Emeril Lagasse's Clam Chowder!

Nothing warms the soul in winter better then a bowl of delicious home made soup!

Hi guys,

Its the middle of winter for Melbourne here brrrrrrrrrr....I find that my favourite things to eat in winter is some fresh home made soup which I know always leaves me feeling warm right to my frozen fingers and toes!!! hehe according to my boyfriend, I also have a frozen nose in winter : P

This is Emeril Lagasse's recipe for Clam Chowder. I used fresh clams instead of can clams because fresh ingredients are always better to use if it was available to you. Besides, I don't think they sell clams in a can here in Australia, correct me if I'm wrong hehe

This recipe was absolutely delicious and so tasty!!!!! First time making and eating clam chowder and its definitely one to go into my secret stash of awesome recipes hehe the soup was light and full of flavours, with just the right balance of everything!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

250g bacon, medium diced

1 cup chopped leeks

1 cup chopped yellow onions

1/2 cup chopped celery

1 carrot, peeled and diced

3 bay leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

1/2 cup flour

500g potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups clam juice (I used 2 cups of salt reduced chicken stock, and 2 cups of clam juice from cooking the fresh clams) 

2 cups thick cream

1 kilo of fresh clams (washed, and cooked in a saucepan with 1 cup of water, the water used to cook the clam will be used for the remainder 2 cups of stock)

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Salt and pepper

Fresh crusty bread, sliced and toasted in the oven with some olive oil.

Method:

1. In a large pot, over medium-high heat, render the bacon, until crispy, about 8 minutes. Stir in the leeks, onions, celery, and carrots. Saute for about 2 minutes or until the vegetables start to wilt. 
2. Season the vegetables with pepper. Add the bay leaves and thyme. Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes. Stir in the clam juice and chicken stock. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the mixture until the potatoes are fork tender, about 12 minutes. Add the cream and bring up to simmer.
3. Remove about 70% of the cooked clams from their shell and discard shell. Roughly chop the clam  meat into smaller pieces. Leave the other 30% of clams in their shell. Add all the clams (meat and clam in shell) and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Ladle into shallow bowls and serve with crusty bread pieces.

Important tip: Don't add any salt until the very last minute and only if needed, the clam juice is already salty and you don't need to add anymore salt unless you really want to! 

   

Sprinkle on more fresh parsley to serve! Enjoy!!!

Keep warm my dear readers!! Itl be a while before we will be eating ice-cream again hehe though the cold weather has never stopped me from having ice-cream before hehe 

Happy eating!!!

Fat Pom Pom

Super healthy soup!

Hi friends,

Its been a while since I have posted so my apologies if you have been waiting for a new recipe :D

Its starting to get cold here in Melbourne (we have been having the strangest summer weather here!) brrrr.....

So what better thing to do then to nourish your cold bodies with this delicious and filling soup to boost your immune system and warm you from head to toe : ) I made this over the weekend for dinner and it was very delicious and satisfying!!

My recipe for Super healthy Soup!

Ingredients:
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cans of whole peel tomatoes
1 can of  cannellini beans, drained and wash
1 cup of frozen corn and peas mix
1 tbsp of mix herbs
1/2 tsp of paprika
1/2 tsp of chilli flakes or more (depending on how hot you want the soup)
Salt and pepper for seasoning
3 chicken stock cubes (or use 3 cups of fresh chicken stock and omit the 3 cups of water below)
3 cups of hot water
Crusty bread and grated parmesan cheese to serve (optional)

Method:

1. In a large pot, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes on medium heat until onion is translucent.
2. Add the carrots and saute for about 5 minutes, season with salt, pepper and mix herbs.
3. Add can tomatoes, celery, and paprika and stir gently until soup starts to simmer.
4. In a small bowl, dilute the chicken stock with a small amount of hot water and add to the pot, add remaining cups of water to the pot aswel.
5. Simmer for about 15 minutes on low to medium heat. Finally add the beans, corn and peas and chilli flakes. Simmer for another 5 minutes and season with extra pepper to taste.
6. Serve with crusty bread and a tiny sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.
7. Enjoy!!!

I hope you enjoy this recipe and feel lovely and warm after you eat it :)

Have a wonderful week and I will post again in the next few days! In the meantime, smile, keep warm and happy eating!

Fat Pom Pom

Kimchi Jigae and Japchae!

I have always been a big fan of Korean cuisine, they are always packed with punches of flavours!! Spicy, sweet, sour, saltiness, they are always a nice balance of flavours. My family always looks forward to dinner when I cook korean dishes, and seeing their satisfied faces leaving the dinner table, I know I have done a good job ; ) 

These two dishes below are my favourite korean dishes and I always order them when dining out in a Korean restaurants. My recipes are as follows:

JAPCHAE

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 packet of Korean sweet potato noodles (350g)

1 medium onion, slice into 8-10 wedges

3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 carrot, chopped into 5mm match sticks

4 green/spring onions, cut into 5cm peices

10 shitake mushrooms, soaked for 2 hours in warm water and then slice thinly

150g thinly slice beef fillet

100g of spinach, soak in boiling water for 1 minute, drain and season with 1 tsp of soysauce and sesame oil

Sesame oil, sugar, soysauce for seasoning

Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

Method:

1. Boil the noodles in boiling water in a big pot for about 5 minutes. When the noodles are soft, drain them and put in a large bowl.
2. Use scissors to cut the noodles (as they are quite long) and add 2 tbs of soy sauce and 2 tbs of sesame oil. Mix it up and set aside. 
3. Heat a small frying pan, add a few drops of olive oil and your carrot strips and saute for a few minutes. Remove from pan and add to the bowl of noodles.
4. Repeat the same with onion and spring onions.
5. Add a few drops of olive oil to the pan and add your beef strips and your sliced shitake mushrooms and garlic. Stir it until it’s cooked well, then add 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1-2 tbsp sugar. Stir for another 30 seconds and then add to your bowl.
6. Add 3 tbsp of soy sauce, 2-3 tbsp of sugar, 2 tbsp of sesame oil to the bowl and mix all ingredients together. Taste and add more soy sauce or sugar according to your taste. 
7. Sprinkle toasted sesame seeds on the top to finish.

  

KIMCHI JIGAE

Ingredients:

500g kimchi

200g of soft or silken tofu, cut into smaller peices

1 small can of spam 200g, cut into smaller peices

5 green/spring onion, cut into 5cm peices

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Sesame oil

2 tbsp of hot pepper paste (see picture)

1tsp of chilli flakes/powder

3 cups of boiling water

Method:

1. Heat a medium size pot, add 1tbsp of sesame oil. Add the garlic, kimchi and spam and saute for 2-3 minutes.
2. Add water, hot pepper paste and chilli flakes. Simmer for 10-15 minutes for the flavour to develop. You can leave to simmer for longer for a more intense flavour!
3. Then add tofu and spring onions and simmer for another 5 minutes. Before serving, garnish with more spring onions and 1tsp of sesame oil.
4. Serve with rice

Hope you guys enjoy the recipes!!! Let me know how yours turned out :)

Happy eating!

Fat Pom Pom