Month: September 2017

The House on Carnaval Street, Deborah Rodriguez

Michael Soos Book Review Articles

the house on carnaval street deborah rodriguezSummary:  Autobiography which takes up Deborah’s story after she flees Kabul.  She is traumatised and lost after her recent experiences, and describes her road to recovery, which culminates in her buying a house in Mexico and setting up a beauty salon which sponsors young Mexican girls to go to hairdressing college.

Thoughts:  Interesting, adventurous, slightly self-indulgent, skipped over some potentially good bits, which resulted in a bit of missing story line.  But fine for a light, easy read.  Her willingness to help disadvantaged women in poorer countries is admirable.check book price here

White Fish and Squash Curry Soup

Michael Soos Soup Recipes & Articles

I found this in a weekend supplement magazine years ago.  I’d never really had Bill Granger on the radar before, but this recipe sounded nice, it seemed simple, and the picture looked lovely, so I gave it ago.  YUM!   I love coconut and mild curries, so this was always going to be a hit.  After asking the local fishmonger what sort of fish would work in a soup, I’ve been using monkfish ever since.

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp light-flavoured oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 1 lemongrass stalk, cut in 3 sections
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 750ml good-quality vegetable or chicken stock
  • 300ml tin reduced-fat coconut milk
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 400g squash
  • 450g firm white fish, cut into chunks
  • Few stalks tenderstem broccoli, cut into 4cm lengths
  • 250g thin rice noodles (soaked in boiling water, drained and rinsed)
  • 1 red chilli, sliced into rounds
  • 1 small red onion, very thinly sliced
Method

Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and lemongrass and cook, stirring, until golden. Add the curry powder and continue stirring for 30 seconds. Add the stock, 500ml water, coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar. Bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer. Peel the squash, cut into chunks, and add to the soup. Poach gently for about 10 to 12 minutes, until tender. Add the fish and broccoli and simmer for 2 more minutes.

Place the noodles into four noodle bowls, cover with the soup and dress with the red chilli and red onion.

This recipe can be found at white-fish-and-squash-curry-soup

Cauliflower and Blue Cheese Soup

Michael Soos Soup Recipes & Articles

I’ve wanted to make this for years, but never quite got as far as trawling through my many recipes to find The One to make.

Buying the Ingredients and the Making of the Soup

I’d bought the blue cheese a few days prior, and standing in front of the massive cheese display, forgot what type of actual blue cheese I needed.  Stilton was on special, so I got some of that, and it worked beautifully.  I asked a friend what the difference was between Gorgonzola, Roquefort and Stilton, and she said place of origin.  It’s probably a bit more than that, but I was happy to finally make a soup I’d wanted to try for ages.  It’s winter here in Ballarat, and it was such a comforting, yummy, more’ish taste that I had two bowls, and finished off the leftover Stilton.    Then, the nearby hospitality training school offered their version of cauliflower and blue cheese soup.  Theirs hadn’t been pureed, and wasn’t as strong with the blue cheese flavour, but was still lovely as a comparison.  I liked mine better 😉

Ingredients
  • 1 medium cauliflower
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 smallish yellow onions, peeled and finely sliced
  • 4 thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • sea salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 4 cups chicken (or vegetable) stock
  • 1 cup Gorgonzola cheese (can use less; say 1/3 cup for less intense taste)
  • 1/3 cup creme fraiche
  • parsley for garnish
Method

Remove the outer leaves from the cauliflower and break it into small florets (leave the stalk as it adds to the flavour). Set to the side. Melt the butter gently in a saucepan (big enough to hold all ingredients) over medium heat. Add the onions and sweat gently for 5 minutes or thereabouts until translucent.

Add the cauliflower, thyme and bay leaves. Season with a touch of salt and pepper. Pour in the stock, stir and then bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or so until the cauliflower is very soft.

Crumble in the cheese and stir over a low heat until it has melted into the soup. Add the creme fraiche and stir.

Pick out the bay leaves and thyme stalks then blend the soup until really smooth.

Return the soup to the pan and reheat gently. Taste and add a little more salt and pepper to suit.

Ladle unto warm bowls and serve topped with chopped parsley.

This recipe can be found at 101cookbooks.com/cauliflower and blue cheese soup

Thank you to Heidi Swanson at www.101cookbooks.com for inspiration, and the recipe.