Slow Roasted Pork Belly

A really great way to get maximum enjoyment from a cheaper cut of meat.  The wine and stock keep the meat tender and moist. I mean really moist. I find serving this with squash and carrots make for a great meal.

 This is similar to my other pork belly recipe, but this has Crackling, how can you go wrong with proper crackling?

1 to 1.5 kg of Pork Belly Skin on

10 cloves of garlic - peeled
1 yellow onion - sliced

1 Large Carrot - Roughly Chopped (Optional)
Some Chilli flakes

1 cup White wine
2-3 cups chicken stock.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Sprig of thyme.

Pre - heat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius

1. Dry the skin of the pork with a paper towel, then score the skin with a 1.5cm (does not have to be exact) checkered pattern(it will help with portions later) with a very sharp blade (Like a Stanley knife). Season thoroughly with salt and pepper, using your fingers to rub in the salt and pepper. Set the pork aside.

2. If your roasting tray can go on the stove, heat some cooking oil over a medium heat. When the oil is heated, lightly brown the carrots, chilli flakes, onions and garlic. 

2b. Alternative method is to use a saute pan and transfer the contents to the roasting tray after browning. If using a pan, deglaze the pan with some stock to get all the tasty browned bits off the pan and into the tray.

3. Add the thyme to the onion and garlic mix. Place the pork - (skin side up) on top of the onions and garlic. Pour in all the wine. Then pour in just enough chicken stock to partially cover the pork. Do not let the liquid get high enough to touch the skin. Pouring just enough for the liquid level to touch the fat below the skin. (You can use the garlic/onions to prop up the pork before adding the liquid)

4. Cook in the oven for 2.5 hours or until you get the crackle you want. (Don't panic if some of the edges get burnt, you can scrape them of later.) 

5. Let the pork rest for about 10 mins before carving. Use a serrated knife. Serve with your favourite grilled veg and some of the braising liquid.

6. Optional step - make a roux, about 1 tablespoon worth and mix it with the strained braising liquid for a great sauce!

Enjoy!

Chilli Con Carne

Chilli Con Carne - Actually means Chilli with meat. Recipe variations are really wide. E.g. There are those who believe beans and tomatoes should not be included and there are those who differ from that point of view. The recipe changes from state to state in the US and Mexico.

Chilli Con Carne

I got inspired to try my hand at this dish after watching an episode Diners Drive-ins and Dives on Foodnetwork Channel. I brought this dish to two pot lucks and it was very well received at both. Its an awesome dish for a pot luck as it can be made the day or even days before. It will taste better after spending some night(s) in the fridge.

Makes about 8 servings

200 grams streaky bacon - Cut up into 1 cm slices
500 grams Minced Beef
2-3 sausages (spicy Italian kind preferred) - Diced up.
300 grams beef chuck - cut into 1 inch cubes. (Optional - I like the chunky pieces in my chilli)

1 Whole Large Onion - Diced
1 Red Capsicum - Diced.
5 Cloves Garlic - finely chopped or minced

2 tablespoons chilli powder (More for extra heat)
2 teaspoons paprika power
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt

50-70 grams Dark Chocolate (At least 60%)

1 can diced tomato
1 can tomato paste
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
1 cup beef stock - (Chicken stock is fine too)
1 can of Beer (Dark beer preferred if you have) - optional
2 cans Kidney beans or Pinto Beans or one of each

Garnish
1 Bunch Corriander - Roughly Chopped
2-3 stalks of Spring Onions - sliced
1 cup - Shredded Cheddar.
Optional - For added heat, add some thinly sliced bird's eye chillies. (Chilli Padi)
Tip - If too spicy, add some more sugar.


1. Add the bacon into a large stockpot over high heat. Fry for about a minute. Add the diced onions and capsicum and fry for about 3 - 5 minutes (Until they soften and onions turn translucent) Add the garlic and saute for another 1 or 2 minutes.

2. Add the chuck and sear for about 4 minutes (If using) and then add the ground beef and sausage and sear, stirring gently, try not to break up the ground beef too much. Cook until the meat is nicely browned and cooked through should take 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Add the chilli powder, paprika, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, ground black pepper, salt and cook until the spcies release their aroma, about 3-4 minutes.

4. Add the tomatoes and tomato puree. Cook out the tomatoes and puree for about 4 minutes. Stir in the beer and stock. Use the liquid to de-glaze the pot, mopping up any brown bits sticking to your pot. Add the kidney and pinto beans(with all the juice from the cans, as the starch will help tighten up the chilli).

5. At this point, add the chocolate and tomato ketchup, mix well. Simmer for about 2 hours. Checking and stirring regularly, every 20 minutes or so on very low heat, just so the bottom does not burn. Or or use a slow cooker

Serve the chilli in bowls, garnished with Spring Onions and/or Corriander and Cheddar.
Great with Fries and Tortilla Chips! Enjoy!

Cooking Steaks at home

Haven't been posting in a while. Sorry for the long hiatus. I did a few BBQs that involved steaks and I had some folks asking this question, "How to cook a good steak at home?". Since its way past due for a new post. I thought I'd post something about how I do my steaks at home.

Cooking steak at home is not hard nor is it every complicated. It does take some practice however. Getting to know your Most of the work is done while choosing the steak. Choosing the right cut at the butcher's. A cut that is right for you and suits your preferences.

Typical Prime Cuts used for steaks are:
Sirloin
Striploin
Tenderloin
T-bone or Porterhouse
Ribeye
Skirt (Recently Gaining popularity)

General Rule of thumb, the more the muscle is used the stronger the flavour of the meat/cut.

After choosing the right cut, now you start to prepare the steak. There are different schools of thought  (eg Salt aging, cooking from frozen etc...) but I will not cover them all here. I will just cover the method I use the most.

1. Let the meat reach room temperature if you have the luxury of time. Should take about 30mins to an hour outside the fridge.

2. When ready to cook, pat the beef really dry with a paper towel. Then season both sides assertively with salt and pepper.

3. Next heat some cooking oil in heavy based saute pan or frying pan over high heat. Get it really hot. Then add in the beef. Lay the beef the a direction that is away from you, to prevent hot oil splattering on yourself. Immediately after the beef goes in, lower the heat to medium or medium high,

4. To get it medium rare, typically takes about 2-3 minutes per side. If you like a good sear, avoid flipping your beef back and forth. When on the second side, I typically like to finish of with a knob of butter, a few garlic cloves (lightly bruised with skin on)and some thyme. Baste the steak with the melted butter during the cooking.

5. Remove from the pan and let the beef rest for half the cooking time before serving.

For great sides to go with your steak, check out my recipes for:
Creamed Spinach
Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes

Hope this will help you create a great steak dinner at home.

Caramelized Onion Purée

Onion Purée, some would say it goes great with a lot of different foods and I will not disagree with that. Personally though, I love it with well seared beef or pork chops.

Seared Beef with Onion Purée

Caramelizing the onions bring out a sweet nutty flavour from the onions. This is a sweet and savoury side that I really like. Its really simple to make, but does take a little time to get done.

Here is what you'll need to serve 4.
2-3 large yellow onions - Thinly sliced or diced.
1/2 cup of beef stock
1/2 teaspoon mustard
2-3 tablespoons butter.

Steps:
1. In a medium large saucepan or deep-sided sauté plan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Then add in all the sliced onions. Stir well to incorporate the butter with all the onions. Stir frequently to help the onions brown at relatively the same rate and to prevent burning. Might be difficult in the beginning due to the quantity and size of your pan. The onions will shrink alot as they cook. Do this until the onions soften and get to a nice golden brown. Should take about 10-15 mins.

2. At this point add the beef stock a little bit at a time. Cook until all the liquids have greatly reduced. This step also serves to de-glaze the pan, incorporating the browned goodness from the base or sides of the plan. Continue stirring frequently until the onions reach a nice brown colour. Probably another 3-5 minutes or so.

3. Turn off the heat and put all the onions in the food processor and blend till smooth. Remove and place in a large bowl.

4. Add the mustard and remaining butter, season with salt and pepper to taste.

Can be served warm or cold.

Spicy Baked Eggs

The wife loves baked eggs in a tomato based sauce. So I decided to make this for breakfast one day. We both love little spicy kick in our food sometimes, (Actually its most of the time for me) so this is my spicy rendition of a great brunch dish. The trick is timing the bake, so as not to overcook the eggs.

Spicy Baked Eggs with sausage and garnished with basil

Here's what you'll need to serve 2.
4 Eggs - Cracked into 2 bowls. 2 eggs in each bowl.
1 400gm can of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup tomato puree.
1 small / medium yellow onion - diced
2 cloves garlic - minced/diced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (Optional)
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
1/2 Red Capsicum - diced
2 sausages - cut into thick slices (I used spicy pork ones, but you can use your own preferred sausages)
Parmesan Cheese
handful Fresh Basil - sliced (For Garnish)
Salt and pepper to taste.

Steps:
1. Pre-heat your oven to grill/broil.

2. In a oven-safe frying pan, heat some oil over medium heat. When the oil is heated, fry the sausage chunks until they achieve nice browning on the surfaces. Remove sausages from the pan and set them aside, leaving the oil behind.

3. Next fry the diced capsicum in the pan for about a 2-3 minutes. Next add the onions, garlic, chilli flakes and smoked paprika. Fry for about 3-4 minutes, until the onions soften and the chillies give off their aroma. Then add the tomatoes and tomato puree and cook for about 5-10 minutes (cooking out the tartness from the tomatoes), stirring often. Taste as you go, adding salt and pepper as you like. Turn off the heat once you get the consistency and depth of flavor that you want. (I like my tomatoes really cooked out, so I sometimes cook them out a little longer)

3. Make a couple of little wells in the sauce with a spoon or ladle and pour the eggs in. Place the whole pan in the oven and grill for 6-10 minutes. (Depending on how runny you like your eggs).

4. Remove from the oven, garnish generously with basil and grated Parmesan. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil if you like. Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Hope you'll enjoy this coz we did :)

Pan Seared Salmon with Carrot mash and Leek Cream sauce.

I was at a nearby supermarket and the salmon fillets and leeks looked really good that day. I decided to use them both for dinner so I bought both, together with some cream and carrots and went home and made dinner.

Very enjoyable dinner. The leek infused sauce really brought the dish together. I thought the highlight was the crispy skin on the Salmon. Getting that skin nice and crispy is so crucial to the enjoyment factor of this meal.

Pan Seared Salmon with Carrot mash and Leek Cream

Here is what you'll need for 4 servings.
4 Salmon fillets - About 200 grams each.
200ml whipping cream
1 leek - sliced (White and light green parts only. Discard the dark green and leafy parts)
3-4 large carrots - peeled and cut into large chunks
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2-3 sprigs of Italian Parsley - Leaves only, roughly chopped
1/4 Milk (For when the puree is too dry to blend)
Chopped chives for garnish (Optional)

Steps
For the Carrot Mash
1. Boil the carrots for about 40 mins in salted water, until they are soft enough for a fork to go through them easily. Strain and set aside. (alternatively, you could bake them wrapped in foil for about 45-60 minutes in an oven at 160 degrees Celsius).

2. Let them cool for a while then puree in a food processor or blender. To ease the blending use some milk if needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix in 1 tablespoon of butter. Set aside.

Leek Cream Sauce
1. In a frying pan over medium heat, melt some butter. When butter starts to heat up and bubble, add in the leeks. Fry the leeks until they soften and start to give off a nutty aroma, just before they brown. Should take 3-5 minutes. Then add the cream and parsley. Turn of the heat when cream is heated up or boiling. Set aside.

For the Salmon Fillets:
1. Season the fillet with salt and pepper. Heat some oil over medium heat in a frying pan. When oil is heated up, lay in the salmon, skin side down. Cook for about 3 minutes and turn over and cook for about 1-2 minutes. You want the skin nice and crispy. Cooking times may vary based on the thickness of your fillets. If your skillet/pan is not big enough to cook 4 at the same time, you may need to cook in batches. When done, remove the fillets from pan and set aside.

Serve the Carrots and Salmon together and pour the sauce over the fish and carrot. Garnish with chives if using and serve immediately. 
Enjoy!

Creamed Spinach with Poached Egg

Creamed spinach is apparently a quintessential side dish to a steak meal. The wife and I had this at an upmarket steakhouse a while ago. We really liked it. The one we had was served with a sunny side up egg, which the waiter hacked to bits with a spoon at your table side.

The nearby Cold Storage was having a discount on baby spinach recently so we bought 2 packs. I really didn't feel like a salad that day (but then again I rarely do! ;P) so I thought I'd try my own rendition of creamed spinach. Both the wife and I found it rather enjoyable. The poached egg yolk added to the richness and bits of egg white gave the dish some textural variation.

Cream Spinach with Poached Egg

Here is what you'll need for 2
2 Packs Baby Spinach - About 180 grams or so.
1/2 white onion - finely diced
2 cloves garlic - minced
200ml whipping cream
1 knob of butter (about 1/2 tablespoon or so)
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (Optional)
2 Poached eggs (optional)

1. Boil a large pot of salted water. (about 2 teaspoons of salt). When water comes to a boil, put all the spinach in. They take just seconds to wilt. When wilted, remove and strain the liquid. Set aside to cool.

2. Next mince the spinach with a knife on a chopping board. Or you can use a food processor if you want it really fine. I like mine with some bite, so I just used a knife to chop up the spinach.

3. In a frying pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Then sautee the onion and garlic till they turn soft. Add the cream and mix well. When the cream is heated up, turn off the heat and add the spinach and Parmesean (If using) and mix everything well together.

4. Serve in shallow bowls and top with poached eggs if desired. Serve warm.

Hope you'll like this.

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!

Spicy Garlic Prawns with Corriander, Chorizo, Macadamia and Cherry Tomatoes

This is a rather common dish you'll encounter at many western restaurants. I recently had a variation of this dish at one of the local establishments which left me rather dissatisfied. It was really just some prawns on a hot plate with garlic oil and some chilli flakes. After the meal, I decided to make my own rendition of it. In fact I actually went and bought the prawns for this immediately after leaving the restaurant.

I added macadamia nuts, chorizo, tomatoes and corriander to give some additional flavour dimensions. The macadamia add a mild nutty flavour and textural contrast. Chorizo are savoury spicy sausages with some fat which makes it meld flavours very well with the whole dish. The tomatoes provide some sweetness and the corriander give the dish a fragrance which lifts the whole dish.

Excellent dish as an appetiser or a side to a main meal.

Spicy Garlic Prawns with Corriander, Chorizo, Macadamia and Cherry Tomatoes. 

Serves 2-4 people.

300 grams Large Grey Prawns - Shelled
50-70 grams Chorizo - Thinly sliced
8-12 macadamia nuts - Halved.
5-8 cherry tomatoes - Halved
6-8 cloves of garlic - Sliced/Chopped.
Handful of coriander - Roughly Chopped
2-3 teaspoons dried chilli flakes.

Olive oil for frying.

Your preferred bread.

1. Season the shrimp with some salt and pepper.

2. Lightly toast the macadamia nuts on a large dry pan over medium heat. Toast them just till they start have brown patches on the exterior. Be careful not to burn them. Remove them from the pan and set aside.

3. Wipe down the pan and then add a good amount of olive oil. (This forms the sauce). Roughly a quarter to a third of a cup. Heat the oil over medium heat. When the oil is heated add the Chorizo, garlic, chilli flakes and tomatoes. Cook for about a minute or so until the garlic just starts to brown and the Chorizo should start to crisp up. Careful not to let the garlic burn. (Or you can crisp up the Chorizo first in the oil together with the tomatoes, then set them aside when you fry the garlic with the chilli flakes. You can add the tomatoes and Chorizo at the end just before the corriander in step 4 below)

4. At this point and in the prawns. They just take like 10-20 seconds per side so turn them over as needed. When the prawns are almost cooked though turn off the heat and in the toasted macadamia nuts and coriander. Toss and mix well.

5. Serve immediately with crusty bread and a slice of lemon. The bread is awesome for mopping up the garlicky spicy sauce.

Enjoy!

Potato Salad

This is a simple and easy-to-do potato salad that packs flavour. Its great for pot luck gatherings and can be done a day in advance of the party.

One important note though, get the waxy skin potatoes as opposed to the rough skin kinds. Waxy potatoes have a lower starch content and will hold their shape better after cooking. They will retain more of a bite as opposed to the starchy variety. Among the potato varieties commonly found in our local markets, I use the "Bastragi Granola" or "New potatoes" (potatoes harvested young) for salads. The red potatoes are great as well. Basically, go for a potato that has a smooth slightly waxy exterior.

The most common starchy potato variety found here is the Russet etc. Starchy potatoes have a very rough exterior. They are great for fries, curries and baked whole. They have a higher starch content and has less of a bite when cooked. The russet potatoes are what I used for the crispy oven baked potatoes.

We do not get a large variety of potatoes being an Asian city state but I guess you are still able to find at least 1 type of waxy potato in the nearby market/supermarket.

Here is what you'll need for 4
500g potatoes.
4-6 Hard boiled eggs (optional) - quartered length-wise.
3 stalks spring onion - sliced
1/2 diced zucchini (optional)
1/2 smallish yellow onion - finely diced
1/2 Mayo (The Japanese mayo seems to garner a more positive response from my guests)
3-4 tablespoons Bacon Chips  - self made or store bought is fine. I do not recommend the artifical bacon chips though.
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Steps
1. Cook the potatoes. Place them in a pot with enough water to fully cover the potatoes. Cover and boil over the stove. When the water comes to a boil, lower heat and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Take out one potato and check whether its done by poking a fork into the potato. If it goes in without alot of strength required, your potato is done. Leave it to cool to room temperature. About an hour or so. Cut the potatoes into large bite sized chunks and set aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl add in all the spring onion, diced onion, zucchini, bacon, a small pinch of salt, sugar and a generous hit of black pepper. Mix well. Then add in the mayo and mix everything together. Doing it this way helps to ensure a uniform distribution of ingredients. (hopefully preventing your guests getting a spoonful of onion!).

3. Add in the potatoes and eggs in the large bowl with the mayo. Mix well. Best served after chilling for at least an hour or 2.

4. Garnish with spring onion and bacon and serve.

Enjoy!

Pan Fried Fish Fillet and Red Pepper Sauce

This is a simple and healthy dish to put together at home. The hardest part about the dish is the sauce, which is really not that hard.

Fish Fillet with Red pepper sauce and asparagus.

The sauce is sweet and slightly spicy, which I feel goes great with the fish. Great as a carb free meal but I will recommend complimenting the dish with oven roasted potatoes if you are looking for a more substantial meal.

As any pan fried fish dish, be careful not to overcook the fish. There is no special reason I used asparagus here. I like asparagus and just happened to have them in the fridge. I used a halibut fillet but you can use any white fish fillet you prefer.

Ingredients for 2:

2 pieces of white fish fillet. About 150-200 grams each.

180 grams asparagus

1 average sized red capsicum - diced

Half a yellow onion - diced

1 clove of garlic - sliced

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 tablespoon of unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (regular sweet paprika is fine too)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Light olive oil/cooking oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps:

1. In a sauté pan, heat some cooking oil over medium heat. When oil is heated, add in the capsicum, onions and garlic. Fry until soft. About 5-7 minutes or so. Then add in the paprika and fry for another minute, for the paprika to release its aroma.

2. Then deglaze the pan with the white wine and remove from heat and set aside to let it cool.

3. Blanch the asparagus in boiling salted water for a minute and a half. Remove and shock in cold water to prevent them cooking further.

4. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Set aside.

5. Puree the sauteed capsicum in a blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

6. Season the fish with salt and pepper. In a saute pan, heat some cooking oil over medium high heat. When oil is heated, sear the fish fillets about a 1-2 minutes per side. Depending on the thickness of your fillet. 

7. Serve the fish with the asparagus and sauce immediately.  

Enjoy!

Red Wine Sauce

Been rather busy this month with little opportunity to cook at home. My second post this month/year is a sauce recipe. This is a great sauce to go with your meats for your home cooked meals. It can keep a while in a fridge too. It does require some time but its rather simple to do. 

Beef Tenderloin with Mash and Red Wine Sauce

Makes about 2-3 cups of sauce.

Ingredients:
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced celery
2 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 sprigs of fresh Italian parsely
1 litre beef stock (Store bought is fine)
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
1 cup port
2 tablespoons tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorns

Butter/cooking oil for frying

Salt to taste

Ingredients for the Roux
1.5 tablespoon plain flour

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Steps:

1. In a large saucepan, heat cooking oil/butter over medium heat. When oil/butter is hot enough, add the carrots, onions and celery. Fry until the vegetables start to soften and the onions start to become translucent, about 3-5 minutes. then add in the tomato paste and fry for another 3-5 minutes, mixing well. (This is to remove the tartness from the tomato paste)

2. At this point, add the wine and port. Mix well and allow to simmer over low heat until the liquid is reduced by about a third.

3. Then add the stock, thyme, peppercorns and parsley. Mix well and allow to simmer very gently over low heat for about 30 - 45 minutes. Then strain and discard the solids. Then allow the liquid to simmer over medium for about 45 minutes. until reduced by half.

(Note: the further you reduce, the more intense the flavour will be and you will get a fuller texture but do note, if you use store bought stock, there is most probably salt in it, so taste as you reduce.)

4. During the reduction, you can start with the roux. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, when its fully melted and starts to froth, add in the flour and stir well. with a wooden spoon or whisk, keep stirring gently. You should get a thick paste. When the raw taste of the flour is cooked out, you have what is call white roux. We want a brown roux for this sauce so you want to cook it further, stirring frequently until the paste becomes brown with a nutty flavour.

5. Add the roux to the pot of reducing sauce and mix well. Allow to simmer for another 5 minutes and it should be ready to serve. Season with salt to taste, although I am of the opinion that salt is not required if the store bought stock has salt in it.

Goes great with beef and pork. Especially if you are serving roast beef.

Mashed Potatoes

Happy New year people. Work has been a little busier, so homecookedsg.com took a backseat for few weeks. Hence my first post for 2014 appears only now.  Today's post is for a mash potato recipe.
I think the key to the mash potato picking the right potatoes. I was taught that using the waxy potatoes will help in making the mash lighter and less starchy and gooey.

Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients for 6-8 servings
500 grams of waxy potatoes - washed and peeled.
125 grams of unsalted butter - cut in 1-2 cm chunks and removed from the fridge to allow to rise to room temperature
1/2 cup of milk
Handful of chives for garnish.
Salt and pepper to taste

Steps:
1. Cook the potatoes. There are 2 ways to do so, boil them in water until soft enough for a fork to pierce through, or wrap in foil and bake in an oven at 160 degrees for about 45 mins.

2. When the potatoes are cook enough to handle, mash the potatoes either a traditional hand masher or a potato ricer. (I learnt the hard way that you do not want to put them in a food processor or blender)

3. In a large mixing bowl, mix the potatoes and butter. Then add milk gradually for better control over the texture.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with chives. Serve with your favourite protein.

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.

The Basic Onion Tomato Sauce

The emphasis of this recipe is the basic tomato sauce that I like to use in alot of the dishes I cook at home. On its own, it makes a great pasta dish!. It keeps quite well in the fridge and can be used as a base for many variations for several different of dishes. If you look through some of the other recipes in this site, you'll probably come across a variation of this sauce in use. So I thought I would create an entry for this sauce so that I can just refer readers back to this page when I use this sauce. Saves me the typing.

Cauldron of Onion Tomato Sauce bubbling away

This sauce uses canned tomatoes and bottled Passata, both of which can be easily found in most Cold Storage or and at Fairprice.

Here is what you'll need for the sauce. Makes about 1 litre of sauce.

2 cans diced tomatoes. (I like to use the ones that say Plum or Romano. You can get whole canned ones and dice them yourself as well)
1 700g Jar of Passata.
2 yellow onions - diced
4 cloves of garlic - finely chopped
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
few teaspoons of sugar to taste

Steps:
1. Prep the diced/chopped tomatoes. Remove from the can and strain them. discard the liquids. Set aside

2. Over medium heat, heat about 2-4 tablespoons of cooking oil in a large saucepan or large deep sided saute pan. When oil is heated up (Rolls around easily in the pan) add in the onions and fry for 1 minute, then add in the garlic. Fry for a few more minutes until the onions become soft and translucent (Not brown).

3. Add in the tomatoes and fry for another 3-4 minutes. Then add in the passata. Mix well and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes over low heat.

4. Add in the thyme and rosemary. You can tie the herbs together so that they are easier to fish out later. Allow to simmer over low heat for at least 45 minutes. Stirring occasionally, to prevent the bottom of the sauce from burning.

5. After the sauce is allowed to simmer and cook down, allow to cool and store. Use as needed.

Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes.

This is one of my favourite ways to cook potatoes at home. Its really easy and you get crispy tasty potatoes at the same time. My personal preference, is to cut them in to smaller chunks. About 1.5 cm across, this gives more of that wonderfully crispy surface area.

Oven Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients to serve 2

2-3 large Russet potatoes - washed and cleaned
2 sprig of thyme (leaves only)
2 sprig of rosemary (leaves only)
2-3 cloves of garlic - minced or grated.
1/4 - 1/3 cup Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Steps:
1. Pre-heat oven to 220 degrees Celsius.

2. Cut the potatoes into small chunks, about 1.5 cm wide.

3. In a large mixing bowl, add in the herb leaves, garlic and olive oil. Mix well. Then add in the potatoes into the mixing bowl. Season assertively with salt and pepper as well at this point. Mix well.

4. On the largest baking/roasting tray that will fit in your oven, lay out the potatoes in a single layer, together with the herbs and garlic. Try to ensure that none of the potato chunks are not sticking together.

5. Roast in the oven for about 35- 45 minutes. Until nicely browned and crisp.

6. Serve with your favourite protein.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

Braising is a great way to expand your options in the kitchen. Its also a way to keep costs lower as cheaper cuts of meat tend to be better for braising. Cuts like pork shoulder, belly, short ribs, brisket are all good cuts for braising. As opposed to the really expensive cuts like tenderloin and so on.

Braised Beef Short Ribs

This recipe takes you through a simple braising recipe for beef short ribs.

Ingredients to serve 4:
1 - 1.2 Kg meaty beef short ribs
2-3 cups red wine
1 litre / 4 cups beef stock (Chicken stock would work too)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 sprigs of thyme
1 whole head of garlic - cut in half horizontally
1 large yellow onion - roughly chopped
3-4 carrots - cut into large chunks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chopped Chives for garnish

Steps
1. Season the beef well with salt and pepper. Place a deepsided roasting tray on the stove and heat about 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil. When oil is heated, cook the beef, browning all sides well. should take about 10-15 minutes.

2. Next add the garlic (cut side down) and tomato paste in the pan together with the beef. Cook out the tomato paste by pressing it down on the pan a little. Cook for about 2 minutes. Then add in the wine and stock. Using a wooden spoon or similar tool, scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan and mix well with the liquid.

3. Bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover with foil and then cook in the oven for about 3-4 hours.
(If you do not have a roasting tray that you can use on a stove, you can use a large deepsided sautee pan, and then transfer the beef to a deepsided baking/casserole dish just before going into the oven.)

4. Take the roasting tray out of the oven and remove the beef short ribs and carrots, set them aside. Strain the braising liquid and reserve the liquid. This will become the sauce. Scoop and discard the excess oil/fat from the sauce. Squeeze the garlic out of the skin and press through a strainer into the sauce and mix well. Optional Step: Reduce the sauce further in a saucepan over the stove if you want it thicker.

5. Divide the ribs and carrots equally onto dinner plates and spoon over the sauce. Garnish with chives and serve with crusty bread.

Gnocchi with Mushrooms

Gnocchi with Mushrooms

This is the recipe for the 2nd gnocchi dish I made from same batch of gnocchi that I made with the earlier recipe here. Its a great savoury dish with flavours that are awesome with gnocchi.

Serves 2
Ingredients for 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
4 shallots - sliced or 1/2 purple onion - diced
150-200 grams Swiss brown or white button mushrooms - cleaned and halved/quartered (depending on their size)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock (use vegetable broth if you want a vegetarian version)
1 tablespoon butter
2-4 tablespoons grated Parmesan for garnish
1 tablespoon chopped chives for garnish

Steps: (1-5 are copied from the earlier gnocchi dish)
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. In the same pan, reduce heat to medium, add in shallots and garlic. Fry for 2-3 minutes, until shallots soften then add in the mushrooms and fry for another 5 minutes or so, until the mushrooms start to brown and the released moisture from the mushrooms dry up. De-glaze the pan with the white wine, and allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes. Then add in the chicken stock and allow to simmer for another minute or so. At the same time, gently scrape the lovely brown bits off the base of the pan, mixing them together with liquid.

7 Add in the butter and mix well. Add in the thyme leaves and gnocchi. Mix well and fry for about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and dish onto 2 dinner plates. Garnish with chives and generously with grated Parmesan. Serve immediately.

Hope you'll like this. Enjoy!

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!

Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

This is one of those dishes that you'll get "oohs" and "ahhs" when you bring it out at a dinner gathering. And the fragrance that fills your kitchen when the bacon is cooking in the oven is just awesome.

Porkfection!

Wrapping the tenderloin can be a little bit tricky the first time, but you'll get the hang of it. Especially if you are one of those who do Swiss-rolls a lot.

Ingredients: (serves 2-4)
1 whole uncut pork tenderloin, about 300 - 350 grams  - cleaned and trimmed
About 300 grams streaky bacon (should get about 12 slices or so)
3 sprigs of fresh thyme - leaves only
4-5 sage leaves - finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic - minced
Salt and back pepper
Cooking oil for frying
Maple Syrup (optional)

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Cover the prep surface with plastic wrap before starting this recipe to make it easier to wrap the pork in bacon and for an easier cleanup. I recommend at least 2 layers of cling wrap as this makes the cling wrap easier to handle.

2. Rub the thyme, sage and garlic all over the tenderloin. A little salt and generous amount of pepper. Place the tenderloin horizontally on the end plastic wrap that is closer to you.

3. Then in front of the tenderloin, on the plastic wrap, place the bacon vertically. Slightly overlap each slice until you cover the length of the tenderloin. Forming like a bacon blanket in front of the tenderloin.

4. Roll the tenderloin over the bacon, using the plastic wrap guide the tenderloin over the bacon first. Once you get a tight firm roll, discard the plastic wrap.

5. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. When the oil gets really hot, place the bacon-wrapped tenderloin, seam-side down, in the pan and sear until the bacon is browned, about 2 minutes per side. You should probably have to brown 4 sides.

6. Transfer the bacon-wrapped tenderloin to a roasting tray. Brush generously with maple syrup (if using) and cook the tenderloin in the oven until the internal temp reads about 62 degrees C. Probably about 10 minutes or so. Then let is rest outside the oven for about 5-10 mins before cutting.

Serve with mash and side salad.

Enjoy!