Boston Clam Chowder

Just one of many Chowders, but this one must be a favorite for me. First discovered when I went to Faneuil Hall, a buzzing Marketplace in Boston, where it was served in a delicious Sourdough Bread Bowl.

Here is the picture I took then, with Didi, my traveling rubber Dragon.

I have made a version of Chowder before and called it Brighton Clam Chowder as it had some extra ingredients that would not be authentic. But today I am sticking to the basic recipe. 

Potatoes, Clams, Clam Juice, Broth, Cream and Onions. No more. 

Ok, if you want you can add Bacon, Celery and  Parsley, but that's it.

The ingredients: (serves 2 @ 5 WeightWatchers Points each)

300g Floury Potatoes, diced small

1 white Onion, diced

1 small tin of Chopped Clams in Clam Juice

250ml Chicken Broth

a pinch of Nutmeg, Salt and White Pepper

1 tbs thick Cream (I use the low fat variety)

Sautee the Onion in a suitable cooking pot until translucent. Add the Potatoes and the Clam Juice and top with Chicken Broth until just covered. Simmer on a low heat with a lid for about 20 minutes until the Potatoes are soft, really soft, so soft they fall apart when stirred.

Sir in the chopped Clams and Cream and season to taste with a pinch of Salt, White Pepper and a grating of fresh Nutmeg.

To serve you'll need those little dry and cardboard like crackers. Actually you won't need those, they add nothing to this lovely dish. But if you can get hold of the Sourdough Bread Bowl, then I envy you! They are fantastic and I love them. I only have a plain old China bowl for my chowder, but nonetheless I can't wait to tuck in!

I couldn't resist adding a bit of greenery at the end, though maybe a sprinkling of Parsley would have been the ideal garnish.

Paella

I am so looking forward to returning to Barcelona in a week's time that I had to make one of the Spanish Classics, Paella, today, just to keep the excitement at bay.

It's actually not difficult to make at all and can be varied in many many ways to suit your taste buds.

My version includes Chicken, Prawns, Scallops and of course Chorizo. But I would happily use Rabbit and some Clams or Mussels as well.

I also added a few extra vegetables just to keep the calories low and the healthy high.

Here are my ingredients for 6 portions (10 Weightwatchers Points each):

300g Paella Rice

1 small Chicken

100g Chorizo, halved then sliced

100g raw shelled Prawns

80g mini Scallops

a handful of frozen Peas

a small bunch of Asparagus, cut into 1 inch length

a handful of Sugar snap peas

1 red Pepper, roughly chopped

1 red Onion, diced

2 garlic Cloves, sliced

a pinch of Saffron

a scattering of chopped parsley

1 Lemon cut into 6 wedges for garnish

Here is what I did with the Chicken. To make good use of the whole bird I first used the good meat for the dish, which I carefully cut off the chicken and then cut into largish chunks. The skin and bones I made into the Stock, with which I then cooked the Paella. Once ready I infused the Saffron in the Stock to give it a lovely color.

In a large pan fry the Chicken Pieces in a little olive oil, then remove them onto a plate. Next the Chorizo, Red Pepper, Onion and Garlic go in and everything get's tossed and sizzles for a little while. Measure the 300g of rice in a Measuring jug, so you know how much volume of stock to add. It takes about 1 1/2 times as much stock as rice. Which works out about 350ml ish.

So now the rice goes in with a little stir to absorb flavor and color, before the Chicken pieces rejoin the pan and 2/3 of the hot stock. If the stock is seasoned nicely then there is no need for extra salt. The Chorizo also helps  to flavor the Paella. Bring to a simmer, then cover and turn the heat to low.

After about 10 minutes gently stir in the green vegetables and the rest of the hot Stock. After 5 more minutes scatter the seafood on top, or better still place it decoratively.

Cover again and after 5 more minutes turn off the heat and leave the Paella to sit for yet another 5 minutes.

Arrange the Lemon Wedges around the side, sprinkle with the Parsley and serve in the Pan to your delighted guests.

I want to apologise for the lack of quality of my pictures. I cannot find my Camera cable, since moving house, so I'm using my Phone camera, which isn't my perfect idea of Photography. But it'll have to do until my cable is found.

Poppadoms Restaurant Male

Why so many restaurant posts in Male? Well, there isn't really that much to do on this island and exploring restaurants is one of my favorite things to do!

I have heard many good things about this place, like the food is proper spicy (which I love) and the curry's are authentic, but one thing put me off coming here. There is only one chef according to 'legend' and he doesn't cope well with bigger groups. So today I have come all by myself to experience his full attention to detail. 

I was surprised to find the usual Maldivian 'mish mash' menu of all manner of Asian dishes. From what I'd heard, I thought it was just Indian, so I ask the waiter for a recommendation of a spicy Fish Curry. He chose a curry I already had my eye on. Malabar Fish Curry. I have never seen the name before and am looking forward to hopefully discovering a new delicacy. There are a few other unusual names on the menu, so if this one is good I'll be back to check the others out! I am particularly intrigued about the Manchurian Curry...

After all the anticipation I was a little disappointed when my food arrived. None of it looked very appetizing at all. The Vegetable Pilau looked very plain with a lonely piece of Cauliflower resting on top. The Spinach in the Paneer was clearly from a tin and the Fish Curry had all but 2 pieces of Fish in it.

Still it is the taste that matters isn't it? Or am I trying to convince myself that this place must be good. Everyone said so...

Actually it wasn't bad. Not as spicy as I had hoped and definitely not as pretty as could be. But hey, I paid a very small price, so this is very good for what you expect to get.

It would be great if they would serve a Thali, so it's possible to have a variety of tastes to tantalize one's taste buds.

When I come here again I will check out some other Currys. The Mutton section looks pretty interesting. It's something we don't see often in the UK.

Poppadoms doesn't have a website, but it is located in Ameer Ahmed Magu on Male Island, not far from the Traders Hotel.

Sala Thai Restaurant Male

Since the old and very well liked Sala Thai Restaurant had to close, due to smoke damage from next door neighbors fire, the owner Thomas has reopened another one in a nearby location. Not only that, but a very nice boutique hotel and spa are also now part of it. 

I remember coming here a while ago when it first reemerged and not liking it too much. I thought it was too expensive compared to other Thai restaurants on Male island. I also really used to love sitting on the Thai style leaning cushions at the old place, which the new one no longer has.

But something changed. The atmosphere here is suddenly much more serene and calmly confident. I cannot describe what exactly makes it better, but I like it.

Sala Thai is from now on topping my former favorite Lemongrass Fifth, which has gone down hill badly. The price I pay at Sala Thai is worth my every penny. Consistent quality of food and service will always prevail. Naturally.

Today I had a meal that made me feel happy and satisfied. My beloved Tom Yum Soup with Seafood, a little rice and a fresh Pineapple Celery and Ginger Drink. All at just 10 delightful Weightwatchers points. So, considering my New Year resolutions, it also rated very highly.

The only problem is, I still haven't found an easy way to get the meat out of these crab claws... even with all the paraphernalia they give me to use...such a kerfuffle... any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Here a link to the Sala Thai Website: http://salafamilymaldives.com/index_salaThai.php

Sala Thai, Male, Buruneege
Republic of Maldives For Reservation: +(960) 334 5959 

Opening hours: Saturday-Thursday 12 noon until 12 midnight
Friday 18 - midnight

Smoked Salmon and Tuna Fishcakes

I used about 200g of cooked floury Potatoes and mixed in a small tin of drained Tuna, (the brined variety). Then I chopped up about 3 slices of smoked Salmon and added this to the mix. A beaten Egg followed and a small handful of Panko Breadcrumbs. I seasoned with Salt and fresh ground Pepper and mixed everything together with a fork.

I left this mix in the fridge to get acquainted overnight. Today I shaped 4 palm sized Patties and fried them in a hot pan coated with cooking spray for about 4 minutes each side, just to heat them through thoroughly and give them a bit of colour and crust.

To go with it, I prepared a simple Caper sauce from a low fat Mayonnaise spiked with brined Capers and some of their juice and a touch of mustard. 

Served with a few salady bits and Lemon Wedges, this made my yummy lunch at only 4 Weightwatchers points for what you see on the plate :-)

Bon Apetit!

Tortilla Wrap Pizzas

Need something else to do with your leftovers? Feeling a bit guilty from all the overindulging? Yes, I do.
So today I made skinny guilt free Pizzas!
Yes, such thing does exist.

Take ordinary flour tortilla wraps and use them as a pizza base. Spread them with fresh tomatoes mixed with some tomato puree and seasoned with Salt, Pepper and Oregano.
Then use a low fat Mozzarella and dot that around. I also used a German cheese called Hand Cheese or Harzer, which has a surprising 0.5% fat!!! They should start making that here in the UK, I propose.
Anyway, now top with your favorite toppings, but do not overcrowd. Veggies of all sort make a healthy beginning, but Turkey or Ham (or both) add the seasonal touch.
Bake in a hot oven (as hot as it goes) for 10 minutes or until the edges start to crisp and the cheese is melted.
You must try this, I know you'll love it :-D

Eastern Mediterranean Lamb Stew

This slow and low cooked stew is my creation inspired by Greek, Turkish and other ingredients from that part of the World. I can imagine it is the sort of thing that is cooking right this moment in someones country kitchen wood fired stove on a beautiful Mediterranean island.

The aromas developing, teasing you for a long while before you get to taste the delicious result, will make your house smell of hearty home cooked fayre.

So here is how I made it.

Ingredients:

1 kg diced Lamb (fairly lean)

3 Onions, sliced

3 Garlic Cloves, smashed

2 Turkish Peppers (or 1 Bell Pepper)

12 Pitted Olives (I used a few of each variety)

1 Rosemary Stalk

3 Bayleafes

5 Cloves

1 Cinnamon Stick

1 tbs dried Oregano

1 dried long red Chilli

1 can of chopped Tomatoes

100ml Chicken Stock

Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

Start by browning the Lamb in a heavy based pot or dutch oven. Do it in batches to give the pieces enough space to get a good color. Remove all the meat onto a plate and add the Onions to the Pot. Stir these around for a while before returning the meat and the rest of the ingredients apart from the Olives. Bring everything to a simmer and cover. The Pot can now stay on the stove and cook on a very low heat or go in the oven at 150C. Either way it takes about 3 hours to make this stew melt in the mouth tender. The olives can join the stew about 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

I was wondering what would be best to accompany this stew and have decided on Orzo, a Rice shaped Pasta. Mashed Potato would be good also or Potato dumplings. But then it wouldn't really be proper Mediterranean, would it.

I also made some Dolmades to snack on while waiting and a filo pastry stuffed with Spinach and Feta.

Bon Apetit!