Spaghettofu

Beer & Jalapeno Braised Short Ribs and Two Mushroom White Wine Risotto

2010-11-07T16:00:00.001-08:00

Finally, fall has approached the south.

When the temperature drops, we feel inclined to stay in and cook up some hearty, comforting meals. We spent a weekend afternoon prepping and cooking for one of the best home dinners I’ve ever had - A slow braised short ribs dish, cooked in beer and jalapeno, paired up with a two mushroom risotto.

The ribs were braised for three hours that fell off the bone, the meat could cut right through by just using a fork. The jalapeno completely melted in the sauce and it produced no spicy heat - it only gave the meat and sauce a slight fragrant scent of jalapeno.

Jalapeno and beer braised short ribs

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil

6 short ribs with bones

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1 large onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, sliced

2 celery ribs, sliced

3 garlic cloves, thickly sliced

1 jalapeno, finely diced

1 bottle of pale ale

3 cups beef stock
Preparations:

1. In a dutch oven, sprinkle some olive oil. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Add the ribs to the skillet and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until browned and crusty, about 10 minutes. Transfer the ribs to another plate.

2. Add the jalapeno, onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the skillet and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Add the beer and bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Bring the ribs back into the dutch oven, while turning the boil to a low heat. Cover the dutch oven with a lid, and briase for 3 hours.

Two Mushroom and White Wine Risotto

Ingredients:

1 cup dried porcini mushroom

9 cups of chicken stock

3 cups of Arborio rice

half stick of butter

1 pound of fresh mushroom ( we used brown oyster mushrooms)

one large onion, finely chopped

1 cup of dry white wine

1 cup of fresh Parmigiano Reggiano

Salt and Pepper

Preparation:

1. Soak the dried mushrooms in a bowl of hot water. Do not discard the water when the mushrooms become soft.

2. In a saucepan with low heat, slowly melt the butter. Add onion and sauté until translucent. Add both mushrooms, and cook until they are softened. Add Arborio rice and stir for 1 – 2 minutes. Next, Stir in wine and let the rice simmer. Stir often, until all the liquid is absorbed. Pour a ladle of the mushroom broth into the rice. Let it simmer, stirring constantly, until all the liquid is absorbed.

3. Continue adding chicken stock a ladle at a time, stirring and letting the rice absorb each batch, for 30 - 35 minutes or until the rice is tender but still has some bite. Slowly incorporate the Parmigiano. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper and Parmigiano.

Total cook time: 45 – 60 minutes.

coffee collection

2010-10-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

Miami beach Pinocchio

Intelligentsia coffee in Chicago

lemon rosemary biscotti

2010-03-12T18:05:00.000-08:00

I love working with fresh seasonal ingredients. One of our close friends were trimming their Rosemary tree and gave us a huge Ziplock bag of fresh rosemary. Since they were going to be having out-of-town guests staying with them for a week, I thought what a great idea to bake biscotti in return, so they could serve fresh cookies to serve their guests?

I guess the biscotti was so yum that the guests never got to them.

This is a delicate combination of lemon flavors and fragrant rosemary, a balance that compliments each other very well.

Ingredients:
1/3 c Butter; sweet
3/4 c Sugar; granulated
2 Eggs; large
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
3 teaspoon of fresh Lemon zest
2 1/4 c All-purpose flour
1 1/2 ts Fresh rosemary; finely chopped
1/4 ts Salt

Preparations:

Cream the butter and sugar together.

Next, add in eggs, vanilla, lemon zest, rosemary, salt, and baking powder. Add in flour one cup at a time.

Pat the dough into 2 loaves approximately 1-inch high and 2-inches wide. Bake at 325F for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and slide off the baking pan onto a cutting board. Cut loaves into 1/2-inch thick slices and place them back onto the baking pan laying on their side. Return baking pan to the oven at 400 degrees, and bake another 10 minutes or until crisp.

Triple decadent chocolate ice cream

2010-03-12T17:48:00.000-08:00

After getting an ice cream machine, we have been thinking of making homemade ice cream...using our favorite ingredients, chocolate + chocolate and more heaps of chocolate!

It was fate when the day we were going to shop for ice cream ingredients, Ina Garten made a Deeply Chocolate Gelato Recipe.

This is chocolate three ways in the ice cream - Cocoa powder, fine (artisan) chocolate bars, and baci chocolate!

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar, divided
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (recommended: Pernigotti)
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
4 extra-large egg yolks
2 tablespoons Mexican coffee flavor liqueur (recommended: Kahlua)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Large pinch kosher salt
8 chocolates, roughly chopped, optional (recommended: Baci)

Directions

Heat the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar in a 2-quart saucepan, until the sugar dissolves and the milk starts to simmer. Add the cocoa powder and chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour into a heat-proof measuring cup.

Place the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light yellow and very thick. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the hot chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Pour the egg and chocolate mixture back into the 2-quart saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. A candy thermometer will register about 180 degrees F. Don't allow the mixture to boil!

Pour the mixture through a sieve into a bowl and stir in the coffee liqueur, vanilla, and salt. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top of the custard and chill completely.

Pour the custard into the bowl of an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's directions. Stir in the roughly chopped chocolate, if using, and freeze in covered containers. Allow the gelato to thaw slightly before serving.

Zucchini Fritters

2010-03-12T17:42:00.000-08:00

Seeking for more ways to consume my favorite veggie, I made zucchini fritters that satisfied my taste buds for something lightly fried and a craving for zucchini....It was gently fried and the edges were crispy and delightful! To add more flavor, I added a slight twist to the batter - fresh herbs rosemary and thyme.

Zucchini Fritters

Ingredients:

1 lb of zucchini (about 2 medium sized), coarsely grated
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
1 large egg
2 scallions, finely chopped

Chopped fresh rosemary, one tsp

Fresh thyme, one tsp

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup grape seed oil or olive oil

Preparations:

1 Salt the zucchini with about 1 teaspoon of salt. Try to remove the excess moisture from the zucchini by squeezing the liquid out by squeezing with paper towels. (The original recipe calls for putting the zucchini in a colander set in the sink to let it drain for 10 minutes after salting it. I think it works much better to use a potato ricer.)

2 Whisk egg in a large bowl; add the zucchini, flour, fresh rosemary and thyme, scallions, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Mix to combine well.

3 Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook fritters in two batches. Drop six mounds of batter (2 Tbsp each) into the skillet. Flatten slightly. Cook, turning once, until browned, 4-6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining batter.

one of my favorite pastas

2010-02-24T13:59:00.000-08:00

Italian sausage and clam linguine is full of savoriness.

The pasta completely absorbed almost all of the sauce when sautéing them in the end, which is the way we love to eat pasta!

Juicy Braised Rosemary Lamb Shanks

2010-02-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

One of Emeril’s lamb shank recipes....

is a delightful treat in the winter. This is actually really easy to make, and lamb shanks are a delicious and affordable cut of meat to get at grocery stores. Cutting and preparing the ingredients take some time, waiting for the Dutch oven to cook everything down for 2 hours while the aromas fill your kitchen is torture, but it is totally worth the wait.

I followed the directions and made Emeril’s Essence - these are all ingredients mostly our pantry will have.

The original recipe is here

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
4 large lamb shanks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
3/4 cup chopped carrots
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 cups dry red wine
1 cup peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 cups chicken broth
Emeril’s Essence

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Directions

In a shallow dish, combine the flour and Essence. ( Emeril’s Essence listed above)

Season the lamb with generously with salt and pepper, then dredge the lamb shanks in the seasoned flour, shaking to remove excess.

In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and also 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat until hot. Add the lamb shanks, in batches if necessary to prevent overcrowding, and cook until well-browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove the shanks from the pan and set aside. Add the onions, carrots, and celery to the pan, and cook, stirring, until soft and caramelized around the edges, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to deglaze the pan. Cook until reduced by half. Add the

tomatoes and bay leaves and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons of the parsley, the rosemary, thyme, chicken broth, and reserved shanks and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, season with salt and pepper, cover tightly, and cook, turning the meat occasio

nally, until the meat is tender and falling from the bone, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Voila! Juicy, tender and delicious.

True Spaghettofu fusion 烏魚子義大利麵

2010-01-16T18:14:00.000-08:00

This is a true combination of Taiwanese and Italian food - we made a bottarga pasta from a Taiwanese delicacy 烏魚子, mullet roe

Commonly a Spaghetti alla Bottarga recipe, which is eaten typically by the locals in Sardegne, we used a Perciatelli pasta ( which is spaghetti with holes ) instead of Spaghetti,and instead of an Italian mullet roe, we used 烏魚子, mullet roe in Taiwan. The mullet fish can be found in many seas of the world, but Taiwan has perfected the process of making and selling the mullet roe as an industry.

This has now offically become one of my favorite pasta dishes! It's so strong in a sea-salty savory flavor (but not fishy) light in texture, and it's so easy and simple to make.

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons of olive oil
1 and half tablespoon crushed red pepper
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 pound of Perciatelli
2 bunches Italian parsley, finely chopped, to yield 1/2 cup
6 ounces Bottarga, tuna or mullet
Cheese grater
Option: zest of 2 lemons

Preperations:
Heat 6 quarts water to boil and add 2 tablespoons salt. In a 12- to 14-inch saute pan, heat olive oil, red pepper and garlic over low heat until just fragrant, about 2 minutes, and remove from heat. Cook the Perciatelli according to package instructions until just al dente. Drain and pour into oil mixture and add parsley. Toss to mix well over medium heat and pour into warmed serving bowl. Shave Bottarga over bowl, and serve! Or, sprinkle with lemon zest as a finishing touch.

Culinary tour in Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong

2010-01-16T18:09:00.000-08:00

Taking a trip to Asia is truly a culinary tour. Here are some pictures of food from our trip to Japan, Taiwan and HongKong. There were days where I ate 5 times a day, and how I wish I had more space to consume all the delicious foods! I was so happy to introduce Michele to all the wonderful food Asia has to offer! From seafood, meats, noodles and deserts, tutti e delizioso! ( everything is delicious)

Pastries and sweets

The Japanese really have perfected French pastries and deserts. Macaroons are really the hot item in trendy areas like Ginza and Roppongi.

Typical Chinese desert, BBQ pork puff pastries and Chinese red bean semi-freddos

OH my LOVE for Mr. DONUT!!!

...and these are custom-made cupcakes especially ordered for our wedding party. Strawberries were in season, so sweet and delicious. Chinese deserts tend to be less sweet, so this cupcake was not as sugary or overtly topped with whipped cream. Just a light and yummy cupcake and fresh fruit!

Oodles of Noodles

One of the must-do items when visiting Japan is to explore all the different kinds of Ramen you can! It's such a Ramen paradise! This one is a miso and peanut soup base....

We ordered not one, but two bowls of these Dan-Dan noodles at DingTaiFeng...the noodles were made fresh and the sauce was delicately balanced

Only in Japan...

The best Shitake mushroom I ever had! Grilled, nigiri style, so meaty and juicy

Grilled toro. I was in heaven.

The perfect bite, part of our 250 USD dinner. Just two guests, 2 sushi masters and 7 other waitstaff serving us. Service in Japan is impeccable!

Burgers...not!! Earmuffs, Shibuya style

Truly Melts-in-your-mouth Black pork Katsu.

Asia's City, HongKong

The contrast of HongKong! One of the best sandwiches I had for lunch at Penninsula hotel, and a light and soothing porridge for breakfast....

Gobble Gobble, Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T15:15:00.000-08:00

This year is our first Thanksgiving in warm Texas, and our first Thanksgiving meal without turkey. Two years ago, Michele's dad roasted a Turkey with amazing sausage stuffing, and baked a raspberry jam cake. Last year in Chicago, we had some friends over and made spinach stuffed Turducken, baked pasta and chocolate pumpkin muffins.

This year, although no turkey, we had an amazing meal nonetheless. Consider this Thanksgiving as our ode to Emeril Lagasse, as Michele made a Baked Acorn Squash with Italian Sausage and Rigatoni, and a Roasted Cornish Hen Stuffed with Oysters, both recipes inspired by Emeril. What's Thanksgiving without a tasty seasonal desert? I was responsible for making a Apple Crostata, a sweet desert I have recently fallen in love with.

Our whole three course meal took close to 4 hours to make, and I snacked on several amaretto cookies ( baked by Hsinmei). The pasta sauce was perfectly savory, a tomato base with strong hints of fennel and spices from the Italian sausage.

While enjoying our feast, I started to think about what thanksgiving really is about, other than a good excuse to pig out...

So, we give thanks to all those who supported us throughout the year, and give thanks to everyone near and dear to us. We give thanks to having a healthy, happy life; and a happy belly of poultry, pasta, and mele crostata....

Baked Acorn Squash with Italian Sausage and Rigatoni

Ingredients
4 medium acorn squash, halved and cleaned
Olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound rigatoni pasta, cooked until tender, tossed in olive oil and cooled
1/2 pound mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Preperations:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Season the squash with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet, flesh side up and add 1/2 cup water to the pan. Cover with alluminum foil and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Incorporate the ragu ( see below) with the rigatoni. Spoon the pasta mixture into the cavity of each squash. Sprinkle with mozzarela on top. Place the filled squashes on a baking sheet and place in the oven. Bake until the squash is heated through and the cheese melts, about 20 minutes.
Place the filled squash in the center of each plate. Garnish with parsley and serve.

For the Ragu:
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, chopped

1 pound italian sausage, broken into pieces

4 cups of tomato sauce
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 1/2 cups chopped, peeled tomatoes with juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup chicken stock
Black pepper

Heat oil in a large skillet and saute onions, garlic, salt, and white pepper 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and basil; cook, stirring, 3 minutes. Add sausages, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in stock, tomato sauce, remaining ingredients; cook for an hour and half

Roasted Cornish Hen stuffed with Oyster Dressing

Ingredients
1 pint shucked oysters and their liquor
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock or water
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
2 cups (1-inch cubes) French bread or homemade-style white bread
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
4 Cornish hens
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Drain the oysters, reserving the oyster liquor. Set aside.
Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the cayenne pepper, and saute, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the bay leaf, garlic and basil, and saute for 1 minute. Add the stock and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the green onions, oyster liquor and the bread cubes. Stir to mix well, and remove from the heat.
In a large mixing bowl combine the bread and vegetable mixture with the oysters and cheese. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix thoroughly. Set the stuffing aside as you prepare the hens. Season each hen, both inside and out, with1/4 teaspoon salt. Place 3/4 cup of the stuffing into the cavity of each bird and use toothpicks and twine to tie the hens so that the cavity is shut and the legs are tucked in. Twist the wing tips behind the backs of the hens and place in a large casserole dish.
Drizzle each bird with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and place in the oven to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the cavity of the hens registers 165 degrees F, about 1 hour. Remove the hens from the oven and serve immediately!

Apple Crostata

Ingredients
For the pastry:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated or superfine sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 pound (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter, diced
2 tablespoons ice water
For the filling:
1 1/2 pounds McIntosh, Macoun, or Empire apples (3 large)
1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup granulated or superfine sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

Preperations:
For the pastry, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the butter and pulse 12 to 15 times, or until the butter is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water all at once through the feed tube. Keep hitting the pulse button to combine, but stop the machine just before the dough becomes a solid mass. Turn the dough onto a well-floured board and form into a disk. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Flour a rolling pin and roll the pastry into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer it to a baking sheet.
For the filling, peel, core, and cut the apples into 8ths. Cut each wedge into 3 chunks. Toss the chunks with the orange zest. Cover the tart dough with the apple chunks leaving a 1 1/2-inch border.
Combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and allspice in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Pour into a bowl and rub it with your fingers until it starts holding together. Sprinkle evenly on the apples. Gently fold the border over the apples to enclose the dough, pleating it to make a circle.
Bake the crostata for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender. Allow to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature, a la mode with vanilla ice cream.

Thai Curry Night with friends

2009-11-25T16:16:00.000-08:00

I remember the first time I had a delicious Thai curry, was a summer in Berkeley. It was the first time I discovered pineapple and red duck curry, and I have not been able to top that wonderful Thai dining experience yet- eating a spicy fragrant red curry, while enjoying the summer Californian breeze, sitting on a second floor patio, surrounded by trees situated in a cute neighborhood.

A part of our Thanksgiving fun was to cook a remaining ( half ) duck, and since I happen to have some golden delicious pineapple in the fridge, I decided to invite some friends over and make red curry. While the poultry and grocery ingredients were fresh, I cheated and used a store-bought packett of red curry. This small packett of dense flavors made my life so much easier. Also, making one - pot dishes makes me so happy, because there's a lot less cleaning/washing to do....

Hsinmei and her hubby came over, and she baked fresh amaretto cookies. Yum!

Inferno Cacciatore Duck

2009-11-21T18:38:00.000-08:00

The southern Italian man was craving for a cacciatore dish, which means "hunter" dish, a tomato-based stew cooked with meats, typically with rabbit or chicken, as a "hunter's meal". In southern Italy, cacciatore often includes red wine while in northern Italy There are many different variations of this dish based upon ingredients available in specific regions. For example, in southern Italy, cacciatore often includes red wine while northern Italian cacciatore would use white wine.

Stasera, ( tonight), we added our own twist - cacciatore duck, with dark German beer and jalapenos. Of course, we start with the basics: olive oil, onions, tomatoes, and mushrooms....

Serving for two persons

Ingredients:

half a duck ( drum, thighs and half breast, all should be equal sizes)

half pound of king oyster mushrooms, coarsley chopped

one onion, diced

one jalapeno, diced

one bottle of good german dark beer

two large tomatoes, diced

one ciabatta bread

Preperations:

In a dutch oven, heat olive oil and sautee the onions until they change color. Next, stir in the diced jalapenos, and cook for about 3 - 4 minutes. Add in the pieces of duck, sear on both sides until it turns into a golden color. Add salt and pepper to season. Add in mushroooms, and cook until they break down, for about 20 minutes. Next, pour half a bottle of beer and cover the pot with the lid, and cook for another 15 minutes.

In the meantime, slice the bread and plate on the bottom of a serving dish. Lay the duck and ingredients on top.

fusion turkey meatballs in clear broth

2009-11-19T16:31:00.000-08:00

Traditionally with Chinese food, you make "meatballs" from pork, fish, or seafood.

Since ground turkey breast is so much more popular in the supermarkets here ( plus it's leaner, healthier) I used ground turkey with some asian ingredients to make delicious juicy meatballs

Ingredients:

ground turkey breast

minced apples

minced ginger

ponzu soy sauce

white pepper

chopped leeks

shikake mushrooms, chopped finely

Mix together in a bowl, scoop into individual small balls, and cook in a broth. Here, I served it in a clear broth with tofu noodles. Talk about low calories!

Consider this our diet meal, while we are preparing ourselves for December....

Treats for Italian Class Festa

2009-11-17T08:00:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to all of us who completed Italian due! What a great festa we had, with all sorts of deserts, ( biscotti, tiramisu, Italian torta) wines and munchies!

Last time Gaby and I made a tiramisu for the festa after Italian uno. This time, people from our Italian class suggested making a pasta, but I was worried that a cooled pasta or risotto dish would not be so great... Michele and I bounced some ideas off each other, whether to make a pasta or rice salad....then came a great idea, which is to bake some frittatas! The idea sparked inside me - I should make frittatas with pasta inside! Frittatas are baked omelets, Michele told me that his family would always use last night's leftover pasta for breakfast frittatas the next morning. I made them in small muffin tins, like mini quiches ( without the pie crust of course), so it's easy to serve. It's perfect as an appetizer or a brunch treat when entertaining. Here's the recipe for Linguine, Smoked Mozzarella and Prosciutto Frittatas ...

Linguine, Smoked Mozzarella and Prosciutto Frittatas

Serving Size: makes about 18 mini frittatas

Ingredients
1/2 pound linguine pasta
7 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup mascarpone cheese
6 ounces diced prosciutto
5 ounces smoked mozzarella cheese, diced (1 cup diced)
1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese

1/4 cup of finely chopped chives
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Preparations:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook pasta until al dente, drain the pasta in a colander. While the pasta is still in the colander, use kitchen sheers to cut the linguine into smaller pieces. The pasta should measure about 3 cups.

Grease a muffin tin, and Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a blender combine the eggs, milk, and mascarpone cheese. Blend until well combined. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the cut pasta, prosciutto, mozzarella cheese, Asiago cheese, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir until the ingredients are combined.

Next, fill the muffin tin until both the pasta and the liquid reaches the top.

Bake until firm and cooked through, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool for at least 3 minutes before removing from the tin.

I hope everyone enjoyed the mini frittata, and I look forward to pushing through Italian tre!

Butternut squash n chicken livers risotto, perfect for the fall

2009-11-08T19:50:00.000-08:00

It's the flavors and the colors of butternut squash that make it so well-suited and comforting for the fall season.

I love squash and chicken livers, so naturally, when Michele suggested to make this risotto dish, I was ecstatic. Wolfgang Puck made a similiar recipe, Pumpkin Risotto, but without the chicken livers and king oyster mushrooms.

Ingredients
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 bunch of king oyster mushrooms
2 cups arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine
About 6 cups of hot chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 butternut squash, one half baked in the oven and then pureed; the other half, peeled, cut into small dice, and Sauteed in a little oil and butter until tender
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup of fresh chicken livers
2 eggs

bread crumbs

Directions

Take the diced half of butternut squash and saute them in butter, salt and pepper in a saucepan.

Set aside. In a dutch oven, or a medium sized saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute, stirring continuously, just until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Next, add the sliced king mushrooms, cook until softened. Add arborio rice and continue to stir, using a wooden spoon, to coat the rice with the oil.

Add white wine and continue cooking, stirring often, until it has been absorbed by the rice. Pour in enough chicken stock to cover the rice completely, about 3 cups, and continue to cook, stirring often, until all the liquid is absorbed.

Meanwhile, prepare the chicken livers. Rinse the chicken livers ( about 5 - 6) in water. put in a small bowl and pour some white wine over it, let the livers soak for about 10 minutes. Pat the livers dry. In another small bowl, beat 2 eggs, and sprinkle in salt and pepper. Dip chicken liver in the egg, coat bread crumbs. In a pan with vegetable oil, gently fry the chicken livers. Drain on paper towl, set aside.

Going back to the risotto, pour in 1 cup more of the remaining stock and stir and cook until it has been absorbed. Repeat with 1 more cup. Add the remaining cup and cook, stirring, until the rice is al dente, tender but still very chewy, and most of the liquid has been absorbed.
Stir in the pumpkin puree and the diced pumpkin and reduce the heat to very low so that the risotto doesn't simmer anymore. Stir in the Parmesan and butter to give the risotto a nice, creamy finish. Spoon, serve immediately into shallow serving bowls.

Buon Appetito!

Seafood and squash casarecce

2009-10-31T21:49:00.001-07:00

Here's a light pasta with fresh prawns, scallops and squash, fresh herbs and casarecce

Chicken pineapple soup

2009-10-31T21:05:00.000-07:00

Now that my Italian classes start at 7 pm, I'm back to making soups early evening, so I can have a bowl or two before I head out to class, and have another bowl or two when I return home around 9:30. Eating late is not the healthiest, but after some hours of Italian class, it's always nice to come home to some already prepared food, relax and fill the belly. Plus, I always feel like I burn a lot of energy after class. As soon as I climb into my car, I can feel my tummy grumbling....

I bought a big pineapple the other day, cut it up in slices and saved the core to make this soup.

Talk about being frugal!

This clear brothy soup is fragrant with a hint of sweetness that comes out of the pineapple. The chicken thigh holds enough flavor and tenderness when cooked.

Ingredients:

Chunks of chicken thigh

pineapple core, cut into 3 - 4 pieces

2 - 3 odens, cut into pieces

sliced mushrooms

For some greens, I think Chinese mustard leaves would go great with this soup.

Halloween pappardelle

2009-10-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

Our first Hallowen in Texas.

Couple of blocks down our neighborhood, there are lots of folks dressed up roaming the streets, bar hopping. We prepared lots of candy, but Michele and I have been the only patrons....no trick-or treaters have came our way this weekend, and although we have had several Halloween costume ideas, none of them were actioned out. ( Just to throw out some of Michele's creative ideas: "Chunky Monkey", one of us would be chunky and the other be monkey, to pay our respect to Ben & Jerry....another was to dress up as Bobby Flay, wear an apron and have a blender of red sauce and another blender of green sauce) So it ended up just the two of us, enjoying a cozy relaxed Saturday night with some home cooking.

Our first Haloween in Texas, Italian pasta style.

Pappardelle ( thick egg pasta) with seasonal squashes, yellow squash and zucchini, combined with Italian sausages and red peppers...a colorful "fall" pasta for Halloween night.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, no casings
1 pound zucchini, julienned
1 pound summer squash, julienned
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 diced red pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves, plus sprigs, for garnish
Salt and pepper
1 pound fresh pappardelle

splash of any white wine

Preparations:

In a large stockpot over high heat, bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil.

In a large saute pan over medium high heat, cook 2 tablespoons of olive oil together with sausage. Cook until sausage is browned, about 6 minutes. Add zucchini, squash, onions, red pepper and 1/4 cup chopped basil and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the squash has begun to caramelize. Season with salt and pepper. Add a splash of white wine.
Add pasta to the boiling water and cook until just al dente. Drain reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Pour cooked pasta and 1/2 cup pasta water into the saute pan with the rest of the ingredients. Toss and serve!

We like our pastas peppery, so we added a couple of extra tablespoons of fresh cracked pepper, just enough to make our lips slightly perk when slurping in this pasta.

For the main course, we had veal chops, just simple salt and pepper, seared quickly on both sides and then popped into the oven. It was such a delicious, tender, milky, veal.....

Warm White Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding

2009-10-17T09:41:00.001-07:00

This weekend, we were invited to a friends' house warming party, and I thought of making either a desert or quiche since we had two cartons of fresh eggs at home. I learned that the host had several savory appetizers lined up already, so I decided to go with a bread pudding. Bread puddings are one of the simplest deserts one could ever make! I thought of making the bread pudding in cupcake tins, to avoid the slicing/serving for the expected 50 - 60 guests.

It came out quite successful. One of the kind-hearted guests asked me if I was the bread pudding master! What a nice compliment - the best thing one could ever receive =)

This bread pudding is soft and moist, and the cherries cut the sweetness just nicely.

Ingredients:
24 1/2-inch brioche, cut into 1 inch cubes

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
1 cups sugar
6 large eggs
1/4 cup Grand Marnier
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups dried tart cherries

8 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup of brown sugar

1/2 stick of butter

Preperations:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Bring cream, milk, and sugar to simmer in heavy large saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Whisk eggs in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into eggs. Whisk in Grand Marnier and vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg

Butter eight 1 1/4-cup soufflé dishes; arrange on rimmed baking sheet. For alternative, use cupcake baking dish. In another bowl, mix and crumble together brown sugar and butter

Place brioche cubes at the bottom of each dish. Top each with 1 heaping tablespoon of cherries. Sprinkle with white chocolate. Divide custard among dishes, using about 3/4 cup for each. Let stand 30 minutes, pressing down on bread occasionally. Sprinkle brown sugar mixture.

Bake bread puddings until tops are puffed and brown, about 40 - 50 minutes. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes.

Enjoy and serve warm. Pairs well with a caramel sauce or white chocolate sauce( but I personally am not a fan of caramel and gooey sauces) but this is yummy enough to stand on its own.

Reminiscing Portugal...making Cataplana

2009-10-16T17:31:00.000-07:00

Two summers ago, Michele and I took a trip that became our most favorite - a two week adventure in Portugal. Portugal is such a gem - great wines, delicious seafood and pastries, a variety of beautiful beaches ( rocky cliffs and sandy ones), tile-covered houses, and gentle people. We spent most of our time in Lisbon and exploring Algarve and its beaches....and surprisingly, we found our love for Portuguese food, especially Cataplana, which is a savory stew. Of all the different Cataplanas we had, we enjoyed seafood and pork the most.

Me ( extremely tanned) with our very first Cataplana at a restaurant at Portimao

Tapas, Portuguese style, lots of seafood!

One of the posadas we stayed at...

This week, we decided to make amêijoas na cataplana, which is a clam, pork, sausage and bacon stew. Seafood and pork three ways! Making this dish would take us back to our wonderful trip we had in Portugal...the summer where we just went beach hunting, posada hopping, and ate lots of amazing food.

The recipe Michele worked on is inspired by Andrew McMeel's Cataplana, but of course, we made our own slight tweaks and added arborio rice....making a combination of Portuguese seafood and pork stew/ Risotto.....

Ingredients:

1 can (28-ounce) Italian diced tomatoes

tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 (1/4-inch-thick) slices bacon, cut into ¼-inch dice

1 cup chopped yellow onion

1 chopped red bell pepper

1 chopped yellow bell pepper

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

2 jalapenos, diced

4 ounces andouille sausage cut into ¼-inch

dice 8 ounces pork tenderloin cut into ¼-inch cut

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

1 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley

3/4 cup of Arborio rice

2 pounds little neck clams, cleaned

ciabatta bread

Preparations:

There's a specific cataplana pot, but since we did not have one, we used a dutch oven instead.

In a dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot enough to sizzle a piece of bacon. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the onion and red and yellow peppers and sauté, stirring, for 8 minutes, or until the vegetables are wilted and beginning to turn golden. Add the garlic and jalapeno, sauté for 2 - 3 minutes. Stir in the andouille and pork tenderloin and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Sprinkle with the paprika and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine, tomatoes, and parsley and bring to a boil. Add 3/4 cup of arborio rice. Decrease the heat to low and cook, for 30 - 40 minutes, or until liquid is slightly reduced, the sauce becomes thick and the rice is cooked. Spoon half of the sauce into the cataplana; spoon the clams on top. Spoon the remaining sauce on top. Secure the cover in place.

In the meantime, slice ciabatta bread and toast it in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
Place the cataplana over medium heat and cook for 10 minutes, or until the clams have opened. Bring the cataplana to the table and, using oven mitts, carefully remove the cover. Discard any clams that failed to open. Spoon the clams, risotto and rich sauce into warmed shallow bowls and serve at once with toasted ciabatta bread.

With the jalapenos cooked in the stew, this dish is really spicy... its delicious because you can taste all the layers of sausage, bacon, bell peppers, and clams.... all so yummy with a depths of savory!

birthday and cake, and carbonara

2009-10-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

This is a first - got a lovely carrot cake for my birthday! loved it. I love, love carrot cake and it's so nice to have this instead of a heavy chocolate buttercream cake....( I feel less guilty while turning almost 30)

And believe it or not, we finished this entire cake by ourselves in 3 days

The day after my birthday, Michele made a yummy carbonara...

simply e delizioso

Italian german hamburger

2009-10-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

We have been doing quite a bit of jogging/running these couple of weeks, and especially dedicate a pretty good hour and half of jogging on Saturdays. Strangely, exercise makes me crave for more protein and meat. Luckily, I get pampered when Michele heads up the kitchen over the weekend to make some creative meals. Michele really likes a juicy, tender, spicy burger on crunchy ciabatta bread. Since we had sukiyaki last night and I had enough red meat for the weekend, Michele went with a combination of veal and pork for burger patties.

It was funny that when we arrived to Central Market, Michele told me that they were playing Italian pop songs. Next thing we knew, we saw these red and green tags placed everywhere in the grocery store, with Italy sprawled across them....so I guess it was an Italian themed weekend for the store to promote Italian produce.

Ingredients

For the cherry tomato relish:

one box of cherry tomatoes

1 chopped garlic

1 chopped jalapeno

For the burger patties:

2-3 garlics, finely chopped

half pound of ground veal

half pound of ground pork

a splash of lager beer

1/4 pound of procsiutto

3/4 cup of Asiago Cheese , dice

salt and freshly ground pepper

Homemade pizza

2009-09-14T15:18:00.000-07:00

mmmm, PIZZAAAAAAA....but not completely homemade. Yes, we cheated. But who wouldn't, if you can buy 2 dollar pizza dough at Whole Foods? It just makes everything so much easier=)

The ingredients we used in our homemade pizza were:

- cherry tomatoes, slightly marinated in olive oil, salt and pepper

- mozzarella cheese

- fresh basil leaves

- prosciutto

and that's IT!

AND, I was most ecstatic to use my favorite Homer Simpson pizza cutter. There's a speaker built inside the cutter, and every time the cutter hits a surface, Homer speaks: ( and boy does Homer's voice make everyone smile)

"When the moon lites your eyes like a big pizza pie, that's amore..."
The most beautiful word in the English language, PIZZA".
"PIZZA, If it tastes good, it must be good for you!"

" Pizza meets the requirements of the 5 food groups. It even counts as a pie!"

Oh Homer, we love you.

It's another one...Squid and zucchini pasta

2009-09-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

It's funny how we make our favorite dishes over and over again.

This past weekend, Michele made squid and zucchini pasta. I love how the zucchini breaks down and is infused into the pasta. Just splendid!

Here's a previous post for the recipe, Seafood Zucchini pasta.

comfort pasta after a week of vacation

2009-09-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

After traveling in Puerto Rico for 7 days... after days of mofongos, plantains, rice and beans, we really missed some home cooked pasta. The day we landed in Houston airport, we drove straight to Central Market, and bought some groceries to cook pasta for dinner.
We went with sausage arrabiata, using Serrano chilies and really cooked down the cherry tomatoes. We put the sausage in too soon, which resulted in a dryness. Nonetheless, the aromatics of the tomatoes along with the fennel from the sausage and a nice chili kick really satisfied our pasta crave!

Ingredients:
Olive Oil
Ziti pasta
garlic
cherry tomatoes
Serrano chili
Italian sausage, out of casing

chopped chilies

Use olive oil to saute garlic and chilies. Add sausage, and then incorporate cherry tomatoes. Turn down to low heat for the tomatoes to completely break down. To avoid dryness of the sausage, I would recommend to add the sausage after the tomatoes are cooked down.

In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and incorporate half of the sausage and tomato sauce into the pot. Toss and then fold in remaining of the sauce, mix well.

And there you have it - a simple, delightful, satisfying pasta dish.

Discovering Mofongo Relleno ( fried mashed plantains)

2009-09-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

The first night we arrived to Puerto Rico, we discovered....

Mofongo Relleno de Camarones ( Mashed fried plantains with shrimp stuffing)

It's like this comforting, savory, plantainy deliciousness like no other!

Mofongo is mashed plantains with garlic, olive oil, and pork cracklings that are shaped into individual balls or molded with a mortar and pestle into a bowl to hold meat or fish. There are several versions of Mofongo, and when I tasted it, I was positive there was some kind of lard or pork fat inside that made it so deliciously tasty.

Here's a recipe for Mofongo Relleno with stuffed shrimp

We stayed on the east coast of Puerto Rico, mostly in Fajardo and spent some time in San Juan as well. We took a ferry to Vieques island and enjoyed the gorgeous beaches there.

fruit stand
Seafood stew with fried plantains

streets of old san juan
Blue beach at Vieques

Sunset at old san juan

my secret golden chicken recipe

2009-09-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

Golden chicken with yellow peppers, edamame, in mustard and capers

Michele calls this my golden chicken secret recipe. I invented it on the spot one day when trying to clear out the fridge before we left for vacay.

Ingredients:

Chicken breast

half sliced onion

one sliced yellow pepper

one tablespoon of capers an d caper juice

one and half tablespoon of stone ground mustard

one cup of edamame

Sautee the veggies in olive oil until they turn to golden color, add chicken to pan, and then add mustard and capers. Incorporate well, let the chicken sit in the pan to sear well.

Mussels, scallops in white wine and frites

2009-08-29T14:15:00.000-07:00

We have to admit, although we are tired of watching Bobby Flay throw red and green things in a blender, he does showcase "fun" foods. Despite our complaints about Bobby Flay being a businessman vs an innovative chef, I have to admit that his throwdown for mussels and frites really made us want to cook it at home.

Thursday evening rolled by and I was having a bad day. Michele knows the best way to cheer me up is through food...so in order to stop me from buying a dozen of donuts, he suggested to cook mussels and frites for me the next evening for dinner.

We really love cooking and enjoying a completely relaxed Friday night at home. Michele wanted to be creative so he added scallops to the mussels, and we were in luck- the scallops looked gorgeous at the grocery store that day. We also wanted to add some veggies since we our vacation diet lacked vegetables, so he added yellow and orange peppers as well.

The challenge was making perfect frites. Our pot was overcrowded with sliced potatoes that it took too long to fry, so the frites tasted like it soaked up way too much vegetable oil. But I sprinkled the frites with some salt and cayenne pepper and it was delicious! I think I'm addicted to making homemade fries now!

A little pick me up, Tiramisu

2009-08-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I made Tiramisu, especially because we have not been entertaining guests for a while. The perfect opportunity came to make this desert when it was the day to celebrate our last Italian lesson, and we were each assigned to bring a little bit of food to celebrate this fiesta. My dear friend, cara Gabi, came over and we "assembled" this desert together. I use the word "assemble" because there is no baking involved in this dolce!

Tiramisu is a coffee-based desert, which literally means a little pick me up after a meal.

( Tira= pull, mi = me, su=up)

I guess the "pick me up" comes from both the sugar and the coffee. This simple desert has a lot of variations, but I believe that the simplest version is often the best. It only takes a couple of simple ingredients to make Tiramisu. I personally add a little bit of Grand Marnier to the espresso, and a hint of vanilla extract to the mascaporne, but you can always make it as sweet as you want by adding more or less sugar.

Gabi beating the egg whites

Gabi mixing the mascaporne cheese

Ingredients:

Lady fingers, savoiardi, about 3 packs ( 30 ladyfingers)
fresh brewed espresso or coffee ( 5 - 6 shots)
Mascaporne cheese
one - 2 eggs, room temperature, egg yolks and whites separated
sugar
good quality cocoa powder
optional: grand marnier and vanilla extract

Preparations:

Make fresh coffee or espresso, stir in about 1- 2 tablespoons of sugar ( depending on how sweet you'd like the coffee), and let it cool to room temperature. Add 1 - 2 tablespoons of grand marnier, if desired. Pour the coffee in a bowl that is easy for dipping the ladyfingers.

In a large bowl, incorporate the mascaporne cheese with 2 tablespoons ( or more) sugar, and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Gently mix in the two egg yolks until the yellow color has dissolved, do not over-stir the mascaporne mixture.

In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer and beat the egg whites until it forms soft peaks. Pour the beaten fluffy egg whites into the mascaporne cheese, and gently fold. The purpose of the egg whites are to soften the creamy mixture and make it even more fluffier, so be careful when folding the egg whites, allowing it to make the mixture light and creamy.

Next steps are to layer the tiramisu.

Using a large serving dish or baking tray, gently dip the ladyfingers in the espresso and evenly layer it in the serving dish. Spoon on a coat of mascarpone mixture across the layer of the lady fingers, using about 1/2 of the mascarpone mix. (The covering should be about 1cm. thick) Repeat this process by dipping another layer of savoiardi in the espresso, and overlay them on the mascarpone mix. Add the final mascaporne mixture as the top cream layer, and smoothen it out. The last step is to sift with good cocoa powder, cover and refrigerate.

It is essential to let this sit in the refrigerator for several hours ( 4 - 6 hours at least) before serving.

Buon Appetito, and I hope everyone enjoyed the tiramisu!

veggie bow tie fusion pasta

2009-08-06T15:40:00.000-07:00

Bow ties are one of my favorite pastas. They are just a little al dente in the center, a nice and chewy texture and it's so fun using your fork to pick at the little bow ties. They are just so interactive and pretty to eat!

Staying true to the Spaghettofu essence, here I created a fusion pasta with edamame, tofu, cherry tomatoes and red chili flakes. It's just like making a simple arrabbiata pasta with cherry tomatoes, ( recipe here in my older post) but adding some protein and colors - edamame and tofu.

Enjoy this colorful healthy dish!

A bit of Italy in Texas

2009-08-04T11:10:00.000-07:00

An 1 hour and half road trip brought us to Texas Hill Country, where there are a few wineries and vineyards. Honestly it's a hit or miss with Texas vineyard hopping, some were good, some were OK, but all in all, it was fun to enjoy the countryside and sip on reds and whites.

We discovered a bit of Italy at Driftwood, TX, at the Manola Estate Winery, which is a southern Italian-inspired vineyard and winery that is located on the slopes of Onion Creek. The climate here is supposed to echo that in Southern Italy and Sicily, for grape vines to soak up warm sun and cool evening breezes.

The estate is built to to have a Tuscany flair. The look is a bit too fabricated and European replica, ( but what in America isnt!?) but it's still cute. We enjoyed a relaxed afternoon there, had dinner at their overly busy trattoria, and bought some cases of wine home.

Can't wait to open those bottles of reds at our new home, with new Texas friends!

homemade pesto

2009-08-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

Once again, amazingly good homemade pesto. This time with a chewier pasta, casarecci, which has become our favorite recently. Pesto is something we'll never get tired of!

Check out the recipe in this post, 2 herb pesto spaghetti

magnificent large zucchini

2009-07-19T16:17:00.000-07:00

Pretty and yummy zucchini boats are a great way to entertain. It looks very presentable and the flavors burst with fresh summer ingredients!

Ingredients:

farfalle pasta

2 large zucchinis

2 shallots, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

2 garlic cloves

a cup of cherry tomatoes

1/2 cup pine nuts

1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil

salt and ground black pepper

grated cheese

fresh basil all grown up!
Preperations:
preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cook pasta

Cut zucchini in half length wise, scoop out and discard seeds. Use a small, sharp knife and tablespoon to scoop out flesh, chop the flesh coarsely.

Gentry fry shallots, ginger adn garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes, then add zucchini flesh, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 10 minutes until vegetables are soft.

Add pasta, pine nuts and basil to the pan, stiry well set aiside.

Meanwhile, place zucchin halves in roasting pan, season

Cover with foil and bake 15 minutes.

summer snacks

2009-07-12T11:48:00.001-07:00

It's over 100 degrees outside, best to enjoy some afternoon summer snacks

Homemade fries with truffle sauce

Hazelnut Gianduglia and Vanilla raspberry swirl ice cream

Thai stix

2009-07-09T16:45:00.000-07:00

As I was just missing and thinking about Thai fish cakes and shrimp cakes, Michele suggested to hit up Thai Stix on Montrose, for he was craving for some authentic Thai food...We ordered way too much for 2, ( as usual) but felt satisfied and left with almost exploding bellies. When ordering, we always ask for dishes to be extra spicy, but at this place, our Waiter asked, "American spice or Thai spice" we laughed and without hesitating replied, "Thai spice". Good question - we like!

Golden fish cakes were really delicious and flavorful, the sauce was amazing with hints of herbs and citrus.

Thai BBQ pork - very juicy and fatty with a sweet plum sauce

Pad Kee Mao was bursting with flavors ( the sweet, the chili, the fragrant basil, soy sauce and fish sauce) and radiated with bright colors from lots of veggies

Green Curry was good, but it was not excellent...it was a good texture and presented itself pretty with lots of colors but it was lacking a depth which Thai curry should carry...

However, overall the food was amazing except the rice was cooked a bit too wet and sticky. But this definitely won't be our last trip to Thai Stix restaurant!

The pasta lover enjoys Thai noodle dishes - pad kee mao, pad thai, etc...and he enjoys spicy foods because it's so different on the palate compared to Italian food. It's interesting how the Italian man really likes Thai food. I mean, I love Thai food and Thai restaurants are popular in Taiwan, but I always thought that it's because living in an Asian metropolitan, the Taipei folks are adventurous of other Asian cuisine, and that Thai food had some sort of similarities but enough differences compared to Chinese cuisine. It's especially popular among younger crowds, because of the big bold spicy flavors...I remember there were some trendy Thai restaurants in Taipei that had DJs spinning live (Very Thai 非常泰) , or had modern decor situated in fancy hotels ( Thai &Thai @ Mandarin Crown Hotel was designed by an Italian interior designer).

But all in all, I'm glad it's a type of food we, both from the east and the west, enjoy.

Manicoti al Forno

2009-07-07T17:04:00.000-07:00

Fancy Pancy stuffed manicoti with ground turkey

Serves 4 - 6

ingredients:

ground turkey, 1 pound

3 cups of bay mushrooms

1 garlic clove

1 shallot

2 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley

1 tablespoon fresh chopped tarragon

1 egg, beaten

freshly squeezed lemon juice

Manicoti tubes

tomato sauce

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preperation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Place ground turkey in a medium mixing bowl.

Place the mushrooms, garlic, shallots in a food processor or chop until finely ground

Beat mushroom mixture into ground turkey with egg, salt add salt and pepper, and then add lemon juice to taste.

Cook manicoti in salted boiling water for 7 minutes according to pacakge. Drain well, pat dry.

Place filling in pastry bag and fill each tube. Lay the filled tubes into a single layer in a buttered casserole dish. Spoon tomato sauce over and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake in oven for about 30 minutes until brown and boiling.

Serve warm, garnish with parsley sprig

Spring Green Risotto

2009-07-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

From Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa show on the Food Network , but we slightly changed the recipe a bit...Love cooking with some mascaporne!

Ingredients
1 1/2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts (2 leeks)
1 cup chopped fennel
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
2/3 cup dry white wine
4 to 5 cups simmering chicken stock,
1 pound thin asparagus
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives, plus extra for serving

Preperations:

Heat the olive oil and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks and fennel and saute for 5 to 7 minutes, until tender. Add the rice and stir for a minute to coat with oil, and butter. Add the white wine and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until most of the wine has been absorbed. Add the chicken stock, 2 ladles at a time, stirring almost constantly and waiting for the stock to be absorbed before adding more. This process should take 25 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, cut the asparagus diagonally in 1 1/2-inch lengths and discard the tough ends. Blanch in boiling salted water for 4 to 5 minutes, until al dente. Drain and cool immediately in ice water. (If using fresh peas, blanch them in boiling water for a few minutes until the starchiness is gone.)
When the risotto has been cooking for 15 minutes, drain the asparagus and add it to the risotto with the peas, lemon zest, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking and adding stock, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is tender but still firm.

Whisk the lemon juice and mascarpone together in a small bowl. When the risotto is done, turn off the heat and stir in the mascarpone mixture plus the Parmesan cheese and chives. Set aside, off the heat, for a few minutes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve hot with a sprinkling of chives and more Parmesan cheese.

We garnished with parsley =)

Tilapia with tomato, artichokes, tofu

2009-07-01T07:56:00.000-07:00

Hearts of gold Tilapia with tofu cubes

A light yummy tilapia for a weekday dinner. However, any kind of white fish like cod, haddock, grouper, and chilean sea bass fillets would all work well in this recipe. We went with tilapia since it was the fresh fish vs. the defrosted ones at the market. The tofu soaks up all the delicious fresh juices from the ingredients, and adds a fusion twist to this dish. Serve fresh with simple veggies.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine

2 tablespoons of white wine
2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 1/4 teaspoons fresh rosemary

half carton of extra firm tofu, cut into cubes

1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
2 pounds tilapia fillets
1 1/2 cups defrosted artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons chopped mint

1 1/2 teaspoons with red pepper flakes

Preperation:

Sprinkle the tilapia with salt and pepper, a dash of white wine and set aside.

In a large deep frying pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the wine, tomatoes, rosemary, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Add tofu cubes, bring to a simmer and continue simmering, covered, for 10 minutes.

Add in artichoke hearts and red pepper flakes, and simmer for 5 minutes. Nestle the fish in the sauce, pour in red wine, bring back to a simmer, and continue simmering gently, covered, until just done, about 6 minutes for 1/2-inch-thick fillets.

Now, carefully remove the fish from the pan. Stir the fresh mint into the sauce and cook until warmed through, about 2 minutes. Stir in any accumulated juices from the fish. Spoon the sauce over the tilapia.

Pair with greens, here we paried with plain blanched broccoli to give it a nice balance.

Fashion cupcakes

2009-06-30T09:00:00.000-07:00

Cupcakes have certainly become a part of pop culture and an art form

Shot by Swedish photographer Therese Aldgard and styled by Lisa Edsalv, the two created a decadent, precious line-up of luxury brand cupcake sets.

They were inspired by Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Christian Louboutin and Betsey Johnson.

Brie-stuffed burger, bruschetta inspired

2009-06-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

Michele invented this delicious burger, by stuffing buttery brie cheese inside the patty, and combining the burger with a sweet n spicy bruschetta relish

Toasted ciabatta bread, with some of the bread filling scooped out

A slice of brie stuffed inside the burger patty, seasoned with salt and pepper. Broil in oven.

The relish is consisted of: diced grape tomatoes with 1/4 diced yellow onions and 1 chopped Serrano chili, drizzled with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper ( just like making a sweet n spicy bruschetta mix)

Meaty and cheesy, wrapped in a fragrant, fresh toasted bread, combined with flavors of fresh onions, allowing a kick from the Serrano as the juicy sweet grape tomatoes cuts through the richness and the spiciness... This burger was absolutely Glorious!

Sunday morning

2009-06-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

What do I look forward to the most on the weekend? Spending a peaceful, quiet Sunday morning with a skinny latte and the Sunday NYTimes

......

Sunday morning, sunshine dreaming

All night dancing

Christmas morning, candles burning

All night dancing....

Cloudy morning, ice cream toppings

Music’s playing

High street shopping, chocolate cravings,

Baby’s crying

excerpted lyrics from Utada Hikaru's Sunday Morning

Taiwan strives to become global

2009-06-23T11:08:00.000-07:00

Taiwan Tech Firms Strive to Be Global - an article By Ashlee Vance from the NYT

More and more Taiwanese manufacturing companies are trying to climb up that value chain...

Taiwanese companies that built music players, laptops and cellphones to precise specifications dictated by customers like Apple, HP and Motorola have now sought a more direct route to consumers. A few of the Taiwanese companies have even developed reputations as technology leaders.

Last year in 2008, Asustek was the fastest-growing PC company in Europe. Acer, which sells computers under its own name as well as through acquired brands Gateway, eMachines and Packard Bell, is the fastest-growing PC maker over all, according to the research company Gartner.

Despite their sales gains, the Taiwanese companies still have a long way to go to match the marketing flair of an Apple or H.P. Asus and Acer are strong in Asia but they remain largely unknown to consumers in the United States. They do little direct selling to individual or corporate technology buyers, preferring to work through retailers and other intermediaries...but once they start to figure out to tap into the US market,....watch out for these Taiwanese brands!

Due Panini

2009-06-22T09:14:00.001-07:00

Scrumptious Bánh mì - Vietnamese sandwiches, BBQ pork and pork pate. A product of the Indochinese French colonialism, this is fusion at its best! A combination of French baguette, pate and mayonnaise, with fresh Vietnamese native ingredients such as pickled carrots, peppers, and fish sauce.
( This heavenly Banh mi was devoured from Cali Sandwich and fast food at Travis Street)

Simple, classic Italian Panino -mozzarella and high quality prosciutto grilled in a sandwich press. Panini is traditionally served without any kind of sauce or topping, it is a purists' sandwich, just letting the salty prosciutto, creamy mozzarella shine through a fresh ciabatta bread.

The word "panino" is the singular form for small bread in Italian, with the plural panini.

So folks, there's no such thing as paninis!

( This was chowed down at Nundini Italian deli food store at the Heights )

Southern Italy, December 08

2009-06-12T15:06:00.001-07:00

orange trees in Napoli

pastries in Napoli

Pompei

oranges in the winter

Pompei

we love soba

2009-06-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

Light, tasty and Japanesey

....we heart soba!

chicken n rice

2009-06-09T15:15:00.000-07:00

Chinese chicken n rice

Ingredients:

steamed rice

2 chicken thighs, skinless and boneless

two tablespoons of sliced fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves

white pepper

soy sauce

sake

In a rice cooker, pour water in the bottom and lay chicken in a small bowl.

Rinse the chicken thoroughly under cold tap water. Cut off excess fat. Pat dry and sprinkle with salt.

Place the chicken breasts in the steamer, and steam for 25-30 minutes (until the juices run clear). You may also throw some stalks of scallion, cloves of garlic, or slices of ginger for extra infused flavor.

Espresso in a culinary context

2009-06-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

When Michele and I were visiting NYC last month, we went on the search for good espresso bars...and luckily, we stumbled upon Cafe Grumpy, which was very close to our hotel.

A small hidden gem, this cafe welcomed us with sounds of people chattering and foamers screeching when we opened its doors, and we were greeted with rich aromas from coffee beans and scents of freshly delivered Sunday Times.

Crowded with hip, young coffee- buzzed New Yorkers cupping their mugs, although all seats were taken, a kind man pointed to us that the bench outside was unoccupied, (and the space was just enough for 2), so we sat outside and enjoyed espressos in our laps and listened to the rare peaceful composure of the city on a Sunday morning.

Cafe Grumpy was featured in the New York Times, an article named "Espresso's New Wave Hits Town"

It reminds me of why we love artisinal coffee, from the roast, the dose, the tamping, and the latte art. I always savour the heart or leaf made from the steamed milk, because it really does make my latte taste better... it feels like careful attention and love from the barista!

There are four critical components to preparing espresso: it must be freshly roasted, freshly ground, properly dosed, tamped correctly and monitored during extration. If done correctly the resulting espresso will be smoother, more romantic, and more flavourful, the crema will be darker and thicker.

Baked eggplant zucchini parmigiano

2009-06-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

For an easy side dish that's a great match for this hearty tomato and cheese baked eggplant, I blanched some Chinese brocolli on the side.

For Baked eggplant zucchini with parmigano reggiano:

Ingredients
1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces (about eight)

2 eggs, beaten with a fork, and a dash of salt and pepper

1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs

3 - 4 zucchinis, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch think pieces

tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 can of tomato paste

two garlic cloves, minced

fresh oragano , 2 sprigs

fresh basil one sprig

fresh parsley 1 sprig

1 and 1/2 cup shredded parmigiano reggiano

Preperation:

For the tomato sauce, in a sauce pan heat up some olive oil and infuse the two minced garlics. When they start to bubble, add in one can of tomato paste, and use the jar to add one cup of water. Add in the fresh chopped herbs - oregano, basil and parsley and cook until it comes to a small boil. Add salt and pepper to season, and set aside.

Preheat oven with a baking sheet inside to 375°F. Coat eggplant slices with beaten egg, then bread with panko crumbs. Spread oil on hot baking sheet and place eggplant slices on it in a single layer. Bake 15 minutes, flip and bake another 10 minutes.

On another baking sheet, sprinkle the zucchinis with salt and pepper and olive oil, and bake for 15 minutes.

Increase oven temperature to 475°F. In an oven proof dish, layer pasta sauce, then eggplant, then zucchini, and top with cheese. Repeat, finishing with cheese. Bake until the cheese melts and turns golden in spots, about 15 - 20 minutes.

Chinese mustard greens soup

2009-06-03T17:22:00.000-07:00

Chinese mustard greens are delicious, and they make an excellent, light and easy soup. The longer you cook the greens, the sweeter the soup becomes. So take your time with this one!

Remember to wash your mustard greens thoroughly. There is often dirt caught between the stems, and mustard greens easily catch insects when they are being grown as plants. But don't let this scare you away! Just clean and wash well.

What I do is I chop off the mustard green stems and add them to the soup earlier, so it gets more time to cook. I throw in the leaves later, before I turn off the stove heat. Chunks of chicken thighs go best, and if you have dried Chinese mushrooms, that's even better. Below are two versions of Chinese mustard greens soup. A simpler version, and my version that has slightly a bit more ingredients, but makes the traditional soup more dynamic.

Simple version of Chinese mustard greens soup:

Ingredients:

4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1/3 pound of chicken thigh, boneless, skinless, cut into chunks

1 tablespoon sliced ginger root

2 cups sliced mushrooms

4 cups sliced mustard greens

salt

white pepper

Preparation:

* tip: you can blanch the chicken first, if you like, and set the chicken aside. If you leave the chicken in the soup too long, it could become too dry.

Heat chicken stock in a pot and add sliced ginger. Bring to a boil, stir in sliced mushrooms. Next, throw in the stems of the mustard greens. Cook for about 20 minutes, or until the stems are soft. Add in the already blanched chicken, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a couple more minutes, and then add the mustard green leaves. Cook for around 5 - 7 minutes and turn off heat.

My version of Chinese mustard greens soup:

Ingredients:

4 cup of low sodium chicken stock

5 dried scallops

1/3 pound of chicken thighs, boneless, skinless, cut into chunks

1/2 Daikon, cut into chunks

1tablespoon sliced ginger

2 cups of mushrooms, sliced ( best to use Chinese dried mushrooms)

4 cups sliced mustard greens

salt

white pepper

Preparation:

Soak the scallops in water for 15 - 20 minutes. Heat chicken stock in a pot using medium heat, and when it comes to a small boil, add scallops by using your hands to break them apart. When the stock has boiled, add in daikon, ginger slices, sliced mushrooms, and mustard green stems, for about 30 minutes or until the daikon is soft. Next, add already blanched chicken chunks, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the mustard leaves, cook for 5 - 7 minutes. Salt and pepper to season, if needed

Enjoy!

Festa della Repubblica - Italy's Republic Day!

2009-06-02T08:56:00.000-07:00

Auguri, Italia!

June 2nd, " Festa della Repubblica” is the Italian national holiday!

We were invited to celebrate Festa Della Republica at Houston's Museum of Fine Arts Caroline Weiss Law building . There was hor d'oeuvre, drinks, Lavazza coffee, desert and lots of mingling with the Italian community in Houston. All the Italian women looked fashionably chic!

The “Festa della Repubblica” is Italy's national day. It commemorates the institutional referendum of 1946 when the Italian population was called to decide either a monarchy form or a republic form of government to give to the country, after WWII and the fall of Fascism.

On this day, Italy become Republic after 85 years of monarchy.

Interesting to note, that while Italy is rich in culture and arts, and I'd think this holiday should be as big as July 4th Independence day, it's not widely celebrated. Religious holidays are a much bigger deal... The Italians go all out on the gifts and the foods at Christmas and Easter, but no one seems to really celebrate National day....

The Taiwanese are big on traditional cultural holidays, but the National Day October 10th is such a big deal. Taiwanese people are in general fanatic about politics... not only are there big parades and celebrations on October 10th, but also even young people party at nightclubs for Taiwan National Day.

I guess in a way it's showing how we want to differentiate ourselves from that big land across the Taiwan Strait!

Dragon Boat Festival 端午節吃粽子

2009-05-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

Festivals should always be about good food, right?

It's Dragon Boat festival! Everybody back at home in Taiwan is on long vacation to celebrate Dragon Boat festival, the official first break as summer begins.

The festival made me crave for some 粽子 ZongZi, which is a typical food eaten at this holiday and time of the year. I actually didn't even love Zong Zi when I lived at home, but I guess this is the homesickness kicking in!

粽子 Zong zi is a glutinous rice ball, with different sorts of filling, wrapped in bamboo leaves. It's a traditional food for the Dragon Boat festival. The fillings contain pork, dried scallops, dates, peanuts, lotus nuts, mushrooms, and egg yolk. There are vegetarian options of just rice and peanuts. Zong Zi are generally steamed.

and NO, I did NOT make this. I bought it at my favorite Taiwanese restaurant in Houston, called Taiwan potato . There's a blog entry about our adventure at 芋仔番薯Taiwan potato some time ago....

Okay, so enough about the food ( but aren't all holidays all about the eating?) and some history about Dragon Boat Festival:

Dragon boat festival ( Duanwu festival) takes place on the 5th day of the 5th lunar month. There's a legend about the festival commemorates the death of poet Qu Yuan. The poet committed suicide, by drowning himself in the Miluo River on the 5th day of the 5th month. Villagers who admired him threw food into the river to feed the fish so that they would not eat Qu Yuan's body. This is said to be the origin of 粽子 Zongzi, the rice wrapped in bamboo leaves. The local people were also said to have paddled out on boats, either to scare the fish away or to retrieve his body. This is said to be the origin of dragon boat racing.

Here's a REALLY CUTE illustrated story about the legend of 屈原 Qu Yuan Enjoy!

Image of Qu Yuan

Roman style chicken with edamame &corn salad

2009-05-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

Mi dispiace, I have not been posting recently due to traveling and we've been busy with other stuff, so Michele and I have been skipping dinner a lot. Well, not entirely skipping, but our dinners have been replaced by cereal or fruit/yogurt or take-out, now that we are looking at houses or go running after work.

I have been craving for chicken recently. Whether its spicy wings, or a chicken salad, or a chicken panini...my body has been wanting chicken!!! Some nights I'm just craving for some really good hot wings. I even almost went into Chik-Fil-A the other day....

So here's a yum chicken recipe from Giada 's Roman Style Chicken. I just love her recipes because its never too heavy, and she uses alot of ingredients we already have at home. Also, incorporating fresh herbs are great because it's so tasty and healthy! I used less meat, and skipped the tomatoes, and added fresh rosemary to the chicken. I also paired this up with some broccoli and edamame & corn salad.

Oh! And I have to say thanks to Imedla, who gave me some beautiful precious fresh herbs from her garden. The herbs went straight to this dish =) thank you thank you thank you!

For the Roman Style chicken

Ingredients:
1 skinless chicken breast halves and 1 chicken thigh

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1 teaspoon
1/4 cup olive oil
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
1 ounce prosciutto, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons capers
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Preperations:
Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a heavy, large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the chicken until browned on both sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add wine, and herbs. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes.

If serving immediately, add the capers and the parsley. Stir to combine and serve.

For Edamame and corn salad:

Boil edamame and corn in a pot of boiling water for 3 minutes. Strain and let it sit and cool down. Mix in fresh chopped parsley, salt, white and black pepper. Sprinkle just a small dash of onion powder. A GREAT summer salad or side!

Fusion debut: Chinese spaghetti meatballs!

2009-05-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

Chinese meatballs and eggplants with wheat spaghetti!

So I bet you are thinking, how come we never created some type of Chinese Italian dish? Here is our fusion debut.

I wanted to make eggplant spaghetti whereas Michele wanted some Chinese meatballs. So we combined the both, and here's our fusion creation from our Taiwanese Italian family.

Ginger, garlic and chive really brings out the juiciness and texture from the meatballs. I am a big fan of wheat pasta, but Michele is a traditionalist so he's not so fond of it...but I'm sure he will slowly adjust =)

I also cooked asparagus as a side dish. Just blanched them in water. It counter-balanced really well with the salty, flavorful pasta, eggplant and meatballs

Ingredients:

wheat spaghetti ( or linguine)

1 eggplant

3 tablespoons of hoisin sauce

1/2 bunch of chives

one clove of garlic

for the meatballs:

one clove of garlic

1/2 bunch of chives

one pack of ground veal and pork

two thin slices of ginger

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

a pinch of pepper

Preperation:

In a medium bowl, combine chopped garlic, chopped ginger together with the pork and veal. toss in chopped chives, stir in soy sauce, pepper, and integrate well.

Use your hands to form little meatballs. In a frying pan of oil, cook the meatballs, occasionally turning them, and when they are cooked, set aside. Keep the juices inside the pan for the eggplants.

Simultaneously, cook the eggplant on one stove and start the pasta on another stove.

Cut eggplants into 1 inch lengths, and stir fry them with the meatball juices. when the liquids are gone, add the hoisin sauce, and 2 tablespoons of the pasta water. Add the chives that are cut into 1 inch lengths.

In a pot of boiling water, add salt and cook pasta until al dente. Wheat pasta usually takes about 10 minutes. Time well, drain and toss into the mixture immediately. Add in meatballs and gently fold together.

Surprisingly, this fusion dish was a success!

Where is my bowl of rice?

2009-05-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

Michele wanted to surprise his parents by taking them out to dimsum.

We went to yum yum cha cafe, which is close to where we live. Not one of my favorite dimsum places, but Michele is not a fan of dimsum carts and big noisy Chinese restaurants that use plastic bags as tablecloths...and I don't blame him. The carts sometimes don't look so fresh and clean, and plastic-bag tablecloths are not so appetizing, either...

We went for a weekday dinner, and ordered many dimsum dishes, and honestly, only Chinese broccoli, tarot cake, eggplant with shrimp, and peppers with shrimp was well received. They didnt enjoy the shumais or dumplings at all. The tapioca starch type of dumpling skin was not appealing to them. His dad actually thought they smelled funny...made a face and didn't even want to try. Poor Italians!

Picking apart dimsum with a fork and knife...

At the end, they gave up on dimsum. The first time his dad ever asked me, "why didn't we have any rice at a Chinese restaurant?" we had to explain that it was a dimsum cafe...Confused and hungry, I think we didn't help make a good first dimsum impression. So we made it up to them by taking them to another place for panini and deserts, to console them for some post-dimsum stress syndrome. Better luck next time!? I wonder if they would like the dimsum at Formosa Regent?

Chicken spinach strawberry salad with balsamic vinaigrette

2009-05-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

A healthy gorgeous salad, big on flavors!

This is one of my favorite salad dishes, and shamefully I have to admit that the first time I had something similiar to this was with my girls Em n Mon at Taipei's Macaroni Grill. It brings me back to those memories where we'd order one salad, one appetizer and one ( or maybe two ) deserts! GNOs!!! Romano's Macaroni Grill Insalata Florentine inspired me to make this summery salad, especially now strawberries are in season. I skipped the orzo ( although I do love orzo) and cheese to keep it light, but the salad is still so yummy and beautiful.

Ingredients:

One chicken breast
One fresh lemon
Fresh baby spinach
Mixed green salad
Fresh strawberries
half an onion
¼ cup of mushrooms

cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper

spring onions ( optional)

balsamic vinaigrette
Pine nuts

Preparations:

Toast pine nuts in a pan until they are golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Squeeze fresh lemon juice on top, lay a couple of slices of lemon on the chicken, and top with rosemary sprigs. Put into oven to broil for about 10 minutes - 15 minutes. This is a healthy and tasty way of making chicken, with no oil at all! The citrus and rosemary chicken goes really well with a salad. Remove chicken from oven and let it sit

In a sauté pan, use olive oil to sauté the sliced onions until they start to turn color. Add mushrooms and sauté together until brown. ( I also sneaked in some white wine to brighten up the flavors a bit)

Mix baby spinach, salad greens, cherry tomatoes, spring onions, sautéed onion and mushroom into a salad bowl. Drizzle balsamic vinaigrette, and toss well.

Place the salad servings onto a plate. Next, plate the sliced strawberries around the salad.
Slice the chicken breast into strips and leave them on top of the salad. Now, how can you not love this salad?

lazy wife's Chinese stir-fry

2009-05-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

Chinese stir fry on wild rice

Here’s one of my lazy wife’s one-pan stir fry for dinner. It tastes really good, and we always can’t stop ourselves with second and third helpings, because flavorful stir- fries just make you want to devour more with rice!

This crazy stir fry is a combination of shallots, dry scallops, mushrooms, carrots, celery, tomato and potato. Real filling and yummy!

This is a healthy dish and helps you get rid of the carrots, potatoes and celery you have lying around in your fridge

Ingredients:
Dried scallops, soaked in cold water
Shallots, sliced
Mushrooms, sliced
Carrots, diced
Celery, diced
Potato, diced
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Rice wine or sake, ¼ cup
Hondashi
Salt
Half a Serrano chili, chopped
Wild rice ( or brown rice)
(1/4 cup chicken stock) if needed

Preparation:
Soak the dried scallops in a bowl of water for 20 minutes.

In a sauté pan with oil, cook the shallots, mushrooms, and dried scallops. Season with salt and a little sprinkle of Hondashi. When the ingredients are cooked through, add Serrano chili, carrots and potato, pour in rice wine and simmer for 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and until the mixture thickens. If the liquid runs out, add some chicken stock.
Then add celery, continue to cook. Check to see if it is well seasoned. If not, add some more salt and pepper.

Serve on a bed of warm rice, and there you have it - lazy wife's one plate dinner =)

Pettole con Cozze e Fagioli

2009-05-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

square pasta with mussels and beans

Michele spotted some unique pasta the other day at the Italian grocery store - Pettole Abruzzesi - 2-inch little squared pastas. When Michele's parents were visiting, Michele's dad Gennaro wanted to make Pettole con patate, because Pettole goes great with potatoes. This type of pasta is meant to be cooked with a hearty sauce, a pasta sauce that is thick and cooked for many hours.

However, after searching for several recipes for this type of pasta, Michele landed with one of his favorite celebrity chef's recipe - Mario Batali's pasta with mussels and beans We slightly changed things up a bit, using canned beans and fresh cherry tomatoes, lots of wine, and of course, using pettole instead of penne. This dish is meant to be very hearty, garlicky and peppery, so add lots of pepper when making the beans sauce.

The apartment was filled with amazing aromas in the evening while this was being cooked. The beans were simmering away in white wine, releasing such a sweet fragrance that felt earthy, light and inviting. The mussels when being shucked after it was cooked in wine and garlic was oozing with aroma in the kitchen, with smells of fresh and juciness like it was straight from a Belgium bistro...

I also started to use fresh herbs from our balcony, and it just took homemade cooking to a new level!

Ingredients:

1 can of cannellini beans
1 small carrot, coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, coarsely chopped
4 pounds mussels, scrubbed
1/4 cup dry white wine

chopped garlic, 3 cloves
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
fresh cherry tomatoes chopped
1/2 pound Pettole abruzzesi pasta
1/2 bunch parsley, finely chopped
2 sprigs basil
Salt and pepper

Preperation:

In a saucepan, use medium heat and cook the beans with the chopped carrot and celery. Add 2 cups of wine and bring to a boil, then redue to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook until beans are tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Check water level from time to time and add wine or boiling water as it cooks down so that beans are always covered. Again, this dish is meant to be very peppery, so Michele added lots of pepper every 10 minutes, when checking the sauce.

Place mussels in a large pan with the wine and chopped garlic, and set over high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until all mussels have opened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Strain cooking liquid through several layers of cheesecloth and set aside.
When mussels are cool enough to handle, remove flesh and discard shells.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.
In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add garlic. When garlic is soft but not brown, add tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, or until tomatoes are soft and disintegrating. Stir in cooked beans and simmer gently while pasta cooks.
Cook pasta in boiling water until it is almost cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and add to the bean mixture. Add the mussels and strained mussel liquid. Stir over low heat 5 minutes, then add parsley, basil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately!

Balcony with fresh herbs

2009-05-02T16:44:00.001-07:00

One of the great things about living in warm weather is that you can have plants and they will survive throughout the year! Never did it cross my mind to have plants at our lovely balcony in Evanston, but here in Houston, everyone has plants and gardens and huge yards ( and two dogs and three cats )...

So when Michele's dad came to visit us, he saw lots of herb plants at Whole Foods, and suggested us to buy some. ( Since he was enjoying lots of time on the balcony, it would beautify his cig breaks on the balcony)

We now have two basil plants, one mint ( mojitos, anyone?) and one rosemary bush...

Nothing beats having fresh herbs to add to your cooking. When picking the leaves out of the plant, your fingertips and palms smell soooo fragrant...and it puts such a smile to my face!

We already cook with lots of herbs, and now I can't wait to water our herbs everyday, watch them grow and pluck the top leaves off for dinner....and make pesto pasta, rosemary chicken, baking deserts with mint, marinating tomatoes with basil, lamb chops with rosemary, making some "three cup chicken" with basil...cucumber salad with mint....and the list goes on...suggest more dishes with fresh herbs, anyone?

Seafood Zucchini Paccheri pasta 海鮮節瓜巴掌麵

2009-05-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

The first time we had Zucchini Seafood Paccheri was at beach town Gaeta, which is a beautiful south side Italian gem located between Naples and Rome.

We ate lunch at a trattoria and the pasta was so amazing that as soon as we returned to Chicago, we cooked it at home...and when I returned to Taiwan, I cooked it for my family...and when Michele's parents came to visit us in Houston, we made it for them as well!

Paccheri is an interesting pasta, it's a large and hallow tube, and has a large diameter. A legend started that the Paccheri pasta was invented to hide garlic cloves inside the pasta tube for smuggling garlic from Italy to Prussia.

Paccheri also means "slap", like slap on the face...Kind of similar to Chinese, when we say 巴掌. Interesting onomatopoeia between different cultures....in English it's "slap", in Chinese it starts wth "巴", Italian also, "Pa"

Zucchini and seafood is a wonderful combination, and makes a great base for pasta as well.

( Top: Seafood Zucchini pasta with rigatoni, bottom with spaghetti)

Ingredients:

zucchinis (thinly sliced)

squid ( tube and tentacles), octopus, and prawns, or mussels

white wine

chopped garlic

olive oil

salt & pepper

pasta ( Paccheri or rigatoni)

Best to use pasta that has big/ flat surface, such as Paccheri pasta, or use any pasta that has a wider area that will soak up the sauce.

Heat olive oil and cook the chopped garlic over low heat, for about 3- 4 minutes. Add the thinly sliced zucchini and continue to cook until the zucchini has turned into a bright green and the edges start to brown. Stir in squid, octopus and prawns, pour in white wine and cook for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. The best version is when you have the moist purplish sauce formulate from the octopus and squid tentacles.

In salted boiled water, cook the pasta until al dente.

When pasta is cooked al dente, drain and toss the pasta into the sauce. Slightly stir fry until the pasta starts to soak up the sauce, and turn off heat. Serve immediately, while hot.

Enjoy!!!

Lemon Thyme Bars

2009-04-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

I watched Giada make this on Giada at home couple of weeks back, and decided to give it a shot so we'd have some fresh lemon bars for the in-laws to have for breakfast or to snack on during the day.

Thyme is usually an ingredient used for savory cooking, but its fragrance really goes so well with lemon! My final product looked much more rustic than the image shown on the site and on TV, but it was still delicious! Its made with a stick of butter, but the lemon citrus really cuts through it and you don't taste any "buttery" bars at all, especially after storing in an air-tight container for a couple of days. I also added lemon zest for some extra flavor and garnish

Ingredients:

Butter, for greasing dish
Flour, for dusting dish

Lemon Bars:
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Lemon zest, a handful

Sweet lemon sugar glaze:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter and flour an 8 by 8-inch glass baking dish.

Making the lemon thyme bars:
In a small bowl combine flour, thyme and salt. Set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together 1 stick of butter and powdered sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture. Using damp fingers, press the dough into the prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes until golden. Cool for 30 minutes.

Making the glaze:
In a medium bowl, whisk the lemon juice and powdered sugar together until smooth. Spoon the glaze over the cooled crust. Top with lemon zest for flavor and color. Allow the glaze to harden, at room temperature, for at least 1 hour. I cooled it overnight.

Using a metal spatula, remove the crust from the pan. Cut into 1 1/2-inch square bars and arrange on a serving platter or store airtight in a plastic container at room temperature.

3 ingredient pasta

2009-04-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

Simplicity is the best!

Just 3 ingredients to make a delicious pasta dish. You can easily find these ingredients in your fridge and pantry any day, and whip up a comforting and yummy meal...You can find that each bite oozes out fresh tomato juice, a hint of smoked bacon, and hits back with a peppery flare. Nothing can get easier and tastier than this!

3 simple ingredients:

one chopped garlic

one slice of bacon, sliced in pieces

cherry tomatoes

and of course, pasta

olive oil

salt

pepper

Traditional Lasagne

2009-04-22T12:03:00.001-07:00

With the in-laws visiting, one of the best things is having traditional italian homemade food.
Tuesday night, Michele's dad Gennaro made traditional lasagne from scratch! I've never had so much lasagne my whole life...boy was it a HUGE piece per person. However, it was really light, because it was not covered in alot of cheese nor sinking in marinara sauce. It contains the usual italian produce: tomatoes, parsley, carrots and celery, and of course, light mozzarela cheese. It was not greasy or heavy.

After Italian class, I learned that the singular form is lasagna, but since its a lot of lasagna, the plural form is lasagne. Just like panini - there is no such thing as paninis....panino is the singular form, and panini is the plural form. So here is the recipe of Gennaro's traditional lasagne:

Ingredients:

lasagne sheets

tomato sauce

diced celery and carrots

parsley

one pack of ground pork

one pack of ground veal

one egg

mozzarella cheese

Preperation:

In a pot of boiling water, add salt and cook the lasagne sheets, and lay them on a flat surface seperately

In a medium bowl, stir together the pork, veal with the egg and parsley. Sprinkle salt and pepper. pinch the mixture into small meatballs, and cook them with olive oil in a saute pan. Remove from pan, into a bowl and set aside. In a pot with olive oil, cook the diced carrots and celery with the tomato sauce, and add parsley.
Dice the mozzarella and leave in a bowl.
In a lasagne baking dish, layer the lasagne, with the pasta sheet on the bottom. sprinkle cheese, meatballs, and top with tomato sauce. Repeat with as many layers you want. Broil in the oven for 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let it sit and cool down. Cut into squares and serve!

The pasta sheets absorbs the sauce even more overnight. Reheat and eating next day is also very tasty.

Aren't these huge slices?

homemade steak night, Italian style

2009-04-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

Steak, sausage, marinated peppers and artichokes with stuffed cheese

Michele's dad Gennaro was inspired by the huge steaks we have been seeing at the Texas grocery stores. So he broiled some steak up, made two sides: marinated peppers and artichokes with stuffed cheese.

The interesting thing about the steak is that there was absolutely no seasoning or salt that went on the steak before he popped it into the oven. Italians, especially traditional ones, really enjoy their meats with no extra flavoring or seasoning, so the meat itself really is the star of the dish. When I saw him pop the steak to broil with no seasoning, we asked why didn't he rub in any salt or pepper? His reply was that was the American way of cooking... =p

Marinated pepper mix:

ingredients:

red, yellow and orange peppers

salt

parsley, chopped

garlic, cut into halves

olive oil

Preparation:

Lay the peppers onto a baking tray, and roast them in the oven, turning them occasionally.

Remove from oven and when the peppers are cooled, gently peel the burnt skin, and slice the peppers into strips.

In a bowl, top the peppers with parsley, garlic, olive oil and salt. Stir together and let the peppers sit for a couple of hours. Best even overnight in the fridge. The peppers become so sweet and tasty! I loved the peppers. I will have to make them some time on my own....

Carciofi Ripieni (Stuffed Artichokes)

Wash the artichokes and allow to dry upside down to drain. Cut the stems straight across, leaving a level base so the artichokes will stand upright.
Remove the tough outer leaves at the base and cut about 1/2" off the tips of the remaining leaves.
With a sharp knife, slice the top of the artichokes straight across, taking off about 1".
Tap them firmly on a hard surface to force the center leaves slightly open.
Fill the artichokes with good cheese and garlic, placing some in the center and tucking some between the spread leaves. Close the leaves gently and arrange the artichokes closely together in a pot

Pour olive oil over the artichokes, season with salt and pepper. Heat and stir occasionally for 30 - 40 minutes and let it sit. The artichokes should be soft.

Our dinner spread!

(Kasutera) Japanese Sponge Cake 蜂蜜蛋糕

2009-04-16T15:50:00.000-07:00

When we are in Italy visiting Michele’s parents, there is always a lot of cakes , cookies and deserts in their house. Perhaps its because we visit around the holidays, that’s why there are all sorts of Pandoro, Panettones, endless pastries, cookies and chocolate around.

However, since they have such a sweet tooth I thought its better to be prepared…because the in-laws are arriving to our place tonight! So I baked a cake with ingredients we already have at home: honey , eggs, sugar and flour….simple 5 – 6 ingredients makes a delicious Japanese honey sponge cake, Kasutera

Kasutera ( bread from Castile) is a specialty in Nagasaki Japan, but the cake is originally from Spain. It was brought to the Japanese port Nagasaki in the 16th century by the Portuguese...

What makes a sponge cake yummy is when its light and fluffy. Make sure you beat the eggs until its frothy, and when adding dry ingredients, gently fold them in. Baking this cake is so easy and also delightful. The colors are golden happy yellows, and really brightens up my mood!

Ingredients:
5 eggs
2/3 cp caster superfine sugar
¼ cup of honey
¾ teaspoon of baking powder
¾ cup plan all purpose flour
confectioners sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a medium bowl, beat eggs until frothy, then gradually beat in sugar and honey . Continue beating until the mixture is thick and pale and the beaters leave a ribbon, about 12 minutes.

Sift the baking powder and flour together, then sift then in a bowl

Gently fold the dry ingredients into egg mixture until just combined, then carefully pour mixture into prepared cake dish/ tin
Bake for 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Dust with icing sugar and cut into squares before serving

Troppo cioccolata cupcakes

2009-04-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Troppo Chococlate cupcakes!

Chocolate chip and mascaporne cupcakes, with chocolate ganache

I was inspired by one of Giada’s cupcake recipes…I subsitituted her recipe’s chocolate chips with half semi sweet and half milk chocolate chips, and added grand marnier to the ganache.
To dip the cupcakes in the ganache, its easy to work when you have an abundance of it…but what do you do with leftover gananche? Here’s a link of what you can do with leftover ganache…However, I ended up dipping a banana into the ganache and freezing it in the fridge, and left the rest in the freezer…hoping one of these days I can make a chocolate mousse.

This was made for April's birthday... hope her wishes come true!

Ingredients:
5 ounces of unsweetened chococlate, chopped
1 cup water
1/3 cup mascaporne cheese, at room temp
2 ¼ cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup of semi sweet chocolate chips
½ cup of milk chocolate chips

Ganache
1 cup of semisweet chocolate chips
2/3 cup of heavy whipping cream
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
½ grand marnier

Makes 24 cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:
Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
Combine the unsweetened chocolate and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly until the chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. Cool for 2 minutes. Whisk in the mascarpone cheese until the mixture is smooth. Beat the sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla iextract n a large bowl for 30 seconds. Stir in the mascarpone mixture.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and chocolate chips (semi sweet and milk chocolate) in a medium bowl.
Add the dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture. Stir until just blended. Divide the batter into muffin pans. Allow the mixture to sit in the muffin pans for about 20 minutes, so the cupcakes will poof up pretty after its baked.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out with no crumbs attached. Cool the cupcakes completely before dipping, about 1 hour.
For the Ganache:
Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Combine heavy cream, vanilla extract and grand marnier in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook until small bubbles appear on the outside edge of the cream. Pour the hot cream mixture over the chocolate chips. Using a fork, gently stir until all the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
Dip the tops of each cupcake in the ganache and transfer to a baking sheet. Place the dipped cupcakes in the refrigerator to set, about 15 to 20 minutes. I like the ganache a little hard so I eat the cupcake from the fridge. However, you can also bring the cupcake to a room temperature before serving as well, for a melted chocolate.

Happy Birthday April MA!

台南擔仔麵 for a Chinese picnic

2009-04-13T19:21:00.001-07:00

Our Chinese picnic date...

One of Michele's favorite Taiwanese dish is 擔仔麵. Since it's been gorgeous outside and for the fear of the summer getting too hot, we thought it best to seize the moment for an outdoor picnic dinner. For a more traditional version of Danzai mien, refer here. I did not use the traditional yellow noodles nor did I soak dry mushrooms, but here goes:

Ingredients:

Ground pork

Ground turkey

prawns

chicken stock

soy sauce

rice wine

rock sugar

garlic

shallots

sesame oil

white pepper

pack of noodles

spring onions

hard boiled eggs

chili sauce, if needed

Preperations:

Prepare hard boiled eggs in advanced. Peel the egg shell and save only the two boiled eggs.

In a small pot of chicken stock, quickly boil the prawns just until they turn color and remove from the pot. Peel the prawns, and save the peeled prawns in a seperate bowl. Save the shell and put back into the pot, to make a prawn stock.
In a seperate frying pan, use oil to saute garlic and shallots, until they turn color. Add in ground pork and ground turkey, pour in soy sauce, rice wine, and rock sugar. Stir and break down the meat at the same time. Lay the hard boiled egg in the mixture, and cover with the lid. Simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp stock if the juice dry out.

In a pot of boiling water, cook the noodles. When the noodles are ready, lay in a bowl.

On top of the noodles, pour in the sauce, and top with prawns, egg and spring onions, and chili sauce.

Serve!

tiny white sardine and egg fried rice

2009-04-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

Back at home, I love Shirasu, which are baby white sardines. I was able to find a small frozen packet at a Japanese grocery store and made egg fried rice with them. Be sure to use overnight rice to make good fried rice, for each grain to be hardened and seperated.

Ingredients:

overnight rice

Shirasu

chopped garlic

soy sauce

sugar

green onions

2 eggs, beaten

sesame oil

In a frying pan, use sesame oil to cook chopped garlic and shirasu. Stir fry with soy suace and sugar until the white fish has turned to a brown color. Scoop up and put in a bowl.

Return to the frying pan, pour 1 tablespoon of oil and add the rice, breaking it into pieces with a spatula. Add the stir-fried Shirasu back into the rice mixture. and then add the two eggs, stirring constantly, to make egg fried rice. When the egg pieces are cooked, turn off heat and stir in chopped spring onions. Serve warm!

Funny Italian Lesson

2009-04-09T10:08:00.000-07:00

No gains, only pains

When in the mood, I try to practice Italian around Michele…so when we were shopping over the weekend, and I tried to say “100 dollars” in Italian, which is “cento dollari”

Michele’s reply was that it sounded like I said “cento dolori”, which is “100 pains”…painful indeed to buy one Anthropoligie skirt for a stay at home housewife! Recently, it’s just been no cash gains, only growing pains… funny how in Italian, dollar sounds like pain! ( dollari vs dolori)

However, the other day, Michele tried to say to my mom, over the phone “我愛 Chin”, (which is “I love Chin”. Not that he was showing off his affection for me, just because it’s probably the only few words he knows in Mandarin), but instead my mom thought he said”我愛錢”, which is “I love money”…And that is true, in both cases!

herb n cheese stuffed pork cutlets

2009-04-08T18:57:00.001-07:00

Basil, rosemary and cheese, all wrapped together...

Impress your guests or loved ones with herb and cheese stuffed pork cutlets! It's easy to make, looks fancy, and is just a cute little symphony of all food groups wrapped together. Dairy, Greens, protein... and hitting it with some tomato sauce brightens this whole dish altogether!

Cutlets for 4:
Ingredients:

fresh basil leaves ( two bunches)

fresh rosemary ( one sprig)

asiago cheese ( 1 cup)

pork cutlets, pounded thin (4)

salt & pepper

chopped garlic ( 4)

tomato sauce ( 1/2 can)

red wine ( 2 tablespoons)

olive oil ( 2 tablespoons)

Pound the pork cutlets thin and season with salt and pepper. Lay 2 basil leaves, several rosemary leaves and shredded asiago cheese on top of the cutlet, and roll the cutlet , fastening with toothpicks. ( Be sure not to overstuff the cutlets, or else the cheese will ooze out when being seared)

In a saute pan, pour in olive oil and add chopped garlic. When you see small bubbles, lay the rolled pork cutlets and sear until one side is golden grown, then turn to another side. When the pork is fully cooked, remove from the pan and set aside. Leave all juices, oil and garlic in the pan.

Return to the pan where the pork juices, oil and garlic remainings, and turn to medium heat. Add tomato sauce and also the wine. sprinkle a little bit of salt, stir and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove the toothpicks out of the pork, and serve the garlic tomato sauce with the rolled cutlets. Use basil leaf to garnish. Bon Appetito!

Spicy tomato sauce on brown rice

2009-04-07T17:51:00.000-07:00

Feel like something spicy and tasty but don't want to ruin the momentum of a eating healthy?

Here's an easy recipe: Spicy tomato sauce on brown rice. It's sour, tart, real spicy with bold flavors. The color is beautiful, too!

ingredients:

tomato sauce ( 1/2 can)

one potato ( cut into chunks)

2 carrots ( cut into chunks)

8 pearl onions

beef stock

asian chili sauce

soy sauce 2 tablespoons

pepper

olive oil

concentrated beef stock

Preperations:

In a pot, heat olive oil and suate the pearl onions. Add the chunks of potato and carrots. Cook for 10 minutes, occasionaly stirring to avoid sticking to pot. Add soy sauce, pepper, asian chili sauce and stir. Add beef stock and stir. Pour tomato sauce and bring to simmer. Cook until it becomes a thick paste, and serve over brown rice. We just happened to have some leftover roasted duck take out, so I stir-fried that with celery sticks.

Pasta with love

2009-04-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

Pasta Panna e salmone ( Smoked Salmon Cream Pasta)

Chef Panico made his famous smoked salmon cream pasta this weekend. For me, it's a very romantic dish, because it reminds me of the first couple of times he cooked for me.

The first time Michele made this was when we just started to date each other. We were hanging out at his apartment at Sherman Ave, Evanston. I remember it was a late night and we were hungry so he whipped out his culinary skills and cooked a late night pasta. And boy, do I mean "whipped"...it was the first time I watched someone fervently stir flour into cream to create a thick sauce! Lots of love and attention is put into making a really creamy sauce!

Usually you can pair smoked salmon cream pasta with farfalle ( bow tie pasta), or with penne, because short pasta sticks better with creamy sauce. This time we used Casareccia, which is a twisted/ wrapped short noodle. It's sort of like a short ribbon with gaps, which is great because the cream gets stuck in between the noodle.

Ingredients:

one pint of half & half cream

flour ( 3/4 cup)

smoked salmon ( one pack) , cut into small pieces

chives ( one bunch, sliced into small pieces)

Casareccia pasta, or bow tie/ penne

salt & pepper

non-salted butter ( 2 tablespoons)

Preparation:

In a large boiling pot of water, add salt and cook the pasta.

In a small pot, pour in cream and put on medium heat. When the pot becomes hot ( before it reaches a boiling point), stir in 1 tablespoon of flour, and keep stirring until it dissolves. Once it dissolves, stir in another tablespoon of flour. Keep stirring in the spoons of flour, one by one, to avoid chunks of flour that may cake up. This may take time and you really have to tend to the cream. Add salt & pepper to cream for seasoning. When all of the flour is added into the half & half, it gradually becomes a think cream.

At the same time, put butter in a skillet and then add the chopped smoked salmon. Stir fry a bit and then add the cream mixture, and adding more salt & pepper to taste. Stir in chives, and then add the drained pasta into the smoked salmon cream mixture. Fold gently inside the skillet.

Enjoy! It's very comforting and filling and full of love...

Parent and child over rice: Oyakodon

2009-04-05T18:51:00.000-07:00

Chicken 'n eggs is what's in a Oyakodon, a poetic way of saying parent and child. A traditional, homey dish, it's great for lunch or dinner, and anytime of the year.

Oyakodon for 4

Ingredients:

4 cup steamed medium grained rice
3/4 lb chicken thighs, cut into chunks
sesame oil ( 2 tablespoons)
1 2/3 cups soup stock (dashi)
7 tbsp soy sauce
4 tbsp mirin
3 tbsp sugar

slices of ginger
4 eggs, beaten together

Steam rice and when it is cooked, leave it at warm and start preparing below.

Here, I conveniently used pre-made Oyakodon sauce, which is a mixture of the dashi, soy suace, mirin and sugar. However, you can also create your own, which is easy and very tasty.

In a pan with sesame oil, add thinly sliced ginger and sear. Add the dashi then add soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in the sauce, for a couple of minutes. Put chicken in the pan and simmer on low heat for a few minutes.

Bring the chicken and sauce to a boil, then pour the eggs. Turn the heat down to low and put on a lid and let the mixture sit. After one minute, turn off the heat but leave it to simmer a bit.

In a deep bowl, fill halfway with rice packed inside. Place the chicken and egg mixture on top. Sprinkled some japanese chilli powder on top, and some greens ( asparagus) on the side. Serve warm!

Qui, qua? Li, la?

2009-04-03T10:21:00.000-07:00

Here, there, ...where?

The first couple of months I met Michele, I remember asking him instructions for something, and he would say, "you put theez here, and then thatta over there...and then theez thing goes into thatta thinga,"... and the patience in me would get all agitated, and without realizing how rude I was, I'd explode. "What? what here, what there? what this and that? Can't you use left and right, and descriptions instead of using 'here' and 'there'? Can't you be more specific?"

Only until I met my current Italian teacher, Cristina, did I start to forgive Michele =p

Our lovely, petite, very stylish instructor/ professoressa Cristina at the end of class, would use her finger, point to a page, and just simply say,

" for homework, write a little bit about here."

And our fellow American students, would ask, " Sorry, which page? which part?"

We are so used to being given clear instructions, clear step- by- step to dos. Which book, which page, which section, which number? Write how long - how many sentences, or paragraphs?

With directions, we are used to saying: head north or south, turn right in two blocks...make a left turn at the stop sign...etc

But in Italian, if you are asking for directions, you can just point and ask:

è di lì (and point your finger to one direction) o di là ( point to the oppisite direction)? ( li = here, la = there)

Or è di qui o di qua? (qui = here, qua = there)

Meaning, "is it here, or is it there", or in other words, "is it this way, or that way"?

I always tried to be specific, and I also preferred clearer instructions, because I was taught that that was the better way of speaking. I remember my dad used to make me ask clear questions, so I would have to formulate the question very logically in my head, before I asked. He would also very condescendingly say that some people rely on hand gestures to talk because they cannot clearly and accurately use words to explain. Thus they relied on hands and pointing.

However, I am starting to understand the Italian language and culture more after taking Italian classes. Quite to the contrary, Italians are expressive communicators. They are more emotional and demonstrative, as they they tend to use facial and hand getures to prove their point. And Italians are intuitive., and you sort of have to "get it" It's just a part of culture to talk in a way that requires you to use your body to express your feelings. At the end of the day, they understand each other perfectly. Maybe its us that's being too anal.

Lima beans penne pasta

2009-04-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

This is a garlicky and herby Lima bean pasta dish. It's very filling and satisfying!

Ingredients:

3-4 chopped garlics

2 bunches of fresh basil , coarsely chopped

half can of Lima beans

two tablespoons of diced tomatoes from can, ( can also use fresh cherry tomatoes, or in this case we used the leftover tomato Osso Buco sauce. This is to add slight flavor and color to the dish)

penne pasta

olive oil

salt and pepper

red chili flakes

lemon zest

In a pot of boiling water, add salt and cook the pene until al dente ( usually 13 minutes)

In a pan with olive oil, saute chopped garlic until the aroma comes out, and add Lima beans, salt and pepper, and red chili flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes and add tomato sauce, stir well and then add basil leaves. Drain the cooked pene, toss with the Lima beans, and then sprinkle lemon zest on top.

Garnish with basil leaves and serve!

Asian Lettuce Cups

2009-03-31T19:28:00.000-07:00

Prawn filled lettuce cups

Lettuce cups are a fun dish because it requires you to interact and assemble the filling into the lettuce, and eating with your hands make food taste better!

ingredients for filling:

1/3 pound ground turkey

1/2 pound prawns, peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

2 spring onions ( chopped finely)

3 garlic gloves ( chopped finely)

a bunch of chives

Lima beans 3 tablespoon

2 stalks of chopped celery

half of a red pepper, chopped

Hoisin sauce, 2 tablespoons

chili sauce, 1 tablespoon

sesame oil

Preparation:

In a skillet, heat up sesame oil and cook garlic and spring onions. Add ground turkey, stirring and breaking down the ground turkey to make sure it's not sticking together in lumps. Add in celery, red peppers, and Lima beans. Stir fry 5 minutes for 5 minutes. Then add prawns and chives, frying for only 2 - 3 minutes, and then stir in the Hoisin sauce and chili sauce. Turn off heat and remove the skillet from the stove.

Wash lettuce leaves and break carefully, and dry well.

Scoop filling into lettuce cup and serve!

Risotto San Martino, perfecto!

2009-03-28T19:14:00.000-07:00

Amazing, amazing risotto...

We had this Risotto San Martino as a first course, prior to the Rioja Osso Bucco.

Our dear Chef Panico was inspired by Mario Batali's Risotto San Martino. I have always preferred vegetable risottos or seafood risottos over pork/sausage based ones. I originally was worried that a sausage in a risotto would make risotto stock too greasy, and the actual sausage would become dry, but boy, was I mistaken! The combination of mushrooms and sausage is perfect, and when the mushrooms were cooking, the whole kitchen smelled so fragrant and earthy. The risotto was amazingly creamy and rich. The sausage was in smaller bite-sized pieces so they fit perfectly within every bite with the juicy, tender mushrooms. We barely added any salt, and because we took the sausage out of the casings, the herbs dissolved into the stock and made it so savory, bold and rich.

Servings: for 4 people

Ingredients:

Olive oil

2 tablespoons of butter

half of a chopped onion

1 chopped garlic

chicken stock

white wine ( in this case we had leftover red wine so we used red, and the risotto color was much darker)

sliced portabella mushrooms

2 italian sausages

4 cups of Arborio rice

2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Saffron, a sprinkle

Open the casing of the sausage, and smash the sausage into small nibblly pieces.

In a large pot slowly simmer together onion and garlic in the butter, when the onion starts to turn a gold color, add portabella mushrooms and mix well. Cook until the mushrooms shrink, and add the pieces of sausage. Stir the sausage until cooked, and then start to "toast" the rice, as Batali says. ( It is called toasting the rice because the broth has not been added).

After a minute or so, pour in a ladle of wine, at one a time, in order to allow the rice to absorb it. To make risotto creamy you have to mix it a lot adding the broth, as needed. After we added two ladles of wine, we transferred to adding chicken broth, after the rice absorbed the juices. The total cooking time took us more than one hour, cooking the rice alone was about 45 minutes, by repeating the steps of stirring the rice, and when the juices are almost dry continue to adding wine/ juice...and repeating again.

When risotto is almost done, stir in Parmigiano, and add the saffron and stir until well mixed. Risotto should be soft. Sprinkle some more Parmigiano on top, and serve immediately.

It's really, really delicious. I could live on this my whole life.

Bone with a hole...Rioja Ossobuco for two

2009-03-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

Feeling for something earthy and heavy on a chilly weekend? How about a simplified Ossobuco?

Our Rioja Osso Buco, was inspired by Tyler Florence's Amarone Osso Buco Pot roast. We used a Spanish red: Rioga wine instead of Amarone. The Rioga was $10, a much better deal for cooking instead of a $60 Amarone =) Our version is much simplier and easier than Tyler Florence's version, but suited better for two. Michele is a big fan of Tyler Florence's recipes. He says that his recipes are not so complicated and are always very tasty.

We used the remaining half bottle of wine for risotto, our Risotto San Martino. We also didn't use the dutch oven, and used a cooking pot and transferred to a baking dish later on.

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pieces veal shank for osso bucco
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, diced
1 1/2 celery stalk, diced
1 carrots, diced
3 chopped garlic
one bunch of parsley
1/2 bottle Rioga wine ( we paired dinner with the other half)
1 can of diced tomatoes

Preparation:

Put flour in a large shallow platter and season it with a fair amount of salt and pepper. Taste the flour to make sure the seasoning is just right. Once it coats the veal it is harder to adjust the seasoning. Dredge the veal shank in the seasoned flour and then tap off the excess (extra flour will burn and make the dish off-tasting).

Heat a large pot over medium heat, with the olive oil and also butter. Slightly whirl the butter around for it to melt. Sear the veal shanks, turning carefully with tongs, until all sides are a rich brown caramel color. Remove the browned veal shanks to a side plate, but leave the leftover sauce at the bottom of the pot.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Using the same pot, saute the onion, celery, carrots and parsley over medium heat. Cook the vegetables down until they turn to brighter colors and develop a deep, rich aroma.

Season with salt and pepper; add a little oil if needed. Nestle the veal shanks back in the pot. Pour in the wine and let it simmer down for 20 minutes, until the wine has reduced by half, because that's how it gives it flavor, by the wine reduction.

Add the can of tomatoes and stir everything together, and simmer for another 10 - 15 minutes. Transfer the entire ingredients in the pot into a baking dish. Braise for 1 hour, with turning the meat every 30 minutes.

The sauce should be thick and the veal tender and nearly falling off the bone.

The meat was simply superb...we devoured the entire shank and sucked the marrow gone!

2 herb pesto spaghetti ( Spaghetti al pesto con due erbe)

2009-03-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

Spaghetti al pesto con due erbe
After undergoing dental surgery, I have been the luckiest gal in the world because Michele has been pampering me. First night he brought home three Jamba juices just for me, coz I couldn't really chew...

Tonight he made 2 herb pesto spaghetti, something soft for me to eat. Here is his recipe:

Ingredients:

fresh parsley

fresh basil

pine nuts

1 garlic

olive oil

really good quality Parmigiano-Reggiano

salt & pepper

Preparation:

roast pine nuts in pan, set aside

combine the following ingredients into food processor: chopped basil, chopped parsley, chopped garlic, olive oil, pine nuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano and salt & pepper. Blend until it becomes a smooth paste.

In a pot of boiling water, add salt and cook the spaghetti al dente

Pour the pesto sauce in a saute pan and warm it up. Drain the spaghetti, and toss the pasta into the pesto sauce, stir well, not allowing the pasta to overcook too long.

Garnish with parsley leaf.

Thank you, chef Panico!

Leek & Tomato Cod with fresh herbs

2009-03-24T15:16:00.001-07:00

Leek and Tomato Cod with fresh herbs...

....served with wild rice and baby romaine greens

We saw these beautiful cod fillets at Whole Foods the other day and thought it would be a perfect, light weekday dinner dish.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 pound leeks, white and light green parts only, cleaned and sliced
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
mushrooms, sliced
2 small tomatoes
1 pound of cod fillet, cut into two pieces

white wine, 1 1/2 cup

fresh rosemary, chopped

half lemon juice

salt and pepper

Preparation:
In a large skillet sauté leeks, garlic and mushrooms in olive oil until softened.

sprinkle salt and pepper on the cod for seasoning, on both sides.

Add tomatoes and simmer for 7 minutes. Place cod fillets in skillet on top of vegetables, Pour in white wine and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Flip the cod to the other side, and cook for another 5- 8 minutes. Add salt and pepper for taste. Squeeze lemon juice and sprinkle fresh rosemary. Turn off heat but let the pot sit, the sauce should become thick.

Serve over wild rice and a bed of baby romaine greens.

Catalina coffee

2009-03-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

We have found a new love, here in Houston: Catalina Coffee

It's so far the best espresso we've had in Houston. The staff are laid back and friendly, and the baristas are true artisans. The place is simple, clean, not pretentious, so the attention is all put in that one cup of great espresso-based drink....

The true test is ordering an iced latte, and it's one of the best I've had. I really don't like it when iced coffees are watered down, but Catalina's iced lattes are still rich and strong. My dad used to make fun of me saying that those who take iced coffees are not really coffee drinkers...but hey, it's getting pretty warm here in Houston, and with my wisdom tooth pain....a good cup of iced-latte from Catalina really makes my day.

The Italiano's adventure in Taiwanese dining

2009-03-23T15:24:00.001-07:00

My idea of a relaxing Friday night was to somehow address my nostalgia in seeking for some Taiwanese comfort food. After searching online, a funny-named restaurant called"Taiwan potato" came up, and we debated for a while whether or not to give it a shot, since the information we found about the restuarant on the Internet was scarce. Avevo Molta fame ( I was very hungry), and you know how girls can get cranky with empty stomachs, so I decided that we just go check it out.

Even though it would not be the most romantic spot for a Friday night, I figured the authenticity of the food could bring us some satisfaction, and it could be an interesting expererience for the Italiano. (And I was right. Michele was shocked so much by the foods that he wanted to call my mom immediately after dinner).

Upon arrival, I happily learned that the real name was , 芋仔番薯Taro & Sweet potato, which is a local way of calling Taiwanese people, and at that moment I knew this was gonna be some real Taiwanese food.

I thought it would be fun for Michele to try street food-like small dishes, rather than ordering entress, just so he could have a feel for what local Taiwanese people eat. We ordered stinky tofu 臭豆腐, oyster omelette 蚵仔煎, seafood coffin bread 棺材板, 台南碗粿Tainan Rice Cake in Bowl, bitter melon with salty egg苦瓜鹹蛋, and per his request we ordered combination fried noodles.

He was brave enough to have one bite of Stinky Tofu, and I don't blame him for not being fond of it. He asked me to move the plate to the furthest corner of our table, actually... he also said that if we brought his parents here they'd probably never want to visit Asia. Ha!
My favorite is bitter melon stir fried with satly egg, but it was a no-go for the Italian.

Oyster omelette: too gooey for the Italiano

By the time we tried the steamed Rice Cake in bowl, he asked why everything was so starchy.

Seafood coffin was just "cosi cosi"

And look at the cemetry of chopsticks he created...( 4 chopsticks were used to eat this meal!)

The only thing that was finished were the noodles!

And for desert....shaved ice was well-received. This is banana strawberry chocolate ice cream on shaed ice. Finally! Something he liked!

Hopefully the next Taiwanese food will be a more enjoyable experience for him =)