A Simple Salad that Goes Well with Everything, Especially Cheese...

Le Monsieur's parents are in town for holidays. They arrived on Wednesday and offered to make us dinner. Just a simple dinner, they assured us when we protested. We'll see what the supermarkets here sell.

Together, they prepared a simple salad to go with the delicious cheese that they brought from France. Camembert, done just the way it should be; a creamy reblochon from the Alps and a "disappointing" comte. Ham, bread and wine from the neighbourhood Cold Storage - from Australia and New Zealand! - completed the meal.

Garden salad
Ingredients
Dressing
2 parts vinegar (all types of vinegar will work: wine, apple, balsamic,...)
4 parts extra virgin olive oil
1 part dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste, mix with vinegar

Salad leaves, 1 standard packet
4 medium sized tomatoes, cut into 8s
1 small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced (optional)
1 red chili, sliced (optional)
some chives, diced (optional)

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: None
Level of difficuty: Easy peasy

Mix the salt and pepper together with the vinegar. Stir until the salt has completely dissolved. Add the olive oil and the mustard. Mix well and set aside.

In a big salad bowl, put the other ingredients. Add the dressing just before serving. Toss well and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Gina

I am a girlie girl so I go for anything pink including my cocktails. And talking about pink cocktails, here is another to my collection called Gina, not sure why but it just is. Hope you have a good weekend!


Ingredients
50ml creme de cassis
25ml vodka
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Chilled fizzy water to top up
Cocktail shaker
Ice cubes


Put the ice cubes into the shaker.
Add in the creme de cassis, vodka and lemon juice, cover and shake.
Pour into a martini glass or a champagne flute, top up with fizzy water.


Cheers!

Lala's Pesto

I have a herb patch which I try to maintain as much as I can. So today, it was "trim the basil" day. I love basil, they add so much flavour to cooking and are the easiest herbs to grow! No fuss, just lots of water. 


After trimming the basil, I was left with a pile of basil leaves and decided to make use of them by making pesto. 


This pesto recipe was given to me by a good friend. She's a fabulous cook and I admire her courage and energy in the kitchen. She is one person that does not cook by recipe, she cooks by taste and the "feeling". 


So, here is Lala's Pesto recipe... I hope I got it right!

Ingredients
3 handfuls of basil leaves
1 handful of lightly toasted pine nuts, it is important to have them lightly toasted
75g of parmesan cheese, grated. I use parmesan from a block and grate them myself so the flavour is more intense
2 cloves of garlic, peeled
A generous splash of olive oil
Pinch of salt

Preparation time: 7mins

Cooking time: None

Level of difficulty: Easy peasy

Add the basil leaves, garlic, pine nuts in a blender and whizz until texture is rough.

Add in the parmesan cheese into the mixture and whizz until texture resembles cookie crumbs.

Finally, add in the salt and a generous splash of olive oil and whizz again until mixture is smooth.

Taste - flavour should be full bodied with a nutty finish.

The pesto can be stored in the freezer for about 6 weeks and is delicious when cooked with pasta or eaten simply with bread. 

Suzy's Teenager Dates

Where's Suzy?

Last night:

What did you do when you were a teenager? Le Monsieur asked, as he eyeballed the hordes of teenagers loitering around the shopping district.

Hmmm, I did a lot of sports in school every day. At the same time, I had to study hard so that my parents wouldn't stop me from playing sports.

Don't you go out with friends? What about dating? Where did you go?

Well, that was in the early 90s and I was a nerdy kid from a good school. My friends were all really sporty and we hung out in school playing ball. Basketball, netball, hockey,... For dates *blush* it was usually a movie and then dinner. And the guy would send me home around 10pm, never after midnight. That was my curfew.

Where did you go for dinner? Hawker centres? Food courts?

*Indignant* Not hawker centres! Not for a date! That "Russian" restaurant Shaslik with nice steaks was a favourite. There was always Milano Pizza or Swensen's. Or Jack's Place. Japanese food wasn't common then. It's funny. I haven't been to any of these places for a long time.

* * * * * * * * * *
So today, we went to Jack's place for lunch and I'm very happy to report that the steaks are as good as I remembered: tender, succulent, and the perfect medium rare. And the prices too! They still served the potatoes with sour cream, bacon and chives, though I skipped the bacon this time. They even had the same green checked tablecloths. Le Monsieur liked it and I have a feeling that we'll be back there again very soon... For a date, no less!

It was nice for me to revisit the restaurant after so many years. I am glad that it had survived the times and retained its character over the years.

And you, where did you used to dine when you were a teenager? Have you been back since? Does it still exist? Does it bring back nice memories?

Have a great week of Christmas shopping ahead.

Love,
Suzy

Pasta Shells with Broccoli and Anchovies

Like Eggy, I was in the mood for some pasta this week.

I was introduced to this humble and simple pasta dish by an Italian friend. He lived near me in Paris and I used to go to his place for dinner, especially whenever he received a food parcel from his mother.

As with all Italian mothers, she was concerned that her dear son would not eat the right sort of food (usually that meant good wholesome Italian food prepared by her, of course) and took up the responsibility of sending him a food parcel every month. It was meant to last him a month.

What she didn't know was that he would invite a few friends over the following weekend and we would have an Italian food debauchery. No, her dear son didn't tell her that, it might break her heart! Her unknown fans loved her pasta sauces - the green pesto was the crowd favourite - and her homemade preserves like tomatoes and artichokes. The hams that his father cured from the boar shot the previous autumn was a treat.

Sometimes, there was a bottle of homemade alcohol. It could be sweet yellow limoncino but what we all loved was a liqueur he called noccino, made from walnuts, cinnamon and coffee. It was a dark and smoky as the limoncino was sunny and bright.

It was during one of those food feasts that my Italian friend introduced this dish to me. He used only 4 ingredients and made it within 10 minutes. I was speechless when I tasted it. It's incredible that something so simple can taste so good.

You must try it, you'll be hooked too.

Pasta Shells with Broccoli and Anchovies - Serves 2

Ingredients
150g of pasta shells
1 medium head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 can of anchovies in olive oil (50g)
Olive oil
A large pinch of salt (for boiling pasta)
Pepper to taste

Preparation time: 3 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Level of difficulty: Easy peasy

In a boiling pot of water, add the pasta and salt. Stir occasionally. You can add some olive oil to prevent the pasta from sticking. After 3 minutes, add the broccoli florets. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes or until pasta is just short of al dente.

Meanwhile, using a similarly sized pot, add the anchovies. Put the pot on low heat. You will see the anchovies slowly melting in the oil.

Drain the pasta and broccoli well, add to the pot with the melted anchovies. Mix well and remove from heat. Add a little olive oil if the pasta looks too dry. Leave the pasta to sit for about 10 minutes to soak in the anchovy flavours before serving.

You can also keep it in the fridge overnight and serve cold.

Mangorummy Lassi

I got an indian take-away for dinner tonight. I love going to the little stall at Bar Bar along Bt Timah, the best indian food in Singapore. Delicious! So before placing my aromatic rojan gosh and garlic nann on the plate, I decided to make myself an accompanying drink. Something good for digestion and something to wind down the evening with. 


A mangorummy lassi = lassi + rum


Ingredients
200g of natural yogurt, plain
1 fresh mango, peeled and de-seeded
25ml dark rum
Handful of ice


In a blender, add in the yogurt, fresh mango and ice, whizz.
Pour in the rum and mix.
Pour into large glass.
Enjoy!


I am pleasantly surprise how well rum goes with mango and the yogurt. Its really tasty and even feels good for you... 

Homemade Penne Bolognese

Here I am on a scorching Tuesday afternoon, still in my PJs writing the recipe of my lunch. I love days like these... Lazy, chill and totally relaxed. I made penne bolognese today but using the quantity for 4 people. I usually do this so I can keep the leftovers in the freezer and heat it up when I can't be bothered to make myself a meal. The sauce keeps very well, up to 6 weeks in the freezer and about 5 days in the fridge. 

If I am not wrong, this was the recipe to my husband's heart and was one of the first meals I ever cooked for him.  Try it! :)

 

Ingredients - serves 4 

500g of lean beef mince

3 cloves of garlic chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 can of stewed tomatoes

75g of tomato paste

A splash of port wine, 100ml

1 glass of red wine, 250ml

1 tablespoon of good quality balsamic vinegar

 3 tablespoon of olive oil

 Handful of fresh basil leaves

 Parmesan cheese to sprinkle, optional

 Salt and pepper 

 Packet of penne pasta

Preparation time: 10mins

Cooking time: 20mins

Level of difficulty: Easy peasy

Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan - medium heat.

Add in garlic and onions, stir until soft.

Add in the mince and stir. Make sure the meat is cooked throughout before the next step.

Add in the port wine and stir well for 1min.

Add in the stewed tomatoes and red wine, close the lid and put on low heat to simmer for 5-7mins.

While waiting for the mixture to simmer, cook the pasta according to instruction on the package and set aside.

Back to the sauce - open the lid and give the mixture a good stir. At this point, the sauce should be reduced by about half. Quickly add in the balsamic vinegar and the tomato paste, stir until the mixture is rich and thick. 

Remove from heat, press the basil leaves using fingertips to release its flavours and tear into the mixture. 

Add in pepper and salt to taste and stir again.

Drain the cooked pasta and serve in a bowl, topped with homemade bolognese sauce.

Sprinkle some parmesan on top for a nutty finish. 

A simple hearty meal for a hot Tuesday afternoon. 

I hope you enjoy this! 

M*A*S*H

All lined up, and eyes looking front!

The first time I had mash potatoes was in KFC at Bukit Merah Central. They were known as Kentucky Fried Chicken then, and served with real plates and cutlery. What a treat it was! The flavour and texture was completely new to me then. The mushroomy chickeny gravy was delicious. I could eat tubs of it, and I did.

The first time I tasted homemade mash potatoes was when my German housemate Susie (not Suzy) made it. She used her Grandma's secret recipe that required raw egg yorks, milk, cream, butter and salt. Try as I did, I could never get the proportions right. I've lost contact with Susie now so I'm kicking myself for not paying more attention in the kitchen years ago.

But the taste of the Susie's mash made me sit up and take notice. The yellow of the mash was as intense as the texture was creamy smooth. The taste was rich, but didn't take anything away from the comfort reassurance of potatoes that we knew so well. She had taken the humble mash potatoes to a whole new level in my universe. Never had I tasted pureed root vegetables like that! Susie's Grandma was truly a genius.

These days, with low-carb diets being fashionable, and the proportion of obese Singaporeans increasing, mash potatoes are a great no-no on the dining table. "No carbs after 8pm," declared a friend. Another friend quipped that it was supposed to be 6pm. Yet another said: "No carbs all day long!"

A great pity, I think. Because out there, Susie and the Grandma, are still churning out their amazing mash potatoes. Given the chance, I will eat them anytime, night or day.

Did I mention how creamy smooth it was...? MmmmmmMMMmmmmmmm...

Have a good week ahead
Love
Suzy