#12 Broccoli Soup

I wanted to experiment and learn how to make a tasty "western" soup in order to complete a "set menu" should I ever want to invite guests over or make a full blown 3-5 course meal for my family. Since I'm on a Ramsay craze, I thought I might as well make a Ramsay inspired soup. In Ramsay's original soup, he finishes it off with walnuts and goat cheese, which instantly makes the soup look ridiculous expensive. Where am I to buy big slices of goat cheese without spending a fortune? And the last time I checked, I did NOT enjoy goat milk or it's products. So I'm going to opt for a friendly choice and top it off with sauteed wild mushrooms and bacon.

#12 Broccoli Soup

Ingredients.
1 Broccoli .............................................13NT
Mushrooms ..........................................10NT
Bacon
Water
Salt & Pepper
Olive oil
TOTAL: 23NT

On the second thought, I'm going to try another variation since I have a piece of mozzarella and some walnuts, might as well experiment.

Doesn't it look beautiful? A dupe of Ramsay's gorgeous goat cheese serving.
The broccoli soup is absolutely delicious! It DOES taste like there's 20 different ingredients in it but in fact it's full on broccoli on broccoli. Never going to have trouble coming up with a western soup again! And surprisingly the cheese and walnuts blend in perfectly, although I've gotten good compliments for the mushroom and bacon combination as well. I think the broccoli soup base really invites many many different combinations and interpretations, well done Ramsay! Simple but delivered to perfection.

#11 Flatbreads with Lemon Thyme and Ricotta

For the longest time, I've been hearing about the health benefits of "cottage" and "ricotta" cheese as great sources of protein, easy to go snacks, and possible accelerator for weight loss.

However, for the life of me I have NEVER seen cottage cheese, this legendary super-cheese ANYWHERE in Taiwan. (And as for ricotta, it's insanely expensive and one can only find it at those fancy supermarkets at 101. As with most things that I cannot find, I began my quest of making it myself...To my great discovery...IT'S EASY!
Cottage Cheese 

Ingredients.
2 cups of Milk ..........................38NT
1 lemon (juice) ..........................9NT
Salt to taste
TOTAL: 47NT

Heat milk up to 50-60 degrees, turn off the heat before the milk boils!
Stir in the lemon juice and just let the pot sit for 30+minutes.

Place your cheese cloth over a large bowl. Pour the contents in your pot over your cheese cloth and squeeze squeeze squeeze! Soon you will be left with liquid whey and a ball of crumbly delicious cottage cheese!

Doesn't it look like a snowball? Mmmmmmmmmmmmm beautiful.

Ricotta Cheese

Ingredients.
Leftover whey

Boil and strain.

As a Taiwanese, how could we NOT love Scallion Pancakes?!
Chewy, flaky, and savory. One of my all-time favorite guilty pleasure. Served both in classy Chinese restaurant or simply in one of those food stalls right on the street - a classic night markets treat.

However, scallion pancakes are dubbed one of the most high-calorie snacks in Taiwan. Not only does the pastry itself contain a high amount of lard (to retain it's chewy flaky texture), more oil is used while frying, enhancing it's flavor and making it smell absolutely delightful, but quite detrimental to our health.

So when I came across Ramsay's leek flatbreads... I couldn't wait to try it. This recipe seems to be the IDEAL compromise. A much MUCH healthier version of our traditional snack.


#11 Quick Flatbreads with Lemon Thyme and Ricotta

Ingredients.
Green onions ..........................................20NT
All purpose multi-grain flour ....................10NT
Butter, olive oil ........................................5NT
Ricotta cheese ........................................24NT
1/2 Lemon  .............................................10NT
Warm Water
Thyme
TOTAL: 69NT