Seared Scallops on a bed of Thai-Style noodle salad, sprinkled with crispy lardons

Yay! So the dinner I'd planned for tonight turned out great! ^_^

Since the fella's going away to London next weekend the Toy Story 3 premier [yes, toy design can be rather glamorous], tonight's the only night we'll have to spend some quality time together. So here's the quick low-down:

Scallop Marinade 

1 glug of olive oil

1 clove finely chopped garlic

Juice of 1 lime

Zest of lime

Squeeze of lemon juice

1 dash of sesame oil

Marinade the scallops for 1hr in the fridge

Thai-Style Noodle Salad

Rice noodles

1/2 red pepper [slice into julienne strips]

4" of cucumber [slice into julienne strips]

2 small carrots [slice into julienne strips]  

Spring onion [chopped into 2" strips]

Once rice noodles are cooked, drain and rinse immediately under super cold water to stop the noodles from cooking any further. [My dad says this also helps keep the bite and 'bounciness' in the noodle texture.] Rinse until the noodles are cold. Mix the raw vegetable ingredients in. I often use scissors to snip the noodles to make it easier when tossing the salad.

Dressing for Noodle Salad

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp sesame

2 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp sugar

Juice of 2 limes

Zest of lime

Finely chopped garlic

My measurements are rough as I often go by taste testing - I'd recommend you do the same. It should tast rather tart with a hint of sweetness. Mr Nik isn't keen on chilis - so if I was cooking this for myself, I'd add some chopped chilli into this dressing for a little kick. Toss dressing into noodles. Mix well.

---- 

Once salad is ready, heat up pan with a dash of olive oil. Once pan is super hot, place scallops on pan to sear. Allocate roughly 3-4minutes per side [depending on size of scallops].

Simultaneously fry up some chopped bacon on a dry pan until crispy. Et voilá, lardons! 

Serve scallops on bed of noodle salad. Sprinkle crispy lardons on top. If you like a little kick [like I do] then sprinkle 1 finely chopped chilli on top as well.

We had a nice bottle of super chilled Sauvignon Blanc with this - and it was just perfect. Mmmmm...

This improvized recipe was just great. Easy and delicious! The zesty freshness of the salad complemented well with the delicate flesh of the scallops, and the saltiness of the lardons gave it a lovely extra body. 

Give it a try! ^_^

Yeah, I've been a bit rubbish at bloggin'...

...and I blame it all on work: hummel sales conference, Berlin fashion week, photoshoots for next year's Spring/Summer collection to name just a few of the things that have stopped me from feeling creative in the kitchen [and then blogging about it]. But I'm back now! Yay ^-^ and that's all that matters. 

The good news is that I'm feeling waaay inspired with all this summer weather we're currently enjoying in Denmark. Time to ditch the heavy foodstuff and seek lighter alternatives to stay cool and fresh during this season! I'm actually in the middle of marinading some scallops for a romantic dinner tonight with the fella. Like with most things I cook in the kitchen, it's my first time. So keep your digits crossed for a scrummy result! Will post up some pics once it's all done.

In the meantime, I'd like to post up a lovely Danish 'The Bøller'  recipe [pron. "Te Boller"] that my friend Lissy made me when we were summer-housing in Løkken together. The Bøller translates to 'Tea Buns' - which are traditionally enjoyed with herbal tea, butter and homemade marmelade. This recipe earnt me some massive brownie points with the father-in-law when he came to visit a couple of months ago. 

Danish Oatmeal Tea Buns
20g yeast
0.8 liters of cold water
600g flour
200g oatmeal
200g whole wheat flour
1-2 tsp salt
1-2 tsp sugar or honey
a squeeze of lemon juice

Mix yeast in water. Gradually fold and knead all ingredients in. Cover the dough with clingfilm and let it sit in the fridge overnight [at least 8hrs]. Once it's ready and the dough has risen, preheat over to 210 degrees. Form the dough into bun-sized balls and place on a baking tray lined with foil and back for 25mins.

There. And that's literally it. Suuuuper easy. They turned out perfectly - even for me! 


Anyway, I'd better get back to preparing tonight's dinner...

Mr Nik's Honey Pesto Roast Pork

Since I was busy packing for my weekend trip away with work, Mr Nik did the honorable thing last Thursday evening and cooked dinner. It was a welcomed hearty dish, as lunch was pants that day - but to be honest I reckon it was a secret ploy of his to make sure I came home after the weekend ;)

Well it worked, cos here I am (^_^)

Honey Pesto Pesto Roast Pork

Ingredients
- Good cut of pork [I've no idea what this cut is called. Answers please!]
- Homemade basil pesto - mixed with honey and crushed garlic

 

Meaty spa treatment.

1. We've discovered that if you want great tasting meat, you've got to treat it well. Just ask those happy Wagyu cows! So give your meat a little spa treatment before you roast:
- Start with a quick rinse and exfoliate with a sea salt scrub.
- Massage and drizzle with oils [preferably olive oil]
- Season thoroughly and lovingly
- And leave your to meat rest for about an hour after the treatment. [Enya could be played to the meat at this point to show it some extra TLC - but I don't think it'll do much to the taste or texture...]

Basking in a basil pesto mask.

2. After about an hour, continue the treatment by applying a pesto mask to the meat. Allow it to rest and absorb for another hour.

3. Once the meat has rested sufficiently, place the meat in a pre-heated oven at circa 175º and roast for 45mins to an hour [depending on the size of the meat]. It's pork, so you want it cooked well, but still juicy when you slice through.

Fresh 'n' Sweet Bulgar Salad

Ingredients
- Bulgar wheat
- Mushroom stock cube
- 1 small handful of crumbled Feta cheese
- 1 large handful spinach
- 1 small handful cherry tomatoes
- 1 heaped tbsp dried cranberries
- 1 drizzle of olive oil
- 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice

1. Place desired amount of bulgar in pan, pour in cold water until it just about covers the bulgar.
2. Bring water to boil, add 1 mushroom stock cube. Simmer until stock cube is dissolved.
3. Take off heat and leave to sit with lid on for about 10mins.
4. Stir in cheese, veg and dried cranberries
5. Drizzle with olive oil, add lemon juice and stir.

Carrots
1. Throw a handful of fresh carrots into a foil pouch.
2. Season, add knob butter.
3. Seal pouch and place in oven for 15mins.

 Hearty, succulent and truly delicious springtime grub.

Once the meat is done, take it out of the oven, leave the meat to rest whilst you serve up the bulgar and carrots on the plate. Slice up the meat and place on top.

Serve with a nice glass of super-chilled Sauvignon blanc - heaven!

Mr Nik's Posh Burger Dinner

Contrary to the impression I try to create in this blog, I actually never used to enjoy cooking until recently, when the penny just kinda 'dropped'. I mean - don't get me wrong - not cooking have never stopped me from eating great food [the majority of such meals have been provided for me by my very talented husband - who, as it happens, adores time alone in the kitchen making delicious food for us. I hope that explains why it so long for me to even feel the need to cook...]. As the daughter of an ex-chef, it's also kinda hard not to appreciate the labour of love in good food, but finding the patience to do it was just something I had no capacity for. Until now. [I'm sure somewhere in Hong Kong, my dad is punching the air with joy right now.]

So yeah, I love it now. It's all I think about. I run home from work trying to think of things I can cook with the ingredients in the fridge. Imagine how much my bottom lip stuck out when I realized Mr Nik wanted to cook tonight... But I tells ya, when this guy's in the kitchen, I just have to concede and let him work his magic.

And here's what he made - Mr Nik's posh burger dinner - an ol' fave of mine (^_^)!

Ingredients:
- ground beef
- handful of fresh asparagus
- 2 sweet potatoes
- butter
- cream
- handful of frozen garden peas
- 1 handful grated parmesan

Burgers:
1. Season the beef. Mix with Mr Nik's homemade tomato & onion chutney [really must get that recipe up here soon - its delicious] & homemade pesto [we had so much leftover from the Gnocchi lunch]
2. Once combined, form into patties. Sear both sides on a super hot frying pan.
3. When seared, place patties [still in pan] in hot oven [170º] for about 15mins

Sweet potato bed:
1. Chop potatoes into smallish chunks and boil until soft.
2. Once boiled, add knob of butter, splash of cream and stir in some frozen peas. The heat from the potatoes will cook the peas nicely.

Aparagus:
1. Place asparagus in tin foil pouch with a knob of butter. Season.
2. Seal up tin foil pouch. Place in hot oven [about 170º] for 5 mins.

Parmesan sauce:
1. Heat up 1/4 litre of cream in saucier
2. Add parmesan
3. Pepper generously
4. Stir until sauce thickens to desired consistency

Serve and devour!

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! (^_^)

Philadelphia Gnocchi with Pesto [& Peas]

I made Gnocchi for lunch today and for my first attempt, it was a success! This was an unbelievably easy and light recipe that I've adapted slightly from Delicious Days.

Little bite-sized, velvety pillows of fluffy clouds they were! Mr Nik is now my No. 1 gnocchi fan (^_^). Will definitely need to do this again for friends, but next time, I'll add some pancetta for a little more complexity to the flavours.

Gnocchi Ingredients:

- 200g Philadelphia cream cheese
- 1 egg yolk (M-L) or 2 small yolks
- 1 generous pinch of sea salt
- 1 handful of freshly grated Parmesan [Pecorino]
- 50-75g all-purpose flour, extra for dusting the dough/board
- serve with tomato sauce or any kind of pesto

Pesto Ingredients:
- 1 Basil plant
- 1 small handful of freshly grated Parmesan
- 1 handful of spinach leaves
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
- 1 large teaspoon of Mr Nik's homemade tomato & onion chutney [Recipe for another time]

Pesto:

1. Throw all pesto ingredients into blender and blitz this into a desired consistency before making the gnocchi.

Gnocchi:

1. Mix the cream cheese with egg yolk[s], salt and parmesan in a large bowl.

2. Slowly stir in flour to the mix until combined. [NB the more flour, the more dense the gnocchi will become]

3. To form the gnocchi, generously flour the board. Dollop a large tbsp of the dough on to the board and dust with more flour. You'll be surprised to feel how amazingly light and soft this dough is!

4. Roll into finger-thick roll and cut into little pillows.

5. Plop into pan of salted, boiling water for 2-5mins. Or until they all float to the surface.

6. Skim them out and serve immediately with the homemade pesto, peas and pancetta.

 Ta-da!

They really needed the peas for a little extra texture. Next time, I'll chuck in a bit of pancetta as well.

And that's it. Big thanks to Delicious Days for the inspiration. You rock!

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