Roasted Asparagus with Garlic and Lemon

A simple easy to do side dish for busy people.

PREP TIME 5 Min

COOK TIME 10 Min
READY IN 15 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: Serves 2, as a side dish

INGREDIENTS
1 packet of asparagus, rough ends trimmed (approximately 300 gms)
Olive oil, as needed
Italian herbs (optional)
4 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
Lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
Pepper, to taste
Sea salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat olive oil in a frying pan. Throw in garlic. After a couple of minutes, before the garlic browns, throw in a dash of italian herbs and the asparagus. Roast over pan for less than 5 minutes - use a wooden stirrer to test if the asparagus is still crunchy, not wilting (if so, it's overcooked!). Throw in salt and pepper to taste.
2. Drizzle lemon juice over the asparagus. Serve hot!

TIPS
Note: Use thicker asparagus shoots if they are available to you. It's easier to prevent them from overcooking.

Be careful not to get the garlic burnt. This dish is supposed to be subtle, to replicate what it's like baking the asparagus in an oven. However, with such thin asparagus shoots, it's best to cook them over a pan to prevent them from overcooking.

Healthy Mushroom & Chicken Risotto

I am not a big fan of rice dishes, but was tempted earlier today to try a new recipe. A few days back, I had a bit of craving for that wild mushroom soup (not the creamy milky version you so often get in restaurants) and thought it would be good to try making a mushroom sauce based risotto. I had something similar a couple of years back in a restaurant in Holland Village, and wanted to recreate that taste long forgotten.

PREP TIME 15 mins
COOK IN 1 hour (I used brown short grain rice which I believe takes longer to cook, it should cook in half an hour if you use the normal arborio rice for risottos)

SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: Serves 2 as a main course

INGREDIENTS

300 gms of fresh mixed mushrooms (packet comprising of portebello, white and brown swiss mushrooms)

200 gms of chicken breast, sliced

Dry white wine, 1 glass or 1/2 glass, as preferred

Vegetable or fish stock, 1 cube or 1/2 cube, as preferred

1 cup brown short grain rice (rightfully, you should use arborio rice)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

Mixed italian herbs (a dash)

Thyme (optional)

Tarragon (optional)

Spring onions / chives (optional)

Parmesan, 1/2 cup shredded

Olive oil, as needed

40 gm butter (optional)

Sea salt, to taste

Pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat some olive oil over a deep saucepan. Throw in the chopped garlic and onions. Throw in a dash of italian herbs. When the onions turn translucent, throw the uncooked rice in and mix well. Stir for around a couple of minutes until the rice grains appear glassy.
2. Add the wine into the mixture over medium heat and stir, until the wine is more or less absorbed and the flavours develop in the rice grains.
3. On the side, make a stock mixture (of maybe 5-6 cups of water with broken chicken/vegetable stock) and stir 1/2 cup bit by bit into the saucepan with the rice. Once the liquid is more or less absorbed, stir in another 1/2 cup. Repeat this process until the rice grains are cooked al dente (firm yet tender to the bite).
4. On the side, separately marinate the chicken slices with sea salt, pepper and a dash of tarragon (or italian herbs). Fry in olive oil in a saucepan till browned and set aside.
5. Next, fry the mushrooms in a little bit of olive oil and butter (optional). Once the rice grains (cooked separately) are more or less cooked, throw the mushrooms mixture (with butter sauce/oil) into the risotto mixture. Continue cooking on medium low heat and keep on stirring.
6. Once done, stir in the shredded parmesan. Garnish with thyme/chopped spring onions and top with the stir fried chicken. Your risotto is ready for consumption!

TIPS
1. I wanted my risotto to be steeped in the wild mushroom sauce. I used a blender to blend half of the mushrooms very finely. For the other half I had I chopped them roughly, for texture in the risotto. This can be adjusted depending on your reference.
2. Though most risotto recipes call for cream and cheese, I left the parmesan out this time, on request from the husband. I used butter though when I fried the mushrooms, as all cooks know, it gives an instant great flavour to any dish. If you are health conscious, use either butter to fry the mushrooms or top your risotto with parmesan, but not both. Either one is enough to give your risotto a great taste. Still the flavours were fully developed and this is a recipe I will return to again.
3. Keep on stirring - it's very important not to overcook or undercook the rice grains. However, it is not wise to pour too much water into the saucepan at any one time in your bid to cook the rice grains. The technique is to pour in half a cup at a time, and to keep on stirring until most of the liquid water is absorbed, and then re-adding in the next half a cup of water. You have to be there when it's cooking. Making risotto is a laborious process, but well worth it if that's what you are craving at the moment! You need lots of patience.
4. Because I used brown rice (short grain) but not the usual arborio rice, I took around an hour, longer than anticipated. For some reason, it took a really long time to cook. Most risotto recipes wherein the arborio rice is used have a cooking time of 35 minutes.

How to make pesto sauce

Please refer to my last post: http://cooking.tanejas.com/2009/10/chicken-tomato-pesto-pasta.html

You may wish to make your own pesto sauce, which I have done before. You can actually grow your own herbs at home, Cold Storage occasionally sells the potted basil plants. I am pretty tempted to take one home and try my hand (not so green) at it.

PREP TIME 10 mins

SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: Serves as a condiment

INGREDIENTS
Fresh basil leaves, a packet / a large handful
Pine nuts, a handful
Pecorino cheese, a handful
Garlic cloves, 2
Salt and pepper, to taste
Extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup

DIRECTIONS
TIPS
Note:

(a) Use a food processor to blend everything together instead of a mortar and pestle.

(b) Instead of pecorino cheese, I used shredded mozzarella cheese (those sold in a packet) instead and it worked out fine.

(c) Once, I didn't have pine nuts and used walnuts instead and it worked out fine as well.

(d) Be creative with substitutes you never know what you get!

(b) For those who are privy to the magic of mirin and have a bottle at home, you can add in a tbsp when you are marinating your chicken breasts. It gives the stock a delicious flavour. I recommend though if you use mirin, you can forgo the salt in your chicken breasts.

(c) If you do not want that slightly creamy texture or for the diet conscious, you can skip the mayonnaise.

Chicken Tomato Pesto Pasta

Italian food gourmet style at home - my husband is a fan of pesto pastas, I had set out to make pesto pasta for him one evening. Unfortunately when I went to Cold Storage, the fresh basil leaves (to make the pesto sauce) was retailing at 4 dollars plus. Instead I got a premade pesto powder (McCormicks). There is also premade pesto sauce (more liquified in a glass bottle) which I wanted to get but didn't see that day, hence I got the pesto powder instead, since it was cheaper (and more convenient!) than getting the fresh basil leaves and other ingredients to make the pesto sauce separately. The result was a delicious nicely flavoured pasta - try it at home - you will not be disappointed. Such simple ingredients and yet such a scrumptious plate of pesto pasta. As we are not great photographers, the pictures don't do the dish any justice!

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 10 Min
READY IN 25 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: Serves 2 as a main course.

INGREDIENTS
2 chicken breasts, deskinned and deboned
Pepper, to taste
Salt, to taste
Penne pasta, 1/2 packet
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 tomatoes, finely chopped, drained of excess juice and pulp
Mayonnaise, 1 dollop (full tablespoon)
McCormicks pesto sauce mix, 1/2 packet
Hazelnut oil (can be replaced with olive oil)

DIRECTIONS

1.Rub the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Boil the chicken breasts in water (just enough to create a thicker stock). Once the chicken breasts are cooked, retain the flavoured boiled water. Set aside 1/3 cup. Cool the chicken breasts and shred.
2. Cook the penne pasta in boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
3. In a heated wok, add in two tablespoons of hazelnut oil. Throw in the onion sand stir fry until the onions become translucent. Throw in the tomatoes. Saute for a while. Add in the pesto powder (or sauce if you bought the sauce version) and the 1/3 cup of chicken stock you saved earlier. Mix well. Add in one dollop of mayonnaise - this replaces sour cream in some pesto pasta recipes - you notice the sauce becomes slightly thicker.
4. Throw in the pasta and mix well. Have some pepper on top before serving. Viola it's done!

TIPS
Note:

(a) The hazelnut oil (gourmet organic and bought from a specialty store - Crescendos) gave the pesto pasta a very rich intense flavour. I am aware most households may not have this - you can still create a delicious recipe using olive oil (without the subtle nutty flavour and aroma of course).

(b) For those who are privy to the magic of mirin and have a bottle at home, you can add in a tbsp when you are marinating your chicken breasts. It gives the stock a delicious flavour. I recommend though if you use mirin, you can forgo the salt in your chicken breasts.

(c) If you do not want that slightly creamy texture or for the diet conscious, you can skip the mayonnaise.

Healthy Grilled Fish with Baked Vegetables

Grilled fish fillet with baked vegetables - choice for the diet-conscious and easy to prepare.

PREP TIME 10 Min (excluding marination time)
COOK TIME 15 Min
READY IN 25 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: Serves 2 as a main course.

INGREDIENTS
2 huge fish fillets (dory or sutchi or any other similar tasting fish)
1/2 cup of orange juice OR pineapple juice
1 medium sized onion, sliced into rings
1 medium carrot, chopped
1 green pepper, cut into medium sized pieces
1 tsp turmeric powder
dash of pepper
dash of paprika / chilli flakes (optional)
a pinch of salt (approximately 1 tsp)
a wee bit of olive oil
italian mixed herbs, 2 tbsp

DIRECTIONS

1. Pour the juice into bowl/deep plate where you intend to marinate the fish. Rub each side of each fillet with the oil, then salt, pepper, turmeric powder and herbs. Coat each fillet with the juice. Throw in the carrots, green pepper and onion rings. Coat the vegetables well with the marinate (juice and everything else in the mixture). Leave the fish and vegetables to marinate for at least 30 mins.
2. Preheat your oven at 220 degree Celsius for approximately five minutes beforehand. On the baking tray which is covered with aluminium foil, arrange the green pepper / carrots on the bottom so that they create a support for the fish fillets. This prevents the fish from becoming too soggy due to the excess liquid marinate. Arrange the onion rings over the fish fillets. Pour the marinate over the onions, fish and vegetables on the baking tray. Bake for approximately 12-15 mins and check with a fork to see if fish is cooked.

TIPS
Note:

(a) Many grilled fish recipes suggest using orange juice as a marinate, and for lime juice to be squeezed over once the fish fillets are cooked. I had no limes and orange juice left, and used pineapple juice instead (with a slight tangy taste in place of lime) - it worked out fine!

(b) I don't like my fish fillets to look pasty white, hence I used turmeric for some colouring. You can leave that out if the colouring is not an issue with you.

(c) goes well with the aglio olio

Spaghetti Aglio Olio Prawn

I always loved the spaghetti aglio olio from Borders cafe - it's a simple dish really, but i enjoy the taste, more so with the fresh huge prawns the pasta dish usually comes with. Borders cafe is pretty generous with their portions, and I am a sucker for portions. On a lazy Sunday afternoon, I tried to re-create the same dish with whatever ingredients I already have in the refrigerator.

PREP TIME 10 Min
COOK TIME 10 Min
READY IN 20 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: Serves 2 as a main course.

INGREDIENTS
Spaghetti, 1/2 packet
1 tbsp salt (or less to taste)
chilli flakes / paprika, to taste
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Prawns, deshelled and deveined, a handful
2 tbsp basil leaves, chopped (fresh preferred) / OR the same amount of mixed Italian herbs
Red cooking wine, 1 tbsp (optional)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook the spaghetti in boiling water (and with a dash of salt and olive oil) until al dente. Drain and set aside. Run cool water through the spaghetti to prevent over-cooking (this helps if there is a time lapse to serving after cooking the spaghetti and if the other ingredients are not ready).
2. Dribble the olive oil into the frying pan. Once oil is heated, throw the garlic in and saute for a couple of minutes (before it gets too brown). Next throw in the herbs / basil leaves and the paprika / chilli flakes. Stir frying the herbs / spices ensures that the flavours are infused with the oil. Saute for a bit.
3. Throw in the prawns and saute. Now at this juncture, if you are not into using too much oil, yet you find the stir fried mixture too dry, and you happen to have some leftover wine (in my case I had red cooking wine), you can sprinkle a little bit over the mixture and toss well. This helps to prevent the herbs / garlic / chilli from sticking too much to the pan.
4. Add in the spaghetti and toss well. Add salt to taste. Mix well.
5. Serve with a slight sprinkle of basil / herbs and chilli flakes on the top. Tastes better and prevents the dish from looking too dull.

TIPS
Note:

(a) Use larger, juicier prawns if you are a prawn lover. Duh! In my case (because I am lazy and I am sure many of you working women out there are as well), I usually have a packet of frozen cooked (or uncooked) deveined and deshelled shrimps in the fridge for my convenience. When cooking dishes like the tom yum beehoon in my previous post etc (see: http://cooking.tanejas.com/2009/07/tom-yum-bee-hoon-bi-hun-rice-vermicelli.html), fried rice or any pasta dish, I can conveniently dethaw these prawns to use. Taste wise, it ain't too bad still pretty juicy and (tastes) fresh. It really cuts short the preparation time!

(b) I didn't have basil so I used italian herbs (mixed) which has some amount of basil, rosemary, thyme and other italian herbs for that matter. Still tastes good.

Homemade Bruschetta

Homemade Bruschetta - The lazy cook's way, a non-fussy recipe with simple home ingredients.

PREP TIME 10 Min
COOK TIME 10 Min
READY IN 20 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: Serves 2 as an appetizer.

INGREDIENTS
1 tbsp salt (or less to taste)
1 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp sugar (optional)
2 tbsp chopped basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 large chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Around 4 slices of white bread

DIRECTIONS

1. Ensure that you remove the seeds and juice from the tomatoes before chopping them up. There will be less excess liquid in the bruschetta mixture.
2. Mix salt, basil, pepper, garlic and the olive oil. Toss the mixture over the tomatoes and mix well. Try to refrigerate for at least half an hour in the freezer, these will allow the tomato and basil flavours to blend better.
3. Great to go on baguette loaves, but in my case, we simply use the usual bread slices (and removed the crust).
4. Spoon a moderate amount of the bruschetta mixture on the bread and toast in an oven.

TIPS

Note:

(a) There are many variations of preparing homemade bruschetta. Once can also toast the bread beforehand, and just spoon the cold bruschetta mixture on top before serving. In my case I preferred to toast the bruschetta alongside with the bread (which doesn't take long to toast anyway).

(b) I prefer not to use sugar, you can use though as it's in most traditional recipes.

(c) It will be more authentic of course if you serve your bruschetta on baguette slices instead of the squarish bread slices as I did for mine, but there is really no compromise taste wise!

Indian Style Macaroni

Spicy Macaroni - Adding an Indian touch to non-Indian cuisine.

PREP TIME 10 Min
COOK TIME 15 Min
READY IN 25 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: Serves 2 as a main course

INGREDIENTS
Pasta Macaroni, 2 cups
Tomatoes, 3-4 medium (diced - medium sized cubes)
Tomato puree 3 tbsp
Onions, 1 1/2 medium (diced - medium sized cubes)
Ginger paste 1 tsp (very finely grated)
Garlic, 2 cloves (finely chopped - optional)
Chilli powder 1 tsp
Coriander powder 1 tsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Salt (to taste)
Garam Masala 1 tsp
Cilantro (a couple of sprigs - for garnishing)
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Oil 2 tbsp

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil water and cook pasta (adding oil and salt) until the pasta is al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Next, heat up the oil on low heat in a wok or pan. Fry the mustard seeds till they pop. Now add in the cumin seeds.
2. Add the onions to the mixture and fry till the onions turn translucent.
3. Add in the ginger paste, garlic (optional), turmeric, coriander powder, garam masala, chilli powder, salt and pepper. Saute for a while.
4. Throw the tomatoes in. Add more water if mixture is too dry at this juncture. Add in the tomato puree. Simmer for a while. Taste the mixture. Add in more garam masala, pepper, salt or chilli powder as desired (if required).
5. Mix in the cooked macaroni. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.

TIPS

Note: You can use garlic chilli sauce instead of tomato puree. It will be slightly spicier with a hint of vinegar. Instead of tomato puree or any extra sauce for that matter, you can simply use more tomatoes (juice will seep from these tomatoes). If the mixture is too dry, sprinkle drops of water into the mixture.

NUTRITION FACTS

Vegetarian option, yet tasty.

Linguine with Peppers (Pasta - Olive Oil / Red Wine Base)

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 15-20 Min
READY IN 30 Min

SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS
250 gm Pasta - Linguine (can be substituted with fusilli)
2 Onions Chopped
1/2 cup Garlic Chopped
3 Peppers - Green Yellow and Red, sliced
2 Tomatoes - coarsely chopped (can be substituted with cherry or sundried)
Ham - slices
2 cups mushrooms - sliced
1/2 cup white wine (if it's not worth drinking, it's not worth using in your cooking)
Mixed Italian Herbs, Red Chili Powder or Chili Flakes, Course Black Pepper
1 tblspoon Soya Sauce
3 tblspoon olive oil (extra virgin)

DIRECTIONS
1. Cook pasta al dente (follow usual instructions on the pasta pack)
2. Saute the onions, garlic (2-4mins) in the olive oil - add the rest of
the ingredi. Tomatoes, mushrooms, ham
3. Add in the spices,soya sauce and wine , cook for about 5 mins
4. Throw in the pasta - mix well and serve