Weave a Thousand Flavors

What will you do with 50 Bucks from The Fairy Hobmother? And A Stinkin' Room mate = Fabulous Yorkshire Puddings

Don't you deserve a visit from The Fairy Hobmother?

One who not only visits but  rewards you a USD 50.00 Amazon gift ard just for saying hello right here in the comments section?

Sigh! I wish all of life's quandaries were this simple. Never the less with all this talk of economic doom, gloom and people running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to make sense of this financial cesspit, its nice to know there are simpler things in life that can put a smile on ones face.

So when the fairy Hobmother from   appliancesonline in the UK paid me a visit and not only gifted me this very thoughtful 50 dollar gift card but actually offered to share the love with my followers, who was I to say no?

So go on, leave a thought or two and you might be the next person the fairy hobmother might visit.

That being said, we must now return to the topic at hand - that being stinkin' room mates. I am of the opinion that hellish room mates are an important rite of passage I think - a reminder that have left the sanctuary of our parents and now very much on our own (for most part) in the big bad world. The older we get, these colorful characters fade into distant memories only to leap forward by some odd event or in my case a particular sort of food.

I was in my twenties, alone in Singapore and I was at the brink of my many firsts.  My other room mate and I decided that we really ought to sublet the vacant third bedroom to generate some extra income to pay rent and of course we wanted a girl, non-smoker, professional and an expat like ourselves.

Our advertisement was answered by Kathy - a pofessional woman of English-Korean heritage who on the surface fit the bill perfectly. And so it was with great relish that we welcomed the first occupant to the the third bedroom. Now, you  all know what they say about first impressions....

Anyway, into the first month while we were still in the 'honeymoon phase' Kathy announced that she would invite over some of her friends to have dinner with us and make a classic English dinner. She made lovely salmon cakes, minted peas, roasted potatoes and Yorkshire puddings.

It's a good thing that all this loveliness unfolded in the first month - because you see Kathy didn't last with us long enough to see her third! After putting up with a shattered toilet seat, stripped wall paper from her bedroom (need I remind you it all belonged to the apartment owner) flooding the kitchen with 6 inches of water because she forgot to turn off the tap, we were done! 

We packed her off and all that she's left me with is this story and her Mum's recipe for Yorkshire puddings. So here we go but before I do, don't forget to leave me a thought or two!

Sicilian Style Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Capers & Roasted Red Peppers

It's incredible what we retain in passing conversations. At no point growing up did my Mum and Grandma ever sit me down and say "Don't boil your cauliflower" and yet here I am with that understanding as clear as a bell that cauliflower and water and not necessarily the best of friends.

It's just that cauliflower gains nothing from boiling or the addition of water and in fact loses its nutrients in the process. Enter, roasting.

Now here is a cooking method I love - the cauliflower with just a touch of olive oil, salt and pepper, comes alive and releases its natural sweetness making this an oh so delicious vegetable.

So when I came across this Sicilian recipe, I fell in love with the fresh ingredients minus the boiling and then decided to tweak it some. Now did you really think I was going to follow a recipe to the T? Since when has that ever happened!

So here are my tweaks, out with boiling the caulis and in with roasting, out with vinegar and in with fresh lemon juice and zest. And since using black olives would be poor form to traditional oil cured olives which I had none off,  I decided to use golden raisins instead.  Also, I thought the roasted red peppers though not traditional add that wonderful (and much needed) burst of color.

And there you are - Sicilian Cauliflower Salad, only better!

Dover Sole Roll-ups with Roasted Vegetables, drizzled with a Chive Butter

When I think of Dover Sole fish fillets, I naturally think of two things - When is it going to be on sale? And Sole Meunier, that marvelous French classic with nutty brown butter, lemon juice and parsley. Just the thought of it makes me drool.

So when Dover Sole fillets were on sale this week at my local fishmonger, I decided to promptly buy 2 packets of 1.5 lbs each. One is reserved for the Sole Meunier of course but the other - Well, I am donning my 'Creative Chef Apron' & with a basic concept in mind, off I go.

You see Sole fillets are very thin and delicate. So in my mind, they are ideal for roll-ups. At the same time, I want to incorporate vegetables in some manner and where there is delicate fish, there must be wine, fresh herbs & butter.

Back in the 70's the French classic Hollandaise sauce, went somewhat out of fashion and was replaced by the classier, tangy, Buerre Blanc sauce - which is a reduction of vinegar (and may have wine added to it) to which butter is slowly added, and the vinegar breaks down the milk solids in this fantastic way to create a smooth, flavorful & a gourmet's dream sauce.

  The way I figure it, the success of this dish lies on a couple of factors-

- cook the vegetables just right, crispy - tender

- make a magnificent Chives butter {Beurre Blanc} sauce

- Cook the fish just right

As long as I don't mess-up any of these 3 steps, I think we'll end up with a raving success! Don't you?

Healthy Never Tasted So Good! A Turkey, Avocado, Goat Cheese Sandwich on Wholegrain Loaf Bread

Dear friends ~ A reminder : 'Make Your Wish' Emile Henry giveaway ends on Tuesday, June 15th. If you haven't yet participated, please click giveaway and scroll down to the end of the post for details.

Most days I do my best channeling Michelle Obama's arms as I do my daily grunt work at water aerobics. And though the chances of me actually achieving those arms are about as high as me being sent on the next NASA space shuttle, I do try.

So when the urge to be uber healthy at dinner hits, I promptly set out for my local farmer's market for fresh produce and all of Nature's goodness in homage to the Gods that bestow such physical perfection as are those arms.

With summer here, I have no reason not to splurge on seasonal delights because though I don't invest in agro based magazines or read the farmer's almanac, my basic level of common sense makes a case for eating seasonal, local & fresh - considering Nature is cyclical, I have a reason to believe that if  we eat what grows seasonally, chances are we are eating less of the other stuff they put in food that makes it glow, bulge and generally look mutant.

What I love about this sandwich is that it needs no additional butter, mayonnaise or olive oil because the ripe avocado does a great job providing the natural, good for us, fats.

 

 The main ingredients for this sandwich are - wholegrain loaf bread (don't skimp & buy the cheap stuff), sliced turkey breast, ripe avocado, alfalfa sprouts, bunch radishes & fresh goat cheese.

 

Preheat the oven to broil or use a toaster oven.

Because of the dense rough texture of the bread  prefer it very lightly toasted but this is a personal preference.

Prepare the ingredients - 

 

Bread loaf - Cut just of shy of 1/2" thick slices. Place on baking tray. If you want it just lightly toasted like I do then place in the oven for 10 minutes.

If you want it toasted to a golden brown, place under broiler (gas broiler) in the bottom of your oven and watch every 5 minutes till reached desired toastiness.

Cook's  Note - Make sure you keep the bread in the order of they were cut so the sandwich tops and bottom more or less fit together when you use them.

 

Radishes - Discard the green leafy tops. Cut away the tips. Using the thinnest setting on a mandolin slice the radishes nearly transparent. BTW, if you are in the market for a mandolin, the Kyocera mandolin which is the one I use works like a dream.

Avocado - Halve. Discard the seed. Use a dinner spoon to scoop out the avocado half intact. Cut into thin slices.

Divide all the ingredients into 8 parts before you begin assembling the sandwiches. (since these are triple deckers)

 

On the toasted bread slice place 2-3 avocado slices.

   

Place 2 turkey slices directly over the avocado. Spread about 2-3 tbs of alfalfa sprouts over the turkey. Spread the radish slices over the alfalfa.

 

Sprinkle crumbled goat cheese over the radishes. Press down gently the next bread slice over the cheese.

 

Continue the layers with the avocado slices, turkey, alfalfa sprouts, radishes & goat cheese.

Press down the final  bread slice.

Finish assembling all the sandwiches in this manner.

 

 

 

 

Just before serving, hold the sandwich together and cut with a serrated bread knife. 

Serve immediately.

Doesn't that look delicious? And it's actually good for us!

The texture of the bread is incredible with the smoothness of the avocado and the delicate flavors of the turkey. The radishes and alfalfa add just the right touch of spice to the sandwich.

The avocado with its creamy texture more than makes up for the lack of mayonnaise or butter in the sandwich and adds so much more by way of flavor.

Wonderful with the Watermelon, Walnut & Goat Cheese salad on the side. The post for which follows.

I hope you enjoy a bite of this, this summer!