Pumpkin (and other stuff) Soup

What is it about soup that can be so warming and comforting? On a rainy day, or when I'm feeling sick, I seem to crave the stuff. I'm not a big fan of the canned stuff, though, no matter how home-style the ads say some are. That being said, I do keep a can or two in the drawer at work for lunch emergencies. In any case, soup can be SO easy to make, it kinda makes me wonder why some people have never attempted it.

I started out with a butternut pumpkin, a decent-sized orange sweet potato, and a knob of ginger. I prefer to roast the vegies, I think it adds to the flavour. I also add a sprinkling of Vegeta (damn I like that stuff). I also roasted a knob of ginger, although I think, in future, I won't. And I'll also use a LOT less of it (as in, not even slim a cm-worth as the ginger came through quite strongly).


After that, into the pot with them, and a date with the masher.


I like to use evaporated milk. I think it gives, aside from the obvious creamy flavour, a silkier texture. For this amount of vegies I usually add at least one can of evaporated milk, a little at a time, and pureeing it with a stick blender to keep it smooth.


And I keep adding and pureeing until it's the consistency I like. I just adore how easy this stuff is to make.


I ended up not getting to actually eat any of this... I taste-tested it throughout the preparation, but gave it all away to friends! Oh dear, I'll just have to go make some more. Hm, maybe split pea, lentil and ham. Yum.

Double-crumbed veal with steamed veg

I tend to shy away from cooking pieces of red meat - sometimes I get it right, but sometimes it ends up so tough that it does a good impression of a all-day doggy chew-toy. Thankfully, I think through sheer stubbornness/perseverance, it appears I'm slowly starting to get it right more often than not.

So, what do you do when you buy a bunch of groceries to make a stir-fry, but then it doesn't happen? You double-crumb the steak, steam the vegies, and make up a gravy with the pan juices.

Then you eat it and exclaim how [insert expletive] good it is, and how happy you are with yourself! :-) Sadly I was far too hungry to even attempt to make it look more appetising, but hey, when it's just me here it's more about taste than looks, right?

T'ain't Purty, But's Danged Tasty

Tonight's dinner was truly a new level of half-assery. A kiev from Wishbone, cous cous from the cupboard, a few "red back" potatoes, an orange sweet potato, garlic, salt, oil, and some Vegeta.

Wash potatoes, toss with peeled chopped sweet potatoes in some olive oil, Vegeta, garlic and salt. Throw 'em on an oven tray and start baking 'em at 180C.

15 minutes later put the kiev in on a different tray. 15 minutes after that turn the kiev over. 15 minutes after THAT boil the kettle. Put half a cup of boiling water in a bowl with a slick of olive oil and a shake of Vegeta. Measure out half a cup of cous cous and put that into the water. Stir it all around, whack a plate on top to cover the bowl and leave it for a few minutes. Fluff it up with a fork, add a little butter, then back on with the plate for another few minutes. Fluff it again, then dump it on the plate.

Take the kiev and veg out of the oven. Serve 'em up on top. To be extra bad pour any garlicy buttery liquids from the kiev over the top. Eat. Mmmmm.


Keeping in mind the picture really doesn't do the meal credit, and I actually split what's in the plate in half, eating one half and putting the other in a container for lunch tomorrow, I don't think it was such a bad effort for a Sunday night, after a VERY sleepless Saturday night. Meh, if I'm the only one that's gotta eat it, and I enjoy it, it's good enough. Right?

Salmon with Bean Puree and Greens

This is supposedly a very healthy meal. Hmph. Far too tasty to be good for you.

I got this recipe in an email a bit over a year ago and flagged it as something I wouldn't mind trying. So, 13 months later, I have. You can't hurry these things.

I've made a few modifications to the recipe and method.

Bean puree:
400g can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup low-salt chicken stock
1-2 bay leaves

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over a medium heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, take out the bay leaf/ves and puree the beans (btw, I love my stick blender). Leave covered on the stove until you're ready to serve up.

Salmon & marinade:
4 tsp good olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
2-3 tbl white wine vinegar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tbl chopped dill
2 x salmon fillets

Combine all the ingredients except the salmon in a glass or pyrex bowl. Mix well. Add salmon fillets and turn to coat, then leave to marinate for 10 minutes. Heat a non-stick frypan to medium-high. Remove fillets from marinade and place, skin-side down, in the hot pan 3-4 minutes, with the lid on. Turn the fillets and cook a further 3-4 minutes, covered. Lower the heat to low while you take care of the greens.

Greens:
big handful or so of spinach leaves
100g beans, topped, tailed, and cut into 3cm lengths

Steam the beans in the microwave 2 minutes. Add the spinach and microwave for a further 1-2 minutes. While this is happening remove the salmon fillets from the frypan, pour the remaining marinade into the pan and heat on high until dried out fairly well (this won't take long - a matter of a minute or two).

Sling some pureed beans into a bowl. Throw a salmon fillet in the middle. Heap some greens on top of that, and finish off with a dollop of cooked-out marinade.

The Nook, Sunbury

Cnr Evans & Stations Streets
Sunbury 3429


I just wanted to share this with you. This is what I had for lunch today. It's a salmon patty with some green salad leaves. Can you see how big this damn patty is?! It was all nice and crunchy crumbs on the outside, and the inside was all salmon chunks with bits of potato and other vegies. And it was $5! Brilliant!

I glanced over the menu while I was there, and it looks like there's some good brekky and lunch options. I noticed that they have an all-day breakfast option too - I like that. Plus, there are three display cases: one hot one with pies, sausage rolls, the usual type of delicious hot pastry goodness; one with things like quiche, fritatta, and these salmon balls; and one with cakes and muffins. The coffee wasn't too shabby either.

Hm, not that I head to Sunbury all that often, but I know where I'll be going for a coffee or lunch while I'm there.