Porcini and Mushroom Risotto

Ingredients: (serves about 4 paxs)

30g (or simply half a bowl) dried porcini mushrooms
1 onion - minced
2 garlic cloves - pressed
1 tbsp olive oil
80g butter
1.2 L chicken stock **
350g risotto rice (preferrably Carnaroli and you are able to get Aged Risotto, even better!)
100ml dry white wine
50g freshly grated Parmesan cheese
250g fresh mushrooms of your choice
salt and pepper

** For Vegetarian version, replace with vegetable stock

How to make:

1. Rinse dried porcini mushrooms, then soak them in a bowl of hot water for at least 20 min until soft.

2. Drain the porcini mushrooms using a fine seive (so that the gritty part of the mushroom water is filtered out) and save the mushroom water for later use.

3. Squeeze water out of the softened porcini mushrooms and finely chopped them.

4. Bowl the chicken stock + the mushroom water in a pot, then turn down the heat to simmering point.

5. Heat olive oil and 50g of butter in another frying pan and stir fried the minced onion and pressed garlic until soft. Then add the finely chopped porcini mushrooms, then add the rice.

6. Stir fried all ingredients until the rice are all covered with the oil and butter and starting to turn a little translucent.

7. Pour in the white wine and let it evaporate for a while (it will happen fairly quickly).

8. Add the simmering chicken stock - ladle by ladle into the rice and stir until the rice has absorbed it. At this point, yo should turn down heat for the frying pan cooking the rice to medium fire, otherwise, the chicken stock you add to the rice will be gone very quickly.

9. Continue to add the stock ladle by ladle and don't drown the rice, and keep stirring all the time until the rice becomes plump and al dente! In my experience, this process takes approx 20 min! So, be patient!

10. Once the rice becomes al dente, add the remaining 30g butter and the freshly grated Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Then switch off heat and cover the pan the let the rice rests for 5 min.

11. In the meantime, stir fried the fresh mushrooms in either olive oil (which is healthier) or butter (which is more tasty and fragrant) which are already cleaned and chopped to the shape and size you desired in a separate pan.

12. Add the mushrooms to the top of the rice and serve!

* have the Parmesan cheese ready at the table so that whoever wants a more cheesy taste, they can just grate some more on top of the rice!

Enjoy this with a glass of chilled white wine and no more worries about the trouble of the day! hahaha!

Roast Prime Rib

Ingredients:

Rib eye (best quality one being the PRIME Black Angus from US. If prefer with ribs, i personally prefer the one from Canada instead of Australia. US beef with ribs are still restricted to be imported to HK) - ask butcher to tie it up with strings for you for roasting purpose

garlic, rosemary, thyme, black pepper, olive oil

How to make:

1. The night before your dinner, marinate the beef. First, wash and wipe dry the beef.

2. Then mix together a bowl of minced garlic, minced rosemary and thyme (fresh or dried ones are both ok), black pepper and olive oil -> so that it becomes paste-like. NO SALT at this moment.

                                                                                                                          3. Rub the above paste to the beef and massage the beef for a while before tidying it up like a paste on top.

4. Cover with foil and put to fridge overnite.

5. On the day of cooking, 1 hr before cooking, take out beef from fridge and stand at room temperature. At the same time preheat over at 230C.

6. After 1 hr, season with beef with sea salt and black pepper again. Place beef to oven at 230'C for 20 to 30 min, then turn down to 180'c and roughly another 1.5hr to 2 hr (depending how big your beef is) until a thermometer inserted into centre of meat registers approx 44'C (which is rare to medium rare).

7. Take out from over and stand at room temperature for another 10-15min - the beef will continue to cook by itself and the centre can then reach medium rare status while the sides will be pretty cooked.

* The really cook chef will then deglaze roasting pan and make gravy with red wine. But this sounds pretty difficult for me. So i prefer to order the gravy from Pen Hotel in advance! All u need to do is to boil the whole vacuum pack of gravy, then pour to gravy boat and serve with the beef!! sorry for this shortcut.

* Best served with mash potato and cream corn!

Enjoy!! 



Braised Hamachi

Ingredients:

Chilled Hamachi (order this from sushi shop/counter and request for the head + belly and you'll have freshly arrived Hamachi from Japan)
Daikon
Taro (optional)
Pumpkin (optional)
Burdock (optional)
Ginger slices

Braising Suace:
Water - 300ml
Cooking Sake - 1.5 tbsp
Mirin - 1.5 tbsp
Soy Sauce- 4.5 tbsp
sugar - 4.5 tbsp (can reduce if you prefer less sweet)

How to make:
1. If you are using head, you can ask fishmonger or sushi chef to cut the head into pieces.

2. Wash and wipe dry fish and cook in boiling water for a few minutes, drain.

3. Put ginger slices on bottom of a cooking pot and then braising sauce and bring to boil.

3. Add the sliced daikon, taro, pumpkin and fish pieces into pot, once boiled, turn to medium heat and cook with aluminium foil covering the top for 10 to 15 minutes (depending how much fish you can cooking)

ready to serve & enjoy with a bowl of japanese rice!!

* you can add a few drops of dary soy sauce to add color
* if you prefer your vegetables to be softer, you can cook them a bit first before adding to the fish pot. But bear in mind, japanese pumpkin takes a short time to cook and become soft easily.
* ginger slices are essential to remove the bad odour of the fish, so dont forget!

** this is actually a very good and healthy recipe, especially if you can cut down the sugar a bit as there's no oil in cooking at all and you can eating fish and vegetables at the same time. :)

Osso Buco in Bianco with Risotto Milanese

(original recipe from Antonio Carluccio & Gennaro Caontaldo)

OSSO BUCO

Ingredients:
4 slices of veal shanks (approx 2cm thick)
plain flour for coating
1 large onion - finely chopped
2 carrots - very finely diced
2 celery stalks - very finely diced
4 bay leaves
1 spring rosemary
4 sage leaves
finely grated zest of 1 orange
100ml dry white white (i used the Joseph Drouhin Chablis)
1 litre chicken stock

How to Make:

1. Wash and wipe dry the meat and coat them in flour and season wtih salt and black pepper.

2. Heat olive oil in a large pan and add the veal and brown each side, then set aside and use a ktichen napkin to absorb the extra oil.

3. Using the same pan, add onion, carrots, celery and bay leaves and fry until onion is softened.

4. Pour in ine and allow to evaporate slightly, then add back the veal, the stock, sage, rosemary and orange zest.

5. Bring to boil, then turn down to simmering, then cover and cook gently for 1.5 hr to 2 hr until veal is tender. Check from time to time and add a little more stock if mixture is getting too dry.

6. season to taste and serve with Risotto Milanese~


RISOTTO MILANESE

Ingredients:

2 litres chicken stock
4 tbsp olive oil 100g unsalted butter
1 onion finely chopped
280g carnaroli/risotto rice
2 sachets of powdered saffron
50g Parmesan, finely grated

How to make:

1. Boil stock in a saucepan and turn down to leave it to a gentle simmer.

2. Heat olive oil in a large pan with 1/2 of the butter and fry the onion until soft.

3. Add rice and stir until rice all coated with butter and onion.

4. Then start to add the hot stock, laddle by laddle until each is all absorbed by the rice. ** Avoid drowning the rice in the stock!

5. After 10 min cooking and stirring, add the powdered saffron. Continue to cook and add stock in the same way until rice is al dente (approx 10-20 min more), then add the rest of the butter and the grated Parmesan and season with salt and black pepper.

ENJOY!!!

Cherry Clafoutis

(original recipe from Raymond Blanc)

Ingredients:

For the Cherries:
500g fresh cherries, stoned
2 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp kirsch (optional)

For the dish:
10g unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp caster sugar

For the batter:
100g plain white flour
a pinch of salt
3 eggs + 1 egg yolk (preferrably italian eggs)
6 tbsp caster sugar
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
150ml milk
150ml whipping cream
75g unsalted butter

How to make:

1. Mix cherries with sugar and kirsch (if using) and leave for 30min to 1 hr to maximise flavour.

2. Brush baking dish with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and shake the dish so it coats the inside evenly. This will give the clafoutis a lovely crust during cooking.

3. Preheat over to 180'C.

4. Put flour and salt in a mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Add eggs, egg yolk, sugar, lemon zest and vanilla extract. With a whisk, slowly incorporate the egg mixture into the flour until smooth.

5. Whisk in milk and cream.

6. in a small saucepan, heat the butter until it turns a pale hazelnut color, (you can smell it like caramel), then whisk it into the batter while still hot.

7. Mix the cherries and their juices into the batter and then pour into baking dish and bake for 30-40 min until side is browned and skewer when inserted in the centre comes out clean.

8. Sprinkle a little caster sugar over and serve warm.

ENJOY~~

Madelines



* receipe adapted from Catherine Atkinson's "500 Cookies, Biscuits and Bakes"

Ingredients (makes around 12pc):

100g self raising flour
1tsp baking powder
2 eggs
75g icing sugar
grated zest of 1 lemon
1tbsp lemon juice
75g unsalted butter - melted and slightly cooled


How to make:

1. Preheat oven to 190'C.

2. Butter madelines tin tray and dust with flour.

3. Sift the flour and baking poweder into a bowl and set aside.

4. Put eggs and icing sugar in another big bowl and use hand held electric whisk to whisk until thick and creamy and the mixture leaves a ribbon trail when the beaters are lifted (around 5-7min)

5. Gently fold in the lemon zest and juice. Then fold in the flour in several batches. Then the butter, until all is until combined.

5. Leave the mixture to sit for around 10 min. Then carefully spoon them into the madelines tray. Tap the tray gently to remove air bubbles before placing them into oven,

6. Bake for 12-15 min until golden and until skewer comes out clean until inserted inside.

7. Remove from oven and place them on wire racks to cool down.

8. Optional: dust with icing sugar before serving.


** Best enjoy with tea!**

Baked Tomato stuffed with Risotto

* original receipe from Raymond Blanc

Serves 4.
prepartion + cooking time: approx 2 hrs

Ingredients:
4 large ripe beef tomato (if not available in market, just choose some bigger and wider tomato)
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
fresh chives, finely chopped, to garnish

For the tomato sauce:
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 sprigs of fresh thymes
3 tbsp olive oil
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
100g (4oz) tomato puree
400ml (14fl oz) water
sugar, salt and pepper to season

For the risotto stuffing:
1 small onion, finely chopped
20g unsalted butter
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1 bay leaf
100g (4oz) long grain rice, washed and drained
200ml  (7 fl oz) water
30g or 1 small carrot, finely chopped
30g or 1 small courgette, finely chopped
30g peas
2 tbsp whipping cream
75g Gruyere cheese, finely grated
salt and pepper to season

How to make:

Making the tomato sauce:
1. On a low heat in a medium saucepan, soften the onion, garlic and thymes for 2-3 min with olive oil.

2. Add the chopped tomatoes and the tomato puree and cook on medium heat for 7-8 min, until tomatoes have cooked down.

3. Add water, season with sugar, salt and pepper to the taste you desire and cook for a further 5 min.

4. Puree the sauce in a blender and strain through a sieve. (those tomatoes remaining on the sieve are best used as pasta sauce and cook with minced beef and no food is wasted!)

5. Those sauce drained from the seive is very smooth - set aside for later use.

Preparing the Beef Tomato:
1. Clean the tomato and wipe dry. (better to retain the star shaped green item on top)

2. Slice about 1/4 off the top of each tomato to make a hat and set it aside.

3. With a spoon or the special knife to cut orange nectar, scoop out the pulp and juices from the tomatoes into a bowl and set aside.

Making the Risotto Stuffing:
1. On a medium heat in a medium saucepan, soften the onion and thyme leaves and bay leaf with the butter for approx 3 mins, without letting it color.

2. Stir in rice and cook for 1 min so that rice all coat with butter, onion, etc.

3. Add water and carrot and apprpx 150ml (1/4 pint) of the tomato pulp and juices you extracted earlier and bring to boil.

4. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 5 min, stirring from time to time.

5. Add courgette and peas for cook for another 15 mins until risotto rice is al dente or soft enough to your liking. Check water all the time. If not enough, add hot water little by little.

6. Correct tastings if necessary, then add cream and the grated cheese and mix well.

Stuffing and cooking the Tomato:
1. Preheat over to 180'C.

2. Divide the risotto between the tomatoes, stuffed them with a spoon and top each of them with the tomato hat.

3. Place them in a baking tray, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and bake for 20 min.

To servce:
1. Reheat the tomato sauce and spoon them into the base of the plate/bowl.

2. Place the baked tomato in the centre.

3. Granish chopped chives around with a dash of extra virgin olive oil.

ENJOY~

Summer Vegetables Risotto

* original recipe from Raymond Blanc

Ingredients:

For the risotto base
2tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1/2 garlic clove, crushed
200g carnaroli rice
300ml hot water
4 pinches of sea salt
2 pinches of white pepper
300-400ml fresh tomato essence (see previous recipe on how to make this)

To finish the risotto
1/2 small fennel bulb, finely chopped (optional)
1 courgette, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced, and blanched for 1 min
100g peas (defrost if using frozen ones)
20g parmesan cheese, finely grated
2tbsp mascarpone cheese
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
4 black olives (optional)

to garnish:
2 tbsp mascarpone cheese (optional)
baby salad leaves (optional)
ground black pepper

How to make:

To cook the risotto
1. Heat extra virgin olive oil in saucepan over low heat and sweat onion and garlic until soft.
2. Stir in rice and cook over medium heat for 2 min until grains appear shinny.
3. Stir in all the hot water and bring to gentle simmer and season with salt and pepper.
4.Cover and cook gently until all water has been absorbed.
5. Add 3/4 of the tomato essence and continue to barely simmer, covered, with one 'single' bubble breaking ths surface, until the eseence has been absorbed. There is no need to stir the risotto constantly at this moment,

To finish the risotto
1. Add remaining tomato essence, all of the vegetables and the cheese.
2. Cook the risotto, briskly sirring, for 5 min or until rice is al dente to you The vigorous stirring of the ric enow will help it cook evenly.
3. When it's ready, add the cherry tomatos and mix well.
4. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, sprinkle freshly grated parmesan cheese on top is also great!

* any summer vegetables can be added or substituted to vary textrues and flavour.

Enjoy~

Lemon & Poppy Seed Cake

Ingredients:-
175g butter - at room temperature
2 lemons - finely grate the zest
175g caster sugar
3 eggs - at room temperature
1tsp vanilla essence
225g self-raising flour
1tsp baking powder
2 tsp sea salt
2 tbsp milk
2tbsp poppy seeds

How to make:
1. Preheat oven to 180'C. Grease cake tin with some butter.

2. Mix butter with sugar with electric whisk until fluffy, then add eggs, milk, vanilla essence, salt and mix well.

3. Sieve self-raising flour and baking powder to egg mixture and fold well with a spectular.

4. Add lemon zest and poppy seeds and mix well .

5. Pour mixture into cake tin and bake for 45 min. To test if the cake is ready, place a skewer inside cake and if comes out clean, then it's ready.

Option:
If you prefer a more "lemon"/ sour taste, you can finish the cake by preparing a sauce and sppon onto cake:
* juice from the 2 lemons above,
* some lemon zest
* 4tbsp sugar
-> mix the above well and spoon onto cake. Leave to cool completely. The lemon and sugar will harden to a zingy, crystallised crust.

ENJOY~

Floating Island (Iles Flottantes)

(recipe from Raymond Blanc)

Ingredients: (serve 6-8 persons)

For poaching the meringue:
1.25 lites (2 and 1/4 pints) of full cream milk
2 vanilla pods, split length wise

For the meringue:
8 medium free range egg whites
275g (10oz) caster sugar

For the vanilla custard:
8 medium free range egg yolks
75g (3oz) caster sugar
milk used for poaching the meringue

For the caramel:
50ml (2 fl oz) water
150g (5oz) caster sugar

How to Make:

1. Infusing the Milk
Pour the milk into a large and shallow pan and bring to simmering point. Scarpe the vanilla seeds into the milk and use a whisk to disperse them; add the split vanilla pods too. Bring to boil and reduce the heat to a slow simmer for 5 min to infuse the milk with the vanilla,

2. Making the meringue
Whisk the egg whites abd sugar with an electric whisk on full power for at least 15 minutes (hand held version) or until mixture becomes firm and glossy with firm peaks formed after lifting up the whisk.

3. Poaching the meringue
With a large spoon, carefully scoop the egg whites, one by one, into the simmering milk. Poach them one side for 3-5 min and turning it over for abnother 3-5 min, taking care not to break them! If the milk begins to boil and rise out of the pan, turn doen the heat and gently push the meringue side ways so the build up of heat and steam can esacpe.
Carefully lift each meringue to a baking tray without the milk.
Strain the milk into a saucepan.

4. Making the vanilla custard
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the caster sugar, then gradually add whisk in the hot milk. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.

Cook over medium heat for 4-5 min until the custard begins to thicken. Stir constantly to distribute heat and lift the spoon for every 10-15 sec to check if the sauce is thick enough to cover back of the spoon. Strain immediately into a large bowl and continuously stirring for at least 2 mins to stop any further cooking (or else it becomes scrambled eggs!)

Leave to cool and chill in refrigerator and the meringues in another tray in refrigerator.

5. Making the caramel:
Put tge water in a small heavy base saucepan and scatter the sugar evenly over it. Let the sugar absorb the water for a few mins, then place the pan over medium heat and leave without stirring, until sugar has dissolved and formed a syrup. Simmer until it turns to golden brown caremel. But watch carefully cause it can becomes burnt in a short time. One has to be very patient in preparing this caramel cause it seems to take forever!

Serve:
Place the cold custard sauce at the bottom of the serving tray, then carefully place each meringue on top (like the "floating islands"). Then using a spoon to pour caramel on top of merginue. It will take 1 -2 minutes for the caramel to get set (i.e. becomes crispy), then serve!

Yummy, especially in summer time. Enjoy!

Baked Spaghetti in Tomato Minced Beef Sauce

Ingredients:

Minced Beef
Onion x 1 - minced
Garlic x a few pieces - pressed
bay leaves - 1 to 2 pieces
Tomato sauce
Spaghetti
Parmesan cheese

How to Make:

1. Preheat oven at 190'C

2. Prepare your spaghetti or preferred pasta according to packet's instrucions or until al dente. Then mix with olive oil and place at bottom of the oven proof dish.

3. Marinate minced beef with a bit of everything (light soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, pepper, cornflour).

4. Fry garlic with olive oil until fragrant, then add minced onion until soft.

5. Push them to the side of the frying pan and add the minced beef. Cook the beef until almost done, then mix with the onion and garlic.

6. Add the tomato sauce of your liking, correct the seasonings and add the bay leaves and let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes or so (until thickened a bit).

7. Pour minced been tomato sauce over pasta, sprinkle some freshly grated parmessan cheese and bake in oven for 20 minutes or even the top becomes golden brown.

Enjoy!

Baked Eggplant and Zucchini with Cheese

Ingredients:

Eggplant x 2 pc
Zucchini x 2 pc
Grated Parmesan Cheese x 1 bag
Grated Morzarella Cheese x 1 bag
Tomato Sauce (buy a brand you like. For can type, use 2 cans, for bottle type, use 1 bottle. I personally prefer the japanese brand ママ一. For Italian bottle type, Bertoli Tomato with Sweet Basil is also good)
Onion x 1 - minced
Garlic x a few pieces - pressed

How to make:

1. Preheat over to 190'C

2. Clean eggplant and zucchini and wipe dry and cut them into slices.

3. Pan fried eggplant and zucchini with olive oil ina few batches, making sure you turn on each side unitl both sides are a little bit brown and soft.

4. Drain them in kitchen towel.

5. Fry the pressed garlic in olive oil, then add the minced onion until they are soft and fragrant. Then add the tomato sauce. Whichever brand you use, do some tastings and correct seasonings to your likings. eg. adding a bit of ketchup, salt and sugar.

6. Using a over proof dish, add some cooked tomato sauce on the base, then add a layer of eggplant, then sprinkle some parmesan cheese. Then another layer of tomato suace, a layer of zucchini, then sprinkle some morzarella cheese...repeat you are done with all your ingredients. Best to reserve some cheese as the top layer.

7. Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until top is golden brown.

Enjoy!

Baked Vanilla Cheesecake

Ingredients:

* if prefer less sweet cheesecake, all the sugar measurements below can be reduced a bit.

Base:
85g butter (at room temperature or use melted butter, both ok)
168g digestive biscuits (or just 1 pack of the McVities Digestive Biscuits)
3 tbsp caster sugar

Filling:
168g curd cheese (or a box of the Philadelphia Soft Cheese)
1 egg
4 tbsp caster sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1/2 lemon juice

Topping:
10 fl oz sour cream (or a box of the Diary Farm Sour Cream)
2 tbsp caster sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla essence

How to make this:

1. Preheat over to 180'C.

2. Grease cake tin with butter.

3. Crush digestive biscuits by putting biscuits into a ziploc bag (do it in a few times), put a towel on top of ziploc bag, and use a rolling pin or something hard to crush the biscuits on top of the towel. Sieve the crushed biscuits and discard the unseived biscuits (i.e. the coaser part) for other purpose (eg. feeding your four-legged friends!).

4. Add sugar and butter to the crushed biscuits, mix well and press into cake tin base. (just press well but not too hard, otherwise, difficult to cut after baking)

5. Prepare filling by beating cheese with egg, sugar, vanilla essence and lemon juice by electric whisk. Pour onto cake base (can gently drop the cake tin on table top a few times to ensure filling are evenly coated on top of the cake base and in the same level). Bake cake for 30 min. Take out and cool for 5 min at room temperature.

6. While cooling, reduce oven temperature to 160'C. Mix sugar with sour cream and vanilla essence and pour over cheesecake.

7. Bake for 10 min. Leave too cool, chill before serving.

Variation for Blueberry cheesecake:

a. Buy a box of blueberries, wash and wipe dry.

b. Crush them in a blender.

c. Sieve out the fine juice from the extracts from the blender.

d. Mix the fine blueberry juice with the cheese filling in step 5 above before pouring on top of cake base.

-> this photo is taken after the chese filling is baked and waiting for the sour cream top to be placed on top before the last baking of 10 min.

ENJOY!!

Chocolate Strawberry Roulade

* original receipe from Margaret Fulton

Ingredients:
3 eggs, with egg yolks and egg whites separated
1/2 cup caster sugar (if prefer sweeter, than use 1 cup sugar)
2 tbsp sifted cocoa
1 tsp vanilla essence
3/4 cup cream, whipped (if prefer roulade with more cream, then use 1 cup cream)
fresh strawberries cut into small pieces

How to Make:
1. Preheat overn to 180'C.

2. Line a swiss roll tin with baking paper.

3. Beat the egg yolks with electric whisk until thick and creamy.

4. Gradually beat in sugar and vanilla essence.

5. Sift cocoa then fold into the egg yolk mixture with a spatular.

6. Beat egg whites with electric whisk until soft peaks form and fold immediately into the cocoa mixture.

7. Pour at once into the prepared swiss roll tin and bake for 15 mins.

8. Take out from oven to cool down.

9. At the same time, prepare another swiss roll tin with a baking paper on top, sprinkle with either caster sugar or icing sugar.

10. Whip cream with an electric whisk until the cream looks like ribbons, mix with the chopped strawberries.

11. Turn the baked chocolate roulade into the new swiss roll tin covered with baking paper and icing sugar (with the top side now facing the down side of the new swiss roll tin). Gently remove the baking sheet from the baked choclate roulade.

12. Gently scatter the strawberry cream mixture on top of the chocolate roulade.

13. Making use of the new baking top on the bottom of the tin, gently roll up the chocolate roulade with the strawberry cream mixture, then place inside an airtight box and chill in refrigerator.

ENJOY~

Shepherd's Pie

* original recipe comes from The Ivy, London

Ingredients:
(for 6-8 persons)

450g minced beef
450g minced lamb (or minced pork)
1 onion - peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic - crushed
5-10 sprigs of thyme - finely chopped
1 tbsp flour
4 tbsp tomato paste
4 tbsp ketchup
75ml red wine
50ml worcestershire sauce
2 pint beef stock
Mashed potato **

How to make:
1. Pre heat oven to 200'C.

2. Seasoned the minced beef and pork with salt and pepper.

3. Heat frying pan, then add olive oil, then cook the meat for a few mins until all done, then drain them in a colander to remove oil and fat.

4. Heat up the same frying pan, add some olive oil, and gently fry the onion, garlic and thyme until soft and fragrant.

5. Then add the meat, flour, tomato puree & ketchup, stirring constantly.

6. Then slowly, add the worcesershire sauce, red wine and beef stock, bring to boil and simmer for 20-30 min unitl the sauce is thickened. Stir them occassaionally to mix them well.

7.  Check seasoning and remove from heat and pour to heat proof dish, then top with mash potato. (best to pipe mash potato on top and make a nice pattern!)

8. Bake fo 30-40 min until potato is browned and served immediately!

** Mash Potato:
1, Peel and cut potatoes into even-sized peices.
2. Boil water in a deep pan, add salt, then add potato and cook for 15-30 min (until potato are soft when fork is sticked insude).
3. Drain potatoes and return them to the pan (without water) over the heat for a short moment to remove excess moisture,
4. Mash them with a masher and mix them with chill butter cut into small pieces until the desired softness and creaminess are achieved.



Pea & Ham Soup

* this recipe is from Heston Bluementhal (a soup we had at his pub Hind's Head in Apr 2011 which was terrific!)

Ingredients:-
(serve 6)

For the ham-hock stock
1 onion - cut into quarters
1 large carrot - cut into half
1 celery stick- cut into half
1 large leek (white part only) - cut into half
1 garlic clove - crushes
1 bay leaf
4-6 sprigs of thyme
4 black peppercorns
1 ham hock (or chinese ham)
6 pints (or approx 105 fl oz) of water

For the soup
50g butter
200g shallots - sliced
75g pancetta - chopped (bacon)
1 garlic clove - crushed
500g frozen peas - defrosted
salt and pepper as desired

To Finish
smoked bacon - diced
180g frozen peas

How to make:
1. Combine all ingredients for the stock in a large, heavy based pan and bring to boil. Skim any scum from the surface and reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 2 hours until ham hock is cooked.

2. Remove from heat and leave to cool, strain the stock through a fine sieve, reserving ham hock on one side.
(for chinese ham, no need to reserve ham).

3. For the soup, heat the butter in a large pan, add the sliced shallots, pancetta and garlic, the seat for 10-15 min until  shallots are tender.

4. Add the stock, bring to boil and skim any scum from the top.

5. Add the peas and return to boil, then remove from heat and puree in a blender. Do it in a few batches.

6. Pass through a fine sieve into a clean pan, bring back to boil and correct the seasoning. If the soup is too thick, add a little water until destired consistencyt is achieved.

7. Shortly before serving, fry smoked bacons in a hot pan until crispy and divide them into bowls.

8. Cook the rest of the peas in boiling water for 5 min, then drain and divide them into bowls.

Pour soups into bowls and serve!

enjoy!

Sicilian Red Prawns Linguine

Ingredients:
Sicilian Red Prawns - 1kg
Minced Shallots - 1 bowl
Pressed Garlic - a few pieces
Fresh Basil - a bunch, roll like cigar, then slice them
Italian Cherry Tomatos x 2 packs - clean, remove skins, and cut into halves
Italian cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes in tin x 2 tins (pressed the tomatoes in a big bowl first)

How to make:
1. Clean prawns and cut away legs and tidy up the tails and put them to a sieve.

2.Heat up a wok which can hold all the prawns and add olive oil.

3. Stir fried the garlic and minced shallots until fragrant.

4. Add prawns. Wait for a while before turning the prawns to another side. When both sides have almost changed color, then add the cherry tomatos,  and the tinned tomatoes and stir fry and mix well, then add sugar, salt and pepper and cover the wok for approx 8 -10 min.

5. If you prefer to have linguine, once cooked and when the prawns are ready, add the linguine inside the wok and mix well. Be gentle though or else the prawn's head might be cut away!

6. Sprinkle with some fresh basil on top before serving.

** i've tried using chilled red prawns and frozen ones and find the frozen ones are actually better (with the meat being more firm) and cheaper unless you receive the chilled ones on the same day they arrive HK.

** the juice inside the heads of the red prawns make the dish very fragrant.

** i love to sprinkle some freshly grated parnesan cheese on top too.

Banana Cake

Ingredients:
125g Butter
1/4 cup Milk
1/4tsp Lemon Juice
1 cup Caster Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1tsp Vanilla Essence
2 Eggs
3 Small Ripe Bananas (or 2 Big Bananas) - peeled and cut into very small pieces
2 cups Self Raising Flour (sifted)

How to make:
1. Preheat oven at 180'C and grease the cake tin.
2. Mix in a bowl butter, milk, lemon juice, sugar, salt and vanilla eseence using an electric mixer until there are no lumps.
3. Add eggs (one by one) and mix well using an electric mixer.
4. Add bananas (some at a time) and mix into mixture using an electric mixer .
5. Gradually fold in the sifted flour (some at a time) into the mixture using a spatula.
6. Pour the mixture to the greased cake tin and bake for 25-30 min or until a skewer sticked inside the middle of the cake comes out clean.
* if you prefer walnuts, can add on top of the cake before baking.

Tomato Salad

An easy dish - anyone can make it and tomato is best for health!

Ingredients:-
Cucumber x 1 pc
Dessert Tomato x 1 pc (this is originally from Japan. But not easy to get and even if you can nowadays, not sure if everyone if comfortable to eat veggies from Japan :( replace with Italian tomato if necessary.)
Sesame salad dressing

How to prepare this:
1. Boil a pot of water.
2. Wash the tomato and gently make a cross cut over the tomato.
3. Once water is boiled, switch off gas and put tomtao inside hot water for 1 min.
4. Remove tomato and soak in ice water for 2 min. Peel off skin gently.
5. Pat dry and put to ziploc bag and place in refrigerator before serving time.
6. For the cucumber, wash and wipe dry, Then peel off some skin but not all. Slice as thin as possible and put back in refrigerator.
7. When you are ready to serve, place sesame salad sauce on the bottom of the plate, Then add the sliced cucumber to make a flower shape and lastly, tomato on top of the cucumber!

Easy! if you fancy something prettier, place a mint leaf at the top of the tomato!

Teriyaki Hamburger

* original receipe from Harumi Kurihara

Ingredients:
2.5 tpsp breadcrumbs
1/2 cup milk
300 g minced beef
150 minced pork
1.5 cup minced onion
1 egg
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
1/2 tbsp butter
4-5 tbsp teriyaki sauce

For the teriyaki suace:
1 cup mirin
1/2 cup soy sauce
1.5-2 tbsp sugar

How to make:
1. Preheat over to 230'c.
2. Place breadcrumbs in a small bowl and add milk. Set aside until all liquid is absorbed.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the beef, pork, onions, soaked breadcrumbs and egg. Season with salt and pepper.
4. using your hands, mix them well until sticky. Divide the mixture and shape into hamburgers, patting lightly on both sides to make them really firm.
5. Over medium heat, melt butter in a frying pan. Brown the hamburger on both sides then put them into oven and for 15 mins.
6. To make the teriyaki sauce: in a small pan, heat the mirin over how heat for 1-2 mins, then add soy sauce and sugar and simmer for additional 1-2 min. If you prefer a thicker sauce, add corn flour solution until you reach your desired thickness in the sauce.
7. Pour the teriyaki sauce over the cooked burgers and best to serve on a bed of vegetables and with potato coroquette!

ENJOY~

Mango Roll

Ingredients:
Mango x 3-4 pc (choose the ripe ones)
Egg Whites x 4 (at room temperature, separate egg white in a small bowl before pouring to the big bowl for whisking to ensure no bad egg whites are added to the mixing bowl)
Caster Sugar - 160-170g
Lemon Juice - 1.5 tsp
Cream - 2/3 cup
Icing Sugar - for dusting purpose

* make sure you have baking paper at home + 2 baking trays + a long shaped plastic box

How to make:

* Pre-heat overn at 170'C

1. Whisk egg whites until foamy (like hair mousse). see 1st photo on left.

2. Add sugar to egg whites little by little and continue to whisk until it becomes glossy and firm. See 2nd photo on left.

3. Fold in lemon jiuce

4. Pour mixture to baking tray lined with baking paper. Smooth out top as the top part will be the top part of the mango roll. See 3rd photo on left.

5. Bake at 170'c for 25 min (at lower 1/3 of the oven) or until top is slightly golden and looks crispy.

6. Take out and cool down. In the meantime, prepare the mangoes and cream.

7. Cut mango into cubes and put a sieve underneath to drain the excess mango juice. (if the mango you put inside the roll is too "wet", it will make the roll soggy).

8. Whip cream until thicken and ribbons are formed as shown in photo on the left.

9. Mix the mango cubes with the whipped cream.

10. Dust another baking paper with icing sugar using a sieve.

11. Gently turn over the baked egg white in baking paper to the new baking paper dusted with icing sugar so that the top part of the baked egg white is now facing downwards.

12.Spread whipped cream with mango cubes onto the baked egg whites and roll gently with the new baking paper always on the outside.

13. Put the roll with the baking paper covering the outside inside a plastic box and put to refrigerator.

14. Before serving, cut away both ends as mango cream will

 not be even at the ends.