Prawn and leeks in saffron cream

Taken from Periplus Mini Cookbooks, Pasta Favourites

Ingredients

40g butter
1 small leek, julienned
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
pinch of saffron threads
125ml white wine
250ml fish stock
300 ml cream
24 raw medium prawns
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp chopped dill

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, add the leek and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, or until the leek is soft and translucent. Add the saffron, white wine and fish stock and bring to the boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, or until it has reduced by half. Pour in the cream and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and reduced by about a third.

Add the prawns to the sauce and simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and dill. Season well, then toss through the hot pasta. Serve immediately

Absolutely, absolutely love this dish! Too bad, I can't get medium (yes, even medium) prawns in London. That's why I keep cooking seafood dishes in Singapore since I don't get to do that much of it in London

Greek-style marinated vegetables

Taken from the BBC website

Ingredients
2 tsp butter
1 tsp vegetable oil
½ onion, sliced finely
2 garlic cloves, crushed
20g/¾oz green beans, blanched
45g/1½oz carrots, blanched, and sliced
½ lemon, juice only
85g/3oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp olive oil


Method
1. Heat the butter and vegetable oil in a frying pan and sauté the garlic for one minute.
2. Add the green beans, the carrots and the lemon juice, and sauté for a further 2-3 minutes.
3. Add the sliced mushrooms and the chopped herbs. Cook for a further minute, drizzle with olive oil and serve immediately.

My mom told me she wanted to boil some long beans and carrots for lunch. I thought it was boring to just do that and so I went surfing on the BBC recipe website to find a recipe for it. And this is what I found. It's actually pretty appetizing; the contrasting savoury taste of fried garlic and onions and the sourness of the lemon juice. My mom likes it but I don't think my dad does as he's averse to sour foods.

Baked fish with fresh herbs (thread fin)

From Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite

Ingredients

1 seabass, about 1.1kg
Few rosemary sprigs
Handful of large basil leaves
1/2 Lemon, cut into wedges
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced

Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Score the sea bass on both sides and rub all over with salt, pepper and a little drizzle of olive oil. Pick the rosemary sprigs off the hard stems. Roll a large basil leaf tightly around each rosemary sprig. Insert into the slashes in the fish, along with the garlic slices.

Lay the sea bass on a lightly oiled foil-lined baking tray. Stuff the cavity with the lemon wedges and remaining rosemary. Bake for 15-20 minutes until the flesh is opaque and just cooked through.

Simple dish to make and healthy as well. It really depends on how fresh your fish is. The seasoning, herbs, they serve to bring out the full natural flavours of the fish.

Red snapper and tomato chowder

From Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite
Ingredients

2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 celery sticks, trimmed and roughly chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 large waxy potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 yellow pepper, cored, deseeded and roughly chopped
few thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
400g chopped tomatoes
900ml fish stock
150 g green beans, cut into short lengths
600g cod fillets
flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Heat olive oil in a heavy-based pan. Add the onions, celery and some seasoning and cook, stirring, over a medium heat for 6-8 minutes to soften. Add the carrots, potatoes, yellow pepper and herbs, and saute for 5 minutes until the vegetables are lightly golden.

Add the tomatoes to the pan and pour in the stock. Cover and simmer for about 7-9 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Now tip in the green beans. Give the mixture a stir and simmer for another 3 minutes. Check the seasoning.

Lightly season the cod fillets and lay them on the vegetables in the pan. Cover the pan again and simmer for 3-4 minutes until the fish is opaque and just cooked through. Using a spoon, gently break the fish into large flakes. Ladle the hot soup into warm bowls and scatter a handful of chopped parsley over each serving.

Sticky baked chicken drumsticks

From Gordon Ramsay's Healthy Appetite

Ingredients:

10 chicken drumsticks
sea salt and black pepper

Glaze:

6 tbsp honey
3 tbsp fish sauce
11/2 tbsp light soy sauce
juice of 1 1/2 lemons
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp sesame oil

Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Lightly oil a large baking dish. Season the drumsticks with salt and pepper and arrange in the dish in a single layer. Drizzle over a little olive oil and bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes.

Prepare the glaze in the meantime. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl until evenly combined.

Take the chicken out of the oven and pour over the glaze, to coat each drumstick. Return to the oven and bake for another 20-30 minutes, turning several times, until the chicken is tender and nicely glazed.

Let the chicken rest for a few minutes before serving.

Tuna salad

Mushroom risotto

I had the most wonderful mushroom risotto at Marcus Wareing at The Savoy. It was rich, full of the taste of mushrooms, yet light: it didn't feel heavy on the stomach. And of course, as I mentioned in the entry on this restaurant, it had a poached egg on top, an interesting complement to the mushrooms. Well, as you all would expect, I decided to try to make mushroom risotto. This recipe is taken from the BBC website.

Ingredients
1 tbsp dried porcini mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
225g/8oz chestnut mushrooms, sliced
350g/12oz arborio rice
150ml/¼ pint dry white wine
1.2 litres/2 pints hot vegetable stock
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
25g/1oz butter
salt and freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated parmesan cheese, to serve


Method
1. Soak the mushrooms in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain well. Heat the oil in a large, heavy based saucepan and add the onion and garlic. Fry over a gentle heat for 2-3 minutes, until softened. Add the mushrooms and fry for a further 2-3 minutes, until browned.
2. Stir in the rice and coat in the oil. Pour in the wine and simmer, stirring, until the liquid has
been absorbed. Add a ladleful of the stock and simmer, stirring again, until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding the stock in this way, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is plump and tender.
3. Roughly chop the soaked mushrooms and stir into the risotto, along with the parsley, butter and salt and pepper. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

I modified this recipe by pan frying the mushrooms separately and adding it to the risotto near the end of the cooking. In addition, I added bacon to give the risotto a meaty flavour

Cranberry walnut loaf

Ingredients

185g unsalted butter, chopped
1 tbsp finely grated orange rind
1 1/2 firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup dried cranberries
1 1/3 cups chopped walnuts
1 cup milk
1/3 cup orange juice
3 eggs
3 cups self-raising flour
1 1/2 tbsp demerara sugar

Preheat oven to 180 degres fan forced. Lightly grease loaf pan. Line bases and sides with baking paper, allowing a 2 cm overhang at long ends. Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in orange rind, brown sugar, cranberries and half the walnuts. Remove from heat. Add milk, juice, eggs and flour. Stir to combine. Top with remaining walnuts and demerara sugar.



Bake for 1 hr 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 min. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.



Serve




























And this is Garfield, looking at and waiting hungrily for the cake.

Saffron Prawn Risotto

Ingredients

1/4 tsp saffron threads
Olive oil
2 garlic cloves crushed
3 tbsp chopped parsley
500g prawns
60 ml sherry
60 ml white wine
1.5l fish stock
1 onion chopped
440g risotto rice

Soak the saffron threads in 60 ml hot water

Heat oil in saucepan. Add garlic parsley and prawns and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the sherry wine and saffron with the liquid. Remove the prawns with a slotted spoon and set aside.



Simmer until the liquid has reduced by half. Pour in the stock and 250 ml water, cover and keep at a constant simmer.



In a separate saucepan, heat olive oil. Cook onion for 3 minutes or until golden. Add the rice and stir over medium heat for 3 minutes.



Add 125 ml stock to the rice and stir constantly over low heat until all the liquid has been absorbed. Repeat the process until all the stock has been added and the rice is tender and creamy.



Add the prawns and stir until heated through. Season, then serve.



Ever since I went to Savoy Grill, London and tried the mushroom risotto with a poached egg on top, I have been adding a poached egg to my risottos. Again, the egg complements the saffron prawn risotto well, giving it a smoother taste.

Roast tomato salad

Ingredients:

6 plum tomatoes
2 tsp capers
6 basil leaves, torn
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 garlic cloves crushed
1/2 tsp honey

Cut the tomatoes lengthways into quarters. Place on a baking tray, skinside down and cook under a hot grill for 4-5 minutes. Cool to room temperature and place in a bowl.

Combine the capers, basil leaves, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, crushed garlic and honey in a bowl, season and pour over the tomatoes. Toss gently.

My mom made this to complement the saffron prawn risotto. It's from Murdoch Books Salads. This publisher has been publishing some pretty good cookbooks. The saffron prawn risotto is from Murdoch Books Fish Food

Saba no miso ni (Simmered mackerel in miso)

Ingredients

2 fillets mackerel
1/2 cup water
3 tbsps sake
3 tbsps sugar
6 tbsps miso
1 clove fresh ginger root
Preparation:

Slice ginger thinly. Remove bones from mackerel fillets. Cut a fillet in half. Mix ginger slices, water, sugar, sake, and 4 tbsps of miso in a pan and put on medium heat.




Add mackerel in the pan. Simmer fish for about 10 minutes on low heat, pouring the sauce over the mackerel.



Add 2 tbsps of miso in the sauce at last and stir well. Stop the heat. Serve the mackerel with miso sauce.
*Make 4 servings





This is my favourite dish at Akashi but strangely, I have never thought of making it till today. And it wasn't even my idea to do so , it was my mom. Google is brilliant, with just two words: 'saba' and 'miso', I found the recipe online and it turned out pretty, I would say that the taste is similar to the Akashi version. The only difference is that the saba fish is of a better quality at Akashi. It's a really simple dish and I would want to make it in London; the only problem is i might not be able to find saba fish even in Chinatown. I will have to check and see.

Penne with chorizo and tomatoes

Grill the chorizo for 5-10 till it's slight charred. Meanwhile, pan fry mushrooms and diced red capsicums for 5 minutes till the mixture begins to soften. Add the chorizo to the mix. Add 1 can of diced tomatoes. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for around 10 minutes. Add cooked penne and serve.

Baked cannelloni with chicken and prawn stuffing

Preheat the oven at 180 degrees. For the stuffing and the sauce, first heat olive oil in a large pan, add 1 finely chopped onion and 1 finely chopped garlic clove and cook for 5 minutes. Add 450g of cooked chicken pieces and fry for 4 min. Stir in 1 chopped tomato, deseeded, 150ml of white wine, 150ml of cream and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until reduced and thickened. Stir in 250 g of cooked prawns, 2 tbsp of chopped fresh tarragon and season with salt and pepper. Heat the sauce through gently.



Separate the stuffing from the sauce



Cook 6 lasagna sheets. Cut into half. Place the stuffing on the centre of each sheet and roll the sheets up. Place the cannelloni tubes in a baking tray.


Pour the sauce into the baking tray and scatter grated parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese over the tubes.



Bake for 30 minutes covered and grill for 15 minutes uncovered until the cheese is brown and bubbling.



Serve.

Lasagna

Garfield's favourite food and one of my brother's as well I think: lasagna. Another traditional Italian recipe to master for my education in Italian cuisine.

Cook 2 slices of smoked bacon and 250 g of lean beef mince for 10 minutes. Add 2 celery sticks finely chopped, 1/2 onion finely chopped, 8 button mushrooms finely chopped and 1 carrot finely chopped. Cook for 4 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of flour and 1 garlic clove finely chopped. Mix well and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 tsp of mixed herbs, 1 cup of beef stock and 3 tbsp of tomato puree. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.



Meanwhile, melt 30g of butter in a small pan and stir in 3 tbsp of flour, 1 tsp of English mustard and a pinch of nutmeg until well blended. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually blend in 2 cups of milk until smooth. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring until thickened. Gradually stir in 30 grams of grated cheddar cheese and 30 grams of grated parmesan cheese until melted. Season to taste.




Spoon half the meat mixture into the base of an ovenproof dish. Top with a single layer of precooked lasagne sheets. Spread over half the white sauce, and scatter more parmesan and grated cheese. Repeat the layers finishing with the cheese. Bake in a preheated oven, at 200 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked the top is golden brown and bubbly.



Serve

Kim-chi-jji-kae

Ingredients:

Pork 100g thinly sliced
Ginger juice 1 tsp
Light soy sauce 2 tsp
Ground black pepper 1 tsp
Sugar 1 tsp
Kimchi brine 250ml
Kimchi 200g
Water 1 1/2 cups
Soft bean curd sliced
Leek slices

Season pork with ginger juice, soy sauce, black pepper, sugar and kimchi brine for 20 minutes

Place seasoned pork with kimchi in a pot. Add water and bring to the boil

Reduce heat and add bean curd. Simmer for 20 minutes

Garnish with leek slices and serve hot

I live near a Korean restaurant in London and it has really opened my eyes to Korean cuisine. Previously, my understanding of Korean food was limited to Seoul Garden and Korean bbq. I realise now that kimchi is the basis of their cooking, and not just as a side dish. I bought a Korean cookbook from Kino and there are a number of dishes in that book that I have tried at that Korean restaurant. And so the experimenting begins.

Note: don't add too much water...

Baked fish and potatoes with rosemary and garlic

Ingredients:

1 pound new potatoes, peeled, washed, and cut into wedges
An oven-to-table baking dish that can accommodate both the fish and the potatoes in one layer
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 or 5 fresh rosemary sprigs
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
Fine sea salt
Black pepper ground fresh from the mill
A 2-pound fillet from a firm-fleshed fish, such as grouper, striped bass, red snapper, or mahi mahi
2 tablespoons fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs
preparation

1. Turn on the oven to 200°C.
2. Place the potato wedges in the baking dish, pour 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over them, add 2 sprigs of rosemary, all the garlic cloves, and salt, and pepper. Toss thoroughly. Put the dish in the preheated oven.

3. After 15 minutes, remove the dish to turn the potatoes over, then put it back in the oven. Cook until the potatoes feel tender when tested with a fork, another 10 minutes or so.

4. Remove the dish from the oven. Push the potatoes to the sides, making room in the center for the fish fillet to lie flat.

5. Wash the fish fillet, pat it dry with paper towels, and lay it flat in the dish, skin side down. Strip the leaves from the remaining rosemary sprigs, scatter them over the fish, add salt and pepper, and sprinkle the bread crumbs and the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over the fillet. Return the dish to the oven and bake for 14 minutes. Let the dish settle out of the oven for 3 to 4 minutes before bringing it to the table.

Wonderfully simple dish to prepare and tasty as well. It's crucial to have fresh fish for this dish as it depends on the natural flavours of the fish and fresh rosemary (not the dried ones) to make it work. Instead of using breadcrumbs, I decided to use chunks of torn up bread and it works well, crispy and full of the flavour of rosemary. Just be careful not to burn it.

Thai olive rice

Ingredients

1 shallot, finely diced
1 chili padi, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
10-15 black olives, finely diced
1 chicken fillet, chopped (seasoned with salt and cornflour)
Prawns
Fish cake (crab stick)
Cooked rice

Fry shallots, chilli and garlic.
Add half of the olives and fry. Add chicken. Add salt. Fry until the chicken is cooked on the outside.
Add the prawns.
Add the rice and mix well.
Add the remaining olives.
Season with salt, sugar and fish sauce.
Mix well and serve with fried shrimps, lime, chili and cashew nuts.

I cooked this for dinner under the watchful guidance of my mom. (My mistake today was forgetting that I was cooking with a wok rather than a non-stick pan. Part of the rice was burnt and stuck to the bottom of the pan.) This is one of the dishes my mom always cooks for me when I come home from the UK. I think I should be able to cook this back in London although I may have some problems getting fish cake in London. I may substitute it with crab sticks...

l suggests tofu. That's actually better.



This is l. This is I. I vs. l. If you look carefully. l is slightly taller than I... lI.