Pasta with Anchovies and Breadcrumbs

August 25th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

I love this Sicilian style spaghetti.

It’s quite unusual that sprinkle breadcrumbs over pasta. But the crispy toasted breadcrumbs add a nice crunchy texture and a nice flavour contrast to the anchovy sauce.

I wish I was at the beach right now, somewhere like Sicily, even though I swim like a rock.

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— Pasta with Anchovies and Breadcrumbs (serves 2) —

200g spaghetti

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

10 anchovy fillets in olive oil, drained and chopped

1 teaspoon red cilli flakes

*****

— for breadcrumbs mixture —

40g breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon parsley, chopped

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To make breadcrumbs: peel and lightly crush the garlic cloves, place into a frying-pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Fry the garlic until golden, then remove and discard.

Add the breadcrumbs in the frying-pan and stir-fry over medium heat until crisp and golden. Set aside.

Transfer the breadcrumbs to a plate, leave to cool. Add the parmesan cheese and chopped parsley, mix everything well. Set aside.

*****

To make anchovy sauce: Heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying-pan over low heat, add the chopped anchovies, breaking them up a wooden spoon until they dissolve into the oil. Add the chopped garlic and chilli flakes, stir-fry everything until the garlic became golden. Set aside.

*****

Add the spaghetti to lightly salted boiling water, cook until al dente (follow the package directions). Drain and return to the pan (keep 2 tablespoons of pasta water).

Add the anchovy sauce and 2 tablespoons of pasta water in the pan, toss well. Add half amount of the breadcrumbs and mix.

Transfer to serving plates, sprinkle with the remaining breadcrumbs.

Miso & Honey Roast Chicken

August 21st, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Sleepy Sunday. I love being lazy today.

This is a very easy but delicious chicken dish.

The combination of miso and honey makes an appetizing sweet & savoury flavour.

I’ll have another nap after the meal. Zzz…

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— Miso & Honey Roast Chicken (serves 2) —

4 chicken thighs (about 500g)

2 tablespoons miso paste (medium-coloured)

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon sake (rice wine)

1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

Some spring onion, finely sliced

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Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.

Mix the miso, sake and honey in a small bowl. Set aside.

Trim the excess skin and fat from the chicken thighs (leave just enough skin to cover the meat). Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper and coat the chicken with the sesame oil.

Place the chicken in a shallow roasting tin in a single layer. Bake for about 30 minutes.

Coat the miso mixture on top side of the chicken. Place under a grill and cook for 5 minutes until the miso paste became nicely brown.

Garnish with finely sliced spring onion.

Steamed Pork & Prawn Shumai

August 17th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Shumai is a traditinal Chinese dumpling  and it’s one of my favourite Dim Sum dish.

I added a little bit of Thai flavour into a basic pork and prawn shumai recipe and it works well.

Small but mighty dumplings.

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— Steamed pork & prawn Shumai (18 dumplings) —

200g minced pork

60g raw prawns, peeled, finely chopped

50g water chestnut, finely chopped

2 tablespoons coriander leaves, finely chopped

3 tablespoons corn flour

1 tablespoon fish sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

18 sheets won ton pastry

*****

— for garlic chips —

2 garlic cloves

3 vegetable oil

*****

— for dipping sauce —

3 tablespoons soya sauce

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

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To make garlic chips: cut the garlic cloves into very thin slices. Heat the oil in a small pan over law heat and sauté the chopped garlic until golden brown. Drain the excess oil on kitchen papers.

To make dipping sauce: mix soy sauce and rice vinegar in a small bowl.

*****

Place all the dumpling ingredients except for the won ton pastry.

Mix everything until the ingredients are well combined.

Hold a wonton pastry sheet on your palm, spoon 1 tablespoon of filling mixture on to the middle of the pastry, gather up the pastry and lightly squeeze the top of edges together, leaving the top open.

Place the dumplings in a steamer. Steam over boiling water for about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle with crushed garlic chips and serve with the dipping sauce.

Crispy Potato and Bacon Fritters

August 14th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

I love British potatoes. They are simply delicious.

I’ve leaned many variety of potato dishes since I moved to England. Baked, fried, boiled or grilled… potatoes are true all rounders.

This fritter recipe is used Japanese tempura cooking method. It’s light, crispy and the smoked bacon delivers an extra addictive flavour.

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— Crispy Potato and Bacon Fritters (serves 2)—

1 large floury potato (250g), such as Maris Piper, Desiree

80g smoked bacon

5 tablespoons plain flour

3 tablespoons ice cold water

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Some flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Some ground black pepper

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Heat deep-frying oil to 340F/170C in a deep pan.

Peel the potato and shred. Cut the bacon into fine strips.

Place the ice cold water in a large bowl, add the flour lightly mix. Add the shredded potato and bacon in the bowl, toss to coat with the butter.

Pick up one-tenth of the potato mixture with a cooking tong and gently drop into the oil (the butter act as ‘glue’ to keep the mixture together).

Deep-fry until crisp and golden.

Drain well on kitchen papers to remove any excess oil.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and ground black pepper.

Strawberry Eclairs

August 10th, 2011 § 3 comments § permalink

I just needed to make something sweet & cute today.

A lot of terrible and sad things have happened in England the last few days… Enough.

Pink glitter eclairs. It makes me smile.

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— Strawberry Eclairs (about 16)—

110g plain flour

85g butter

3 eggs (medium size)

A pinch of salt

200ml water

20-30 strawberries, hulled and halved 

*****

— for custard cream filling—

2 egg yolks

75g granulated sugar

200cc milk

1 tablespoon plain flour

1 tablespoon corn flour

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

A few drops of vanilla extract

*****

— for whipping cream filling—

200ml Double cream

2 tablespoons granuted sugar

*****

— for topping —

100g white chocolate, finely chopped

A few drops of pink food colouring

A few drops of strawberry flavour extract

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Preheat the oven to 400F/200C.

Put the butter, salt and water in a pan, stirring constantly until butter is melted. Increase heat and bring the butter mixture to the boil.

Reduce the heat, add the flour in the pan at once and stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a stiff ball for about 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Fill a pastry bag with the mixture, pipe out lines of the mixture about 10cm long fingers on a baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat temperature to 325F/160C and bake for a further 15 minutes. Transfer the eclairs to a wire rack, leave them to cool completely.

Slice the eclair horizontally in half with a serrated knife, fill the bottom of eclair with custard cream and then the whipping cream, arrange a few strawberries on top, sandwich together with the eclair lid spread the melted pink chocolate on top of the eclair lid and decorate as you like.

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To make custard cream: Sift the flour and corn flour together, set aside. Heat the milk and a few drops of vanilla extract in a small sauce pan until warm. Place the yolks and sugar in a bowl and beat them until white, add the sifted flour mixture, mix well. Add the warm milk in the bowl and stir to combine well. Transfer the custard mixture in a pan,  Heat the custard over low heat and stir constantly until thickened. Remove form the heat and add the melted butter and mix well. Leave to cool completely.

To make whipping cream: Place the double cream and sugar, whip until peak form.

To make pink icing: Melt the white chocolate in a bowl over a pan of hot water, turn offo the heat and add a few drops of pink food colouring and strawberry flavour extract, stir to combine.

Nectarine Tart

August 6th, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink

Nectarine is in season and so delicious right now.

This is a cute rustic nectarine tart, very easy to make!

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— Nectarine Tart (7 inch round)—

100g apricot jam

50g unsalted butter

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

300g shortcrust pastry

3 tablespoons ground almond

3 large nectarines (550g)

1 tablespoon melted butter (for brush)

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Preheat the oven to 400F.

Place the apricot jam, butter, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan, melt together over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface board into a round about 8 inch diameter.

Place pastry round on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the ground almond evenly over the pastry, leaving 1.2 inch border.

Cut the nectarines (no need to peel), arrange the nectarine in ring on the pastry, leaving 1.2 inch rim around the outside. Roll the rim up around the nectarine.

Brash the rim with melted butter. Drizzle the apricot jam mixture on the nectarine evenly.

Bake for about 40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown.

Okonomiyaki

August 3rd, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Okonomiyaki is a very popular Japanese savory pancake.

The name “Okonomiyaki” means “cook what/as you like”. The base ingredients are usually flour-batter and cabbage, then your favourite toppings (meat, seafood and vegetable etc.) are blended into the batter. I chose vegetables and cheese for my Okonomiyaki this time.

It’s a hot summer day in London today, almost too hot for me, my head is spinning around, and the sauces are spinning around on Okonomiyaki too.

Spinning around round round.

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— Okonomiyaki (serves 4) —

— for the batter —

150g plain flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

200ml dashi stock (about dashi, vegetarian dashi)

50g yam, peeled and grinded (option)

*****

4 eggs

700g cabbage

100g spring onion

8 dried shiitake mushrooms

4 tablespoons red pickled ginger (beni-shoga)

100g cheddar cheese

Vegetable oil for frying

*****

— for the sauce —

*Okonomiyaki-sauce is available at Japanese grocery store, or you can make the similar sauce; mix the following ingredients

4 tablespoons brown sauce

1 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 tablespoon brown sugar

*****

Some mayonnaise

Some green nori-seaweed sprinkle (aonori)

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Mix the flour, baking powder, the dashi stock and grinded yam in a bowl. Cover with cling film and rest the batter for at least 1 hour in the fridge.

Meanwhile, prepare the toppings; soak the dried shiitake mushrooms for 15 minutes into warm water, remove stems and chop into finely. Cut the cabbage into 0.2 inch pieces, finely chop the spring onion and finely chop the red pickled ginger and cut the cheddar cheese into 0.3 inch cubes.

To make 1 set of okonomiyaki, place 1/4 amount of the batter in another bowl, add 1/4 amount of the chopped cabbage, spring onion, shiitake mushroom, red pickled ginger, cheddar cheese and 1 egg. Stir and mix everything together.

Heat the oil in a frying-pan over medium-low heat, pour the batter in the pan and make a round shape, around 0.8 inch thick.

Cook for around 5-7 minutes, carefully flip over and cook on the other side for a further 5-7 minutes.

Transfer the okonomiyaki onto a plate, pour the okonomiyaki-sauce and mayonnaise, sprinkle green nori-seaweed over the sauce.

Fried Cod with Mango Salsa

July 30th, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Sweet and sour mango salsa. A little bit of cilli gives it a nice kick.

The white fish dressed up in a lovely yellow coloured summer dress today.

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— Fried Cod with Mango Salsa (serves 2) —

2 cod fillets

Some salt and pepper

Some plain flour

2 tablespoons butter

*****

— for mango salsa —

1 medium ripe mango, peeled and diced

2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons coriander leave, finely chopped

1/2 small red cilli, very finely chopped

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

A pinch of salt and pepper

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Mix all the mango salsa ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

Sprinkle the cod fillets with salt and pepper. Lightly dust each side with flour.

Heat the butter in a frying-pan, sauté the cod fillets over medium heat on each side until cooked and golden.

Transfer to serving plates and pour the mango salsa over the cod fillets.

Arancini

July 26th, 2011 § 1 comment § permalink

Risotto balls with melted mozzarella cheese and fresh basil filling. Yum.

No wonder why this snack is Italian’s favourite.

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— Arancini (makes 10) —

1&1/2 tablespoon butter

1/3 onion, finely chopped

200g arborio rice

700ml chicken or vegetable stock

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

A pinch of black pepper

80g mozzarella cheese

2 eggs, beaten

5 basil leaves, torn in half

100g dried breadcrumbs

Oil for deep-flying

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Melt the butter in a heavy pan, add the finely chopped onion and sauté over low heat about 3 minutes until softened.

Add the rice and stir for 1 minutes to seal the rice.

Add the stock little by little, stirring frequently for about 20 minutes over medium-low heat until the rice is al dente.

Remove from the heat, stir in the parmesan cheese and the half amount of beaten egg. Season with the black pepper. Leave to cool completely.

Cut the mozzarella cheese into 10 cubes.

Divide the rice into 10 portions, take one portion in your hand , press the basil leaf and a cube of mozzarella cheese into middle. Shape the rice ball into a ball.

Roll the rice balls in beaten egg, then bread crumbs. Set aside.

Heat the deep-flying oil to 350F. Deep-fly the rice balls until evenly golden brown.

Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Brandy Snap Cigars

July 22nd, 2011 § 0 comments § permalink

Sweet cigars for me.

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— Brandy Snap Cigars (makes 20) —

100g butter

100g granulated sugar

2 tablespoons golden syrup

2 tablespoons honey

100g plain flour

A pinch of salt

3 tablespoons ground ginger

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon brandy

50g dark chocolate

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Preheat oven to 340F.

Put the butter, granulated sugar, golden syrup and honey in a pan and heat gently until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved.

Remove from the heat and stir in the flour, salt , ground ginger, lemon juice and brandy and mix well.

Drop small spoonfuls of the mixture onto the baking sheet, spaced well apart each one as they will spread out.

Bake for about 8 minutes until golden. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a minutes before rolling.

Roll them carefully around the handle of the wooden spoon and leave on a rack to cool.

Melt the dark chocolate in a small cup and dip the brandy snaps, leave them on a baking sheet until they are set.

Store in an airtight container.

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