recipe is : almost pesto pasta

this recipe is 'almost' pesto cos i've omitted the pinenuts. and it would not be pesto if there's no pinenuts or nuts of any sort will it? so i just call it 'almost pesto' for now, til i can come up with a name for it.

the herb paste on its own makes an excellent dip or dressing as well, with or without adding the cream.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, sliced into long strips of about 3cm, season with a bit of salt and set aside to marinate for 30 mins


Herb paste -
2 handfuls basil
3/4 - 1 head garlic, skinned
1 handful coriander
50 mls (at least) olive oil

250 ml cream
1 cup sliced button mushroom
2 handfuls grated parmesan cheese
400 gms penne
sprigs of basil and coriander
salt to taste
coarse black pepper to taste (optional)


Method

in a food processor or a blender, blitz the basil, garlic, coriander and the olive oil. set aside

in a big pot, boil the penne in slightly salted water until done to preferred softness. turn off flame

in a large pan pour in a bit of oil and stir fry the chicken until just cooked. add the herb paste and stir fry for a few minutes. add the button mushroom, the cream, parmesan, basil and coriander sprigs, mix well. add a bit of the pasta water to thin out the sauce a bit. season with salt and black pepper

drain out the penne and pour into the sauce, mix well and serve hot

note: the cream can be substituted with full cream milk for a less thick sauce. it would not be too runny as the cheese will help thicken it a bit

recipe is : butttered rice

I love this buttered rice. It's so yummlicious that I can eat it on its own. It also goes well with most dishes, be it meat or veggie. Plus, it's super easy-peasy to prepare :)

Ingredients

freshly cooked rice
grated lemon zest
finely chopped spring onion
finely chopped tomatoes, discard the seed and watery inside pulp
salt to taste
butter

Method

mix everything together. serve immediately

note:

i didn't put the quantity of the ingredients. it's up to your own liking how much you prefer to add. my own quantities would be half a tbsp of tomatoes/spring onion, a pinch of zest, half a tsp of butter to each cup of rice.

hot, freshly cooked rice works best. the heat brings out the fragrance of the ingredients.

shallot oil can be substituted for the butter. just skin and thinly sliced 2-3 shallots, fry them in 5 tbsp of oil til golden brown, dish up quickly to prevent burning (it tastes bitter if burnt).

recipe is : aglio olio funkyfied

this is one of my all-time fav... ever. this simply easy to prepare pasta was inspired by Ee-lyn's Curtis Stone sundried tomato recipe.

i've played around with the original aglio olio recipe. i'm not big a fan of parsley so i've substituted it with basil. sundried tomatoes also came into play with my aglio olio, in fact, it's a must in my recipe as it makes all the difference in the world. for all you know, with the combination of ingredients that i used in this recipe, it might actually be known as a whole different pasta recipe name alltogether (if that's the case, then i truly say sorry for my ignorance).

a few tips for this recipe :

- don't try to cut back on the olive oil in this recipe for fear of it being too oily. the lemon juice used here cuts off the 'oily' feeling.

- i use the australian sundried tomatoes here. the italian ones that i get here are a bit damp and too sour for my liking.

- my personal choice for this is aged/mature cheddar. parmesan or normal cheddar can be used if preferred.

- the amount listed in the ingredients is a guide. feel free to add or lessen the amount according to your own preference.

.... thanks lots Ee-lyn :)
Ingredients

500 gm dried spaghetti

1/2 cup olive oil

2 big handfuls sweet basil, finely chopped

8 - 9 cloves garlic, skinned and finely chopped

6 pcs sundried tomatoes, finely chopped

salt to taste

1 large lemon

1 handful of grated matured/aged cheddar cheese

Method

in a big pot of water, put the spaghetti to boil like normal. once the spaghetti has reached the 'al dente' stage, turn off the flame

in a large pan, heat up the olive oil and once it is heated up, turn the flame down to low. add the garlic and sundried tomatoes and stir fry for a few minutes, don't let the garlic turn brown at any time. add the salt and basil. stir fry for 10 seconds and turn off the flame

scoop out the spaghetti from the pot and put into the pan. a little drippy bit of spaghetti water is fine. in fact, it is better with a little bit of water. mix thoroughly

add the cheese and mix throughly. squeeze in the lemon juice and mix to incorporate. serve immediately

this recipe serves 4

recipe is : roast leg of lamb

Ingredients

2.3 kg leg of lamb, bone out and butterflied and big chunks of fat trimmed off(it will be about 3.5 kg or so with the bone in)

1 whole head of garlic, crushed and each clove separated
3 tbsp dijon mustard
black pepper
salt
stalks of fresh rosemary
ball of twine
Minty sauce

a bunch of mint, very finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, finely grated
drippings from the roast lamb

Method

rub the mustard, black pepper and salt all over the leg of lamb. place the garlic and rosemary stalks intermittently on the meat side of the butterflied lamb. roll up tightly and tie with twine. place in a plastic bag and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight

preheat oven to 165 degrees Celsius

place a rack in a roasting tray. place the marinated leg of lamb in the center of the rack and roast for 1 hour 45 mins to 2 hours

remove the lamb from the oven, tent with aluminium foil and let rest for 30 minutes before carving

for the minty sauce, add the dripping from the pan to the chopped mint and garlic, mix well

note:

i normally serve the lamb with cucumber raita and roasted potatoes. you can serve with whatever salad and potatoes of your choice

recipe is : cucumber raita

this is a easy peasy salad to make. absolutely delish on a hot, hot day

Ingredients

2 cucumbers, peeled, pulp seeded area discarded and cut into small cubes
1 small tub of plain yoghurt
a pinch of cumin powder
1 tsp finely chopped mint leaves
salt to taste

Method

Mix all the ingredients and pop into the fridge for at least 30 mins to cool

recipe is : scrambled eggs and toast

this is not the everyday scramble eggs and toast. a lil bit of this and a lil bit of that has been added to scrumptioustify the menu

Ingredients

4 eggs
5 sweet basil leaves, thinly sliced
handful grated parmesan
100 ml milk
1 tbsp butter
crusty sourdough bread, thickly sliced
herb oil (recipe is here)

Method

brush some herb oil on the bread and toast over a griddle or even on a pan

in a big bowl, break the eggs, add the milk and whisk til foamy. in a wide shallow pan, heat the butter and once the butter melts, pour in eggs and sprinkle the basil around. scrape the bottom of the pan as the egg sets and continously scrape til most eggs has set. add the parmesan and continue scraping until egg is set and no longer liquid and and runny. serve hot with toast

recipe is : steamed ginger chicken rice

Ingredients

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 thumb-sized knobs young ginger, grated
1 thumb-size knob old ginger, crushed
2 heaped tsp salt
2 cups rice, washed and drained thoroughly
3 spring onions, halved length-wise
4 cloves garlic
1 tbsp margarine
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp concentrated chicken stock
2 handfuls beansprouts

chilli sauce
1 tsp grated young ginger
1 tsp grated garlic
3 tbsp bottled chilli sauce
1 tbsp oil

shallot oil sauce
4 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tbsp oil (preferably cornoil or sunflower oil)
5 tbsp light soya sauce
Method

to make the chilli sauce, heat up the oil over a low flame and pour into a bowl. let cool. add the chilli sauce, garlic and ginger and mix thoroughly

to make the shallot oil, heat the oil over a low flame in a pan and add the shallots. fry until the shallots turn golden. pour into a dry heatproof bowl and let cool. add the light soya sauce and set aside

fry the old ginger, spring onion and garlic in the oil for a few minutes til fragrant. add the rice and stir fry for 5 minutes. transfer into rice cooker. stir in the margarine and chicken stock to thoroughly mix and add water to cook like normal rice

pat the chicken dry and cut into 1 cm thick slices. rub the salt into chicken and marinate with the grated ginger. bring the water in a steamer to a boil and steam the chicken over high heat for 20 minutes. let rest in steamer for 5 minutes before removing

using the steamed chicken water, blanch the beansprouts and drain. pour in the shallot oil sauce and toss

serve the chicken rice and beansprouts hot. dip the chicken in the chilli sauce for extra spiciness