Grilled Corn Soup

I know I have made a corn soup somewhere somehow sometime before this. I wanted to use this recipe because I was intrigued by the promise of basil-infused oil - Love it! The original recipe uses cream and stock, which I didn't It also recommends to strain out the solids from the liquid, which I skipped - I like my soup thick and chunky.

If you are using fresh corn like I did, start with cooking the corn over salted boiling water for about 3 - 5 minutes. Once cooked, remove and put it to grill. I just discovered I can grill certain foods using Teflon pan! Eureka!! Let it cool before you attempt to remove the kernels. You'll need to reserve the cobs for use in the soup.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 large onion, roughly chopped
• 1 small potato, cubed
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cooked cob of corn, kernels removed
• one generous pinch of sea salt
• Corn kernels
  
• dash of paprika
• pinch of ground cayenne pepper
• Freshly ground black pepper

1. Saute onions with a generous pinch of salt.
   
2. Stir in potato cubes to coat. Add milk, and stripped corn cob. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Add kernels, paprika, cayenne and black pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust with salt.
   
4. Process into puree, and serve with basil-infused oil.
   

Basil-infused Oil

• 2 TB Olive oil
• a handful of fresh basil leaves

Bring olive oil to heat (not boiling) over medium heat. Remove from heat and throw in basil leaves. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so. Swirl oil over soup to serve.

Maple Grilled Tempeh and Cheddar Corn Polenta

A student-cum-friend of ours, Aaron Goodman, offered us a free cooking lesson with Bangkok Marriot Resort and Spa. The highlight of the event was it was done on the resort boat. Also, this is Aaron's video project with Associated Press, which means you will see Adrian and I dressed in Marriot's aprons in some TV news report very soon! It's 6 and a half minutes of "weight-loss cooking" on the boat aired in more than 20 countries! We are going to be household famous! Woo hoo~

Before we went on the boat, the hotel PR manager and chef took us for a detour at the local market near Saphan Taksin.

Our first stop was at a store where they make fresh coconut milk with machine as pictured. The chef said this is much better than those sold at the supermarket. I bet. On the right is white dessicated coconut, used for dessert. There is also dessicated coconut made with coconut skin, which is more commonly used for curry.


The same store also sells a variety of chili paste made from shrimp, anchovies, etc. You can pick them based on your preferred degree of spiciness.

This lady sells fresh handmade spring-roll sheets. Her skill and ease was fascinating to watch.


Here you see Aaron shooting the man at shrimp shop and a family of beggars patronizing the wet market.


Back on the boat: our chefs showed and cooked for us 5 Thai dishes made the "healthy" way: Pomela Salad with Tamarind Sauce instead of fish sauce; Sour Fish Soup made with vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and the taste was brought out using tomatoes and pineapples; Banana Buds Salad with shredded Pork; Grilled skinless Salmon served with Thai Chili paste; and Baked Eggplant with Grilled Chicken Breast. Good thing no one made us eat the meats.

We hardly did anything but watched and enjoyed the view as the boat cruise along Chao Praya river. The only thing required of us was to sample the foods and shared our insight into healthy Thai cooking through TV interview. I hope we said the right thing. It was quite an experience for us on a weekday morning for an otherwise 2800THB experience. We live a blessed life :)

Now it takes us back to what I cooked for dinner. After the cooking cruise, we headed straight to the Tops Market at Wong Wian Yai for a quick grocery shopping. I didn't have a shopping list as I usually do. Therefore I picked a few "safe" ingredients that I could play with given what's available back home: I was thinking of polenta and tempeh (again). Having what I wanted as main in mind, I chose asparagus and red bell pepper as side. It really doesn't take much to make a good meal.

Having had tempeh for three meals in two days, I still crave it. Especially with the maple marinate. Adrian was perplexed by the intricate taste: he liked the sweetness that came with a lingering fatty after taste. He asked how much would a plate of this cost. Hmmm... it probably won't go any higher than 100THB (I was thinking somewhere between 50 - 60THB but then I never keep track of food prices). How much would restaurant charge? I'll probably charge 400THB with a nicer looking plate and cutlery, with a napkin, too. Although it is quite laborious to make, most of the steps can be prepared in advance, and in excess for future use. Once prepared, they are ready to go in a jiffy.

Ingredients:

(serve 2)
Cheddar Corn Polenta

This was made based on this and this recipe. Instead of serving the chili-roasted mushroom on the side, I decided to mix them into the polenta to broil. I also added some left over maple syrup-roasted cherry tomatoes from Open-Faced Polenta Tempeh Sandwich. The key in keeping the polenta in shape is "patient". You want it to cool to firm after broiling, before cutting into serving size.
Sauce and Dressing

I had a small bunch of rocket leaves and a handful of parsley that were calling out for use before they wilted for good. I chopped them up with a deseeded orange chili pepper, garlic and pine nuts, as I usually do with pesto except there wasn't Parmesan in it - a small pinch of sea salt adjusted the taste just fine. This pesto went well with the left over Garlic Mayo Spread from yesterday.

Maple-Grilled Tempeh

• Tempeh, cut into strips
• 3 Tablespoons Chili oil (or olive oil)
• 1 glove garlic, smashed and chopped
  
• 3 soy sauce
• 1 Teaspoon Brown rice vinegar (or balsamic vinegar/ rice wine vinegar)
• 3 Tablespoons organic maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. Combine everything, except tempeh, together in a small bowl. Place tempeh to a baking dish in one even layer. Pour maple marinate over to cover top and bottom of tempeh. Let it sit in refrigerator for at least two hours, or up to two days.
2. Coat and heat a frying pan with just enough butter. Fry tempeh on both sides until browned.
3. Pour in remaining marinate and let it simmer over low heat. Remove when marinate has thickened.

Black Bean Burger and Homemade Hamburger Bun

This is super easy to put together once you have the ingredients ready. I was half way into making the patties when George popped up at our door. The good thing about cooking vegetarians is you can increase the serving size, easily, just by throwing in more vegetables.

Hamburger Bun:

We bought a packet of organic black beans the other day but didn't cook it because Adrian said it would take 5 hours to cook, which I will tell you in moment is not true. Anyway I found a black bean burger recipe that sounds good, and decided that's what I would do with the black beans. Then we were watching How to Cook Your Life. In the movie, Zen priest and chef Edward Espe Brown teaches people to be attentive in everyday dealings with the most mundane things and also open our eyes to one of the most beautiful occupations: cooking. Especially baking. The way Edward kneads and rolls the dough seems effortless, and inspiring. I asked Adrian "you think it's hard to make hamburger bun?" I quickly dropped the movie and went to consult Google. Didn't seem too difficult. It was then that I decided to make hamburger buns for the black bean burger, instead of the day-old french bread in the refrigerator. So pardon me I didn't watch the whole movie but I had work to do.

I went through a roller coaster of emotion with this. First I thought it went really well as I was kneading the dough - it felt very right. Then I was dismayed by the size - too small to make a decent hamburger. I also thought the bread was a bit to the hard side, but Adrian thought it was good. I was still skeptical and unsatisfied.

As it turned out, although the buns were too small to fit the black bean burger patty, both Adrian and George approved. George called them the Kaiwaii Mickey Mouse Ears Hamburger Bun (too long to make a copyright of it). He actually singled them out to be "especially the buns. I really like them). Guess who's taking home the extra bun.

(make 4 small buns)

• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1/3 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 tablespoon dry yeast
• 1/4 cup warm whole milk
• 1 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 Tablespoon butter, melted
• pinch teaspoons salt
• 1 cups all-purpose flour + a tablespoon or two of organic rye flour
  
• 1 egg white
• 1 teaspoon water
• white sesame seeds
  

1. Dissolve sugar in water. Stir in yeast to proof. Let it sit for 10 minutes until foamy.
   
2. Whisk together flour, salt, sugar, milk and melter butter. Add proofed yeast. Process with a electric mixer attached with kneader hooks. Blend until the dough is semi-sticky and holds around the hook. Add flour, a little bit at a time, if necessary.
3. Roll it out onto a floured surface. Knead for 7 - 8 minutes. Cover with damped towel for 10 minutes.
4. Grease a large boil with butter. Gently knead the dough for 30 seconds with hands. Place in the greased bowl and cover with damped towel for 60 - 80 minutes. Let rise in a warm place. The dough will double in size.
5. Punch down the dough. Divide it into 4 balls and place on a greased baking sheet. Cover with towel and let sit in a warm place for 30 - 40 minutes.
6. Preheat oven at 150C. Whisk together water and egg white. Carefully brush the top and sides of dough with egg mixture. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in the oven for 20 - 25 minutes, until golden brown.
   

Black Bean Burger:

I had made some pretty good burger before but this one is more intricate because of the mixing with different vegetables; it looked vibrant and pretty on the plate. However the patty didn't hold up very well. Not enough bread crumbs?

I soaked the beans for a day before I cooked them. It took less than 2 hours to have them all cooked. With the fresh corns, I just boil them in hot water until they turned into bright yellow.

(make 3 patties)

• 11/2 cup cooked black beans
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 gloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 big red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup cooked corn kernels
• 1 orange chili pepper,chopped
  
• 1 - 2 teaspoon coriander powder
• 1 - 2 teaspoon American-style chili powder
• 3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• Organic Rye flour
• Pure Coconut oil to fry
  

1. In a large bowl, mash the black beans. Throw in cooked corn kernels. Set aside.
2. Saute onions and garlic with a generous pinch of salt. Add red bell pepper and orange chili pepper. Stir in spices except parsley.
3. Stir the vegetable mixture into the black beans and corn mix. Add parsley and bread crumbs. Divide and shape the mixture into 3 patties. Store in the freezer for 10 minutes.
4. Remove patties from freezer. Coat them with flour.
5. Heat up a pan of coconut oil to boiling but not smokey. Turn the heat to medium. Fry the patties, about 3 minutes on each side.
   

To serve:

• Mango and Avocado Salsa
• Spinach leaves, chiffonade

Place spinach leaves on individual serving plates. Top with mango and avocado salsa and black bean burger. Serve buns on the side with a slate of butter.

Mexican Pumpkin Burrito

Blogging takes discipline. It's been almost one month since I last posted. I was (and still am) feeling lazy to blog although I haven't stopped cooking since I came back from KL 3 days ago.

Firstly, I was surprised to see the refrigerator stocked with foods and fruits the morning after I came back. Then there, in the kitchen, stood my handsome husband, with knife on one hand, chopping board on the other. He pulled out some mocked crab meat, sun dried tomatoes, rocket pesto (that I made before we left to Oman, which I had forgotten, and astonished to see he had been cooking with while I was away!), eggs, cheese, etc, and made me an omelet! There's also the mixed fruits smoothie that he's very proud of - came with this super awesome date honey that we bought from Oman.

As I tasted the foods cooked by my loved one I was overwhelmed by a sense of joy and happiness, which was contradicted by a sense of loss: like a mother who just realized her child is no longer her baby. LOL. You know that ain't gonna happen. He will soon realize what he did was mere child's play. WAHAHAHA!

We were discussing about dinner. Adrian mentioned a pumpkin taco recipe that he saw (somebody has been doing his homework). I couldn't find anything good from the internet, and hence decided to piece together bits and puzzles from different sources.

I started by putting pumpkin, orange chili pepper and red bell pepper into the oven for roasting. Remember to check on the chili pepper. I pulled mine out on the late side and it turned out a little burnt. I was going to use Jalapeno pepper but couldn't find them at Central Silom. I blame it on the red-shirt protest, which forces the Gourmet Market in Paragon to close (for weeks now!) I seriously need them to dissolve so I can get back to my normal grocery shopping. Anyway, this orange chili pepper was the only pepper available other than Thai chili and green chili. It's actually quite hot. I chose to remove the seeds to keep the hotness low.

One complaint I have about being, and cooking vegetarian: too much chopping. Since this "project" is the brainchild of Adrian, I made him did the hardest part: onions. I wish I had video-taped his teary eyes.

Adrian did the chopping and mashing of the guacamole. We used orange chili pepper (with seeds) and a green sweet pepper for taste. The roasted pumpkin seeds added an excellent touch to the taste and texture.

It happened that George was coming for a game of chess. "Is there enough food for George?" asked the chess maestro's protege - Adrian Cox. OF COURSE, and it's always more fun to cook for more people (no more than 4 at a time though).

As I laid the foods down on the table, I announced we were going to compete and make our own best burrito with the ingredients available: flour tortilla, guacamole, sour cream, rocket leaves, tomatoes, pumpkin seeds, cheddar cheese, roasted spiced pumpkin, roasted spiced red bell pepper, and red kidney beans and corn mix.

The touch of white sesame seeds was something I learned from May-Kay Dee in Khao San. You can cook the red bell pepper without roasting; it's a request from Adrian that I dutifully complied. We weren't sure how long it would take to cook the dried black beans, hence the use of canned beans. The corns though were fresh from the cob.

Adrian looking proud of his burrito that which he wouldn't have its photo taken. George took the contest seriously. I was mostly teasing and laughing at Adrian.


George's vs mine.

Adrian refused to let me take a picture of his burrito. For reason you can think of. It was a very close call between George's and mine. I think mine looked pretty but I have to give it to George because he's our guest :p Prize? George got to finish the last bite of everything! I thought I had made too much for three persons, but turned out everyone had rather good appetite this day. Hurray for Mexican!

Happy eating people.

A good meal is never complete without dessert. For something quick and easy, I made pudding using this Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pudding recipe from my first post. Instead of chocolate, I used organic black sesame paste. It was surprisingly better than I thought it would be - it's delicious and taste healthy. I thought of Tam as I made this because she was begging for some the last time I made it for Adrian.

Ingredients:

(serve 3)

For the Veggie Filling:

• 2 roasted red bell pepper, skins and seeds removed, julienne
  
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• Sea salt to taste

1. Saute onions and red bell pepper with a pinch of salt. Add spices and cook until well coated and fragrant.
2. Keep warm in the oven at 100C.

For the Pumpkin Filling:

• 1/2 roasted pumpkin
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• White sesame seeds
  
• 1 roasted orange chili pepper, seeds removed and chopped
• Sea salt to taste
• 1 can organic red kidney bean
• 1 corn, niblet only
  

1. Scoop pumpkin out and mash to a smooth consistency. Saute pumpkin, with the remaining ingredients until it becomes golden in color. Taste and adjust with sea salt. Sprinkle with white sesame seeds.
   
2. Keep warm in the oven.
3. Use the same pan to cook together red kidney beans and corn niblet. Taste and season with sea salt.
4. Keep warm in the oven.

To Assemble:

• Arugula leaves
• Sharp white Cheddar cheese, grated
• 8 cherry tomatoes, diced
• Guacamole
• Sour cream (lemon juice + Cream)
• Toasted pumpkin seeds
  
• Flour tortilla
  

1. Wrap tortilla with aluminum foil and warm in the oven at 180C for 10 minutes.
2. Make your own burrito using all the ingredients above!
   

Mexican Grilled Peppers and Corn Salad

I'm improvising the Pinto Beans, Persimmon and Avocado Salad and calling it Mexican because I threw in to it habanero chile and cilantro. You see, they are basically the same except there's no persimmons in this recipe but more hearty with the addition of grilled bell peppers and corn. To the dressing, I added some honey. It did taste more flavorful than without.

If you have a tiny kitchen the size of mine and no grill. This is what you do when the recipe calls for grilling. Just make sure you raise the rack high enough that the vegetables don't touch and burn by the electric hot plate.


Serve it as a side with a Double Decker Quesadilla.

Ingredients:
(makes 2 servings)

For the Salad:

• 1/2 red bell pepper, grilled and diced
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, grilled and diced
• 1/2 con of fresh corn, grilled, use niblets only
  
• 1 habanero chili, core and seed removed, diced
• 1/2 cup cooked pinto beans
• 1 avocado, peeled and diced
• 4 cherry tomatoes, quartered

For the Dressing:

• 2 TB extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small clove of garlic minced
• 1/4 medium-size red onion, chopped
  
• 1 TB fresh orange juice
• 2 TB lime juice
• 1 TB organic raw honey
  
• Ground cumin
• Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
• Cilantro leaves as garnish
  

1. Simply toss all the salad ingredients together with salad dressing.
   

Cheesy Cheddar Corn Polenta

I have to date made savory polenta with Parmesan: Polenta Fries, and Parmesan Polenta with Chili-roasted Mushroom. This time, it's done with sharp Cheddar and corn. The corn niblet give this crispy polenta an interesting texture: crunchy like nuts.

I served this with a side of Camembert and Cranberry Stuffed Mushroom with Pesto. You knew it's good when two hours after the dinner, Adrian said "dinner was really good".

Ingredients:
(makes 1 9x9" pan)

• 4 cups miso soup
  
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• Fresh corn niblet from 1 cob of corn
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  
• 1¼ cup uncooked polenta
  
• 1½ cups old cheddar, grated
• ¼ cup fresh thyme and rosemary, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Line a 9x9" pan with parchment paper.
2. In a pot, bring stock and cream to a simmer and set aside.
3. In a saucepan, saute onions with butter until soft. Add garlic and corn niblets and cooked until corn is tender. Pour in apple cider vinegar for deglazing.
4. Add the stock and cream mixture to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. In a slow, steady stream, add the cornmeal and cook over medium heat for 1 minute, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Remove from heat and stir in the grated cheddar and fresh herbs. Season with salt, to taste.
5. Pour mixture into pan. Refrigerate overnight or at least 2 hours. Turn out the polenta and cut into desired shapes.
6. Pan fry the pieces in olive oil and a little butter until lightly browned on both sides or broil in the oven until browned.
   

Corn Soup

I think I like corn a lot. The sweet and savory smell of steamed buttered corn always makes tme drool. Although I don't order corn soup from restaurant - I guess they are never as good - I do have a desire for it. It has taken me this long to make a corn soup because..... not sure. I thought Adrian didn't like corn?
Anyway I decided to give it a go. It seems like a good one to have with the leftover Savory Tomato Pesto Pie. The corn and carrot add to the sweetness, and the milk to the creaminess. This recipe uses boiled milk with corn cobs as broth - it boosts the flavor of the corn and tastes like you are eating fresh corn of the cob!

Ingredients:
(serves 2)
1 ears of corn

1 cup milk

1/4 yellow onion, diced

1/2 carrot, peeled and sliced

1 large garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup water

salt and pepper

2 large sprigs of fresh thyme

sour cream, optional

1 Cut kernels form the cob, reserve cobs. Boil milk with cobs in a large saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat and cover for 8 minutes.

2 While the cobs are cooking in milk, heat a bit of oil in a skillet and saute onion until soft. Stir in chopped carrot, kernels and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until vegetables are soft.

3 Add vegetables, water and thyme sprigs to the cob/milk saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Discard cobs and thyme sprigs.

4 Using a hand blender, blend mixture until smooth. Serve hot or cold with sour cream.

Corn Casserole and Chickpea Salad

I love corns. I can smell the sweetness of boiled crisp corn on the cob splashed generously with butter as I think about it *drool* I remember someone once regarded corn being a useless food - nothing but starch. He was an Atkin's. I wish I had known better then; I was totally ashamed to stand up for my love for corn. I wish I could have educated him about the high fiber content and B Vitamins (B1 and B5) of corn that could help lower blood sugar level in diabetics, prevent colon cancer and heart disease, as well as to improve memory! There, I said it.

Corn Casserole

This is hearty corn casserole comes with onions, celery, bell pepper and green beans mixed and baked with cream of celery soup and cheese. Good way to get rid of frozen celery soup sitting in the freezer. The sweetness of the corn would go well with something tart, such as the following Chickpea Salad. I was surprised that it gave no hint of celery at all! Did the cooking rid it of its taste?

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1 (11 ounce) can white corn, drained (I used frozen)
1 (14.5 ounce) can French cut green beans, drained (Frozen bean for me)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup (leftover homemade)
1 (8 ounce) container sour cream (1 cup cream + 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
1/4 (16 ounce) package buttery round crackers, crushed (digestive biscuits)
1/2 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C.
2. In a large bowl, combine onion, celery, green pepper, cheese, corn, green beans, soup and sour cream. Spoon into a 2-quart casserole dish.
3. Combine crushed crackers with melted butter and sprinkle on top of vegetables.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Chickpea Salad
Serve 2

The sourness imparted by the lemon juice in this unassuming salad went extremely well with the sweetness in the corn casserole. Although dried chickpeas take more time to prepare than canned, they do taste different and dried chickpeas hold up very well after cooking.
PS: I thought the corn casserole looks rather like chicken chop on the plate.

Ingredients:
1 Roasted red bell pepper (go here if you are new to this, just don't puree), peeled and sliced
1/2 cup dried chickpeas, cooked per instructed and let drained. Or 1/2 canned.
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 Tablespoon chopped mint
1 clove garlic, chopped
4 Tablespoon extravirgin olive oil
2 Tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, toss together cooked chickpeas, roasted red pepper, chopped parsley and mint.
2. In another bowl, mix chopped garlic, lemon juice and olive oil together. Taste and adjust with seasoning.
3. Pour dressing over the chickpea mix. Either serve warm or let chill in refrigerator for the flavor to develop.