Long time no post. Bad Miso, Bad!

 So it's official. I suck at posting. But all it doesn't mean I've lost my interest in food. It's pretty safe to say that if only I stopped eating, I might actually stand a better chance at getting things done. Like blogging and knitting [that's my next project. I want to prepare for winter!]...

So what have I been eating these past few months? Well, here are some highlights. Some homemade experiments, some from my travels and some were lovingly made for me [by Mr Nik, no less]. Prepare to be hungry...

:: Experiments at home ::

Chilli Beef Mein [homemade]

Summery Sausage, apple and veg salad [homemade] 
 Really need to try and remember the recipes for these and keep them here...

:: TUSCANY ::

In August, Mr Nik and I took our appetites to Tuscany to celebrate our First Anniversary [Yay!! ^_^] EVERY meal we had there was great without exception. But some, were just remarkable. Especially, at Osteria di Passignano. It was SO good, we went there twice. Exceptional service, exceptional wine list and truly truly great food.

We tried both the wine and degustazione menus - both were divine. The wines that came with each dish blew. our. minds. Needless to say, we were rather sloshed by the time we left. But not before we made friends with the staff there! After Mr Nik discovered the Mâitre D' was a fellow Metallica fan and bass-player, I knew we were there for the long haul. Well, here are the pics from one of our memorable visits. It gets progressively blurry as the nights goes on...

Appetizer: Olive oil butter [Genius!]. Local pommodoro tomato paste. Homebaked crostinis.

Millefeuille of bluefish and zucchini, with thyme-salted 'babá', potato and anchovy foam.

Roast vegetable and burrata lasagna on basil pesto. 

Will defo attempt to recreate this at some point, so watch this space!

Rabbit loin stuffed with olives, rabbit thigh with peach, all served on a potato rosti.

Succulent roasted pigeon breast, thigh stuffed with its liver and served on a berry salad.

Cheese platter with a selection of honey, complemented with fruit bread.

When in Tuscany, it would be a sin to miss the local Pici [or Pinci - depending on which end of the road you're at]. It a handmade pasta that is specific to the region - it's essentially thick udon noodles made with wheat flour. Here's one of the best plates of Pici served with a sausage meat ragu - enjoyed in Montepulciano - with a tasty glass of Brunello Riserva on the side. Heaven, this was.

 Pici with sausage meat ragu.

Needless to say, we ate and drank A LOT whilst in Tuscany. Since we couldn't take all the food and wine back with us, we took instead, the knowledge from our numerous wine-tasting sessions and the skills we gained from the cooking class we lucked in on.

Cooking class where we learnt to make the following:

Panzanella. Ricotta and aubergine ravioli. Saffron risotto. Tuscan roast chicken with twice roasted potatoes and my new favourite dessert - panna cotta! 

Wine cellars - wine wombs rooms.

Fried Mince Pork + Fragrant Jasmine Rice.

After a day full of brain-frazzling meetings, my cold symptoms only got worse by the time I got home today. With Mr Nik at Danish class, I thought I'd treat him to a yummy dinner ready on the table for when he gets home. Won't hurt to earn myself some extra brownie points I guess! ;)

I've been feeling kinda homesick recently, so I knew this dish was definitely gonna perk me up. My mum used to make this [along with like, 4 other dishes] as a typical mid-week feast in the Lee household.

Mmmmmm... almost as good as my Mama's.

Ingredients:
- Sunflower oil
- Minced pork [seasoned with salt, white pepper & Shao Sing wine]
- Handful of runner beans
- Yellow pepper
- 1 Scallion
- 1 clove finely chopped garlic
- Ginger. Grated over wok whilst cooking.
- 2 [small] eggs. Whisked. Seasoned with S+P, splash of milk.
- 1 finely chopped chilli

Marinade:
- 1 heaped tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 heaped tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 heaped tbsp cornflour

1. Add a splash of sunflower oil to a hot wok. Add egg mix, stir constantly to create fine, light scrambled flakes.
2. Once almost cooked, remove egg from wok, and place aside.
3. Dry-wipe wok. Add splash of oil, chuck in the garlic and mince pork. Leave on high heat to brown. Grate ginger over the top whilst this is cooking. Only when meat is browned do you stir fry.
4. Add all veg. Stir fry.
5. Add the eggs, stir into the mix.
6. Stir in marinade.

Sprinkle fresh chilli onto the dish. Serve with steamed fragrant jasmine rice.

Homesickness be gone! (^_^)

What to do with leftover Wonton filling?

I'm quite aware that I'm becoming more Scandinavian by the day [well, I'm certainly behaving more 'blond'...], but never did I imagine that I would be able to take something Chinese-y and to turn it into something so quintessentially Danish.

Behold! The Wonton Frikadeller.

Pan-fried pork & prawn frikadeller, served with a bulgar-heavy salad.

When you're rubbish at quantity control [like I am], then this is a great solution for all that excess wonton filling.

A new kitchen makes everything tastes a little better!

So Easter has come and gone! Whilst Mr Nik and I spent most [read ALL] of the Easter break renovating our kitchen, my plans to perfect and practice the wonton recipe will have to wait.

But I did manage to christen our beautiful new kitchen with a dish that'll make my grandmother proud. I just LOVE noodles - Almost as much as I love my husband. And since I grew up with my Shan-Dongese grandmother, I was always extremely fed well with delicious homemade dumplings and a million different varieties of noodles. Hmmm...

Well, crispy noodles with shredded pork were one of my all-time faves and she used to cook this for me after school - everyday - at my request :) After seeing it being made for me soooo many times, I thought I should give it a go and, for my first attempt, I don't think I did too badly. The gravy could have done with a little chicken stock and corn starch, but next time, I'll know.

An old favourite of mine :) I didn't have pork - so this was shredded chicken, stir-fried with tofu and savoy cabbage, served on a bed of thin, crispy egg noodles. Not quite Hong-Kong style, but you learn to adapt in Denmark.

Here's how I made this:

1. Marinate shredded meat with a splash of rice wine, 1 tsp of corn starch, 2 tsp of soy sauce, and some white pepper.
2. Make the gravy with 2 tbsp of oyster sauce, 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 3 tbsp of warm water, 1 tsp of sugar, generous splash of rice wine.
   
3. Heat wok with bit of sunflower oil until smoking.
4. Fry the cooked [and patted-dry] noodles until crispy. Flip and toss occasionally.
   
5. Once noodles are crispy, dish and set aside.
6. Keep wok hot, add a little bit of sunflower oil, saute garlic.
7. Chuck in the meat and fry until opaque and throw in the tofu. Stir-fry until tofu is browned.
   
8. Add scallions and chopped savoy cabbage [in absence of bak choi]
9. Add gravy. Serve on top of bed of crispy noodles.
   

Well, it was Easter after all, so we thought we'd treat ourselves to a nice bottle of Veuve Clicquot Brut to complement the noodles :) And here's what followed as dessert:

Coconut ice-cream topped with Hershey chocolate sauce, summer berries and served in a dark chocolate cup.

Lush.