Cabbages and Condoms, Bangkok, Thailand

A great experience if you happen to be in Bangkok is to go the Cabbages and Condoms Restaurant.

Location:

10 Sukhumvit Soi 12, Bangkok 10260, Thailand

 

Website:

http://www.pda.or.th/restaurant/ 

This restaurant was set up by the guy who brought contraception to Thailand. It is a fun, somewhat educational place, with everything in the surroundings either made out of condoms or related to safe sex.

Background:
The restaurant was conceptualized in part to
promote better understanding and acceptance
of family planning and to generate income
 to support various development activities
of the Population and Community
Development Association (PDA)









Food:
There is an extensive menu of a range of Thai foods and are all very reasonably priced.


And remember, the food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy!

Rhubarb Apple Crumble

Ingredients

3 cooking apples, peeled, quartered and cored
1 cup water
20 sticks rhubarb
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind
100g butter, chopped
½ cup self raising flour
½ cup lightly packed brown sugar
½ cup rolled oats

Method

1 Preheat oven to 180 C.

2 Cut apples into thick slices and place in a saucepan with water. Simmer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile wash rhubarb and chop into 5 cm lengths. Add rhubarb, sugar and orange rind to apple, return to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes. 

3 Pour mixture into a shallow oven proof dish. Make the crumble by rubbing the butter into the flour, mix in brown sugar, and rolled oats. Sprinkle crumble evenly over the apple and rhubarb and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with icecream, cream or custard.

Quick and Easy Chicken and Leek Pie

 Ingredients
Flaky Puff Pastry ( shop-bought is fine)

Filling

• 1.8 kg chicken (free-range preferably)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 leeks, white part and a little into the green
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 50g butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 egg, beaten and mixed with 1 tablespoon milk to glaze the pie.

Method 

1 Simmer the chicken with salt, freshly ground black pepper and bay leaf in a large saucepan of water for 1 hour or until cooked. When cool enough to handle remove flesh from chicken and discard skin and bones.

2 Strain the stock and skim fat as it rises to the surface.

3 Preheat the oven to 210 C 
4 Wash and slice the leeks and sauté in butter with the onion until tender, stir in the flour and gradually add 3 cups of the chicken stock while constantly stirring until sauce boils and thickens. Add the chicken and the cream parsley and chives.
5 Pour the filling in to the pastry shell and cover with pastry, pressing the edges together. Glaze the pastry with the egg mixture and make a few steam holes.

6 Bake in the oven until the pastry is crisp and golden, about 35 minutes.

Spanish Romesco Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1-inch thick slice of crusty bread, torn into pieces
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped or slivered (can substitute hazelnuts, peeled)
• 5-6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 425g can of crushed tomatoes, or canned whole tomatoes (including the juice) that have been de-seeded, (you can use fresh tomatoes when in season)
•  200g roasted red bell peppers, (drained if using from a jar)
• 1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika (preferred) or sweet paprika
• 2-3 Tbsp sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C. Heat the olive oil in a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, sauté the bread and almonds, stirring often, until they just begin to brown. Add the garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, stirring once or twice.
2 Place the contents of the sauté pan into a food processor with the remaining ingredients—salt, tomatoes, roasted bell peppers, smoked paprika, vinegar. Purée until smooth. Spread the sauce out on a baking sheet in a pan and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges begin to caramelize. Allow to cool and scrape into a container to store.
To use romesco sauce, mix with pasta, shrimp, chicken or vegetables either before or after they are cooked, much like you would a pesto. I prefer it best with chicken skewers
Kept in a sealed container, Romesco sauce will last for a week or more in the fridge. It freezes well, too.


Yield: Makes about 1 1/2 cups

Julia Child's Chicken Liver Pate

Julia Child’s Chicken Liver Mousse
Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Ingredients
2 cups chicken livers
2 Tbsp minced shallots
2 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup cognac or brandy
1/4 cup  cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. allspice
1/8 tsp. pepper
Pinch of fresh thyme
1/2 cup melted butter
 Salt and pepper

Method
1. Remove any greenish or blackish spots from the livers, as well as any sinew. Cut the livers into 1 cm pieces.
2. Melt butter over medium heat in a sauté pan until foam has subsided. Sauté livers with the shallots in butter for 2 to 3 minutes, until the livers are just stiffened, but still rosy inside. Scrape into the blender jar.
3. Pour the wine or cognac into the pan and boil it down rapidly until it has reduced to 3 tablespoons. Scrape it into the blender jar.
4. Add the cream and seasonings to the blender jar. Cover and blend at top speed for several seconds until the liver is a smooth paste.
5. Add the melted butter and blend several seconds more. Adjust seasoning.
6. Optional: press through a sieve to get rid of any chunky bits.
7. Pack into the bowl or jar and chill for 2 to 3 hours.During this process you can seal it with some melted butter.

Salmon and Red Pepper Spring Rolls

Here is a great finger food dish that you can prepare ahead of time and just do the final cook in the oven before serving. Alternatively you can make bigger rolls for a lunch dish.

Ingredients

500g fresh boneless, skinless salmon fillet

4 tsp dukkah

Zest of a lemon

2 Tbsp chopped coriander

Flesh of one large roasted red pepper cut into 8 pieces

8 spring roll wrappers

Method

1  Cut salmon into batons about 10cm x 3cm.

2  Place one baton on the centre of each spring roll wrapper. Sprinkle with half a tsp dukkah, a little lemon zest and coriander, and top with a piece of roasted pepper.

3  Fold in ends and roll up like a fat cigar. Place on a plate and chill until ready to cook. Make 8 rolls.

4  Heat oil in frypan and brown rolls over medium heat for about 2 mins each side.

5  Transfer to a 200oC oven and bake for 5 mins until golden brown and crispy.

Serve with the following dipping sauce – 3Tbsp sweet chilli sauce, 1 Tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp grated ginger, and juice of half a lime all mixed together.

Annabel Langbein & Regal Salmon

I joined the 'Free Range Cook' last week at Nosh Foodmarket to see some dishes made with Regal Salmon.
Some creative, easy and delicious recipes were
demonstrated , including this Grilled Salmon with Lemongrass and Chilli.

Ingredients
900g boneless, skinless salmon fillets (can do whole or in portions)
2 tsp finely grated lemongrass
1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce
1 Tbsp fish sauce
2 kaffir lime leaves, finely chopped (or finely grate zest of 2 limes)
2 Tbsp lime juice
1tsp finely grated fresh ginger
salt and ground black pepper

Method
1 Preheat oven to 250oC. Prepare salmon and place in a shallow baking dish.
2 Combine all other ingredients in a small bowl and pour over salmon.
3 Once oven is up to temperature, change heat setting to grill.
4 Grill salmon about 10cm from heat source until cooked through and golden (about 6-8mins) This method is called flash grilling.
5 Rest fish, just like you do meat but covering in tinfoil and then a tea towel for 15 minutes. This helps with finishing off the cooking process.
6 Serve on a bed of rocket. Spoon over the sauces from the pan and any left over marinade. Squeeze some lemon juice over and serve with some lemon cheeks.
7 This can be served warm or cold.

Delicious!