Tomato & basil soup

I've lived away from the UK for nearly two months and I've started noticing some wired cravings. The other day I would have done anything for a chicken shawarma from Maroush. And weirdly enough today I realised that I have wanted to have the simple ready made (I know it's a sin, but sometimes I just don't have time to cook at home) tomato and basil soup that I could just heat up and eat for quite a few days now. I honestly never thought I could be so 'food-homesick'. And as the cravings usually don't go away I decided to take the matter into my own hands and, as I know I won't be able to match the chicken wrap from Maroush (I'll have that for my first dinner back in the UK), I was pretty sure that making a home made tomato soup wouldn't be something that I couldn't handle. And I was absolutely right. This soup is easy to make, healthy and really warms you up from the inside (great for those cold autumn and winter days)... and honestly, nothing is better for a rainy evening that a hearty soup to make you feel nice and cosy.

After looking through the internet for various different variations I decided to just improvise - really didn't feel like having double cream or mascarpone in my soup today. It took me just 20 minutes to make the soup (from the moment I started preparing to the moment I put it in the bowl) and although it might be a bit more than the 6 minutes a ready made soup takes to heat up, there is no way I'm ever going back to the shop stuff, especially after trying out how quick and easy it is to make it at home. I served my soup with a generous sprinkle of Parmesan and decorated with a basil leaf, but it could also be served with croutons, dollop of creme fraiche, toast or other warm bread - what ever you like with your tomato soup.

Ingredients
(Serves 2)
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 400g canned plum tomatoes
- 500ml vegetable stock
- Fresh basil
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- Parmesan, croutons, toast, grissini etc to serve

Directions
Firstly, make the stock and then set it aside. Grate the carrot and chop the onion. Heat some olive oil in a saucepan, then add the carrot, onion and the crushed garlic. Sauté for few minutes and then add the tomatoes and the vegetable stock. Add some salt and pepper and few fresh basil leaves and then simmer for 15 minutes. Puree the soup either using a handheld mixer or a blender and serve with Parmesan cheese / croutons / ...

Recipe from BBC Good Food

Strawberry & brie salad with walnuts

Among other things, I absolutely love cheese - Cheddar, Gruyere, Edam, Gouda, Leerdammer, Jarlsberg, Brie, Camembert, Blue Cheese, Feta, Halloumi ... I just really love cheese. I love it grilled, toasted, baked, in a salad, in a sandwich or just on its own. There hasn't been a single time I have not indulged on the home made grilled cheese sandwiches (the microwave ones used to be my bed time snack when I was a kid) or enjoyed every last bit of the melted Raclette when on holiday. It is difficult to think of a better snack than cheese with some nice crackers and grapes when enjoying a glass of wine with good friends. To put it simply, I love cheese and whenever possible (or allowed by my waistline) I try to incorporate some into my meals. Although cheese is not the most healthiest of foods, it is high in calcium (I use that excuse to justify having to have cheese often). But to be fair, I live just once and I might as well enjoy it - so every now and then I treat myself to some nice cheese therapy.

As I was really really productive today, I considered that the time has come to reward myself and for quite some time I have been thinking about making a salad with brie and strawberries, but I never got around to actually doing it. So, I got myself together and made the salad. The result was absolutely gorgeous. Spinach really made a nice base for this salad as it wasn't overpowering and the sweet strawberries and creamy brie together are just heavenly. Walnuts really added sophistication to this combination of different tastes and textures. This salad really was a treat and now I'm just waiting for a good excuse to treat myself with it again...

Ingredients
(Serves 1)
- 50g spinach (preferably baby spinach)
- 150g strawberries, chopped
- 75g brie, diced
- 35g walnuts, quartered

Directions
Wash and dry the spinach and the strawberries. Dice the brie, strawberries and walnuts and place in the bowl together with spinach and mix it well. Place on a nice plate and serve immediately. Feel free to add balsamic vinegar or olive oil if you prefer to have your salads with some dressing.

Honey & sesame prawns on bok choy

I do have to admit that most of my days here I have fruit and salad (and take aways from local hawker centres) and do not cook 'real' food as such. Mainly because I don't have time, but also because the choice of dishes in Singapore is incredible - I could have absolutely anything I wanted. And so far all the food I've tried has been delicious. Being inspired by the food that I've eaten over the past few weeks I tried to make an Asian meal myself. I still haven't overcome my fascination of fresh king prawns (and how affordable they are in this part of the world) and therefore once again I have included them.

This dish is incredibly easy to make and probably the most time consuming part is peeling the prawns (obviously you could buy ready peeled ones) and the marinating. But if those are out of the way, it just takes few minutes to put together this tasty and relatively light dish. I had it as a light lunch, but it could easily be serves as one of many side dishes to a dinner or as a starter at a dinner party - it looks very impressive and sophisticated when arranged properly.

Ingredients
(Serves 1)
- 10 king prawns, peeled
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tbsp kecap manis (sweet soy sauce)
- 1/2 lime rind
- 1/2 lime juice
- 4 small bok choy heads
- 2 tsp sesame seeds
- sesame oil, to fry

Directions
Firstly, peel the king prawns. Then mix fish sauce, honey, kecap manis, lime rind and lime juice in a small bowl. Add the prawns to the marinade mixture, coat with cling film and set aside for 30minutes or so.

Them, cut of the bottom pit of bok choy so you have separate stems with leaves and set aside. Heat a wok pan and when it is hot add the sesame seeds. Cook them for 1-2 minutes until golden. If they are ready, remove and set them aside.

Heat some sesame seed oil in the same work and stir fry the bok choy for around 4 minutes. When they are ready, place them on a plate.

To cook the prawns, remove them from the marinade (but don't throw it away), heat some more oil in the wok and cook the prawns on both sides until golden. If the prawns are ready add the marinade and cook until it reduces slightly. Finally, place the prawns on bok choy, pour over the sauce and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Recipe from taste.com.au