Cauliflower Curry

Winter vegetables are great but can get a bit repetitive. So, when I'm bored of winter tastes or when I have a lot of random vegetables left and the new veg-box hasn't arrived yet I make a curry. Curries are wonderful - simple, warming and really full of taste. All you need on a cold evening.

Cauliflower Curry

You will need:
1 onion
1 cauliflower
3-4 potatoes
2 TBs green curry paste (or more)
1 can of coconut milk
1/2 cup of vegetable stock

some chopped garlic and some chopped chilli
salt and pepper

Chop the potatoes into small cubes and cut the cauliflower into little florets. Parboil the potatoes and steam (or parboil) the cauliflower. The cauliflower shouldn't be too soft - otherwise it loses all its taste and turns into this unattractive mushy mess. In the meantime fry the chopped up onions with some garlic and chilli. When the vegetables are all parboiled add them to the pan in which you fried the onion and fry all of it together for a minute. Add two tablespoons of green curry paste and fry for another minute. Then add the coconut milk and the stock. Stir everything and let the curry boil off some water - it shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes. You use you can either use more or less curry paste, depending on whether you like you curries spicy or not. If you have fish sauce add a dash at the end before serving.

Served with rice and popodoms with some mango chutney makes an interesting (and very filling!) meal. Voilà!

Birthday Cake!

Mum and I made a cake for Daria's birthday. It was probably the most impressive piece of bakery I have ever seen performed by amateur cake-creator. Chocolate anyone?

It started with the truffles in their little cases (yes, the cases were made out of chocolate and for every single one that worked out 5 broke when I was making them):

And then we made the sponge and the walls and ... assembled the cake adding a red ribbon (it was a present after all!)

And then we all ate it and died of chocolate overdose. But oh we died happy!

I wish it was spring

'It is the artist's business to create sunshine when the sun fails' R. Rolland

Orlando

"Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a purpose" 

G. Keillor

 

Cheat's Martini

I am home and as there are already plenty of hands helping out with Christmas cooking I am the one responsible for the provision of liquid fuel. Cheat's Martini is named so because it's not really a martini - after all it has both gin and vodka. It's a foundation of a Vesper, but it definitely isn't one either. What it is, is a very, very strong cocktail for those who like their cocktails decisive. So, if you like Tequila Sunrise or (dare I even mention it as a cocktail... Archer's and lemonade) you should probably stay away from this one.

You will need:

40 ml gin

20 ml vodka

2 drops angostura

2 olives

+ martini glass

Chill your glass with some ice. Put 6-8 ice cubes into the shaker and add the liquid ingredients in. Shake well and strain into your glass. Add the olives and enjoy responsibly. 

p.s. I called it "Cheat's Martini" only today as it needed a name, tho I am sure if I searched for long enough I would have found that it's been done before (I am sure it has!) and has a proper, more official name. If you do find it's proper name and think it suits the drink better - let me know.

Pear and Blue Cheese Risotto

I love (love love!) risottos. They are simple, they are tasty, they are impressive. And they are Italian. What more could you want? I agree, they require some practice and they are a bit time-consuming because they are attention-seeking dishes (it's the constant stirring I'm thinking of) but they are always totally worth it. Risotto is definitely my staple meal when I have people coming round for dinner. And if I want an impressive yet stress-free meal I go for one of my favourite risottos - Pear and Gorgonzola. Yup, you've heard it right - there are pears in it and there is blue cheese. And they work amazingly well together.

(c) Charlie Clift

Pear and Blue Cheese Risotto

You will need:

200g risotto rice (arborio or carnaroli)

500 ml vegetable stock

1/2 glass of white wine

1 small onion, chopped into cubes

200 g gorgonzola (dolce-latte works well too!), chopped

2 pears

olive oil

a knob of cold butter

salt, pepper

Cut the pears into small (but not too small) cubes and fry them with some butter until they are soft and caramelised. In the meantime fry the onion in a sauce pan with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the rice and fry for a minute or two. Add the wine and let it boil off stirring the rice constantly. Then add a ladle of stock and stir over reduced heat. Keep adding the stock until the rice is ready. You can tell it's done by biting through one piece - it should be all soft except the middle - a harder, small, white core should remain. If in doubt read the instructions on the packet - it normally takes about 20 minutes to cook the risotto rice. When the rice is almost done add the blue cheese and pear and stir them in until the cheese dissolves and the dish becomes all creamy. Then add a knob of cold butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with some parmesan and, if you wish, a glass of red wine, because it goes very well with it.

E voila!

Winter in Bristol