Aglio e Olio

Even though I've cooked more than 5 types of pasta, from soup ones to creamy ones to tomato paste ones, I have never thought of making this Classic pasta; Aglio Olio. Was watching cooking videos on youtube when I stumbled across Chef John's Aglio e Olio recipe. I was laughing myself silly trying to pronounce this tongue-twister of a recipe name.

Here's the link for the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjmYkPkjnVo

Instead of using regular spaghetti to go with this recipe, I used Morelli's Linguine Pasta with Garlic & Basil with Wheat Germ from Italy. It was an absolutely perfect choice as this pasta is flavourful enough to go with a simple recipe like Aglio e Olio ( I just love how the words look and sounds!).

While washing up after this satisfying meal, images of my mother finishing the noodles in barely 5 minutes lingered in my mind. Then it struck me. Bam! My mother has never eaten pasta, let alone a popular Italian pasta dish until I cooked it for her. The same goes for my father. The possibility of my parents ever stepping into a restaurant selling pasta or even ordering pasta is slim. They may never taste Europe until it is brought to their mouths through my hands. Although I've never been to Europe before, at least I've tasted it through the restaurants here and visually from the videos, tvs, films, magazines etc. So while I was cleaning up, I got this idea that I should continue exploring more recipes and let my parents taste dishes they have never tasted before and let their palate open up to a new world. But this also means I've to be a little less lazy to get on my feet to get it done =D

Personalised Macaroni Soup

It's my first time trying this brand of pasta called "Liguori" (on the left). It cost only about 4.25RM which is a really only about 1.8SGD. A real steal I think, for pasta from Italy. Got it from the Carrefour nearby.

Made my 1st Macaroni (more like Elbows) soup today,

Here's kinda like a list of what I used for a 2 person serving

-Two Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary

-Handful of Thai Basils, chopped finely

-Quarter Chicken with skin, diced

(I left the drumstick intact)

-900ml water

-1 Carrot, diced

-1 Potato, diced

-3 Big Fresh Shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced (*heavenly*)

-1 Onion, finely chopped

-3-4 cloves of Garlic, finely chopped

-Knob of unsalted butter

-2-3 pinches of Himalayan Rock salt

-1 teaspoon Chicken stock powder

-Dash of Black Pepper

-Extra Virgin Olive oil

-1/2 cup Grated Parmesan

-100ml Low fat milk

-About 100g Elbows pasta per person

Basically, I marinated the diced chicken with some extra virgin olive oil and the chopped basil. The olive oil prevents the basils from turning black upon oxidation introduced by chopping and it retains the flavors of the leaves. It happens that I was growing two pots of Thai basils and they were growing pretty lush and beautiful, to not use them is a waste. The Rosemary was also from my garden so they're really fresh!

Once the garlic, onions, potato, carrot, mushroom and chicken are prepared, heat up the frying pan. Oil the pan with a knob of butter and when slightly frothy & fragrant, add the garlic & onion with few pinches of salt & pepper. I left them frying till they were slightly golden and when I could smell their fragrance I added the chicken and diced vegetables. It got a little dry at this point so I added a little more butter. My mouth was watering to the scent of the beautiful flavours. When the carrots were softer and the chicken semi-cooked, I tossed the Shiitake mushrooms in. Frying for another 5 mins or so, I grated a good handful of Parmesan over it and continued. But it's best not to add too much cheese at this point or it'll stick like the Stir-fried Pea Pasta I made previously.

On another stove, I set 900ml of water boiling with the Rosemary sprigs in. I later realised it's better to put them into a bag as you wouldn't want to pick the leaves out while dining. Once the water's boiling and the ingredients in the pan are done, transfer them into the boiling water which is insanely aromatic with the Rosemary. Gently stir all the ingredients in and add a teaspoon of chicken stock. I brought the soup to boil before pouring in 100ml of low fat milk and also the remaining Parmesan. So when it's boiling and piping hot, it's ready to serve.. with or without pasta.

I boiled my pasta separately as I like my pasta al dente.. couldn't imagine them turning soggy inside. Besides the other serving is meant to be consumed later so I'll boil the pasta fresh and throw it into a bowl of the above soup when about to serve.

Another note is that I refused to use full cream milk or other heavier cream products for this soup as my mother hates milk and too creamy soup base. She doesn't like tomato soup base too. So in order to cater to her taste buds, only a teeny weeny bit of dairy products were used. I guess you can say it's a more asian version of soup pastas compared to the other creamier and thicker versions of soups.

For cheese freaks who like a stronger tasting soup, I think this recipe may still appeal provided a wedge of Parmesan is supplied for diy grating. And also, this soup must be served hot and fresh!! The moment this soup turns cold is when the nuances of its flavours diminishes. So yup, this is perfect for a cool summer day brunch I believe when you don't want to choke on dry hard stuff on the first meal of the day.

This is also the first time I cooked with Rosemary and I think I've fallen in love with this amazing herb. I believe I'm going to use it a lot more often provided my Rosemary plants grow fast enough. This recipe I used today is not strictly following those of soup pastas I found online but rather a fusion of influences. I once made a cream based pasta which marinated the diced chicken with chopped fresh Basil and dried Parsley flakes together with finely chopped onion and garlic. The original recipe that was based on used garlic powder and the dried Basils and Parsley. But since I left my Parsley in Singapore, it was omitted. Also, the recipe I found online for soup pastas fried the soup ingredients which is consistent with another cream based pasta (I prefer Fusilli here & packed the pasta & sauce separately for picnics) recipe I made previously. Lastly, Jamie Oliver! A couple of months back, I vaguely remember him using Rosemary to make chicken soup. So I reckon it would be a merry combination. As for for what accounts for the Shiitake mushrooms, it just happens I'm a hobbit and liked it there.

Perhaps the next recipe to try might be an oven roast chicken with rosemary and baby potatoes. How does it sound? Yummy? Heh. You bet. It's gonna be a very Jamie Oliver dish.

1st Attempt at Salmon

On Friday, this noob attempts to cook a huge chunk of salmon steak for the first time! Since I still haven't gotten myself a nice non-stick frying pan, I decided not to risk putting my salmon steak into a frying wok (with curve bottoms as you know)--that is so common and indispensable in Chinese kitchens. Not having a nice big oven like Jamie Oliver, I decided I might just settle for my tiny toaster oven whose tray snugly fits two slices of regular bread--to give you an idea the size of toaster oven I worked with. Daunted at the size of my salmon fillet, which at its thickest was about 4cm thick and almost 15cm long and 10cm broad, I decided to cut it into 3 thinner slices. Pouring a few glugs of olive oil over it, I rubbed it entirely in himalayan rock salt (flushed pink in colour!!) and laid it on the oven tray with a dust of black pepper and sprinkling of oregano & parsley flakes & pop in into the oven for about 10 minutes. Before I know it, the smell permeates the kitchen and one can see the Salmon sizzling and its skin crispy. An exciting moment to witness I'll say.

Once the salmon are done, I sliced up regular & a handful of cherry tomatoes, line it in the tiny baking tray with a fresh aluminium sheet and topped it with a sprinkling of salt and cheddar, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and pop it right in. Within minutes, I got some really nice simple and yet awesome veg to with my spaghetti and salmon. Lastly, I grilled some large frozen scallops (about 3cm in diameter) on another fresh aluminium sheet. Using a brush, I applied a sauce consisting of light soy sauce and sesame oil well blended but I was later told I should have cooked the scallops more simply just lightly salted as it would allow the original taste of the scallops to shine through.

So here's a short account of my toaster dinner where almost everything is made using a tiny oven toaster except the boiled pasta. :D

What's cooking?

Made some spaghetti tonight. Decided to do this old pasta recipe that I haven't done for at least quite a few months since I got some new pasta recipes from Mireille Guiliano's book, "French Women for All Seasons" and from watching Jamie Oliver's cooking podcasts. I remembered the last time I made it was for a friend's birthday around June and it went with fusilli.

Lately, I haven't been making fusilli. Instead, I have spaghetti, mini conchiglie (shell pasta), medium sized conchiglie and macaroni stocked on my shelves (which is what I'm using). I've been making Jamie's pea pasta with mini shells these few weeks with wicked lil bacons inside topped with mint and lemon juice. It made such an impact, we made it a few times (actually just me). The frozen sweet garden peas from Fairprice supermarket here was so genuinely tasty, we finished every single pea from that pack of 400g and it comes cheap at 2.20sgd!

In the supermarket today, the broccoli looked so fresh and pretty I got to have one. Since I have carrots at home with some chicken breast meat and basil from home in J.B, I decided to make my usual old pasta that I know. First, I marinated the diced chicken breast meat in minced onion, garlic, olive oil, basil leaves, parsley flakes with a dash of salt and pepper. I put LOTS of fresh basil as I love it! Then I microwaved a bowl of diced carrots and broccoli to cook it. Meanwhile, a pot of water with salt is boiling and I toss my spaghetti in. In the toaster, I make some croûtons for my salad. Once the pasta is done al dente, I rinse it in cold water and drain it. Then I start cooking the chicken that I left marinating in the herbs and spices. Once the juice runs clear, I pour in my carrots & broccoli and top it with Prego sauce (for the lazy me). Without my fine grater (since I returned it to sweet momma in J.B), I couldn't grate any Parmesan and had to not use cheese at all for the pasta today. But I still had cheese in my salad where I toss pre-shredded cheddar into lettuce, cherry tomatoes, bacon bits (freshly fried), croûtons and a sprinkling of apple cider vinegar shaken with olive oil.

My family enjoyed this pasta immensely, just like all the other pastas I made. They are incredibly supportive and it makes me happy just to know that. I'm planning to make deviled eggs tomorrow, though I'll have to get some paprika, lemon, prawns and celery for it. But the main motivation for it is, I have lots of fresh Dill Weed (!!) plucked from home in J.B last Sunday and I'm eager to use them before they wilt on me.

Just now in the supermarket, I got some leeks (beautiful ones), thin thai asparagus (Ooh la la~), cherry tomatoes and some lettuce and broccoli leftover from today's cooking. I've been hatching plans, wondering if I should make leeks and seafood pasta, perhaps leeks + prawns or leeks + squids. Either way, the taste seems pretty compatible, like a couple of good friends. As for asparagus, it goes with seafood too. Pairing asparagus those fresh big (about 3cm) scallops like what I did previously was yummy but it's a little pricey with these babies going at nearly 13sgd per half a kilo. But I do love them so much, even if they are just grilled with salt and sesame seed oil. So yea, with these few ingredients, I'll probably be cooking some other pastas tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

Anyway, it's late now. Tomorrow, my brothers and sister in law's going to have an early day. I'm going to make chicken ham sandwich for them.

Ciao~