Spicy Tagliatelle With Cherry Tomatoes, Basil and Bacon.

Haven't been cooking anything new in a while. Busy schedules and all. I felt like a spicy pasta dish (which is quite often) one evening and thought making use of the pack of leftover cherry tomatoes in the fridge. This is a variation of pasta dishes I posted here before. Its not too heavy or saucy, but lightly dressed in a sauce that is not too strong but still full of flavour. The sweetness of the tomatoes and the saltiness of the bacon go so well together.

This easy meal for 2 is put together in less than 30 minutes.

Spicy Tagliatelle With Cherry Tomatoes, Basil and Bacon.

Here is what you need for 2.

180 grams Tagliatelle pasta (Or your favourite long pasta)
100 grams streaky bacon - cut into small strips.
5-6 cloves of garlic - sliced
1/2 cup Chardonnay or dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock (Or use the salted water from cooking the pasta of stock is not available)
2-3 bird's eye chilli/chilli padi - sliced (leave these out for a non-spicy version)
12 Cherry tomatoes - Halved
Salt and pepper to taste
Handful of fresh basil leaves - Sliced
Cooking oil (canola, light olive etc)
Extra virgin olive oil - for drizzling.

Steps:1. Cook pasta In a pot of salted boiling water for 2 minutes (Or according to package instructions). Strain and set aside. Add some olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking together.

2. In a large saute pan, heat some cooking oil. When oil heated, fry the bacon strips until they almost turn crisp (4-5 minutes) then add in the garlic and tomatoes and fry for 2-3 minutes. 

3. At this point deglaze by adding in the white wine and chicken stock. Scraping up the brown bits from the base with a wooden spoon or similar implement. Allow to simmer for about a couple of minutes or so.

4. Add the pasta into the pan and mix well. Turn off the heat. Add the chillies and basil. (You can save some for garnish) Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Dish onto pasta plates and garnish with some fresh basil and chillies. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.

Hope you will like this. Enjoy!

Pasta in Tomato Sauce

This dish always reminds me of the scene from the movie No Reservations. The scene where Aaron Eckhart "cons" Abigail Breslin to start eating a bowl of pasta which got me wanting to eat this dish after watching the movie. I think it has do to with the way Abigail Breslin hungrily wolfs down the pasta.

Tagliatelle with Tomato Sauce and fresh basil

The basic pasta dish that and most likely the first pasta dish that most people here in Singapore encounter as a kid. This is more of a walk-through on the technique of making a quick pasta dish, rather than a full recipe.

This post will take you trough on whipping up this pasta dish in 15 minutes or less, with sauce that you pre-made yourself.

Ingredients to serve 2
160 - 180 grams store bought pasta (Or about 100 grams per person for a big eater)
2-3 cups tomato sauce (link here for recipe)
A splash of dry red wine (optional)
Handful of fresh basil for garnish (optional)
Grated Parmesan for garnish (optional)

Steps:
1. Cook Pasta according to package instructions in salted boiling water. Remove strain the pasta. Dress with a little olive oil to prevent them sticking together. Set aside. (Note: Cook for 3/4 of the time stated on the package for Al Dente)

2. In a large saute pan over medium heat, pour all the sauce (and wine if using) onto the pan and allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes. Allowing to reduce slightly.

3. Add in the cooked pasta and mix well. Allow the pasta to cook in the sauce for at least a minute or 2.

4. Portion into pasta bowls. Garnish and drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and serve immediately.

Gnocchi with Zucchini and Sweetcorn

Got inspired to make gnocchi recently. This is the first of two gnocchi dishes that I did from the same batch of gnocchi.

Gnocchi with Zucchini and Sweetcorn

A vegetarian dish that the wife really likes. Its light with delicate flavours. Browning the gnocchi gives it another dimension of flavour and texture, giving a crisp exterior and fluffy interior. The gnocchi's texture is then accompanied with the crunch from the corn and zucchini. Really enjoyable. Wife especially likes that the sweetness from the corn comes through the dish.

Serves 2
Ingredients the gnocchi:
2 large baked russet potatoes (or 3 smaller ones)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 cup plain flour - plus extra for dusting
salt and pepper
1 egg - beaten
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Rest of the stuff:
3 cloves garlic - finely chopped
1/2 purple onion - diced1/3 cup diced zucchini
1/3 cup sweet corn kernels
1/4 cup dry white wine (Or cooking white wine)
1/4 cup vegetable stock (If non-vegetarian, chicken stock works better!)
1 tablespoon butter
handful of pea shoots for garnish (optional)
2-4 tablespoons grated Parmesan for garnish

Steps:
1. Cut the baked potatoes in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh from the potatoes. Set the flesh aside in the bowl, discard the skins. Pass the potato flesh through a ricer or mash them.

2. In a large mixing bowl, add in the egg, thyme leaves, Parmesan and about 3/4 of the cup of flour. Season with salt and pepper. Mix everything well with your hands. Add in more flour from the remaining 1/4 cup, if the mixture remains very wet. When the mixture begins to come together, transfer to the well floured board and knead gently for about 4-5 minutes until the ball of dough is relatively dry to the touch.

3. Roll into a ball and cut into 2 halves. Roll each half into a long cigar. Then cut of individual pieces from the cigar. About 2-3 cm for each piece. Using a floured finger, make a small indentation in each gnocchi.

4. Place the gnocchi gently into a pot of boiling water. When the gnocchi start to float, take them all out of the water and drain.

5. In a saute pan, heat some cooking oil over medium-high heat. When oil is heated, add in the gnocchi and saute them about 2-4 minutes per side. (depending on how brown you want them). Remove and set aside on a dish lined with paper towels.

6. With the same saute pan, heat some cooking oil over medium heat. When oil is heated, add in the garlic and onion. Fry for about 2 minutes. Then add in the zucchini and corn. Fry for another 3-5 minutes, until the vegetables start to brown slightly. De-glaze the pan with the white wine and stock. Cook for another 2 minutes then add butter cook for another minute. When the butter starts to thicken the sauce, add in the gnocchi and saute for another minute or so.

7. Dish onto 2 dinner plate and garnish with pea shoots (if using), a generous shaving of Parmesan cheese and a light drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Hope you'll enjoy this as much as we did!

Spaghetti with Sausages, Tomatoes and Basil

Spaghetti with Sausages, Tomatoes and Basil

This is a simple dish can be done in about 30 minutes or less. Tastes great and also child friendly. The savoury sausages, sweet and tangy tomatoes together with fresh basil make a awesome combo. Even the wife who is not a fan of sausages like this one. There is a reason that tomatoes and basil make a classic combo, this is one of the dishes that reminded me of that.

Here what I used to serve 2.

160 grams Spaghetti - Cooked according to package instructions. (you can use your preferred pasta.)
1x 400g can of diced tomatoes
3 pork sausages (about 250-350 grams) - pre-cooked. Roughly cut into 1cm chunks.
half yellow onion - diced
3 cloves of garlic - chopped
handful of fresh basil - roughly chopped.
Parmesean cheese for garnish
salt and pepper

Steps:

1. In a frying pan, heat some oil (about 1 tablespoon) over a medium high heat. Saute the sausages chunks for about 2-3 mins, stopping when almost all the chunks have achieved some browning. Remove the sausages from the pan and set aside. Turn down heat to medium.

2. In the same pan, add in the chopped onions and garlic and fry for about 2-3 minutes over medium heat until they soften.

3. Add sausages back into the pan, together with the can of tomatoes. Mix well and allow to simmer over low heat. (you can use this time to cook the pasta. You and start boiling the water for the pasta even before you start step 1)

4. Add in the cooked pasta and basil, mix well and dish onto pasta plates. Garnish generously with grated Parmesan and serve immediately.

Enjoy!.

Italian Style Roasted Chicken Thigh

I had a similar dish at an Italian restaurant recently and it left me feeling rather unsatisfied. The chicken was under seasoned and the skin was not rendered well enough. That inspired to try this at home.

Italian Style Roasted Chicken Thigh with Pan Roasted Vegetables and Chorizo

Wifey agreed that this time around it was much better than that we had. The awesome smell of rosemary permeated the house during the oven roasting. Simple yet tasty combination. The chorizo add a nice kick to the dish.You can call it rosemary chicken thigh I guess as it will be the primary fragrance and flavour.

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken thighs

1 cup pumpkin - cut into chunks

1 red pepper - cut into pieces about 1 - 2 inches across

Handful of asparagus - tough bases trimmed

50 grams of chorizo - sliced

Leaves of 2 Springs of thyme

2 cloves of garlic - sliced/chopped

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

oil for frying

Marinade:

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive oil

2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary - leaves only (or 1 tsp dried leaves)

2 sprigs of fresh thyme - leaves only (or 1 tsp dried leaves)

1 tsp dried oregano leaves

1 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

dash of lemon juice

Steps

1. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Place chicken thighs in the bowl and fully coat the chicken in the marinade. When done, place them in resealable bags. Pour remaining marinade into the bag. Mix well my massaging the bag a little. Re-seal and place in fridge for at least 20 mins. Longer if you have more time.

2. When ready to cook, place chicken thighs skin side up on a baking/roasting tray. Cook in a preheated oven at 190 degrees Celsius for about 40 minutes. (Cooking times may vary depending on the size of your chicken) Use grill mode for the last 3 minutes to crisp up the skin.

3. While the chicken is in the oven, you can start to cook the vegetables. In a saute pan over medium heat, brown the pumpkin about 3-4 minutes per side. When the pumpkin softens, remove from heat and set aside.

4. Wipe the pan down and add a little oil. Saute the red peppers until they begin to blister and soften. When done, remove and set aside. 

5. Add the chorizo to the pan, fry until they just about turn crisp, the add the garlic and fry for another minute or so. At this point add the asparagus, red pepper, pumpkin, butter and thyme leaves. Saute for another minute or so. Season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from pan.

6. Dish the vegetables onto dinner plates. Place the cooked chicken thighs on the vegetables and drizzle the roasting juices onto the chicken and vegetables. Garnish with herb of your choice.

Note: Vegetable combination is to your preference. Based on what you feel works for you and your household. Squash, potatoes and zuchinni come to mind. Do note that differernt vegetables have varying cooking times. E.g, carrots take a whole lot longer.

Enjoy!

Tagliatelle with Meatballs and Tomato Sauce

Gotta love meatballs with pasta. They freeze well, so you can make them beforehand.

Beef Meatballs

 I like to make larger quantities of the meatballs and sauce and keep them for later use.

Here is what I used to serve 4:

For the meatballs
500gms minced beef
1 yellow onion - finely diced
5 cloves garlic - finely diced
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 milk

For the tomato sauce
400 gms diced tomatoes (about 1 can)
1 can tomato puree
1 yellow onion - diced
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Rest of the stuff
350 grams of dried tagliatelle (or your favourite pasta)
Handful of fresh basil for garnish - roughly chopped

Tiger Shrimp Tagliatelle

I was thinking, bacon works with shrimp, bacon works with asparagus, why not put all 3 in a pasta dish? So I went out and got some shrimp, bacon and asparagus and made dinner for 2 =).

Tiger Shrimp Tagliatelle

We enjoyed the end result. This works with almost any store bought pasta. I just happened to have some tagliatelle at home.

Here's what you'll need to serve 2:

180 grams Tagliatelle
300-350 grams Tiger Prawns (I used king tiger prawns.) - shelled, keep the heads aside
2-3 rashers streaky bacon
150 grams asparagus - cut into 1 inch lengths, separate the tips from the rest.
2 cups chicken stock (you can use water if not available)
1/2 cup white wine
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 garlic cloves - sliced
1 sprig of thyme - leaves only
Parsley for garnish

Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Bacon and Onion

This simple yet tasty dish is one of my favorites when home alone. Its a variation of the basic Aglio Olio (which basically means garlic oil). It may look plain, but its deceptively tasty. This dish can be done in like 20 minutes or less.

Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Bacon and Onion

The salty bacon, combined with the sweetness of the onion and garlicy aroma meld together into a very enjoyable flavor for the dish.

Here's what I used to make enough for 2

180 grams spaghetti
2-4 chilli padi (bird's eye chillies) sliced
5-6 rashers of streaky bacon (about 150 grams) cut into smaller pieces
5 cloves of garlic - sliced
1 yellow onion - sliced
Handful of rocket leaves or parsley for garnish.
1/2 cup chicken stock (optional - use the water from cooking the pasta if stock is not available)

Tomato Rosemary Pizza

Pizza made at home. Simple and flavorful pizza I got from Gordon Ramsay's UCC. The fragrance of the rosemary just hits you when you open the oven doors. Really inviting you to just tear off a piece and bite into it.

Tomato Rosemary Pizza

The technique with this recipe calls for the pizza to be first cooked in a oven-proof frying pan and then placing it in the oven. This allows for the underside of the pizza to be well scorched (imitating the effect of those traditional wood ovens). You'll need a 26/28 cm oven proof frying pan.

Here's what you'll need for 4 pizzas:

For the pizza dough
15 grams yeast
500 grams bread flour
325 ml lukewarm water
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon caster sugar

Toppings
400 grams passata (tomato puree)
12 to 16 cherry tomatoes- halved (Or you can use large sliced tomatoes)
2 balls mozzarella cheese
About 8 sprigs of rosemary
Extra Virgin olive oil for drizzling.
Pepper for seasoning.

Pumpkin Risotto

Wife loves pumpkin, wife loves risotto, so being the good hubby that I am *ahem*... what do I do? I whip up a plate of pumpkin risotto! I added some bacon and a poached egg for my benefit =).

Pumpkin Risotto with Poached Egg and Bacon

I felt that the egg made the meal a little bit more substantial. The risotto was sweet which made crispy bacon and grated Parmesan the perfect complements. But then again, bacon is already perfect on its own.

Here's what I used to serve 2

Ingredients:
300grams pumpkin - diced into small cubes.
150 grams Arborio or Carnaroli rice. (Arborio is what you see in the picture)
4 cloves garlic - chopped
1/2 yellow onion - finely diced
700ml chicken stock
salt and pepper
Oil for frying

Topping and garnish:
4 rashers streaky bacon
2 poached eggs (poached eggs video by an instructor from CIA)
Freshly grated Parmesan

Spaghetti Arrabbiata with Shrimp and Scallops

Wife had this dish sometime ago while we were eating out and she began suggesting that I try it out at home. So I decided last weekend to give it a shot.

Spaghetti Arrabbiata with Shrimp and Scallops

The name "Arrabbiata" actually comes from the word "Angry" in Italian, referring to the spiciness of this dish or sauce. Its a tomato based sauce that is spiced up with chillies. Some places use sweet peppers but the best Arrabbiatas I've tasted use dried chillies/peppers. Dried chillies have that slightly bittersweet flavor and aroma, coupled with the heat that it gives off.

I was rather pleased with how it turned out, the sauce had a good flavor. Most importantly, wifey was happy with it.

Here's what I used to serve 2:

Cooking oil or light olive oil for frying.
1 can diced tomatoes (drain off the liquid from the can)
1/3 cup white wine (you can get cooking white wine at most supermarkets)
1/2 cup tomato puree (passata)
1 yellow onion finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 stalks dried chillies, blitzed with a food proccesor or grounded with a mortar and pestle.
(To reduce the heat, cut them open lengthwise to remove the seeds)

About 160gms No.3 Spaghetti (You can use regular spaghetti. No.3 is a personal preference)

8 pieces of scallops
8 grey prawns (peeled)

For garnish
2 teaspoons flat leafed parsley chopped
2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes