Shrimp Salad
Labels: small bites, vegetables/salads
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Place blanched shrimps, sliced cumcumbers, tomatoes and salad greens in a mixing bowl. Sprinkle a little chopped parsley and dill all over and mix it all up with thousand island dressing. Season with salt and pepper if neccesary. For a bit more oomph, add a splash of Madeira wine.
Use as a topping for hor'deurves, on toast as a sandwich or alone for a starter or light lunch.
This salad, like revenge, is best served cold, so chill it for about 30 minutes before tucking in.
Enjoy!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 8:36 pm
Saturday Afternoon
Labels: home life, vegetables/salads
Saturday, October 04, 2008
I had a very pleasant lazy afternoon today. Hubs and Brother-in-law #3 had taken their respective male heirs to a nearby children's farm for a visit leaving me a couple hours of quiet time.
So followed by a bracing, light salad,
Salad of assorted greens, goat cheese stuffed peppers, feta and boiled eggs drizzled with lemon olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
and a couple of rows to a vest I'm knitting, I proceeded up to bed for what would become a two and a half hour nap. Bliss!
Quite by coincidence, the children's farm was celebrating World Animal Day today. They had games, people dressed up like animals and animal face-painting for the kids. Hubs, who left with a perfectly cheeky boy came home with an even cheekier looking dog, complete with lolling tongue.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 12:21 pm
Radish Kimchi With Tofu
Labels: asian food, vegetables/salads
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
I'm in a kimchi phase at the moment so it's likely there will be more kimchi entries peppering this blog. These pickled vegetables are so versatile and yummy. And - short of sounding like an ad (wo)man - are bursting with all sorts of vitamins and nutrients, too.
There are all sorts of kimchi, the most common being the cabbage variety. However, if you're talking about crunch factor, nothing beats radish kimchi. The smaller ones can be served whole while the larger tubers sliced, diced or whatever takes your fancy. For this entry, I cut them into half inch cubes and arranged them over chilled silken tofu. It is then served with steamed rice or eaten alone as a side or appetizer.
Makkelijk en lekker!*
* Easy and delicious!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 9:52 pm
Thai Seafood Salad
Labels: asian food, one dish meals, vegetables/salads
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
We are properly into summer now with the searing heat and increased humidity. However, the heat is different in Beijing. Because of the thick layer of smog, it feels like an oven and for the first time, I truly understand the meaning of the greenhouse effect. It's stifling, hot and above all, polluted. I don't envy the long distance Olympic atheletes come this August.
To combat the average of 30oC and above temperatures, I've taken to light meals in the day. A regular feature is Thai Seafood Salad and the recipe I like is here. It's very basic and easily modified to suit one's personal taste. In this instance, I took away the fish and added in glass noodles and julienned carrots instead. And although the recipe advises one to serve immediately, I normally chill mine for up to two hours before consumption. The opposing sensation of cold and spicy hot (don't let the tame appearance fool you, your tongue will burn) is something to be reckoned with.
Lekker!
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 6:11 pm
Pickled Green Chilli
Labels: she cooks, small bites, vegetables/salads
Monday, December 10, 2007
As mentioned last week, I did a spot of pickling as we were out of green chilli. The Turkish grocer stocks them too but I just like doing it. Besides, I get to control the amount of salt that goes into it and my homemade ones has no nasty preservatives.
This is for anyone who wants to try their hand at it. It's dead easy and chances are, you may never want to eat the store bought ones anymore.
Pickled Green Chilli
1. In a medium sized saucepan, bring white vinegar, salt and sugar (to taste) to a gentle boil. Turn off heat and let pickling solution cool to room temperature. Meanwhile, slice the green chilli.
2. Fill another saucepan with water, bring to a boil. Blanche sliced chilli. Drain and set aside.
3. Add the blanched chilli to the cooled pickling solution. Give it a good stir to make sure the chilli is well immersed.
4. Leave it alone for at least 6 hours. Worry it once in a while by stirring, again, to ensure each and every slice is well marinated. When it's done, it will turn a shade of dull yellow green.
5. Store in clean glass bottles.
Note:
- To get crunchy pickled chilli, choose only the barely ripe ones and those that feel firm to the touch. Do not over blanche it either.
- I use 100ml of white vinegar for every 100g of chilli.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 4:04 am
Barbecue
Labels: she cooks, vegetables/salads
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Midweek, the weatherman proclaimed good weather for all and sundry over the weekend. For once, he was right. So like excited kids, my husband and I made preparations for a barbecue. Me, getting the food together. Him, scrubbing and washing the grill and pit.
On the menu were steaks, shaslicks, chicken wings and bacon wrapped frikendel. For vegetables, I made skewers of miniature paprikas and red onions. While waiting for the meats to cook, we nursed a cold prawn cocktail. It was all very pleasant - dining out in the patio, the air warm and quiet with a gentle breeze bringing wafts of smouldering charcoal smoke our way. Maybe it's just me but charcoal grilled meat has the best flavour in the world.
And with that, we declare Barbecue Season open in Cookalot.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 4:18 pm
Asparagus - The Dutchess' Way
Labels: one dish meals, she cooks, vegetables/salads
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Although the asparagus season is long over, I managed to lay my hands on a pack yesterday. For a small price, of course.
The popular way of eating asparagus here is with fried bacon bits, chopped boiled eggs and a good dollop of butter sauce. Can you already feel your arteries clogging?
Here's my healthier and glammed up version: Asparagus layered with smoked salmon, hollandaise sauce and boiled eggs. Notice I said healthier, not healthy, on account of the hollandaise sauce. The salmon and sauce makes all the difference. Here, I've used gourmet salmon smoked in apple and beukenhout (sorry, I don't have the English translation for it.) Served with bread, it makes a light but satisfying one-disher.
Cooking asparagus, for me at least, is tricky business. If you over boil them, they become this limpid mess. Under done, you have to chew on them till kingdom come. Prepping them up for boiling takes some practice too. You just want to remove the right amount of skin so that it is soft and not too fibrous when cooked. All in all, a tasty vegetable if you have the patience.
The Dutchess of Cookalot whipped this up at 3:37 am
