One Perfect Ingredient – THE ROUND-UP!

The round up for the One Perfect Ingredient event is here! The ingredients are listed alphabetically, so please scroll down to check them all! 

It’s getting very late and I’m tired, so I haven’t had a chance to organise the draw for 5 lucky winners of Marcus Wareing’s fantastic cookbook. I’m sorry to keep you waiting, but this will be published tomorrow!

Enjoy the round-up!

Many thanks to everyone who took part in this event!  

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ASPARAGUS

My entry for this event features asparagus, and includes three delicious recipes on how to cook this gorgeous vegetable: Boiled Asparagus with Eggs, Istrian Frittata and Asparagus and Feta Frittata.

 

BANANAS

 

Pixie from You Say Tomahto, I Say Tomayto has a bit of a history with bananas: she is notorious for having leftover bananas around and feeling obligated to bake something rather than throwing them out. This time, she shares the perfect recipe for her perfect ingredient – bananas! Please check out this gorgeous Chocolate banana bread!

 

BELL PEPPERS

Deeba is Passionate About Baking, and about – bell peppers! Why? Because they “pair well with vegetarian & non-vegetarian fare, add colour to presentation & come with the added bonus of vitamin C and vitamin A (through its concentration of carotenoids such as beta-carotene), two very powerful antioxidants.” And her passion certainly shows through these 3 delicious recipes: ‘Roasted Bell Pepper Coulis, ‘Spring Salad with Bell Peppers & Cherry Tomatoes’ and ‘Grilled Pepper Slices’ & ‘Bell Pepper Dip with garlic & basil’.

 

BIRD’S EYE CHILIES

Thip from Bonbini! adores bird’s eye chilies. I must admit, those fiery little devils have me in thrall, too! Thip showcases three amazing Thai recipes, her personal favourites, and three techniques of cooking with bird’s eye chilies: ‘Spicy Holy Basil Chicken or Pad Gapao Gai in Thai (sauteing technique)’, ‘Spicy Papaya Salad or Som Tum in Thai (seasoning technique) & ‘Spicy, sweet and sour soup or Tom Yum in Thai (simmering technique)’.

 

CHOCOLATE

Just look at this photo! Double Chocolate Raspberry Tart. Do I need to say anything at all about this, when the photo speaks for itself more eloquently than I’d ever be able to? Ladies and Gentlemen, Nicisme from Cherrapeno is responsible for this sinful delight!

 

GRENADA CHOCOLATE

I’m not sure that my ticky-ticker can stand this much chocolate at once:  Warm: Grenada chocolate in a Choc-o-Latte,  Cool: Grenada chocolate in a mousse & Frozen: Grenada chocolate in Stracciatella ice cream. Not that I’d refuse if offered some… Sigh… Anyhow, back to reality: Alexandra from Addicted Sweet Tooth uses a special type of chocolate, Grenada chocolate. In her own words, Grenada chocolate ‘has these subtle notes of herbs that I really like. The label mentions flowers too, but I would tend to say “fruity” instead.

 

HAZELNUTS

Linda from make life sweater!  is a creative and accomplished baker, and hazelnuts are one of her new favourite ingredients. She makes these simple but gorgeous Hazelnut Cookies to show off their wonderful flavour! 

 

LAMB

Sylvie from A Pot of Tea and a Biscuit adores lamb! She loves ‘it in all kinds of different ways, slow cooked in curries or stews, minced in burgers or kofta and as a wonderful roast, seasoned with garlic, rosemary and lemon. It’s just so versatile, full of flavour and really not difficult to get right at all.’ This time she makes Youvetsi, a delectable Greek stew with lamb, tomato and orzo.

 

SALMON

Over at Student Homemaker, Ashley says that her perfect ingredient is salmon: ‘the taste of the fish is fantastic, and the texture adorable. Then there’s that fantastic orange-raw pink-cooked colour! I believe it to be the best fish to eat. And my favourite way to cook salmon is my Seed Crusted Salmon‘.

 

SPINACH

I love Wendy’s (A Wee Bit of Cooking) introduction to spinach: “Beloved by Popeye, despised by young children”. In any case, spinach is most definitely one of Wendy’s most treasured ingredients and one she always has at home.  Spinach is very good for us and very versatile.  High in vitamins A, K, C and B, spinach features almost daily in her cooking. This colourful dish of Bulgar with Spinach is currently her favourite way of cooking it!

 

TOMATOES

Tomatoes, either in tinned or fresh form, definitely deserve some recognition! Marie from A Year From Oak Cottage wows with this delicious recipe for Winter and Summer Tomato Soup. Marie’s “motto has always been . . . if you have a tin of tomatoes in . . . you always have a meal ready and waiting. They’re so very versatile. Mixed with some garlic and herbs you have a delicious sauce to be poured over pasta. Drain and add a cheese sauce along with some cooked macaroni, and you have the most moreish macaroni and cheese that you could ever want to eat.”

 

Vegeyum from A Life (Time) of Cooking makes this comforting Rustic Tomato Soup with Feta. She enjoys cooking with tomatoes, and uses them in salads, sandwiches, pastas and vegetable hot pots. Check out her blog for more delicious ideas!  

 

WHIPPED CREAM

Ivy from Kopiaste, to Greek Hospitality says her perfect ingredient is whipped cream. She  always has whipping cream at home as she use it in many foods, including ice creams, many sauces, soups, and some custard bases as well as for decorating cakes. This time, she used it to cleverly turn a batch of ruined cookies into a beautiful and creative dessert. Please check out Ivy’s Pecan cookies dessert!

 

YOGHURT

Mallika from Quick Indian Cooking has 4 very good reasons why yogurt is her favourite ingredient: “1. it is a low-fat substitute for cream; 2. because it thickens curries without the need for dubious additions; 3. it softens and tenderises meats; AND has heaps of health benefits!”  What more could you wish for? Apart from a fabulous recipe for Zafrani gosht, a simple, tender saffron goat meat curry. This is certainly inspiration enough to use this fantastic ingredient!

 

That’s all for tonight!

Come back tomorrow to check out the winners of the competition!  

 

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Posted by Maninas on 12 April, 2008

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