Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Expensive Food

My wife and I both have the flu this week. Instead of cooking fresh food as we normally do, we're going for the prepared stuff. We went with Marie Calendar chicken pot pies and some fish sticks. The trip to the store to buy those cost more than any other trip I've had yet, including ones where I've bought steaks or seafood.

Not caviar, but almost as expensive.

Gethuk Kue Keranjang


Hmmmm kudapan yang ini justru lebih mudah lagi dari segi bahan dan cara pembuatan, penasaran ? yuk diintip resepnya :

Gethuk Kue Keranjang
By. Nilamsari

Bahan :
500 gr Kue Keranjang
Kelapa muda parut & garam sedikit - kukus

Cara membuat :

Potong kue keranjang kecil kecil lalu kukus selama 20 menit setelah itu angkat dan langsung gulingkan satu persatu kedalam kelapa muda parut yang sudah dikuku, sajikan hangat hangat.



Mendhut Kue Keranjang


Setiap perayaan Imlek pasti dirumah selalu ada yang namanya Kue Keranjang dan karena kalau dimakan langsung terasa manis banget biasanya dibikin kudapan yang mudah saja karena memang kue ini dari kecil sering ada juga setiap Imlek.

Kudapan ini aku beri nama Mendhut Kue Keranjang karena bentuknya seperti kue mendhut semarang dan cara bikinnya juga cukup mudah kok.

Mendhut Kue Keranjang
By. Nilamsari

Bahan :

500 gr kue keranjang / dodol china
200 ml santan kental matang
Daun pisang untuk membungkus

Cara membuat :
Potong kue keranjang kecil kecil lalu bungkus dengan daun pisang dan beri 1sdm santan kental lalu sematkan dengan lidi - bentuk tum (cmiiw) lalu kukus kurleb 30 menit.

Kalau aku lebih suka disajikan dingin dari kulkas....hmmm yummy dan tidak terlalu berasa manis banget karena ada campuran santan kental yang gurih.

Whiting Fish Curry with Easy Pilau Rice and Indian Spiced Onions


In this latest recipe for sustainable fish and seafood, I decided to make something a little bit different. Not many people think of fish when they think of curry but fish curry is extremely popular in parts of India - such as Goa - so I decided to come up with a very simple recipe of this type. Please remember also the resources in the right hand column of this blog for sustainable fish recipes, including the site linked to below which contains recipes for a number of different sustainable species and was updated with a new recipe earlier today. All will aid supporters of the campaign for eating more sustainable fish to keep their fish recipes varied and interesting.

Delicious Recipes for Sustainable Fish and Seafood

I have used whiting in this particular recipe for two people, which is actually a member of the cod family and is considered by many to be every bit as tasty as its seriously endangered cousin. The first step, however, should be to prepare the spiced onions, as they will ideally require a couple of hours in the refrigerator for the flavours to infuse.

Spiced Onion Ingredients

1 large white onion
1 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp hot chilli powder
1/2 tsp ground fenugreek
1 tsp caster sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
6 fresh mint leaves
Salt to taste

Method

The onion should be peeled and either diced or sliced, depending upon preference. It should be added to a glass bowl. The mint leaves should be roughly chopped and added to the onion along with the remainder of the ingredients. Stir carefully and very well. Cover with clingfilm and refrigerate for at least a couple of hours. Note that this could be done the night before where time is going to be an issue.


Fish Curry and Rice Ingredients

2 large whiting fillets
1 pint jar of curry sauce (strength as desired)
6oz basmati rice
1 and 1/2 pints of water
1 2" cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
2 cardamom pods
2 bay leaves
Salt

Method

The spices should be placed in a large pot and the water and a little salt added. Put the pot on to a high heat for the water to reach a boil. While the water is heating, rinse the rice thoroughly in a sieve under running cold water. Add the rice to the boiling water and stir well, once only.

When the rice is added to the water, add the curry sauce to a deep frying pan and put on to the heat to reach a simmer. When it is simmering, add the whiting fillets and fry for four minutes, before turning them very carefully with a fish turner and cooking for a further four minutes.


The rice is ready after ten minutes. Drain it through a sieve and use a teaspoon to remove the bay leaves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and be sure particularly to remove all the cloves. Stray cloves can lead to urgent dental assistance being required...


The rice can simply be spread on the plate as a bed upon which to serve the curried whiting. I have instead, however, lined a small bowl with clingfilm, packed in the rice and upended it on the serving plate. The bowl should then lift away and the clingfilm peeled free. The whiting can then carefully be plated and some of the curry sauce spooned on top.

The spiced onions should be removed from the refrigerator and a generous spoonful added to each plate.

You may also wish to consider serving this dish with some incredibly simple, homemade chapatis. You can find my simple recipe instructions for chapatis by clicking here.

Lunch at the Seven Sleepers/Yedi Uyanlar Cafe


View through peach trees of the Grand Fortress of Selçuk on Ayasoluk Hill

I was  invited to Selçuk for the weekend and a sixty minute flight on Friday took me from Istanbul to Izmir down on Turkey's Aegean coast. From there a car ride to the small town of Selçuk where my old friend lives more or less in the shadow of the landmark 6th Century Basilica of St John the Apostle while the town itself is dominated by the Grand Fortress on top of Ayasoluk Hill. Selçuk is very popular because of its proximity to the ancient city of Ephesus or Efes, the House of the Virgin Mary/Meryem Ana which attracts thousands of pilgrims annually, as well as glorious sandy beaches and a wealth of interesting places to see and visit. It’s a fabulous area. The remains of the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, are there! Imagine!


Temple of Hadrianus at Ephesus

And all this with hardly any traffic, fresh air, and a blue blue sky!
First stop was lunch and here's the tale:
Have you ever heard of the Yedi Uyanlar or the Seven Sleepers, commonly referred to as the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus? I’m afraid I have to confess ignorance here yet it seems that the story is widely believed by both Christians and Moslems. Seven young men refusing to recant their Christian beliefs during the persecutions of Roman Emperor Decius, in 250 AD retired to a cave to pray and fell asleep. Decius had the cave sealed and there they slept undisturbed for about 200 years. A landowner opened up the cave planning on using it for his cows, and found them whereupon they woke up. Everbody was astounded. The bishop was summoned to interview them and they died praising God. A miracle indeed.
This is the story!

Meanwhile:
local women making mantı at the  Seven Sleepers cafe

Nearby the ruins of the church and grotto under some trees is a small pleasant outdoor cafe. Nothing fancy:  rustic wooden tables and chairs outside and local women inside preparing the food in the traditional way.

the woman on the right is waiting to cook our gözleme over her hot fire


We found a sunny table as it was a bit nippy in the shade. Friend Frances recommended the gözleme, typical rural fare.  The village women in Assos make them too but I have to admit, these were in a class of their own. Whereas ours are filled with white cheese and parsley, these were either patlıcan/aubergine or potato.


believe me, these were mouthwatering: light and flaky with just the right amount of filling

In the first picture the women are making mantı, often referred to as Turkish ravioli. The preparation is very time-consuming as you can imagine but if home-made, can be a feast if a bit fattening! But I doubt very much that today's young Turkish women make it. It can be bought so easily.  It is served  in bowls with tomato sauce and garlic yogurt then sprinkled with dried mint and sumac. Here, the blue plastic is to stop the mantı from drying out.


the fiddly task of making mantı


Very often in a Turkish family, there will be a teyze or auntie whose speciality it is to make mantı. Our own  Auntie Ümit  was the one with the magic touch re mantı and an invitation from her was not to be turned down!

Valentines 2011

This post is image heavy, just a warning.

Nathan and I have this tradition of going to a nude art gallery that comes around every year on Valentine's Day. This is our second year of going. 

Nude Night is the largest nude art event in the U.S., it opens its doors Valentine’s weekend for its annual expose of art and entertainment. The event which is held at a different location each year, transforming commercial and industrial warehouse space into an exotic temporary gallery taking inspiration from foreign bazaars and cultures. The 3 night multi-media events showcase all representations of visual art including fine art, cartoon, film, metal, conceptual, pop, pin-up, installation and invention, photography, experimental, 3D, sculpture, and wood. Entertainment by burlesque performers begins at 9pm, 10pm and 11pm. Attendees will be enjoy live art performed by world class body painters, aerialists, fitness pole dancers and the unusual cast of strolling characters around every corner. .If you'd like a preview from past events, you can check it out here.

We always start our night off at the most amazing sushi bar called Shin, in downtown Orlando.


We orded a hefty amount of sushi for the two of us, including two bottles of saki.

 
 

After our romantic dinner we headed to the event...here are just a few photos. *If you're offended by nudity, I suggest you don't scroll down. 


























It was a great Valentine's Date & I can't wait until next year! On the actual Feb. 14th, we kept it low-key. I made my hubby some Chicken Florentine with strawberry shortcake for dessert.


Happy Valentines!