Split Pea Soup with Vegetables / How to Use Chinese Vegetables / Grilling Tips + Flattened Chicken with Parsley Sauce

Blog Post & Recipe: Split Pea Soup Loaded With Vegetables - Perfect for Brrrrr Weather

With weather this cold decided to make split pea soup with vegetables from farmers market.

Article & Recipe: How to use Chinese vegetables

Victoria's Chinatown does indeed offer a diverse selection of vegetables for sale. I can't write about them all, but here are some useful facts and suggestions for using six intriguing looking veggies.

Gai Lan ... Bitter Melon ... King Oyster Mushrooms ... Long Beans ... Taro Root ... Lotus Root

RECIPE: Hot and Sour Soup with Gai Lan and King Oyster Mushrooms

Blog Post & Recipes: 7 fires: lessons from the argentine grill master

The good news is you don’t need to have a BBQ to create any of these. An old frying pan in the kitchen will work just as well.

7 lessons from the Argentine grill master himself: 1. The power of the taste of burnt ... 2. You must respect the first contact between food and the cooking surface ... 3. The ‘chapa’ is best for quick cooking ... 4. ‘Rescoldo’ is a great way to cook veg ... 5. Flame should never directly touch your food ... 6. Cast iron is the best cooking material ... 7. The secret to a perfect steak

flattened chicken with parsley sauce

Mushroom Risotto / Roast Pork Loin with Apples & Sage / Roasted Cauliflower Caponata

Blog Post & Recipe: A Miracle: The Best Mushroom Risotto Ever

What could I put in it to make it richer and fuller tasting? Anchovies.

Blog Post & Recipe: apple picking

there are many classic combinations but few are better than pork, apples & sage - this dish is a simple roast dinner and the apples become unbelievably tender and creamy.

Roast Pork Loin with Apples & Sage

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower Caponata

Cauliflower shines in many preparations, from steaming to frying. But boiling tends to draw out all it's flavor and nutrients. It might be a reason why so many people dislike the vegetable in the first place. Roasting is the technique everyone should be doing because it turns the cauliflower tender and sweet. This version of the Sicilian favorite, caponata, is just perfect for it.

Toad-in-the-Hole / Korean Kimchi Stew / Mushroom & Beetroot Frittata

Blog Post & Recipe: Classic English Toad-in-the-Hole

I first posted a recipe for Toad in the Hole back in 2003. I wasn't quite satisfied with that recipe, and based on feedback from readers and a bit more experimentation, recently updated the recipe.

Blog Post & Recipe: Korean Kimchi Stew

I first came across Soondoobu Jiggae (or, soft tofu stew to me and you) at Koba, on Charlotte Place. A bubbling stew in a hot stone pot, it as packed with little clams, silky soft tofu and the punchy heat of kimchi. Further exploration with my chopsticks revealed a perfectly poached egg in the broth.

Blog Post & Recipe: Mushroom and beetroot frittata

Frittatas are easy-peasy, weeknight food. Something you can make in one pan, cram full of vegetables and top with whatever is in the fridge. Nutritionally this particular frittata combines antioxidant rich beetroot, with B vitamin and antioxidant containing mushrooms, plus protein packed eggs. I topped the frittata with a dairy free kind of pesto, made from coriander, miso, garlic and walnuts.

Pickled Cabbage Rolls with Mushroom & Brown Rice Stuffing / Beetroot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting / Chicken Katsu Don

Blog Post & Recipe: Pickled Cabbage Rolls with Mushroom and Brown Rice Stuffing

This is the vegan version of the Romanian traditional dish "sarmale" which usually contains ground pork/beef meat.

Blog Post & Recipe: Beetroot cake with cream cheese frosting

The recipe is based on Joanne Chang’s classic carrot cake recipe from Flour. If you don’t like beetroot, make it with carrot, and be sure to make it in your favourite baking pan.

Blog Post & Recipe: Chicken Katsu Don

My mom always make Chicken Katsu with chicken tenders so that’s how I make it, but you can use chicken breasts or thighs. If you use chicken breasts, make sure to cut each piece thin so it will cook faster ... Even though you don’t like deep frying, shallow deep frying is less scary and the easiest way to deep fry.

Vegetarian Mushroom & Cannellini Bean Ragout / Pumpkin Chili with Cornbread Smudges / Fried Green Tomatoes

Blog Post & Recipe: Vegetarian Mushroom & Cannellini Bean Ragout Recipe

The ragout can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store, covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat before serving.

Recipe: pumpkin chili with cornbread smudges

The corn "smudges", as I've dubbed them, were an attempt to make cornbread flavored crackers... they tasted great with the chili, but be warned, they aren't crispy crackers.

Blog Post & Recipe: Fried Green Tomatoes

Tip: They key to fried green tomatoes it to make sure that the tomato slices are not too thick to ensure that they get cooked all the way through. ... Tangy green tomatoes dipped in buttermilk and cornmeal and then fried until golden brown and crispy on the outside.

3 Mushroom Recipes / Creamy Spinach Soup / Fresh Spring Rolls with Spicy Carrot Sauce

Blog Post & Recipes: What’s for Dinner? – Mushroom Masters Dinner Duel

We’ve arrived at the mid-way point of our Mushroom Masters 2011: A Tournament of Taste!

Mushroom Wellington ... Mushroom and Caramelized Onion Tacos ... Marsala Mushroom Cream Sauce over Beer Braised Beef

Blog Post & Recipe: Desperation Dinners: Salad Soup (i.e., Creamy Spinach Soup)

A quick perusal of my refrigerator and pantry saved the evening, producing a couple of bags of spinach, some pearl onions, a block of cream cheese, fresh garlic, chicken stock, and an assortment of dried herbs and spices. While I brought the chicken stock to a simmer, I gave the spinach a quick chop ... then dropped it into the stock, along with the pearl onions, garlic, and herbs. After a quick cook, I added the cream cheese.

Blog Post & Recipe: Fresh Spring Rolls with Spicy Carrot Sauce

I am a fan of cilantro, so for today's post, I thought I would serve up something cool and refreshing, that highlights vibrant herbs and vegetables. Perfect for these hot summers, you will find these Vietnamese-style Fresh Spring Rolls with Spicy Carrot Sauce satisfying with the crunch of carrots and cucumber, the coolness of slippery bean threads (rice vermicelli), succulent seafood, and peppy herbs such as mint, cilantro and basil.

Çilbir (Turkish Poached Eggs on Yoghurt with Spiced Butter & Mint) / Puffy Tacos / Mushroom Escabeche

Blog Post & Recipe: Seriously Sloppy - Çilbir (Turkish Poached Eggs on Yogurt with Spiced Butter and Mint)

A traditional comfort food of the Ottoman Empire, çılbır pairs poached eggs with dense yogurt, topped with a simple sizzle of spiced butter followed by flecks of mint.

Blog Post & Slideshow: San Antonio: How to Make Puffy Tacos

The puffy taco starts with that fresh masa plus salt and water; but not too much water, otherwise the cornmeal putty will stick to your hands. Take about a golf ball's worth then smoosh it in the tortilla press until it's flat, but not too thin. Then into the deep-fryer it goes.

Blog Post & Recipe: School of tapas: Mushroom escabeche

Escabeche is an ancient cooking and preserving method which originates during the Muslim rule of Spain in the Middle Ages. In Spain it usually consists in cooking the food in a mixture of vinegar, white wine and olive oil, seasoned with bay leaves and black pepper, among other spices, and most of the times accompanied by some vegetables like carrots and onion. This method, used for fish and meat alike, easy and versatile as it can get, allows for the food to last at least a couple of weeks in the fridge.

Braised Lamb Shanks with Yorkshire-Style Puddings / 3 Salads / Spetsofai (Stewed Sausages & Peppers)

Blog Post & Recipe: Braised lamb shanks with Yorkshire-style puddings [via] (and, see, another blogger is also making braised lamb shanks, and the NZ Herald has a recipe for lamb shanks and macaroni)

Instead of making the usual thick, sticky sauce, which can be a little heavy, I opted for a light, almost soupy, tangy tomato and stock sauce.

Recipes & Video: Veg out

The roasted beetroot salad can be made more substantial by adding crumbled feta or goat’s cheese. All of these recipes make a great accompaniment to a Sunday roast.

ROASTED BEETROOTS, CARROTS & CAPSICUM ... ROAST FENNEL SALAD ... WARM MUSHROOM & ROCKET SALAD

Blog Post & Recipe: Spetsofai

In it’s complete simplicity, spetsofai is sausages and peppers. It traditionally hails from the Thessaly region of Greece and whilst it lends itself as a winter dish the produce it uses is more synonymous with summer. The traditional recipe is a little more spicy and uses loukaniko (the Greek word for sausage). I was making this for a friend of mine and her eight year old so anything considered spicy was off limits. I added a little oomph to the spetsofai by using some smoked paprika and a little red wine.

Mushroom Udon Noodles / How to Wash Rice / Soto Medan

Blog Post & Recipe: Mushroom Udon Noodles

I love thick, chewy udon noodles and the two kinds of mushrooms add another layer of chew to the dish. They are lightly seasoned with ginger, garlic, soy and sesame.

Blog Post & Video: Video: Atsushi's Way to Wash Rice Perfectly

Grains of rice need to absorb just the right amount of moisture before cooking so they can steam properly (humidity is how heat travels in foods) -- so washing the rice is key.

Blog Post & Recipe: Soto Medan

The soup is simple coconut milk-based soup, cook with spice paste and serve with condiments. Spices used that gives it the vibrant yellowish hue is fresh turmeric root paste. Almost all of fresh and dried spices found and grown in our region is used in the soup. The condiments are shredded chicken meat, bean sprouts, glass noodles and perkedel (potato patties). The soup is served warm with all these, sprinkled with shallot flakes, chopped spring onions and Chinese celery and liberally dosed with kecap manis (sweet soy sauce).

Caldo de Camarón (Dried Prawn Soup) / How to Prepare Black Fungus & Wood Ear Mushrooms / Green Tea Infused Sunroot Soup

Blog Post & Recipe: Where to Find Caldo de Camarón? Make Your Own...

That fresh squeezed lime juice is what makes all of the flavors in the soup, truly shine.

Blog Post: How to prepare black fungus and wood ears mushrooms

See where the red arrow points? If you feel around with your fingers in that part, you’ll know how much different the texture is from the rest of the fungus. That tough hard part should be cut off.

Blog Post & Recipe: Green Tea Infused Sunroot Soup ('Sunroot' is Jerusalem Artichoke)

We used green tea instead of broth in this soup. The flavors from the tea really works good together with the sunroot. Tea infusion is a fun way to experiment with new flavors in your standard soups.

Roasted Ruby Fruits / Savoy Cabbage Rolls with Golden Chanterelle & Brown Rice Filling & Cranberry Sauce / Meat-Free Barbecue Ideas

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Ruby Fruits (this blog has a weirdly huge header. Scroll down)

Like a lot of our [Australian] native fruits the Rosella is under utilised despite it's deliciousness ...

A bunch of lovely red rhubarb- I know there are green varieties, but I think the red is prettier
A punnet or two of strawberries
A handful of raspberries
A cup of Rosella petals

Blog Post & Recipe: Savoy cabbage rolls with golden chanterelle and brown rice filling and cranberry sauce

Together with brown rice I've used dried golden chanterelles, those beautiful mushrooms you would see at every market stall in Finland around August ... I've flavoured the filling with some of those beautiful herbs I got from the garden - thyme, rosemary and oregano, but you could use any dry or fresh herbs you have available.

Blog Post & Recipes: Meat-free barbecues

A meat-free barbecue will seem a gloomy prospect to many. After all, it is hard to muster much enthusiasm for the average veggie burger – so grey and miserable that it resembles nothing more than a slice of Wednesday ... The essential point is not to try to replicate meaty barbecue favourites such as burgers and sausages ... and instead attempt a different way of cooking altogether.

Roasted Butternut Squash with Burnt Aubergine and Pomegranate Molasses ... tamarind seitan kebabs ... smoky miso tofu ... roasted parsnips with caper vinaigrette ... miniature napoleons with aubergine creme

Mushroom Risotto with Toasted Pistachios / Easy Roasted Red Peppers / Lamb Meatballs in a Mint Tomato Sauce

Blog Post & Recipe: Mushroom Risotto Recipe with Toasted Pistachios

For me, it can be all of these things, but on this particular day, this risotto was a vessel for a little vial (yes vial) of truffle oil. And what a delectable vessel this mushroom risotto recipe was.

Blog Post & Tips: 3 Easy Steps to Roasted Red Peppers

Roasting red peppers is a great way to concentrate flavors and bring out their natural sweetness. They make a wonderful addition to salads, sandwiches and even pasta dishes. I’m personally a huge fan of spreading a bit of goat cheese on slices of crusty bread and top with a small cluster of slivered peppers and fresh basil.

Step #1: Select Your Preferred Roasting Method ... Step #2: Let the Peppers Steam ... Step #3: Remove Core & Peel

Blog Post & Recipe: Lamb Meatballs in a Mint Tomato Sauce

I seasoned the lamb meatballs with a few exotic Mediterranean spices including cumin, coriander and cinnamon in addition to the mint and other meatball basics. I purposely made the meatballs fairly large and I fried the meatballs in oil until golden brown on the outside and then added them to the tomato sauce to finish cooking, thereby staying nice and moist and juicy.

Roasted Garlic / Savoury Brown Rice Balls with Olives & Herbs / 5 Mushroom Recipes

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Garlic (WFMW)

Instead of using raw garlic in the recipes, I just substitute roasted garlic. Seems simple, right? It is!

Blog Post & Recipe: SAVORY BROWN RICE BALLS WITH OLIVES + HERBS

Using brown rice and herbs seems a healthy and modern twist on classic, Italian "Arancini," a Sicilian dish meaning "little orange" which dates back to the 10th century.

Recipes: Feast Your Eyes

So, this week, we thought we'd have a close look at the eye-catching submissions for Your Best Mushrooms ...

Balthazar Cream of Mushroom Soup by pickyin ... Mushroom Ramen by thirschfeld ... Goat Cheese, Pancetta, and Chive Stuffed Mushrooms by Spoonwithme ... Sautéed hen of the woods and king trumpet mushrooms with garlic and fresh thyme by nettleandquince ... Homemade Porcini Fettucini with Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce by yuko

Stuffed Leg of Lamb / Great South Bay Duck Ragù / Roasted Mushrooms with Garlic, Chile & Rosemary

Article & Recipe: The California Cook: Stuffed leg of lamb — it's worth the effort

I'm proposing a boned leg of lamb, stuffed with greens, feta and pine nuts. It may be a bit complicated to put together, but the payoff is immense.

Article & Recipe: Duck, Duck, Anchovy

Anchovies provide a hint of ocean air, and juniper berries a marshy hum. Red wine adds heft, and red-wine vinegar cuts the richness

Great South Bay Duck Ragù

Blog Post & Recipe: Roasted Mushrooms with Garlic, Chile and Rosemary

Sauteeing is great — it releases the viscous, gray juices of mushrooms and hopefully bleeds into something else in the pan. But roasted, they become almost chewy, almost crispy on the surface with a golden-brown crust on the tops. If you roast them for a short enough time at a high enough temperature, the mushroom will be still bursting with juice inside, but concentrated in taste and browned on the outside. It’s interesting.

Sweet Potato, Apple & Lentil Soup / Spanish Lentil & Butternut Pumpkin Stew with Roast Garlic / Sautéed Fermented Soybean Waste with Black Nightshade

Blog Post & Recipe: Sweet Potato, Apple and Lentil Soup

The combination of sweet potatoes and apples is a natural, and using tart apples helps to ensure that the soup isn’t cloyingly sweet. Lentils add a a subtle yet mysterious heartiness.

Blog Post & Recipe: Spanish Lentil and Squash Stew with Roasted Garlic

This is a lovely, hearty stew that is both savoury but still slightly sweet. Lentils fill the stew as its base, and the butternut squash and red peppers add colour and sweetness. A head of roasted garlic brings a mellow sweetness as well. The peppers are both boiled and pan-fried for a contrast in flavour and texture (but I feel like this step could be skipped if you are pressed for time).

Blog Post & Recipe: WHB #278: Tumis Oncom dan Leunca (Sautéed Fermented Soybean Waste with Black Nightshade)

Most Indonesian cooking books written in English referred oncom as fermented soybean waste.

Indeed it considered to be closely related to tempeh (fermented soybean). But instead of soybean, oncom is actually made from natural by-products of other foods. For example, soy bean tailings from bean curd making, peanut presscake from peanut oil making, cassava tailings from the starch extraction or coconut presscake remnants after the milk squeezed out. These wastes are then fermented using molds.

Cep Ravioli, Sage & Toasted Nut Butter / Spring Vegetable Ragout & Spring Vegetables Baked in Parchment / Pasta e Broccoli

Article & Recipes & Pictures: Raymond Blanc's cep ravioli, sage and toasted nut butter recipe

Ravioli is a dish of endless variation, and learning how to make it from scratch is a technique well worth mastering

Article & Recipes: The California Cook: Seasonal vegetable stew is easy, delicious

The basic rules for vegetable stews are few, but they are simple: You want some onions; you want whole cloves of garlic, preferably unpeeled; you want some lettuces or greens for moisture; and you want butter … lots of butter.

Recipes: Ragout of spring vegetables and spring vegetables baked in parchment

Blog Post & Recipe: Dinner Tonight: Pasta e Broccoli

What really works with the famous pasta e broccoli is that if you cook it long enough, the parboiled broccoli breaks up into the pasta and almost melts into a pasta-clinging sauce when combined with the cooking water. Increasing the ratio of broccoli-to-pasta not only makes the dish a bit healthier, but better too.

Mushrooms, Garlic & Shallots with Lemon Ricotta / 17 Nacho Recipes / Souvlaki Chicken Salad Sandwich with Roasted Red Peppers & Feta

Recipe: Yotam Ottolenghi's mushrooms, garlic and shallots with lemon ricotta recipe

You don't need much more, though a chunk of sourdough would not go amiss. To help with the peeling, soak the shallots and garlic in water for half an hour.

Recipes: Choose Your Own Nacho Adventure

Start with the basic chip-cheese nexus and build from there using some of the individual ingredients we've offered for inspiration. Or go with one of the ready-made combos we've tried and tested.

Blog Post & Recipe: Souvlaki Chicken Salad Sandwich with Roasted Red Peppers and Feta

I skimmed the fat from the top, warmed them up and added them to the chicken salad. From there I added some things that I often add to my chicken souvlaki gyros, namely some roasted red pepper, red onion, tzatziki and feta.

CC Hal's Stirfry Sauce / 10 Healthy Drinks / 2 Vegetarian Recipes

Blog Post & Recipe: CC Hal's Stirfry Sauce

The sauce seemed exotic as a new vegetarian but now it is a bit less exciting. However the flavours meld beautifully into a tasty, easy sauce. I cooked it with lot of vegetables.

Recipes: Quick and healthy recipes + Henry Dimbleby's quick and healthy drinks

Carrot, orange and ginger juice recipe ... Real hot chocolate recipe ... Ginger and mint steeper recipe ... Super-healthy almond smoothie recipe ... Cloudy apple and mint juice recipe ... Pearl barley milk recipe ... Green smoothie recipe ... Kiwi breakfast smoothie recipe ... Cucumber cooler recipe ... Raspberry breakfast power smoothie recipe

Article & Recipes: Gateway vegetable dishes for the meat lover

For his resolution to have a real shot, we'd need a couple of gateway dishes - meatless ones that masqueraded as meaty ones. They'd also have to be fast and easy to make. We settled on two: Mushroom bourguignon, a riff on the traditional beef dish made with pearl onions, carrots, wine and beef stock; and barley risotto ... We'd also use vegetable purees - onion to thicken the bourguignon sauce, and carrot to bind together the risotto.

Boxing Day Turkey Sandwich / Baked Brie Topped with Caramelized Mushrooms / Roast Vegetables

Article & Recipe: Nigel Slater's Boxing Day turkey sandwich

There must, surely, be pickles.

BUBBLE-AND-SQUEAK SOUP ... THE BOXING DAY SANDWICH

Blog Post & Recipe: Baked Brie Topped with Caramelized Mushrooms

The idea is pretty simple; you saute and caramelize some mushrooms and onions, toss them on some brie and bake it until the cheese melts.

Blog Post & Suggestions: Roasted vegetables - make them your salad for Winter

Three easy flavour additions for roasted vegetables ... The trick to successful vegetable roasting is similar to that for drama-free stir-frying.

Roast Mushroom & Bread Salad / Grilled Tofu Sandwiches / Grow Unusual Vegetables

Blog Post & Recipe: 9 things you probably don’t know about mushrooms + roast mushroom salad [5 ingredients]

roast portabello mushrooms ... roast mushroom & bread salad

Blog Post & Recipe: GRILLED TOFU SANDWICHES WITH LEMON AIOLI

I always forget how much I like tofu as a sandwich filling. I think of it for stir-fries and curries but somehow sandwiches fall off my tofu radar.

Blog Post: New life on the veg patch

Don't devote your precious outdoor space to growing cheap, ubiquitous vegetables, says River Cottage head gardener Mark Diacono. There's a whole world of delicious, easy to grow exotica out there

Extracts from Mark's Taste of the Unexpected:
• How to grow and cook Chilean guava
• How to grow and cook yacon
• How to grow Szechuan pepper and make Chinese five spice