Food For My Belly

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is not a common item in most kitchens, certainly not mine but I have eaten a fair share of it from the fine foods cafe across from work and also had the chance to cook it recently. I must say, first time cooking an ingredient that is foreign to me has turned out better than expected and absolutely delicious! A bit more info on quinoa; it's an amino acid-rich (protein) seed that has a fluffy, creamy, slightly crunchy texture and a somewhat nutty flavor when cooked. Pea and Mint Quinoa Salad INGREDIENTS 1 cup of quinoa peas goat's cheese fresh mint DRESSING olive oil salt and pepper apple cider vinegar coriander a bit of dijon mustard garlic *Note: I got this recipe online and it had no measurements at all except the 1 cup of quinoa so put in as much or as little depending on feel :) METHOD Cook the quinoa according to the instructions on the packet. Drain well after cooking for a few minutes. Cover...

I must say that when Mr A and I cooked this dish, I was really looking forward to cracking my poached egg onto the risotto...I mean, who doesn't like runny yolk on their food? Yummy! smoked salmon risotto with poached eggs INGREDIENTS 2 tbsp (40ml) white-wine vinegar 4 eggs 300ml milk 1 bay leaf 250 smoked salmon (you can use trout or cod) 50g unsalted butter 1 tbsp (20ml) olive oil 1 large leek, white part only, washed, thinly sliced 2 garlic cloves, crushed 250g arborio rice 150ml white wine 350ml fish or vegetable stock 1 cup (120g) frozen peas cracked black pepper 2 tbsp chopped chives, to garnish Bring a shallow pan of water to the boil, add the vinegar, then turn the heat down to medium-low. Break the eggs into the simmering water and poach for 5 minutes, until the white is cooked through but the yolk is still soft. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. (I recommend doing this last so your egg will still be warm and real runny) Put the...

I am sure a lot of you would've eaten beef tartar before but maybe not like this....this one has caviar :) Beef Tartar Peter the Great Yes, it does have an interesting name to it but it taste as good as it sounds. I stumbled across this recipe when I was flipping through a book I bought at Camberwell Market for $3. The book is called Meal for Males, A Guide to Hearty Food and Drink by John J. Poister. The only reason I attempted this dish was because I still had some leftover home-made trout caviar and I thought, why not :) Here is the recipe, hope you enjoy it as much as I did...