Spicy Spaghetti with Three Peppers and Onions

This recipe was a chance to prove to my boyfriend that I CAN make spicy food! I think he just likes to pretend that hes so rough and tough and nothing is spicy enough for him. Its all an act but thats okay, I know he really liked this dish! Its another one from Rachael Rays new Cookbook Look and Cook. I did change this up quite a bit so Im going to give you my version of this recipe. The original recipe was very saucy and used a can of crushed tomatoes. I thought it would be nice to do something different and have a lighter sauce that really focused on the peppers. My version uses an odd ingredient...marinated tuscan peppers also called pepperoncini. These are the peppers youll find on an antipasto platter or in giardineria. Ive really been trying to find ways to use them because I find that they have a lot of flavor. Their texture is a little off and they are almost waxy and dont have a meaty texture. However, if you slice them thin enough they will incorporate their flavor and you will barely notice them by sight. The liquid that they are packed in has a lot of flavor and heat as well. Its vinegary and its definitely a good thing! Next time Im going to thinly slice some fennel and cook it with the peppers and onions. I cant wait to try that!

Spicy Spaghetti with Three Peppers and Onions

Inspired by Rachael Rays Recipe in Look and Cook


Ingredients:

1 pound spaghetti
extra virgin olive oil
1 large red bell pepper, quartered lengthwise seeded, and thinly sliced
2 cubanelle peppers, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
6 marinated tuscan peppers, tops cut off, seeded and thinly sliced
1 large vidalia onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup - 3/4 cup of tuscan pepper liquid
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp butter
about 1/2 cup chicken stock or pasta water (or both)
2 tbsp basil (dorat frozen cubes)
romano cheese
salt and pepper
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt the water and cook the spaghetti until al dente.

While water is coming to a boil, heat EVOO in a large skilled over medium-high heat. Add onions, red and cubanelle peppers as you slice them, stirring occasionally. When onions and peppers are softened (about 10 minutes) push veggies aside and add butter garlic, crushed red pepper and tuscan peppers to the center of the pan. Continue to cook for a few minutes and then add tomato paste and basil. Stir to combine. Add salt and black pepper. Add juice from peppers, and stir. Let it cook for a minute and add some chicken stock as needed. Let continue to cook on low until pasta is ready.

Strain pasta (reserving some pasta water)when it is slightly undercooked. Add to peppers and toss to combine and coat pasta with the sauce. Add a ladle of pasta water if needed. Toss with some romano cheese.


Click here for a printable recipe.

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Spicy Clams 辣炒蛤蜊

One of my all time favourite, clams 蛤蜊. We commonly called it "拉拉 (LaLa)" in hokkien here. And for this type of calms with lighter shells and prints on them, its called "花拉 (HuaLa)". Cute eh?



Sometimes when my husband works late, he will have supper (yeah, he skip dinner) at some Zi-Char stall with his colleagues. He never fail to ta-bao clams or snails for me.



However, I find them too spicy, even after he told the cook to make it less spicy. Yeah, I dont sound like a Singaporean at all. Most of the Singaporeans I know can handle really spicy food. Hotter the better but not me. So what do I do? I drink jugs of water. :P Yeah, that how much I like them, even when they are too spicy for me. Put out the fire and continue eating. haha ...



So, its easier to cook on my own and so much cheaper too. Plus I wont be bloated. :P





Ingredients:

• 600g Clams, cleaned


• 3 Shallot, chopped


• 4 clove Garlic, chopped


• 2 fresh red chilli, chopped


• 1/2 tablespoon Fermented Soy Bean Paste


• 1 teaspoon Sugar


• 1 tablespoon Cooking Wine


• 1 tablespoon Oil


• Cornstarch mixture (thickener)

How to do it:

1. Heat oil in wok.


2. Stir fry shallot, garlic amd chilli till fragnant.


3. Add in clams.


4. Stir fry for 1/2 minute.


5. Add in fermented soy bean paste, sugar and wine.


6. Continue cooking till all the clams are opened.


7. Guadually add in cornflour mixture to thicken the sauce.


8. Serve.

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Jamie Olivers Parents’ Spicy Butternut Squash Soup… Because I Have Gas Problems

I had a lovely apple-braised pork shoulder recipe all set to post today, but was unable to finish it off because PG&E turned off the gas line to do repairs on our street. So, stay tuned for that tomorrow, but in the meantime, here’s a great butternut squash soup video from Trevor and Sally Oliver, parents of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver. Jamie’s one of my favorites, and not only are his parents adorable, but you can see where he gets some of his skills from. Enjoy!

This video was originally posted on Thisisbrandcultures YouTube Channel, February 22, 2011.

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Grilled Salmon with Spicy Sweetcorn Salsa

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Corn also known as maize is one of the worlds most popular and nutritious cereal crops. Corn is also used to make corn syrup, breakfast cereal, cornflour, corn chips, polenta, popcorn and etc. Also corn has similar benefits to wholegrains which is rich in carbohydrates, fibre and antioxidants.

Here we are cooking a grilled salmon dish with spicy sweetcorn salsa which is full of vibrant colours that would perk up your day.

GRILLED SALMON WITH SPICY SWEETCORN SALSA

For this dish you could choose either salmon fillet or salmon belly which would be better in texture and taste. And if you could get hold of some white firm fish fillet such as snapper or Barramundi they could also be used for this dish too.

(serves: 4 | Preparation: 15 minutes | Cooking: 10 minutes)

Ingredients for Salsa:
2 Fresh Sweetcorn Cobs, trimmed and halved
400g Can Chickpeas(garbanzo bean), drained and rinsed
1 Ripe Avocado, peeled and diced
1/2 Small Red Onion, finely chopped
1 Small Red Capsicum, diced
1 Long Green Chilli, thinly sliced
1 - 2 stalks of Fresh Coriander Leaves, finely chopped
50ml of Lime Juice
50ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4(150g each) Salmon/Snapper Fish Fillets, halved
Fresh Coriander Leaves, to serve

Method:-

1. Place corn in a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes, remove and set aside to cool before using a sharp knife to remove the kernels.

2. Combine chickpeas, avocado, onion, capsicum, chilli and chopped coriander in a large bowl.

3. Mix 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a bowl, season with salt and pepper before pouring it into the chickpea and corn kernels mixture. Toss to combine.

4. Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat.

5. Season fish with salt and pepper. Cook in batches for 2 minutes each side or until cooked through.

6. Transfer to plate and drizzle with remaining lime juice.

7. Arrange fish between plates and top with salsa and coriander. Serve plain or with some crusty bread at side.

Apart from having this dish plain on its own you could also serve it together with some crusty bread for a fuller meal which would be great with it different layer of textures and flavour. And for a more spicy taste, you could also replace the green chilli with the red with or without the seeds on.

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Spicy Ramen

Last week while reading up an interesting recipe on Sherie(maameemoomoo, a 1/2 food blog) blog regarding her featured Orr Nee Cheesecake recipe on Straits Times, I spotted this Quick and Easy "Sichuan Noodle" which makes me drool over the ingredients.

So without hesitate, I jot down the necessary ingredients and went straight to my kitchen pantry to do a check list on all the items. And so coincident I happen to have a bottle of this Lao Gan Ma(老干妈) Chili Flavoured Oil (油辣椒) which is the key seasoning of this dish.

  After getting some Fresh Heng Hwa Noodles from the wet market, finally I get to make this quick and delicious Spicy Ramen for our dinner.

(recipe adapted from (maameemoomoo, a 1/2 food blog)

Ingredients: (serve 2)

2 Bundle of Fresh Heng Hwa Thin Noodles
4 Fresh Shiitake mushrooms, cut into thick slices
1 Teaspoon Chopped Garlic
2 Small Shallots, thinly sliced 
1/2 Tablespoon Oyster Sauce
Dash of sesame oil
40ml of Hot Water
6 Wontons, cooked
*6 Fishballs, cooked

Garnish:
1 Tablespoon Sesame/Shallot Oil
1 Tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
Chopped Spring Onions
Fried Shallots for garnish
2 - 3 Tablespoons of Chili Condiment

Note:-

~ You can purchase this fresh "Heng Hwa(兴华)" noodles (comes in thin and flat version) from those bean sprout stalls in the wet market or the chilled compartment at local supermarket. (Price: 3 bundles for S$2.00)

~ I use the CP Shrimp Wontons for this. (Price: S$4.75 per pax)

~ I use the Lao Gan Ma(老干妈) Chili Flavoured Oil(油辣椒) which you could purchased from either Sheng Siong(昇菘超市) or any provision shop in the wet market.(Price:- range from S$1.95 - S$2.50)

Method:-

1. Heat up 1 tablespoon of oil in a small saucepan, add in chopped garlic and shallot saute till fragrant and slightly golden brown.

2. Toss in the mushroom and continue to stir till mushroom turns soft.

3. Stir in the oyster sauce, sesame oil and give it a quick toss before adding in the hot water and simmer the mixture on low heat till sauce thicken.

4. Bring a 1 litre of water to boil, add in noodle and cook for about 30 seconds, remove and rinse on running water then put back into the boiling water and cook for another 30 seconds then place it in a bowl.

5. Toss in 1/2 tablespoon each of sesame/shallot oil and light soy sauce to the cooked noodle for seasoning as well as prevent it from sticking together.

6. Top the noodles with mushrooms, cooked wontons and meatballs then garnish it with chopped spring onion and fried shallot together with 1 - 2 tablespoons of chili condiment(this is a MUST).


Before eating this noodle is best that you stir up all the ingredients together so that the chili condiment will be evenly coated with the noodles and etc. For my personal preference I prefer to re-heat the chili condiment in microwave for 30 seconds on medium powder so that it will release a special fragrant that makes the noodles more appetising.

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Spicy Chicken Couscous with Rose Harissa

Heres a lovely, and rather fiery, chicken couscous that I made on several occasions earlier this year. The chicken is first marinated in a yogurt-harissa mixture, then gently cooked in the same marinade, before mixed with couscous and some additional ingredients. Its got plenty of taste, good texture and its definitely not dry - a problem I find with so many couscous dishes and couscous salads.

I used Belazus Rose Harissa - a rather expensive, but very tasty British harissa paste available in deli shops. But Im sure your regular harissa would work, too.

Spicy Chicken Cous-Cous with Rose Harissa
(Maitsev kanakuskuss harissaga)
Serves 6

500 g chicken breast or thigh fillets
200 g plain yogurt
1 heaped tsp Rose Harissa paste

CousCous:
300 ml water
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
250 g medium-grain couscous
2-3 Tbsp butter

In addition:
250 g cherry tomatoes
handful of spring onions (white and light green parts only)
handful of fresh coriander/cilantro

Cut the chicken pieces into small strips (about an inch long and 1 cm wide). Fold harissa into the yogurt, then throw in the chicken pieces, stirring, so all chicken pieces are covered with marinade. Cover and place in the fridge for an hour.

Prepare the couscous. Heat the water, salt and oil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and whisk in the couscous. Cover the saucepan and leave for 2-3 minutes. Return to the heat, add the butter and heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and keep covered.

Take a small frying pan, add a splash of oil, rinsed cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, until the cherry tomatoes are hot. Add to the prepared couscous and cover again. /No need to stir at this point/.

Take a large frying pan and dip in the chicken strips with the marinade. Heat over a moderate heat for 7-8 minutes, until chicken pieces are cooked through and the marinade hot. Pour over the couscous.

Stir the whole lot gently with a large spoon, then scatter chopped spring onions and coriander leaves on top.

Serve.

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Spicy gingersnaps Piparkökur

The Icelandic term for gingersnaps and gingerbread cookies literally means “pepper cookies”.
These unusual gingerbread refrigerator cookies not only contain pepper, but also paprika. My mother modified the recipe from one she found in an old recipe booklet.

500 g flour
500 g brown sugar
250 g butter
2 eggs
5 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp powdered cloves
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp paprika

Mix together the dry ingredients. Add soft butter and eggs and knead until smooth. Cool in the refrigerator overnight. Roll out into sausage shapes of even thickness, pinch or cut off small portions and make little balls out of the dough. Put on a cookie sheet covered with baking paper and press your palm on top of each ball to flatten slightly. Bake at 200°C until browned.

Update: I made a batch on Saturday. These are very good gingersnaps. Instead of making balls and flattening them with my hand on the cookie sheet, I cut the dough rolls into thin slices (about 5 mm - 1/5 of an inch thick):



They do not spread much when they get in the oven, so a space of about 2 cm (4/5 inch) between them is enough. I baked them at 180°C in my convection oven. The cookies took only 4 minutes to get to the stage where I like them best: golden but with a slightly chewy center. If you plan to store them for more than a week I recommend 2-4 minutes more in the oven to get them dry through. They will be a darkish medium brown by that time. Any longer than that and they will burn, unless you go for the ball method, which will yield thicker cookies that will need slightly longer baking.

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