Creamy Courgette Lasagne

Recently I have been really enjoying vegetarian options, not because i want to give up meat anytime soon but mainly just to experiment with different options, I found this recipe on one of my favourite food website  Recently I have been really enjoying vegetarian options, not because i want to give up meat anytime soon but mainly just to experiment with different options, I found this recipe on one of my favourite food website http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/4716/creamy-courgette-lasagne

They used ricotta cheese in their recipe, but i couldn’t find it here so used mascarpone instead.  They used ricotta cheese in their recipe, but i couldn’t find it here so used mascarpone instead.

INGREDIENTS

• 9 dried lasagne sheets
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 onion , finely chopped
• 700g courgettes (about 6), coarsely grated
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 250g mascarpone
• 50g cheddar
• 350g jar tomato sauce for pasta

How to

1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Put a pan of water on to boil, then cook the lasagne sheets for about 5 mins until softened, but not cooked through. Rinse in cold water, then drizzle with a little oil to stop them sticking together.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan, then fry the onion. After 3 mins, add the courgettes and garlic and continue to fry until the courgette has softened and turned bright green. Stir in 2/3 of both the mascarpone and the cheddar, then season to taste. Heat the tomato sauce in the microwave for 2 mins on High until hot.
3. In a large baking dish, layer up the lasagne, starting with half the courgette mix, then pasta, then tomato sauce. Repeat, top with blobs of the remaining ricotta, then scatter with the rest of the cheddar. Bake on the top shelf for about 10 mins until the pasta is tender and the cheese is golden.

Naruto Japanese Restaurant

We have a relatively new shopping plaza near our home and for quite a while now we have been meaning to check out one of the new Japanese restaurants that has opened there. Naruto didn’t disappoint, after being seated we were welcomed with a free appetizer of squid tempura, which was really nice. We ordered some tuna sashimi and sushi, both of which were really fresh and gyoza and miso soup. The food is really reasonably priced and they sell a wide choice of beer, including German beer. We will definitely be eating here again very soon!

Naruto is located on the second floor in Meechok Plaza on the Maejo Road heading out of Chiang Mai.

 

PS if you go on a Thursday night, watch out for this guy!

Spicy Bollywood

Spicy Bollywood serves a great selection of deliciously yummy Indian food. The tandoori chicken was juicy and well spiced, the vindaloo was just the right amount spicy and I particularly like their vegetarian dishes all very tasty, especially the palak paneer. You are welcomed by the friendly owners who are more than helpful with the menu for those of us not clued up on Indian cuisine. All the dishes are reasonably priced for the quality of the food. Spicy Bollywood is located on Chaiyapoom Road, Chiang Mai (behind Italian A Domani)

Miguels Mexican

We’ve been going to Miguel’s Mexican for years now, but every time I forget to take pictures…mainly cause the foods sooo good I can’t wait to eat it. They have a big variety of great Mexican food and everything tastes good, my personal favourite is the Taco beef salad it’s served in a huge taco shell with heaps of salad, sour cream, eggs, minced beef and refried beans!

There are 3 restaurants in Chiang Mai, we went to the Nong Hoi branch which had a really nice outside area. Anyway here’ some of the great food they serve!

Spiced Tortilla

I was wondering what to do with some random ingredients in the fridge, eggs, potatoes, salami…. and found this great recipe from http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/chromeapp/#recipes/spiced-tortilla

I made a few changes in order to use up the salami and added some more spices.

Ingredients

sunflower oil

some salami sliced (or ham, bacon whatever is in the fridge)

1 onion , sliced

1 red chilli , deseeded and shredded

Spices (I used coriander, cumin, turmeric paprika and cayenne pepper)

handful cherry tomatoes

2-3 cooked potatoes , sliced and par-boiled

bunch coriander , stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped

4 eggs , beaten

How to

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Fry the onion, salami and half the chilli for 5 mins until softened. Tip in the spices, fry for 1 min more, add the cherry tomatoes, potatoes and coriander stalks to the pan. Season the eggs well, pour over the top of the veg and leave to cook gently for 8-10 mins until almost set. Heat the grill and flash the tortilla underneath for 1-2 mins until the top is set.

Scatter the coriander leaves and remaining chilli over the top, slice into wedges and serve.

Surf ‘n’ Turf ( Steak,Black Tiger Prawns & Chips)

Surf  ‘n’ Turf (Steak, Tiger Prawns & Chips)

I usually make oven chips, mainly because they are healthier and less greasy, but oven chips are only really nice if you can find nice floury potatoes. These are pretty hard to come by in Thailand, so in an effort to cook proper crispy chips I decided to try deep frying them instead (it was Friday after all, when else can you indulge in unhealthy pleasures if not at the weekend!) For the chips I followed my main man Jamie Oliver’s recipe from ‘Jamie’s Kitchen’.

I decided to keep the shells and heads on the prawns as I think you get a much juicier prawn this way, and also don’t risk over cooking them.

With the steak, a chef once told me never to season your steak with salt before you cook it, always season it whilst it cooking. Salt draws out the juices, you want to keep them in, for a juicy steak. Also always put the oil on the steak before you cook it not in the pan, this also helps to seal the steak keeping the juices inside.

Ingredients

3 medium sized potatoes (I left the skin on) slice them into chips

Sunflower oil

2 sirloin steaks rolled in some olive oil and sprinkled with pepper

4 black tiger prawns shells and heads on.

2 cloves of garlic crushed

Pinch of chilli flakes

Lemon juice

Butter

2 tsp of fresh chopped parsley

Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Olive oil

How to

Half fill a shallow frying pan with clean sunflower oil. Heat it to 150c (you can test the oil by putting a chip in; it’s hot enough when it sizzles. Before frying I pat my chips dry. Fry in batches, cook the chips without letting them colour until they feel soft when you poke them. Drain well and scatter them on some grease proof better. Put them aside until you are ready to fry them again before eating them. This will make them nice and crispy.

Make the garlic butter; mix the about 3 knobs of butter, ½ the garlic and 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh parsley.

In a grill pan melt a knob of butter on a medium heat then add half the garlic, a pinch of chilli flakes and the prawns, squeeze some lemon over the top and keep turning until they the turn pink.

Remove, and wrap in tinfoil to keep warm.

Rinse off the grill pan then put it on a high heat. Roll the steak in some olive oil and season with cracked black pepper. Add to grill pan then season with sea salt. Cook the steak to your liking.

Remove the steak and let it rest.

Refry the chips.

ENJOY!

http://travelspoon.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/day-55/

Chicken, Sausage & Prawn Jambalaya

For Valentine’s Day dinner I decided to cook jambalaya, I have never tasted or cooked it before but after seeing it on “Jamie’s American Road Trip” I decided to give it a go. I wasn’t disappointed, it was easy to make and a real comfort dish. My husband Warrie loved it. So all in all a successful Valentine’s dinner.

You can find Jamie Oliver’s recipe here http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/seafood-recipes/chicken-sausage-prawn-jambalaya

Thai Food

You see chicken being barbecued along the road all over the city, perfect served with sticky rice

I cant get enough of sticky rice ( khao niow) it goes with all Thai food.

Sai Ua or Chiang Mai Sausage is made with minced pork, herbs, spices and Thai Red Chili Paste and is normally sold ready cooked, grilled over a charcoal at most markets around Chiang Mai, great with my sticky rice.

On a visit to to Sukhothai we had these amazing noodles.

Moo ga ta which means pork in a pan is really popular in Thailand, basically you are brought a charcoal stove with a hot plate on top. This has a trough around it full of water. This is for boiling your vegetables and seafood. While this is heating up you can go and choose from a selection of meat and vegetables. It is a buffet so you can keep coming back as many times as you like.

Nua ded diow is deep fried beef served with chilli sauce, we usually eat it as an appetizer.

Tom Kha Gai chicken galangal soup is a spicy soup served (proper Thai style) in a hot pot.

I love this dish and always order it when its on the menu, basically it consists of nam prik ong ( crushed tomatoes, minces pork and red curry paste) sour sausages, deep fried sausages, northern style sausage, steam vegetables, peanuts and pork crackling all of which you dip into the nam prik ong.

Not really Thai I know, but they sell these deliciously fresh rolls at most of the food courts in the shopping malls around Chiang Mai and they are really yummy, they are served with a spicy dips

Rumchok market near our house in Sansai, has a great market that sells all sorts of yummy Thai food, from curry based dishes to spicy salads to bbq fish.

I love rice noodle soup ( goew tiew nam dok nua) I think thats the correct translation to Thai. You can get this dish at many noodle shops around the city I like the little noodle shop just off Ratchadamnoen Road, behind Giresole Italian Restaurant.

Bpor bia gung ( deep fried minced shrimp, with pork and coriander) Its usually sold as an appetizer and tastes great!

Spicy Shrimp Salad with Mango

Quinoa, Mango and Black Bean Salad

Another food and recipe I’ve aquired via Kris.

I’d never heard of, our tasted quinoa. It was really easy to make and has a interesting taste and texture not unlike couscous. Its also very versatile and i’m already thinking of other things i could make it with.
This salad was really good, I tested it on my mum and dad, mum liked it and well dad wasnt too sure (lol)… although he did clean his plate?

Quinoa, Mango and Black Bean Salad 

Wiki says “Quinoa has a delightful characteristic that is all it’s own: as it cooks, the outer germ around each grain twists outward forming a little white, spiral tail, which is attached to the kernel. The grain itself is soft and delicate and the tail is crunchy which creates an interesting texture combination and pleasant “crunch” when eating the grain. Quinoa has a fluffy consistency and a mild, delicate, slightly nutty flavor”

Southern Shrimp and Grits

This is a re- post from a couple of years ago.

June 21st 2010

I’ve started a food project with Kris were we share recipes and ingredients from the country we are living in. My box of goodies arrived last week from the USA and this is the first recipe ive made using the grits and cajun seasoning Kris sent.

Southern Shrimp and Grits – I hadn’t made nor ate grits before so it was nice to try something new, it was so simple and quick to make and tasted great!

(Grits is a food of Native American origin that is common in the Southern United States; it mainly consists of coarsely ground corn.Grits is similar to other thick maize-based porridges from around the world, such as polenta. It also resembles farina, a thinner porridge.)

Southern Shrimp and Grits