Congo Bars

I have way too many cook books yet I've only ever followed a handful of recipes from them.  This is one of the handful.

This is a recipe from The Great Book of Chocolate by David Lebovitz, though he got this recipe from Flor Braker.

Of all the great recipes from this amazing book, I had decided to go for the seemingly easiest first.  I had never had congo bars, admittedly the name got me, I thought it'd be more exotic.  It's something like a cross between a brownie and a chocolate chip cookie... that kind of tastes like a biscotti as well.  It's good. 

Ingredients
150g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
450g light brown sugar
3 large eggs
285g flour
2 1/1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
300g dark chocolate chunks
150g mixture of toasted walnuts and almond flakes

Method
Preheat oven to 160C.  Grease a large baking pan.

Mix the butter, sugar and eggs until well incorporated.  In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, then mix this mixture into the wet mixture and fold in the chocolate and nuts.

Spread the batter into the greased baking pan as evenly as possible and bake for about 30 minutes or until golden.  When cool, cut into bars or small squares and leave overnight before you eat them.

Butter Bean Hummus with Lemon and Basil

Oh I was just eating this with a spoon, t'was delicious.

Light, zingy and fresh.  Something to eat to distract yourself from the weather.  It reminds me of picnics.  I love picnics. I love the idea of a bunch of small cold dishes, some cheese, some salad, some hummus, some good bread.  Some olives, marinated tomatoes, fresh fruits. Altogether in a pretty little basket on the grass under the sun.  Light breeze, birds chirping, no insects, with some friends, some music playing magically in the background.  Oh I dream.

White Cut Chicken (白斩鸡）

There’s this misconception that Chinese food is “unhealthy”, “oily” and “full of MSG”.  I remember my first experience with Western Chinese food in Italy.  I was horrified by the glistening dishes of vegetables and meats, smothered in rich, thick sauces. The thick, chewy spring rolls that have been fried and refried with a burst of oil in every bite.  The egg fried rice, oh the egg fried rice.  How do you make the egg fried rice so unhealthy?  How do you make it so frighteningly sticky and shiny? 

Look at the Chinese people that surround you.  No, we don’t have faster metabolism (I wish), nor do we have smaller appetites (my stomach’s a bottomless pit).  When it comes to obesity it really comes down to what you eat and the real Chinese diet is actually healthy and low in fat, that is why not many of us are overweight. I grew up in Beijing with a Chinese mother who’s very much of a health freak and so I got the essence of Chinese health foods.  So here I offer you a recipe of a dish I grew up with, hoping to break your falsified belief about Chinese cuisine.  A simple, healthy and economical appetizer, that would, contrary to Chinese restaurants’ beliefs, suit your Western tastebuds’ needs.   Oh and the best bit – you can find all the ingredients in your local supermarket without having to go to an Asian supermarket!

Citrusy Braised Leeks

Yes, I'm in a leek phase now.  I go through these favorite vegetable phases.  I had never had leeks before I came here.

This makes a great side dish.  You've got the sweetness coming from both the leeks and the oranges, and the earthy nuttiness coming from the almonds.  These mellow flavors are then contrasted beautifully with the sharp hints of the zests of  lemons and mandarins, giving the dish more character.

Healthy, delicious and simple.  Everything I stand for.

Prep time: 5 min       Cook time: 15 min        Serves:  2-3      Suitable for:  accompanying a meaty main 

Ingredients
Half a large leek, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 stalk of lemon grass, bashed
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Zest and juice of 1/2 orange
1 small handful of almond flakes

Method
Heat some oil in a pan, add your garlic cloves and lemon grass and fry for a minute before adding the leeks. Add 1/2 cup of water/stock and cover with a lid, let it simmer for about 15 minutes until tender.  Add the zests and the juice of the citrus fruits and the almond flakes.  Drizzle with some excellent extra virgin olive oil before serving.

Mediterranean Chicken with Onions and Leeks

I feel like a big ball of positive energy today.  You know those days where you just wake up happy? Today was one of those days for me.  And I realized, this is a positive cycle.  Me being happy will lead to higher productivity and people liking me better, which will in turn result in better outcomes, better essays, work, relations with other people, which would make me happier.  It's like a big multiplier effect of happiness.  And happy people make better food!

So ok, happy food resulting from a happy state of mind.  Chicken and leeks.  I've been eating more meat, it's been difficult to fight the carnivorous urge lately.  I like chicken, it's one of those meats that everyone likes.  It is healthy and it is cheap.  Chicken thighs - very cheap.  All about the budget and the diet lately as a college student.  

Prep time: 20 min        Cook time: 40 min         Serves: 2            Suitable for: a happy, healthy lunch

Ingredients
1 large onion, thinly sliced
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
1/2 large leek, thinly sliced
4 chicken thighs
1 tsp herbes de provence
3 bay leaves
2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
1 small handful of basil leaves

Method
Fry the onions and garlic in a pan until translucent and add the leeks and the bay leaves.  Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and herbes de provence, and place it on top of the leek and onion mixture.  Cover with lid, turn the heat down and let it simmer for about 40 minutes until cooked.  Add the crumbled cheese and torn basil leaves and serve :)