Thursday, December 9, 2010
Spiced Nuts
I am a big snacker, but I am not particularly crazy about nuts. When I saw Giada De Laurentis do a spiced nuts recipe on TV, I thought "I like the spices, I may like this." I did. I simplified her recipe and added extra heat because that's what I like.
Spicy Tomato & Basil Soup
I love soups - I like the fact that dinner is half-digested even before I put it into my mouth. :P This is a delicious soup that is creamy but has the bite of pieces of tomato at the same time.
Ingredients
6 medium-sized tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
---------------------------------
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter (about 15g)
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1 can tomato puree (425g)
1 can chicken broth (400ml)
A handful of fresh basil leaves (approx 20 leaves), finely chopped
1 tbsp corn starch (optional)
400ml UHT milk
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Servings
Makes 4 bowls
Cooking Time
Approximately 1 hour
Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 200 deg C.
2. Scald tomatoes with boiling water. After about 2 minutes, drain, remove skin and dice.
3. Toss diced tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for 40 minutes.
4. In a stock pot, sautee onions, garlic and chilli flakes in olive oil and butter at medium heat for 10 minutes. Season with pinch of salt and black pepper.
5. Add tomato puree, broth, basil leaves and red wine vinegar. Mix well and bring to boil.
6. If desired, suspend corn starch in a little water and add to pot to thicken the soup. (optional)
7. Add milk. Turn heat to low when soup begins to boil.
8. Separate oven-baked tomatoes from their cooking liquid and add to pot. Mix well.
9. Remove from heat and serve.
Ingredients
6 medium-sized tomatoes
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
---------------------------------
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter (about 15g)
1 large onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1 can tomato puree (425g)
1 can chicken broth (400ml)
A handful of fresh basil leaves (approx 20 leaves), finely chopped
1 tbsp corn starch (optional)
400ml UHT milk
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
Servings
Makes 4 bowls
Cooking Time
Approximately 1 hour
Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 200 deg C.
2. Scald tomatoes with boiling water. After about 2 minutes, drain, remove skin and dice.
3. Toss diced tomatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for 40 minutes.
4. In a stock pot, sautee onions, garlic and chilli flakes in olive oil and butter at medium heat for 10 minutes. Season with pinch of salt and black pepper.
5. Add tomato puree, broth, basil leaves and red wine vinegar. Mix well and bring to boil.
6. If desired, suspend corn starch in a little water and add to pot to thicken the soup. (optional)
7. Add milk. Turn heat to low when soup begins to boil.
8. Separate oven-baked tomatoes from their cooking liquid and add to pot. Mix well.
9. Remove from heat and serve.
Welcome to my blog!
Why a blog?
Ever since I moved to my new place, I have been using my kitchen a lot, trying out recipes and experimenting with ingredients. Very often, I forget what I have done and what I have modified. My friend Michele, who herself started a cooking blog, encouraged me to record and share my experiments in the kitchen here.
What is the meaning of La cuisine de Grue?
It translates from French to Crane's Kitchen. It's my snobbish way of naming the exploits in my kitchen. My place is on Crane Road. Since this is where my culinary journey begins, I thought it is apt to name my blog after it.
Where are these recipes stolen from?
I am a fan of Food Network stars Giada De Laurentis, Alton Brown and especially Ina Garten. I used to follow Ina Garten's recipes to the tee. Now I use them as a starter recipes to which I add my own preferences and adjust to the ingredients available in our neck of the woods. While I get many of recipes from the Food Network, I do get inspirations from everywhere.
The recipes I present here are the ones I think are easy to replicate and are successful enough that I would make for myself again.
Ever since I moved to my new place, I have been using my kitchen a lot, trying out recipes and experimenting with ingredients. Very often, I forget what I have done and what I have modified. My friend Michele, who herself started a cooking blog, encouraged me to record and share my experiments in the kitchen here.
What is the meaning of La cuisine de Grue?
It translates from French to Crane's Kitchen. It's my snobbish way of naming the exploits in my kitchen. My place is on Crane Road. Since this is where my culinary journey begins, I thought it is apt to name my blog after it.
Where are these recipes stolen from?
I am a fan of Food Network stars Giada De Laurentis, Alton Brown and especially Ina Garten. I used to follow Ina Garten's recipes to the tee. Now I use them as a starter recipes to which I add my own preferences and adjust to the ingredients available in our neck of the woods. While I get many of recipes from the Food Network, I do get inspirations from everywhere.
The recipes I present here are the ones I think are easy to replicate and are successful enough that I would make for myself again.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)