Herbal Chicken with Pear & Red Wine Sauce

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Ingredients

-Chicken Breasts

-Dry Herbs & spices (I used a mixture of Rosmary, Thyme, Basil, Marjoram, Savory, and Chili)

-Salt & Pepper

-1/3 Fresh Pear cut into long thin slices

-Wine (I used Black Raspberry Wine for extra sweetness, cuz I like it that way!)

-2 to 3 cloves Garlic

-Olive Oil



This is a very simple recipe which can be served very elegantly~

Rub raw chicken breasts with a thin layer of Dry Herbs & Spices. Salt and Pepper Chicken (Be sure to wash your hands after!). Heat up cooking pan with Olive Oil and crushed Garlic. Cook Chicken on pan until each side is brown and fully cooked (about 5 mins each side, depending on the thickness). Remove Chicken. Using the same pan, add in about 1/2 cup Red Wine and Pears. Let the wine soak up all the spices and bits left over from the chicken. Simmer until pear softens and sauce thickens. Pour about one to two spoonful of sauce on chicken and serve.

Recommendations: Serve with Brown Rice and fresh or stir fried veggies.

Cheap White Wine Chicken

Cheap White Wine Chicken

Ingredients
1 cup cheap white wine
1/2 Kilo Chicken (I used boneless)
Oregano Powder
Pepper Powder
6 Tbsp. Virgin Olive Oil

ub the olive oil onto the chicken and rub the oregano and pepper onto it. Let it sit for 1/2 Hr.

Then mix the wine and let it marinate for about 6 hours.

You can then either grill the chicken or shallow fry the chicken.

And Eureka ! Eat away !

Hell's Chicken

Ingredients
Deviled Chicken with Roasted Asparagus
serves 4

4 Chicken legs, bone removed butterflied (ask your butcher)

2 Handfuls Fresh Herbs, Majoram, Oregano and Parsley, chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 small really hot peppers, chopped add seeds if you like it extra fiery

2 cloves Garlic, skinned and chopped

A knob of unsalted butter

a little EVOO

Sea Salt

Black Pepper


Preheat Oven 180C.

1. Marinate chicken legs with chilies, garlic, lemon zest, juice, pepper and evoo for at least 10 mins. Do not add salt or your chicken will bounce off when you throw it on a wall.

2. Combine butter, herbs, pepper and salt. Set aside.

3. On a really hot grill, cook chicken 5 mins on skin side and 3 on the meaty side.

4. Transfer legs on a baking tray and thinly baste with herbed butter mixture.

5. Roast in the oven for 5 mins. Serve with the amazing pan juices and roasted asparagus or potato mash.

Hell's Chicken

ngredients
Deviled Chicken with Roasted Asparagus
serves 4

4 Chicken legs, bone removed butterflied (ask your butcher)

2 Handfuls Fresh Herbs, Majoram, Oregano and Parsley, chopped

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 small really hot peppers, chopped add seeds if you like it extra fiery

2 cloves Garlic, skinned and chopped

A knob of unsalted butter

a little EVOO

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

Preheat Oven 180C.

1. Marinate chicken legs with chilies, garlic, lemon zest, juice, pepper and evoo for at least 10 mins. Do not add salt or your chicken will bounce off when you throw it on a wall.

2. Combine butter, herbs, pepper and salt. Set aside.

3. On a really hot grill, cook chicken 5 mins on skin side and 3 on the meaty side.

4. Transfer legs on a baking tray and thinly baste with herbed butter mixture.

5. Roast in the oven for 5 mins. Serve with the amazing pan juices and roasted asparagus or potato mash.

Pasta Alla Norma - No Frills!

Ingredients
serves 4

1lb Pancetta or Bacon
1 whole Eggplant or 4 mini Japanese Eggplants, sliced
200g Spaghetti
1 can of Roma Tomatoes, crushed
2 Tbsp Tomato Puree
4 clove of Garlic, peeled and sliced
2 tsp Dried Oregano
2 tsp chopped chili
1/2 cup Dry Vermouth or White Wine
EVOO
Sea Salt
Black Pepper

Boil pasta in salted boiling water for half the time it takes to cook. Drain and set aside. It should be hard in the middle.

- On a hot pan, render bacon fat. Takes about 10 mins on med-low heat.

- Using bacon fat, fry eggplants with chili, garlic, oregano and black pepper.

- When eggplants turn light brown, add in tomato puree, saute for further 5 mins.

- Add white wine and deglaze bacon residue.

- Add in pasta and crushed tomatoes. Simmer until pasta is al dente.

- Add EVOO. Season. Serve.

Kahlua and Oreo Cheesecake

Monday, September 15, 2008

Kahlua and Oreo Cheesecake

Ingredients
200g Oreos (without the cream), crushed
100g butter, melted
250g Philadelphia cream cheese
50g sugar
1 ½ eggs
½ tsp vanilla essence
20g corn flour
70g whipping cream
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp Kahlua
2 tbsp cocoa powder

Combine crushed Oreos and melted butter in baking tin. Put in freezer for 15 mins
Beat cream cheese until soft, then beat in sugar until smooth.
Add in eggs and vanilla essence slowly, mix well before next addition.
Add in corn flour and whipping cream and 1/4 cup Kahlua.
Pour 1 cup of the batter into separate bowl, sift in cocoa powder, add 1 tbsp Kahlua and whisk.
Pour original (light-coloured) batter on top of Oreo base.
Spoon cocoa batter onto different areas and swirl gently with a toothpick.
Cover the tin loosely with aluminum foil.
Bake in hot water bath at 180 celcius for 1 hour until set.
Leave the cake in the oven for ½ hr to cool down (with oven door ajar).
Chill in fridge.

Salmon with Caper Beurre Blanc

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Salmon with Caper Beurre Blanc

Ingredients
Salmon Fillets
Shallots
Olive Oil
White onion
Sea Salt
White Pepper
Cold Unsalted Butter
Dry Vermouth
Dijon Mustard
Capers
Parsley
Paprika
Chiffonade of Lettuce (I used Iceberg - I know I'm on a budget!)

Get your large heavy pan hot and drizzle in a bit of olive oil. Place salmon fillets in the hot pan and dust with sea salt and white pepper and paprika. Let them cook a bit on medium high heat then turn if the fish turner slides under easily. Cook for a few moments more and remove to a dish.

Throw into pan the shallots and onion chopped fine. Turn up the heat till they go soft a bit, then pour in a nice amount of Vermouth. Keep heat on high to cook off alcohol and reduce a bit. Add parsley, and a glob of dijon mustard and a good amount of capers. Cook for a few moments, then take pan off the heat. Whisk in a few pieces of cold butter until liquid takes on a sauce consistency. Use the back of a spoon and if it coats and you can run your finger down the middle and the sides don't come in together you've got it. Taste it also, add a bit more pepper or dijon or even more vermouth if it requires. Back on the burner, low heat and add back fish just to warm and coat with sauce. Place fish over top of cold lettuce chiffonade and Bon Appetit!!

Shrimp with Linguine

Shrimp with Linguine

Ingredients
30 - 40 raw peeled shrimp
Linguine
Butter
Olive Oil
Chicken Stock
Dry Vermouth
Neufchatel cheese (less fat) or Cream cheese
Garlic chopped
Onion chopped fine
Red Pepper Flakes
Sea Salt
Parsley
Capers
4 strips of cooked bacon (unless you have prosciutto!)
Shredded Cheese like Asiago (Romano or parmesan would work too!)

Heat a pan on high and drizzle in olive oil. Break up dry linguine into 3 inch lengths and just brown slightly. Add enough chicken stock to just cover and reduce heat to simmer. Add a little sea salt and cook until al dente. Remove from heat and set aside.

In another large saute pan, heat a knob of butter with a good pour of olive oil on medium high heat and sweat the onion. Then add a heaping teaspoon of garlic and swirl around for a moment. Throw in the shrimp and cook for about 30 seconds then immediately pour in a good cup of dry vermouth. Add a good dash of red pepper flakes, sea salt, handful of parsley and tablespoon or so of capers.

Let this reduce down a bit and then add in about half a package of Neufchatel cheese, swirl this around to coat all the shrimp. Now add back in the pasta which has more or less absorbed all the rest of the stock. Rip up the couple of slices of bacon and toss around. Just heat this through and serve in bowls with shredded cheese sprinkled atop. Bon Appetit!!

Yuzu Pesto Tagliolini with Shiso Olive Oil

Yuzu Pesto Tagliolini with Shiso Olive Oil

Ingredients
For the pesto (makes enough for 4 servings)

1 generous tablespoon of Yuzu Kosho
100ml of fruity olive oil
large handful of pine nuts
2 cloves of garlic
juice of half a lemon
For the shiso olive oil (makes enough for several servings)

5 shiso leaves
100ml olive oil
tablespoon of water
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
To make the dish pictured (serves 1)

Tagliolini (or your favourite "long" pasta)
4 cherry tomatoes, sliced
2 king prawns
a splash of white wine
a handful of fresh basil, chopped

I'm super pleased with this. I've been perfecting it all week and I think this is probably one of the most accomplished, "original" recipes I've posted up so far on OSF. It's not only easy to put together, but combining the citrusy, spicy flavours of yuzu kosho with pasta is fast becoming a favourite for me.

Both the pesto and the shiso oil can be prepared in advance and all you have to do is blitz the ingredients together with a blender. Couldn't be simpler.

Boil salted water for your pasta. When the water is at a rolling boil, dunk in your tagliolini and cover.

Sautee the prawns with a little butter, wine, salt and pepper in another pan.

When the pasta is done, drain and bring back to the pan - keep the heat on. Spoon some yuzu pesto into the pasta and toss with a splash of wine and a little glug of olive oil. Add the chopped basil to finish.

Arrange the tomatoes on a plate, with the tagliolini and the prawns. Season. Drizzle the tomatoes and prawns with shiso olive oil. Serve.

This dish would also go excellently with scallops or a white fish in place of prawns.

Chilli con setas

Monday, September 1, 2008

Chilli con setas

Ingredients
300g chesnut mushrooms

2 eggs

250g chilli con carne sauce (Either buy ready-made, or fry your own with tomatoes, kidney beans, chilli, paprika/ capsicum, red onions, shallots)
2 tbsp oil or butter
Condiments:
4-6 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
Salt, sugar as needed
Worcestershire sauce
Herbs de Provence (alternatively, use finely chopped oregano, chives or parsley)
Paprika or chilli powder or just lots of chillies!

So...what's a student who needs to save money & time to do? Grab whatever's in the fridge and cook whatever! Like many of my dishes, may not look the greatest but it tastes just fine :)


Heat the frying pan for about 5 mins.
Add oil or butter, spread evenly.
Sauté the garlic pieces until fragrant. Add onions if desired too.
Add in the mushrooms and stir-fry in high heat for around 1-2 mins, then add in generous glugs of Worcestershire sauce.
Add in the eggs, some salt too if needed and stir fry for another 2 mins.
Pour the chilli con carne sauce, evenly spread out. Stir-fry the mixture for 4 mins or so.
Serve the contents into a bowl and sprinkle some herbs, chilli powder and/or shallots on top.
Serve with white rice while piping hot!

Perkedel Jagung (Corn fritter)

Perkedel Jagung (Corn fritter)

Ingredients
Approximate amounts, serves around 4-5 pieces.

300g sweet corn seeds
80g green peas (small)
1/2c shrimps or prawns

8 shallots, finely chopped

2 stalks of spring onions, finely sliced

4 cloves garlic, small dices

100g rice flour
3tbsp plain flour
1tbsp corn starch
1tsp salt
1tsp pepper
150ml warm water
oil for deep-fry/frying
Condiments:

sesame oil
fresh chilli, sliced with seeds removed
dollop of djon mustard/ mayonnaise/ bbq sauce

light soy sauce or balsamic vinegar

1. Mix corn, green peas, shrimps, shallots, spring onions and garlic in a bowl.
2. Add in the rice flour, salt, plain flour and pepper. Mix evenly with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Gradually add water, mixing the mixture each time. To thicken mixture, add corn starch.
4. Prepare frying pan, add oil accordingly for frying or deep-frying (depending on how you like your perkedel!)
Tip: butter is perfect for frying but oil is fine too.
5. Once oil is hot, add approx. 1-2 tbsp of the mixture for each perkedel.
6. Fry evenly on both sides till perkedel turns golden brown. Add a little sesame oil and light soy sauce/ balsamic vinegar to enhance flavour as desired.
7. Serve with fresh chilies or with dipping sauce, e.g. chilli sauce, mayonnaise, djon mustard or bbq sauce.

Share with friends or enjoy as a snack! Remember to exercise (saying this to myself)!

I'm still experimenting with the recipe - might update this :)