Chef Love-in #1 - Jamie Oliver / Butternut Brown Rice Laksa Soup

I am a HUGE Jamie Oliver fan!!! Have been since the very first time I saw his show the Naked Chef on the Food Network. I fell in love with his sense of originality immediately...

The Naked Chef.
It was his first book, definitely not his best...but I remember being uber impressed when I first bought it, and I made many things from it. The Basic Risotto recipe is still my 'Go-To.'

My Hands-Down Favourite Recipe from this book:  Spiced Slow-Cooked Lamb Shanks -I have made this numerous times for special occasions like Christmas Eve...It is SO Good!!




Years later, he's still my fave.
 I have almost all of his cookbooks (half are currently at the cottage) and I use them regularly (I really do!)
He's a phenomenon of food and loved the world over.  He's an all-round adorable foodie, fun-loving family guy and good-food revolutionary. He dreams big and he's done much.
I admire the heck out of him.


I have so many favourite Jamie Oliver recipes...but today, it is such a bitterly cold November day, so I decided to make a lovely soul-warming soup from the book Jamie's Dinners....Pumpkin Rice Laksa Soup. Couldn't find any pumpkin this morning so instead,  I used Butternut Squash and Brown Rice instead of Basmati.

This soup is Asian-inspired and somewhat exotic so some of the ingredients may not be readily available. Luckily, I live very close to a huge Asian Grocery Store that carried everything I needed. What an incredible selection! Fu Yao Supermarket is a blog post unto itself.

I started by blending the lemon grass, ginger, garlic, chilli peppers, cilantro, lime leaves, cumin and Chinese 5-spice....It was somewhat pulpy so I added a little water and olive oil to the mix to soften it and help it blend. Make sure it blends really well until it's a bright green, highly aromatic paste.

Next, I added the paste to my big red Le Creuset dutch oven and sauted the paste for a few minutes to intensify the flavours. Then, I added the butternut squash and chicken stock and simmered for 20 mins. Once the squash was soft, I added the rice and simmered until rice was tender (about 45 min- brown rice always takes a long time). Next, I added the coconut milk and seasoned with s and p and a big squeeze of fresh lime juice.

This soup is so lovely. Try it out.

Thanks Jamie Oliver!

BTW....these are what Lime Leaves look like....

Huntsville Weekend w/ the girls!

Fabulous weekend in Huntsville!  It was cold and snowy/rainy for the entire weekend - perfect for watching movies, knitting, hanging out spending quality time together, and eating great meals with your buddies.

        Friday night arrival...Amazing cheese board selection and some wine is all 

 you need to make everyone happy...

 Saturday morning... windy and cold outside with a little touch of snow.

Inside, it was toasty and warm. My turn to make breakfast!  I started by making  my friends fresh percolated coffee. These stove top 10/12 cup percs are the bomb....they make the greatest coffee....hearty and hot. Fallingbrook Market's house blend of rich dark roasted coffee did the trick.

For the Huevos Migas, I had prepped the smashed blackbeans the day before at home. So all I needed to do was make the 

PICO DE GALLO SALSA 4 Roma tomatoes, finely diced

½ small red onion, finely diced

1½ tbsp canola oil

1½ tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

½ tsp each salt and pepper

the

 CILANTRO CRÈMA ¼ cup sour cream

2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 tbsp 10 per cent cream

Salt and pepper

and the

HUEVOS MIGAS 1 cup cooked brown rice

12 large free-run eggs

2 tbsp canola oil

2 cooked spicy chorizo sausages, chopped

1 tsp chili flakes

1 cup shredded, aged white cheddar

4 scallions, julienned

4 handfuls of tortilla chips

8 sprigs of cilantro for garnish

I also added some guacamole on the side. My version is simple, avocados, fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro and sea salt.

Huevos Migas made with love for 8 lovely ladies.

Sure fire crowd pleaser! Takes a bit of extra effort...but well worth it. Give it a try!

Huevos Migas for my Girlfriends/ Restaurant Pick #1: Lady Marmalade

This weekend, I've got a weekend away up in Huntsville with a few of my girlfriends and I am very excited! There are few things in life that are as great as a weekend away with your gal pals.
My friend who is hosting the event sent out an email to ask what everyone might like to contribute meal-wise to the weekend. I knew immediately what I wanted to make for my buddies.....Lady Marmalade inspired Huevos Migas!

LADY MARMALADE:898 Queen Street East, Toronto
Lady Marmalade is a hip and very cool little restaurant smack dab in the middle of Leslieville. It is bright and cozy and its retro seats and tables and avocado green walls with bold artwork lend well to its charms. It is only open for breakfast and lunch and it is always packed because the food is so damn good.

For breakfast, they do amazing versions of Eggs Benny, French toast, Waffles, Oatmeal, and my favourites, the Mexican inspired egg dishes, including  Huevos Migas which is one super fantastic and memorable dish. For lunch, they have yummy soups and sandwiches, unique salads and lovely 'Bowls' which are heavenly! You MUST go!

OK, back to the meal that I will be making for my friends on Saturday morning... HUEVOS MIGAS....

.

 How great does that look? Soft-scrambled eggs with cheese, chorizo sausage, tomatoes and green onions served with brown rice, smashed black beans, sour cream, pico de gallo and tortilla chips?
The recipe for this glorious dish (c/o Toronto Life Magazine) is here.

I will do most of the prepping in advance so that the morning of, it won't be a major production. Details to follow....

Welcome to my new blog!

So it begins....and I am just going to jump right in with both feet.

My name is Sarah McComb. I live in the Beaches area of Toronto and I am a wife and mother of four kids - 3 teenage boys and a pre-teen girl, and a big black Lab named Drake. Our household is busy and often chaotic, but my husband assures me that years from now, we will laugh out loud at all of the stressful moments we have experienced with our little darlings. :) Taking care of my family and feeding them well is my number one priority.

I have a strong desire to live life to the fullest and I love to celebrate milestones big and small.
I decided to write this blog because I also love to share ideas with others.  I certainly do not claim to be a Martha Stewart or Gwyneth Paltrow, but I do love and I am very passionate about all things to do with food.  Great restaurants,  chefs, cookbooks, recipes, farmer's markets, cheese shops and charcuteries, bakeries and herb gardens. These things make me happy.  Oh and wine too, a lovely cold California Chardonnay really makes me smile.

Spend a little time with me....I am honoured you are here, and I am sure we will learn from each other.