Smoked salmon, leek and mushroom quiche

This year I haven't had much luck with Australian Post. Firstly they lost the postcard that my parents sent me from overseas. And then they directed my RSVP to my friend's wedding back to my address, without a single note or word of explanation! I thought that we are long past the era when people have to worry about losing ther mail. Apparently not!

Enough ranting and back to cooking. After making fried rice with smoked salmon yesterday I still have some fish left from the packet. Not wanting to keep it in the fridge for too long, I made a smoked salmon, leek and mushroom quiche today.

Smoked salmon, leek and mushroom quiche

100g smoked salmon, cut into small pieces
2 trimmed leeks (or buy a whole leek, cut away the green section and the root)
250g sliced mushrooms
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup plain flour
1 1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1) Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C. Lightly grease a baking tray.
2) Heat olive oil in a frying pan over moderately high heat. Chop the leeks into thin rings and add them to the pan. Stir for about one minute then add the sliced mushrooms. Cook until both vegetables are softened and excess moisture is evaporated. Set aside and allow them to cool down slightly.
3) In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, flour, baking powder and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the cooked vegetables and the smoked salmon and stir well.
4) Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the eggs are set. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle extra cheese on top if desired.

Punpkin, Spinach & Yoghurt Pasta Bake

I finally got over my week-long viral thing and had the energy to do some proper baking and cooking. I made a trail-mix banana bread yesterday and tried a new dinner recipe today. It is adopted from the Almost Cheeseless Pasta Casserole from 101 Cook Books. I really like this website because the recipes are really creative and healthy. It has got a very wide range of recipes from salad and soup to sweets and drinks. Sometimes it does come up with funky recipe like "the tofu burger" but overall the dishes are quite do-able. The photography is amazing and the recipes are easy to follow.
I have made pasta bake before but this is quite different. The white sauce is based on yoghurt, instead of cream, so the whole dish is infused with the sourness and the milky taste of the yoghurt. I found it quite clever to sprinkle lemon zest on the baking tray. If it was directly incorporated into the sauce the flavour would probably be too strong. The olives, almonds and cheese give this dish a lot of different texture and flavours.
I have reduced the quantity of the pasta by a massive degree but still ended up with a HUGE dish. It is originally suggested as a side dish but I had it as a main meal (and now I am stuffed!!!)

Pumpkin, Spinach & Yoghurt Pasta Bake

zest of a large lemon
300g dried wholemeal penne
1.5 cup butternut pumpkin, chopped into 2.5cm cubes
80g frozen spinach
1 cup plain natural yoghurt
1 egg
3 cloves garlic, chopped
pinch of sea salt
1/3 cup silvered almond
1/3 cup olives, torn into pieces
1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1) Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees C. Grease a baking dish (which I forgot to do!). Sprinkle with lemon zest and set aside.
2) Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook pasta until al dente. In the last 2 minutes of cooking time, add the pumpkin cubes into the pasta water. In the last minute, add the frozen spinach and separate with a fork. Quickly and carefully drain away the pasta water. Run cold water over the pasta, pumpkin and spinach to stop them from cooking. Shake off any excess water and set aside.
3) While the pasta is cooking, whisk together the yoghurt, the egg, garlic and salt and set aside. Once cooked and drained, mix together the pasta-pumpkin-spinach mixture with the yoghurt mixture. Stir in half of the almonds until evenly distributed. Scoop everything into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with olives and ricotta cheese. Baking for 30 minutes
4) Remove from oven. Sprinkle with the remaining almonds and season with salt. Enjoy!

Serves 6 as a main

Pasta bake

Banana bread

Pintxo

I did not bake this weekend and I am using my having a cold as an excuse. I worked through Thursday and Friday with a splitting headache and a slight fever. I still had to talk to people even though my throat was burning and my nose was running. I could not take time off because another staff was already on sick leave. Plus I was testing Barney's theory on being sick; I kept telling myself to stop being sick and be awesome instead, which, by the way, did not really work!
But after sleeping for 9+ hours every night for the past few days I feel like I am slowly recovering. Nose is still running, my throat is still sore. I still feel really tired all the time and I am still coughing at night. But at least the headache has subsided. Let's hope I will not die from exhaustion from work this week.

A few days ago I went to Pintxo, a Spanish restaurant in New Farm specialising in tapas. The place is split into two areas, one of which is the normal sitting area and the other half is set up as a "tapas train". Basically like a sushi train. Except they serve tapas, instead of sushi. I actually like this set-up because you get to see all the dishes that they are serving and it made the dining experience more fun. It made the restaurant look bigger than it was too (plus the mirror covering the entire wall on one side).
The menu is set out quite nicely and the descriptions of the dishes are very clear. For people who are not familiar with Spanish food, like us, it was not hard to identify what tapas were on the conveyor. They were mostly cold tapas, eg bread slices with various toppings and skewers. There were also hot ones that are made to order. We avoided most of the pickles and olives tapas but really enjoyed everything else. There were a few funky stuff like blue cheese mousse, quince paste and pickled garlic but they were actually quite tasty! I ordered a Red Sangria, which was delicious. The dessert menu was not huge but what was there seemed pretty good. We wanted to try the Crème Caramel but was too full !! We went on a Tuesday when the 2-4-1 deal was on so we only paid for the cheaper half of the tapas, which was a really good discount. The waiters and waitresses were helpful and friendly. They approached us a few times to make sure we were happy with everything. After around 9pm the waitress did start trying to make us leave - clearing our plates, sending us the dessert menu, giving us the bill etc. But she still kept refilling our glass and was not pushy at all. The restaurant had good music and a nice relaxing atmosphere.
Overall I enjoyed the food and had a really nice time. Everything was delicious and the service was excellent. I probably would not revisit so soon as I have tried pretty much everything I wanted to on the tapas train menu. If the menu gets updated then it is definitely worth going back again - probably on another Tuesday!

The West End Market

Out of all the outdoor markets in Brisbane, the West End Market is probably the most talked of. From so many people I have heard of how good the stalls are. It's not just the local residents who live in the south or around the CBD who go there regularly. People from the north seem to think it is worth the travelling to go there every Saturday morning as well. So I did have high hopes when I went there today for the first time.
And I did enjoy it a lot. It's got a real mixed variety of stalls eg fruits and veggies, flowers, seafood, hand-made jeweleries, vintage clothes, preserves and jams, sweets, fresh coffee, food stalls etc. Despite the mix-up with the buses etc I had a nice time!

Funny-looking cinnamon rolls

Spinach & cheese puff pastries,
a very delicious Hungarian dish that is cooked with an iron!!

Inception

You know how there are films that just absolutely blows your mind and makes you wonder "where on earth did they come up with this idea from"? Inception is one of those. I went to see it today with Winnie and it is no doubt one of the most intriguing movies I have ever seen. I do not think my brain has had to work this hard to understand a film for a long time!
Its inspiration cannot be any simpler: dreams, the projection of the subconscious. Except it takes the concept sooooooo much further. Based on the assumption that technologies have been developed to allow entry to other people's dreams to manipulate the events that happen in the dreams, the movie tells the story of Cobb (DiCaprio) and his team who invade other people's minds and steal top secret ideas. Except this time, the job offer was not an "extraction". It was an "inception"; they were to plant an idea in the target's subconscious.
This amazing storyline is delivered by an exceptional cast. DiCaprio is amazing, as usual. He is so convincing and just has the ability to draw you in deeper. Marion Cortillard is flawless in her delivery and is one of my favourite actresses. And I'm surprised by the performance of Joseph Gorden-Livett and Ellen Page. He is so different from he was in 500 Days of Summer!
The music is beautifully written. The photography is beautiful. The setting of the movie goes from a beautiful beach and the New York city to a snowy mountain. Besides its emphasis on the emotional journey of Cobb, it is also action-packed, which actually reminds me of the Matrix. The plot is so intense I think I forgot to breathe at a few occasions.
All in all Inception is such an original, intelligent and well-delivered movie. There was not one moment when I did not enjoy it. Despite of the complexity of the plot, it does not contradict itself in any way that I can think of. It challenges your mind and makes you want to watch it again just so you can fully appreciate the experience.
Not a movie to be missed!

Wholemeal oatmeal muffins with mixed dried fruits

After making all those sugary cakes and sweets I feel like baking something healthy. Something I can snack on during the week and not feel bad about it. Something that can help me through a eight-hour day and stop me from reaching for more jelly beans.
These muffins are exactly what I need. They are made with mainly wholemeal flour and rolled oats so they are really filling. They are quite light in texture but have a lot of bite in them. The muffins themselves are not sweet at all but the dried fruits make them really flavoursome. I used raisins, dried cranberries and dried goji berries but any other dried fruits, chopped toasted nuts and seeds should work well too.

Wholemeal oatmeal muffins with mixed dried fruits
(from Baking Bites)

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup pack brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda pinch salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup mixture of raisins, dried cranberries and dried goji berry
1 cup rolled oats, slightly chopped
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup water

1) Preheat oven to 190 degrees C. Line a muffin tin with baking cups.
2) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir in dried fruits and oats. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg, milk, vegetable oil, vanilla and water.
3) Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredient and pour in the milk mixture. Stir until just combined. Let stand for 20 minutes.
4) Spoon batter into prepared tins using a 1/4 C measuring cup.
5) Bake for 15-20 minutes, until muffins are golden brown and spring back when gently pressed.

These muffins smell absolutely amazing !!

According to my dad and many websites, goji berries are meant to be packed with antioxidants and really good for you. They are a bit dry and hard to bite into so probably not the best thing as snacks on their own. But they are great with porridge or muesli.
Plus they have an orangey-red colour that is so pretty!

PS As suggested by the original recipe, I divided the batter into halves and store one half in the fridge. It has kept very well over an entire week. It is still very moist and lumpy and easy to scoop out. And the muffins turned out to be equally delicious. I ended up adding three more minutes to cooking time.

燉蛋

If I were to name my five favourite desserts, this one would DEFINITELY make it to the list. I was actually a bit surprised by the simplicity of the recipe when I first found it. But to me cooking should be like this; simple ingredients, easy recipe, yummy food.

燉蛋
(from Christine's Recipes)

125mL milk
1 egg
1 tsp sugar (adjust to taste)

1) In a big stockpot, bring enough water to boil for steaming. (or use a steamer)
2) In a small bowl, beat the egg well. Heat the milk until slightly warm. It has to be hot enough to dissolve the sugar but not too hot that it can cook the egg. Add sugar to the milk.
3) Pour the warm milk into the bowl with the egg and stir to combine. Remove any bubbles on the surface.
4) Cover the bowl with foil and seal the edges. Steam the egg mixture above boiling water on a low heat for 10 minutes. Lift up the lid half way to let the steam escape then replace the lid. The egg mixture should firm up when done.

YUMMMMM!