Korean Garden

So my friend Pascal and I got together to try Korean Garden. Actually I wanted to go to Yokiyo but apparently they don't take reservations for the DIY bbq if you're just a party of two :(

At Korean Garden they serve a very acceptably priced mix and match set meal for either €22,50 (set A) or  €25,50 (set B). So we gave it a go and ordered the B set. That got us a salad with fried chicken and fried salmon, surimi crabcakes, tempura vegetables and beef bulgogi. The food was ok, but was missing the strong spicy flavors that typify Korean cuisine. Staff was attentive but as the place wasn't very busy they seemed to not really know what to do with themselves. Overall we had an ok diner but this was a typical one-time-is-enough-visit.
* As it took me quite some time to actually write about this diner, Korean Garden now has a shared dining concept for €20 p/p. I thought I'd mention that for those of you that would like to check them out.

Absent but presently active!

I'm so sorry I haven't written anything in over a month! It's actually really stupid cause I had all kinds of stuff I wanted to share with you. But basically things have been... turbulent. Mostly to do with my inner restlessness. As it stands I'm booked to leave on THE-big-leap-of-faith-trip-into-China-or-wherever-faith-will-carry-me end of September. Really really BIG! So needless to say there are a lot of decisions to be made. I find most of them to be incredibly daunting and hard! You see, I don't want to limit myself but realistically I need to cut things to improve my chances of actually succeeding. SO HARD!

Ok, so in the past few months I've been trying very hard to land a job on my own. This has lead to countless of disappointing and frustrating moments. There are many agencies and people out there trying to make a buck of people like me. Personally I find that if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Niws, right now I'm still in the running for a few positions but in all honesty I'm more hopeful than optimistic.

So that being said I will try to post as much of my culinary adventures before I leave. After that who knows when I'll be able and willing to actually cook/bake for myself again...

Courgette Quiche

Another lovely quiche recipe that's easy and delicious. Perfect for a summer-ish meal and keeps great in the fridge! I used the same crust recipe as for my Spinach Quiche, but without the cheese.
I once made this as a kosher version by making the crust out of pulverized matzes and using potato flour instead of regular flour. I didn't try the kosher version myself, but my cousin (for whom it was intended) told me I would be in charge of kosher quiche till the end of time. I guess he must have liked it ;)

Ingredients crust:

• 125 gr unsalted butter
• 250 gr flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 egg yolks (medium eggs)
• 2-3 tbsp ice water

Ingredients filling:

• olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• 2 courgettes, grated
• dried Italian herbs (think thyme, oregano, basil etc.)
• nutmeg, salt and pepper for seasoning
• 100 gr cream cheese
• 4 eggs
• 100 gr matured cheese, grated
• 3 tbsp flour

Directions crust:

1. Sieve flour, butter and salt in a mixing bowl. Crumble the butter with your hands or a fork.
2. Now add the ice water to the egg yolks and whisk together. Add to your flour mixture. 
3. Mix in the egg with a fork then continue kneading it into a dough with your hands. Once you have a well blended dough, wrap it up in plastic foil and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 min.
4. Roll out the dough so it's approximately 0,5 cm thick.  Place in your quiche pan and trim of any excesses. With a fork prick holes over the bottom. 
5. Place some wax paper on top and pour in some dried beans*. Bake blind in oven for 10-15 min. Then brush with some egg wash and bake again for another 5-10 minutes.

Directions filling

1. Sprinkle some salt over the grated courgette and place in a clean dry kitchen towel. Leave to stand for a few minutes and then squeeze out the excess juices. 
2. Sauté onion and garlic in some olive oil until cooked. Add in the courgette and season with Italian herbs, freshly ground pepper and salt.
3. In a large mixing bowl place cream cheese, grated cheese and eggs and mix together with a fork.
4. Add cooked courgette and mix through. Next add the flour and mix together.
5. Pour the courgette cheese mixture in your baked crust.
6. Place quiche in oven and bake in 30-45 minutes.