Leftovers

I think some of the best dishes are created by looking at the leftovers in your fridge and using what you have to make something you really want to eat. Tonight I did just that with amazing results. I had some leftover Butternut Squash Soup (recipe follows) and a few root vegetables and a leek that needed to be used up. I peeled a carrot and parsnip and cut them into little sticks. There was a golden beet I peeled as well and cut into little wedges. I tossed these veggies with a couple cloves of garlic a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted them at 400 for about 30 minutes. They would have been great on their own (I love roasted vegetables) but I also had that leek to use up. So I sliced it up and fried it slowly in a bit of oil. Added a bit of white wine when they softened and reduced it out. A bit of butter melted in at the end didn't hurt either. Then I tossed in the roasted veg and called it done. No fresh herbs in the fridge so salt and pepper was all it got.
I warmed up the soup and just sort of used it as a sauce, so the roasted veggie were the main attraction. The soup acted as a great accompaniment though and brought heat and spice to the plate. What a tasty dish, and so simple to make. All out of leftovers.

Coconut Squash Soup

4 shallots, peeled and sliced

1 ½ lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut in 1” cubes

2 cups coconut milk

2 cups vegetable broth

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp fish sauce

¼ tsp black pepper

1 tbsp red curry paste

1 cup cilantro, roughly cut

1 apple, grated

¼ cup green onion, sliced

1.     Place the shallots, squash, coconut milk and vegetable broth in a large pot and bring to a simmer.

2.     Add the salt, fish sauce, pepper and curry paste and cook until the squash is tender.

3.     Puree the soup until smooth.

4.     Add the cilantro and grated apple and mix in.

5.     Serve and garnish with the sliced green onions.

Satay Shrimp

Friday nights' Open Kitchen Studio lesson was Thai Cuisine, and though I'm not very experienced in that cuisine, I found some recipes that seemed to go really well together and tasted grate. The menu went like this:

Coconut Butternut Squash Soup

Shrimp Satay

Grilled Beef Lettuce Rolls

Thai Fried Rice

Mixed Vegetable Stir Fry

Thai Seafood Curry

Sticky Rice Pudding

They were all good dishes but I think the one that stood out was the Shrimp Satay. I found this recipe at SheSimmers.com, a nice sight with some good recipes. The marinade for the shrimp is perfect and the sauce is simply delicious. Here's the recipe for both, as we used it:

Shrimp Satay

1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, 21/25, peeled and de-veined

2 tablespoons ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground white or black pepper

One medium garlic clove, minced

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/3 cup coconut milk

2 tsp sesame seed oil

1.      Mix the shrimp and marinade ingredients together.

2.      Thread the shrimp on bamboo skewers, you should get 8 on one full skewer.  Cut the skewers in half.

3.      Heat a large pan and add the sesame seed oil, heating it through.

4.      Add the shrimp and cook them until they start to turn pink. Turn them over and finish cooking. Remove from the pan, place on a plate and drizzle with the peanut sauce. Serve more peanut sauce on the side.

Sauce

1 cup coconut milk

2 tbsp Thai red curry paste

1/3 cup unsweetened (natural) creamy peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or white vinegar

1/4 cup water

1.      Put everything into a medium heavy-bottomed pot and bring to a very gentle boil over medium heat, whisking constantly.

2.      Let the mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes over low heat; be careful not to let the mixture scorch at the bottom of the pot.

3.      Take the pot off the heat, let the sauce cool down to room temperature (or slightly warmer), and serve the sauce with the shrimp

Roesti For Brekkie

More often than not, Roesti form a part of one of my breakfasts on the weekend. They're so easy to make and can take on all kinds of flavours. This morning's was plain, topped with a bit of wilted spinach, 2 poached eggs and a bit of cheddar sauce. Yum. I also like them with a bit of ham or smoked sausage diced really fine and mixed in or even better, smoked meat! But I digress. This is what I did this morning.

Wash a single bakers potato and peel it if you like. I left the peeling on this time. Grate the potatoe into a bowl and let it sit for a few minutes. Dice some onion really small, or grate it if you like, and grate some cheddar, keeping both on the side. Collect the grated potatoes in your hands and squeeze them to get as much of the moisture out of them as you can. Put them back in the bowl and add the onion and cheddar. Give it a few grinds of black pepper and some salt if you need it. Be careful though, the ingredients your adding (ham, smoked meat, cheddar) are often salty enough and you don't need to add any. Place a pan on high heat and add a bit of oil, about 1 tbsp or enough to coat the bottom of, the pan nicely. When the oil is hot, add the potato mixture to the pan, forming it into a cake as it sizzles. Turn the heat down to medium and let it cook on one side for a few minutes until it's golden brown. If it sticks to the pan, loosen it by sliding a spatula under it. Flip it and cook on the other side for a few more minutes or until it's done. Eat it as it is or add your favourite breakfast toppings!