Happy Sunday!

"There's no sincerer love than the love of food."-George Bernard Shaw

Something for sakura season

Here's something quick and oh so very Japanese to celebrate cherry blossom season. It may not be the real thing but it sure brings back wonderful memories of Japan. Kyoto, to be more exact, with its majestic temples and cozy restaurants, where I was slurping humongous bowls of steaming udon noodles on a daily basis. And yet I still don't know how to properly use those darn chopsticks. Go figure.
Here's what you need: brown rice cooked according to package directions in some dashi stock. Easy peasy to make. Really. See here.
Ummm, what else? Some sliced avocado, green onions, a few strips of wild salmon, shredded nori sheets ( the stuff you use to wrap sushi) and red tobiko (flying fish roe) to garnish. And to make it so wonderfully palatable some soy sauce and mirin (Japanese sweet cooking wine).
Cook your rice in the dashi stock. Cool. Season with a few splashes of tamari soy sauce and mirin. Divide into bowls and top with avocado, salmon, pickled ginger and green onions. Be generous with the latter. Unless you're going for oiling the wheels of romance here. Garnish with the shredded nori and tobiko. Enjoy!

White quinoa porridge with banana and toasted coconut

Quinoa is an ancient food that has been cultivated in the South American Andes for centuries. The Inka called it the "mother grain" and considered it sacred. Technically it is not a grain, but a seed, rich in iron, protein and calcium. The protein in quinoa is considered to be a complete protein due to the presence of all 8 essential amino acids.
Before using, the seeds need to be rinsed well in order to remove a bitter resin-like substance called saponin. Usually quinoa sold in North America is already rinsed, but it's always a good idea to rinse again to remove any leftover residue.
Consider using quinoa in soups, stews, salads, breakfast foods, desserts...The possibilities are endless. Being highly nutritious and gluten free, quinoa is a worthy addition to anyone's diet.
I stock up every month on both white and red quiona and try to incorporate it in my cooking at least once a week.
You'll love this one:

White quinoa porridge with banana and toasted coconut

Ingredients:

2 cups light coconut milk
1 cup white quinoa
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1 banana, sliced
1/4 cup shredded, toasted coconut

Combine coconut milk with 1 cup water in a pan. Add a pinch of salt and quinoa. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently for about 25 minutes, until the grains are tender.
Meanwhile place sugar with 1 1/4 cups water in another pan and place over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar and simmer until thick and syrupy.
Pour some syrup into your serving bowls, then add a layer of quinoa, add more syrup and finally top with sliced banana a sprinkle over the toasted coconut.
Serves 4.
If you haven't got much of a sweet tooth you might enjoy this quinoa salad recipe: http://labohemecherie.blogspot.com/2009/02/moroccan-red-quinoa-salad-with.html

Happy Easter!

Favourites

Lately I haven't had much time to cook or bake, let alone post anything. So, I just thought I'd share some favourites:

I could listen to this over and over and over again...



Variations on takeout. Two of the cutest kids I have ever met.
Laos 2008.



Something I've been craving for almost a year now:



And last, but not least with picnic season coming up I'd really like one of these please!
Hot food on a picnic you ask? Just try it!

Breakfast for a rainy day

I have a thing for rainy mornings in general and this one in particular. Waking up early just agrees with me somehow. We had a lovely breakfast of baked pears with hazelnut crumble served with greek yogurt and whipped cottage cheese, followed by a healthy dose of Bugs Bunny. Never mind the rain, the sweet smell of cinnamon makes everything better. This is shaping up to be a wonderful day. For you see, this is not a usual Saturday for me. On every other Saturday but this one, you'd find me studying Spanish grammar, running errands, having long conversations with my favourite vendors at the farmer's market, cooking up a storm in the kitchen, and cleaning out my nest. You know, getting ready for a relaxing Sunday. But today is different. I have no intention of studying, cleaning or cooking as I already finished my cooking for the weekend last night. The theme is the Iberian Peninsula, that means braised squid with chorizo and sherry in a roasted garlic and sweet tomato sauce, followed by some Pasteis de Nata, picked up from the bakery.
Right now I'm off for some Dim Sum, this documentary, and later a guitar class.
Have a wonderful weekend my friends!

Spiced honey baked pears with hazelnut crumble



Ingredients:

For the baked pears:

4 ripe, but firm pears, peeled, cored and cut into wedges
pinch of ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tbsp honey

For the crumble:

3o g rolled oats
20 g chopped hazelnuts
15 g brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
40 g butter, melted
Yogurt or cottage cheese to serve

Preheat oven to 325 F.
For the pear mixture, simmer all ingredients in a pan until pears are soft, but not mushy and the liquid has almost evaporated. Pour mixture into a buttered oven proof dish.
For the crumble mix all ingredients by hand making sure to coat all dry ingredients with melted butter. Scatter crumble over pear mixture, bake until golden about 15 minutes.
Serve warm with yogurt.
Recipe adapted from GT magazine.