recipe is : almost pesto pasta

this recipe is 'almost' pesto cos i've omitted the pinenuts. and it would not be pesto if there's no pinenuts or nuts of any sort will it? so i just call it 'almost pesto' for now, til i can come up with a name for it.

the herb paste on its own makes an excellent dip or dressing as well, with or without adding the cream.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, sliced into long strips of about 3cm, season with a bit of salt and set aside to marinate for 30 mins


Herb paste -
2 handfuls basil
3/4 - 1 head garlic, skinned
1 handful coriander
50 mls (at least) olive oil

250 ml cream
1 cup sliced button mushroom
2 handfuls grated parmesan cheese
400 gms penne
sprigs of basil and coriander
salt to taste
coarse black pepper to taste (optional)


Method

in a food processor or a blender, blitz the basil, garlic, coriander and the olive oil. set aside

in a big pot, boil the penne in slightly salted water until done to preferred softness. turn off flame

in a large pan pour in a bit of oil and stir fry the chicken until just cooked. add the herb paste and stir fry for a few minutes. add the button mushroom, the cream, parmesan, basil and coriander sprigs, mix well. add a bit of the pasta water to thin out the sauce a bit. season with salt and black pepper

drain out the penne and pour into the sauce, mix well and serve hot

note: the cream can be substituted with full cream milk for a less thick sauce. it would not be too runny as the cheese will help thicken it a bit

recipe is : aglio olio funkyfied

this is one of my all-time fav... ever. this simply easy to prepare pasta was inspired by Ee-lyn's Curtis Stone sundried tomato recipe.

i've played around with the original aglio olio recipe. i'm not big a fan of parsley so i've substituted it with basil. sundried tomatoes also came into play with my aglio olio, in fact, it's a must in my recipe as it makes all the difference in the world. for all you know, with the combination of ingredients that i used in this recipe, it might actually be known as a whole different pasta recipe name alltogether (if that's the case, then i truly say sorry for my ignorance).

a few tips for this recipe :

- don't try to cut back on the olive oil in this recipe for fear of it being too oily. the lemon juice used here cuts off the 'oily' feeling.

- i use the australian sundried tomatoes here. the italian ones that i get here are a bit damp and too sour for my liking.

- my personal choice for this is aged/mature cheddar. parmesan or normal cheddar can be used if preferred.

- the amount listed in the ingredients is a guide. feel free to add or lessen the amount according to your own preference.

.... thanks lots Ee-lyn :)
Ingredients

500 gm dried spaghetti

1/2 cup olive oil

2 big handfuls sweet basil, finely chopped

8 - 9 cloves garlic, skinned and finely chopped

6 pcs sundried tomatoes, finely chopped

salt to taste

1 large lemon

1 handful of grated matured/aged cheddar cheese

Method

in a big pot of water, put the spaghetti to boil like normal. once the spaghetti has reached the 'al dente' stage, turn off the flame

in a large pan, heat up the olive oil and once it is heated up, turn the flame down to low. add the garlic and sundried tomatoes and stir fry for a few minutes, don't let the garlic turn brown at any time. add the salt and basil. stir fry for 10 seconds and turn off the flame

scoop out the spaghetti from the pot and put into the pan. a little drippy bit of spaghetti water is fine. in fact, it is better with a little bit of water. mix thoroughly

add the cheese and mix throughly. squeeze in the lemon juice and mix to incorporate. serve immediately

this recipe serves 4

recipe is: salmon fettucine

Ingredients

600 gm salmon fillet
600 gm fettucine, cooked to al dente, drained and set aside, retain a bit of the liquid
3 medium tomatoes, quartered
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 shallots, finely chopped
a handful of chives, cut to about 1 cm length
500 ml cream
6 tbsp olive oil
coarse ground black pepper
salt to taste

Method

heat up a large, deep frying pan and use about 1 tbsp of the olive oil and stir fry the shallots and garlic for about 3 minutes. dish up and set aside

pour into frying pan the remaining oil and put in the salmon fillet. once they start to cook, break the salmon into big chunks. add in the chives and tomatoes. add the cream and let it come to a simmer

add the fettucine and stir fry quickly to mix. add a bit of the retained fettucine liquid if it's too dry. season with the black pepper and salt.

dish up and serve immediately

recipe is: stir fried pasta with prawns and garlic

Ingredients

20 tiger prawns, shelled and deveined (keep 1/2 the shells for the pasta stock, don't use the head)

1/2 pack pasta (use a type that is short and curvy to hold and absorb the seasonings better)

8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

6 slices of ginger

3 stalks of spring onion, finely sliced

1/2 lemon, cut into halves

1/2 tbsp oyster sauce

2 tsp light soya sauce

6 tbsp chinese cooking wine/ 8 tbsp white wine

1/2 tsp sesame oil

8 tbsp olive oil

coursely grounded black pepper

salt

Method

put the prawn shells with 2 slices of ginger and 1/2 tsp of salt, fill with enough water to cook the pasta in a pot and let it come to a boil. once it's boiling, turn down the flame and let it simmer for 10 mins. use a straining scoop to remove the prawn shells and ginger. dish up about 6 tbsp of the stock and put aside. put in the pasta and let it cook, taking care to undercook it slightly as it will be stir fried later.

marinate the prawns in a bit of salt and white pepper

heat up the olive oil and put in the garlic and the ginger. stir fry quickly as not it let it burn to crisps. once it's aromatic, throw in the prawns and stir fry quickly. add the pasta and stir fry to mix with the prawns and garlic. add the oyster sauce, sesame oil, light soya sauce, cooking wine, the prawn stock, a dash black pepper, salt to taste and the spring onions. stir fry quickly over higher flame and stir fry quickly to mix throughly

serve hot with a squeeze of the lemon

recipe is: urban spaghetti

Ingredients

1 1/2 packets of spaghetti (or however much you need) , boiled in lightly salted water til al dente

350 gms minced beef, marinated with 1 tbsp light soya sauce & 1/2 tsp coarse ground black pepper

6 tbsp olive oil
6 big onions, diced
1 whole head of garlic, skinned and pounded
2 cans button mushrooms, 1 can halved/quatered & 1 can thinly sliced
1 tbsp lea & perrins
450 gms tomato puree
170 gms tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine (can be substituted with beef stock)
6 dried bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried basil leaf
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/3 tsp coarse ground black pepper
salt and sugar to taste
grated cheddar cheese

Method


heat the olive oil over a small flame, then add the onions and sautee til soft and opaque

add the garlic and fry til fragrant

add in the beef and stif fry til almost cooked thru

add the bay leaf, basil leaf, rosemary, black pepper and the lea and perrins

stir fry for another 5 mins

add the tomato paste and tomato puree

add the red wine and button mushrooms

let it simmer for another 5 mins

add the salt and sugar to taste

close the lid and let it simmer for another 15 mins, adding more liquid if needed

serve hot with spaghetti and cheese

note: ~ it is better if the tomato paste is substituted with sundried tomatoes

~ i prefer cheddar cheese to parmesan for this sauce as it's more robust and stronger in flavour

~ the sugar is to balance the sourness of the tomatoes. try not to add too much sugar as you'll lose the tangy tomato taste

recipe is: Roast Chicken Fettucine

Ingredients

4 whole chicken thigh (inclusive of drumstick)

700 gms fettucine

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon light soya sauce

3 tablespoon cooking wine

8 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

1 teaspoon dried thyme (fresh sprig of thyme will do nicely as well)

100 ml chicken stock

2 tablespoon olive oil


Method

marinade the chicken in a roasting pan with the salt, light soya sauce, cooking wine, black pepper and stuff the garlic under the skin. leave for 2 hours

heat up the oven to 180℃

add the chicken stock to the pan and cover with foil. bake for 45 minutes

turn up the heat to 200℃ and remove the foil from the pan

drain out the liquid from the pan and store in a saucepan. roast the chicken for another 15 minutes til the skin turns crispy

remove from oven and let it sit for 10 minutes

boil the fettucine in lightly salted water. drain and put into a big mixing/serving bowl. add 2 tablespoon of olive oil and lightly toss the fettucine to evenly coat in oil

add the thyme to the liquid in the saucepan and bring to a boil. turn off the flame

remove the chicken flesh and skin from the bones and set aside. oh yeah, keep the garlic too.

add the garlic and chicken to the fettucine, and the wonderful liquid (the one in the saucepan) and toss.

serves 4

recipe is: Spaghetti and Mushrooms

this is a dish i concocted one day when i just wanted a light, meatless spaghetti dish.

Ingredients

725 gms spaghetti boiled to just undercooked

12 shiitake mushrooms, sliced (if using dried ones, soak for 2 hours first)

2 cans straw mushrooms, cut into halves

1 can abalone mushrooms, diagonally sliced thinly

1 can button mushrooms, thinly sliced

4 tablespoons oyster sauce/vegetarian oyster sauce

6 tablespoons chinese cooking wine (can be substituted with 3 tablespoons of cider vinegar)

1 tablespoon concentrated chicken stock/vegetable stock

1 tablespoon roughly grounded blackpepper

4 teaspoon salt

6 bay leaves

6 drops/half a teaspoon sesame oil

16 cloves of garlic, skin peeled

300 ml hot water

6 tablespoon of olive oil


Method

boil the spaghetti in 1 table spoon of salt water until just undercooked (best to do this just before stir frying in the mushroom mix)

in a pan (use a bigger pan as the spaghetti will be added to this later), heat the olive oil, add the garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt and fry til golden

add all the mushrooms, bay leaves, black pepper and fry for another 5 minutes

in a bowl, mix the 300 ml of hot water with the oyster sauce, cooking wine, chicken stock, sesame oil and 2 teaspoon of salt, stir to mix well and add to pan of mushroom

cook for another 2 minutes and add the cooked spaghetti , mix well and stir fry for another 3 minutes

serves 6

recipe is: Baked pasta with potato

Ingredients

300 gms potatoes, peeled, cubed and boiled to just cooked, not mushy

300 gms pasta, either spiral or shell pasta, boiled to al dentè

400 ml whipping cream

1 beef stock cube crumbled

3 rashers beef bacon, chopped and fried til crisp

1 can button mushrooms, thinly sliced

200 gms cheddar cheese, grated


Method

preheat oven to 175℃

Pour the cream into a small saucepan, add the crumbled beef stock cube and gently bring to a simmer. take off the flame

lightly grease a baking bowl with olive oil.

put in the boiled potatoes, cooked pasta, fried beef bacon and mix thoroughly. add 100 gms cheese into cream mixture, stir and pour onto contents in baking bowl.

cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes.

sprinkle the remaining 100 gms of cheese on top and bake for another 5 minutes.