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Oyster and Scallop Tartare with Ginger Dressing

January 25, 2010 by trissalicious

Tartare of Oysters, Scallops and Salmon with Ginger Dressing

Awhile back I told my husband – “You must have fed me something!”

“What do you mean?”  He asked.

“Well, you know I never used to like you…” I told him.

And I’m still scratching my head thinking about what aphrodisiac he must have fed me to make me fall in love.  Could it have been the daily belgian waffles he sent to my office? Or was Cupid’s arrow laced with the triple chocolate layered cake that he would drop off at my home after work?  Whatever his recipe was, it worked!

With Valentine’s a few weeks away, here’s a recipe has the three key ingredients to make  a sure fire aphrodisiac – oysters, caviar and champagne (vinegar that is!).  I have adapted this from one of my favourite cafes in Paris called Cafe Constant.   It is owned by Christian Constant who owns several restaurants on the Rue Saint Dominique.

Oysters, Scallops and Salmon

Recipe (Serves 4) – Adapted from Christian Constant

  • 12 fresh oysters, cleaned, shells reserved
  • 8 sashimi grade scallops, roe removed
  • 40 grams Sashimi grade Salmon
  • 2 tablespoons ginger, grated
  • 2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
  • Juice of 1/4 lemon
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil
  • Caviar, for topping

Seafood Tartare of Christian Constant

  1. Finely chop the oysters, scallops and salmon and set aside in the refrigerator.
  2. Mix the ginger, lemon  juice, champagne vinegar, chives, and olive oil in a separate bowl.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
  3. When ready to serve (not any sooner!), mix the seafood with the dressing and place on top of the reserved oyster shells.
  4. Top with caviar.

Tartare Recipe adapted from Christian Constant

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Chicken Adobo – “Momofuku Style”

January 24, 2010 by trissalicious

Momofuku Style Chicken Adobo

This month, the Kulinarya Cooking Club decided to feature Adobo!  To many, this is considered our national dish.  Ask any Filipino and they will tell you that they have the “best” adobo recipe.  It’s no wonder that there are so many variations of this dish.  But I tell you – I think I have discovered THE BEST EVER recipe for chicken adobo.  (I can already see many Filipinos raising their hands in protest!).  But I stand by my statement!

Traditionally, in our home we simmer a combination of pork and chicken in a marinade of soy sauce, vinegar, bay leaves, black peppers and garlic.  Once done, the meat is removed from the sauce and pan fried separately while the sauce is simmered further to obtain a rich and thicker sauce.  Before serving, the meat is once again reunited with the thickened sauce.  Many filipinos will insist that adobo be served with a bowl of rice (either garlic fried or steamed) but other than that, “the day after adobo” is excellent as a sandwich filling (in our house we usually lather it with tons of mayonnaise).

I wanted to try something different with the adobo this month so I experimented with David Chang’s Fried Chicken with Octo-vin recipe.  I’ve had a lot of success with the Momofuku cookbook – the Chicken and Egg recipe can be found here and the Fried Chicken with the Octo-Vin has been previously featured in Almost Bourdain’s site here.

Reading through the recipe for the Fried Chicken, I thought it would be an interesting twist to use David Chang’s technique for his fried chicken.  First he brines the chicken for several hours, then steams it, lets in dry in the refrigerator and finally pan fries the chicken.  It is then served with a sauce he refers to as Octo-Vin.

Chicken Adobo - Momofuku Style

So for my version, I pretty much stuck to the Momofuku tecnique but  my brine solution was the adobo marinade.  I also changed the octo-vin by cooking it in a saucepan and adapted the ingredients so that the adobo flavours came out.  To be completely honest I was a bit hesitant to use Philippine white vinegar instead of the rice wine vinegar in the original recipe but I was amazed at the resulting sauce – very intense and the flavours blended beautifully.   I like to call it the Pinoy Octo-Vin.  Yes there is a lot of work to this recipe but I promise you – the results are worth it.

Recipe for the Fried Chicken (serves 4)

  • 6 chicken thigh cutlets (I deboned mine)
  • 4 cups lukewarm water
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar (Philippine brand preferably)
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • a few peppercorns, left whole
  • Canola or grapeseed oil for frying
  1. Combine the water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic,  bay leaves and peppercorns in a container and stir to dissolve the sugar.  Add the chicken and cover.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and no more than 6 hours.
  2. Set up a steamer on the stove.  Drain the chicken and place the brine on the bottom of the steamer (this is your steaming liquid).  Put the chicken in the steamer basket and cover.  Steam the chicken for 40 minutes on medium high heat.  When done, remove it from the steamer and put in on a cooling rack to cool.  Chill it in the refrigerator on the rack at least 2 hours (or overnight).
  3. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 3o minutes before you cook it.
  4. In a deep skillet, heat enough oil for the chicken (I only pan fried the chicken).  Fry the chicken in batches until the skin is deep brown and crisp.  Around 6 to 8 minutes.
  5. Remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.

Pinoy Octo-Vin (Filipino Style Octo Vinaigrette)

For the Octo-Vinaigrette

  • 2 garlic cloves, (I used confit garlic cloves but plain garlic will suffice)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut milk
  • 1/4 cup light soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons white vinegar (Philippine brand is preferable)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 to 6 peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons grapeseed or other neutral oil

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and heat over low for 10 minutes.  Serve on top of the Fried Chicken.

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.

Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love

for Filipino Food as we do.

If you’re interested in joining our Kulinarya Cooking Club, please feel free to drop by our foodblogs and leave a comment – we would love to

hear from you!

Trissa, Kath and Trish

http://sugarlace.com

http://www.acupcakeortwo.com/

Welcome new Kulinarya Members (if I have missed anyone out PLEASE email me!)

Olive http://www.latestrecipes.net/

Caroline http://whenadobometfeijoada.blogspot.com/

Peachy http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/

Althea http://www.busogsarap.com/

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In Search of Perfection… Lychee Perfection

January 22, 2010 by trissalicious

Lychee Perfection

In my younger years, perfection meant a number to me. For example:

4 – was the dress size I strove to become and so I ran every morning,  joined a gym and forced myself to eat oatmeal (although I hated it) for breakfast.

5 feet 5 inches was the height I thought was ideal for a size 4 – and so I took to wearing three inch heels everyday – even if  they hurt like hell.

10 was the number of guitar pieces that I wanted to know by heart – so that I could at least say that I could confidently play a whole set if asked.

28 was the age I wanted to get married.

And so my search for perfection went…

Lychees, rosewater, and cream jelly

As years passed and interestingly enough –  I didn’t feel the expected joy when some of these numbers I met and I didn’t feel as bad as I expected to when many of the numbers I didn’t achieve.  I’m not sure why – maybe I enjoyed the ride more than I did actually arriving at my destination.

And while I hate to admit it – I am still searching for perfection – although some of the things that mattered to me years ago – either I couldn’t care less about today, or have been adjusted to a more realistic number.  And then also, other numbers have taken priority.  You know what I mean?

That 4 dress size I so desperately wanted to achieve, well I’d be happy to fit into an 8 now!

I wear 2 inch heels instead of 3 now.

I’ve forgotten all the guitar pieces I know but no one ever asked me to play a full set anyway.

I did get married at 28!

And last night nothing pleased me more than to spend time with the Blog Monster as we searched for that 1 perfect lychee dessert.

Lychee Perfection

This dessert is really called Lychee Perfection.  It is a two layer jelly/mousse that is in my Grandmother’s cookbook.  I have adapted it by the addition of rosewater to the top layer.  Lychees are in season now and we are getting the most juicy and plump fruits you can imagine.  This is one of the best ways to celebrate them.  Don’t fret though if you can’t find fresh lychees – the canned ones are fine to use too.

Recipe

Bottom Layer

  • 1 envelope unflavoured powdered gelatin (7 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons boiling water
  • 1 can condensed milk (395 grams)
  • 200 grams cream, whipped

Top Layer

  • 1 envelope (7 grams) unflavoured powdered gelatin
  • 2 tablespoons boiling water plus 1 cup boiling water
  • 10 lychees peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon rosewater
  • pinch of rose food colouring

Lychee Perfection

  1. For the bottom layer, mix the boiling water and the gelatin in a container and set aside.
  2. In a double boiler, mix together the condensed milk and the gelatin mixture.
  3. Mix the gelatin mixture and continue cooking over the double boiler until the mixture thickens, around 5 minutes.
  4. Allow the condensed milk mixture to cool.
  5. Once the mixture has cooled, whip the cream until stiff peaks and fold the cream into the condensed milk mixture.
  6. Pour into individual glass containers and allow to set.
  7. For the top layer, mix the boiling water and the gelatin in a contained and set aside.
  8. Place the water, lychees, rosewater and sugar in a sauce pan.  Add the gelatin and bring to a boil.
  9. Remove from heat, strain the liquid into a bowl and set the bowl over another bowl of iced water and allow to cool.  As the mixture cools, add a tiny pinch of rose food colouring.
  10. Cut the lychees into pieces and place them over the cream jelly.
  11. Pour the rosewater mixture over the lychees and allow to set.

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The Beach House Banana Bread

January 18, 2010 by trissalicious

The Beach House - Opossum Bay

The beach house was tucked away in a sleepy suburb 45 minutes away from the city center. At first, no one seemed to mind the trek to what would be our home for the next four days. We were all excited about the prospects of an extended weekend, a long overdue family vacation. My first impression was that the house itself was almost like a secret that was too good to be true. It felt like this house had exclusive access to the pristine beach front situated right in front of it. I couldn’t believe how lucky we were NOT to be sharing such a wonderful view with anyone (or at least it seemed that way!).

The Beach

Might as well be upfront and let you know that sometimes vacations sounds more idyllic when you’re thinking about them – than actually going on them. Especially when you are a group of four families, with each family having at least one representative who is very outspoken and stubborn about getting their way. In fact, my brother in law, commented one day after an hour of healthy debate, that it was easier to organize the European Union than it was to organize our family lunch. But somehow, we always managed to resolve things quickly.  The easiest way, we found, was to separate during the day – one group would explore the various surrounding towns, driving to the markets and searching for Tasmania’s famous scallop pies.  The rest would stay in the beach house, go for a swim, build sandcastles and pass the time playing computer games.   When we got back, we’d trade stories about the day’s adventures.  We were all very impressed when my nephew found a beautiful seashell which he was planning to keep for a souvenir.

Ben's Seashell

At night however, we’d gather around the lounge room and reminisce – funnily enough – about our old holidays! We’d talk about how we’d go to Baguio, one of the popular holiday destinations in the Philippines every Christmas time. We’d talk about the games we used to play to pass the time (hours and hours of monopoly), the neighbors we used to hang around with. And of course, the dishes we used to eat – the first meal would always be adobo, and lumpia. So one night, in honour of the olden days, we had adobo.

The Blog Monster's Adobo

And then there was the Banana Bread.  I had no intention of baking or cooking this weekend. But somehow all resolve vanished when I saw in the general store we passed on the way to the house, a box full of brown, overripe bananas just waiting to be baked. Some people may have turned their nose up at the produce, but I couldn’t believe how lucky I was to get them for 50 cents!

The Beach House Banana Bread

And so, I baked a homely and delicious banana bread made from the goodies I could find from the general store.  Chocolate chips, walnuts, dates and of course the 50 cent bananas.  As a testament to how good it was (that and of course, as a testament to how many bananas I actually bought!), I made two batches.  The first one using white sugar, and the second one using more dates and brown sugar I managed to find in the cupboard.  I’m sharing with you the second recipe – which I personally enjoyed more.

I never got to find out if Ben took the seashell… oh well – at least we will always have memories of this great vacation and of course…the banana bread…

Recipe

  • 2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup dark/semi sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1 cup dates, steeped in hot water for 5 minutes and chopped
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 100 grams melted butter, cooled (I didn’t have a scale so I just eyeballed it)
  • 3 large ripe bananas, mashed

Beach House Banana Bread

  1. Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl
  2. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, butter, bananas, chocolate chips, walnuts and dates
  3. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and pour into a brownie pan or a loaf pan that has been buttered
  4. Bake in a 20cm by 20 cm brownie pan (or a loaf pan if you’ve got it) in a pre-heated fan forced oven at 180c for 30 to 40 minutes until you can pierce the batter with a knife and it comes out clean.

Beach House Banana Bread

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Chicken in Orange Sauce (Pollo a la Naranja)

January 14, 2010 by trissalicious

Pollo a la Naranja

We’re off! To Tasmania, that is! The whole clan is headed for a weekend trip and it’s going to be a blast! So if you don’t hear from me for a few days – you now know why! In the meantime, I’ll leave you with The Blog Monster’s quick and easy weekday meal. Pollo a la Naranja, literally translated, means Chicken in Orange Sauce.

When the Blog Monster is around (she stays in my house when she is on holiday), one of our nightly rituals is to sit down and discuss “what’s for dinner tomorrow”. Sometimes, as you can imagine, there is a long debate that ensues. We look through cookbooks, reminisce about recent meals in wonderful restaurants or talk about fine dishes we’ve had in the past. Sometimes, we nominate an ingredient and go over numerous variations before deciding on “the one”.

The other night we nominated chicken. It felt a bit like a game show where The Blog Monster would rattle off one dish that she thought would be great to make using the chicken and I would counter with another dish. The winner, would be the one who came up with the best dish.

“Chicken Imperial” (she said)

“Roast Chicken” (me)

“Chicken in Garlic Sauce (her turn)

“Fried Chicken” (mine)

…. and on and on… until she said “Pollo a la Naranja” and it just clicked!

When you try this dish you will understand why this was the winner. A deliciously braised chicken dish finished off with some white wine and the juice and rind of a few oranges. And of course, honey to give the sauce a richer flavour!

Chicken in Orange Sauce

Recipe (serves 4 to 6)

  • 6 chicken thighs
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, sliced finely
  • 2 oranges
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup chicken stock (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper
  2. In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and fry the chicken pieces until golden. Remove the chicken and set aside.
  3. In the same pan fry the onions over medium heat until translucent. Add the chicken back into the pan.
  4. Add the white wine into the pan and reduce until you have half the liquid
  5. Remove some orange rind and juice the oranges.
  6. Add the orange juice and simmer until the chicken is cooked and tender, around 20 minutes.
  7. If the sauce isn’t enough at this point feel free to add some chicken stock (maybe half a cup or so) Add the orange rind and honey and simmer a little longer until the sauce thickens.
  8. Test for seasoning before serving

Pollo a la Naranja

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The Blog Monster Strikes Again – Mango Jubilee!

January 12, 2010 by trissalicious

The Blog Monster Strikes Again - Mango Jubilee

Just a quick note to let you know I’ve been banned from my own kitchen as the Blog Monster has officially taken over kitchen duties.  “Trissa, you watch and take pictures while I cook” she told me.  As many of you would probably agree, being prohibited from cooking in your own kitchen is cause for distress and a major protest!  However, when the Blog Monster said she was making Mango Jubilee… I gladly caved in.

The Blog Monster's Mango Jubilee

This deliciously simply dessert consists of a scoop of ice cream topped with a mango-caramel like sauce, and finally flamed with some brandy.  Imagine spoonfuls of creamy and cold ice cream topped with a warm mango sauce – if Blog Monster made desserts like this every day – I would gladly give up my kitchen for it!

Also, an apology before the recipe.  There’s been a big heatwave that hit Sydney this week.  With temperatures hitting as high as 35c (around 95F), it’s been impossible to photograph the mango jubilee “properly”.  There were five servings of this mango jubilee that were made before we could take a half decent picture.  Luckily, there was no shortage of takers for the servings that were “un-fit” for the photo!

Mango Jubilee

Recipe

  • 2 ripe mangoes
  • 5 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • splash of brandy
  • 2 scoops of best quality vanilla ice cream
  1. Slice the mango in the middle of the flat seed so you have two halves.  Scoop out the flesh using a melon baller.
  2. When you can’t make any more balls, scoop out the rest of the flesh with a spoon and it up using a fork or a hand blender.
  3. In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the sugar.  Cook until the sugar has dissolved.  Add the pureed mango and cook for another 2 minutes over a low heat.  Add the mango balls and cook another 2 minutes.  Set aside.
  4. Place a scoop of ice cream in a heat proof container and add the mango puree and balls.
  5. Place your brandy in a metal soup laddle and heat over a gas stove top.  When the flame has ignited, carefully pour the flame over the mango mixture.

Ripe mangoes, vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and brandy - definitely cause to celebrate!

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“Huevos Rotos” (Broken Eggs)

January 10, 2010 by trissalicious

"Huevos Rotos" literally "Broken Eggs"

Tapas, Chorizo, Fried Egg, Jamon Serrano

I have to admit things were not going smoothly Saturday morning as my Mum and I prepared breakfast.  There was some debate with the Blog Monster as to how this dish was really made.

“Jamon.” I said.

“Chorizo!” She answered

“Jamon!!” I replied

“Chorizo! This is what we used to do in the restaurant” she countered.

You see we were trying to cook up a tapas dish called “Huevos Rotos” – which literally means “Broken Eggs.” Imagine a fried egg presented over a bed of pan fried potatoes, garlic, chorizo (or Jamon Serrano depending on who was making the dish).  The egg is then broken and scattered all over the rest of the dish.  It’s wonderful with a piece of warm bread.  And, while we were having it for breakfast,  you can have it any time of the day.

I first tried a variation of this dish in a Madrid Restaurant called Casa Lucio.  They call it “Huevos Estrellados” and they are acclaimed worldwide for it.  When I first saw it served to me, I said to myself  “they’re just french fries with a fried egg on top”… but I have to admit – it was out of this world.  If you want to be extra indulgent, pay a little more and you get a some Jamon on the side.

You can imagine, two stubborn cooks in one little kitchen disagreeing about how to make a simple tapas dish.  Each of us was insisting that our own version was correct.

Huevos Rotos

In the end, we decided to put both… and it was amazing!

Recipe – Serves 2

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 chorizo, diced
  • 1 large potato, cut into 1 1/2 cm dice
  • 3 slices, Jamon Serrano, torn up
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  1. Heat the olive oil in a pan and and the potatoes, cook on medium high until browned, around 10 minutes or until you can pierce the potato with a fork without resistance.
  2. Remove the potatoes from the pan and now add the chorizo pieces and fry until nicely browned.
  3. Remove the chorizo and add the garlic and lightly fry until there is some colour on the garlic chips.
  4. Remove the garlic and use the same pan to fry and egg.
  5. To assemble, lay the potatoes, chorizo and garlic on a plate, top with the fried egg and lay some torn pieces of Jamon Serrano on the side.   Serve with toasted bread.

Fried Potatoes, Chorizo, Garlic Chips, Jamon Serrano and a Fried Egg

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The Blog Monster’s Sombrero Pie

January 7, 2010 by trissalicious

"Sombrero" Pie

I think I may have created a blog monster.  Ever since I posted my Mum’s Canelones recipe and taught her to comment, she’s been very enthusiastic to say the least, about this little hobby of mine.  Take for instance the comment she left on this blog:

Triss,

It was great doing the step by step canalones with you…. More to come folks. I m here for another 18 days just hold on…. Mom

Then this afternoon, at work,  I get a cryptic voicemail from her saying “come home soon”.  Straight after work I found her hovering over the stove with three pots of ground meat.  Apparently, the meat was on special (you know how crazy Mum’s can get when something goes on sale!) and she said she would teach me three different dishes using the ground meat.  Chili con Carne, Ragu Sauce and Sombrero Pie.

Of all these dishes, my favourite would have to be the Sombrero Pie.    In her version, she layers mashed potatoes, ground meat, creamed corn and tops it with grated cheese.  In fact, it was a recipe featured in the cookbook she wrote with my sister.  In the cookbook they go on to say that it was named “sombrero”, because it looks like one of those Mexican hats.

She told me she would love to share it with you all… Enjoy!

Layer with mashed potatoes, ground meat, creamed corn and cheese

Recipe

  • 4 large starchy potatoes
  • 125 grams butter
  • 125 ml milk
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 250 grams ground pork
  • 250 gram ground beef (otherwise, use 500 grams beef and omit the pork)
  • 1/4 cup tomato paste
  • 400 grams creamed corn
  • 1 1/2 cups of tasty cheese
  1. To make the mashed potatoes, peel and quarter the potatoes and then boil until you are able to pierce through the potato with a knife.  Drain the water from the pan and put the pan back on the heat to “dry” the potatoes out – this should take around 30 seconds.
  2. Mash the potatoes with the butter and the milk.  Season with salt and pepper.  Set aside
  3. Saute the onions until transparent and then follow with the garlic until fragrant.  Turn the heat to high and add the ground meat.  There will be liquid that is released from the meat and cook until this liquid is evaporated.
  4. Add the tomato paste and cook for around 3 to 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  5. To assemble, use a round container, measuring around 25 cm in diameter and around 5 cm in height.  First layer the mashed potatoes, then the beef, spread the creamed corn on top of the beef and finally the cheese.
  6. Bake in a fan forced oven for 35 minutes at 180 c fan forced.

Mum's Sombrero Pie

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Learning From Mum… and Teaching Mum

January 5, 2010 by trissalicious

Mum's Cannelloni

Is it just me or do none of your family members comment on your blog as well?  I know they read it but no matter how much I bribe (“I’ll give you some cookies that I baked in exchange for a comment”) or  beg (“please, please leave a comment”) – still no comment.

It would probably be particularly difficult for my Mum who, to put in mildly, is technologically challenged.

When my Dad taught her to send e-mail he had written VERY detailed instructions which went something like this:

Step 1 : Turn on computer

Step 2: Go to “icon” that has a picture of envelope and says E-mail and “double click”

Step 3: To send a message click on New on the upper left hand corner of the computer screen

…all the way to…

Step 12: To close your E-mail, click on the white X surrounded by a red square on the upper right hand corner of the computer screen

Step 13: Go to lower left hand corner of the computer screen and click the windows icon

Step 14: Find the arrow to click “shut down”

We were so proud of her when we started receiving e-mails.  She had finally joined the 21st century!

It was only months later that we discovered that for each and every email she sent out – she would actually follow step one to fourteen.  So for instance if she wanted to send three different emails out in one sitting  – she would have to turn on the computer three times and turn it off three times as well!

So believe me, teaching her to leave a comment on this blog was another milestone!  I told her that at least she only has to do it ONLY once for every post!  🙂

It’s a good thing that Mum’s  much better at cooking than computers. As she is here from the Philippines for a short vacation, I am making the most of her time here by asking her to teach me some dishes.  Tonight she taught me to make her take on the Cannelloni, or what she calls Canelones in Spanish.  No one in my family can resist this dish.   It’s made of chicken, mushrooms, chorizo, and smothered in a rich bechamel sauce and topped with  mozzarella cheese…

Yes… I know.

I’m very lucky!

Cannelloni smothered in a rich bechamel sauce

Recipe

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 pieces of chorizo, chopped
  • 500 grams boneless chicken thighs, boiled and chopped (leftover roast chicken can be used in a pinch)
  • 1 handful of mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 jar (400 grams) of your favourite tomato based pasta sauce (we used Barilla)
  • 1 box cannelloni pasta
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Bechamel Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
  1. Cook the cannelloni as per instructions on the box.  Set aside.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large pan and saute the onions, then add the chorizo and brown them
  3. Next, add the chicken, then the mushrooms and cook until the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated
  4. Add the tomato sauce and allow to simmer for 25 to 30 minutes
  5. Season with salt and pepper
  6. Allow to cool to room temperature

To make the Bechamel

  1. In a saucepan, melt the butter, once this has melted, add the flour
  2. Slowly add the milk, incorporating this into the butter and flour mixture a little at a time
  3. Cook out the mixture for around 5 minutes over low heat, making sure to stir constantly to ensure that the bottom does not “catch”
  4. Add the 1 cup of mozzarella cheese to the mixture and set aside.

To assemble

  1. Fill each cannelloni with the chicken mixture and lay these on a baking dish
  2. Top with bechamel sauce
  3. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese
  4. Bake in a 180 c fan forced oven for 30 minutes
  5. Garnish with parsley (optional)

Thanks for dinner Mum! It was lovely. 🙂

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“Wicked” Oreo Cookies

January 4, 2010 by trissalicious

Wicked Oreo C

"Wicked" Oreo Cookies

Excuse the pensive mood lately.  I blame it on the New Year which definitely makes me reflect more than usual.  One of the things I set out to do in the next month is finally watch the play Wicked.  The musical is based on one of my favourite books – Wicked – The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

For those who haven’t watched the play or read the book – it revolves around the untold story Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West… faced with a miserable childhood and discriminated against because of her green skin tone, despite her good intentions and actions – she remained misunderstood … so …  maybe she wasn’t so wicked after all?

Before reading the book, I naturally assumed that she was born Wicked – only to realize that sometimes people behave the way they do for reasons we don’t know about.  Who are we to judge people we don’t know?  Who are we to judge at all?

Anyway, I originally had the “oreo” cookie in mind and I used black sesame seeds for the outer cookie and a green tea buttercream filling.  They reminded me so much of Elphaba.  Despite their appearance – please don’t judge them before trying them.  Like Elphaba – you might come to even like them?

Wicked

Black Sesame Cookie Recipe

  • 130  grams softened butter
  • 110  grams icing sugar. sifted
  • 20 grams black sesame seeds
  • 120 grams of egg whites (about 4 large, whisked with a fork)
  • 130  grams flour, sifted
  • black food coloring (optional)
  1. In a kitchen stand or food processor, blend the butter and icing sugar and black sesame seeds.
  2. Slowly add in the egg whites but not too quickly as the mixture might split.
  3. Next, slowly add the flour and if necessary, the black food colouring for extra dark colour.
  4. Rest the dough around 1 hour before.
  5. To shape the cookies, I used a sheet of thick plastic which I got from Ikea and cut round molds from them.  You can easily substitute with a piping bag, and just pipe out like a cat’s tongue cookie.
  6. Bake in on greaseproof paper or a silpat mat for 10 minutes in a 180 c fan forced oven.

Oreos with milk anyone?

Green Tea Buttercream Recipe

  • 60 grams softened butter
  • 100 grams icing sugar, sifted
  • 25 grams green tea (matcha) powder
  • green food colouring if necessary
  1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until fully amalgamated.

To assemble: Spread some buttercream over one cookie and cover with another.

Stumble It!

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