Green/red 'curry party' curry

Dear Ella,

I remember that evening. It was so cold! Those mushrooms saved our lives.

I wanted to tell you about a little tradition me and my colleagues hold very dearly. We call it 'curry party'. And yes, it is as simple as it sounds. We get together, somebody makes an insanely spicy thai curry which we try to eat and wash down with a lot of thai beers. It is always such a great success. Sharing the experience of peppers brings people closer together. Also I've noticed that it invites people to talk about their own spicy food experiences, usually coming from far away countries. You end up hearing the most beautiful travel-stories. Do this with people you don't know very well and you will know the most interesting things about them when the plates are empty!

Here is my recipe for thai red curry. The secret, I must admit, comes from a can. But not just any can. The small asian supermarkets at metro mabillon sell tiny cans of curry paste called

'MAESRI'. They look a little bit intimidating. Here is how to handle them.

Ingredients:

1 can of MAESRI curry paste, green or red

500 ml coconut milk

vegetables you like. I used:

chickpeas

plantains

green beans

pumpkin, in cubes

onion

red chili's (optional)

fresh coriander

oil

Salt

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a big sauce pan. When it's hot ad the onions and let them simmer for a couple minutes. When they have gotten a bit soft, add the rest of the vegetables. (If you use things like green beans or broccoli cook them before putting them in the with the other vegetables.) Let the vegetables saute for about 5 minutes. Then add curry paste. Be careful not to put in the whole tin at once (rookie mistake!!) Let the curry paste heat up and work its magic, while stirring. All of this is happening on high fire. After about a minute, add the coconut milk. Again not everything at once. Turn the heat down, and have taste. This is the moment to decide exactly how spicy you want your curry to be. Add as much coconut milk or curry paste as you want.

Serve with thai rice, cold beers and a lot fresh coriander. And invite plenty people, this will serve about 10!

Very Happy Noodlesoup

Dear Ella,

Because it is the beginning of the year and I don't want to break our New Years resolutions the first week in, I am blogging! For the first time in my life. The writing itself is already joyous, And I managed to make it even more pleasant by doing it in 'la fusée', one of my favorite bars in Paris.

I was never very interested in the chickpea, or any pea really. But reading about your curry inspired me to discover this pea world. And what a beautiful world it is! As a relatively new vegetarian I am happily welcoming the pea into my existence.

So, New Year, New favorite ingredient and thus, new recipe! Remember that little jar of soup I gave you the other day? I would like to share the (very easy!) recipe with you. It will take about an hour to for cooking and preparation.

In the original recipe borlotti beans are used, which I replaced with lentils. A great soup that can easily be turned in to a vegan dish. This is what you'll need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 long green serrano, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 liters good-tasting vegetable stock/broth

100g split peas

100g brown lentils

200g cooked chickpeas

fine grain sea salt

120 g thin egg noodles
100g fresh spinach leaves
1/2 cup finely shredded cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
juice of one lime

Toppings:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large onion, thinly sliced
100 ml sour cream or creme fraiche

Heat the oil in a large, thick-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and the chile and cook until they soften, a few minutes. Add the spices and cook for another thirty seconds, just long enough for them to toast a bit, then stir in the stock. Bring to a boil and add the split peas and lentils to the pot. Cook until they are just tender, about 35 minutes. Stir in the cooked chickpeas. Once the peas have heated throughout, season with salt to taste.

In the meantime, you can prepare the toppings. Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium heat along with a couple big pinches of salt. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until golden and caramelized, 8 - 10+ minutes. Set aside

Just before you're ready to eat, add the noodles to the simmering soup and cook until al dente. Stir in the spinach, and cilantro and dill. Add a big squeeze of lime to the pot or serve wedges along with each bowl of soup. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Serve right away, each bowl topped with a big spoonful of caramelized onions and some creme fraiche.

Adapted slightly from: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/new-year-noodle-soup-recipe.html

Have fun!

Megalove,

josee