Very simple one dish delight!

I thought my arm was falling off after I scrubbed down the shower screen in my ensuite today. I tend to feel slightly ill after chemical exposure (duh!!). Like any project you undertake in your life, its always wise to schedule for breaks in between. Half way through cleaning, I decided to take off my gloves, walked away and sat in front of my laptop, googling "Domestic cleaning services". Hahahahahaha!

But I am not joking, I did call up one company that quoted s $58 for a regular weekly cleaning, another company quoted $28.80 per hour (including GST). I find the prices reasonable, its hard work when come to thorough cleaning you know... Anyhow, I am pretty convinced I should leave it to the expert. "Hey babe, can we get a cleaner in soon prreeeeeshhhh?" He is keen, but auntie here is keener.

I mentioned I was going to try a recipe I dug out yesterday. "Chicken & Bok Choy stir fry". Verdict? Not bad, I am pleased. :) It was an easy one-dish-wonder. Perfect for weeknights. Though the recipe below is designed for 4 servings, we cleaned up everything effortlessly. Geee...we can always exercise tomorrow, can't we?

So here goes:

Chicken & Bok Choy Stir-Fry

Serves 4

2 tablespoons peanut oil
6 chicken thigh fillets, cut into 2 cm cubes
1 onion, cut into wedges
2 cloves garlic, cruched
8 shiitake mushrooms, soak in hot water for 10 mins, then drained
200g baby bok choy leaves
2 teaspoons sweet chilli sauce
1 tablespoon teriyaki marinate
2 teaspoons oyster sauce

1. Marinate chicken in teriyaki marinates for half hour.
2. Heat oil in wok and add chicken, stir-fry on high for 3 mins or until golden brown.
3. Add onion, stir-fry for 1 min or until tender.
4. Add garlic, mushroom, bok choy, sweet chilli sauce and oyster sauce, stir-fry for 1 min or until heated through. Serve with rice.

Steamboat

I promised you a list of Steamboat ingredients. But I think I will only give you the variety of items and you can decide on the portion yourself. As you can see from my previous post, I sucked at guess-timation.

My experience with Steamboat dinner has always been an intimate family affair with grandparents, uncles, aunties, parents, brothers & sister etc. And everybody chips in to help or to buy different ingredients. I was seriously in doubt that I could single-handedly pull off a steamboat dinner.

I have never prepared steamboat for 4 people and I had no idea how to portion the food. I was worried all the time about portioning. It would be too embarrassing for me if I didn't prepare enough food.

Logically, if you are unfamiliar with steamboat, you would naturally think its only a matter of scaling it down. (Hey, wait till you do it yourself, there's a lot of work okay!) It was a huge logistical challenge for me. Anyway, I am glad I did that now and I now have a slightly clearer picture than I did previously. Having said that, I am still not confident suggesting portions, everything is by trial and error. So good luck!

Below is a short introduction to Chinese Steamboat

The Chinese Steamboat owes its beginning to the Mongols of northern China, more than 400 years ago. These nomadic peoples did not bequeath a great culinary heritage to Chinese cuisine, but the Mongolian hot-pot is a most important legacy. By the eighteenth century it had become a winter favorite in the Qing dynasty court and still remains and flourishes in all China's regions today.It began as a simple way of cooking meats and vegetables. The thinly sliced meat is dropped with some leafy vegetables into a bubbling chicken soup contained in a specially designed pot (called a steamboat by the Cantonese, and a hot-pot or a fire kettle in other regions of China). It is placed in the middle of the table for finishing and serving. After a minute or two, the food is cooked and is lifted out and eaten with a variety of dipping sauces. When all the meat and vegetables are finished, cellophane noodles are added to the broth, resulting in a wonderful fragrant and flavorsome soup.

Steamboat Ingredients:

Meat
Beef fillet (cut into thin slices, marinate, see ingredient to marinating)
Pork fillet (cut into thin slices, marinate, see ingredient to marinating)
Chicken breast or tenderloin (cut into thin slices, marinate optional, see ingredient to marinating)

Seafood
Prawns (with shells)
Cod fish fillets (cut into thin slices)
Squid tubes (cut into thin slices)
Scallops (remove roe)

Others
Fish balls
Prawn balls (optional)
Meat balls (optional)
Quails eggs (hardboil in water, depend on availability)
Crabmeat stick (peel off the plastic wrapper)
Assorted steamboat ingredients you can find in Asian Supermarket
Fried beancurd
Firm beancurd
Glass Noodles
Rice

Vegetables
Chinese Cabbage (wash and cut into bite size)
Shiitake Mushrooms (hydrate in hot water)
Beansprouts (rinse, tailed if you have time)
Baby Bok Choy (wash and cut into quarter)

Meat Marinate in
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp corn flour
1 tbsp rice wine
Salt and pepper

Dipping Sauce
Minced ginger in Soy:
1/4 cup light soy sauce
2 teaspoons minced ginger
few drops of sesame oil.

Mustard & Soy:
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1 teaspoon English or French mustard
2 teaspoons peanut oil
2 to 3 drops vinegar.

Hoisin Sauce:
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1/4 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

Chilli Sauce: Fresh cut chilli with light soy sauce

By the way, my friend from Singapore, Ms S.Goh also suggests alternative chilli sauce: sambal chilli or chicken rice chilli

Chicken Tenderloins with Coriander Salad

Chicken Tenderloins with Coriander Salad

Strange..I cook this pretty often but I manage to miss out on blogging. Anyway, better be late than never. (Gosh, don't you hate cliche?)

This quick and easy recipe:

Serves 4

Prep time 10 mins

Cooking time 10 mins

KJ 1115 Fat 16g Sat fat 3 g

1 bunch of coriander, leaves plucked

4 green onions (shallots), chopped

1 punnet cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce

1 teaspoon fish sauce

500g chicken tenderloins

1. Place coriander, green onion and tomatoes in a large bowl. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, chilli sauce and fish sauce in a jug and set aside.
2. Preheat a lightly greased chargill or barbecue on high. Cook chicken for 3 mins on each side, until golden and cooked through.
3. Pour dressing over coriander mixtures and toss to combine. Divide chicken between serving plates and top with salad, season and serve.

Steamed Fish with Asian Vegetables

Steamed Fish with Asian Vegetables

Typical Chinese meal consists of 3 dishes+1 soup, a standard family requirement. You can cut down on variety for just 2 people, but you know you are not meeting the standard, that's how I feel anyway. I got to hand it to our Ang Moh friends, they always manage to design cooking 2 dishes at one go, in this case, fish and vegetables in the same dish. Very clever lor.

This recipe:

Serves 4
Prep time 5 mins (okay, it took me longer than that, you shouldn't trust this anyway)
Cooking time 5 minutes (again you shouldn't trust this, for me I always steam my fish for 8~10 minutes)

Here what you need:

6 green onions (shallots)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons shaoxing wine (Chinese rice wine) or dry sherry
4 baby bok choy, trimmed, quartered
4 firm white fish fillets, such as trevalla or flathead fillets (I use Cod fish)
125g shiitake or oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 carrot, peeled, cut into julienne
Steam rice, to serve

1. Finely slice 4 green onions. Combine with garlic, oil, soy sauce and shaoxing wine in a small bowl. Season well and set aside.
2. Line a steamer with baking paper. (My bamboo steamer peed chia already, so I just use an oval plate coated with oil) Top with bok choy, then fish. Scatter with mushrooms and carrot and spoon over soy sauce mixture. (You can add 1 teaspoon of sesame oil if you like a nutty flavour)
3. Cover and steam for 5~7mins, over a pan or wok with simmering water, until the fish is cooked through. (In my experience, its best to leave it for 8~10mins)
4. Meanwhile, cut remaining green onions into thin slices. Divide dish and vegetable stacks between serving plates and top with green onion. Serve with steamed rice.

Celery Stir-Fry with Barramundi

Celery Stir-Fry with Barramundi

Sometimes I just got to be brave. Its not easy posting recipes you know, especially when it makes me crave for food. I am doing this for you and after this, I will go buy some fish for tonight. hehe.

left desk

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and half hour later

Uh-hum...I am back. From the supermarket actually. hehe, I was really tempted and I really wanted to cook this dish tonight, so I got to dashed out to make sure I've got the main ingredients. I haven't got barramundi but heh, good old snapper won't go wrong. Another reason why I needed to do this right away; it was disastrous the last time I cooked this. I used the wrong fish - Cod fish. It didn't taste good and it left a stank many days after. So you see, I am very motivated to make it right this time.

According to Table Magazine June 2007, celery makes a splendid cooked vegetables, especially when its lightly stir-fried with crispy fresh snow peas, garlic and plenty of flat leaf parsley.

Serves 4
Prep time 15 mins
Cooking time 5 mins

2 tablespoons oil
½ bunch celery, trimmed, cut into 8cm lengths
150g snow peas, trimmed
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup flat leaf parsley (e.g. Italian parsey)
½ cup (125ml) chicken stock
1 teaspoon sesame oil
4 x 100g pieces barramundi (I would use snapper, or any frying pan friendly fish fillets in absence of barramundi)

1. Heat half of oil in a large frying pan or wok on high. Add celery, snow peas and garlic and stir-fry for 2 mins. Add parsley and cook for 1 min. Add stock and sesame oil and simmer for 2 mins, until celery is just tender.
2. Meanwhile, heat remaining oil in a non stick frying pan on high. Cook fish for 2 mins each side, until flesh flakes. Serve with celery stir-fry.

The magazine also suggest Yalumba's 2006 Oxford Landing Sauvignon Blanc as a matching wine.

Chicken with Lemon & Capers

Chicken with Lemon & Capers

Yet another simple dish I fancied. I love chicken tenderloins because they are juicier and have no fat. They aren't as tough as chicken breast. Actually, I have replaced chicken breast with either tenderloins or thighs in many recipes because I think they taste better.

Serves 4
Prep time 5 mins
Cooking time 10 mins

15g butter
12 (about 750g) chicken tenderloins
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup (50g) capers
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

1. Steamed chat potatoes, green beans, to serve (I substituted with broccolini because I felt like it)
2. Heat butter in a frying pan on medium. Cook chicken in batches for 3~5mins, turning once, until golden. Remove and keep warm. Add lemon rind and juice to pan with ½ cup water, scraping base of pan. Cook until mixture reduces by half. Stir in capers and parsley.
3. Return chicken to pan and cook 1~2 mints, until heated through. Season to taste and serve with potatoes and green beans. (In my case, broccolini)

Tips: For thicker sauce, dust chicken tenderloins in a little seasoned flour first.
The flavours in this recipe works equally well with fish.

Storecupboard Suppers - Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

I caught myself swallowing my saliva while I started writing this post because the topic I am writing about is yet again food but this is really yummy and you can scavenge what's in your cupboard to make up this dish. I took this recipe from "The quick and easy cookbook" a Christmas present from my mother-in-law, I love it! Turning to the page, there is a lot of marks on it, evidence of frequent usage, otherwise a messy kitchen hand, indeed I cook this a lot, because I am loving it. :D

Serves 4

Prep 10 mins

Cook 25 mins

Cals per portion 590

Fat per portion 14g

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 small red chillies, seeded and finely chopped

2 x 50g (2 oz) cans anchovies, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons capers

100g (3½ oz) pitted black olives, halves

2 x 400g (14 oz) cans plum tomatoes

500g (1 lb 2 oz) packet dried spaghetti

1 bunch of fresh basil, roughly torn (grow them yourself, so you have endless supply of your favorite herb)

1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over a moderate heat. Ad the garlic and chillies and cook for 1 min until the garlic is just golden. Add the anchovies, capers, olives and canned tomatoes with their juice and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20~25mins until the sauce is thick.
2. Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a saucepan of boiling, salted water according to packet instructions. To serve, drain the cooked pasta and toss with the tomato sauce. Add basil and season with salt and ground black pepper.

Cheat with BBQ Pork Ribs with Stirfried Choy Sum

Remember BBQ Pork Ribs with Stirfried Choy Sum from my previous post?

Seems like a lot of work marinating the pork ribs but hey, I bought them pre-marinated and packed from the supermarket. All I did was following instructions written on the package. I roasted them in the oven at 200 degree C for 40mins, or until I am satisfied of the "charness". I then took out the rack and cut/saw them into singulars with a steak knife, push them back into the oven, making sure all surfaces are nicely charred.

While the ribs were going through their final touch up in the oven, I cooked the choy sum. Stirfries are quick affairs, 2 mins tops. Great thing with roasting is that you can walk away, get busy with other things e.g. collect laundry from the clothes line, watch the news, read emails etc then come back later and your food is cooked ready for you.

Moroccan Chicken

I cooked "Moroccan Chicken" featured in Table Magazine May 2007 and it tasted fantastic. Nothing beats sitting down for a hot meal during cold evenings and this dish wasn't just hot, it was spicy too. But the reason why any dish would become my favorite is that it got to be easy. Don't get me wrong, I love cooking but I am no kitchen slave, you get what I mean?

So here's what you need:

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, halved, sliced
2 tablespoons Moroccan seasoning mix
8 chicken high fillets, bone in, skinless (I can only find de-boned fillets, so I have to use those)
1½cups (375ml) chicken stock ( I know some of you make your own stock, that's actually the best if you can afford the time, but if you are time-pressed or impatient like me, I buy from supermarket)
grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
4 potatoes, peeled, cut into small cubes
150g baby green beans, tailed

Note: This recipe serves 4, it took me 10-15min preparing the ingredients and the cooking time was about 30 minutes.

1. Heat half of oil in a flameproof casserole or frying pan with a lid on medium. Cook onion, uncovered, for 3-5 min, stirring, until soft and starting to brown. Stir through Moroccan seasoning and cook for 1 min, until fragrant. Remove from pan and set aside.


2. Heat remaining oil in same pan on high. Cook chicken for 3 min each side, until browned. Return onion to pan and pour over stock, lemon rind and juice. Season to taste. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low.


3. Scatter potatoes around chicken, cover and simmer for 12 min. Add beans and simmer, covered for another 3 in, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender. Serve chicken and vegetables with pan sauce spoon over. I served with rice.

Still Cooking? - Yep Still Cooking...

I think Summer is fighting with Winter and the weather's all screwed up. We have experienced it all in terms of weather changing patterns. Oh just let me build up drama and confusion to cooking and tough recipes selecting process, will you?

Its like this, the weather is confusing me so I do not know what to cook for dinner. So...I do oven roasting...a lot of oven roasting, everything oven roasting, ah...I think you follow.

There is no recipes to the kind of oven roasting I do, because I just kind of throw everything into an oven proof dish, then push it into the oven, then leave the kitchen and watch TV or read emails, then come back 45min to an hour later and ta-da! Dinner's ready. Erm...yeah, its that easy, any cooking skills involved? Ermmm..no.

I like the char taste so I tend to leave everything till slightly burnt before I bring them out of the oven. No no no, its has got nothing to do with me forget time while watching telly or playing with my laptop, its meant to be a little "char", ah...I think you follow.

So, I would go to the supermarket, pick up some carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, brown onions, capsicums, roma tomatoes, herbs and meat for roasting like pork, beef, lamb chops and cutlets. I don't like roasting fish and chicken, I prefer to pan-fry, stir-fry or stew or make into soup.

Here are examples of roasted and stir fried meals we had over the past 2 weeks.

Roasted Lamb forequarter with capsicum & onions drizzled with rosemary and olive oil and roasted potates and pumpkins, then finished with mint sauce when served.

Stir-fried baby bok choy with garlic and soy sauce

Stir-fried chicken thighs with ginger and shallots

No time to cook? Here's a quick fix, the good old steak

Here's what we did. We basically bought 2 steaks and a bag of salad from the supermarket. Cook steaks on a hot plate, 5 min on each side(medium well), turning just once. Once done, cover steak in aluminium foil and rest for 5 min. You can top your steak with horseradish sauce and use any salad dressing (we use balsamic vinaigrette) on your salad.

You can also add steam/ mash potatoes if you'd like a bigger meal. Very easy hor?

Spice it up! - Mustard & Rosemary Chicken

You may like to try this the next time you plan a menu to entertain invited friends.

Mustard & Rosemary Chicken

Serves 4
Prep time 5 min
Cooking time 15 min

4 (about 680g) chicken breast fillets (I only use hormones free chicken)
1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary leaves, plus extra sprigs, to serve
1 garlic clove, crushed
600g chat potatoes, quartered
250g baby spinach leaves
20g butter
1 lemon, cut into wedges

1. Combine chicken, mustard, juice, oil, rosemary leaves and garlic in a bowl and toss well to coat. (can be kept chilled for several hours to intensify mustard and rosemary flavour)
2. Heat a chargrill plate on high. Cook chicken, in batches, for 6-8 min, until cooked through and browned.
3. Meanwhile, boil, steam or microwave potatoes until just tender. Drain. Place hot potatoes in a large bowl with spinach and butter, toss gently until spinach starts to wilt and butter melts.
4. Serve chicken fillets with potatoes and lemon wedges and top with extra rosemary sprigs.

Pot luck Special - Grilled Chicken & Risoni Salad

Impress your host and friends with this mouthwatering salad when you are invited for a pot luck party!

Grilled Chicken & Risoni Salad

Serves 4
Prep time 15 min
Cooking time 15 min

3 chicken breast fillets
¼ cup (60ml) olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
200g risoni (Risoni is a small rice-shaped pasta, but any small pasta would be fine)
1 red capsicum, diced
1½ cups thinly sliced celery
1 cup (150g) pitted kalamata olives, halved
1 small red onion, finely chopped
¼ cup shredded basil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1. Lightly spray a chargrill with cooking oil spray and heat on medium. Brush chicken with a little olive oil and season with pepper. Cook for 5 min each side or until cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate, sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, cook risoni in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water according to packet directions. Drain, refresh under cold water, drain again. Place in a large bowl with capsicum, celery, olives, onion and basil.
3. Remove chicken from plate, reserving juices. Slice chicken thinly and add to risoni salad.
4. Strain chicken juices into a jug and add vinegar and mustard. Gradually add remaining oil in a stream, whisking until dressing thickens slightly. Pour over salad and toss to combine.

My new found comfort food - Rocket & Prosciutto Pasta

Very satisfying...Yum....

Rocket & Prosciutto Pasta

Serves 4
Prep time 10 min
Cooking time 10 min

500g tagliatelle
⅓cup (80ml) extra virgin olive oil
8 thin slices prosciutto, torn
¼cup (50g) chopped semi-dried tomatoes (more if you like, I use 100g)
2 tablespoons kalamata olives
3 garlic cloves, crushed
30g rockets (more if you like, I use 70g)
1 cup (80g) shaved parmesan

1. Cook tagliatelle in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water according to packet directions. Drain, return to saucepan.
2. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan on medium. Cook prosciutto for 3 min, until crisp. Stir in tomatoes, olives and garlic and cook for another min. Add to pasta with rocket and remaining oil and toss together well.
3. Season to taste and scatter with parmesan to serve.

Mediterrean Style Pan-Fried Snapper with Tomato, Olives & Basil

Ohhh...this is so good...and healthy! I have made slight changes to the original recipe.

Mediterranean Style Pan-Fried Snapper with Tomato, Olives & Basil

Serves 4
Prep time 5 min
Cooking time 10 min
kj 1905 fat 15g sat fat 3g

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 fish fillets, such as snapper
1 garlic clove, sliced
500g cheery tomatoes
¼cup (60ml) white wine
¼cup (40g) diced kalamata olives
¼cup torn basil leaves
steamed baby potatoes, sliced, to serve (not in picture)

1. Heat oil in a non-stick frying pan on high. Cook fish for 3 min. Turn to cook other side for 2 min, until golden and cooked through. Remove from pan and keep warm.
2. Cook garlic in pan for 10 sec, add tomatoes and cook for 2 min. Add white wine and olives and bring to boil. Add basil and season to taste.
3. Serve fish with tomatoes and sliced potatoes. Drizzle with sauce and serve with a nice bottle of wine.

My recommendation for white wine: Goundrey Unwooded Chardonnay 2006 (Western Australia)

The Simplest Ever Recipe - Tomato Pasta Salad

I came across this recipe 3 years ago and loved it ever since, this any-time pasta is so easy to make and never fails to satisfy. Apart from the pasta, you really don't need to cook any thing else, easy huh?

Tomato Pasta Salad

Serves 10 (as an accompaniment)

Prep time 10 min

Cooking time 10-12 min

Just a few ingredients like these:

500g small shell pasta

250g (1½ cup) semi-dried tomatoes, chopped (I got them from the deli in supermarket)

50g (¼cup) baby capers or if large, chopped

½ cup chopped chives

Dressing

80ml (⅓cup) Olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, crushed

You can whoop up the simplest pasta salad like this:

1. Cook pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water following packet directions, until al Dante. Drain and place in a large serving dish or bowl. Add tomatoes, capers and chives, and toss well to combine.
2. Make dressing by placing ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake well. Add to warm pasta, season to taste and toss to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.
   

Refreshing taste of Summer - Chicken with Mango Salsa

I wasn't quite sure about this recipe at first but it surprised me pleasantly. The ingredients were so simple and it was a breeze to cook. It was so refreshing we are going to have it again soon. :)

Chicken with Mango Salsa

Serves 4

Prep time 10 min

Cooking time 10 min

1 mango, diced

1 Lebanese cucumber, diced

½ small red onion, diced (other types of onions will be too spicy)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon paprika (aka hiam jueo hoon)

4 chicken breast fillets

500g long grain white rice

1. Combine mango, cucumber and onion with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
2. Combine remaining oil and paprika and brush over chicken. Heat a lightly oiled frying pan on medium. Cook chicken for 4 minutes each side, until browned and cooked through.
3. Meanwhile, heat rice according to packet directions and divide between 4 serving plates. Top with sliced chicken, spoon over salsa and serve.

Casual Comfort Food - Spinach, Bacon & Pine Nuts Pasta

I'm a fan of Parmesan cheese and if you are too, you would love this dish. :D


Spinach, Bacon & Pine Nuts Pasta



Serves 4

Per serving 25.1g fat 2847kj (680cal)

4 bacon rashers (280g), sliced thinly
¼ cup (40g) pine nuts
2 cloves garlic, crushed
500g pappardelle pasta
200g baby spinach leaves
⅓ cup (25g) grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice

1. Place bacon in small, non-stick frying pan; cook, stir until browned. Add pine nuts and garlic; cook, stirring, until browned.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta in large saucepan of boiling water, uncovered, until just tender. Reserve cup (60ml) of the cooking liquid, then drain pasta. Return pasta to saucepan.
3. Add spinach, cheese, bacon mixture, oil juice and reserved cooking liquid to pasta; toss to combine. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese flakes, if desired.

Sensational Summer Recipe - Prawn & Calamari Spaghetti

Prawn & Calamari Spaghetti

Serves 4
Prep time 15 min
Cooking time 12 min
KJ 1760 fat 2g

500g Spaghetti
Cooking oil spray
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 small red chilli, sliced
pinch of saffron threads
1 cup (250ml) white wine (use one you would drink)
500g green prawns, shelled devined, tail intact
250g squid tubes, cleaned and sliced.
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup chopped parsley

1. Cook spaghetti in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water according to packet directions. Drain
2. Lightly spray a frying pan with oil and heat on medium. Cook onion, garlic and chilli for 2 minutes, until soft. Add Saffron and wine. Increase heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring, until reduced by one-third.
3. Stir in prawns, squid and tomatoes. Cook for another 5 minutes, until prawns are pink and squid is tender. Mix in spaghetti and parsley. Serve.

A hearty meal - Pork Cutlets with Capsicum Sauce

I know...my heart wasn't in taking pictures then, it took me a long time to prepare this dish, so it had already passed our usual dinner time; I was super hungry and the food in front of me smells so delicious. I can only think of curing my hunger. Not only this picture was taken under bad lighting condition, I forgot to buy parsley too... so it doesn't look that nice. :=(

However, despite all that, I enjoyed my meal, I think it tasted beautiful. :D

Pork Cutlets with Capsicum Sauce

This capsicum sauce is commonly known as peperonata, and can also be served with crusty bread or stirred through pasta.


Serves 4
Prep time 20 min
Cooking time 50 min

2 red capsicums
2 yellow capsicums
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g can chopped tomatoes
4 pork cutlets
Steamed chat potatoes
Chopped parsley to serve

1. Preheat oven to 180ºc (160ºc if you are using fan-forced oven). Place capsicum on a baking tray and roast for 30-35 minutes, until soft. Remove from oven, place in plastic bag and cool.
2. Peel and halve capsicums. Remove seeds and membrane and slice flesh into things strips. Heat oil in a frying pan on medium. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden.
3. Reduce heat to low. Stir in garlic, capsicum and tomato and cook for 10 minutes, until sauce thickens. Season to taste. (I usually put no salt or pepper in my cooking, its up to you)
4. Meanwhile, preheat a chargrill on high and cook pork for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden and cooked through. Toss potatoes in a little parsley and serve with pork and capsicum sauce.
   
   
   
   
   
   

Polly puts the kettle on, Polly puts the kettle on...

After a couple of hot 40ºc days, we were desperate for a cool climate change. When we knew one on was its way, we decided that we should have BBQ again when we got the chance. So I marinated some chicken thighs the night before and kept them in the fridge.

Yesterday's temperature dropped by about 10ºc during the day and by evening, the temperature dropped further and a cool westerly sea breeze gently swept by, it was a beautiful evening.

So THE MAN gathered his gears and off he went to the side of the house to start a fire - on the BBQ. I've got the easy job, I was on the other side of the wall (indoor) boiling green beans and whisking mustard dressing. :D







Rosemary & Lemon Chicken with Mint Dressing

Serves 6
Prep time 15 min
Chilling time 1 hour or overnight
Cooking time 10-15 min
½ cup rosemary leaves
2 garlic cloves
½ teaspoon salt
60ml (¼cup) olive oil
1 long fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon
6 (about 750g) chicken thigh fillets, trimmed
*steamed asparagus and baby green beans, to serve

Mint Dressing

1 tablespoon dijon mustardjuice of ½ lemon
100ml olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves

1. Place rosemary, garlic and salt in a mortar and pestle, and crush well, or blend in a food processor until roughly chopped. Transfer to a non-reactive bowl, add oil, chilli and lemon juice and mix well.
2. Add chicken to marinade, cover and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight if possible.
3. Heat a barbecue grill on high, then lightly grease. Remove chicken from marinade and cook on barbecue, basting occasionally with marinade and turning once, for 10-15 min, until chicken is just cooked.
4. Meanwhile, make mint dressing bu whisking all ingredients until well combined. Season to taste. Serve with chicken, asparagus and beans, if desired. * I only use beans.

Easy Summer Salad - Greek Chicken Salad

Its 40ºc today, 1ºc cooler than yesterday, not much cooler, is it? Though it has been windy, we could hardly take any comfort from the easterly desert wind. Feels a little like being roasted in a fan-forced oven. For a hot day like this, I wonder who would care to stand in front of a hot stove, it would be asking for it, wouldn't it? I wouldn't bother BBQing either, plainly, it just too hot, and who would want to punish themselves like that eh? Thank God there is salad and salad isn't just greens, the variety is surprisingly huge. I have collected about 30 salad recipes so far and I am still adding to my collection. This is an easy and delicious summer salad, why don't you give it a try when you can't be bothered cooking?

Greek Chicken Salad

You need to purchase a large barbecued chicken, weighing approx. 900g for this recipe.

Serve 4 fat 52.4g per serve kj 4226 per serve (1009 cal)

375g small shell pasta
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh oregano (herb)
¼ cup (125ml) olive oil
½ cup (60ml) lemon juice
3 cups (480g) shredded cooked chicken
1 medium red onion (170g), sliced thinly
500g cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 lebanese cucumbers (260g), chopped coarsely
1 large green capsicum (350g), chopped coarsely
1 cup (120g) seeded kalamata olives
280g jar marinated artichoke hearts, drain, chopped coarsely
200g fetta cheese, chopped coarsely

1. Cook pasta in large saucepan of boiling water, uncovered, until just tender; drain. Rinse under cold water; drain.
2. For dressing, place 2 tablespoons of the oregano, oil and juice in screw-top jar; shake well.
3. Place pasta in large bowl with chicken, onion, tomatoes, cucumbers, capsicum, olives, artichoke hearts, cheese and dressing; toss gently to combine. Top salad with remaining oregano.

Tip: You can use your favorite kind of pasta for this recipe. Use the oil from the artichokes to make the dressing if you wish. Get husband to shred the chicken while you prepare other ingredients. hehe.

Tonight's dinner - Penne with Prawns, Chilli & Lime

We have pasta tonight and this dish is yummy! *I used tiger prawns instead of king prawns. So ladies and gentlmen, I give you:





Penne With Prawns, Chilli & Lime

Serves 4
Prep time 20 min
Cooking time 5 min

500g penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
24 *king prawns, shelled and deveined, tails intact
2 long red chillies, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
⅓ cup olive oil, extra
salt and cracked black pepper
¼ cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley (Italian parsley)

1. Cook penne in a saucepan of boiling, salted water according to packet directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a non stick frying pan on medium high. Cook prawns for 3 min. Add chillies and garlic and cook for another 2 min, until prawns are golden and cooked through.
3. Combine lime juice, oil, salt, pepper and parsley. toss with prawn mixture and penne. Serve immediately.

My recommended recipe - Fish with Tomato Coriander Sauce

I am not a photographer or food decorator so pardon the unflattering photo, but it truely tasted awesome! I made this dish last week and *I substituted green beans with broccoli. Try it! :D

Fish with Tomatoes Coriander Sauce

Serves 4

Prep time 15 min

Cooking time 15 min

kJ 1280 fat 13g sat fat 2g

2 tablespoons oil

6 green onions (shallots), finely chopped

400g can diced tomatoes

1 green capsicum, cut into strips

¼ cup chopped coriander

4-6 (800g) snapper fillets, or other firm-fleshed fish fillets

steamed chat potatoes and green beans to serve

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan on medium. Sauté green onions for 1 min, until soft. Add tomatoes, capsicum and coriander. Simmer for 5-8 min, until sauce thickens.
2. Cut each fillet in half diagonally and season to taste. Heat remaining oil in a frying pan on high. Pan-fry fish in batches for 2 min each side, until golden.
3. Top fis with sauce and serve with steamed potatoes and *beans.