Dinner tonight: Korean Calamari

I wanted to make grilled stuffed calamari today but since it has been snowing all day, i decided to make korean calamari instead. I made it before and hubby seemed to enjoy it, this time i will add fresh chillies to get more kick. Hubby and i LOVE spicy food :D. 


Hubby helped me to clean the calamari, well actually i asked him to clean it :p. For those of you who have no idea how to clean it, you better look at this link on youtube.

Nigella´s Korean calamari

Korean Calamari

Adapted from KITCHEN: Recipes From The Heart of The Home by Nigella Lawson

Ingredients:

5 to 6 ounces (6 baby) squid

2 tablespoons rice wine

2 tablespoons Korean gochujang paste (picture below)

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons sugar

Few dashes Asian sesame oil

2 teaspoons groundnut or other flavorless oil

75 gr baby corn, cut into 1cm chunks

6 thin or 3 fat spring onions, sliced

additional from me: Chopped chillies

Methods:

1. Cut the tentacles out of the squid bodies, then slice the calamari into rings and put them in a bowl with the tentacles and the 2 tablespoons rice wine. Leave for 15 minutes, then strain, reserving the liquid in a bowl.

2. To this bowl add the Korean pepper paste, soy sauce, sugar, and few dashes of sesame oil, and stir to combine.

3. Put a wok or large, heavy-based frying pan over medium heat and, when it's hot, add the 2 teaspoons groundnut or other flavorless oil.

4. Add the sliced corn and spring onions and (chopped chillies) stir-fry for 2 minutes

5. Add the drained squid and stir-fry for another minute or two until the squid turns opaque.

6. Tip your sauce into the hot pan, stir-fry for 30 seconds or so, until piping hot. Divide the calamari between 2 bowls of the sushi rice and serve.

Gochujang Paste

Chocolate Chip Cookies

It was a nice sunny day today, the temperature was around 18 degrees centigrade and yet i was bored ( hubby wasnt home). I have played with Shadow and walked longer than we used to but still feel lonely and grumpy. Then i decided to bake something, something sweet, simple and doesn't leave many dirty dishes (lazy hehe). 

Hubby loves Nigella´s Totally chocolate chip cookies (TCCC) and i have been making these cookies many times. This time i will just make Chocolate chip cookies (CCC), it still comes from Nigella´s recipe. Hubby loves them both but for me, i love CCC better. 

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from KITCHEN: Recipes From The Heart of The Home by Nigella Lawson

Ingredients:

150 gr soft unsalted butter

125 gr soft light brown sugar

100 gr caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg, fridge-cold

1 egg yolk, fridge-cold

300 gr flour

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 x 326g packet of milk chocolate morsels or choc chips

1 x large baking sheet

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C/gas mark 3.  Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.

2. Melt the butter and let it cool a bit.  Put the brown and white sugars into a bowl, pour the slightly cooled, melted butter over them and beat together.

3. Beat in the vanilla, the cold egg and cold egg yolk until your mixture is light and creamy.

4. Slowly mix in the flour and the bicarb. until just blended, then fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Scoop the cookie dough into an American quarter-cup measure or a 60ml round ice-cream scoop and drop onto the prepared baking sheet, plopping the cookies down about 8cm apart.  You will need to make these 2 batches, keeping the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge between batches.

6. Bake for 15-17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the edges are lightly toasted.  Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks.

Make Ahead Note: The cookies can be made up to three days ahead and stored in an airtight container.  Cookies will keep for a total of five days

English Crumpets

English Crumpet

English crumpet is traditionally eaten as a breakfast snack or a snack for afternoon tea in the UK. If you think my British husband was the one who introduced me to this snack, well you´re wrong. It was his friend Terry, he introduced me to the English crumpet when hubby and i spent Christmas with him in York last year. The thing is, hubby is not such an adventurous person as i am when it comes to food!. 

I searched for the recipe on the internet and stumbled on Lisa´s blog Sunday Hotpants. I tried it yesterday and we both loved it  :-).  

English Crumpets

Adapted from Sydney Food by Bill Granger

Ingredients:

1½ cups of milk

1½ tsp sugar

7 gr dried instant yeast

375 gr flour

½ tsp baking soda

200 ml water

pinch of salt

Method:

1. Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat until just warm. 

2. Transfer into a bowl and add the sugar and yeast. Allow to stand for 10 minutes or until the milk starts to bubble.

3. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the milk mixture to the flour and beat with an electric beater until completely smooth. 

4. Cover in plastic wrap and stand in a warm place for 1 - 1½ hours until doubled in volume and full of air bubbles.

5. Mix the baking soda with the water and use your electric beater to combine this with the batter.

6. Heat a heavy based frying pan over a medium heat and grease with a little butter.

7. Grease your crumpet moulds (baking rings) - keep them greased throughout the cooking. Place your moulds on the hot surface and place 2-3 Tbsp of mixture inside the mould. 

8. Within a short period of time your crumpets should get small bubbles all over the surface that begin to break.

9. Once the surface is covered in broken bubbles and a light skin has formed you can gently remove your crumpet from the mould, turn and cook on the other side.

10. Remove from the pan and snuggle your crumpets in a clean tea towel while you cook the rest.

11. The crumpets can be eaten fresh or toasted.

You can spread it with butter, jams, honey or anything else you fancy. For me, i love it with just butter. 

Kembang Goyang

This is one of Indonesia´s traditional crackers. If you translate the Indonesian name into english kembang means flower, and goyang means shake so kembang goyang means shaky flower?!? it sounds weird for a cracker doesn't it? :D. 


To make this cracker you need a flower shaped iron mold. My mum sent me a kembang goyang mold months ago. Surprisingly i also found this mold at the flea market here in Norway and they call them rosettbakkels. 

Kembang Goyang Mold from Indonesia

The one i found at flea market in Norway

There are 2 different flavors, sweet and savory. I decided to make savory kembang goyang first and try the sweet one or even the norwegian version next time :-). The original recipe is from here but i made few changes to suit my taste.


Kembang Goyang
Adapted from Tabloid Nova


Ingredients:
125 gr Rice flour
25 gr Sugar (this one i skip)
1 Egg
¼ tsp Salt
200 ml coconut milk
25 gr Sesame seeds (i substitute with crushed coriander seeds)
Oil for frying
My additional ingredient: finely chopped kaffir lime leaves.

Method:
1. Place all the ingredients together in a bowl (except oil) and mix it well.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and place the mold in the oil.
3. Once the mold is hot enough, dip it into the batter (the batter will stick on the hot mold). Dip it just below the top of the mold but do not submerse. 
4. Put it back in the oil and shake the mold to release the batter.
5. Deep fry until light golden color. 
6. Place on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.
7. Serve.

Now you know why it´s called Kembang goyang ;-).

Southern fried chicken

Inspired by Minny Jackson from The Help, i finally tried to make fried chicken using vegetable shortening (Crisco). I used the recipe from here. It tasted nice and crispy when you serve it right away but i feel a bit disappointed because after a while it became soggy.

I will try to make it again later with different recipes until i find the one that suits ME best. Why only suits me best? because i am the only one who eats them since hubby is not really into (deep) fried food.

Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon

I did it! i finally made the famous Julia Child's Beef Bourguignon. Since i am new in french cooking i followed the recipe exactly as written in the book. I must say that It´s not easy but it´s not difficult either. The result is heavenly!

It is explained in the book that Beef Bourguignon is served with boiled potatoes (traditionally), buttered noodles or steamed rice.  I think mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes or bread should be fine :-).  

So here is the recipe:

Beef Bourguignon (Beef stew in red wine, with bacon, onions and mushrooms) 

Adapted from Mastering The Art of French Cooking Vol.1 by Julia Child.

Ingredients:

 6 ounces chuck of streaky bacon

1 tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil

3 lbs. lean stewing beef , cut into 2-inch cubes

1 sliced carrot

1 sliced onion

1 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

1 ounces flour (about 2 tbsp)

1 ¼ pts (about 2.5 cups) of a full-bodied, young red wine , such as a Chianti

3/4 to 1 pts. ( 1 ½ - 2 cups) brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

2 cloves mashed garlic

½ tsp. thyme

A crumbled bay leaf

The blanched bacon rind

18 to 24 small white onions , brown-braised in stock (recipe here)

1 lb. quartered fresh mushrooms , sautéed in butter (recipe here)

Parsley sprigs

Methods:

1. Remove rind, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 2 ½ pints of water. Drain and dry.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F, Mark 8 or 230 degrees centigrade.

3. Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.

4. Dry the beef; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

5. In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.

6. Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees F, Mark 2 or 170 degrees centigrade.

7. Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 ½ to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

8. While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Leave them aside until needed.

9. When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

10. Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 1 pint (about 2 cups) of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

For immediate serving: Covet the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.

For serving later: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmering point, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Julia Child´s Sautéed Mushrooms

This is a part of Beef Bourguignon recipe, but you can also use the mushrooms alone.

Sautéed Mushrooms

Adapted from Mastering The Art of French Cooking Vol.1 by Julia Child.

Ingredients:

2 Tb butter

1 Tb oil

1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, washed, well dried, left whole if small, sliced or quartered if large

Optional: 1 to 2 Tb minced shallots or green onions

Salt and pepper

begin to brown. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.

Methods:

1. Place the skillet over high heat with the butter and oil. As soon as you see that the butter foam has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add the mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan for 4 to 5 minutes. During their sauté the mushrooms will at first absorb the fat. In 2 to 3 minutes the fat will reappear on their surface, and the mushrooms will 

Toss the shallots or green onions with the mushrooms. Sauté over moderate heat for 2 minutes.

Sautéed mushrooms may be cooked in advance, set aside, then reheated when needed. Season to taste just before serving

Julia Child´s Brown Braised Onions

This is a part of Beef Bourguignon recipe.

Brown Braised Onions

Adapted from Mastering The Art of French Cooking Vol.1 by Julia Child.

Ingredients:

18 to 24 peeled white onions about 1 inch in diameter

1½ tbsp butter

1½ tbsp oil

½ cup of brown stock, canned beef bouillon, dry white wine, red wine, or water

Salt and pepper to taste

A medium herb bouquet: 

4 parsley sprigs,

½ bay leaf, and

¼ tsp thyme,  tied in cheesecloth

Methods:

When the butter and oil are bubbling in the frying pan, add the onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect to brown them uniformly.

Then either braise them as follows: Pour in the liquid, season to taste, and add the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet. Serve them as they are, or follow one of the suggestions at the end of the recipe.

Or bake them as follows:Transfer the onions and their sautéing fat to a shallow baking dish or casserole just large enough to hold them in one layer. Set uncovered in upper third of a preheated 350-degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes, turning them over once or twice. They should be very tender, retain their shape, and be a nice golden brown. Remove herb bouquet.

The onions may be cooked hours in advance, and reheated before serving.

Bolu Kukus

This is one of my favorite cakes :-). Bolu kukus is an Indonesian steam sponge cake. To make this cake you need a special mold which i bought in Indonesia. It´s basically the same like single muffin mold but with holes. 


You can say you have succeeded when the cake "blooms" :-). 

Bolu Kukus Mold

Bolu Kukus (Indonesian steam sponge cake) 


Ingredients:
250 gr Sugar
250 gr Flour
2 Eggs
1 tsp Cake emulsifier 
200 ml Soda water or Sprite
1-2 tsp Cocoa powder or mocha paste    


Method:
1. Place baking paper/muffin paper form into bolu kukus mold
2. Pre heat the steamer
3. Mix all the ingredients using freestanding mixer until creamy, around 10 minutes.
4. Take a 1/3 of the batter and place it into another bowl and put cocoa powder or mocha paste. Mix it well.
5. Pour the white batter into the mold until a little over half way.
6. Swirl a little chocolate or mocha batter on top.
7. Steam it with a high heat for 15 to 20 minutes.


Important notes:
- Wrap the steamer lid with towel or cloth
- DO NOT open the lid during steaming or the cake wont "bloom" and look like a regular muffin.


When i made this cake, i tried to use also the regular single muffin mold just to compare the result. You can see the pictures below for the result. 

Using Bolu Kukus Mold

Using Single Muffin Mold

Beef Stifado

Beef Stifado is a Greek classic dish made from braised beef with pearl onions and tomatoes. Stifado can also be made with various other meat, not only with beef,  ie. rabbit, lamb or chicken. It is easy to make but it takes a long time to cook :D but the reward is  a nice, juicy melt in your mouth beef. For me it taste better when you cook it one day before you serve it.


In Greece, beef stifado was served with french fries but i believe it will do fine with roast potatoes, mashed potatoes or even rice :-).  

Beef Stifado 
Adapted from Greek Cooking book


Ingredients:
1 Kg Veal
1 Kg Pearl Onions (Rie- i used 500 gr), peel
3 Tbsp Butter
4 Tbsp Vinegar
4 Tomatoes, chopped
4 Cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Bay leaves
1 Spring rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary
1 teacup oil
1 Stick cinnamon
1 Glass dry red wine
Salt & Pepper


Methods:
1. Cut the meat into 5 servings, place in pan with butter and saute. 
2. Add wine.
3. Add Salt, pepper, tomatoes, garlic, bay leaves, rosemary & cinnamon.
4. Place onions in frying pan with oil, saute and then add to the meat.
5. Add the vinegar and as much water as necessary for the meat to cook over low heat for minimum about 1 hour and 30 minutes.