Cooking Hiatus

It has been 3 months since my return to London, and during this period of time, I believe that I have more or less exhausted the recipes I can cook from my two recent cookbooks. It's just a week more before I return to Singapore and for this time, I am just going to cook our favourite dishes from these cookbooks. They are:

1. Mediterranean fish stew
2. Lasagne
3. Pasta with proscuitto and mushrooms
4. Pasta with cherry tomatoes
5. Butternut squash risotto
6. Minestrone soup

And since I am going to be working back in Singapore for my stay, I don't foresee myself cooking much unless I have to do so for my "boss." But still, I wouldn't be experimenting with new dishes for such meals. So, the next real post will probably be in September and hopefully, I will have a number of new cookbooks to play with.

Parma ham wrapped chicken with a rich tomato sauce

First cut chicken breasts (4) into 3 pieces. Wrap each piece in a slice of parma ham. Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the chicken for 12-15 minutes till it's cooked. Remove from the pan. Add 1 finely chopped garlic and 3 spring onions chopped diagonally and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in a can of tomatoes, 1 tsp of lemon juice and creme fraiche. Bring to the boil, lower the heat and simmer covered for 3 minutes. Stir in 3 tbsp of parsley and a pinch of sugar. Season to taste. Return the chicken to the pan. Heat for 2-3 minutes. Serve with cooked pasta, and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

M's verdict: 7/10
N's verdict: 7/10

I tried reducing the amount of lemon juice from 1 lemon, to 1/2 a lemon but it's still not enough as the sourness of it, is simply too overpowering. That said. I love the combined taste of the parma ham and the chicken. I think with less lemon juice. this would be an 8.

Roasted butternut squash risotto

First peel the butternut squash and chop it into 2 cm cubes. Pour 2 tbsp of olive oil into a roasting tin and place into preheated oven 190 degrees for minutes. Add the buttersquash and 5 cloves of garlic unpeeled and whole. Roast for 25-30 minutes. Cook 275g of arborio rice in olive oil at high heat for a few seconds. Add a pinch of saffron and 150 ml of white wine and bubble fiercely until the wine has evaporated. Meanwhile heat 1 litre of chicken stock in a separate saucepan and keep it at a steady simmer. Reduce the heat till low, and add the chicken stock ladle by ladle till the rice is cooked. Turn off the heat and stir in 1 tbsp of fresh parsley finely chopped, 1 tbsp of fresh oregano finely chopped, parmesan cheese and seasoning. Cover and leave to stand for 203 minutes. Remove the skins from the roasted garlic, add it to the risotto with the butternut squash and mix gently. Serve with parmesan cheese.

M's verdict: 8.5/10
N's verdict: 9/10

M thinks the seafood risotto is still better. I think they are the same. I like how the natural sweetness of the butternut squash complements the richer flavours of the cheese and saffron.

Shellfish stew

After 4 weeks or so of cooking from the Italian cookbook, I took a break from it by using a recipe from my one-pot cookbook. Normally, the fish stews i cook are tomato based, I thought it would be interesting to try a cream based recipe. For this , first melt 50g of butter over moderate heat. Add 1 finely chopped garlic clove, 2 shallots finely chopped, 2 celery stick finely chopped, 1 large leek finely chopped and cook for 7-10 minutes until the vegetables are just soft. Add 250g of chestnut mushrooms and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Add 100 ml of white wine and 300ml of fish stock to the vegetable, add 1 bay leaf and bring to the simmer. Add diced salmon fillets, diced cod fish fillets and cook till the fish is opaque. Stir in 300ml of cream and some cooked mussels, prawns, crab sticks and squid and simmer for 2 minutes. Season and stir in 3 tbsp of finely chopped fresh parsley.

M's verdict: 8/10
N's verdict: 8/10

An interesting break from tomato based fish stews, delicious and rich. Unfortunately, it can't beat the complexity of the mediterranean fish stew.

Chicken and prawn stacked ravioli

I think this is one of the prettiest dishes I have cooked. First heat olive oil in a large pan, add 1 finely chopped onion and 1 finely chopped garlic clove and cook for 5 minutes. Add 450g of cooked chicken pieces and fry for 4 min. Stir in 1 chopped tomato, deseeded, 150ml of white wine, 150ml of cream and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until reduced and thickened. Stir in 250 g of cooked prawns, 2 tbsp of chopped fresh tarragon and season with salt and pepper. Heat the sauce through gently. Cook 8 lasagne sheets. Cut into half. For each plate, place 2 sheets and divide half the chicken mixture among them. Top each serving with a second sheet and divide the remainder among them. Top with a final layer of lasagne and serve immediately.

M's verdict: 9/10
N's verdict: 8/10

Nice and simple dish despite the 'ravioli' word. I like the mixtures of flavours, particularly, the tarragon and the tomatoes. Perfect as a starter for a three course meal.

Oven baked pork balls with peppers

This is my first time making pork balls, and amazingly, they didn't distintegrate into little bits and pieces during the cooking process. First, mix 500 g of minced pork with 1 finely chopped garlic clove, 4 tbsp of fresh basil, finely chopped and 3 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper. With damp hands, roll the mixture into balls and reserve. Spoon 3 tbsp of olive in a large roasting tin and place in the preheated oven at 200 degrees for 3 minutes. Stir in the pork balls, 1 finely chopped garlic cloves, 3 peppers, cut into chunks and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in 225 g of cherry tomatoes, and season to taste. Bake for another 20 minutes. Remove the pork balls from oven and stir in 2 tbsp of balsamic vinegar. Serve with garlic bread.

M's verdict: 5/10
N's verdict: 8/10

M doesn't like the pork balls as the taste of the pork is too strong, overpowering. I don't have any problems with that. I quite like it as it is a mediterranean recipe, full of the natural flavours of the peppers and tomatoes. Too bad, M doesn't like it, but i am sure my parents will. I think this is definitely one of the dishes i will cook for them.

Seafood risotto

First, fry 1 finely chopped onion in olive for 4 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add 120g of arborio rice and stir for minute. Slowly add 75ml of white wine. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly until reduced by half. Bring 700ml of fish stock to a gentle simmer, then add to the rice, a ladleful at a time. Cook, stirring frequently until the stock has been added and the rice is cooked. Add the seafood you like depending on how long it takes to cook them in the rice mixture although for fish, it's better to poach it or fry it separately before placing it on top of the risotto. Stir in 25 g of butter, 1 tbsp of freshly snipped chives, 1 tbsp of freshly chopped dill, 1 tbsp of freshly chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

M's verdict: 9/10
N's verdict: 9/10

This was a huge success. Light and not overly rich, it was light on the stomach. The trick for me, is not to use 'natural' chicken stock and to use stock cubes as you need quite a lot of seasoning to get the appropriate taste. Oh and don't be an idiot like me, when I cooked this for the second time, i forgot to descale the salmon. While the taste was still good, it wasn't that enjoyable biting into the scales.

Cream of butternut squash soup

Cook 900g of butternut squash, peeled and cubed in olive oil for 2-3 minutes, coating it completely with oil. Add 1 finely chopped onion, 1 finely chopped leek, 1 finely chopped carrot, 4 garlic cloves finely chopped and 2 finely chopped celery sticks into the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Cover the vegetables with 1.7 litre of chicken stock and bring to the boil. Season with salt and pepper and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes until all the vegetables are tender. Blend the mixture. (I like my soups to be a bit chunky, with bits and pieces of the vegetables so I don't blend it till it forms a smooth puree.) Adjust the seasoning, add 140 ml of cream. Bring the soup to boiling point, add 1/4 tsp of chilli powder and serve with a swirl of cream on top and warm bread.

M's verdict: 7/10
N's verdict: 7/10

Good, wholesome natural food. Excellent for a quick dinner. But as M points out, it's just a soup. Nothing exceptional about it, and so the maximum it can get is a 7.