Pumpkin and Potato Stew

I usually park at the Minoru Park parking lot when I go to the Caring Place Community Kitchen. It’s just a short walk away. Today, I was greeted by some awesome full bloom cherry blossoms in Minoru Park. It was a breath-taking sight. The cherry blossoms never fail to marvel me.

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There were many people armed with cameras at the Minoru Park. How can I miss out this opportunity.

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I like the fullness of this variety of cherry blossoms. Do you know what is the name of this variety?

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Back to the Community Kitchen, Minoo shared a Pumpkin and Potato Stew along with the Broccoli Salad I blogged earlier. This is such a simple recipe that Zoe helped Minoo to prepare the dish while Minoo ran to the store to get the beans which she missed out in her grocery shopping.

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The Pumpkin and Potato Stew is a one pot meal which is complete with protein, carbohydrate, vitamins and fiber. A good recipe for a lazy day.

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 to 4 potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  • 1/2 can chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce
  • 1 tomato, chopped (optional if using tomato sauce)
  • 1 can pumpkin puree
  • 1 can of beans (butter beans or Lima beans), rinsed and drained
  • salt, sugar and pepper to taste
  • chili and paprika to taste (optional)

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Click on the link below for the instructions.

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Chicken Stew

This Chicken Stew is Andrea’s grandmother’s recipe. She told us that this recipe has been in the family for a long time. The Chicken Stew is a white sauce stew enriched with red wine. Andrea said she would add in more red wine at the end of the cooking to have a more intense flavour broth.

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Andrea served the Chicken Stew with steamed rice and broccoli. The broth from the Chicken Stew goes very well with steamed rice.

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Ingredients

  • 1 stewing chicken
  • vegetables like onion, tomatoes, cabbage and herbs like parsley, thyme or rosemary for boiling the chicken to make chicken stock
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup red wine
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup of cream
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 3 cloves
  • salt to taste

Click on the link below for the instructions.

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Stewed Pork in Brown Sauce

Winnie kicked off the South Arm Community Kitchen cooking class for the year 2007 with two pork dishes. She made Stewed Pork in Brown Sauce and Stir-fried Pork with Bamboo Shoots.

These pork dishes are very common dishes cook in the home of Chinese families. The gravy from these dishes goes really well with steam rice. Kids can just gobble up the rice with the gravy alone. Make sure you cook extra rice when you make such dishes.

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Winnie also treated us with some abalone to celebrate the start of a new year. Abalone is a kind of shellfish which is served during auspicious celebration like Chinese New Year, Wedding and Birthday. It is an expensive delicacy. Winnie, thank you for your generosity.

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Besides that, Winnie also shared with us some Pizza Pretzels while waiting for the dishes to be cooked.

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Here is the recipe for the Stewed Pork in Brown Sauce.

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs pork (butt or bacon with skin on), cut into 1 1/2 inches pieces
  • 1/4 cup pork rind (optional)
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup garlic cloves
  • 2 star anise
  • 1 cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 2 cups water
  • salt to taste

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Click on the link below for the instructions.

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