Sauté Shrimp Primavera Ptitim (Israeli couscous)

Ptitim, also called Israeli couscous, is my new favorite pasta! There is a slight chewiness to them that is very pleasing to eat, somewhere between a pastina and barley.

I've had them before in restaurants, but this is the first time I cook them. They really keep their shape through cooking, reheating and they don't clump like couscous. They cook a tad faster than other pasta because of their small shape, and the sauce really cling to them. It's awesome!

I made something pretty simple, with stuff that I already have in the fridge: primavera sauce purchased at Jean Talon market, broccoli and shrimp. Quite straight forward, really....

Sauté Shrimp Primavera Ptitim

• 1 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup Ptitim/Israeli couscous
• 6-8 shrimps, peeled, devained
• pinch of salt, pepper & chili flakes
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups of your favorite sauce, ready-to-eat
• About 1 Tbsp parmesan cheese

Boil the water, then add the ptitim, and simmer covered, for 10 minutes. Drain under cold water, set aside.

In the same pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat, sauté shrimps just until they turn opaque (which means they are cooked) sprinkle the salt, pepper and chili flakes, stir around to coat, set shrimps aside in a bowl.

Use the same pot & add the sauce over medium low heat until it starts bubbling. Add the cheese, it will thicken the sauce. Stir to mix well, then add the ptitim.

One soup, two ways

I have started a new relationship. Yes, I am in love with a Rebel... Canon Rebel XS.

I bought it yesterday and now I can't put it down. My heart flutters every time I hold it. With each picture taken, it beats a little faster. And with every glance, the butterflies in my tummy go haywire.

Ok, ok, maybe it's not dramatic like that, but pretty close, no joke... So today, I made soup for my Rebel. Vegetable Soup Two Ways. Just to say "Welcome to the family, sit down and have a hearty soup to warm you up. Make yourself at home!" That kind of thing....

Chunky Vegetable Soup

• A splash of olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced, or chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped.
• 2 medium carrots, chopped
  
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• a pinch of (sea) salt
  
• 1 cup of tomato puree (I used canned)
• 1 can of corn, drained
  
• 1L of chicken broth (Or vegetable broth if you prefer)
  
• 1 can of beans (I had pinto beans on hand) drained and rinsed
  
• a pinch of dried herbs like: thym, rosemary, parsley,  
  
• 1/2 cup cooking cream, or whole milk
  
• a few pinches of turmeric, curry powder and cayenne pepper
  

Heat olive oil over medium low heat in a soup pot (big enough to hold everything you have) and throw in garlic, onions, carrots and celery. Stir around a bit, add the salt and cover. Let sweat for about 10 minutes.

Add the tomato puree and corn, stir, let cook for a few minutes. Then add the broth, turn heat up to maximum and bring to a boil.

Add the beans. Season with dried herbs.

Chunky vegetable soup

Cream of vegetable soup:

Transfer half of the chunky soup into another soup pot. Whiz everything up with a hand-held blender, or in a blender. Then use a sieve, and "filter" the soup. Bring back to a boil, add  cream, turmeric, curry powder, cayenne pepper and stir well. 

Cream of vegetable soup

And voila. All I'm missing right now is some thick slices of bread, toasted with melted cheese on top.... Hmmmm....

I am going back to my Rebel. Have a great day and Happy Holidays once again!!!!!

Lobster, shrimp and salmon mousse waffles

I bought a variety pack of Lobster, Shrimp and Salmon Mousse Spread a couple of weeks ago with the intention of making a savory mille-crepe cake. Unfortunately, I never got around to doing so... damn lazy bone....

But then I saw this and it went *taaaaaaa!!!* in my head.... I can make waffles and mix in the mousse!!!!! *taaaaaaaa!!!*

Lobster, shrimp and salmon mousse waffles
(adapted from this recipe)
makes 8

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 cup lobster and/or shrimp mousse
• 1 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp melted butter

In a medium mixing bowl, mix the first 3 ingredients together n set aside
In another bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients. Slowly incorporate the liquid mixture into the dry mixture while mixing well with a fork. The result will be a pasty

Heat waffle iron and make according to the instruction.

I served them with chunks of avocado and a side of string beans drizzled with home-made balsamic reduction.

The hint of the mousse is pretty subtle, so you really can't pinpoint what it is exactly, but you know it's seafood mousse in there. I'm thinking next time I would make some grilled shrimps to top them with.The whole meal was very yummy all together and I froze the rest of the waffles for next quick meals in need. Booya!

A bowl of fall

As much as I hate raking the leaves in the backyard, the nasty when-will-it-end rain and the unsuspected change of temperature, fall for me also means more reasons to bake, lots of yummy veggies, heart-warming food, and the pretty colors all around in the trees (which of course, leads back to the leaves in the backyard... *sigh*)

I had an urge to make this duo color soup when I saw the colorful carrots at Jean Talon market, along with other colorful veggies that the farmers were selling. Although, I felt really bad for some of the fruits and veggies because it was already so cold out, and they seemed to have suffered. Sad, sad zucchini...

Beet soup

• a drizzle of olive oil
• a couple of cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 3 purple carrots, chopped
• 1 potato, chopped
• a pinch of salt
• 3 beets (boiled, skin peeled, chopped)
• chicken broth (about 500ml, depending on how thick you like the soup. You can always add more at the end)
• some grated ginger
• a pinch of chili powder
• a pinch of cayenne pepper

In a pot over medium heat, heat up oil, then toss in garlic, onions, carrots, potatoes, salt and cook with the lid on for about 5 minutes, stirring once in a while. The add beet and chicken broth. Turn heat up to maximum. Let come to a boil then lower heat & simmer for 20 minutes or until carrots & potatoes are tender. Use an immersion blender (or tranfer to a blender if you don't have one) and blitz soup until smooth. Add ginger, chili powder and cayenne pepper.

Add some freshly ground black pepper

Carrot & Roasted pepper soup

• a drizzle of olive oil
• a couple of cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 potato
• a pinch of salt
• chicken broth (about 500ml, depending on how thick you like the soup. You can always add more at the end)
• 2 yellow roasted bell peppers, skin peeled (roast them in the oven at 400F for about 40-45 minutes, turning once)
• a couple of pinches of turmeric powder
• a few pinched of curry powder
• Toasted pine nuts (optional)

Follow the same steps as the beets soup until the chicken broth, but adding the roasted pepper just when the soup starts to boil. Then blitz everything and add turmeric & curry powder.

To serve: carefully pt 2 ladles of beet soup into a bowl, then add one ladle of carrot & roasted pepper soup right in the middle of it. Add some freshly ground black pepper, or toasted pine nuts.

Toasted pine nuts add an extra kick!

What's-in-the-pantry soup

I love soup. Chunky vegetable soup. And this recipe is just that.

I usually make a big pot of this, store in the fridge and just eat it throughout the week. It takes 5-10 minutes to throw together, literally. And it can be super versatile. Depending on what you have in your pantry you can swap things around to adjust it to your taste.


What's-in-the-pantry chunky veggie soup
recipe by Tram

Ingredients:

• a splash of olive oil
• a few garlic, cubed, or minced, up to you
• 1 onion, red or white, chopped chunky
• 3-4 carrots, cubed
• 3-4 celery stalks, cubed
• kernels of 2 boiled ears of corn (or 1 can of corn)
• 1 small can of whole Italian tomatoes, with juice (or whatever kind you have, stewed, chopped, etc)
• 1 box of chicken broth or vegetable broth (about 1 L, it'd be great if you have home-made stock, in which case you will need 1.5 - 2 L)
• 1 big can of either kidney beans, lentils or chickpeas
• dried rosemary, oregano, parsley, basil, cayenne pepper
• sea salt, pepper, pepper flakes (again, you can use whatever you prefer)

Heat olive oil in a big pot on medium low, throw in the garlic, onions, then the carrots and celery, let them sweat for about 3 minutes, stir a bit to even them out in the space. Sprinkle a pinch of salt.

Throw in the corn, sprinkle all the spices into the mix, I usually do 2 shakes of each and add more later. Stir to coat evenly.

Stick a knife in the can of the tomatoes and cut them up roughly. Don't splash yourself!

Throw the tomatoes in, with juice and everything. Stir and let sit for about 2 minutes.

Dump the broth in. Now, most likely your box of broth say "Do not dilute" but go ahead and do it by adding another half box of water into the pot (***You obviously don't have to do this if you don't want to, but I find that the commercial broth has a distinctive smell, and I break that by doing this and adding the spices)

Turn heat to high.

Rinse the canned beans under cold water in a strainer. Throw it in. And when it's boiling, it's ready! You can add more spice, salt and pepper to taste.

***note: sometimes right after the beans, I throw in a handful of those tiny little round pasta that are made for soups. They won't expand or go mushy being in the liquid day after day in the fridge. It's awesome! And wait for it to cool down then store it in the fridge, well covered.

Dig in! Add some hot sauce if you'd like, that's what my boyfriend would do :)