Rejuvenated by a Selfish Passion

Dear friends and fellow bloggers, you may have noticed my blog idling and I have also not been commenting on your blogs. I have a lot of blog-reading to do – so many stories and recipes to catch up with!

Wow, can you believe that we've already been through half of 2007? A short mid-year vacation is a good idea to prevent feeling "burnt out" and I had a few days off before I started a new internship so I decided to refresh my mind by going somewhere along the south coast of New South Wales. Fortunately, despite this last minute decision, we managed to rent an apartment by the beach in Gerroa. The township of Gerroa, “Population: 4978”, is about a 2 hrs drive south of Sydney. The apartment is large, well-equipped and most important of all to me, it has a 180 degrees panoramic view of Seven Mile Beach National Park. Although it’s winter, I still love being by the sea. Due to the wonders of central heating and full length glass doors and windows, I was able to take in the view of the beach while sitting on the couch or lying in bed under the covers.

Vacation also means that I’ve hardly been in the kitchen, except for making coffee, toasting bread and scarmbling some eggs. I love exploring neighbouring towns on foot and tasting the local produce. Two places that left a lasting impression were: dinner at 55 on Collins (in Kiama) and a late lunch at Berry Woodfired Sourdough Bakery. The quality of the produce, food preparation, presentation and the service at both places were exemplary. I didn’t take any photos except for this take-away apple tartin from the sourdough bakery. There were several meals and sweet treats that inspired me and when I attempt to recreate them in my own kitchen, I will definitely write about it, so stay tuned.Now, about my selfish passion. Food to me is a very social passion because I bake or cook to share with others. Another passion of mine is my work – I feel that helping children and families while challenging at times, is always very fulfilling. But again, this involves being around other people. I have one passion that is completely selfish.

Running. It’s my therapy, it keeps me sane, my form of meditation. Being on a vacation means that I get to explore a new area during my morning runs. I enjoy running somewhere different because my usual routes were getting rather monotonous. But I never expected that I would find the PERFECT place for running during this trip - and I’ve run in many parks, streets and beaches during my travels.


It doesn’t matter that I had to wear leggings, gloves, a beanie and a vest (it was sunny, but very windy). The sand at Seven Mile Beach was the perfect texture for running – firm enough to run with sneakers on but yet soft enough that it’s gentle on the knees. As soon as I started running, I did not feel the ground any longer. It felt as though I was floating on the sand and I felt as though I could run forever. Oh and did I mention the view? I was pretty much by myself on the beach but one morning, I did cross paths with two beautiful brown horses. Alas, they were too quick for me. ;-) Such beautiful runs remind me of why I love running so much. The runs I had during this trip were so exhilarating, therapeutic and selfish.

It is a selfish passion because running is just for me, to be with my own thoughts, It's “ME” time that makes me feel good. I am sure all of you have your own way of taking time out for yourself.

I feel rejuvenated. Sometimes one has to be selfish. I feel ready to conquer the next six months of 2007. I hope you are too.

Moreish Carrot and Date Cake

* Moreish/morish (adj)
colloq. Said especially of a food: so tasty, delicious, etc that one wants to keep eating more of it.

When you mention "carrot cake" to Singaporeans, they will immediately think that you are referring to the fried savoury dish made of radish and eggs. So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that there is a "sweet" version of carrot cake. My first encounter with this version was during my first visit to Australia more than a decade ago. It was love at first bite - so moist and not overly sweet.

I had a great handwritten recipe from a friend's mom, but in my many moves to different countries I've lost it. I've also lost touch with that friend, so there is no way I can recover that recipe. There are lots of carrot cake recipes out there but I find them too "heavy". Even carrot cakes at cafes tend to be too oily for my taste. When I saw Freya's recipe for a low fat carrot cake, I had to make it right away. You can probably tell by now that I have problems following instructions, so of course I adapted the recipe. I wanted to try something a bit different so I used dates instead of sultanas, reduced the amount of oil, added walnuts and orange zest and used brown sugar in place of muscovado sugar.

The Verdict - The cake is wonderfully moist and with the right amount of sweetness. It's a keeper (even Quikong agreed). This cake tastes better when it has completely cooled and with some icing. It remains moist the next day. I actually think it tasted better the next morning (yes - I had cake for breakfast!).

You can find Freya's original carrot cake recipe here. She adapted it from Sue Lawrence's Book of Baking. Thank you, Freya!

Carrot and Date Cake

1/2 cup (125ml) vegetable oil
150g soft brown sugar
3 large eggs
150g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grounded nutmeg
250g carrots (unpeeled weight), topped, tailed and grated
100g dried dates, roughly chopped
25g walnuts, roughly chopped
grated zest of 1 orange

1 - Preheat Oven to 180°. Line a 7" baking tin with parch paper.

2 - Whisk together the sugar and oil and well mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well.

3 - Sift together the flour, spices, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder, then fold into the batter. Fold in the grated carrot, dates, walnuts and orange zest till well blended but be careful not to overmix.

4 - Pour into the prepared baking tin and bake for 40 minutes or a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool for five minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a cooling rack. Leave cake to cool completely before icing.

Simple Lemon-Orange Icing

Simply mix 100g of sifted icing sugar with 3 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon and orange juice until smooth. Spread it over the cooled cake.

Savoury Two-Cheese Biscotti

I have been thinking hard about what I could make for Quikong's mom because she prefers savoury foods rather than sweet. Since I know that she loves cheese, I thought that this cheese biscotti would be the perfect treat for her. An added bonus is that it is only 83 calories each. That's great if you can stop at just one!

Tips: Be sure to use the best quality cheese you can get your hands on and use sun-dried tomatoes that are vacuum packed and not in oil. It is great on its own, with dips or chilli.

Two-Cheese Biscotti with Sun-dried Tomatoes
adapted from Cooking Light March 2005
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 oz fresh Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan) cheese, grated
3-4 sun-dried tomato halves, chopped finely
2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp skim milk
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
3 extra large eggs (min weight per egg 55grm)
Cooking spray

PREPARATION

1

Preheat oven to 180°(350°). Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

2

Combine milk, oil, and eggs; stir with a whisk. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until well blended (dough will be dry and crumbly). Knead 8 times.

3

Divide dough in half. Shape each portion into an 8-inch-long roll. Place rolls, 6 inches apart, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray; flatten to 1-inch thickness. Bake at 180°(350°) for 30 minutes. Remove from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack for 10 mins. Reduce oven temperature to 150°(325°).

4

Using a serrated knife, cut each roll diagonally into 12 (2/3-inch) slices. Place slices, cut sides down, on baking sheet. Bake at 150°(325°) for 10 -15 minutes (depends how crunchy prefer it to be). Turn biscotti over; bake an additional 10-15 minutes (biscotti will be slightly soft in center but will harden as they cool). Remove from baking sheet; cool completely on wire rack before storing in a airtight container.

Sugee by Mom

When I read about this month’s SHF theme which was about sweet cravings, my mom’s many desserts instantly come to mind. Sure, these days the dessert I would always go for at a restaurant is the molten chocolate cake. But I never crave stuff like that. Well, ok, maybe sometimes… When I do crave sweet stuff, it’s usually desserts from my childhood in Singapore which were almost always made by my mother. If you were to ask me what I crave most, I would not be able to settle on just one sweet treat because I have a long list. I literally go through one dessert at a time during the two weeks per year that I am back in Singapore. No kidding – my mom will ask me each day what I would like to eat for lunch and what I would like for dessert/afternoon tea. Dinner is usually spent catching up with old friends at my favourite restaurants. And mornings are spent with my sister at the gym, for obvious reasons.

As usual, I digress….For June’s SHF hosted by the Domestic Goddess, I have chosen to make this particular dessert because of practical reasons – it’s the only one that requires ingredients that I can find easily in Sydney. You will have to wait for my trip back to Singapore to see the other sweet treats I miss. One of the good things about starting this blog is that I feel extra motivated to attempt to write down my mom’s recipes. Is a pinch of something equivalent to 1/8 of a teaspoon or….? That’s a topic for another day.

My family calls this dessert “sugee”, which I now realise is actually just another name for semolina. This dessert is probably a variation of kabeesa, a Middle-Eastern porridge, which has been nicely described by Anna of Morsels & Musings. Mom usually makes sugee for afternoon tea and sometimes for dessert. I like it anytime of the day! It is also commonly served as a dessert at Muslim weddings in Singapore.

There are many variations of this dessert in Singapore. Some prefer it slightly watery, while others prefer to make it very thick. Some drizzle melted butter (or ghee) just before serving. This dessert can be served warm, at room temperature or cold.

This is my version of my mom’s recipe. She cooks by estimation as all great cooks do, so this is my best attempt at quantifying her recipe.

Mom’s Sugee
Serves 2

3 tbsp semolina*
2 tbsp ground almond (almond meal)
2 cups whole milk
2 tbsp sugar*
2 green cardamom pods, bruise pods and grind seeds finely
A small pinch of saffron threads
2 tbp sultanas
1 tsp rosewater

Garnish: toasted almond flakes, sultanas

Method

Combine all of the ingredients, except for rosewater, in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to the lowest level and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove cardamom pods and stir in rosewater. Serve warm and garnish with almond flakes and sultanas.

* Vary the amount of semolina depending on how thick you prefer it to be. Sometimes my mom uses condensed milk instead of sugar.

Zesty Torta di Ricotta

Torta di Ricotta is quite misunderstood outside of Italy. Is it a cake or a pie? Some people think of it as a baked cheesecake similar to an American-style cheesecake but made of ricotta instead of cream cheese. In fact, torta di ricotta is more like a pie that is typically eaten during Easter. If there are any Italians reading this, please correct me if I am wrong.

Like most traditional recipes, there are many variations of torta di ricotta. The one I have chosen is a cross between a Neapolitan recipe (adapted from Caròla Francesconi's La Cucina Napoletan) and a Sicilian recipe that I scribbled down a while back when I was watching a travelling gourmet show on the telly. I made my own candied lemon peel a few days ago and I think that it is so much better than using store bought ones.

The result is a crispy pie-like crust, a moist, lemony filling and a cake-like base. While it is an easy recipe to follow, I have to warn you that the dough is quite sticky and difficult to handle. I had to put it back in the fridge each time I rolled it out. But the result, I assure you, is worth it.

Zesty Torta di Ricotta

For the Dough:
1 ½ cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest, finely grated
¼ tsp pure vanilla extract
5 tbsp butter, melted

For the Filling:
12 oz fresh ricotta, drained
1/2 - 2/3 cup sugar
Finely grated zest of half an orange
2 egg yolks
3 oz candied lemon peels (see recipe below)*, finely minced
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

*or any candied citrus fruits like orange or grapefruit

1: Prepare the dough
Lightly whisk together eggs, lemon zest, juice and vanilla in a bowl. Sift flour, sugar and baking powder into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour egg mixture into centre of the flour mixture. Gradually incorporate egg mixture into flour using a palate knife until mixture is dry and crumbly. Gradually add melted butter until a soft, wet and smooth dough is formed. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, flatten dough, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.

2: In the meantime prepare the filling
Combine the drained ricotta with sugar, lemon juice, orange peel and vanilla. Whip the mixture with a fork until it is smooth and creamy. Use more or less sugar, depending on your preference. Lightly beat the yolks and work them into the mixture a bit at a time, and finally stir in the minced candied lemon peels.

3: Assembling the pie
Butter and flour three 4 ½ inch flan tins (or a 9 inch flan tin). Place 3/4 of the dough onto a lightly floured surface, place a sheet of plastic wrap over it and roll it to fit the three flan tins. It will be very sticky and fragile, so take care and sprinkle some flour over it or put it pack in the fridge if it gets too difficult to handle. Gently fold dough over rolling pin, then fit into each flan tin, letting a bit of dough hang over the edges. Spoon in the filling, spreading it evenly over the dough. Fold pastry edges over the ricotta filling. Roll out the remaining dough and cut into strips and arrange it in a lattice pattern over the filling.

4: Bake
Bake it in a moderate oven for about 45-50 mins or till golden. Let it cool and dust it with powdered/icing sugar.

Leftover ricotta filling?
Depending on the size of your flan tins, you may find that you have extra ricotta filling. Stir through some chopped bitter-sweet choc in the filling and pour it into a buttered ramekin. Bake it till it is golden (about 30 mins).

Candied Lemon Peels
(adapted from here)

3 organic lemons
½ cup water
½ cup sugar

1
Using a vegetable peeler, carefully remove the rind. Try to avoid the pith.

2
Put peel in saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil, drain and rinse briefly under cold water. Blanch in same manner 2 more times. After third blanching, drain peels and rinse under cold water. Check that you should be able to see some colour through any pith. Otherwise, remove as much pith as possible. Set aside.

3
In the saucepan, bring to boil the water and sugar. Return the peels to the saucepan and simmer over low heat for about an hour. Drain peels and and immediately, without rinsing peel, transfer to large mixing bowl.

4
After fruit has candied, place about ½ cup sugar in bottom of a large mixing bowl. Add drained peels and toss to coat well. Shaking to remove excess sugar and arrange in layer on a cookie tray and place in a warm oven for 30 minutes to dry.

5
Remove from oven and leave at room temperature to finish drying. Peel will continue to become firmer and chewier over several days. When peel reaches desired texture, store in airtight container until ready to use.

This will be my contribution to the blogging event "Fresh Produce of the Month - Lemon" organised by Marta of An Italian in the US.

Low(er) Fat Baking using Yogurt

I love cakes and muffins, especially for morning and afternoon tea. I usually have a fruit for my mid-morning break, but I like the idea that I have a yummy reward waiting for me after working hard all afternoon. This is also an important strategy because we tend to eat dinner quite late, so having a pre-planned (preferably ealthy) snack in the late afternoon prevents me from snacking on unhealthy stuff in the evening while I prepare dinner.

In recent months, I have been baking with yogurt as a strategy to lower the fat in cakes and muffins. While I love the taste and texture of cakes made with butter, these yogurt cake and muffins still won me over because they taste good in a different way - they are always moist, and the flavours of the ingredients (e.g. fruit) immediately satiates the palate. Quikong also likes them a lot and he doesn't usually like my low-fat baking. Iusually freeze half of what I bake for later snacking or a quick breakfast on the run.

The two tried and tested recipes I want to share are slight adaptations from recipes found 0n two food blogs:

Yogurt Muffins - I found this wonderful recipe from Anne. I've made this a dozen times now. I usually use extra large muffins pans (makes about 9 muffins). I have four varieties of the original recipe that I like a lot:

(1) Banana Maple Muffins (original recipe). My adaptation - I used raw sugar instead, mashed 4 bananas, and sometimes add chopped walnuts.

.
(2) Apple and Rhubarb Muffins. I omited the bananas, added a chopped granny smith apple and used rhubarb compote as a filling. (see Haalo's stewed rhubarb recipe but use only 2 tbspn of water).

(3) Banana Rhubarb Swirl mini cakes. I used the original recipe but swirled some rhubard compote through the cake.

(4) Wholemeal Banana Choc Muffin. I replaced half the flour with wholemeal flour, used half brown sugar, half raw sugar, mashed 4 bananas and added a handful of chopped bittersweet choc.

Yogurt Cake:

French Style Orange and Poppy Seed Yogurt Cake - I used Mary's version of Molly's recipe. I added a pinch of salt and used 2 tbspn of poppy seeds. I also pierced the surface of the baked cake with a fork before pouring the lemon syrup over (done while cake is still warm).

Thanks Anne and Mary for posting the original recipes!

Chinese Cabbage and Anchovy Stock

I knew that it was a risky move to give this post a heading like that. Two very unglamorous ingredients. They are so versatile and delicious yet under-appreciated. Before I go on to the recipe, bear with me while I introduce the stars of today's post.

Chinese Cabbage: This vegetable is related to the common cabbage and broccoli, and is of the same species as the common turnip. There are many kinds of Chinese Cabbages, that can be grouped based on size, shape, heading and non-heading. Wong Baak (Won Bok or Nappa; pictured) is the most “cabbage shaped” of the Chinese cabbages and is sometimes considered the boring cousin of the more popular bok choy. The tightly packed leaves of the Wong Baak are crinkly and lighter green than ordinary cabbage leaves. Sometimes, there appear to be tiny black spots on the leaves of Chinese cabbages. These are not signs of deterioration but occur naturally and are harmless. All Chinese cabbages have a milder, more delicate taste than green, red, or Savoy cabbages and are excellent for stir-frying and pickling (e.g. the spicy Korean fermented delicacy kimchi)

Anchovy stock: This is as common in Malay cooking (and probably most parts of Southeast Asia) as chicken stock is in Western cooking. In Malay cooking, anchovies (or ikan billis) are dried, rather than preserved in oil, which is more common in countries like Italy or Spain. There are many types of dried anchovies and they smell a bit strange if you are not used to it. At traditional fresh food markets in Singapore and Malaysia, it’s quite a common sight to see store vendors laying anchovies out in the sun to dry. Dried anchovies are used commonly as a soup base or for stir-fries. It is also deep-fried and served as a side accompaniment for this delicious coconut rice dish called “nasi lemak”. You can also find anchovy stock granules which are more convenient to use. I like the Maggi brand because it has no MSG.

The Heart Healthy Meal

The combination of Chinese cabbage, zucchini and carrots in a clear anchovy stock is a meal that leaves me feeling healthy and fresh. I also usually add brown rice for a more substantial meal. The starch from the brown rice is also a natural thickener for the soup. This dish also brings out the best of the Chinese cabbage because I think it is more tasty and tender than the common cabbage, while being able to retain its crispness even in a soup dish such as this. This will be my contribution to this month's Heart of the Matter #4: Vegetables. Check out the round up of HotM #4 at the end of the month at Joanna's Food.

Wong Baak, Zucchini and Carrot in Anchovy Stock

Serves two

8 Wong Baak leaves, chopped

1 medium carrot, diced

1 zucchini, diced

1/2 cup brown rice

chopped scallions (spring onion) or chives, to garnish

Anchovy stock

For the anchovy stock:

10 dried anchovies, soaked in some hot water and roughly pounded with 2 cloves of garlic in a mortar and pestle

or

2 heaped tspn of anchovy stock granules and 2 minced cloves of garlic thrown into boiling water

1

Prepare the anchovy stock using 3 cups of water.

2
Add brown rice and carrots to the stock and simmer till the brown rice is tender. Add more hot water if needed.

3

Add the cabbage and zucchini. Be careful not to overcook them since they do not require much cooking.

4

Serve immediately, garnished with some chopped scallions or chives.