Vietnamese Prawn Pho

This is an altered version of the beef Vietnamese noodle soup, also known as Bun Bo Hue.
I was in a nostalgic mood this week and since it used to be my daily lunch when I was working somewhere around Kingsland Road a few years ago, I decided to cook it at home.
We were organising a very tight budget film festival back then, we were all very tired and the spiciness was always the best kick to keep the team going. We had actually renamed it 'Raise The Dead' soup. I miss those guys so much!
Here is the seafood version of it.

3 cloves of garlic, thinly chopped
1 stick of lemongrass / 2 teaspoons of lemongrass paste
4 birdseye red chillis chopped
2cm piece of ginger squashed slightly
6 spring onions trimmed and sliced diagonally
600 ml fish or vegetable stock
3 tablespoons fish sauce (optional) 
400g cooked king prawns (other seafood like squid, mussels and scallops can be used of course)
250-300g rice noodles
200g bean sprouts
lime cut in wedges
hand full of coriander leaves ( I used parsley instead)

You can play a bit and add other ingredients like babycorn, green beans, soya beans, cabbage etc.
Pour the stock into a medium size pan, add the lemongrass, garlic, ginger and two of the chillis and briskly boil for about 15 minutes to create the basic broth. Taste it and if neccessary add the other two chillis. Turn down the heat, cover the pan and leave to simmer for a further 15 minutes. This will allow the flavours to really develop. 
Add the prawns to the soup, and add three of the spring onions, the fish sauce and the herb of your choice. Reserve a little of the herb for garnishing. Put the lid back on the pan.

In a pan of boiling water, cook the bean sprouts for 1-2 minutes, or until they are just tender. Drain them and add them to the soup. Place the rice noodles in the boiling water and cook for as long as the packaging instructions indicate.
Divide the cooked noodles between bowls. Pour the soup over the noodles. Garnish with a little of the coriander or parsley leaves, a few slices of red chilli and spring onion. Serve with a wedge of lime. Mint can also be used, I just do not like it.

Pasta with kale, lentils & caramelized onions

250g green lentils (I used black Beluga lentils instead)
water
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, finely sliced
1-2 tablespoon good quality runny honey
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
450g kale (or you can go for cavolo negro a.k.a. black cabbage)
250g pasta of your preference

While lentils simmer- I am lazy so went for a packet of Merchant Gourmet- heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion with pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt and honey, stirring for a couple of minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook until soft and golden.
While onion cooks, cut out and discard stems and inside ribs from kale. Steam kale until just tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer kale with tongs to a colander to drain, pressing lightly. Keep the water at a boil in the pot covered.
Coarsely chop kale and add to onion along with lentils, then simmer, stirring, 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.
Add pasta to kale-cooking liquid and boil following package instructions. Drain pasta. Toss everything together. Serve with a bit of Parmesan cheese.

Murder Salads : Roasted Cauliflower With Grapes

Winter salad that can be served with quinoa or brown basmati rice. You will need: 

1 large head cauliflower, broken into florets
90ml olive oil

Salt and black pepper
2 tbsp red grape vinegar1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp honey         
100g seedless red grapes, halved
80g grated cheddar
30g sesame seeds 
40g toasted pumpkin seeds

Heat the oven to 200C/gas mark 6. Toss the cauliflower with half the oil, salt and some black pepper. Spread on an oven tray and roast for 25 minutes, stirring once or twice, until nicely browned. Remove from the oven, pour in serving bowl and mix with the grated cheddar, so the cheese will melt with the warm cauliflower. 

In a small bowl or glass whisk the remaining oil with the vinegar, mustard, honey and a pinch of salt. Add the pumpkin, sesame seeds and the grapes into the bowl with the cauliflower and the cheese. Pour over the dressing, toss gently, adjust the seasoning to taste and serve. 

If it is snowing outside like it is here today, it will taste somehow a bit better. I can't explain why, but trust me on this. It will.