Basil Flavoured Oil | 九層塔油

Basil Flavoured Oil

九層塔油

Ingredients:

2 cups Basil Leaves

1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 cup Grape Seed Oil

材料：

2 杯   九層塔葉

1 杯   初榨橄欖油

1 杯   葡萄籽油

DIRECTION:

Orange Peel Candy ｜ 糖橘皮

After finishing a sweet and juicy orange, don't throw away the  peel.  The peel is actually as flavourful as the orange flesh.  We can zest it and add it to salad dressing or to flavour water.

Another good way to use orange peel is to candy it.  It is a traditional preserved treat that can be eaten as it is or used in baking goods, such as cookies, cakes, or bread.

My son loves these candied orange peels.  He knows I always keep some of this candy in the kitchen and whenever his sweet tooth itches him, he will try to poke around my cupboards to look for it.  Of course I don't encourage him to "search" my kitchen, but just the  cute eager look on his face makes me smile.  I never knew that this traditional candy can catch a kid's heart that much.

Now, we both treasure any orange peels we get, and my son will remind me to save the peels to make candy for later.  "Mommy, we are using the whole orange and we are not wasting food, right?" he says with a proud smile.


Orange Peel Candy
糖橘皮

Ingredients:
1 Orange of Peel
1/2 cup Sugar
3 cup Water


How to make:

1. Slice the orange peel into segments.  With a small knife, remove the white pith that will cause bitterness.

2. In a heavy bottom pot, add the orange peels and water that is just   enough to cover them.  Bring it to a boil and then discard the water.  Repeat this process two times with two changes of water.  This steps can help to remove the bitterness of the white pith that may still be attached.

3. In the same pot, combine all the ingredients.  Bring it to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer.  Continuously simmer until the liquid reaches a syrupy consistency.  Remove the pot from the heat.


4. Place the peels on parchment without overlapping them.  Allow them to totally dry and keep them in an air-tight container.

Save the syrup for dishes like roasted radish or carrot.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Dandelion Fritter | 酥炸蒲公英花蕾

Now it’s the time to savor the bright yellow dandelion heads

After days of heavy rain, we finally got a sunny day. Seas of dandelions were blooming everywhere. I am a dandelion addict. Of course I immediately thought of many ways to enjoy these freshly sprouted beauties. 

Dandelions can be prepared savory or sweet. Basically, anything you want to have a hint of dandelions, then you can add a handful of them. However, the different parts of the dandelion have the best flavour during different periods.

Roots: They are best to be harvested in early spring before the flowers bloom, or in late fall before the ground freezes. The roots store the most nutrition in these periods of the year. The roots can be ground into powder as a coffee substitute.

Buds: They can be picked any time throughout the summer. Try to look for ones that are tightly closed for the maximal floral flavour. I usually pickle them and eat them like capers.

Leaves: They could be used throughout the whole season, but I only like to use the baby dandelion leaves in early spring. They are much more tender and less bitter. If you choose to use dandelion after April, try to look for those growing in the shade because sun exposure stresses the dandelions, making them taste much more bitter. Leaves can be stir fried, to make kimchi, or eaten raw as a salad.

Flowers: We only use the yellow flower heads and they make good tea. Flower petals are not bitter so they can be applied to various recipes. I use them to make quick bread, cookies, and fritters. Some people even use them to make wine. I haven’t yet tried the wine recipe since my husband and I don’t drink much. But I imagine making a batch of it and giving it to friends as a gift would be really cool.

Dandelion Fritter

Today let’s focus on fritter. Making fritter isn’t much of a secret. All it requires is good consistency of the batter. If you want to eat the dandelion flowers but not the clumps of oily flour bread, you need to be easy on the flour. The measurement in the recipe below is just a guideline. You really need to eyeball it and feel it.

Ingredients: for 8 dandelions 

8 Dandelion Flowers, with at least 3 inch stems

2 tablespoons Corn Starch

2 tablespoons Flour

1/4 cup Water

a pinch of Salt

a pinch of Black Pepper

a pinch of Smoked Paprika

3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

How to make:

1. the dandelions in a bowl of water by quickly swinging the flowers left and right a few times; dry them on a paper towel . (I always rinse my dandelions before using them. It may loose a little flavour, but I would rather be safe than sorry)

2. Whisk together the rest of the ingredients. The batter should be runny like the crepe batter. If it’s thick like pancake batter, you may want to thin it out with some water.

3. Heat up the oil over medium-high heat. Coat the flower heads with the batter. Add the flowers in the pan one by one and make sure they are not overlapping. Let them fry until golden; it’s about one minute. Serve immediately.

When enjoying them, just pick up the stem as if it were a toothpick and eat up the yellow flower part. They are great for party food.


If you have leftover flower heads, you can use the flower petals to make tea.





Dandelion Tea

Ingredients:
8-10 Dandelion Flower Heads, petals only
Hot Water


How to make:
1. Rinse the dandelion flower heads.  Peel off and discard any green parts.

2. Put the yellow petals in a tea cup.  Pour the hot water over it and allow it to steep for 8 minutes before serving.  Add honey or other sweetener if you want.

A Purple Dinner ｜紫色的晚餐

“Let’s make a surprise dinner for Daddy. How about a purple dinner?” said my 5-year-old boy.

I’d never thought that a surprise dinner can be prepared in a colour theme. It sounded beautiful enough on a plate. Red cabbage, eggplant, and blueberries are all purple, but I wanted something more special. 

Then, I remember the purple potatoes I once cooked when I was in culinary school. These potatoes are very small, with deep purple coloured skin and violet or marble coloured flesh. They taste like normal potatoes.

Normal supermarkets or shops will not carry purple potatoes so my son and I decided to take a trip to the farmers market nearby. It’s always great to be in a farmers market — the ingredients are seasonal, fresh, and special.

My son found some mini eggplants and carrots, and I found some blood oranges, black cherry tomatoes, and squid ink pasta. Perfect, the purple mission was half completed. We have enough ingredients to make a 3 course dinner.

Pan-fried Mini Eggplant with Miso Yogurt Sauce and Scallion

Ingredients:

2 Mini Eggplants

1/4 cup Vegetable Oil

a few stalk of Garlic Shoots, sliced

1 tablespoon Miso Paste

4 tablespoons Greek Plain Yogurt

Smoke Paprika (optional)

How to Make:

1. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Score the flesh with a knife without cutting through the skin.

2. In a non-stick pan, heat up the oil over medium-high heat. Add eggplants with skin side down. Let them fry until the skin is crispy and the flesh is soft; it’s about 8 minutes.

3. Flip the eggplants over with the tongs. Let them fry for another five minutes. Transfer the eggplants onto the serving plate.

We planted some garlic early this month and the shoots grow like crazy. These greens are edible and delicious. They taste just like mild flavoured garlic.

4. In the same pan, add the cut scallion. Quickly stir fry it over high heat until fragrant; about 1 minute. Remove it from the heat.

5. Mix together the miso and yogurt; add a dash of it on each eggplant. Spoon some garlic shoots on top of the yogurt. Last, finish the garnish with some smoked paprika.

Squid Ink Pasta with Calamari and Black Cherry Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 handful of Squid Ink Pasta

I handful of Normal Egg Pasta

10 small Calamari

1 cup Black Cherry Tomatoes

1/2 head of Garlic

1/2 cup Pasley, leaves only

1 Lemon juice and zest

Salt and Pepper

How to make:

1. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Place them on parchment without overlapping them. Roast them in the oven at 180F for about 2–3 hours, or until the cherry tomatoes are half dried up.

    2. Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic shoots and rinse the parsley; set it aside.

3. To clean the calamaris, remove the tentacles from the body by pulling two ends. Then, remove the transparent cuttlebone from the tube.

4. Cut off and discard the beak at the root of the tentacles. Keep as much ink as possible to add extra flavour for the dish later.

5. Remove the skin from around the tube part. Cut it into slices. Set them aside.

6. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add pasta. Cook it by following the instruction on the package. Drain.

7. In a pan, heat up two tablespoons of vegetable oil over high heat. Add garlic; let it fry until it’s fragrant. Add calamari. Continuously cook until the calamari starts to shrink and then add parsley. Remove it from the heat. Add the cooked pasta. Gently mix it with the tongs. Serve it with the roasted cherry tomatoes.

Pan fried Purple Carrot and Purple Potato

Ingredients:

3 Purple Carrot, cut into 5 cm sticks, with skin on

1 cup Purple Potatoes

5 cloves Garlic, minced

4 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Salt to season

How to make:

1. Heat up the vegetable oil over high heat. Add garlic; fry until it’s fragrant.

2. Add carrots and potatoes. Stir fry until they are half soften; it takes about 10 minutes. Season with salt.

Blood Orange in it’s own bowl

Ingredients:

Blood Orange

Tool:

1 small teaspoon

1 small knife

How to make:

1. With a small knife, cut the peel around the orange.

2. Carefully fit the handle of the spoon between the orange peel and the flesh.

3. With a rotate motion, separate the flesh from the peel. Twist gently to remove the cap.

4. Repeat the same action to the other side.