Dalia's Kitchen: March 2010

Hearty Pumpkin Soup

Even though I usually never order soups in restaurants, I started falling in love with them when I decided to get into cooking them.. So I must confess I'm a recently converted soup lover!

1/2 onion chopped

1 TBL butter

2 TBL Nut oil

about 750g of pumpkin cut into chunks

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

3 cups chicken broth

1/4 cup cooking cream/ single cream

little chives, spring onions to sprinkle at the end

Fry the onion and the pumpkin in a little butter and nut oil in a pot to get some brown bits and flavours, then add the hot chicken broth, the sugar, nutmeg, (little chilli if you like), pepper, and salt.. Cook until the pumpkin is nice and tender..

Then with a handblender mash the pumpkin (I luv doing this) and let it cook for another 5 minutes to get the right consistency.. Salt and pepper to taste and swirl in the cream at the end. Sprinkle with the chives or sping onions and voila!! Hearty Pumpkin Soup :)

Asparagus Risotto

People are usually worried about making Risotto, yet it really is the simplest thing! And I paticular love this risotto recipe..

1 chopped onion

2 crushed cloves of garlic

1 cup risotto rice (Arborio or Vialone Nano for ex)

3 bunches of asparagus tips

about 3-4 cups of chicken stock

pinch of saffron

large knob of butter

1 cup of white wine

1/2 cup shaved parmesan

little chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a generous amount of olive oil on medium heat and sweat the onions and garlic until nicely glazed.. Add the rice and fry it a little to get some flavour, you could add a little chilli if you like at this point.. Deglaze your pan with the white wine and then add half of the asparagus tips and the saffron.

Add about 1 cup of hot stock, salt and pepper, and simmer until it is almost fully absorbed by the rice.. Add another cup of stock and basically repeat the same step until your rice is al dente - meaning it's cooked yet you still feel a little bite to it.. In the meantime, blanch the remaining asparagus tips for 2-3 minutes in hot boiling water and set them aside..

Once you feel your risotto is nice and al dente, take the pan off the heat, add the remaining asparagus, then the butter and parmesan.. Finally sprinkle with the chopped parsley and voila.. Homemade risotto :)

Sesame Avocados

I love this fresh, simple yet original way to enjoy avocados..

4 avocados diced

2 TBL reduced salt soya

2 TBL lemon juice

2 TBL toasted sesame seeds

1/4 tsp sesame oil

a little cracked pepper to taste

Dice the avocados and toss them with the soya, lemon juice, sesame oil and a little pepper.. Add the sesame seeds at the end and serve this simple fresh side dish with anything or just as a little quick snack :)

The yummiest Crepes you have ever had!

One of my favourite things on the planet are Crepes! Sweet, salty, you name it .. I just love these paper thin delicacies.. This was the first thing I learned to make, I must have been 7yrs old..

2 eggs
2 cups flour (sifted)
2 cups milk
2 TBL white sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1 tsp salt

Use a whish to cream the egg and the sugar.. Add the flour and the milk alternatively to the mixture.. At the end, fold in the melted better.. Remember that the more liquid your batter, the thinner the crepes will be.. So if pls adjust to your liking..

Preheat a nonstick pan on med-high heat.. Add a little butter and fry the crepes quickly.. Add cheese, turkey, nutella, jam or any topping you love.. Out of this world!

This is a neutral batter so you can add salty or sweet toppings to your crepes.. But if you wish to make a dessert, so a purely sweet batter, reduce 1/2 cup of flour and add 3 TBL of sugar.. My favourite way to eat crepes? This batter with just a sprinkle of sugar ;)

Sweet Sesame Hamour with Banana Chutney

I love sesame seeds.. If you have noticed, I sprinkle them wherevere and whenever I can! This is a quick, not messy and lovely, lovely fish dish which I read in one of my books by Rhodes, I have made a few changes though and feel this is even yummier, hehe!

4 hamour fillets

1 egg yolk

2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

1 tbsp light soft brown sugar

1/2 tsp cracked pepper

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp olive oil

1 chopped onion

1 tbl honey

2 bananas cut into chunks

1/2tsp nutmeg

1⁄2 tsp allspice

a little sliced red chilli- as much as you like

1 tsp chopped fresh parsley

Pre-heat your oven at 200C

Warm the olive oil in a pan and cook the onions a little.. Then add the bananas, the honey, the chilli if you wish, salt and pepper to taste, and cook until tender.. Finally sprinkle with the chopped parsley and set aside..

Brush the fillets with the eggyolk and lay on a buttered baking tray.. Then mix the sesame, sugar, peppr & salt, and sprinkle over fillets before baking for 6 minutes in the oven.. Serve it with the chutney and voila! Yummy

D's Cookery Rules :)

*Have fun! Cooking is meant to put you in a good mood.. It's all about the process rather than the final dish! Once you realize that you will be a masterchef!

*Use the best, always.. Don't spare on quality, ever.. You are what you eat after all!

*Be spontaneous! You don't need a whole plan of action and hours at the supermarket to cook up a delicacy.. I love looking at what's leftover in my fridge and see what I can come up with :)

*Follow your tastebudds! If you like things less buttery, more saucy, add an extra ingredient, adjust these recipes. It's not about making the exact same dish, but about inspiring you to make your own version of the dish- your own little recipe ;)

Newer Posts

Hearty Pumpkin Soup

Asparagus Risotto

Sesame Avocados

The yummiest Crepes you have ever had!

Sweet Sesame Hamour with Banana Chutney

D's Cookery Rules :)

Popular Posts

ads

Labels

recent posts