Akined to Pumpkin

[Spicy Thai Pumpkin Soup]

If you've read my previous post about the wonders of pumpkin's orangy flesh, you know I'm completely infatuated with this big fat squash that conjures up tales of a certain golden pumpkin coach. I normally buy my pumpkins, freshly and generously sliced on the spot, from my favorite green-grocer in Barcelona, Bubub.

Entering the tiny store takes you into a rustic setting with big straw baskets on the floors filled to the brim with farm-fresh vegetables, and wooden shelves on the walls displaying organically grown greens from its own nearby farm outside Barcelona. It's a wonder that smack right in the middle of the most culturally colorful neighborhood and just one tiny block away from the sanitizedly white walls of the Museum of Modern Art (MACBA), you can find such a quaint little vegetable store. The two ladies that shared the two shifts are extremely friendly and helpful too. Once one of them patiently pointed out to me the difference between chiviria (parsnip) and nabo (turnip).

The other day I came across a curious receipe of a Thai pumpkin soup infused with southeast asian spices and ingredients like dried shrimp, lemongrass and coconut milk. I wondered what it would taste like, so I ran a search on google and observed the array of recipes. The end result came out rightfully Thai in taste, and deservingly worth a little mention on this food blog. If you can find a handful of dried shrimp from your local asian grocery store, you should be able to recreate the exotic taste of this spicy Thai dish (it is not too exotic for me though, in fact I find it homey.)

P.S. Bubub-Verdures i Hortalisses is situated at C/Joaquim Costa 29 in the Raval. Nearest metro is Universitat and Sant Antoni on L2.

Spicy Thai Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
4 shallots, finely chopped (can be substituted with one small onion)
4 cups fresh pumpkin, peeled and scliced into 1/4-inch thick squares.
1/4 cup dried shrimps -- soaked for 5 minutes in warm water, drained and finely chopped.
1 small fresh red chili pepper, seeded and thinly sliced.
1 stalk of lemon grass (optional) use only the bulb or the white part, finely sliced.
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk (canned or powdered)
1 cup vegetable stock
1 cup water (add less or more according to your preferred consistency.)
salt and pepper to taste

Elaboration:
Heat a nonstick saucepan over medium-high fire. When it is hot, add oil and butter and heat up for half a minute. Feel your hands above saucepan. When you feel heat arises from the oils, throw in shallots (or onions) and stir-fry until golden brown. Then add garlic, dried shrimps, lemongrass and chili pepper and stir-fry til its aromas are released (I add each item in this order one at a time at an interval of 30 seconds and stir-fry all for about 1 minute). Work delftly with a wooden spatula and be careful not to burn garlic.

Now add sliced pumpkin and stir-fry on medium-high fire for about 2 minutes until significantly softened. When you can break a piece of pumpkin easily with the spatula, stir in vege stock, coconut milk and water gradually and bring contents to a boil. Cover saucepan and turn fire down to the weakest possible simmer for 10 minutes.

Now if you have an immerge-style or hand-held blender, plunge the apparatus into the saucepan and blend the soup till you get a smooth or slightly chunky consistency, according to your likes. If not, pour contents into your counter-stand blender in batches and work the machine. Salt and pepper soup till you get the right taste.

To serve, ladle into bowls and squeeze in some lemon juice. If you've cilantro, basil leaves, or even fresh mint, you can do some pretty garnishing. I simply did mine with a dash of freshly ground black pepper and some chilli powder.


This is an entry for Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging.

Corazon de Chocolate

[Deliriously Ganached Chocolate Cake]

This week went by eventFULLy. My valentine got lucky by being presented (in his words) his first ever heart-shaped cake; and I got unlucky, a few hours later, with a violent bout of viral gastroenteritis, which ended with me pxxxing my guts out, and fainting, and a doc called-in. Gosh, what a nightmare. That explains why I did not post this in a more timely manner (was bed-ridden for the last 48 hours before this morning).

Anyways, with respect to the objective of this food blog, let's go back to the subject... ah, food!! (Oh, in case you wanna know, i was fed on glucose and rice porridge when my very own's food-processing system was down.) Oh, ok, back on cake, yes, cake.

I did a basic chocolate cake and enrobbed it with chocolate ganache. Hmm, that's the fun part. Here's my recipe for the ganache i.e. a deliriously delightful concoction of chocolate, cream, and butter.

Dark Chocolate Ganache
1 part cream (liquid or creme fraiche)
1 part baking dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa)
half part butter

For one normal-sized cake, I would use 100g cream, 100g chocolate, and 50g butter. Now, heat the cream on slow fire and when it it just about to start boiling, get it off the stove. Add in chocolate (broken into smaller pieces) and butter, and watch them melt nicely. Keep stirring until you get to the consistency of a nice and smooth ganache.

If you like, you can also learn how to enrobe a cake like a pro on Food Network's special feature. I only read about it after my first novice attempt. Bummer.

After you've enrobe the cake successfully, leave it to cool for 15 minutes before chilling your almost-completed ganached cake in the fridge.

You can sprinkle icing sugar or dark cocoa powder on the surface before serving, and decorate it with chocolate shavings. Have fun ganaching!

P.S. Oh, in case you're wondering. I baked my Corazon de Chocolate in this wonderfully space-saving and non cake-clinching silicone heart-shaped baking pan like this one from Crate and Barrel.

P.P.S. In hindsight (after making cake), I thought about the idea of expressing our affections. We do not need to bake heart-shaped cakes only on a Hallmark holiday. Every day is a V's Day when we tell someone we care. And yes, there are all kind of excuses to use our bright crimson and heart-shaped kitchen gear!

Seoul Food

[Korean Barbecue Chicken]

Tiene buena pinta, no? No puedo afirmar que es una creacion mia pero sino, es una de las delicias coreanas de los dueños del Restaurante Coreano Seoul, ubicado a menos de una manzana de la puerta principal del Hospital de Sant Pau en Avenida Gaudi. Una vez fui con un grupo de amigas y hemos comido muy muy bien, y ademas sobraba la comida.

La mejor opcion en funcion de valor-precio es el Menu Gaudi que vale 18.50 euro. Te daran un primero plato de raviolis asiaticos o una tortilla de gambas a la coreana. Luego, tendras que saborear los platos tipicos de gastronomia coreana: Bi Bim Bap, un plato de arroz con ternera, verduras, y un huevo crudo que viene en una cazuela de hierro que sigue cociendo los ricos contenidos sobre la mesa. Los platos siguientes son el pollo a la parilla en la foto y un plato de mariscos. Tambien tienes una gran seleccion de postres para acabar tu comida. Te recomiendo lo de platanos fritos. No olivides que cualquier comida en el restaurante viene con los platitos de tapas coreanas que te sierven al principio con las sonrisas de la Señora dueña y el camarero William que es ultra amable.

Seoul Restaurante Corea
Av. Gaudi 70, 08025 Barcelona
Metro: Hospital Sant Pau (L5)
Tel: 934502617

Queso Tetilla

[Tetilla Cheese from Galicia]

I spent the last few days in La Coruña, Galicia, in the northwestern part of Spain. Off the Atlantic Ocean, the climate is pretty much like Seattle's -- it rains a lot. At the conference, we were given umbrellas as a giveaways. Since it was more of a work trip, I didn't really have personal time to savor the rich foods from the land. But I did manage to pop into a bar to fix myself up some Pulpo Gallego --octopus with olive oil and spanish red pepper-- the national dish of this seafaring province with Celtic roots.

The other famous gastranomic treasure from Galicia is queso tetilla. The semi-soft cheese is named after how it is formed. Tetilla simply means "nipple" and the cheese is shaped like a woman's bosom. It has a thin yellow rind and has no mold. The soft and creamy texture of Queso Tetilla with a slightly acidic taste and a hint of salt is perfect with any meal of the day. I love serving it in thick slices on real traditional gallego (Galician) bread.

The flavor of this cheese is reminiscent of the cows, meadows, and how the milk is produced in the region which boasts the largest milk producer in Spain. With a fat content of 25 percent, the cheese made in the Galician countryside is smooth on the palate and moderate on the waistline.

It is so popular that la tetilla is widely available all over Spain. The American mum of my Columbian friend here often demands that her son to bring her back this traditional spanish cheese when he visits home. If you'd like to serve it with wine, the best pairing would be a dry sherry -- Manzanilla or Jerez. It also work well with young whites with a touch of oak, such as Albariño or Ribeiro from Galicia.

Fresh Endives with Homemade Hummus

[Endives with Chickpea Dip]

A few nights ago, I was wondering what I would do with some fresh endives on hand. I decided to make a hummus dip to go with as an appetizer. The result is wonderful. Not too heavy without the usual pita bread, the chickpea paste pairs beautifully in the mouth with the light and crunchy texture of the raw endive leaves and neutralizes the raw vegetable's slightly bitter taste. I added some curry powder and cumin seeds which added a nice punch.

This dish is also completely healthy -- low-carb, low-cholesterol, fiber-rich and high in vitamins B6, A and C. What's more, it will wow your guests as it makes a really nice presentation for the dining table. Here's sharing with you the improvised recipe if you're up for it.

Note on endives: It is known as chivory greens in the States, which I had no idea before researching for this entry. (I don't remember coming across this vege in the States.) This is an important salad green in western Europe. They are everywhere in the green grocers here in Barcelona. You won't miss it.

Homemade Hummus
1 jar of cooked chickpeas a.k.a. garbanzo beans
1/4 cup of tahini (sesame paste)
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 cloves garlic
juice of one lemon
some water
salt and pepper

Garnish:
some cumin seeds
a dash of curry powder
a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Drain chickpeas and place in blender. Add all ingredients and blend until you get a nice consistency. Add more water as you go and according to your preference of how thick you like the paste to be. Garnish with cumin seeds, curry powder and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil before serving.

Serve it cold with endives and carrot sticks if you like, or wedges of pita bread. Store the rest in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to 3 days.

May Your Rice Bowl Overflow

[Chinese-style Glutinous Rice]

It's the fifth day of the Lunar Calendar and most East Asian countries including Vietnam, Korea, China, Malaysia, and Singapore have been celebrating the Lunar New Year in one form or another e.g. Spring Festival. I thought it'll be most appropriate to share with you a Chinese recipe I've improvised: chinese-style glutinous rice with chicken and shitake mushrooms.

Also known as sticky rice or sweet rice, the difference between glutinous rice and normal rice lies in its consistency. When cooked, it is very sticky and therefore perfect for making dumplings, rice balls or rice cakes. Despite its name, it is not sweet, nor does it contain dietary gluten. And like most dried beans, glutinous rice usually requires hours of soaking before it is being cooked.

I love the chewy and clingy texture the rice gives. When done right, it is a pure delight, bringing out its own characteristics and the flavors and ingredients that are added. (At least to my own culinary experiences, the rice is never served or cooked plain.) Various asian cultures employ the flour made out of glutinous rice as a base for their sweet cakes and pastries. For Chinese New Year, round cakes that are sweet and sticky called Nian Gao are found in every Chinese home, first as decoration and later to be devoured. They are ubiquitious for the holiday because Nian is a homonym in Chinese meaning both year and sticky, thus implying the ushering-in of a new year that brings you close to your love ones.

In traditional Chinese cuisine, the rice is often made into parcels (Lo Mai Gai) or pyramid-shaped rice dumplings (Zong Zi) -- both my all-time favorites. They are wrapped with dried lotus leaves or bamboo leaves that gives the dish its form, and at the same time imparting its fragrance.

The following recipe is a variation of Lo Mai Gai that is often found in Dim Sum menus, minus the lotus leaves. (Lo Mai Gai means glutinous rice with chicken in cantonese.) When you can't get the real thing and you crave for it, improvise and make it in your own kitchen. After all, that's really how I got into creative home cooking.

Chinese-style Glutinous Rice
Ingredients: (Recipe for 4)
1 1/2 cup glutinous rice (rinsed and soaked overnight)
10 chinese (shitake) mushrooms (soaked till softened and thinly sliced, minus the hard tips on stems)
2 shallots (or red onions) finely chopped
1 chicken breast (or dark meat if you prefer) thinly sliced into strips
1/4 cup of dried shrimps (soaked in 1 cup water for 10 min and drained. Reserve water)
5 cloves of garlic (minced or finely chopped)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Seasonings:
1 tablespoon Chinese or Japanese sesame oil
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
3 tablespoon light soy sauce
A generous dash of salt and white pepper.

Garnish:
1 stalk of scallion or spring onion thinly sliced (white and green ends)

Steps to recreate the picture above:
Marinate chicken with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and a few drops of sesame oil and let sit.

Place skillet over high fire. Let it heat up for about 2 minutes. Add oil and wait till it heats up a little. Add garlic and shallots and stir-fry 30 seconds till its wonderful aroma is imparted. Next, the dried shrimps go in for a 30-second stir-fry. Then add chicken and stir-fry for 2 minutes, then mushrooms for another 1 minute.

Now comes the drained rice. Stir-fry it good and deftly stir in all the seasonings listed above, one by one. Keep on stir-frying for about 2 minutes and add reserved shrimpy water. At this point, bring it down to a simmer and cover with a lid. Wait for 3 minutes or until water has reduced before transfering rice to a ceramic bowl.

Meanwhile, prepare another wok or a large pot and fill with half inch of water. If you do not have a metal stand for steaming, place two chopsticks slightly longer than the base of the pot in an "x" to form a support that stands right above the water. (If chopsticks don't work, try using other utensils. I once used two forks in a pinch.) Bring water to boil and place rice in bowl above the improvised rack. Cover the pot and reduce heat. Simmer for 10 minutes or until rice is just right i.e. not too soft and not too hard. Garnish with scallions before serving.

(Note: During the steaming process, check water level to ensure it is not dried out. In the latter case, add more water.)


This is an entry for Kalyn's Weekend Herb Blogging.