butternut soup with a Thai twist

Always a great soup for a chilly evening. 
This is a definite family favorite. It is made with Butternut squash/pumpkin, chicken broth, onions, flavored with lemongrass, shrimp paste, chilies, lime, coconut milk. I added a few kaffir lime leaves too.

I didn’t have fresh birds eye chilies, so I substituted red pepper flakes (sambal oelek is also a good substitute). Spiciness can be adjusted to kid-friendly levels.

When our children were very young, they were able to withstand spicier foods. After the age of about two, they all became a little timid when it came to spiciness. Over time (and with insistence), they are all now accustomed to and enjoy spicy foods from a variety of cultures: Thai, Indian, Mexican, Cajun...

Original recipe found here. 

Moroccan Vegetable Stew

I have a couple of recipes for this dish, called either Moroccan Stew or Marrakech Curry. I have no recollection of the origin of these. I found a number of variations for this type of dish when I went in search for my original recipe. This is the perfect dish for a pantry-meal: using longer lasting vegetables, pantry items, and beans and quinoa for protein.

For this particular meal, I added garbanzo beans and served it over couscous, sprinkled with chopped cilantro. 

I found the original spice quantities to be a little bland for adult tastes - these were enhanced with some hot sauce. Harissa would be the perfect addition - as would a few slices of Preserved Lemons.

MOROCCAN VEGETABLE STEW

Ingredients

¼ cup water / vegetable broth for sautéing

1 cup water / vegetable broth for stewing (possibly up to 2 cups)

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cayenne

1 cup cubed sweet potato

1 cup cubed zucchini

1 cup cubed butternut squash

1 cup cubed carrot

1 can diced tomatoes

1 diced green pepper

1 (15oz) can garbanzo beans, drained

½ cup raisins
½ cup chopped cilantro (to garnish)

Method

Saute onions, garlic and spices in water / broth.

Add sweet potato, butternut squash and carrots.

Stew for around 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes and juice from can, zucchini, bell pepper and drained and rinsed garbanzo beans.

Stew For a further 15 minutes. Add raisins.

Cook until vegetables are soft and sauce has formed (about 30 minutes).

Season to taste.

Serve over quinoa (or more traditional couscous).

Notes / Variations

Using yellow zucchini and yellow peppers would really enhance the ‘yellowness’ of this dish.
Of course, if you plan ahead, use freshly soaked and prepared garbanzo beans and fresh tomatoes. 
Add water or broth sparingly, particularly if using juice from canned tomatoes. 
For this particular meal, I was all out of onions, so increased the amount of garlic. I used twice the quantity of carrot, butternut squash, sweet potato and zucchini, and doubled the quantities of spice (all except cayenne). 
The kids hadn't eaten this dish in some time - so were somewhat dubious when I served it to them. They ate it all without complaint when the word 'dessert' was mentioned! 

Life is better with Lemonade

What a lovely way to welcome the official start of spring: some lovely spring weather. The boys found enough enthusiasm to suggest holding a lemonade stand. I think they may have set their expectations a little high after their experiences of well-patronized lemonade stands in Chicago - a rural Virginia setting is a little less 'fast-paced'. I wasn't about to argue with them - and so helped the boys to mix up a batch of homemade lemonade.

The boys sat for some time and were lucky to score several customers walking, driving past and a neighbor across the road who was curious enough to check out the offerings. Thirty to forty minutes of waiting, sampling, serving, waiting, sampling, waiting, sampling, waiting, serving, waiting... was enough to tax the attention spans of a six and four year old and they finally gave up. I applauded their efforts.

I heard this recipe for lemonade on the radio about a million years ago. It is so simple (in metric) as it uses the same amounts for each major ingredient. The recipe can easily be increased / decreased depending upon amount of ingredients on hand or the amount required. Any type or mixture of citrus can be used (lemon, lime, orange, kumquat, clementine, blood orange...) dependent upon personal taste.

HOMEMADE LEMONADE

Ingredients:

500 g white sugar

500 ml water

500 ml fresh lemon juice

peeled rind of squeezed lemons (using potato peeler and with no white pith)

Filtered, sparkling or soda water

Ice cubes

Slices of lemon

sprigs of mint

Method:

Place sugar, water and citrus rind in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Once sugar has dissolved, take saucepan off heat and allow to cool. Once cool, remove rind and stir in the fresh lemon juice*. This mixture makes a concentrate to be diluted with water.

Pour some concentrate over ice and add filtered, sparkling or soda water to taste. Garnish with slices of lemon and some sprigs of mint. Try 1 part concentrate to 3 parts water to start with and adjust to taste.

*When I used to have access to my mother's lemon and lime trees, we made the lemonade with fresh fruit. In the absence of this, use bottled juice.

Blueberry Bran Muffins

As an attempt to sneak some fiber into the kids, I set about making a 'treat' or a healthy-type 'cake' for the kids.

I loved grabbing a Banana Berry Bran muffin from Muffin Break in Australia for a convenient breakfast on my way from the gym to work... and wanted to create something similar.

I uncovered a much-referred-to muffin recipe book "Muffin Magic" by Diana Linfoot. I adapted one of her recipes into my own version below:

BLUEBERRY BRAN MUFFINS

Ingredients:

¼ cup butter

¼ cup Golden Syrup

2 eggs

½ cup milk

½ cup fat free yoghurt

1 cup wheat bran

½ cup plain flour

½ cup wholewheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp baking soda

1 cup blueberries

Method:

Preheat oven to 150℃ (300℉). Grease muffin pan or line with paper liners.

Melt together the butter and golden syrup. Beat in the eggs, milk and yoghurt.

Combine the dry ingredients (bran, flours, baking powder and baking soda) and fold into wet butter mix.

Gently fold in blueberries, taking care not to squash them.

Place mixture in muffin pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes (or until skewer inserted in middle of muffin comes out clean).

Note:

The original recipe is for 10 muffins - I stretch this to make 12 'smaller' muffins.

Use the golden syrup made from sugar cane (available in Australia and the UK - and at specialty stores and international aisles of supermarkets in the US). Do not use the horrible corn version.

The original recipe calls for a further 1/4 cup sugar - although I don't think this is needed when the recipe uses sweet blueberries. Add sugar if berries are omitted or a sweeter muffin is desired. If using, add extra sugar to egg and milk mixture.

The following nutritional information is applicable to this recipe - using 2% milk and imperial cup measurements without the additional sugar. Nutrition Facts thanks to Livestrong.com

Although much smaller in size, it would appear that this version is significantly lighter in calories than the Muffin Break version!

Pumpkin Soup (with a Thai twist)

With all the abundant pumpkins and squash about, we have been eating a little more pumpkin of late. Beyond Pumpkin Pie and Jack o'lanterns, pumpkins are not such a regular food item in the US. Pumpkin Soup, however, seems to be gaining popularity.

My favorite pumpkin for soup is the Butternut Pumpkin (as it is known in Australia, but referred to as Butternut Squash in the US). I generally make my soup with onions fried with cumin seeds, cubed pumpkin, chicken broth, and cream. I make this dish more kid-friendly by sprinkling with crisped bacon bits (bacon cut into small squares and cooked in the microwave between sheets of paper towel for 2 to 3 minutes or until crisp), and/or serving soup with cheesy garlic bread (crusty bread slices spread with garlic butter and grated (sharp cheddar) cheese and baked in the oven for 10 minutes or so).

I have been frantically searching for a recipe I used several years ago that used Thai flavors including coconut milk and a very pungent 'blachan' or shrimp paste. I had little luck in my search, but happened upon two recipes that 'kind-of' were like what I was looking for. The recipes are here and here. I combined these into my own version below...

THAI-INSPIRED PUMPKIN & COCONUT SOUP

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds peeled and cubed Butternut squash/pumpkin

Vegetable oil / spray oil

1 tblsp chopped lemongrass (soft white, internal stem only)

3 red fresh birdseye chillies, seeded and finely chopped (or less, to taste)

2 tsp shrimp paste (Blachan)

4 cups water (or vegetable / chicken broth)

1 small onion, chopped

1 (13½ oz / 400ml) can coconut milk (unsweetened)

2 tblsp lime juice

1 tsp salt

Cilantro / kaffir lime leaves / basil / grated lime zest to garnish

Method

Preheat oven to 400℉. Peel pumpkin and cut into cubes. Very lightly coat with vegetable oil and spread onto baking tray in single layer (spray olive oil is good for lightly coating pumpkin). Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until cooked and very slightly browned.

In large pot, fry onion, lemon grass and chilies in 1 tblsp vegetable oil until onion is translucent. Hold your nose and add shrimp paste. Cook for one minute.

Add water or broth and cooked pumpkin. When heated through and pumpkin is soft, puree using a stick mixer. (take care not to splash yourself with hot soup).

Mix in coconut milk and salt to taste.

Reheat soup to serving temperature. Stir through lime juice. Serve soup garnishing with choice of chopped cilantro, torn basil leaves, finely shredded lime leaves or lime zest.

Notes

If time is tight, pumpkin can be added to soup raw (roasting helps to intensify flavor).

Shrimp paste is highly pungent and can knock your socks off. It is available in Southeast Asian grocery stores. The Cooks Thesaurus suggests using Anchovy paste or anchovy fillets mixed with a bit of water as a substitute.

If available, Kaffir Lime leaves are perfect to add to the soup as it cooks - and make a nice garnish if sliced very finely

The soup was a little 'hot' with 3 chillies. Perhaps one would have been sufficient for younger palettes although Little Miss loved the soup and ate three servings! Master 3 ate his without (too much) complaint while Master 5 complained of burning lips and demanded water be on hand (but still ate it!)

Use approximately half the water/broth to begin with. Add more after coconut milk has been added if soup is too thick .

Play Dough

Master 5 is constructing an artwork at the moment using the theme 'beauty is'. I asked him to brainstorm ideas for what 'beauty is'... he came up with a list, including "hundreds of colors of play dough mixed together". I thought he might somehow be able to incorporate play dough in his artwork - so went in search of a recipe - so we could mix up a variety of colors (but not necessarily hundreds!)

I have been put off by play dough recipes in the past - due to the vast quantities produced, or the massive amounts of cream of tatar required (an expensive addition when all one can buy are small containers at high prices).

I found the following recipe over at Moms who think blog. This blog also includes a number of edible dough recipes!

Here is the recipe.

PLAY DOUGH

Ingredients

1 cup flour

½ cup salt

1 cup water

1 tblsp oil

2 tsp cream of tatar

Food coloring

Directions

Place all ingredients except food coloring) into saucepan. Cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, until a ball forms (ingredients form a stiff dough).

Divide dough into several balls. Carefully mix color gel through each ball of dough until desired color is reached.

Store in a ziploc bag or covered container.

Notes

I have been using the Wilton color gel food coloring. I was recommended this brand by my friend Jo - who always came up with 'dramatic' looking cakes - the colors of which I could never obtain with the supermarket food dyes I had been using. These gel colors have been a good investment as they have lasted a number of cake and cookie events.

In the future I will buy bleached, cheap flour - it seemed a little extravagant using organic, unbleached and unbromated flour for this purpose ;-)

Apparently, cream or tatar is a by-product of wine-making.... so if you have a vineyard handy, this might be able to be purchased it in large quantities for a reasonable price.

This is the artwork produced by Master 5. He won first prize at his school and at County level. He won a Highly Commended at District level. 

What's for lunch?

Coolish rainy afternoon... what's for lunch? How about some goat cheese toasties?

CHÈVRE TOASTIES

Ingredients

4 oz soft goats cheese / chèvre

2 slices ham, chopped

½ large onion, chopped

1 tblsp olive oil

2 tblsp chopped herbs (parsley, oregano, basil)

6 slices crusty bread

Method

Preheat oven to 400℉.

Gently heat olive oil until fragrant. Fry onion until softened and golden in color.

In small bowl, combine cheese, onion, ham and herbs.

Spread onto bread and bake in oven for 15 minutes or until topping is warm and bread crusty.

Notes & Variations

Add some paprika or freshly ground pepper for more adult tastes.

Use thick slices of baked ham (leftover Christmas ham is perfect) or fry several chopped bacon rashers with onion (omitting olive oil).

Garden Party

Our new garden provided the perfect theme for Little Miss's first birthday party on Sunday: a garden party! With a house still in a certain disarray, we had to keep things relatively simple. An abundance of bananas determined the cake we were going to serve. An abundance of eggs and bacon... egg and bacon pies!

My husband couldn't host a party without making fairy bread and chocolate crackles - staples of Australian birthday parties from our era. Another Australian birthday party staple, sausage rolls, became sausage caterpillars! I served grilled, roasted and fresh vegetables in keeping with the 'garden' theme and made some ever-popular hummus. I look forward to the time when we are able to serve our own 'garden fresh' vegetables.

Bananas were turned into banana cupcakes with a cream cheese frosting. A heavy hand with food dye late at night resulted in some garish looking cupcakes (not the subtle coloring I had in mind!) I rescued these with some garden and bug decorations.

I remembered a recipe from Jill Dupleix's New Food cookbook for egg and bacon pies as a picnic food. This seemed perfect. I adapted this with a few additions and omissions. Here is my version:

EGG & BACON PIES

Ingredients:

Filo pastry

4 rashers bacon, cut into small pieces

12 eggs

1 egg (extra), beaten

¼ cup cream

¼ cup butter (melted)

¾ cup grated cheddar cheese

salt and pepper

handful of baby spinach leaves (washed and finely shredded)

snipped chives (for garnish)

Method:

Preheat oven to 400℉ (200℃). Grease a 12 cup muffin pan.

Fry bacon in small pan until crispy. Drain on paper towel.

Cut filo pastry into approximately 4½" (12cm) squares. You will need 48 squares. Brush one square of filo with butter. Add another square and brush. Repeat until you have 4 squares of pastry together. Carefully drape these into a muffin cup. Repeat for remaining sheets of filo. For a more rustic effect, place second two sheets of pastry diagonally upon first two sheets. Roughly trim edges if too much overhang.

Divide cut spinach and bacon evenly between each pastry cup. Mix beaten egg and cream together. Season. Spoon egg mixture evenly over spinach and bacon. Carefully break open and place an egg into each cup (without breaking yolk). Sprinkle cheese over each small pie.

Place muffin pan in oven and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350℉ (180℃) and cook for a further 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese has melted, egg has set and pastry is a golden color.

Carefully remove pies from tin, sprinkle with snipped chives and serve, or let cool on a wire rack before taking on a picnic.

Notes:

I refrigerated the pies overnight, then heated them the next day in a 300℉ oven to warm them through and crisp the pastry a little. These would be lovely served as a brunch item or with a simple green salad for a lunch. I hope to experiment a little more with other ingredients.

Take care with filo pastry as it dries out quickly and will split. Keep pastry under damp cloth until ready to use. More butter might be required for brushing pastry.

We shared the day with our lovely friends. It was SO wonderful hosting a Summer party, at home, with space for kids to run, surfaces made to soak up spills and lovely shady trees to sit under. After hosting a number of Winter parties in a two bedroom apartment with no outdoor space... it was sheer bliss!

Guinness Stew

Guinness Stew was the first meal that our Little Miss ate (at 6 months old) with real gusto. I had figured that she was a fussy eater as she refused most everything I offered her. She did however, like Ella's Kitchen baby food available in the UK (when she and I visited my sister). This brand of food is terrific: combining a multitude of organic fruits and vegetables to make some really interesting flavors. I love that it comes in a re-sealable pouch so smaller quantities can be served - squeezed directly onto a spoon. Great for meals on the go.

I had suggested making a beef and red wine casserole for dinner one chilly Chicago winter night. My husband put in a request for Beef and Guinness Stew. I told him "No. I don't have any Guinness and besides, I don't have a recipe." I was then presented with 10 printed versions of Beef and Guinness recipes while he ran out to buy the Guinness. Really. Did I have any choice?! At the time, I didn't find any one recipe that I liked, so I combined several recipes.

Now we are emptying our fridge and freezer, I am somewhat restricted by what we still have: some beef and veal stew cubes from Fresh Picks, scant stalks of celery, parsley and carrots picked up at the last Farmers Markets, 8 prunes, not a skerrick of fresh thyme (the Cooks Thesaurus notes that oregano will do), 1 x clove of garlic, a handful of onions, some parsnips, a very small amount of flour... will have to send husband off for tomato puree and Guinness.

This dish is not a last-minute meal, but with a little planning and early preparation, it can cook itself. I started cooking the stew on Thursday night then finished cooking it for last nights dinner (while I prepared to go out!)

Here is my approximation of a recipe:

BEEF AND GUINNESS STEW

Ingredients:

2 pounds cubed stewing beef (trimmed of all fat and sinew and cut in 1'' cubes)

2 tblsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup flour (seasoned with salt, pepper and a good pinch of cayenne pepper)

2 large onions (3 x small), diced

2 stalks celery, diced

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

16 oz Guinness

2 cups cut carrots (cut into rounds if smaller, dice if large carrots)

1 bay leaf

1 stalk fresh thyme (or oregano)

2 tblsp tomato puree / paste dissolved in 4 tblsp water

12 prunes, pitted

parsley (finely chopped for garnish)

Method:

In a plastic bag, toss beef with seasoned flour, shaking off excess.

In an ovenproof casserole (large enough to hold all ingredients), heat the oil over a high heat and brown the meat cubes all over. Reduce the heat, add the onions and celery and cook for a few minutes. Add a third of the Guinness, stirring to remove any baked on flour. Add rest of the Guinness and any remaining flour, carrots, tomato puree, bay leaf and thyme, stirring well to combine. Bring to a boil, then cover and braise in 300℉ oven for 2 hours (or up to 3 hours) until meat is tender. If stew is runny, finish cooking on stovetop, uncovered until gravy thickens

At approximately 45 minutes before the end of cooking time, add the prunes. Season to taste.

Remove the bay leaf and serve sprinkled liberally with parsley alongside mashed potatoes (or mashed potato and parsnip) and peas or steamed beans.

Empty that fridge

It is one week until we depart Chicago. It is beginning to sink in at last. WHERE HAS THAT TIME GONE! Now we have to do those mundane but necessary things like empty the refrigerator and work out what we eat/throw/donate... As someone that hates wasting food, I will have to use a little ingenuity.

The first item for tonight's dinner 'hit list' was a white eggplant the boys chose at a recent farmers markets. I think they loved the way it looked (as Master 5 is not a great fan of *eating* eggplant). I also had abundant coriander, basil, tomatoes and fresh mozzarella from last weeks market, some parsley and a pound of frozen ground lamb from Mint Creek Farm.

I decided that the eggplant would be turned into a baba ghanoush. This would also help to finish our tahini, drain a bottle of olive oil and use up a lemon. The coriander and lamb would make great meatballs and I could use the tomato, basil and mozzarella in a simple salad dressed with salt and olive oil. I thought this might look a little lonely on the plate so I opened a tin of garbanzo beans (chick peas) and dressed these with some chopped parsley, olive oil, salt and lemon juice.

BABA GHANOUSH

Ingredients:

Eggplant - medium to large (white is less bitter)

1 clove garlic

salt

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

juice of half lemon

olive oil

2 tblsp tahini

Method:

Using tongs, turn eggplant in flame on gas stovetop to char surface. If not quite cooked, zap in microwave for a minute (alternatively, rub with olive oil and roast in an oven). Peel the charred skin off then press out bitter juices in a colander. Using a stick mixer, blend with pinch of salt, chopped garlic and tahini. Add lemon juice and olive oil to taste. Stir through parsley. Alternatively just mash all ingredients with a fork if a chunkier consistency is desired.

MIDDLE EASTERN LAMB MEATBALLS

Ingredients:

1 pound (500g) ground lamb

pinch salt

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground allspice

1 cup coarsely chopped coriander (cilantro) leaves

olive oil

Method:

Blend onion, spices and coriander in a food processor. Add lamb and process until smooth. Shape into small balls or wrap around a wooden skewer (soaked in water for 30 mins). Fry in small amount of olive oil until brown and cooked through (or grill or broil kebabs on sticks). Drain on paper towel.

These recipes were adapted from The Cooks Companion by Stephanie Alexander. The absolutely brilliant tome and ONLY cookbook I will ever truly need.

The kids LOVE chick peas (garbanzo beans*) so I always have a tin handy. A great source of protein and fiber, these can quickly be turned into a hummus or simple salad or curry. The kids will eat a whole tin between them if I don't rescue them quickly enough.

This was a very successful meal with Master 3 and Little Miss 11 months eating everything without complaint. Master 5 brought up his aversion to eggplant, but insistence that it was really like 'Hummus' from Master 3, helped persuade him to finish his dinner.

* Master 5 once misheard and thought these were called Rapunzel beans - so we often call them by this name :-)