Spanish potato salad

i simply love potato salad...another simple version from sour cream package..easy to make...

1 kg potato
250 ml sour cream
2 tsp paprika
1/2 yellow capsicum, diced
1/2 red capsicum, diced
bacon rashers (i used crab meat slices)
1 tbsp oil
2 celery sticks, sliced

• boil potato until just tender, drain and set aside, keeping warm
• in a pan, heat oil. add in bacon rashers (or crab meat) and capsicum, cook till soft.
• add in paprika
• add in the sour cream to the mixture
• add the potato and let the creamy mixture coat the potato
• remove from heat
• finally, stir in the celery
• if you prefer cold potato salad, refrigerate before serving

onion soup with cheese croutes

lovely, aromatic, comforting soup...adapted from Sophie Conran's Soups and Stews and Onions by Brian Glover...

100g butter

6 onions peeled and sliced

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp rosemary and thyme

1.5 litres beef stock

salt and black pepper to taste

1/2 baguette cut into 2 cm slices

2 cloves garlic, peeled

mozarella/parmesan/cheddar cheese

• melt butter in a large pan, add the onions and stew for 20 min until soft. turn up the heat and add the garlic, stirring for 2 min
• add in the sugar and herbs. reduce the heat and simmer for 45min-1 hour, stirring occasionally until the onions are nice and caramelized.
• bring the stock to boil in another pan, gradually pour into the onions. season with salt and pepper. simmer for another 10-20 min
• meanwhile preheat the oven to 150 degree celcius. place the slices of bread on a greased baking tray and bake for 15 min. rub the bread with the cut surface of garlic, then sprinkle with cheese over the slices.
• float the coutes on the soup the grill until the cheese melts.
• serve immediately

fettucine pesto primavera

this recipe was taken from Chef Wan's Simply Sedap 2....it is amazingly delicious..astray from the regular tomato or cheesy creamy pasta...

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1/2 red capsicum, seeded and sliced

2 celery sticks, chopped

2 tbsp ready-made pesto sauce

400g fettucine, cooked until al dente

4 tbsp chicken stock

salt and blackpepper to taste

grated parmesan cheese to taste

• heat olive oil in pan. add garlic, capsicum, celery and fry for 1 min
• mix in the pesto sauce
• add cooked fettucine and toss until well-mixed. add the stock. toss a few more times and season to taste
• dish out and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and serve

fried spaghetti a la Ez

my version of fried spaghetti...making use of whatever available ingredients at home...

spaghetti, boiled  till al dante and drained

onion and garlic, chopped

fresh mushroom. sliced

celery stick, sliced

fresh parsley, chopped

sun-dried tomato, sliced
green bellpepper, diced

crabmeat sticks, sliced

chicken sausage, sliced

oil

tomato puree

lemon peel, finely chopped

sesame oil

• heat oil in pan, saute the onion and garlic till translucent. add in the mushroom, celery, bellpepper and cook till soft.
• add in the crabmeat and sausage.
• add in the tomato puree, mix well.
• put in the lemon peel, parsley, sun-dried tomato and cooked spaghetti and mix well until the spaghetti is well coated.
• season with salt and pepper
• add a dash of sesame oil
• remove from heat and serve

mushroom and tomato soup

chinese style dish, learnt from my dear friend, Kak Jasmeen..

onion, sliced
garlic, sliced
asam boi
dried mushroom, soaked
canned mushroom
tomato, wedged
water
oil
dash of sesame oil

• heat oil in pan. saute the onion and garlic. add a dash of sesame oil to it.
• add in mushrooms, saute till soft
• add in tomato.
• add in water and asam boi, bring to boil
• season with salt and pepper

crabmeat, tomato and mushroom open sandwich

a twist to a normal, typical sandwich...

2 slices bread (i used wholemeal bread)

dash of extra virgin olive oil

2 sticks of crabmeat

1 tomato, diced

button mushrooms, sliced

green bellpepper

salad leaves/lettuce

gherkins, sliced

onion, chopped

fresh yogurt

• heat oil in pan, saute the onion till translucent. add in crabmeat, mushroom, tomato and green bellpepper. cook till soft. remove from heat.
• to prepare the bread, splash some extra virgin on the bread and toast on pan till crusty.
• to assemble, spread some fresh yogurt on the bread. put the lettuce/salad leaves  and gherkins on top of that and spread the crabmeat mixture on top.
• serve immediately.

potato salad

i like potato salad so much... this is adapted from the Midweek Meals Made Easy..

5 potatoes, boiled and cubed

2 tbsp dijon mustard

4 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp plain yogurt

chopped parsley

2 boiled eggs, quartered

1/2 can tuna in water, drained

blackpepper

• prepare the dressing while the potato is warm
• add mustard, mayonnaise, yogurt and parlsey and mix well
• add in parsley and dash of blackpepper
• in a bowl put in the potato, tuna and eggs
• mix in the dressing
• put in the fridge before serving

tommy crabbie bruschetta

this is another version of mine - tomato crabmeat bruschetta...this time using french baguette

6 slices of french baguette

extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic (for rubbing)

2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped

a bunch of fresh coriander leaves, chopped 

5 sticks crabmeat, sliced thinly

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlics, chopped

lime/lemon juice

salt and pepper

parmesan cheese

• preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• cut/slice the bread and arrange in an ovenproof pan
• rub the garlic on top of each slice of bread, then dash some olive oil on top
• toast the bread in the preheated oven for about 5 min
• meanwhile, heat some oil in a pan, saute half of the onion, garlic and crabmeat.
• remove from heat
• mix the tomatoes, the remaining chopped onion, coriander leaves in a bowl. add in the crabmeat mixture
• add the lime/lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste
• remove the toasted bread from the oven. top the bread slices with the crabmeat mixture.
• sprinkle some parmesan cheese
• return back to the oven for another 5 min or until the cheese melted
• serve warm

creamy mushroom bruschetta

this is my very own version of bruschetta...i didn't have baguette at home so i ended up using the normal wholemeal bread cut into triangles...


4 slices of bread (or baguette)
1 garlic, peeled
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped
button mushroom, sliced
cooking cream
chopped parsley
parmesan cheese

• preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius
• cut/slice the bread and arrange in an ovenproof pan
• rub the garlic on top of each slice of bread, then dash some olive oil on top
• toast the bread in the preheated oven for about 5 min
• meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a frying pan. saute the onion and mushroom till soft. season with salt and pepper
• add 1-2 tbsp of cooking cream until all the ingredients are well coated
• add some chopped parsley
• remove the toasted bread from the oven. top the bread slices with the mushroom mixture.
• sprinkle some parmesan cheese
• return back to the oven for another 5 min or until the cheese melted
• serve warm

spaghetti carbonara

tried out spaghetti carbonara from Donna Hay's book...tip for this recipe, it needs to be served warm immediately...i added some mushroom to add some kick to it..

500g spaghetti
300g beef/chicken bacon strips
5 fresh button msuhroom, sliced
3 small onions, sliced
4 egg yolk
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan
2 tbsp chopped parsley
extra grated parmesan cheese to serve

• cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 10 min or until al dante. drain and keep hot
• while the pasta is cooking, heat a non stick frying pan over medium heat. cook the bacon, mushroom and onions for 3-4 min.
• whisk the egg yolk with cream and parmesan in a bowl and toss through the hot pasta, coating well. 
• stir in the bacon and parsley and top with extra parmesan

fragrant chicken stew

my kids simple love chicken so much..thus, any chicken dish will satisfy their tastebuds...this is such a wonderful, aromatic, lip-smacking dinner...adapted from Sophie Conran's Soup and Stew book

1 tbsp olive oil
1 chicken cut into 8 pieces
1 knob of butter
3 small red onions, peeled and chooped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 inch fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tsp cumin
2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
few sticks of baby carrots
4 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
500ml chicken stock
2 strips of lemon zest
1 handful chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper
1 pinch of saffron threads

• preheat oven to 220 degrees. heat oil in an ovenproof pot with a lid, on a medium to high heat, brown the chicken pieces on both sides. remove the chicken from the pot and put them aside on a plate until needed
• reduce the heat, add the butter to the pot and getly fry the onions until soft
• stir in the garlic, ginger, cumin and cook for 2 min.
• add the potato and carrots and gently fry for 5 min. stir in the tomatoes, saffron and stock and gently bring to simmer, then remove the pot from the heat
• submerge the chicken pieces and lemon zest in the vegetables, then season well with salt and pepper. give a final stir through, put the lid and pop it in the oven for 1 hour
• take out of the oven, season to taste and stir in the chopped parsley

totally terrific tiramisu

another version of tiramisu...i love both of the version..this one taken from At Home Cafe book...

2 oz dark chocolate, grated
1 cup mascarpone
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup brewed coffee
20 sponge fingers

• combine mascarpone, cream cheese, sour cream and sugar in a large bowl and whisk until smooth and thoroughly combined
• pour coffee into a shallow dish. dip each sponge fingers lightly into coffee
• place sponge fingers at the bottom of a 20quart glass dish
• cover them with a layer of cheese mixture and sprinkle with little grated chocolate
• repeat layers, finishing with cheese mixture. sprinkle the remaining chocolate and chill in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours before serving

Magic tiramisu

a total hit during Aidiladha...yes, it's magic...because it is sooo speedy, easy to make, yet tastes luxuriously, superbly elegant  and yummilicious! adapted from the Midweek Meals Made Easy...

4 tsp instant coffee granules

100ml boiling water

200g sponge fingers biscuits (saviordi)

2 tbsp caster sugar

160g natural yogurt

500g mascarpone cheese

60-70g plain chocolate, grated or crumbled flake chocolate bars

• dissolve coffee in boiling water
• arrange half the sponge fingers in a 20cm square shallow dish.
• spoon half of the coffee mixture evenly over biscuits
• beat sugar and yogurt into mascarpone, then spread half this mixture over biscuits
• cover mascarpone with remaining biscuits over the second layer of biscuits
• spoon grated chocolate evenly over the top
• chill for 10 min before serving

mushroom, chicken and thyme fettuccine

a yummy, creamy fettuccine...adapted from Donna Hay's pasta, rice+noodles, which i bought at the Big Bad Wolf Books Sale for only RM12...such a good bargain!

500g fettucinne

1 tbsp olive oil

1tbsp butter

3shallots, chopped

2 garlic, chopped

400g mixture of swiss brown mushroom and white button mushroom, sliced

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 cup cream

1/2 cup chicken stock

finely grated parmesan cheese, to serve

• cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 10-12 min or until aldente
• drain and keep warm
• heat a large frying pan over medium heat
• add oil, butter, shallots and garlic and cook for 2-3 min or until soft
• add the chicken, mushrooms and thyme and cook for 5-6 min
• stir in the cream and chicken stock and simmer for further 5 min or until the mushrooms are tender
• add the pasta and toss to combine. top with parmesan and serve warm

fresh mushroom soup

from the Mind and Mood Foods book...

1 tbsp butter
1 onion, chopped
350g fresh mushroom, sliced
300ml vegetable/chicken stock
300 ml milk
salt and pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

• melt butter in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook gently for 3 min
• add the mushroom and cook for 5 min
• stir in stock, milk and seasoning, then cover and bring to boil.
• reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 min until the mushrooms are cooked and tender, stirring occasionally
• remove the pan from heat and allow to cool slightly, then puree in food procesor
• return the soup to the saucepan, stir in the chopped parsley, then reheat gently until piping hot, stirring occasionally
• serve with bread or pasta (which my kids love very much)