Vegan Canape's

One week from today, I will throw my graduation / new job party. It will be held in the cafe that belongs to restaurant 't Koetshuys I blogged about earlier. As it happens, I'll be making my own canapes / snacks / bites. To cater for people who are following a somewhat vegan diet, I decided to practice today making vegan canapes. Because it was a rather impulsive idea, I just took some things from the cupboard.

I first cooked polenta for 40 minutes (with vegetable stock), then spread it out on an oven tray and let it bake for 30 minutes in the oven. It was still wet after 30 minutes, so I put it under the grill for an additional 7 minutes.

Next, I cooked some frozen shelled broad beans, and after they were cooked, I shelled them a second time. I mashed them with garlic, pepper and salt. I divided the polenta into three pieces and spread the bean paste on two pieces. Next, I stacked the three layers onto each other and cut them into square pieces, small enough to fit the paper cups.

To finish, I put a little dot of chili sauce on top, and presto, there you have it: vegan canapes!

I always thought vegan couldn't possibly be tasting good. So, I let N taste them, and, as she so kindly put it: "You've cooked better tasting things in the past!". It's true. Sorry to all you vegan people out there, but I just can't help it: to make things really appetizing, I think you will need some animal produce in the end. So, until next week, I'll try coming up with better tasting vegan recipes.

Onion rings

Second post for catching up: Onion Rings.

McDonald's onion rings to be exact. Now, I don't want to digress on my lack of flavour or good taste for going to the Mac, but I just had to post these because they're great!

Okay, I'll digress just a little, just to state the reason for going there.

You see, yesterday I was working at a spot which was a two-hour-drive away from home, so when I had finished working at about 17:45, I couldn't help but notice those well-known yellow arches that seemed to point at a solution for my growling stomach and the prospect of still being two hours away from home.

I was rather starving, so anything would have tasted great at that moment, I think. I opted for the temporarily available Union Rings (the non-vegetarian (?!) onion rings) with chili sauce, a simple hamburger and a medium coke.

I first tried the onion rings, and they were the best onion rings I ever tasted. I thought they even tasted better than those of the BK... Also, they came with two cups of chili sauce. I saved one.

The first sip of coke I took tasted like it was the best drink I ever had. Likewise, the first bite of my hamburger tasted like... you get it, the best hamburger ever.

All in all, I think I must have been really hungry.

Anyway, when I got back in Groningen, I was still a little hungry, so I stopped again at the local McDonald's.

This time, I took two portions of the Union Rings, hoping to recreate the first taste-sensation, and the temporarily available 'California Classic' burger which went with the 'Great American Tastes' themed weeks.

The onion rings were a little disappointing. Obiously, not being entirely starved anymore, they didn't have that first-time taste-sensation. Also, they had been deep-fried a little too long, so they there were some burnt pieces. They were soggier, and also there were no chili sauce cups included. Good thing I had saved one of the other cups.

The burger then: it was good. An oblong shaped bun with a large patty, two types of sauces, some lettuce and bacon rashers. At least, that's what I could discern. There was some spiciness in either of the ingredients, couldn't quite figure out what exactly. I like to think it was a decent burger.

All in all, I guess the lesson learnt here is: when you're really starving, anything from the McDonald's will taste great. If you're just having a little appetite, just some things will taste good from the McDonald's.

KFC

Great was the day when the Colonel's descendants in all their wisdom bestowed upon us humble Groningers (inhabitants of Groningen, The Netherlands) our very own KFC restaurant. It truly made us wipe away a tear from our eye, we were touched in our hearts by the mere thought of being able to enjoy deep fried chicken goodness.
Well, A and me anyway. Nobody else around us seems to either care or even like it at all. N hates the fries (I guess she has a point, they tend to be more soggy). K doesn't know what's so special about it. Another K and H, whom I once took in the car back on our way home after a long day, found out several important pieces were missing from their order (like, 6 pieces of chicken or something like that). They only found out after I dropped them at the railway station. Of course we didn't ask for a receipt so there was no way of pointing out missing stuff to the KFC employees. H tried mailing the Dutch KFC headquarters, but apparently never got any response.

Well, all the more chicken for A and me! And great chicken it is. Because, let's face it, it's not the sides you're going to the KFC for. Fries? Nah. Drinks? Pepsi, no Coke. Okay, corn on the cob is a great side. But in the end, the chicken is the reason.

Today, N got home sick. I guess she has an ear infection. I made her some ramen with edamame, but then I was left with the question of what to have for dinner myself. Or, should I say, which fastfood joint I'd go to? There are two options if you're by car: McDonald's or the KFC. Since I went to the Mac the last time (see previous post) I decided to go to the KFC this time.
There are some advantages to taking your meal home, over eating at the restaurant itself: you can have your own sauces with your meal! That means, yes, having chili sauce with your chicken, and, no, not paying extra for mayonaise to go with the fries (Yes, we do that in Holland. Get over it). And, in case someone left the napkins out, you can just clean your hands (and face) anyway.

Amazingly, everything was in order this time when I ordered the Variety meal (somewhat different from the Variety box meal in the USA). It even included some napkins (which lately seem to be left out more and more). The Variety box included three hotwings, two strips and one smallish wing-thigh part thingy. There was a small pack of fries, some coleslaw and a 0.4L drink. I ate it all. It made me a happy Kurger.

Sunday Dinner

Sunday dinners usually allow me to spend a little more time on preparing the meal. This sunday, I made the dish above (or below, but it doesn't really matter of course, because they're different photos from the same dish).

I preheated the oven to 50^oC (122^oF) and put a steak in, and let it there for about half an hour. Meat apparently tends to cook at 50-60^oC (122-140^oF), but cooking at too high a temperature supposedly makes the collagen contract and thus squeezes out all the meat's juices, giving you a tough piece of meat. Therefore, cooking at a low temperature maintains the tenderness. However, it will take longer for the heat to reach the core of the meat, so you'll need to cook your meat longer. After cooking in the oven I fried the meat for exactly one minute on each side and let it rest five minutes, wrapped in tin foil.

I cut the meat to 2 mm slices and served them on top of a pile of fried mushrooms, which were put on top of a heap of napa cabbage (raw), mixed with some tinned corn kernels and a dressing of chili sauce and pickle juice (the acidity of the pickle juice cut nicely through the sugary richness of the chili sauce, and the heat of the chili saus gave it all an extra zest).

I drizzled two tablespoons of chimichurri on top, which I had made two hours in advance, using parsley, cilantro, two garlic cloves, balsamic vinegar and oregano perfumed olive oil. On top of that a nice hand of alfalfa.

Alongside it I scooped some leftover couscous salad, which was previously made with stock welded couscous, fried bacon rinds, garlic and herb olives, parsley, cilantro, deseeded, skinned and diced tomatoes and diced cucumber.

I must say, it was a nice experiment which turned out pretty okay. N. loved it and it looked quite good. Surprisingly, the flavours mixed quite well. The acidity and heat of the cabbage/corn contrasted the hearty flavour of the beef and mushrooms, which in turn were complemented by the freshness of the chimichurri and the alfalfa. A lot of raw vegetables made sure it was a healthy meal, together with the fact that we shared just one steak amongst the two of us - something which I never thought would do for a meatlover like myself :)