Simple Curry Soup

This one was requested by my host parents last night and paired fabulously tonight with the leftover salad from last night. Anyway before making the soup I googled half a dozen recipes and most of them seemed a bit ridiculous, so I combined the two that looked the best and simplified the process a bit to create a rich, healthy, flavorful soup that will come together in about half an hours time and only uses one pot (why do so many recipes out there require you make such a mess?  So unnecessary…)

Simple Curry Soup

Ingredients:

• 4dl/2cups chicken or vegetable broth/water and bouillon cube
• 1 standard size (14ish oz) can of coconut milk
• 1 heaping tbsp of Thai curry paste (I prefer red.  Use your favorite.  Also, use more for a hotter dish)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce, soy sauce, and/or sugar (use one, use two, use all.  It’s all good.)
• A handful of fresh coriander leaves/cilantro
• Half a lime (for juice)
• 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• Vegetables (I used 2 garlic cloves, 1 zucchini, 2 carrots, 1 red onion, and 1 large red pepper.)
• Feel free to add meat.  I didn’t but any kind, particularly fish or chicken (imo) would be fine.
• A couple tbsps olive oil

Cook:

1. Chop all veggies.
2. In a large pot pour enough olive oil in to sautee all the veggies and the curry paste.  If using meat, cook that too.
3. Add broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and lime juice.  Stir until flavors blend (10 minutes or so.)
4. Stir in coriander right before serving.

Thats it.  Super easy, filling, and so warm on a freezing cold night like tonight is.  MMm.

-Ariel

Spinach Stir-Fry

This is what we just ate for dinner tonight (it’s 7pm in Denmark as I’m writing this) and was very yummy.  I’m glad I searched the freezer and found frozen spinach now =]  I’m excited for my leftovers for tomorrows lunch.

Oh, and this can easily be made vegetarian by simply leaving the meat out.  Still good.

Spinach Stir-Fry

Ingredients:

• Rice (and water to cook it)
• Meat product (choose your favorite)
• 1 package frozen spinach (defrosted and drained)
• Mushrooms (whichever kind and however much look good to you.  I prefer lots and lots.)
• 1 large onion (and any other vegetables you feel like adding, but I stopped there.)
• 4 cloves chopped garlic
• Soy sauce (2 parts)
• Vinegar  (1 part)
• 2 tsps sesame seed oil and vegetable oil
• Seasonings (salt, pepper, red chili flakes, coriander seeds, and basil to taste.)

Cook:

1. Marinate meat and/or veggies in sesame seed oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and seasonings for 20 minutes-2 hours.  Soy sauce and vinegar should be 2:1 parts just enough to coat all the meat and/or veggies with a bit at the bottom of the bowl.
2. Cook rice and chop vegetables if not already chopped and soaking.
3. Add vegetable oil to a pan or wok and cook meat and vegetables until meat is done and spinach wilting.  For more well-done meat products, add the vegetables after the meat has had a chance to cook some of the way.  Serve over rice.

-Ariel

Easy Gravy and Giblet Gravy

Gravy is actually really easy to make.  For some reason I imagined more work being necessary, but when I made it Sunday it turned out to be the simplest thing.  Once the turkey is done, just add some chicken stock to the drippings in the pan s to deglaze it, scrape any bits that need to be scraped, and add flour to thicken.  If you want a giblet gravy, just cook the giblets first (bring water to a boil in a saucepan, then lower heat to simmer giblets excluding the liver- should be refrigerated- for about 45 minutes, then add the liver and cook another 15-30 minutes ) drain, chop, and mix it with the drippings, chicken stock, and flour in a saucepan and then serve.  Done!

-Ariel

Easy Bread Stuffing

Here’s an easy recipe for stuffing on Thanksgivings day:

Stuffing:

Ingredients:

• One loaf of cheap white bread
• Chicken stock/ water and bouillon cubes
• 1 stalk of celery
• 2 onions
• 1 egg
• Salt, pepper, and any other seasonings wanted
• a couple tsp butter

Cook:

1. Grease a large pan and preheat oven to 170’C/350’F.
2. Chop the celery and onions, and crumble the bread.
3. Mix everything together with just enough chicken stock to moisten but not soak the bread.
4. Add to pan.  Top with a couple tsp of butter and bake uncovered for 45-60 minutes.

Simple and delicious.  My grandmother makes a similar recipe only subbing the bread for a box of saltines and uses 4 sautéed onions.  That’s also good.  =]

-Ariel