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Niña
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NIÑA ​ANINIAS

SHOP. COOK. EAT.
REPEAT.

Tender Stem Broccoli in Oyster Sauce

7/20/2012

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I have always been curious about tender stem broccoli. Always imagined how crispy and tasty it would be to cook it but at the same time have no clue how to go about it.

Of all the years (which is pretty short :) ) that I've been cooking, variations of stir fry has always been my go-to when I have no clue how to handle veggies.

So I thought, oyster sauce, garlic, hot wok... what could go wrong? Seems like nothing! :) It was delicious!

Yes it's not cheap. Definitely double than a full blown broccoli but it's worth it. Perfect side dish for most main.

Ingredients:
knob of butter
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 packs of tender broccoli
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
sauteed button mushrooms (optional)

Procedure:

Cut off ends of tender stems and using a peeler, shave off tough parts of broccoli'

Chop florets and stems. Setting aside florets for the time being.

Heat olive oil for a few seconds and then add butter to melt.

Add garlic bits and fry until it's aromatic but not burnt.

Add chopped stems and stir fry for 3 minutes or just until it's almost half cooked. Add the florets and stir fry for another 3 minutes. Add oyster sauce and stir fry for another minutes.

Turn off the heat and add sesame oil. Leave broccoli on the pan to cook more in residual heat. Add sauteed mushrooms if you want.
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Eggplant Salad Caprese

2/26/2012

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I love caprese, in a pasta or as a salad... something about it that's so comforting.

Ingredients:
3 small eggplants cut into slices
coarse cooking salt
8 cherry tomatoes
350 grams bocconcini cheese
fresh basil leaves

Italian Dressing:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon red vinegar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Grill eggplants until browned.

Cut cherry tomatoes in two and gently mix with bocconcini and some sea salt.

Combine all ingredients for italian dressing.

Drizzle 3/4 of italian dressing to the bocconcinis and tomatoes. Arrange eggplant slices and basil leaves the way you want to present it.

Chill bocconcinis for 15 minutes or up to 3 hours. Just before serving, drizzle remaining dressing.

Enjoy!

-AcousticChef.... cookin' one tune at a time! 
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Hearty Vegetable Beef Soup

1/22/2011

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FV48-05-0111

It's been an overcast and rainy weather the whole week,,, it's the perfect time for a really good soup. I am not armed with many soup. I only know how to make chicken sopas and cooks the one from a packet! I know pathetic,,, but I'm getting there.

Got this really great soup from one of my books and it is indeed hearty.

Tip 1: Make sure you cut all the ingredients all at the same size for even cooking
Tip 2: If you don't have a home made beef broth, you can always use the beef broth cubes
Tip 3: Degrease the soup for better presentation, unlike me, I just served it as is as I was hungry!
Tip 4: Mirepoix is a combination of equal parts, onion, celery and carrot

Took me 30 minutes 

Ingredients:
45 grams of butter
375 grams, mirepoix*, small dice
2 cloves, garlic cloves, chopped
1 liter beef broth
125 grams beef, small dice
Bouquet Garni:
   1 Bay leaf
   1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
   1/2 teaspoon crushed peppercorns
   8 parsley stems
100 grams tomato concasse
75 grams potato, small dice
100 grams corn kernels, fresh, frozen or canned
Salt and pepper

Makes 1.25 liters
Serves 4


In a soup pot, sweat the mirepoix in butter until tender.

Add garlic and saute lightly.

Add the beef broth or stock and the diced beef; bring to a simmer. Add the bouquet garni. Skim or degrease as necessary.

Simmer until the beef and vegetables are tender, approximately 30 minutes.

Add the tomato concassee, corn and potatoes, simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve piping hot!

-AcousticChef.... cookin' one tune at a time!
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Two-Veg Gratin with Mornay Sauce

1/22/2011

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FV47-04-0111

Vegetable meal is a challenge. Parents like me has to be creative and it's not impossible to be one, the resources for gazillions of recipes are everywhere, from books, friends, and yes, the widest resource of them all.... the internet.

Mornay sauce is one of the many cheese sauces. The secret is not to make it too thick, stir the cheese off the heat so that it melts gently... don't rush...

Tip 1: Have equal quantities of broccolli and cauliflower heads so it's not too green and not too boring.
Tip 2: This sauce can also be used with pasta. The cheese crumbs make a whole lot of difference 
Tip 3: If you prefer smaller bites, you can slice the inner parts of broccolli and cauliflower florets
Tip 4: Do not overcook/overboil the vegetables!
Tip 5: Use a shallow oven dish so you have just one layer of vegs and each bite gets your cheese crumble

Took me 20 minutes...

Ingredients:
1 medium cauliflower
1 medium broccolli
1 onion
3 hard boiled eggs, quartered
2-3 tbsp seasoned breadcrumbs

For the mornay sauce:
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/4 cups grated mature cheddar cheese
freshly grated nutmeg
salt and ground black pepper

Serves 3

Trim the cauliflower and broccoli ends and cut them into even-size florets.

Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to the boil and cook the cauliflower, broccolli and onion slices for 5-7 minutes or until just tender.

Drain the vegetables and arrange in a shallow flameproof dish and add the quartered eggs.

To make the sauce, melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook gently for 1 minute, stirring occassionally and taking care not to brown the flour.

Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly. Bring to the boil, whisking until smooth and thick. Lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes.

Whisk in 3/4 of the cheese and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper

Preheat the broiler. Pour the sauce over the veg. Mix the remaining cheese and breadcrumbs.

Sprinkle the cheese and breadcrumb mixture over the vegs. Grill (broil) until bubbling and golden brown.

Enjoy the yummy concoction!

-AcousticChef.... cookin' one tune at a time!
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    Fave Recipes

    I'm No Chef but I love food like it's no one's business.

    I didn't know anything about cooking... frying an egg used to be a nightmare.. until I was forced to learn more... I had my first born... that's when my gastronomic journey started...

    Join me in my food quest.
    Laugh at my embarrassing moments.
    Share my triumphs.

    And if you're brave enough ... cook with me (ooooh scary!), virtually that is, and have the most enjoyable time!

    Welcome aboard
    fellow foodies!

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