After a long weekend of eating out, I was relieved to be back in my kitchen cooking my own meals. I don’t know what it is but it’s really hard for me to constantly be eating out. I love the idea, but the food just tasted utterly heavy and it weighed me down. Not to mention how overly and heavily seasoned some of the meals are, I felt disgusted after eating!
I love dim sum. My friend Lisa and I meet up once a week or once every other week for lunch at our favorite dim sum spot. There’s something about dumplings I find very comforting. Pork and Preserved Egg Congee, also known as Jook or Porridge is a common item you’ll find at a lot of dim sum restaurants. I used to love ordering this dish but by the time when I’m done eating, I’m already halfway full which doesn’t leave me a lot of room for other dishes. I now make them at home whenever I have a craving. It’s usually when I’m under the weather or when the weather is gloomy. Neither was the case today, I just felt like having something soothing.
I made this dish for Nelson and Kimi a couple of weeks ago when they came over for dinner. Nelson is on a diet with minimum carbs or no carbs. Since I have to have a little carb, I made this dish to please everyone’s dietary needs. At the end of the night, there was absolutely no leftover —it’s that tasty. So tasty that I made it again last night. It’s best served with warm crusty bread. I love it when the sauce gets absorbed by the bread and gives it all that flavor. Instead of using canned diced tomatoes in this stew, I thought roasted mini heirloom tomatoes would give it a bit more elegance and flavor. Enjoy!
This recipe was inspired by Massi of Massi’s Kitchen. Massi did a post on Risotto agli Scampi al profumo di Prosecco in December using Prosecco and shrimp in his risotto dish. I have never cooked using Prosecco so I thought it would be interesting to try. Not only was it delicious, it looked beautiful and elegant to serve to company. So if you haven’t gone over to Massi’s Kitchen, take a look at some of his divine recipes!
Yesterday was Kimi’s birthday so I thought this would be the perfect dish to serve as a main course. As the appetizer course, I served a Spicy Tuna Poke Crostini which I will post at another time. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food and went home with a happy belly. So if you are looking for a dish on those special occasions, this would be good one to make. Happy Birthday Kimi!
I know the photo doesn’t look like much but this bread is sooooooo good, especially when it’s served warm. The pepper really gives this bread a kick and pairs so nicely with the chorizo and manchego. I think next time, I would use some rosemary and parmesan cheese with some coarse sea salt on top. Enjoy!
uni homemaker 