Category: Recipes

I just treated myself to a mini Tintin while Christmas shopping – The Blue Lotus.

Probably quite fitting then that I return home to attempt an oriental soup, completely unprepared, and unaware of any culture’s soup recipes. Tintin, or rather Herge, the racist.. I don’t know why I love the comics so much. Nostalgia about a time when I was in primary school maybe. I just had a vivid flash of the school library, which I’ve just realised was actually two quite small rooms. I am hopelessly sentimental, but anyway, this is the soup of the present:

• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped, one spring oil chopped, fry in a little oil
• add 1 julienned carrot, stir
• around a teaspoon of paprika, pepper
• splash of soy sauce
• add one stock cube, a little water
• splash of rice wine vinegar
• top up to 1-1.5L of water
• add two more stock cubes (I used Oxo veg)
• squeeze half a lemon
• stalk of lemongrass thrown in, base cross cut, later removed
• a cup or two of frozen vegetables
• salt, more soy
• splash of red wine
• one sheath of soba noodles. Handful of chopped coriander.

 

Also known as CRAZY SALAD. An impromptu salad inspired by a yearning for something fresh. Turned out surprisingly delicious

Ingredients:

• small bunch of asparagus
• 1/2 of a small red onion
• handful of fresh baby corn
• one punnet of cress
• half a large carrot in matchsticks (it really needs a tool. I hate chunky grated carrot)
• half an avocado
• sprinkle of pine nuts
• large handful of rocket
• handful of coriander leaves, chopped
• handful of snowpeas
• half a larger, red, barely spicy chili, sliced
• small bunch of dill, chopped

Dressing:

• several spoonfuls of yoghurt
• 1 spoon oil
• vinegar to taste
• grainy mustard teaspoon or two
• several teaspoons of horseradish

Trick is to add enough salt, and cook if for long enough for it to get crispy

Habaneros are hot, but in the whole dish it’s not really that spicey.

Ingredients

• Garlic, chopped medium sized so it doesn’t burn when frying
• Basil
• Half a ripe habanero
• Oregano
• Passata

Fry the garlic and chilli in a ml or two of oil, then add a little oregano with heat on. Add salt. Add whole bottle of passata, rinse bottle with a cup or so of water and add dilute remnants to pan. Add pepper and cook for 10-15 minutes. Add fresh chopped basil, allow to cook for another 5 minutes.