roasted red snapper

I learned this dish casually while reading Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential. He always stressed that a good quality dish should be simple, only needed at most 4 to 5 ingredients. Finding a fresh fish is crucial. Look for firm fish with bright eyes and red gills. It should smell sweet, not fishy.

olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 large cloves of garlic, one peeled and chopped, the other smashed
a stick of butter
a few sprigs of rosemary
1 lemon
a whole red snapper, cleaned, with head and tail intact, scored
1 tomato, quartered
1 whole red chilli, seeds removed and sliced

Preheat your oven at 220 degree C. Rub the fish inside and out with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, for a minute. Add in the butter and let it melt, then squeeze the juice from half the lemon, continue cooking until the mixture is reduced.

Put the snapper in a roasting pan or in a tin foil. Stuff the cavity of the fish with half of the onion mixture, along with the smashed garlic and the rosemary. Spoon the remaining onion mixture over the fish and in the score marks. Add in the tomato and the chilli surrounding the fish. Drizzle some olive oil and squeeze the other half of the lemon juice. Put in the oven and roast for 30-35 minutes, until crispy and thoroughly cooked.

linguine with crab, lemon and chilli

It is quite imperative to use the freshest, best-quality crab available, to make this dish worthwhile. Otherwise you might as well chuck in a can of tuna flakes and call it a day. Adjust the heat from the chilies and the amount of lemon juice to your liking.

Serves 2
250g linguine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup minced shallots
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 red chilies,  seeded, sliced into thin rounds, divide into 2 portions (add more or reduce to adjust the heat)
1 1/2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon juice, divided
salt & freshly ground black pepper
200g crab meat, cooked

Cook the pasta according to the packet instruction until al dente. Reserve some of the pasta cooking water.
 
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add shallots and stir until just soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and one portion of the chili and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice and 3 tablespoons pasta cooking liquid; season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir until liquid is reduced; until almost evaporated, about 1 minute.

Stir in the pasta into skillet and add 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid. Increase heat to medium-high. Toss around the pasta and stir, until liquid is reduced and pasta becomes glossy, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, crab, half of mint, and the rest of the chili.

Stir pasta until butter melts and pasta is well coated, adding more pasta cooking liquid if dry. Serve immediately, and top with a teaspoon of lemon zest if desired.

pasta alla primavera

 

This Italian phrase, primavera [pree-muh-VEHR-uh]  means “spring style” and refers to the use of fresh vegetables (raw or blanched) as a garnish to various dishes. The origin of the dish is traced back to New York, where the chefs at Le Cirque restaurant came up with a riot of vegetation doused in butter, cream and lots of parmesan cheese. This version is a lightened and simplified rendition of this classic, but still captures the spirit of the 70’s and 80’s high style dining fashion. The dish may contain almost any kind of vegetable, but firm and crisp vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, peas, onions, and green bell peppers with tomatoes are the usual preference. Classic primavera sauce is based on a soffrito (the sweating of vegetables in low heat without browning) of garlic and olive oil and finished with Parmesan cheese. Further versions, such as this one is based on a heavier cream or Alfredo style sauce.

Serves 4

1/2 pound spaghetti

a small bunch broccoli, about 1 heaping cup of florets

1 small zucchini, diced

4 asparagus’ spears

1/2 cup snow peas/honey beans

3 minced garlic cloves

2 tablespoons tomato paste

a bunch of basil leaves, chopped

4 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup chicken/vegetable broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

a handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta to al dente. Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt it well. It should taste like the sea. In the meantime, fill a large bowl with ice water to prepare the waterbath.  Boil the broccoli for 1 minute. Add the asparagus and boil another minute. Add the snow peas/honey beans and boil for 30 more seconds. Remove all the vegetables and plunge them into the ice water. Once they’re cool, drain in a colander.

If you want, you can boil your pasta in the same pot you boiled the vegetables in, or you can start over and boil new water. In a large saute pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat.  When the butter melts, add the garlic and zucchini and cook for a minute. Add the tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the chicken/vegetable broth and turn the heat to high to bring it to a boil. Add the cream and toss in all the vegetables you boiled. Stir to combine. Turn the heat down until the cream-chicken broth mixture is just simmering, then add the parmesan cheese and stir again to combine. If the sauce seems too thick add some more of the broth.

As soon as the pasta is done, drain and transfer it into the sauce and stir to combine. Add the basil and season to taste. Serve immediately.

 

jacket potato

There’s nothing better when you’re hungry than a hot, steaming, fluffy jacket potato. Even simply served with a knob of butter, or a drizzle of olive oil, or maybe with sour cream and some salt and pepper, it is one of the most comforting things to eat. The beauty of them is that they can be topped with some amazing combinations. When it comes to jacket potato, i’ve always use Russet potato, which is more suitable for baking compared to other type of potatoes. I’ve always ensure that my pantry is fully stocked, sometimes when i have nothing to do and some cravings, i turn to jacket potato. It also serves as a good snack, day and night, and also a good pairing with any main dishes for dinner.

To bake your potatoes, wash the potatoes well, dry them and prick several times with a fork/knife. This is to allow steam to escape during the baking process and avoid the potatoes from exploding in your oven. Pour some olive oil into your hands and rub over the potatoes, then scatter over some salt which should stick to the oil. Place directly on the shelf in the oven and bake on 220 degree C for 1 to 1½ hours, depending on the size of the potato. I personally prefer to wrap the potatoes in aluminium foil before baking which will help to retain moisture, while leaving it unwrapped will result in a crisp skin. When cooked, the potato should be golden-brown and crisp on the outside and give a little when squeezed. Split open to potato and serve with some of my favourite toppings:

Hollandaise sauce: personally my most favourite. Learn how to prepare hollandaise sauce here.

Three cheeses with chives: grate over some Parmesan, Cheddar and crumbled Feta. Sprinkle over some finely chopped chives.

Prawns: dress your prawns with mayonnaise. Lovely!

Smoked salmon and sour cream: when you split open the potatoes, make quite a large well in the centre and add the smoked salmon with sour cream, dress lightly with lemon juice.

Mozzarella and basil:torn-up some mozzarella ball into pieces, a little squeeze of lemon juice and some fresh whole basil leaves, a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper.

pesto

Nothing beats the taste and freshness of a home-made pesto. It it so easy and so universal, you can use it for any purpose and companion for any dish you could think of. Most people associated pesto with pasta and pasta only, when in reality, you can pair pesto with just about everything, roasted chicken, shellfish, bruschetta, fish, veal, steak, roated vegetables, jacket potato or with cheeses such as balls of Mozarella, the list is endless. You can make pesto in a food processor, or traditional pestle or mortar (i can attest that pounding pesto in pestle and mortar over time would results in a firm biceps and triceps!) Toast the pine nut lightly, though some would prefer to do them until they’re colored, which would develop a creaminess taste rather that nutty one.

Serves 4

1/2 a clove or garlic, chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 handfuls of fresh basil, leaves picked and chopped

a handful of pine nuts, very lightly toasted

a handful of Parmesan cheese

extra virgin olive oil

Pound the garlic with a little pinch of salt and basil in a pestle and mortar, or pulse in a food processor. Add the pine nuts and continue the pounding (or pulsing). Remove the mixture into a bowl and add half of the Parmesan. Stir and add the olive oil – you need just enough to bind the sauce and get it to an oozy consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then add the rest of the Parmesan and pour in some more oil and taste again. The key is getting it right to keep tasting and adding cheese or oil until you have the righ semi-wet but firm mixture. Optionally, you may add a squeeze of lemon juice at the end to have a little bit of acidic taste into the pesto, but it’s not essential.

** To have an authentic Genovese pesto, use pecorino Romano cheese, or Parmigiano-Reggiano instead of Parmesan. These type of hard sheep’s milk cheese, gives out a much strong flavour to the cheese. Unfortunately, both these cheese are considered an indulgence, expensive and such a rare variety that to-date, i have yet to find any grocery store (Tesco, Carrefour, Jusco, Cold-Storage, Isetan, or even Mercato) that actually have these cheese on their shelves.

spaghetti with fresh tomato sauce

There is nothing more beautiful than the sight of a fresh, fully ripen plum tomatoes. The blessed tropical weather that we have means that having fresh tomatoes is an occassion we savour all year round. The dish has a thick creaminess that you can never duplicate with canned plum tomatoes, no matter how good or expensive the are. There is an ideal instant, a tell-tale sign, for serving this sauce: when the tomatoes soften and all of their juices are in the pan, the sauce will suddenly begins to thicken. At that moment, at its’ peak, another minute or two later will result in the juices evaporating and, although the essence of the sauce is equally intense, it won’t be able to coat the pasta well. Observe the sauce as it cooks, but should it happen, just add a little olive oil or butter to the finished dish.

Serves 4

8 medium-sized fully ripen tomatoes (cored and roughly chopped)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

one shallot, minced

a good slab of butter, about 4 tablespoons

400 grams spaghetti or linguine

a handful of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water. Melt butter in a skillet of a saute pan, add the garlic and shallot and fry for a minute or two over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, cook, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes begin to juice up, then turn the heat to low and continue to stir until the sauce thickens. Season the sauce to taste. Once the pasta is cooked, drain, and toss with the tomatoes and cheese.

Variation:

• Add some shrimp when together when frying the garlic and shallot just before adding the tomatoes
• Add a few branches of basil, remove them just before serving and stir in about half cup of roughly chopped basil leaves into the pasta
• Toss the pasta with about a cup of cubed fresh mozzarella
• Add dried chilli to taste along with the tomatoes to install a bit of heat into the pasta

**A note on preparing fresh tomatoes: Always core fresh tomatoes before being used (remove the cone-shaped wedge from the stem end). Peeling is optional – but if the tomato skin is an issue, simply remove it by blanching (score the bottom end of the tomatoes, drop the tomatoes into hot boiling water for 30 seconds, remove with a slotted spoon into a bowl of cold water and slip the peel right off the score marks). Alternatively, you can also fish out the skin as the sauce simmers; it automatically separates from the flesh.

heavenly mushroom soup

First and foremost, an undeniable fact is that your Campbell’s or Vono’s just-add-hot-water instant cream of mushroom soup would have cost less per can than the whole ingredients needed to prepare this dish. But i promised you, by-god, this soup will outclass that pre-made thrash by miles ahead. Once you’ve tasted home-made mushroom soup, those awful cans of instant mushroom just became a distant memory!

Makes about 2 cups

2 shallots, minced

a pound of mushrooms (shitake, portobello, swiss brown, white button, oyster)

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 lemon

2 tablespoons of butter

a cup of double cream

3 tablespoons of olive oil

extra virgin olive oil (for garnish)

Heat a large saute pan over high heat. Add the oil and swirl it in the pan to coat the bottom. When the oil begins to smoke, stir in the mushrooms, cooking them for 30 seconds. Then add the shallot, and continue cooking for another 30 to 60 seconds. Add three-finger pinch of salt and several grindings of pepper. Season with a squeeze of lemon, and swirl in the butter until it melts. 

Take the pan off the heat, stir in the contents into a saucepan. Add the cream into the saucepan, and bring to simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for another 2 minutes. Puree everything in a blender thoroughly, correct the seasoning with salt and pepper. Pass the soup through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and serve, topping off with a drizle of extra virgin olive oil.

pasta bianco [white pasta]

The first pasta dish i learned, courtesy of Jamie Oliver, is this recipe, basically a sauce of butter and freshly grated Parmesan. It was a time when cooking pasta to al dente was challenging enough for me, a time when i had first encounter my cooking renaissance, almost 13 years ago, when the best thing i could do to get food on the table was calling for the waiter. Today i could probably prepare this dish with both eyes closed. This recipe gives you a really good feel for how to cook pasta properly, you want the sauce just to coat the pasta.

Serves 4

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely grated

40g of butter

450g of spaghetti, linguine, fettucinne or tagliatelle

2 to 3 handfuls of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

In a pan, melt the butter and gently fry the garlic in it without coloring for a couple of minutes.  Cook your pasta and reserve some of the cooking water. Pour in the cooked pasta into the melted butter together with the Parmesan and toss the pasta around to have the sauce coat the strands properly. Use the reserved pasta cooking water to loosened the sauce if it became too thick. Once you have the desired consistency, season to taste and serve immediately.

There are many ways to vary this sauce – you can stir in some chopped tomatoes into the garlice butter before removing from the heat, or you can incorporate different cheeses, but the key is to get simple, well-seasoned, delicate pasta coated in a butter cheese sauce.

the most basic: Tomato sauce

Homemade tomato sauce is leagues better that anything you can find in a jar at any grocey store, however fancy the packaging is or how expensive it is. Tomato sauce can be made either using fresh tomatoes or canned peeled plum tomaotes. For this variant i’ll share the simple recipe of using canned tomatoes. The quality of the canned tomatoes is important, but not necessarily the most expensive one. My favourite, and has been forever used is Cirio, an Italian brand that uses the best of San Marzano tomatoes. You can make the sauce fresh every time you wish to use it or in a big batch and store away into the freezer (where they will keep for a couple of months)

First of all, chop 2 cloves of garlic, dice a medium sized red onion, and fry them gently in olive oil over medium heat, adding a three-finger pinch of salt and stirring, until the onion is soft and translucent. Add two cans of the tomatoes, lightly season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Break and mush the tomatoes with a spoon (if you break it at the beginning, the sauce will taste bitter), correct the seasoning and add about 4 tbsp of butter. Add a few stalks of basil and serve immediately with your pasta.

Of course there are so many different ways for you to take this sauce forward…

For spicy arrabiatta, start the sauce off by adding a few whole fresh chillies. The chillies will provide some added heat to the sauce. After the sauce has simmered for 15-20 minutes, remove the chillies, chop them up and add back as much to continue bringing the heat into the sauce.

A real crowd-pleaser, and my favourite, is to end the sauce by adding in a nice swig of balsamic vinegar and a handful of grated Parmesan. This variation is fantastic with pasta such as fettuccine, tagliatelle or with grilled meats and fish.

To make a puttanesca, simmer the sauce gently with a handful of good pitted and squashed olives and anchovies. Also by flaking in a tin of tuna, you’d taken the sauce in another different direction.