Congee with Meatballs

Ingredients

100 g rice
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
40 g mini conpoy (小元貝)
16 cups water
2 thousand-year eggs (皮蛋), diced
shredded ginger and green onion

Meatballs

240 g ground pork
1/4 cup chopped preserved mustard (葱菜)
1/4 cup Chinese mushroom, soaked and chopped
1 tsp chopped ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
dash sesame oil and pepper
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp light soy sauce
5-6 tbsp water

Method

1. Rinse and drain rice, mix with salt and oil, set aside for 20 minutes.
2. Rinse mini conpoy. Bring water to a boil in a pot, add rice and mini conpoy, bring back to a boil, adjust to medium heat, half-cover and cook until congee consistency (approx. 45 to 50 minutes).
3. In a mixing bowl, mix ground pork, chopped ingredients and seasonings together, stir well until sticky. Chill for 30 minutes. Form into meatballs.
4. When congee is ready, add eggs and meatballs, cook and season to taste.
5. Ladle congee to serving bowls. Sprinkle with shredded ginger and spring onion before serving.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Congee and Noodles

---

Today’s Comic

Pastrami Bleu Cheese Melt

Ingredients

olive oil
1/2 cup chopped yellow onions
1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
fresh bread rolls, enough for 2 sandwiches
pastrami slices
1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese

Method

1. Pour a little olive oil in a saute pan, and over low-medium heat, slowly sauté onions and mushrooms until they are soft and somewhat caramelized.
2. Slice rolls and assemble sandwiches by layering pastrami slices, bleu cheese, and cooked onions and mushrooms.
3. Place sandwiches in a hot cast-iron grill pan with a cast-iron lid press on top or use a panini pan. Let bleu cheese melt and allow the bread to get crispy.
4. Serve warm.

Makes 2 servings.

Source: The Organic Family Cookbook

---

Today’s Comic

Grey Mullet in Mushroom Sauce

Ingredients

1 grey mullet, about 2-1/4 1b or 2, about 1-1/4 lb each, heads removed
4 tablespoons sunflower oil

Sauce

1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
8 oz tomatoes, skinned and sliced
1-1/2 cups mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1-1/2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 cup dry white wine
salt
freshly ground black pepper
coriander leaves or parsley, to garnish

Method

1. Cut 3 diagonal slashes in each side of the fish. Place the fish in a large oven-proof dish and broil under moderate heat for 5 minutes on each side. Cover the fish and keep warm.
2. Fry the onion for 3 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes and mushrooms, and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
3. Stir in the walnuts, parsley and wine, season with salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Spoon the sauce over the fish and cook in a preheated 400°F oven for 15 minutes, until the fish is just firm.
5. Garnish with the coriander leaves or parsley.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Cooking Naturally

---

Today’s Comic

Chinese-style Stuffed Whole Chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, deboned
5 oz chestnuts
5 oz diced pork
5 oz diced ham
2 oz dried Chinese mushrooms, soaked in water until soft and diced
2 cooked salted duck egg yolks
cooked vegetables to garnish

Seasoning

1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken stock
dash of sugar and sesame oil

Thickening Solution

2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water

Method

1. Deep fry chicken in oil until golden brown. Remove and drain.
2. Make the filling. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok. Stir-fry chestnuts, ham, pork, salted egg yolks and mushrooms. Add seasoning and mix well.
3. Stuff chicken with the filling.
4. Place stuffed chicken on a heat-proof dish and steam on high heat for 2 hours until chicken is tender. Remove to serving platter and garnish with cooked vegetable.
5. Make the sauce. Pour the remaining liquid in the dish of the steamed chicken into the wok. Bring to a boil. Add thickening solution and cook until sauce thickens.
6. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve hot.

Source: Recipes of Great Chefs in Hong Kong

---

Today’s Comic

Vegetable Lasagna with Butternut Béchamel

Ingredients

3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon organic vegetable broth, divided
1 cup fat-free milk
4 garlic cloves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
dash of ground nutmeg
2 ounces cave-aged Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 1/2 cup)
3 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup), divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 pound sliced cremini mushrooms
1 bunch Swiss chard, trimmed and very thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted and chopped
cooking spray
6 whole-wheat lasagna noodles (such as Bionaturae), cooked
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 ounce finely grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 1/4 cup)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Combine squash, 1 cup broth, milk, and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until squash is tender (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat.
3. Place squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Place blended squash mixture in a bowl; add Gruyère cheese and 5 ounces mozzarella cheese, stirring until cheese melts and mixture is smooth.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion and mushrooms; cook 7 minutes or until browned and liquid evaporates. Add chard and remaining 1 tablespoon broth. Cover and cook 2 minutes or until chard wilts. Place chard mixture in a fine sieve; drain 5 minutes. Place chard mixture in a bowl. Add pine nuts; toss to combine.
5. Spread 1/2 cup squash sauce in bottom of a broiler-safe 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles over sauce; top with half of chard mixture. Dollop ricotta cheese on top of chard. Spread half of remaining sauce over top. Arrange 3 noodles over sauce. Top with remaining chard mixture; top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 5 ounces mozzarella cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Cover with foil coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until bubbly.
6. Preheat broiler to high. (Keep lasagna in oven.)
7. Broil lasagna 3 minutes or until cheese is golden brown. Remove from oven; let stand 10 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: Cooking Light

---

Today’s Comic