Chinese Style Fish Soup

I haven't been very good at posting here recently, mainly due to college and work. I have just finished writing my first essay in about 3 years and boy am I glad that it's over! I'm not sure how happy I am with it, but if I fiddle with it anymore its going to drive me insane!

I also went to Lille for the day yesterday with my Mum and sister and we had a fantastic time. We ate lunch at La Compostelle, where I had an Asian beef salad and then dourade with red pepper and walnut pesto, a cream sauce and courgette risotto, and they were both delicious. We then looked round the shops and went to the supermarket where I stocked up on all the things I love but can't buy here. We also had tea in Meert and bought the most delicious cakes to eat on the train on the way back, it was a little tricky to eat them as we had no forks, but really tasty none the less.

As the evenings get colder here, although this week its been unseasonably warm, I start making lots of soups and casseroles. I love Asian style soups, especially noodle soup. This one was originally just a fairly plain Chinese fish soup with no noodles and not much veg, so I used the basic recipe and jazzed it up a little, adding egg noodles, spinach, sugar snap peas and mange tout. It was delicious.



Chinese Style Fish Noodle Soup (Adapted from Ken Hom's Hot Wok)
(Serves 4)

450g cod fillets
1 egg white
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp cornflour
1.2 ltrs chicken/veg/fish stock
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp shaoxing rice wine
2 tsp finely shredded root ginger
2 tbsp finely chopped spring onions
1 tsp chilli oil
2 tsp rice vinegar
mixed stir fry veg
2 packets of straight to wok noodles

Remove the skin from the fish fillets and then cut them into small pieces, about 2.5cm square. Combine the fish, egg white, salt, pepper, sesame oil and cornflour and mix well. Refrigerate for at least 20 mins.

Pour the stock into a wok and bring it to a simmer. Add the soy sauce, shaoxing rice wine, ginger and spring onions and simmer for 30 secs. Then add the veg and noodles and simmer for 2 mins.

Add the fish and stir gently for 1 min. As soon as the fish turns white, immediately turn off the heat. Add the chilli oil and vinegar. Ladle the soup into individual bowls, garnish with fresh coriander and serve immediately.

Another Catch Up!

I'm not finding a lot of time to do my blogging, work is keeping me busy and with this new fitness thing I seem to not have a lot of time! I have finally had my gym induction today and the start of my steps plan! Basically I get to have a meeting with an instructor once a week to check how i'm doing and if i've lost any weight etc. This is all included in my gym membership, so i'm really happy! I now have a programme to go round the gym with, including 15mins on a cross trainer and lots of weights! I'm hoping this works! I also would like to do some yoga and pilates as well.

I've also been to Lille, France this week! I went for a shopping trip on Eurostar! My family have been going to France every year since I can remember, to stock up on cheese, alcohol an all things french, and now that I have left home, i'm hoping to carry on this tradition. So off I went for the day! I arrived at about 1pm and headed straight to a restaurant for lunch, I went to La Compostelle which had been recommended by my parents. I got a two course lunch for €17.90! I started with croquettes of goats cheese, with endive and spinach with a dressing. his was delicious and went so well together, then for main course I had Confit de Canard with parsley roasted potatoes, it was so good to be eating french food again!

My next stop was Comtesse du Barry, for Christmas last year my Mum bought me one of their tins to try, they basically do high quality canned foods, along with other speciality dishes. She bought me Confit de canard with sauteed potatoes and I wasn't expecting much from it when I tried it, but it tasted so good! So I bought two more of them, plus a fish soup and a cassoulet. I have high hopes for these too! My next visit was to Phillipe Olivier, Cheese maker extraordinaire! They have the most amazing range of cheeses and when you walk in, you are instantly hit with the heady aroma of cheese. I bought a goats cheese and a Mont d'Or, which is one of my favourite cheeses, I am taking it to my sisters for dinner tonight, I can smell it from the other side of the room! Its the sort of cheese you have to spoon out to eat!

I then just spent time wandering around Lille, unfortunately it was raining, so my feet got very wet by the end of the day. My second to last stop of the day was to Paul, the bakers, for that all important baguette and a tarte aux framboises and a tarte aux citron. All of which were heavenly. There is also a really good cook shop in Lille, which I had a fantastic time wandering around and deciding what things I wanted to buy when I move into somewhere bigger!

My last stop was to the supermarket. There is a large Carrefour in EuraLille, a huge shopping centre close to the train station, very handy for me! There I bought all my staples, mustard, olive oil, wine, as well as chocolate, cakes, pate and the majority of my cheese as it is much cheaper than in a cheese shop. All in all it was a fantastic day despite the rain and I felt very decadent dining out by myself, I think I will try and go back in April time! I might have run out of cheese again by then!

On with the catch up, some time in September I had a huge craving for sausages in cider, this is a recipe that my mum used to cook loads when i was younger and its such a good warming autumny dish. It was made all the better by including home grown apples that she had given me straight off the tree!


The photo was taken in somewhat of a rush as i was so keen to eat it!

Shortly after that I made some really good lentil soup, the recipe came from veg-boxrecipes.co.uk. I have such a huge supply of lentils which needs using up, so expect more lentil dishes! This one was delicious with a lovely hint of lemon coming through at the end.



Sausages in Cider

Pork sausages 2or3 per person
1 Onion sliced
1 Apple sliced
1 pint Cider
1 clove Garlic
Sage
Oil
Plain Flour

Heat oil in a casserole and fry onions and garlic until just beginning to soften add sausages and just brown. Add enough flour to coat cook for a minute or so and add cider stir well and add apple and sage leaves. Place in oven for 40mins at 180c sauce should have reduced. Serve.