Bulgogi

Korean food has always been one of those cuisines that I’ve never really got to know.   Most recipes seem to call for pastes and ingredients that I just don’t have and as much as I have often wanted to get to know it, I’ve ended up opting to make Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese or other similar cuisines instead.   I’ve only ever been to one Korean restaurant in my life, and that was about 8 or 9 years ago.    I remember the other people around the table cooked beef and vegetables on a hotplate in the centre of the table, but in those days I didn’t really eat red meat and so ordered my own salmon dish instead.   Only now do I think, how I missed out.

Anyway, over the past few months I had been thinking I needed to learn more about Korean food.   A few months ago I borrowed a Korean recipe book from the library, and was intending for a long time to experiment by making kimchi, but after renewing it a few times the book expired and I had to take it back, having enjoyed looking at some lovely pictures but no nearer to trying out the food.    And then, I noticed that this month’s My Kitchen My World was going to Korea.   It seemed I was running out of excuses not to make a Korean dish.   If only I still had that book.    Never mind,   I turned to the internet and after doing a little research I decided upon bulgogi, Korean marinated and barbecued ribeye steak.   I looked at quite a few recipes and eventually decided upon the one here at Slash Food and only adapted it very slightly.  It sounded authentic.  The ingredients were ones I already had in, the only thing I needed to get was the steak.   The dipping sauce was my own invention, but inspired by various online versions which were all quite different.

The finished result was delicious.    I don’t like sweet savoury dishes and was worried the sugar would make it too sweet but it didn’t.   Definitely a dish to make again.

Ingredients for Bulgogi

300g ribeye steak

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp rice vinegar

1.5  tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp soy sauce (korean if possible)

1 tsp crushed chillies

1/4 tsp ground ginger (use fresh if possible but I’d run out)

Pinch of pepper

1/2 onion

To serve: rice and lettuce leaves

How to make Bulgogi

1. Slice the beef as thinly as you can against the grain.    If you put it in the freezer for half an hour first it apparently makes it easier to slice, but I didn’t bother.  Also slice the onions.

2. Make the marinade by mixing all the other ingredients together until the sugar dissolves.

3. Pour the marinade over the beef and onions and mix in well so the beef is coated all over in the marinade.

4. Put in the fridge overnight or for at least an hour.

5. It should really be barbecued or grilled but I decided it would be easier to use a griddle pan.   It will cook quickly over a high heat.

6. Serve with rice, lettuce leaves and dipping sauce.   To eat put some rice and meat in a lettuce leaf.  Wrap it up a little and dip in the sauce.

Ingredients for Dipping Sauce

4 tbsp soy sauce

1.5 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 chillies

How to make the Dipping Sauce

Slice the chillies finely. Add the other ingredients.    Mix well and serve in small individual bowls alongside the bulgogi.

 

Cheese Scones with a Chilli Kick

My favourite scones are savoury cheese ones.   My mum used to make them when I was little and I loved them straight out of the aga with butter melting in.  I also like the sweet ones with jam and a little cream, but I can take them or leave them and would rather have a piece of cake if I had a choice.   But cheese scones, if you make me fresh cheese scones with melting butter, I will be a very happy woman.   Today, I didn’t want to make scones with just cheese, I wanted to add a little extra flavour, and so I chose to add thyme and chilli flakes, probably a few too many chilli flakes (next time I’ll stick with just one teaspoon full).  If you don’t like chillies you could miss it out, and you could also vary the herbs. But the most important thing is to eat these warm, and trust me, they won’t last long.

Ingredients – makes 7-8

200g self-raising flour

40g butter

100g cheddar cheese

1/4 tsp salt

100ml milk

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp chilli flakes

How to make Cheese Scones

1. Sieve the flour and salt into a mixing bowl.

2. Chop the butter into cubes and add to the flour.   Rub together with your fingertips until it is like fine breadcrumbs.

3. Add most of the cheese, the herbs and chilli flakes.   Mix together then begin adding the milk.   Add a little at a time and mix in with a knife.  It should form a dough.

4. Sprinkle a bit more flour on the work surface.   Turn the dough out and knead gently for about a minute.

5. Press the dough down until it is about 2-3 cm thick.

6. Using a dough cutter or  a cup/glass, press down on the dough to cut out circles.   Put onto a greased baking sheet.

7. Sprinkle the reserved cheese onto the top of the scones and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes at about 200C.

8. Cool for 5 minutes on a wire rack, then slice in half, spread with butter and serve immediately.

 

 

 

Stuffed Aubergines

If you regularly read this blog you may have noticed that I have made very few posts in the last couple of months and you may also have noticed that I haven’t been reading blogs either during that time.  It’s not that I’ve got bored of it or don’t want to blog any more.   No, the truth is, I’m pregnant, and the last thing I’ve felt like doing is cooking, eating, reading or blogging about food.   Luckily I’m now beginning to feel a little better and hope to try and catch up with everything I’ve missed in the last few months.   This recipe is actually something I made back in July.   I absolutely loved it and will definitely count it among my favourite vegetarian dishes, especially once my taste buds have got back to normal.

Ingredients – Serves 2

1 aubergine

2 tomatoes, chopped into small pieces

1/2 tsp sugar

1 small onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp paprika

Salt

Black pepper

50g feta cheese, cubed

1 tbsp parmesan, grated

1 tbsp breadcrumbs

Olive oil

How to make Stuffed Aubergines

1. Cut the aubergines in half and score on the inside.  Rub liberally with olive oil and put in a baking dish, scored side facing upward,  in the oven at about 180c for 40 minutes.

2. Fry the onion in a small sauce pan.   As it begins to soften add the sugar. When it is beginning to caramelise, add the tomatoes, garlic, cumin, nutmeg and paprika.   Continue to cook until the mixture is very soft.

3. Remove the aubergines from the oven.   Hold one end with a fork and scrape the flesh out with a spoon.   Leave about 1/2 cm of flesh inside the skin.   Add the aubergine flesh and cheese to the pan with the tomatoes and onions.  Stir together.

4. Add this stuffing mixture back into the aubergine skins.

5. Mix the bread crumbs and parmesan together.   Sprinkle on top of the aubergines and return to the oven for 15 minutes.

 

Salmon Pasta Bake

Sometimes you want to try and recreate a favourite childhood dish – but with a few twists – and this is exactly what I did here.   The dish in question is my mum’s macaroni fish pie, a dish made with a mixture of fish, pasta and mushrooms, baked in the oven in a cheesy sauce.   Even today I like it when she makes it for me, which unfortunately is not very often as I usually have my husband with me, who doesn’t share my love of cheesy fish pies.   He would say he has more sophisticated tastes.   I would say I have an appreciation of a wider range of foods.   In my mum’s dish, the mushrooms are a more recent addition.   An addition I’m happy with.  When I’m not there, she likes to use smoked haddock too,  but I find it a little strong and so prefer white fish, salmon or a mixture.  This time, I chose to add layer of spinach to the bottom of the dish as the vegetable component, but in retrospect,  I think I prefer mushrooms and would miss out the spinach layer next time, or maybe just have a spinach salad on the side.

So, given the choice, would I choose mine or my mum’s pie?   For now, my mum’s.   But with a few mushrooms instead of spinach, I’d be spoilt for choice.

I used Dreamfields’ rotini pasta which was once again successful.  I am also submitting this to Presto Pasta Nights, this week hosted by HoneyB of The Life & Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch.

Ingredients – Serves 1-2 (depending how hungry you are)

1 small piece of salmon

50g pasta

1 tbsp plain flour

250ml milk

2 tbsp Oil

1/4 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp wilted spinach

2 handfuls grated cheese approx (I forgot to measure it, but taste the sauce and add more to get the right level of cheesiness)

Salt

Black Pepper

How to Make Salmon Pasta Bake

1. Cook the pasta for about 5 minutes then drain.

2. Heat the oil in a small saucepan.   Add the flour and keep stirring for at least 2 minutes, being careful that it doesn’t burn.

3. Start adding the milk. Add a little at a time and keep stirring so it makes a smooth sauce.   If you add too much at once it will go lumpy.

4. Add the nutmeg, season and stir in the grated cheese.  Then stir in the pasta.

5. Spread the wilted spinach on the bottom of the dish.   Cut the fish into cubes.   Put on top of the spinach.   Top with the pasta and sauce.

6. Bake in the oven at about 190C for about 25 minutes.   The dish should be piping hot and bubbling when it is ready.

7. Serve with lots of salad.