On the Up and Up!

Well I must say Sophia was right on the dot when she said that this soup was right up my alley. I really felt at home with this recipe so much that I felt that I made it my own. Although I could not find any apple cider available in the market as the recipe called for, I replaced it with apple juice and added a bit of orange juice to the squash puree. I roasted the squash with skin as recommended by the Ris Lacoste, (http://www.finecooking.com/articles/winter-squash-sweet-and-savory.aspx) to enhance flavor. I also failed to add lime juice and made up for it by running wild with the spices.
My additions included:
Cayenne
Paprika
Coriander
Cumin
Turmeric
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
And bay leaves (do be careful to take out the bay leaves before pureeing soup in the blender or food processor).
I suggest excluding yogourt from this recipe as I found that it didn't add much in flavour and actually detracted from the smooth texture of the soup.



Overall, this soup has been by far the best one that I’ve made yet! Excellent choice of a challenge, Sophia!


Due to our recent slacker behavior and our lackluster flavor in our blog, Sophia and I have made the decision to include our day to day recipes that we cook to make it through the busy seasons. Here’s a quick recipe for a makeshift fried rice that makes perfect use of leftover rice. It’s kind of a spinoff of Sophia’s Indonesian nasi/bahmi.


I usually kind of throw together a mish mash of whatever I have available. Here are a few suggestions:
Ginger
Garlic
Soy sauce
Fish sauce (few shakes of it)
Red chilis/Finger hots/thai chilis or something like it
Rice vinegar
Sesame oil
Shrimp
Sautéed chicken, pork or beef in ginger
Scrambled egg
Shredded Bacon
Broccoli
Carrots
peas
onions (I prefer to use shallots and green onions)
peppers



I suggest sautéing onions with garlic and ginger and then adding vegetables according to what needs to be cooked for a longer time. I usually throw in the egg whenever, I made a little hollow to fry it in. One of the last steps is adding the rice and the strong flavors such as the soy sauce. And as Sophia always says, it’s the sambal that makes the nasi.



Sophia and I also decided to publicly declare our long term culinary suits. I’ve always admired the beauty and comfort of homemade pasta but have never successfully been able to pull it off. Thus my long term goal is to achieve the art of the ravioli. I will allow Sophia to disclose her own aspirations in her next entry.

On another note, Sophia has confirmed to me that she wanted her next challenge to involve peppers as she has some kicking around in the fridge. I dedicate this recipe to her for having introduced me to the wonders of goat cheese and all its wonderful uses. Here's the link to the original recipe: http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2009/05/black-olives-recipe-goat-cheese-and-olive-stuffed-peppers.html


(courtesy of perfectpantry.com)