Spaghetti Meatballs

When I first came to London, my Aunty Mala introduced me to this little Italian cafe in Mayfair. London Cabbies stop outside by the dozens to get their packed lunches and you always know its a good spot when the cabbies go there to get their grub. It has the best Paninis, Pasta, Salads and Coffee. It was my first hand encounter with the authentic Spaghetti Meatballs.

Since then, I have had a small obsession with making Spaghetti Meatballs. I almost prefer it to a Spaghetti Bolognese but there is no comparison as they are both simply amazing.

You will need

500 grams good minced beef

1 x tablespoon italian herbs, salt, pepper, chili flakes, oyster sauce, tomato ketchup

2 x garlic, chopped

1 x onion, chopped

1 x egg

2 x tablespoon breadcrumbs

Mix all the above well and roll into bite size balls

in a hot pan with a dash of olive oil, fry until golden brown and set aside

Basic Tomato Sauce

Olive oil

2 x garlic

1 x canned chopped tomato

slat, pepper and sugar to taste

1 x bay leaf

heat a drizzle of olive oil in the same pan you cooked the meatballs in, add garlic and sauté for 1 minute and add bay leaf, canned tomato and bubble, add salt, pepper and sugar to taste and at the last second add the meatballs in and bubble for 20 seconds.

Boil pasta on the side and once cooked, mix the sauce and pasta together and serve with lots of grated Parmesan cheese.... yummeeehh!!

Lavender Pannacotta with Fresh Strawberries

who would think to add a flower to a dessert and it could be so amazing.

fairly easy to make but just like anything good, you have to be patient while it sets but owh gosh, it is so worth the wait.

Ingredients

600ml double cream

100ml milk

1 x handful lavender flowers

1 x vanilla pod (or a teaspoon vanilla essence), split in half and scrap seeds out

4 x sheets gelatine

120g caster sugar

1 x lemon rind (aprox. 1 teaspoon)

in a pot, mix double cream, vanilla pod, lavender flowers, lemon rind and heat on a low fire until it starts to boil slightly. Turn fire off, cover with lid and set to steep for half an hour.

in a shallow bowl, soften gelatine sheets in milk. once soft, add sheets to the cream and lavender mixture, add the milk and the sugar and mix well over low heat until sugar dissolves.

strain mixture into a pouring jug and pour mixture into individual ramekins or bowls and leave in the fridge to set overnight.

To serve, drop ramekins in a bowl with hot water to melt the sides so it is easy to get mixture out of the ramekins. Serve with strawberry coulis or just on its own :)

Beef Back Ribs with Garlic Mash

last tuesday i made the most epic beef back ribs... it was amazing! fairly easy to do too.

I honestly thought it would be tough but the marinate helps tenderize it and cooking it for 2 1/2 helps.. just keep basting it.

Beef Back Ribs

a rack (of 6 pieces usually) or 2 of beef back ribs in a big zip lock bag

Marinate

4 x tablespoon ketchup, light soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, chili sauce, HP sauce, oyster sauce

1 x tablespoon pepper, mixed herbs, jamaican meat seasoning, chili flakes, olive oil, salt

2 x big cloves garlic sliced

1 x cm ginger chopped

3 twigs of fresh rosemary chopped

Method

mixed all ingredients in a big zip lock bag and marinate ribs for at least 3 hours or overnight :)

cook ribs on an oven rack with some water on the bottom for 2 1/2 hours at 200°C and turn every 15 minutes and keep basting the ribs with marinate.. yum!

Garlic Mash

1 x potato per person plus one extra for good luck. so for 4 people peal and chop 5 potatoes

3 x cloves garlic

1 x table spoon salt

Hot water...

1 x egg

1 cup milk

2 x tablespoon butter

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Boil potatoes, garlic salt in hot boiling water until soft. Drain and mesh together. in a separate bowl whisk egg, milk salt and pepper and mix in with egg and fold mixture until smooth

Serve with some steamed vegetables and garlic mash potato xx

Quick Pasta

I have this slight philosophy (and would like to think so) that the Italians are the Malaysian's of the West. They congregate around food and family and their mothers, aunts and women rule the kitchen and are often enough the best cooks in the country.

If a stir fry does not tickle my fancy or Jeremy (my other half) prefers to be a little western about his stir fry, we always opt to cook a quick pasta dish.

A good pasta dish always starts with a big pot of very salty boiling water, pasta, olive oil and garlic. Whatever else you put in is up to you. Salty water helps makes the pasta taste awesome. You can substitute salt with chicken/vegetable stock cubes.

Today, I’d like to share with you - the Cupboard Pasta Dish. We were moving homes this week and had no fresh ingredients in fridge except half a bag of spinach, 2 carrots, some garlic and 1 onion :)

You will need (for 3 - 4)

A hand full of spaghetti - I usually grip the pasta in one hand and if I can’t add anymore pasta sticks I know that I have enough for 3 - 4 people

Salt (lots of it)

4 x table spoons Olive Oil

2 x Anchovies (Optional)

1 x Onion (sliced or diced)

2 x gloves of garlic (sliced)

2 x carrots peeled (diced into 1cm cubes or lengthways – to give a bit of a bite)

½ x bag of spinach

1 x table spoon mix herbs

1 x can tinned salmon

½ x cup of cream

Ground pepper

Grated cheese of your liking

Method

Boil water in a big pot with lots of salt – 3 table spoons. Once water starts bubbling, add pasta and leave to cook…

In a hot pan, add good olive oil and add anchovies whole (don’t worry, they sort of disintegrate a little when you cook it down) and garlic and onions and let it sizzle for a good 2 minutes and then add the herbs. Next add your diced carrots.

*Note always start any cooking process with the hardest ingredient (i.e. carrots) or the ingredient that needs the longest cooking time (i.e. chicken)

Stir the carrot, onion and garlic mixture for 4 minutes and lastly add the tinned salmon and cook for another 1 minute, followed by the spinach. Once you have turn the spinach around the pan once, turn off the fire. Add cream at the last second.

Do keep an eye out for your pasta and after 8 – 10 minutes, take one piece of pasta out and break it in half. If you see a little white dot in the middle it means it is done. You want your pasta to be firm but soft and not Soggy. If unsure just throw one piece of pasta against your kitchen wall, if it sticks, it’s done :) drain your pasta and if possible do keep some of the water just in case your pasta gets a little dry.

Mix your pasta and your sauce together in the big pot or a large pasta bowl and sprinkle some grounded pepper and cheese and stir well.

Dish out large portions into bowls and enjoy! xxx

Breakfast and Lunch = Brunch

Sundays are best for sleeping in and once your up and your stomach starts informing you its time to munch on something, its all about the ultimate breakfast/brunch.... ooooo..... and just watch how the house/flat wakes up as you start cooking... its love right there...

The selection today involves some store cupboard essentials and some fresh ingredients.

Mushrooms

3 x Button Mushroom per person whole

salt and pepper to taste

a dash olive oil

Method

Heat oil in hot pan, add your mushroom top down and sizzle for 3 minutes and turn to sides and sprinkle salt and pepper. once nicely brown and cooked, set aside on plates

Scramble Eggs

2 x eggs per person and 1 extra for good luck if its more than 3 people :)

2 x table spoons of milk per person

salt and pepper to taste

1 x teaspoon dry dill or fresh dill

a nice knob of butter and a dash of olive oil

Rocket, fresh basil leaves, salad leaves (optional)

Method

crack eggs into a bowl and whisk with milk, salt, pepper and dill. Heat butter and oil in pan and just before before bubblin, add the whisked eggs and leave for 20 seconds. turn eggs ever so slightly (note: do not mix too much as they will turn into mush) cook for less then two minutes and dish up on a plate with the mushrooms. Leave salad garnish until before serving.

Posh Bake Beans

1 x tin baked beans

1 x tea spoon mixed herbs

1/2 x teaspoon crush chilies

Method

empty bake beans into a pot and mix in herbs and crushed chillies and heat pan on fire. Once heated through and slightly bubbling, set aside and serve on the same plate as the eggs and mushrooms

Corn Beef Awesomeness

1 x tin of Corn Beef

1 x red onion (sliced/diced)

salt, pepper and sugar to taste

fresh red chillies (Optional)

a dash of olive oil

Method

in a pan, heat oil and saute onions and chili until it starts to smell lovely and starts browning slightly, add con beef, salt pepper and sugar. cook through for 4 - 5 minutes and serve accordingly.

*Note: you may use the same pan and additional pot. start by cooking the mushroom and use the same pan to cook the eggs followed by the corn beef. a pot is not necessary, you may use the same pan to cook the beans last. The aim is to limit the cleaning up afterwards :)

Substitutions: If you wish to substitute the corn beef with bacon, go for it! if your a veggie, go crazy and add tomatoes instead :) use up what you have in your fridge, its the best grocery store in town!

Eating Out

After a day of clearing our new apartment and having the maintenance guy over from 2.30pm to 10.00pm we decided to go to our local pub, Havelock Tavern, Masbro Road :) my Housemate Bel looks so pleased and lovely.

We all had skirt steak with chips and salad and a very nice and crisp Tempranillo, Spain red wine followed by 2 Vanilla pannacotta with Strawberry coulis with 3 spoons . Yum! :)

Favorite utensils

cast iron pot and grill, ceramic knives (owh too sexy!), bamboo steamer, Joseph must have kitchen utensils, Habitat grande clay pot (awesome for curries), hand held blender, whisk, chopper :) oven clay dish with cover for the most awesome roast chicken, Joseph multi purpose colander set, Non Stick Wok, pestle and mortar, chunky wood chopping board

Dinner

For our first proper meal in our new flat I made Ginger and Garlic Stir Fry Beef with Broccoli with Turkey and Spinach Yellow Curry (masak kuning chilli api)

Ginger and Garlic Stir Fry Beef with Broccoli (for 3)

2 x Sliced Beef – you can buy steaks and slice it length wise medium to thinly. If you buy Rump steaks that is slightly tougher, do cut off any access fat, place in between cling film and bash it with a meat basher to help tenderize the meat.

1 x small broccoli – cut into bunches that look like mini trees

4 x cloves garlic - sliced

2 cm fresh ginger – sliced

Vegetable oil

Marinate

1 x table spoon oyster sauce, soy sauce and corn flour

1 x teaspoon salt, pepper, sugar

*Marinate the beef strips with the marinate and set aside for at least 30 minutes

Cooking Method

Blanch Broccoli into boiling hot water and salt for 5 minutes or until the broccoli looks greener then usual

Drain and set aside

Method

For the beef, add vegetable oil into a hot wok/pan and stir in sliced garlic and ginger for 30 seconds until it starts smelling lovely

Add the beef and leave to brown on one side for at least 1 minute until brown

Stir Fry for 6 minutes or even less (or at least until all sides are brown). Do not overcook as beef will be tough and chewy

At the last second mix the blanched broccoli in and serve in a nice bowl

Turkey and Spinach Yellow Curry (masak kuning chilli api)

3 x slices of turkey breast or chicken breast cut into bite size chunks

1 x table spoon turmeric powder

3 x shallots, cloves garlic and small green Thai chillies ground together with a 2 cm ginger

2 x Khafir Lime leaves

1 x lemongrass stalk - broken/sliced in half

1 x cup thick coconut cream

2 x table spoon oil

1 x bag spinach

Salt and sugar to taste

Method:

Marinate turkey with salt and turmeric powder, mix well and set aside

In a pot, add oil and fry marinated turkey until brown and remove from pan and set aside

In the same pot add the grounded ingredients and sauté ingredience for 8 minute until soften and slightly brown – add lemon grass and kafir lime leaves and stir for 1 minute

Add the cooked turkey meat in followed by the coconut milk and boil for 10 minutes

Add salt and a dash of sugar for taste

once done, turn off fire and add the bag of spinach and stir before serving (you want the spinach to be wilted and not over cooked.

Served with white fluffy steamed rice xx

Riots

Picture taken 10.08.11 - Dominos on Charlwood St., Smythson on Sloan Street and Universal Head Office on Kensington Road, London

Saddens me that it has come to this... cordon up offices, shops with no window displays...but hey, you just carry on and protect what you can. Stay Safe! xx

Sticky Chicken

The one recipe, everyone likes.....

For the chicken, you will need:

1 large chicken breast cut into strips

2 x medium size cloves garlic chopped or minced

1 x table spoon honey, oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sweet soy sauce, chicken marinate (available in your local Asian supermarket)

1 x ½ teaspoon salt, white pepper, coarse black pepper, sugar

A dash of red/white wine vinegar and sesame oil (not necessary but if you do have it, great!)

*mix all the above in a big bowl and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes*

For the Vegetables:

6 x strips of Chinese cabbage (torn into bite size pieces) and blanched into hot boiling water for 5 mins – or you can use bak choi, lettuce, green beans or whatever greens you have. Harder greens should be blanched longer in cooking boiling water

10 x dried/fresh mushrooms (Shitake or 2 or 3 x Portobello mushroom) sautéed in a hot pan with no oil and set it on the bottom of a nice dish with the green vegetables

For the Stir Frying:

1 x cm ginger sliced/diced - whatever you prefer

1 x table spoon oil

1 teaspoon corn flour with 4 table spoon room temperature water for thickening

So take a hot, hot wok/pan and dash your oil into it and wait until it is nice and hot. Once the oil is hot slide in the ginger and fry for 15 seconds until you can spell ginger awesomeness. After 15 seconds, slide in slowly the marinated chicken and leave for 20 seconds (you want to get some colour or browning on every side of the chicken strips). Keep stirring, but not too often, because you want the side to brown a little and create the caramel effect. If it looks dry, do add a dash of water to keep it from burning.

Cook for 10 minutes and add the cornflour + water and let it cook for another 2 minute.

Once cooked dish sticky chicken onto the bed of mushroom and greens

Sserve with steamed rice, tortilla wraps or noodles and for extra kick, slice some Red Chilies and spring onions and garnish

*Note: Marinate can be used on chicken thighs, drumstick, wings etc. for barbecues/oven cooking – for veggie option, substitute chicken with potatoes (skin on)