madeira cake - it tastes just like a simple pound cake but with a twist of lemon flavor. And this cake, especially its crispy topping, really made my day!

INGREDIENTS
240g softened unsalted butter
200g caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 large eggs
210g self-raising flour
90g plain flour

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 170 degree C, and grease a loaf tin.
2. Cream the butter and sugar, and add the lemon zest.
3. Add the eggs one at a time with a tablespoon of flour for each.
4. Gently mix in the rest of the flour and, finally, the lemon juice.
5. Sprinkle with caster sugar (about 2 tablespoons) as it goes into the oven, and bake for 1 hour or until a cake-tester comes out clean.
6. Remove to a wire rack, and let cool in the tin before turning out.

20120115 Thyme Chicken Legs

I wanted to make roasted chicken but was not really up for the carving bit, so I got some chicken legs instead. I was debating at the supermarket whether to make roasted chicken legs with rosemary or thyme. Then the problem solved itself as there was no fresh rosemary, so thyme it is! From experience, I know that thyme and lemon are always great with chicken. To give the chicken a little kick, I added some crushed garlic and cayenne pepper too as an experiment - who knows, it was really good! The chicken legs were so flavorful and juicy, so I simply served them with some steamed carrots and cauliflowers - I tossed the steamed vegetables in the meat juice, and then sprinkle them with some freshly grounded four seasons pepper.

INGREDIENTS
4 chicken legs
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, plus several sprigs of thyme
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly grounded black pepper
some cayenne pepper

METHOD
1. In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, thyme leaves, lemon juice, olive oil, and some salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Pat dry the chicken legs and slit them. Rub the thyme mixture into the chicken - be sure to rub some herbs into the slits. Let them marinate for at least an hour.
3. Heat the oven to 200 degree C.
4. Throw the sprigs of thyme into the casserole dish, and then lay the chicken legs on them. Sprinkle the chicken legs with some cayenne pepper. Bake in the oven for about 50 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown.

20120112 Sweetcorn Chowder with Toasted Tortilla Chips

(SOURCE: Nigella Lawson - Sweetcorn Chowder with Toasted Tortillas)

Today is Heather's 32nd birthday, and she is coming over for chats and lunch. As she has been craving Mexican food lately, we decided to make this Mexican-inspired soup for lunch today. It is very simple to make, so I was able to chat with Heather while preparing and cooking the soup. The soup tasted pretty strong, so it was really nice to dip the toasted tortilla chips in. But next time I may use less garlic and only the green parts of the spring onions.

INGREDIENTS
500g canned sweetcorn, drained
1.5 spring onions, debearded and cut into small chunks (some cut into rings for garnishing)
1 small garlic clove, peeled
15g flour
750ml hot vegetable stock
200g lightly salted tortilla chips
100g grated cheese

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 200 degree C.
2. In a food processor, blitz the sweetcorn, spring onions, garlic, and flour into a mush. Tip the mixture into a saucepan, add the stock and bring to the boil. Then turn down the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
3. In the meantime, spread the tortilla chips out on a baking sheet and sprinkle the cheese over. Warm in the oven until the cheese melts over the chips.
4. Ladle the soup into bowls. Scatter over the soup some chips and spring onion rings.

20120111 Sliced Bananas with Chocolate Sprinkles

I wanted something sweet after my toasts this morning, so I made myself a simple treat - sliced bananas with chocolate sprinkles! This is one of the most common snacks for kids, but my Dutch husband finds it an odd snack. Cultural difference?

20120110 Fish Curry

I went to the supermarket with a list of ingredients required to make stuffed bell peppers. But as I saw some really nice white fish filets that were on sale, I decided to make a fish curry instead. As I was too lazy to look up fish curry recipes on my mobile, I simply made up the recipe myself and grabbed what I thought I would need from the supermarket. The result was good but I have to admit that it would have been better if I had added about 1/4 cup of creme fraiche to soften the curry flavor and make the sauce more creamy. Oh well, another time!

INGREDIENTS
700g white fish, cut into large chunks
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tomato, skinned and chopped
3 tbsp curry paste
1 cup vegetable stock
2 tbsp sunflower oil
sugar
salt and pepper

METHOD
1. Heat 1 tbsp of sunflower oil in a large non-sticking pan, and brown the fish in batches - about 1 to 2 minutes each side. Set aside.
2. Heat the remaining oil in the pan over medium heat, and brown the garlic and onions for about 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook until fragrant. Then add the tomato and stock, and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the fish at last and heat through. Season with sugar and salt and pepper, and serve with naan bread.

20120103 Meatloaf

I have been craving meatloaf this week, but could not find the onion soup packet at the nearby supermarket and could not be bothered to drive to another supermarket for it. So I just used what I could find in the kitchen for this meatloaf dish. My husband is usually not a meatloaf fan, but he said this meatloaf tasted pretty good - so I consider this a success! Oh and I made some onion gravy to pour over the boiled potatoes and vegetables. The perfect dish to beat the rainy and super windy weather.

INGREDIENTS
For the meatloaf -
250g ground beef
250g ground pork
1 small onion, finely diced
1 large egg
1/4 cup ketchup, plus more for topping
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
handful of roughly chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
salt and fresh ground black pepper
For the onion gravy -
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
400ml beef stock
salt and fresh ground black pepper

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 175 degree C.
2. In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Transfer the mixture into a small loaf tin, then cover the top with a thick layer of ketchup.
3. Cook in the oven for about 1 hour. Drain off the fat before serving.
4. To make the onion gravy, heat the oil in a small pan and fry the onions for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the brown sugar and cook for 5 minutes - keep stirring. Then add the flour and coat the onions evenly. Finally add the stock and let it bubble for about 5 minutes, until the gravy is nice and thick. Season well with salt and pepper.

20111224 Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

This holiday season was a mellow one for me. I just put my feet up and enjoyed the company. I only cooked something simple on Christmas Eve night - stuffed portobello mushrooms as starter, roasted new potatoes as side dish, grilled rib eyes as main course, and some fruit yoghurt as dessert. I was even too lazy to find a recipe for the stuffed portobellow mushroom, and simply made one up myself. To be very honest, it was definitely not a WOW dish, but was a good and simple starter for sure.

INGREDIENTS
2 large portobello mushrooms
vegetable oil
1 cup grated cheese
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 fresh parsley, roughly chopped (leave some for garnishing)
1/4 cup drained oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
salt and freshly grounded black pepper

METHOD
1. Heat the oven grill to high. In a small bowl, mix the cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley, and tomatoes together. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Spray a small oven dish with vegetable oil. Lay the mushrooms gill side down in the dish, and grill for about 4 minutes.
3. Turn the mushrooms and stuff them with the cheese filling. Return to the oven and grill for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle with some roughly chopped parsley and serve.

20111217 Banana Bread

I just can't ask for a nicer breakfast for a lazy Saturday morning. I am listening to Diana Krall's Christmas Songs and enjoying these warm slices of heaven, while my husband is sleeping in and snoring away. I just can't praise this recipe enough, as it takes only 15 minutes to prepare and less than an hour to bake. I am making banana bread almost twice a month, and we are never tired of it!

20111215 Cauliflower Casserole

I wanted to cook loads of comfort food because of the winter weather. I wanted meatloaf, chilli, sloppy joe, beef stew...But on the other hand, I wanted to cook something healthy before stuffing our face with food during the holiday seasons. Because of this dilemma, I have been struggling to find cooking inspirations. So I made this casserole tonight - the tomato-y meat sauce and cheese topping satisfied (some of) my crave for comfort food, and the cauliflower and carrot helped to make the dish (a bit) healthier.


INGREDIENTS
300g potatoes, cut into large chunks
1 small cauliflower, cut into florets
1 carrot, shredded (leave about 1 tbsp of carrots for garnish)
1 small onion, finely diced
300g lean minced beef
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp tomato puree
250g canned tomato blocks
100ml vegetable stock
75g grated cheese
salt and freshly grounded black pepper

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 175 degree C.
2. Cook the potatoes in boiling water for about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. Cook the cauliflower in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
4. In a large pan, brown the beef in 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add the onion and carrots, and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the basil, tomato puree, tomato blocks, and vegetable stock. Bring to the boil, and simmer for about 15 minutes with a lid on. Remove from heat and set aside.
5. In a large casserole dish, throw in the potatoes and cauliflower. Cover with the meat sauce and grated cheese. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven. Garnish with some shredded carrots and serve.

20111211 Banana Muffins with Poppy Seeds

In an attempt to make healthier muffins, I used bit less butter here. To make sure the muffins are moist, I used more bananas and yoghurt. The result was...erm, not that good. They still tasted alright and moist, but they were very pale. I could have left them in the oven for longer until they were golden brown, but I was afraid they would be overbaked and became all dry. It is tricky to alternate baking recipe!

INGREDIENTS
250g self raising flour
125g packed white sugar
2 tbsp poppy seeds
50g butter, melted
1 1/2 ripe banana
2 eggs
5 tbsp yoghurt

METHOD
1. Heat the oven to 200 degree C. Mix together the flour, sugar, and poppy seed in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mash the bananas. Mix in the melted butter, yoghurt, and eggs.
3. Add the banana mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix well with a fork, then divide them into the muffin tins.
4. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes.