Beef soup - asian style
: food, December 17 2022 ▶
I do not dare to call this "Pho" as someone might put a prize on my head. But it is inspired by it. At first I doubted myself if I should put it on display, but then I thought "well, I have been eating this soup 4-5 times per month, so it has got to be good".
Step 1 - preparing the stock:
- 1kg beef of choice (I prefer a little bit fat on it)
- 2l water
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 celery sticks
- a tea spoon of black pepper
- 3 cloves
- 2 star anise
Put everything in a pressure cooker and give it 45-50minutes on "high" (after the pot starts hissing). Let it cool so you can operate easily after. Use large strainer to separate the stock from everything else. Separate the meat and cut it in small pieces. Squeeze-drain the remaining stock from the vegetables. Throw away any spice and vegetable leftovers.
Step 2 - portion for 1 person and leave the rest in the fridge:
- 350ml stock
- 30-40g Chinese soup noodles
- 150g of the beef meat from above
- 1-2 table spoons of fish sauce
Let this simmer for ~10 minutes. You can boil 1 egg (in a separate pot) for 6mins if you feel fancy.
Step 3 - getting it together:
- cut 1/2 green onion in small pieces
- cut 1 carrot on thin slices
- cut some parsley (I hate coriander, but it is up to you)
- cut the boiled egg in half
- pour the boiling soup in a deep serving dish and add the onion, the carrot, the parsley and the egg
- grind black peeper, add some chilly and lemon juice to taste
Enjoy this nice, warming meal, good enough for lunch in a cold winter day.
Pork Skewers
: food, October 02 2022 ▶
It cannot be simpler than this - a skewers recipe where marinating is the focal point. You need to start 24 hours in advance.
Ingredients:
- 1kg pork neck (boneless)
- 2 ts salt
- 1 ts ground black pepper
- 1.5 ts oregano
- 1 ts thyme
- 1/2 ground cumin (be careful here!!!)
- 1/2 ts garlic powder
- 1/2 ts hot red pepper
- 1 ts sweet red pepper
- 1/2 cup of white wine
- some bell peppers and onions for the skewers (not for marinating)
Cut the meat to (ideally) 3x3x3cm dices. Mix all together 24 hours before the grilling. Again - be careful with the cumin as it is quite a strong spice with some variations of intensity.
On each skewer put 1 meat dice, then some onion/pepper slice, then another meat dice - you know how it goes. Grill to your own preference.
Celery salad
: food, August 29 2022 ▶
Celery is such a versatile thing, but often ends neglected and used just as part of the beef stock. Which is pity. Many people do not like the intense "in-your-face" taste, some find it difficult to chew. No worries - this salad will change your mind. The quantities are for 2 people.
What you need for the dressing:
- 2 anchovis fillets
- you can use 1 ts from the anchovis oil marinade or replace it with olive oil
- pinch of salt and black pepper - both to taste. Keep in mind the fish and the mustard are salty already.
- juice from 1/2 lemon
- 3ts olive oil
- 2ts honey
- 1ts mustard
What you need for the salad:
- fresh celery - you buy the whole stem from the store, but you will need just 3-4 of the leaves
- 1 sweet apple. I have tried replacing it with 1 carrot also - the result seems good.
- 30-50g British mature cheddar or any other hard cheese you like
Preparation:
- blend the dressing ingredients
- wash carefully the celery leaves and cut them into small pieces
- if you feel like it, peel the outer hard skin of the leaves (the bottom stem part)
- cut the apple and the cheese in cubes
- mix all in a bowl. Make sure the cheese cubes are separate from one another
- let it rest in the fridge at least 20 mins
- mix again before serving
- enjoy
Creamy Chicken Breast
: food, August 27 2022 ▶
This one turned out great so I highly recommend it.
What you need for 2 people:
- 500g chicken breast - no skin, no bones
- 1 big onion
- 7-8 garlic cloves (wow!)
- flour to cover the chicken
- 300g chicken broth
- 200g cooking cream
- 30-40g butter
- 2 ts of sunflower oil
- salt, pepper
- pinch of saffron and coriander
- (blue) poppy seeds
Cooking it:
- pound the chicken breast to flatten them a bit, try to make it evenly thin
- salt and pepper them both sides
- chop the onion and the garlic
- put the sunflower oil in a large pan on medium heat
- add the butter and melt it, do not burn it
- cover the chicken with thin layer of flower. Do not overdo it - just as much as it sticks. Tap it a bit to remove the excess flour.
- cook it in the oils until golden-to-dark brown (up to you) and remove it
- cook the chopped onion until light-brown
- add the garlic for just a minute or two (until soft), do not burn it - it will make the whole thing bitter
- add the chicken broth
- add the cream, the poppy seeds and the other spices
- when the pan starts simmering, return the chicken fillets and cook them for ~5 minutes, turning them 1-2 times
- you will need some nice bread and dry white wine to it
Tuna Capers Pasta
: food, April 22 2022 ▶
Easy one, with minuscule effort and products.
What you need (for 2 people):
- 1 can of tuna - 200gr
- small onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 100ml white wine
- spaghetti
- 3ts capers
- something hot - small hot pepper/sriracha/cayenne pepper...
- 2ts olive oil, salt, black pepper, lovage
- chopped parsley for garnish
Cooking it:
- boil the pasta until almost ready - I am not going to tell you how much or how long. If you have not figured it out till this moment in your life just go eat outside.
- while the pasta cooks, start preparing the sauce.
- chop the onion and put it in the heating olive oil. You will need a pan big enough to fit the pasta and the sauce.
- after 2 mins add the chopped garlic.
- after 1 min add the "hot" ingredient.
- after 1 min add the capers. If they are salted (and not pickled) first rinse them in cold water. Do not put any other salt, as they are salty enough.
- after 1 min add the lovage, salt and pepper.
- after 1 min add the tuna. If it has its own brine, remove it. If it is in oil - you decide if you will add it to the dish or not.
- after 1-2 mins add the white wine. Bring it to boil. Let it cook for 2 mins.
- drain the pasta from the boiling water and put it in the tuna sauce for 2 mins. If needed, add a couple of table spoons from the the water where the pasta was boiled. It will make the sauce smoother.
- put the pasta in serving plates, garnish with parsley.
- goes with dry white wine.