Pumkin Soup - cozy!

I probably should have posted this 2 months ago when pumpkin season began. Well, better late then never! It's more convenient to use a kabocha pumkin, since no peeling is necessary. However, I don't think it affects the flavor much if using a regular pumpkin. Then this would be one way to use that scraping from the Halloween pumpkin!

Part 1 - the soup:

1.5 kg pumpkin, peeled & cubed

or kabocha (Japanese pumpkin), cubed & no peeling needed

50 g butter

1 onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, peeled

a pinch cumin

1 L chicken stock

1 L water

2 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp crème fraîche

salt & pepper

Put butter into a large deep pan at medium high heat. Cook (sweat) onion for 5 mins or until onion becomes transparent. Add garlic, cumin, chicken stock and water. Turn heat to medium. Once boiling, simmer at low heat for 20-30 mins. Add crème fraîche and maple syrup. Use a handheld blender to blend the soup, so all ingredients become liquidity.  Finally, salt & pepper to taste. Serve!

Alternative 1: Instead of using 1 L chicken stock and 1 L water, I cook a chicken with 2 L water for 2 hrs at low heat (first at medium high, then turn it down once water is boiling) the night before. Skim off the fat the following day, before use.

Alternative 2: If a handheld blender is not accessible to you, use a regular blender.  You'll need to do it in batches, since the blender is probably not large enough.

Part 2 - the croutons (optional):

2 slices whole wheat bread, cut into small cubes

a pinch nutmeg

a pinch cinnamon

1 tsp white sugar

1 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven at 350°F (180°C or gas mark 4).  Prepare the baking tray by covering the tray with a sheet of aluminum foil and brush a thin layer of oil.  Spread the bread on the tray.  Sprinkle all ingredients one by one.  Gently mix them.  Bake for 7 mins or until slightly golden brown.

Garnish: mint (optional)

My favorite mix of peppercorns - just in case you don't already know about it...

I found this in the French & Belgium supermarkets.  Maybe it's actually very common, but it's new to us.  My husband and I are loving it! I use it in almost every recipe that calls for pepper.

In addition to the usual black & white peppercorns (poivre noir & poivre blanc), there're also:

green peppercorn (poivre vert)

pink peppercorn (baies roses)

allspice (poivre de la Jamaïque)

Duck Breast with Cassis

for 2 people

 

This dish is made with a sweet French wine Créme de Cassis.  If you like your meat pink, this is for you.

Part 1 - the duck:

1 duck breast (about 0.8-0.9 lb or 350-400 g)

salt & pepper

Season duck breast with salt & pepper on both sides.  Preheat a frying pan on low heat.  Place duck breast with the skin side facing down.  Turn heat up to medium.  Cook for 10-12 mins.  The fat under the skin will melt in this process, so pour it out into a little bowl from time to time.  (If the duck is more than 400 g, it would take longer than 12 mins.)  Once the fat is rended, turn the duck around and turn off the heat.  Leave it in the pan and on the stove for 10 mins. No lid is necessary in the entire time.

Note: I usually prepare the ingredients for the sauce after I season the duck.  It gives the seasoning a little extra time to settle into the meat.

Part 2 - the sauce:

2 tbsp shallot, finely chopped

4 tbsp (60 ml) créme de cassis

2 tbsp raspberry jam

4 tbsp (60 ml) balsamic vinegar

a generous knob of butter (optional)

In a different frying pan (a large one), put in the duck grease.  Preheat on high.  Saute shallot for a few mins.  Turn down the heat to medium.  Add créme de cassis and mix well.  When boiling, add raspberry jam and balsamic vinegar.  Mix well.  Simmer to reduce the sauce, so the sauce becomes thicker.  Keep stirring to keep from burning.  Once reduced.  Add butter if you like.

Attention: I find the part to reduce the sauce the trickiest step.  Don't try to save time by turning up the heat.  Be patient!  Try simmer it for about 8 mins.

Part 3 - serve:

Slice duck in about 5 mm (about 1/2 cm or 1/4").  Arrange the slices on a plate.  Spoon the sauce on the slices as if drawing some lines or circles.  Not so much as if drowing the slices.

Suggestion:  Serve with bread or rice, and a fresh salad.  May use the sauce also as a salad dressing.

Original source: http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-make-duck-breasts-with-cassis

All Natural Salad Dressing - eat more fresh raw vegetables!

I like homemade stuff. In addition to the pesto sauce in a previous post, another homemade favorite is this salad dressing. I learned about this one from a friend in Brussels. It's definitely healthy and non-fattening!

Part 1 - the what's:
1-2 lemon or lime, juiced
a good extra virgin olive oil (for every portion of juice, use double amount of oil)
1-2 tbsp honey
sea salt and pepper
some herbs, fresh or dried (for example, parsley, thyme), optional

Part 2 - the how's:
I usually squeeze the juice first, mentally note how much juice I have, then add twice the amount of olive oil. Afterward I add the rest of the ingredients.

Tips: I like to put everything in a jar (for example, an old jam jar), so I can mix it by simply closing the lid and shaking the whole thing. It's also convenient for storing.

Attention: It's only good for a few days in the refrigerator.

Options: May use balsamic vinegar or other flavor of vinegar in place of or in addition to the juice for different flavors. Also, may use sugar instead of honey. However, both vinegar and sugar are not so healthy.

Brown Rice instead of White Rice - part 2

It's tricky to cook a tasty brown rice. Many people even think there's no way for brown rice to taste good. After some research and testing, I finally find a simple way that works. The only drawback is that it has to be cooked in an oven. Rest assured, I'll continue to experiment and find a way that works on a stove top!

Part 1 - the trick:
In order to avoid a mushy result, the trick is to keep the rice thinly spread in the cooking container. You can use any cookware as long as it's oven safe. The larger the opening of the cookware, the more rice you may cook.

Very important! Do not stir, poke or disturb the rice while baking!

Part 2 - cooking:
1 cup brown rice, long grain
1 baking pan, in this case I use a 9" / 22 cm (diameter) baking pan
2 cups water

Preheat oven. Rinse rice until water runs clear. Mix rice and water in the baking pan. Bake it at 350°F (175°C) uncovered for 30 mins. Then cover it with aluminum foil and bake for another 30 mins. Serve!

Once cooled, may freeze rice for later use.

Brown Rice instead of White Rice - part 1

Background:
Rice is a staple food in Asia, and Asian diet is known to be healthy. However do you know that white rice has virtually no nutrient values? Just pay attention to how it can last almost forever when stored properly in a dry cool place, and no bugs even want to bother with it.

Having said that, I recently switched to eating brown rice. It wasn't easy for me since I ate white rice almost every day my entire life, but why would I want to put something in my body that even bugs are not interested, right?

Not only brown rice is much healthier than white rice. It's also more filling, so it's an added benefit for those who are trying to be slim. Futhermore, it's even more environmentally friendly!

Boiled Mackerel Fillets in Japanese Sauce

When it comes to mackerel, I love the way Japanese prepares them -- both cooked and raw! It brings out the unique flavor of the fish. By the way, this recipe taste even better if barbecued!

Part 1 - marinade:

4 fillets mackerel
1/4 cup (2 fl oz or 62.5 ml) soy sauce
1/4 cup (2 fl oz or 62.5 ml) mirin (Japanese sweet wine, which contains less than 1% alcohol)
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp ginger root, grated

Marinade for 2 hours or at least 20 mins.

Part 2 - cooking:
Preheat oven. Cook fish on the highest temperature (boil/grill position) for 5-8 mins. Serve!

Option: This marinade tastes good with sardines, too!