From Italy to Vietnam
The other night, I had the joy of dining at a delicious restaurant in my neighborhood called Campanula, which offers "Contemporary Californian cuisine". I went with Alyx and our friend Allison, and we were hungry. We decided to get a few appetizers and one entree to split, but it didn't go down that way. One of the appetizers was so (too) good, we had to cancel the pea snaps to get a second order of it. It was a delicious blend of cream, sweetness, and vinegar. The appetizer was a Buffalo bruschetta, and it was too hard to turn down for seconds. Alyx and I decided that we would make this appetizer immediately at home.
Well, I waited less than a week to make it myself. I had friends coming over for dinner last night, and I knew that I was making Thai Chicken Noodle Soup, but I couldn't think of a good Thai appetizer I was up for cooking. On my way home from work, I decided that I would definitely find Asian options for my soup at Whole Foods, and then it clicked- "I will find the buffalo mozzarella and recreate this masterpiece!" Boom! I figured Whole Foods would also have fig jam, and as much as I love Trader Joe's, there are certain things that they simply don't carry (lemongrass for example). Don't be afraid to think outside the box! You can pretty much mix any type of cheese and meat on a piece of bread, and it will be delicious. My other roommate, Sofi, is not eating gluten right now, but my charms worked and she ended up eating two pieces of this bruschetta, completely forgetting that the bread obviously has gluten in it. WOOPS!
This was the fastest I think an appetizer has ever been consumed. Even though these two foods don't necessarily go together, I think it filled us up all perfectly.
Buffalo Bruschetta
Ingredients:
Sourdough loaf
Fig jam
Buffalo mozzarella
Prosciutto
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cut the bread into 1/2 inch slices, and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Cover with olive oil generously (or to your liking)
3. Wait until the bread is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven, and immediately add the toppings.
4. Put down a slice of prosciutto on each piece of bread
5. Slice buffalo into sections (buffalo is very creamy and fairly wet, so it is even less firm than regular mozzarella). Place on top of prosciutto
6. Put a dollop of jam on each bread piece, and put a dash of balsamic on top (if you so choose) and serve immediately
Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
I have a very different recipe than what the original one is. I didn't have time to go and find kaffir leaves, coriander, etc. so the original recipe is here
Ingredients:
6 cups good-tasting chicken broth (I use organic, low-sodium)
1-2 fresh chicken breasts or thighs, cut into small cubes
1 stalk lemongrass, finely sliced or minced (lemongrass is a wonderful ingredient, which stays slightly solid while cooking in the broth. Here is a great SHORT video-I'm talkin 40 seconds- of how to deal with lemongrass, if you never have before).
2 large carrots, sliced
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 small-medium sized onion
Asian spicy sauce (sriracha, duh)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup of coconut milk
8-10 ounces dry, flat Thai rice noodles, or other noodles of your choice
Instructions:
1. Using a large soup pot, bring chicken stock to a boil over high heat. Add the chicken, lemongrass, carrot, peppers, and onion. Boil on high for 1 minute, then turn heat down to medium and cover, allowing soup to simmer for 5-6 minutes.
2. While continuing to simmer the soup, add the garlic (this is when you are also supposed to add the fish sauce, lime juice, and chili...I am not a huuuuuge fan of fish sauce, but I should have used it and the lime juice to add to the Asian flavors)
3. Turn heat down to minimum and add the coconut milk (it comes slightly firm and solid in a can, but it melts immediately once it touches the hot broth, so don't be alarmed and think you got the wrong item)
4. Taste-test the soup, adding more of whatever until desired flavors and saltiness is reached. If it is too salty, you can add more lime juice, and chili if it isn't spicy enough (sriracha in my case).
Some friends of mine, enjoying soup! Thanks for coming guys!
Well, I waited less than a week to make it myself. I had friends coming over for dinner last night, and I knew that I was making Thai Chicken Noodle Soup, but I couldn't think of a good Thai appetizer I was up for cooking. On my way home from work, I decided that I would definitely find Asian options for my soup at Whole Foods, and then it clicked- "I will find the buffalo mozzarella and recreate this masterpiece!" Boom! I figured Whole Foods would also have fig jam, and as much as I love Trader Joe's, there are certain things that they simply don't carry (lemongrass for example). Don't be afraid to think outside the box! You can pretty much mix any type of cheese and meat on a piece of bread, and it will be delicious. My other roommate, Sofi, is not eating gluten right now, but my charms worked and she ended up eating two pieces of this bruschetta, completely forgetting that the bread obviously has gluten in it. WOOPS!
This was the fastest I think an appetizer has ever been consumed. Even though these two foods don't necessarily go together, I think it filled us up all perfectly.
Buffalo Bruschetta
Ingredients:
Sourdough loaf
Fig jam
Buffalo mozzarella
Prosciutto
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Cut the bread into 1/2 inch slices, and spread evenly on a baking sheet. Cover with olive oil generously (or to your liking)
3. Wait until the bread is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes, depending on your oven, and immediately add the toppings.
4. Put down a slice of prosciutto on each piece of bread
5. Slice buffalo into sections (buffalo is very creamy and fairly wet, so it is even less firm than regular mozzarella). Place on top of prosciutto
Thai Chicken Noodle Soup
I have a very different recipe than what the original one is. I didn't have time to go and find kaffir leaves, coriander, etc. so the original recipe is here
Ingredients:
6 cups good-tasting chicken broth (I use organic, low-sodium)
1-2 fresh chicken breasts or thighs, cut into small cubes
1 stalk lemongrass, finely sliced or minced (lemongrass is a wonderful ingredient, which stays slightly solid while cooking in the broth. Here is a great SHORT video-I'm talkin 40 seconds- of how to deal with lemongrass, if you never have before).
2 large carrots, sliced
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 small-medium sized onion
Asian spicy sauce (sriracha, duh)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup of coconut milk
8-10 ounces dry, flat Thai rice noodles, or other noodles of your choice
Instructions:
1. Using a large soup pot, bring chicken stock to a boil over high heat. Add the chicken, lemongrass, carrot, peppers, and onion. Boil on high for 1 minute, then turn heat down to medium and cover, allowing soup to simmer for 5-6 minutes.
3. Turn heat down to minimum and add the coconut milk (it comes slightly firm and solid in a can, but it melts immediately once it touches the hot broth, so don't be alarmed and think you got the wrong item)
4. Taste-test the soup, adding more of whatever until desired flavors and saltiness is reached. If it is too salty, you can add more lime juice, and chili if it isn't spicy enough (sriracha in my case).
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