Etcetera-Etcetera

General File
This place is going to be updated from time to time.  It's all about what I need around my kitchen,  also family favourites,  that we cannot go without.  I am sure they will be exciting topics and recipes.

Crouton
Homemade crouton
Baking crouton to be ready when it is needed.  What you need is a loaf of bread, stale bread can be used too, a baguette, and butter.
Slice bread, cut into shapes as you wish, then butter both sides, place them on to a lined baking tray and bake in preheated hot oven 185 degrees C for 8-10 minutes (in my oven), you may have to adjust according to your own oven.

I did crouton with french baguette, sliced into thin pieces, buttered both sides and baked in a hot oven for 8 to 10 minutes.  They look good and keep well in an airtight container.

Let them dry,  then keep them in an airtight container.  I keep in the freezer and thaw it as I need.
It goes well with soups, or to serve with any braised meat dishes.  Enjoy them to go with any dips.


Dried Breadcrumbs
Any stale slice bread or crusts of bread, then bake in  160 degrees C oven to dry for about 30 minutes.  Keep aside to cool
Crush the dried bread with a rolling pin or put in a food processor to make smooth crumbs.

Grated Cheese
Use Cheddar cheese block, cut into thick but small size, grate it with a grater put in a food processor. Keep in an airtight container and refrigerate.  It's ready to use for toppings, and other cooking.
This is what I do, I add it into a batter for my vegetable fritters.

Fritters  Vegetables
Oil, sliced fresh vegetables as you like
( blanch cauliflowers, green beans, celery)
Batter
125 g self-raising flour
125 g water
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 heap tablespoon full of grated cheese
Put the flour,  add in the beaten egg, water and oil, mix together to make a smooth batter
Set aside to rest at least for 30 minutes
Add the cheese in, mix together well, before frying.

Vegetables
Acar ketimun- pickled cucumber
2 Apple or green cucumbers, peeled, seeded and sliced
2 shallot, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon white sugar
Mix all together, keep in a jar and refrigerate.

It goes with Javanese curry dishes, garnish for rice and noodles.


Sambal Trasi - blacan
(hot chilli paste with fish paste)

Fresh hot chillies green or red
1 tablespoon trasi
some sea salt
Grind them together to make a rough paste.
To serve: put in a little bowl with sliced lime.

It goes with plain steamed rice together with meat, chicken, tofu dishes.
The trasi - blacan or fish paste is available in the Asian grocery stores.  It is commonly used for Indonesian cooking.

******
In my parent's house, everyone loved to eat the sambal trasi with nasi (rice cooked with coconut milk and fragrant herbs: lemongrass/pandan leaf and salt) or nasi (rice-steamed white rice) with Ayam goreng (spiced fried chicken)
My mother and father did love this paste, and we all still do.

*******

August - First Update

 Lemons, Kaffir Lime and Bay leaf.

Lemons

Preserved lemons, limes and a basket of freshly picked lemons.

What do we do with lemons if you have too many from the harvest?

1. Store them in a cool and dark place to get more juice out of them
2. Preserved in salt and spices
3. Juice them and keep in a deep freezer
4. Peel the rind, and refrigerate for cooking
5. Peel and shred finely, refrigerate
6. Add the juice into salad dressing, refrigerate

I would do the same with limes.

Peel the rind, place in a jar and keep refrigerated

 Peel then shredded finely, place in a jar and keep refrigerated

Recipe for the preserved lemons and limes, please look upon the older post: 28 July 2012 under preserving lemon.

Kaffir Limes

Use the leaves and rinds only. 

Grate the rinds to add in curry mix or salad dressing.

To keep the rinds stay fresh, grate some limes then mix with Oil, place it in a jar, refrigerate.  This the mixture is excellent to add in sweet soy dressing or curry mix

Freshly picked kaffir limes

 Kaffir limes and the leaves

Keeping the rinds to save time and preserving for other cooking.  From salad dressing to adding into curry paste.

Step by step what to do

 Grate the rinds of fresh kaffir limes

 Add 1 tablespoon grated rinds onto 175 mils fresh vegetable oil

 Mix the oil with the peels, stir then  and transfer to a clean bottle to keep

 Label, date, and refrigerate

 Keep refrigerated, especially after opening

Recipe for salad dressing or meat dressing, using this kaffir lime rinds condiment.

2 tablespoons sweet soy

1 tablespoon light salty soy

1 tablespoon kaffir lime rinds in oil

2 tablespoon of lime or lemon juice

1 fresh chilli, crushed

salt and white pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together, serve with grilled lamb or pan-fried tofu salad.

Bay Leaf

1. Dry the bay leaf:  keep the fresh bay in a dry place until the leaves are dried.
2. Take the leaves off the branch/branches then store them in an airtight container
3. Keep in the pantry
4. Grind the dried bay leaves and keeps in a jar

Dried bay leaves (it took about a month to make excellent dry bay leaves)

Take the leaves off, then put them in a food processor

or grinder, then process to make a smooth powder.

The ground bay leaf keeps forever.

Do the same with other fresh herbs, dry them then process the way you use them.

******

I hope this update will be useful for your cooking, adding extra preserving, condiments in your pantry or refrigerator.  It is always happening in my kitchen, I am glad that I can share what I could do with you all.

Until next time when I update this general file.   Have fruitful days.

A Quote for today

Home is where they understand you.

(Christian Morgenstern)

Thanks For Visiting

I hope you find this post useful and fun, your comments are most appreciated.

Susy