Black Currant Pound Cake

Whenever I see a fruit or vegetable that I don’t recognize in the grocery store I have a compulsion to buy some and then I’m not quite sure what to do with them. Usually if it’s a veggie I roast them, and if it’s a fruit I chuck them into a pound cake.

Seriously, you cannot go wrong with pound cake. When I saw these black currants I immediately wanted to try them.

But when I tasted one they were unpalatably sour. Since I adore cranberry pound cake, I decided to give the black currants the same treatment.

I always use Martha Stewart’s recipe. It is delicious, but you must absolutely use butter, no margarine. Maybe in some other recipes you can get away with margarine but in this recipe it is crucial.

 

Golden and delicious, the tart taste of the currants made an excellent contrast to the sweetness of the bread. Next time I see black currants in the grocery store, I must buy some and try this out again.

 

del.icio.us Tags: Pound Cake,Black Currants

Japanese Chili Pork Ramen

You’ll rarely see me post pasta recipes because honestly, it’s just not my thing. I do however, have a thing for ramen noodles, even though it has been years since I have had some. Traditional Japanese ramen is a huge bowl of broth, ramen noodles, and different vegetables and meats depending on the recipe; each region in Japan has their version. You’ll notice there is no broth in my version. This is just personal preference as I have never particularly cared for the broth and have always felt that it just made it messier to eat.

For this recipe you will need:

Ramen noodles	Minced pork
Sambal Oelek or another chili sauce	Green onions
Fresh cilantro	Minced garlic
Roasted sesame seeds	Salt and pepper
Baby spinach

 

First of all you cook your pork until nearly browned.

Then add minced garlic.

Roasted sesame seeds and salt and pepper.

Once the meet is cooked thoroughly you put in a few tablespoons of Sambal Oelek. If you don’t have any feel free to use another type of chili sauce or you could even puree red chillies and use that instead.

 

Next, green onions and spinach go into the pan.

I usually use frozen baby spinach, since I can never finish the fresh kind before it goes bad.

And also some fresh cilantro, right at the end.

Give it a good stir and you’re ready to serve it. If you like your green onions very well cooked leave it on the heat a while longer, personally I like when they still have a bite to them as it makes for a good textural contrast with the meat and noodles.

While all of that is going on you can start your noodles. Try to get actual Japanese ramen noodles and not just the no name stuff in the styrofoam containers.

Since I don’t care for the broth I used just enough water to cook the noodles and two of the flavour packets that came with them. If you like the broth, use more water and all the flavour packets.

To serve just take some noodles and broth, if you’re using it, put them in a large bowl and add a generous amount of the pork mixture on top.

I really enjoyed this. It had been so long since I had eaten ramen so it really hit the spot. And I finally bought a pair of chopsticks to eat it properly. The Husband can’t eat with them so he thinks I have some kind of amazing talent to be able to do it. Poor boy, so gastronomically sheltered. I’ve tried to expand his horizons, but alas, no dice. This made lots of leftovers and overall it is a really cheap meal that can easily be stretched out. The biggest expense is the ground pork but the noodles are a buck or two per package and you could add more noodles and keep the same amount of meat. This meal is both tasty and budget friendly.

del.icio.us Tags: Japanse food,Ramen

Japanese Broiled Salmon

Ok my friends, prepare to be introduced to one of the most delicious, easy and dummy-proof salmon dishes ever. You will need:

Big filet of salmon	Sake
Pepper	Soy sauce
Ginger	Garlic
Spicy mayonnaise or regular	Furikake or nori
Roasted sesame seeds

 

First you start with the marinade: pepper, sake, soy sauce, ginger and garlic. I just eyeballed a generous amount of sake (since booze makes everything better), a splash of soy sauce and some garlic and ginger.

Marinade.

Salmon filet.

Marinate the salmon for 15-30 minutes. I don’t like to leave it in the marinade too long because the flavour of the salmon can easily get overwhelmed.

The special ingredient. Thai hot chili mayonnaise is life changing. If you can find it, buy some.

Take the salmon out of the marinade and slather it with mayonnaise. I know, mayonnaise on salmon? I too was skeptical when I read the recipe, but I saw the light after I tasted it. And it was good.

Now you sprinkle on the furikake, (mixture of seaweed, bonito flakes and sesame seeds usually) or crumbled seaweed.

And a generous amount of roasted sesame seeds.

Put the filet in the oven at 400 degrees until it’s cooked and flaky. How long it takes depends on how thick your fish is.

This is bliss my friends. The mayo, seaweed and salmon go so well together and I love the flavour of the roasted sesame seeds. This recipe requires very little prep and tastes amazing. You really don’t need much more than some steamed rice and some veggies alongside. This is a great dinner party recipe since you can easily double the servings by getting a larger filet.

del.icio.us Tags: Salmon,Japanese Food

Random Meal Pictures: Part II

Mini appetizer pizzas.

Lamb chops marinated in garlic, lemon, rosemary and olive oil served with broccoli and cheesy twice baked potatoes.

A salad. Just for proof that I do eat veggies.

Oven baked fries and a carmelized onion burger. Grinding you own meat is the key, my friends.

Barley and duck confit soup.

Buckwheat pancakes and berries.

Cajun dirty rice.

 

Something for The Husband involving meat and copious amounts of cheese.

Rosemary rubbed leg of lamb.

Butternut and apple soup.

Blueberry muffins with a brown sugar soy nut topping.

Tacos. The filing is hiding under the greenery.

Baby back ribs.

Home-made cherry cheesecake ice cream.

del.icio.us Tags: Food pictures