Day 22: Today I got a burst of inspiration and motivation to cook an actual dinner. I say ‘actual’ because lately, I’ve been so fatigued and distracted that I’ve been eating bagels and cream cheese, or cereal, or a random-selection-of-whatever-is-in-the-cupboard. It was rainy and a bit cooler out today so thought making something warm and soothing wouldn’t be entirely inappropriate. We’ve had a large package of rice vermicelli in the cupboard for ages so I wanted to do something with that. I did a bit of recipe searching and stumbled upon this colourful, bursting-with-flavour soup. Vermicelli is usually used in Asian cooking ( I always think of Vietnamese food), but this recipe has an obvious Mexican twist.
I added some white wine to the soup stock for more flavour (hey, it was just lying around, might as well!), and since I didn’t have any jalapeno or green chilies (I somehow lost the one I bought during the 3 block walk home from the grocery store…), I just used some red chili flakes instead. I also omited the cheese and the avocado, because I couldn’t find a ripe one (they are so temperamental!)
For dessert, I made a watermelon granita! It’s always nice to balance out the hot with the cold.
It would be perfect for a hot summer day in the park, but it also works for a foggy, rainy cool evening in the living room!
Ingredients
- 4cups(1 3/4 pounds) cubed seedless watermelon (from a 4-lb. melon)
- 1/2cupsugar
- 1tablespoonfresh lime juice
Preparation
Purée all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into a 9x9x2″ metal baking pan. Freeze mixture for 1 hour. Stir, mashing any frozen parts with the back of a fork. Cover and freeze mixture until firm, about 2 hours. Using a fork, scrape granita vigorously to form icy flakes. DO AHEADCan be made 3 days ahead. Cover tightly with foil and keep frozen. Give it a quick scrape before serving.Read More http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2011/06/watermelon-granita#ixzz1Q4JF3t4e
Here’s a tasty looking boozy version
Mmm, definitely had a mouth orgasm tonight!
What’s your favourite thing to cook?
Where do you find your cooking inspiration?
What are your favourite food blogs?