Tomato and Tuna Pasta Salad

We have been getting a heat wave here in Singapore since end of January. The temperature is now reaching 35C with humidity in the mid 90s. In the evenings it drops down to about 26C which is still warm in my books. Local weather forecast reported that we had the least rainfall over the last 12 months. They have even advised citizens to ration water and take quick showers. Everyone seem to be flocking to get some relief either in air-conditioned shopping malls or to the swimming pools.

Over the last couple of weeks I have not baked much as I don't think any frosting can withstand this type of weather. I don't even dare to think of making anything with fondant as I am sure it'll just end up as one big mess! These few days I can only think of meals that are quick to prepare and a pasta salad seems ideal. This particular recipe is no-fuss, easy and can be made way beforehand. It can be served either warm, at room temperature and even cold from the fridge.





Tomato and Tuna Pasta Salad
Recipe Adapted from "Donna Hay's Summer Cool"
Serves 4
Print Recipe

Ingredients:

400g spaghettini
1 medium-sized can tuna chunks in brine
250g cherry tomatoes, halved
250g teardrop tomatoes, halved
200g green beans (french beans), blanched and sliced
1 1/2 loosely packed cup of mixed salad leaves (arugula, rocket, radicchio, spinach)
1 clove garlic, crushed and minced finely
1/4 lemon juice
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil (add more if required)
Salt and cracked black pepper to taste

Method:

1) Cook the pasta in a saucepan of salted boiling water for 10-12 minutes or ntil al dente. Drain, refresh under cold water and set aside.

2) Break the tuna chunks into smaller pieces.

3) In a large mixing bowl, add the cooled pasta, tuna chunks, tomato, beans and mxed salad.

4) Add the minced garlic, lemon juice, zest, white wine vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Toss to combine. Add more olive oil if required.

Sphaghettini with Lemon, Prosciutto and Chilli

I'm currently so into Bill Grainger's cook books. I love the way his books are styled, the simple no frills type of recipes, crisp writing and pictures that are simple and clean. I used to try and catch his cook shows on telly whenever I could over the weekends but unfortunately they don't air it anymore. Such a shame! From watching his cooking shows, I fell in love with his home. Especially so his kitchen! Imagine having a kitchen that is dressed all in white and with huge windows all around, lots of natural light streaming in and with an ocean view to die for. I happened to mention Bill Grainger to my boss one day and I almost fell off my chair when she replied that she knows him, have been to his house on a couple of occassions and even had a meal at his place. How wild can that be!



Sphaghettini with Lemon, Prosciutto and Chilli
Recipe adapted from Bills Food by Bill Grainger
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium size fresh red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
12 slices prosciutto, cut into thin strips (I used parma ham and grilled bacon as prosciutto was way too expensive)
1 1/2 Tbsp grated lemon zest
3 cloves raw garlic, finely minced
250g rocket leaves, shredded
3 sprigs of fresh basil, shredded
400g good quality dried thin spaghettini

Method:

1) Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, chilli, garlic and some salt and pepper in a bowl to blend.

2) Put the prosciutto, lemon zest, rocket leaves and basil leaves in a bowl and toss to combine.

3) Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the spaghettini and cook until al dente. Drain and add to the prosciutto, rocket and basil. Pour the dressing over and toss to combine.

4) Transfer to a large serving dish or divide among four bowls. Serve whilst still warm with some crusty garlic bread and side salad.

Fresh Basil Pesto

My husband has scored again this weekend ... now don't you think of anything that is naughty! I meant to say that I've decided to try out a new pasta dish (one of his fav foods). Something simple and entirely very fresh .... a fresh basil pesto. I was searching through Tastespotting and there are quite a few recipes found in their site. By the way if you have not discovered Tastespotting, where have you been all this time! There is a wealth of recipes in this online library and you get to discover this huge group of talented bloggers from all over the world as well.


I finally settled on a recipe from David Lebovitz and decided to try his method of making pesto. Instead of using a food processor as with most recipes I had come across, David used a mortar and pestle to pound all the ingredients. I thought to myself I could do this. Back home in Malaysia, when we were very young, my mum would make curry paste by pounding all the ingredients in a mortar. This is the traditional way and the pounding action brings the ingredients together. Somehow or other, the curries always tasted more delicious using this old fashion method. But nowadays, who has the time to do this especially when a food processor does the trick in less than 2 minutes. However I must agree that the old fashion method does build up some (not a whole lot though) biceps. I had bought my mortar and pestle about 6 years ago when I was back home in Malaysia and so far have not used it very often. I learnt recently from a local cook program, that the best way to season a new pestle is to pound it with some cooked rice for about 10 to 15 minutes. The cooked rice will help to pick up any residual sand or dust particles from the new pestle. After that just rinse the pestle with some warm water and you are ready to go.

I used the pesto for a simple penne dish topped with freshly grated parmesan, with a side of streaky bacon and a plate of toasted garlic bread .. simply delicious!



Fresh Basil Pesto
Recipe from David Lebowitz
(Makes about 1 cup - serves 4)

Ingredients:

2 cloves garlic, peeled (I used an extra 2 cloves and the pesto had a distinct bite to it. Suggest you use 2 cloves only)
3/4 tsp coarse sea salt
5 cups (20g) loosely-packed fresh basil leaves (washed and dry)
5 Tbsp (75ml) olive oil
2 ounces (60g) grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (30g) pine nuts, toasted (I toasted mine in a frying pan, too lazy to turn on the oven)

Method:

1) Smash the garlic and salt together in a mortar and pestle until smooth.

2) Coarsely chop the basil leaves, then add them to the mortar and pounding them into the garlic as you add them.

3) Once well-mashed, when they've become a fairly-smooth paste, pound in the olive oil, adding it a spoonful at a time, until well-incorporated.

4) Lastly, pound in the cheese, then the pine nuts.

5) Continue mashing everything for a few minutes until the pesto is as smooth as possible.

Notes:

Fresh pesto should be served within a day or two after it's made. Otherwise the garlic can become overpowering. It can also be frozen for a few months, if well-wrapped.

If using a mini-chopper, or similar device, simply blitz all the ingredients together until as smooth as possible.

Lasagna of Emilia-Romagna presented by Daring Bakers

This month’s March 2009 challenge is hosted by Mary of Beans and Caviar, Melinda of Melbourne Larder and Enza of Io Da Grande. They have chosen Lasagna of Emilia-Romagna from Lynne Rossetto Kasper's The Splendid Table as the challenge.

When I read the details, I was particular excited as it reminded me of the time when we were asked to make pizza from scratch, including tossing the pizza dough. In this month’s challenge, we were required to hand make our own spinach pasta and this happens to be the main criteria. This is one task which I certainly would not have attempted from scratch especially when there is easily available pasta in the supermarkets, both fresh and dried. This particular the lasagna has to be accompanied with a béchamel (white) and ragu sauce, either using the recipes provided by our hosts or using our own favourites. Lynne had also kindly included instructions on how to roll the pasta for those of us who do not own a pasta machine … me being one of them! At first I thought of running out and buying a pasta machine but after weighing the pros/cons, decided against it. Hmmm how many times would I be using it any way! Nah .... certainly not worth spending the money!

I used the spinach pasta and béchamel sauce recipes provided but substituted the ragu sauce with my own version. I think the rolling of the pasta was the most difficult of all. I tried to get it as thin as possible and this took some bicep strength. I also didn’t use all the flour that was required for the pasta and omitted about ½ cup out. The dough was already quite dry by then. I think (and I’m not an expert at this) this could be due to the type of flour used and room temperature conditions. When it came to assembling, I followed my own version of layering, plus adding mozzarella in addition to parmesan for the lasagna. However I must have been a bit too over generous with layering the béchamel, ragu sauce and cheese, and these somewhat overwhelmed the spinach pasta. Next time, I’m be way less generous! Overall this is an excellent recipe and the lasagna was delicious. The spinach pasta was very delicate and I found that it’s as good as any found in an Italian restaurant. Many thanks to our March hosts for coming up with another challenging experience and another acquired skill for me.



Lasagna of Emilia-Romagna (Lasagna Verdi al Forno)
(Serves 8 to 10 as a first course, 6to 8 as a main dish)

10 quarts (9 litres) salted water
1 recipe Spinach Pasta cut for lasagna (recipe below)
1 recipe Béchamel Sauce (recipe below)
1 recipe Meat Ragu (recipe below)
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (parmesan)
2 cups grated mozzarella

Working Ahead:

The ragu and the béchamel sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The ragu can also be frozen for up to one month. The pasta can be rolled out, cut and dried up to 24 hours before cooking. The assembled lasagna can wait at room temperature (20 degrees Celsius/68 degrees Fahrenheit) about 1 hour before baking. Do not refrigerate it before baking, as the topping of béchamel and cheese will overcook by the time the center is hot.

Assembling the Ingredients:

Have all the sauces, rewarmed gently over a medium heat, and the pasta at hand. Have a large perforated skimmer and a large bowl of cold water next to the stove. Spread a double thickness of paper towels over a large counter space.

Cooking the Pasta:

Bring the salted water to a boil. Drop about four pieces of pasta in the water at a time. Cook about 2 minutes. If you are using dried pasta, cook about 4 minutes, taste, and cook longer if necessary. The pasta will continue cooking during baking, so make sure it is only barely tender. Lift the lasagna from the water with a skimmer, drain, and then slip into the bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, lift out and dry on the paper towels. Repeat until all the pasta is cooked.

Assembling the Lasagna:

Spread a thin layer of béchamel over the bottom of the baking dish. Arrange a layer of about four overlapping sheets of pasta over the béchamel. Spread a thin layer ragu sauce on top of the sheets. After that sprinkle about 3 or 4 spoonfuls of béchamel sauce. You do not need to spread the béchamel sauce as it will spread out whilst cooking. Then top with 1/3 of the mozzarella. Repeat the layers until all ingredients are used, finishing with béchamel sauce and mozzarella and your final topping would be a generous dusting of parmesan. (I used only half my ingredients and assembled it into a 3-layer lasagna, using a 10” x 10” square pan. I saved the rest for the day after.)



Baking and Serving the Lasagna:

Preheat the oven to 200C. Cover the baking dish lightly with foil, taking care not to let it touch the top of the lasagna. Bake 40 minutes, or until almost heated through. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes, or until hot in the center (test by inserting a knife – if it comes out very warm, the dish is ready). Take care not to brown the cheese topping. It should be melted, creamy looking and barely tinged with a little gold. Turn off the oven, leave the door ajar and let the lasagna rest for about 10 minutes. Then serve. This is not a solid lasagna, but a moist one that slips a bit when it is cut and served.

Spinach Egg Pasta (Pasta Verde)
Preparation: 45 minutes
Makes enough for 6 to 8 first course servings or 4 to 6 main course servings, equivalent to 450g dried boxed pasta.

2 jumbo eggs (60g or more)
300g fresh spinach, rinsed dry, and finely chopped; or 170g frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
3 1/2 cups (400g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour (organic stone ground preferred)

Working by Hand:
Equipment

A roomy work surface, 24 to 30 inches deep by 30 to 36 inches (60cm to 77cm deep by 60cm to 92cm). Any smooth surface will do, but marble cools dough slightly, making it less flexible than desired.

A pastry scraper and a small wooden spoon for blending the dough.
A wooden dowel-style rolling pin. In Italy, pasta makers use one about 35 inches long and 2 inches thick (89cm long and 5cm thick). The shorter American-style pin with handles at either end can be used, but the longer it is, the easier it is to roll the pasta.

Plastic wrap to wrap the resting dough and to cover rolled-out pasta waiting to be filled. It protects the pasta from drying out too quickly.

A sharp chef’s knife for cutting pasta sheets.

Cloth-covered chair backs, broom handles, or specially designed pasta racks found in cookware shops for draping the pasta. (I used the oven’s baking rack for this purpose)


Mixing the dough:

Mound the flour in the center of your work surface and make a well in the middle. Add the eggs and spinach. Use a wooden spoon to beat together the eggs and spinach. Then gradually start incorporating shallow scrapings of flour from the sides of the well into the liquid. As you work more and more flour into the liquid, the well’s sides may collapse. Use a pastry scraper to keep the liquids from running off and to incorporate the last bits of flour into the dough. Don’t worry if it looks like a hopelessly rough and messy lump.


Kneading:

With the aid of the scraper to scoop up unruly pieces, start kneading the dough. Once it becomes a cohesive mass, use the scraper to remove any bits of hard flour on the work surface – these will make the dough lumpy. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes. Its consistency should be elastic and a little sticky. If it is too sticky to move easily, knead in a few more tablespoons of flour. Continue kneading about 10 minutes, or until the dough has become satiny, smooth, and very elastic. It will feel alive under your hands. Do not shortcut this step. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and let it relax at room temperature 30 minutes to 3 hours.



Stretching and Thinning:

If using an extra-long rolling pin work with half the dough at a time. With a regular-length rolling pin, roll out a quarter of the dough at a time and keep the rest of the dough wrapped. Lightly sprinkle a large work surface with flour. The idea is to stretch the dough rather than press down and push it. Shape it into a ball and begin rolling out to form a circle, frequently turning the disc of dough a quarter turn. As it thins outs, start rolling the disc back on the pin a quarter of the way toward the center and stretching it gently sideways by running the palms of your hands over the rolled-up dough from the center of the pin outward. Unroll, turn the disc a quarter turn, and repeat. Do twice more.

Stretch and even out the center of the disc by rolling the dough a quarter of the way back on the pin. Then gently push the rolling pin away from you with one hand while holding the sheet in place on the work surface with the other hand. Repeat three more times, turning the dough a quarter turn each time.

Repeat the two processes as the disc becomes larger and thinner. The goal is a sheet of even thickness. For lasagna, the sheet should be so thin that you can clearly see your hand through it and see colours. Cut into rectangles about 4 by 8 inches (10 x 20 cm).

Dry the pasta at room temperature and store in a sealed container or bag.

Basic Ragu Sauce:
(serves 6 - 8 as main course)

Ingredients:

200g of minced beef (or substitute with any other minced meat)
200g streaky bacon (sliced into strips)
300g mixed variety of sausages (Cumberland, bratwurst, Italian) casing removed and lightly mixed the meat together
1 medium size carrot, roughly diced
2 stalks of celery, roughly diced
1 large onion, roughly diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 x 400g can of stewed chopped tomatoes
4 Tbsp tomato paste
3/4 cup of canned or freshly prepared stock (beef, chicken or vegetable stock. Alternatively you could use either red/white wine or just water)
Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
1 Tbsp of dried Italian herbs to taste
2 dried bay leaves (or 3 fresh ones)

Method:

1) Add oil to pan, and fry the bacon until lightly browned.

2) Add into the same pan, the diced onion and garlic, fry for about 1 minute. Then add in all the diced vegetables and cook for about 2 minutes.

3) Add the minced beef and sausages with the vegetables and fry for about 8 to 10 minutes, until the juices start to seep out. Then add in the canned tomatoes and bay leaves, and stir for about a minute or 2.

4) Then add in the stock and tomato paste. After that cook over low fire, simmering for about 10 minutes and then add in the salt, pepper and herbs to taste. Cover the pot and let it gently simmer for another 20 minutes, and taste. Add more seasoning if insufficient.

Béchamel Sauce
Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

60g unsalted butter
4 Tbsp (60g) all purpose unbleached (plain) flour, organic stone ground preferred
2 and 2/3 cups (approx 570ml) milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste (I used store bought nutmeg powder)

Method:

Using a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Sift in the flour, whisk until smooth, and then stir (without stopping) for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk a little at a time and keep the mixture smooth. Bring to a slow simmer, and stir 3 to 4 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and a hint of nutmeg. Once cooked, take off stove. Cut a piece of cling wrap film and cover the top of the sauce to prevent it from form forming a skin.

Vongole Sauce

My husband always says to me, "give me any pasta and I'll be a happy man". That's almost his precise words and it is true! His favourite Italian food has to be pasta and pizza - the 2 basic Ps. So this particular weekend I decided I'll cook his first favourite dish, pasta. I had quite a few bottles of white wine lying around (it's the cheap white wine) which would be just nice to be added into a pasta sauce.

The only sauce that I could think of that would use white wine was vongole. It's a pretty simple pasta dish to put together and is certainly tasty enough. Vongole is basically small clams served in a rich tomato sauce and tossed with pasta. It makes up the classic southern Italian dish, sphaghetti vongole. Just be sure to boil your pasta with plenty of salt to flavour it and also remember never to rinse your cooked pasta after that. (Long time ago, I used to do this until I saw some cook shows which advises you against it. Why not, well the starch in the cooked pasta will help the sauce to stick to the sphaghetti).



Vongole Sauce
Adapated from "Pasta" by Joanna Farrow
(serves 4)
Ingredients:

1 kg small fresh clams
150 ml dry white wine
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1 tsp caster sugar
2 bay leaves (fresh or dried)
Small handful of flat leaf parsley chopped
Finely grated rind and juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp dried mixed Italian or spaghetti herbs
Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method:

1) Scrub the clams, discarding any damaged ones or open ones that do not close when tapped with a knife.

2) Bring the wine to the boil in a large. heavy-based saucepan. Tip in the clams cver with a tight-fitting lid and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. shaking the pan frequently until the shells have opened. Remove the clams, reserving the liquor, and sheel about half of them. discarding any that remain closed.

3) Heat the oil in a clean pan. Add the nion and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a further 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, bay leaves and the reserved clam liquor and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 10 minutes until the sauce is thickened and pulpy. Add the mixed herbs, salt and pepper to taste.

4) Stir in the clams, parsley and lemons rind and juice. Heat through for 1 minute. Check the seasoning and serve.

Better-Than-Ever Cheesy Meat Lasagna

It was one of those Friday nights when we would debate on whether to eat out or in. Such is life when simple decisions become a major issue!

Luckily I was in the mood to cook that evening. Simply because the weekend before I had accidentally added a container of low fat cottage cheese to my basket of groceries. I couldn't figure out what I could do with the cheese and resorted to the ever reliable INTERNET and came across a simple lasagna recipe.

Hmmm! Would you believe that I have not made lasagna before. There is always the first time and my motto is "if you don't try, you'll never know!" I grabbed the remaining ingredients from a nearby supermarket after I knocked off from work.

Upon reaching home, I cleared up a bit of the apartment, fed my two "boys" (my two shitzus that is) and started preparing the lasagna. The original recipe called for an hour cooking time but I shortened it to about 45 minutes and it still came out nicely baked. The lasagna turned out absolutely yummy! My husband who loves pasta had 3 huge servings before he was fully satisfied. This is an absolutely simple recipe to follow and I've already made a note to add this to my year-end Christmas luncheon.

Cheesy Meat Lasagna

Ingredients:

3/4 lb ground beef (you can substitute with minced chicken or pork)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium size onion, chopped
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 1/2 tsp mixed herbs
2 dried bay leaves
1 (26 ounce) bottle spaghetti sauce
1 can chopped tomatoes (drained)
1 egg
1 (16 ounce) container low fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
9 lasagna noodles, cooked, drained
1 1/2 cups grated reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated reduced-fat cheddar cheese
2 Tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 F or 180 C. Fry the onion and garlic in olive oil until soften. Add in the minced meat and brown for about 5 minutes. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, bay leaves and herbs, mix all ingredients together and simmer for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

2) Add in the canned tomatoes and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from stove and set aside.

3) Mix egg, cottage cheese and Parmesan cheese and divide this into 3 portions. Spread a thin layer of the spaghetti sauce mixture onto bottom of 13x9-inch baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles, 1/3 of the spaghetti sauce mixture, 1 portion of the cottage cheese mixture and sprinkle with a layer of mixed mozzarella and chedder cheese. Repeat with another 2 more layers until you have 3 layers of lasagna. The top layer should be the sprinkle of mozzarella and chedder cheese.

4) Cover the baking dish with foil so as not to burn the lasagna during the initial cooking stage.

5) Bake for 30 minute or until heated through. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10 - 15 minutes. During the last few minutes of baking time you can shread some basil leaves and sprinkle on top of the lasagna.

6) Remove from oven and stand for 5 minute. Serve with sprigs of basil.

Classic Pomodoro

My husband and I always have problem on week-ends as to whether we should eat in or out. He'll say "no worries dear, anything is fine with me - eat out is easier, then you won't have to cook". But even with eating out, we can't decide where .... can be frustrating at times!

The beauty of pasta is that from such a simple dish, an infinite variety of meals can be made. It adapts as easily to quick sauces as it does to long-simmering, thick ragus. This week-end I decided on a simple tomato base recipe. I used penne for this recipe.

We had recently gone for a health screening test and my husband's results came back showing that his cholestral level was above the maximum range. This is not good. The doctor said he's got to watch his diet and do more exercise.

I tweeked the original recipe a bit by added 150gm diced bacon, an additional onion, slightly more garlic (both of us love garlic), a cupful of sliced button mushrooms and a cupful of green peppers. The original recipe is as below.

Ingredients:

60 mil (1/4 cup) olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

3 x 400g (14 oz) cans chopped tomatoes

1 tablespoon tomato paste (puree) - add more if desired

bouquet garni (or you could use mixed Italian dried herbs)

3 tableshpoon torn basil leaves

freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve (optional)

Method:

1) Heat oil in a deep frying pan and cook the onion over medium heat for 4-5 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding the tomato, tomato paste, bouquet garni and some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the sauce thickens, stirring occassionally. Add the basil and if the sauce is too tart, a pinch of salt. Remove the bouquet garni.

2) Toss through the pasta and serve with grated Parmesan, if desired.

Variation:

To make a tomato and cream sauce, stir in 125 ml (1/2 cup) cream after removing the bouquet garni and simmer for a further 5 minutes.