Memories in the Cooking

Today, we are having Sunday Roast for Sunday lunch.  Ingredients: - 2kg Beef Chuck Roll - 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs  - 1 bulb of garlic, minced  - 3 tablespoons of soya sauce  - 1 teaspoon of salt - 1 tablespoon of mixed herbs  - 3 tablespoons of mustard sauce  - 2 onions  - 3 carrots  Procedures: 1) Make a half-way cut into the beef roll. Marinate it for 24 hours in soya sauce and half of the minced garlic.  2) In a pan, fry the minced garlic with salt, mixed herbs and breadcrumbs until fragrant.  3) Stuff this breadcrumb mix into the cut of the beef roll. Tie it up with twine.  4) Coat the outside of the beef roll with mustard sauce.  5) Place the onions and carrots on the baking tray. Place roasted beef roll on the vegetables.  6) Roast it at 180 degree celsius until the inner temperature is 60 degree celsius. This will take around 2 hours. Let the beef roll rest.  7) Deglaze the vegetable and beef drippings to ...

The first time I tried this dish is at my sister's place. I immediately liked the refreshing taste from the lemon and fresh basil. This dish is so simple to prepare but so yummy.  Ingredients: - 3 large lemons, extract the juice and grate the zest  - 125g of grated parmesan cheese  - 100g of fresh basil  - 250g of spaghetti - a handful of rocket vegetable  - olive oil  - 1 teaspoon of sea salt  - 1 teaspoon of black pepper  Procedures: 1) Cook the spaghetti according to the package instruction.  2) To the drained spaghetti, stir in lemon juice and zest, olive oil, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, some basil. 3) Place them on a serving plate and top up with more fresh basil and rocket leaves. 

I find the traditional recipe of Porchetta is quite time consuming some it involves slow roasting for several hours. Hence, I improvise slightly and take some reference from the chinese roasted pork recipe.  Ingredients: - 1.4 kg of pork belly, butterflied - 2 teaspoons of salt - pepper - 1 tablespoon of Italian mixed herbs - 3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs - 1 onion, diced - 1 bulb of garlic, minced Procedures: 1) Score the pork belly skin. Cut the meatside slightly so that it can absorb the flavours from the stuffing better later. Coat the skin with about 2 tablespoons of salt.  2) In a frying pan, add some vegetable oil. Fry onions and garlic until fragrant. Add herbs and breadcrumbs. (Optional: Add chicken liver). Leave the breadcrumbs mix to cool until room temperature. 3) Scoop the breadcrumbs on the pork belly (meat side). Roll up the pork belly and secure it with cooking twine. 4) Leave it in the fridge overnight. Air-dry the pork skin the next day before roasting...

This Baked Salmon dish is so pretty that it can be a centre-piece for a Christmas meal. Ingredients: - salt - 2 tablespoons of honey  - pepper  - 100g of butter  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - 100g cream cheese, soften at room temperature - 125g Spinach  - a handful cranberries  - a handful nuts, chopped  Procedures: 1) Cook spinach over a non-stick pan until soft.  2) Mix spinach with cream cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.  3) Add butter to the pan and melt it. Add 2 tablespoons of honey. Add minced garlic. Add salt for taste.  4) Place salmon on a baking tray. Pour butter-honey sauce over it. Cover it with a baking paper. Bake at 180 degree for 15 minutes.  5) Place the fish on a serving board. Spread spinach cream cheese on it.  6) Sprinkle some dried cranberries and chopped nuts. Serve. 

Roasted Pork Knuckles always have the power to impress. I used to get this cut for German Pork Knuckles from NTUC in AMK Hub. Since I had moved out from Ang Mo Kio, I realise that I could not find this cut in other supermarkets. Recently, I managed to find it at the butchery in Sheng Song. So happy! Ingredients:  - 1 pork knuckle  - salt  - garlic  Procedures:  1) Pat dry a washed pork knuckle. Use 3 satay sticks to hold the pork skin in place.  2) Fan dry the pork knuckle. Apply a layer of salt on the pork skin.  3) Roast it in the oven at 180 degree celsius for 1 hour. Scrap away the layer of salt.  4) Roast again at 250 degree celsius until the skin is crispy. Serve with mustard sauce. 

My eldest son just ended his PSLE. For celebration, he requested for Tomahawk Steak. Tomahawk Steak is certainly harder to execute compared to the usual ones.  Ingredients: - 1 Tomahawk Steak  - 1 bulb of garlic crushed  - 5 tablespoons of soya sauce  - crush pepper and herbs  - mayonnaise  - mustard sauce  Procedures: 1) Marinate Tomahawk Steak for more than 24 hours in a soya sauce and crushed garlic.  2) Before cooking, take it out from the fridge and let it settle to room temperature.  3) Wipe the steak with kitchen towel to absorb excess marinate.  4) Coat it with crush pepper and herbs mixture.  5) Place on a baking tray, coat the beef with olive oil.  6) Roast it in the oven for 1 hour at 130 degree celsius.  7) Sear the steak on a griddle pan.  8) Add the marinate and beef juice to a sauce pan. Add some mayonnaise and mustard to make a sauce.  

My youngest son loves to ask the family questions to find out about our favourite things. Once, he asked his father "Papa, what is your favourite animal?" We were expecting answers such as dogs (man's best friend) or lions (king of the jungle), but my husband cheekily replied "cows". Of course, the man loves his beef. So, for the Papa who loves cows, this steak sandwich is specially for him. Ingredients: - 300g of stirloin steak - butter - 2 garlic, crushed - 2 tablespoons of light soya sauce - 4 large red onions - 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar - 1.5 tablespoons of sugar - salad vegetable - 200g of Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced Procedures: 1) Marinate stirloin steak with light soya sauce and crushed garlic overnight.  2) To a frying pan, add olive oil. When the oil is heated, place the steak on the pan for 2 minutes. 4) Turn the steak over. Add a knob of butter. Bath the steak with the melted butter. This step should around 2 minutes. 5) R...

Another dish that my elder boy requested for his post-PSLE meal - Foie Gras.  Ingredients: - 4 slices of Foie Gras (pat-dry with kitchen towel) - butter  - balsamic vinegar  - pepper  - salt  - honey  Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, add butter until it is foaming and smoking hot.  2) Add Foie Gras and pan-fry it for 1 mins on each side.  3) Place it on a bed of salad vegetables. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and honey. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper. 

I have always like cheesy and creamy food. This dish adds to my repertoire for such food. The ingredients are also very affordable.  Ingredients: - 1 tray of bread rolls - 1 can of nestle cream  - 2 parts of milk (using the cream can for measurement)  - 300g of mozzarella cheese  - 2 tablespoons of flour Procedures:  1) In a saucepan, bring the cream and milk to a boil.  2) In 200g of the mozzarella cheese, mix in the flour. 3) Add the cheese and flour to the cream and milk. Stir until the sauce thickens.  4) Add salt and pepper to desired taste.  5) Slice the bread rolls into half. Lay half the bread rolls on the baking tray.  6) Spread half the cream sauce on the bread rolls. Add a layer of ham on the cream sauce. Top it up with the other layer of the bread rolls.  7) Spread the other half of the cream sauce on the bread rolls.  8) Sprinkle a layer of cheese on the cream sauce. Cover the baking tray with aluminum foil.  9) Ba...

When I was living in UK several years ago, I was amazed at how my church friends were able to host simple home parties straight after Sunday church services. Didn't they need time to whip up the meals? That was when I opened my eyes to the method of slow cooking. Pulled Pork Burger is a dish that allows you to be 4 hours away from home as it cooks itself. Ingredients: - 1 kg of pork shoulder  - 2 teaspoon salt - pepper - citrus juice (apple juice or orange juice or even kombucha) or coke(enough to cover the pork)  - half a bottle of BBQ sauce  - 1 teaspoon of mixed herbs  - 8 hamburger buns  - 8 poached eggs  - salad and fruits  Procedures:  1) Place the pork shoulder in a crocked pot.  2) Add salt, pepper, herbs and citrus juice/coke and let it cook for 4 hours at auto mode.  3) Shred the tendered pork in a large mixing bowl. Add BBQ sauce.  4) Assemble the pulled pork between the hamburger buns....

What would be a good dish to cook for Good Friday? Roasted Lamb Leg - to commemorate the Lamb of God who died for our sins. Ingredients: - 2.5kg lamb leg without bone - 2 bulbs of garlic - 1 onion, sliced - sea salt, mixed Italian herbs - 5 tablespoons of breadcrumbs  - brining solution - half a cup of sugar and half a cup of salt and water - mustard sauce  Procedures: 1) Brine the lamb leg for about 2 days in brining solution.  2) Cut a slit across the lamb leg for the stuffing later.  3) In a frying pan, add minced garlic, chopped onions and fry until fragrant. Add herbs, salt and breadcrumbs. Mix well.  4) Place the stuffing in the slit of the lamb leg. Roll up the lamb leg with the stuffing. Use a twine to hold the lamb roll in place.  5) Using a knife, make many small incisions in the lamb leg and insert garlic pieces into them. 6) Coat the lamb leg with mustard sauce. Cover the lamb with any leftover breadcrumbs stuffings.  7) Roast...

We brought this starter to a New Year Eve Dinner Party tonight. We prepared the cream cheese spread and assembled it at the party. So here you are, last dish of the Year 2020. A starter dish recipe to end the year.  Ingredients: - 1 box of cracker  - 150g of cream cheese  - 2 tablespoons of pickled cucumber  - lemon juice from half a lemon  - 1 clove of garlic, minced  - 100g of smoked salmon with dill  Procedures: 1) Mix cream cheese with pickled cucumber, lemon juice and minced garlic.  2) Spread the cream cheese mix on a piece of cracker and top up with a piece of smoked salmon. 

Here is another yummy 'ang-mo' soup - Cream of Corn and Potato Soup.  Ingredients: - 2 cans of corns  - 1 kg of potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks - 1 onion, diced  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - half a teaspoon of Italian mixed herbs  - 2 chicken cubes  - pepper  - 1 can of nestle cream  Procedures: 1) In a pot, add some vegetable oil and fry onions and garlic until fragrant.  2) Add potatoes and fry until cooked.  3) Add corn and mix well.  4) Add boiling water until it just covers the ingredients. Let the ingredients simmer until soft.  5) Blend the soup using a hand blender.  6) Add chicken cubes, herbs and pepper to taste.  7) Add cream and mix well. Serve. 

I cooked this dish for Christmas lunch and it was a hit. To tenderise the meat, I actually marinated the beef in soya sauce and garlic overnight. However, no one could detect or would have guessed the secret to this dish.   Ingredients: - 2 steaks, 2 itch thick, 400g each  - 2 tablespoon of light soya sauce  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - a lot of grounded black pepper  - 1 can of nestle cream  - 1 tablespoon of mustard  - 1 beef cube  - cognac (optional)  Procedures: 1) Marinate beef steaks with light soya sauce and minced garlic overnight.  2) Pat dry the marinate. Coat each steak with ground pepper.  3) In a frying pan, add olive oil. Pan fry the steak until the desired doneness. Place the steak on the meat board to rest.  4) Pour away the excess olive but do not scrap the black pepper from the pan.  5) Add cream, mustard, beef cube and make a creamy sauce. Add cognac if preferred. Serve.  

This recipe of Potato Gratin takes a shorter time (about 30 minutes) as compared to the usual ones (about 1.5 hours) as it was first cooked in the pan rather than entirely oven-baked. I personally also feel that it is also creamier with the potatos first cooked in the cheese sauce. I have also added some smoked duck to transform this side dish to an one-dish meal. Ingredients:  - 7 Russet potatos, sliced  - 2 cups of whole milk  - 1 tablespoon of flour  - 1 large onion, sliced  - 1 bulb garlic, crushed  - 1 tablespoon of mixed Italian herbs  - 1 chicken cube  - smoked/roasted meat (smoked duck in this recipe) - pepper - parmeasan cheese - mozzarella cheese Procedures:  1) To a frying pan, add some vegetable oil. Fry onions until fragrant.  2) Add flour and fry until slight brown. Add milk to form a thick sauce.  3) Add the roasted/smoked meat, garlic, herbs, chicken cube, pepper, parmesan chee...

This fish soup is similar to a chowder. It has so much ingredients that it can be eaten as a meal.  Ingredients: - 300g of salmon, cut into cubes  - 2 carrots, diced  - 2 russet potatoes, diced - 2 stalks of leeks, diced  - 1 cup of milk  - 1 cup of fish stock (or dissolve 2 fish cubes in water) - 1 can of nestle cream  Procedures: 1) In a pan, add vegetable oil and fry leek until caramelized.  2) Add carrots and potatoes and fry until soft.  3) Add fish stock and let it simmer for 5 minutes.  4) Add cream and milk. Mix well.  5) Add salmon and turn off the fire. Let the salmon poach for 15 mins until cooked. Serve. 

Yesterday, my family had a Nordic countries theme day and we cooked Nordic/Scandinivian food throughout the day. We had this baked salmon with mustard, lemon and dill sauce for lunch. It was amazing.  Ingredients: - about 600g of salmon filet  - 2 tablespoons of mustard sauce  - chopped dill - 1 lemon Procedures: 1) Place wash and pat dry salmon fillet on a baking tray.  2) In a mixing bowl, mix lemon juice (of half a lemon), mustard sauce and dill.  3) Spread the mix on the salmon fillet.  4) Lay a few slices of lemon on top of the fillet.  5) Bake at 180 degree celsius for 25-30 minutes. Serve. 

This is a yummy starter. The sauce goes well with freshly baked bread too!  Ingredients: 1) Potatoes or sweet potatoes (mashed or cube)  2) 4 Chorizos, sliced  3) 1 tablespoon of paprika  4) 1 teaspoon of salt 5) 1 chili, chopped  6) 1 bulb of garlic, minced 7) olive oil Procedures: 1) In a frying pan, fry potatoes until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Set aside.  2) Add about 2 tablespoon of olive oil to frying pan. Heat it up. Add minced garlic, chopped chili, paprika and salt. Fry until fragrant.  3) Add chorizo slices and fry until cooked.  4) Add potatoes. Mix well and serve.  

This is a cheat recipe - making ravioli using dumpling skin. This combination of beef and ricotta filling and sundried tomato pesto is awesome. It tastes both creamy and tangy.  Ingredients: - 26 dumpling skins (for 13 huge pieces of ravioli) - 300g of minced beef  - 200g of ricotta cheese  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - 100g of sun-dried tomatoes - a cup of sunflower seeds  - salt and pepper  - 1 teaspoon of corn flour  - olive oil - fresh spinach leaves Procedures:  1) Add cornflour to minced beef. Stir-fry minced beef and half of the minced garlic in a pan.  Season with salt and pepper. Let it cool.  2) In a mixing bowl, mix beef with ricotta cheese.  3) Place a tablespoon of beef and ricotta mix between 2 pieces of dumpling skins.  4) In a pot of boiling water, cook the ravioli.  5) Place them on individual serving plates and drizzle with olive oil.  6) Blend sun-dried tomatoes, minced garlic, sunflower seeds and...

My hubby and I recently had this dish during our date. We both loved the smokiness and tanginess of the dish. So, I am re-creating it at home today.  Ingredients:  - 300g of back bacon, cut into strips  - 400g of penne  - 3 king oyster mushroom, cut into strips  - 100g of sundried tomatoes - a handful of sunflower seeds (alternatives include pine nuts or any nuts, even peanuts) - 3 tomatoes, chopped - 1 can of pastata  - 4 cloves of garlic, minced  - salt and pepper  - a handful of cheese  Procedures:  1) Cook penne according to package instructions. Set aside with a scope of the pasta water.  2) Blend sunflower seeds, sun-dried tomatoes and fresh tomatoes to get the pesto.  3) In a frying pan, dry-fry the bacon until fat is rendered from it and it become crispy.  4) Add minced garlic. Stir well.  5) Add mushrooms and stir well. Cook until soft.  6) Add tomato pesto and pastata. Add salt and pepper to taste....