Rich Beef and Mushroom Lasagne

Oven Baked Chicken Risotto ( healthy and lazy version)

Quick and easy, suits my lazy night's dinner for the family. It was quite good.

Beef and spinach Cannelloni

                                                             It's really yummy!

  Recipe: goodfood
     Ingredients
     Filling
     1 tbsp olve oil
     1 onion, chopped
     1 clove garlic, crushed
     500g beef mince
     250g frozen spinach, thawed
     3 tbsp tomato paste
     1/2  cup (125g)  ricotta
     1 egg
     1/2 tespoon ground oregano

     Bechamel sauce
     1 cup (250ml) milk
     1 sprig fresh parsley
     5 peppercorns
     30g butter
     1 tbsp plain flour
     1/2 cup (125ml) cream

     Tomato sauce
     425g can tomato puree
     2 tbsps chopped fresh basil
     1 clove garlic, crushed
     1/2 teaspoon sugar

     12-15 instant cannelloni tubes
     1 cup (150g) grated mozarella
     1/2 cup (60g) grated Parmesan

some of the ingredients

For filling:  all well mixed together and set aside

                                             

For Bechamel sauce:  cook until it thickens

For tomato sauce:  simmer for 5 minutes, set aside

spoon filling into the tubes using piping bag

spoon a little tomato sauce in the base of the dish.
arrange cannelloni tubes on top

pour bechamel sauce over the cannelloni, follow by tomato sauce
last, sprinkle cheese over the top

   Methods
   1.  Preheat oven to 180C.  Lightly oil a large shallow ovenproof dish.

   2.  To make filling:  heat oil on low heat, add onion and garlic, stir until garlic is tender. Add the mince and brown well, breaking any lumps with a fork as it cooks.  Add the spinach and tomato paste. Cook, stirring for 1 minute.  Remove from heat. Mix together the ricotta, egg, oregano and some salt and pepper.  Add to the mince mixture and stir well.  Set aside.

   3.  To make Bechamel sauce:  Put milk, parsley and peppercorn in a small pan.  Bring to boil.  Remove form the heat and cool for 10 minutes.  Strain, discarding flavourings.  Melt butter in a small pan and stir in the flour.  Cook, stir for a minute.  Remove from the heat.  Gradually blend in the strained milk, strirring until smooth.  Return to the heat and cook, stirring constantly over medium heat, until the sauce boils and thickens.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.  Add the cream and season with salt and pepper.

   4.  To make tomate sauce:  Put all the ingredients in a pan and bring to boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

   5.  Spoon the filling into a pipping bag and fill the cannelloni tubes  ( or fill with a teaspoon ).

   6.  Spoon a little tomato sauce in the base of the dish.  Arrange the cannelloni on top.

   7.  Pour Bechamel sauce over the cannelloni, followed by the remaining tomato sauce.  Sprinkle the combined cheeses over th top.  Bake for 30- 35 minutes, or until golden.
note:  I placed a metal pan filled with boiling water, on the lowest shelf of the oven throughout baking.

Homemade Korean rice cake

                                                    Fun to make, quick and easy.

      The recipe requested for short grain rice,  the kind of rice that you use to make sushi.  Apparently it is quite difficult to buy them.  I was lucky that my local Korean grocery lady helped and got me some from her rice cake supplier :)

      Of course, we can always homemade rice powder.  You can make lots of it at one go and freeze them for months.  Here is the method.

Recipe: Maangchi.com
Ingredients
2 cups short grain rice flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup boiling water if using microwave, 1 cup boiling water if using a steamer ( you may need more, or less depending on how much moisture in your short grain rice flour)
1 teaspoon sesame oil


Methods
1.  If you bought frozen rice flour from the Korean grocery store, keep in the fridge to thaw them. If you are making your own rice flour, you can omit it.


 Making rice cake with microwave
 1.  Combine rice flour, salt and boiling water in a bowl. Mix well.
 2.  Cover it with a plastic wrap, leave a small gap to let the steam release.  Microwave for 2 minutes.
 3.  Give it a good mix using a rice scoop or wooden spoon.
 4.  Cover again and cook for another 2 minutes.
 5.  Spread 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil on your cutting board.  Pound the rice cake with a pestle about 5 minutes until it becomes smooth and elastic.


Making rice cake with steamer:
 1.  Combine the rice flour, salt and boiling water in a bowl.
 2.  Line a steamer with parchment paper.  Add the rice cake dough and steam about 25 minutes over high heat.
 3.  Now, follow 3. 4. 5. method for microwave above to complete the procedure.


To prepare rice cake for ddeokbokki:
 1.  Cut into 8 equal pieces, roll each to a 4inch long cyclinder shaped rice cake.
 2.  Rub hands with sesame oil, gently coat them all to keep them from sticking to each other as well as for the aroma.


 To prepare rice cake for ddeokguk (rice cake soup)
 1.  Cut into 2 equal pieces, roll each to 10 inch long cyclinder shaped rice cake.
 2.  Let cool in room temperature for several hours, slice diagonally into thin discs.
 3.  Use right away, or keep in plastic bag, freeze for later use.  This amount is for 1 serving of ddeokguk, for two bowls of soup, you need two batches of this.


                                                             short grain rice powder

I am using the microwave method here

now this is ready for rolling, dividing and shaping rice cake

let cool a little, pound them first

fun part starts here, rolling and dividing...
(please check out the links above for detailed pictures, I just forgot to snap more photos here)

OK all done,  these would be for my "hot spicy ddeokbokki".

another batch here

 plastic knife would work well

Good for Korean rice cake soup (ddeokguk) which I am going to make soon..or,
 Shanghainese Fried Nian Gao ?

 

Angel Hair Pasta with creamy garlic prawns

                                           Another delicious quick midweek dinner :)

         Recipe: Goodfood
     Ingredients ( serves 4)
     2 tablespoons olive oil
     16 raw prawns (shrimps), peeled and deveined  ( I had a kilo prawns)
     1 leek, chopped
     6 garlic cloves, crushed
     1/2 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
     1/2 cup ( 125ml)  dry white wine
     200ml whipping cream
     250g angel hair pasta
     3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley  ( I used dried ones)

Main ingredients

Cook through, cover and keep warm...

Cook through, cover and keep warm..

Cook the leek until softened, then add the garlic and chilli flakes and the wine

Add the cream and simmer until just thickened

Last, sauce added to the pasta, stir to coat..

     Method   

     1.  Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan, season the prawns with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until cooked through. Remove from the pan, cover and keep warm.

     2.  Heat the remaining oil in the same pan. add the leek and cook, stirring, over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened.  Add the garlic and chilli flakes and stir for 1 minute.  Pour in the wine, reduce the heat and simmer for 4 minutes, or until reduced.  Add the cream and simmer for 3 minutes, or until just thickened.

    3.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large saucepan of rapidly boiling salted water until al dente.  Drain well and return to keep warm.  Stir the parsley into the sauce and season well.  Add the sauce to the pasta and stir to coat.  Divide the pasta among bowls and top with the prawns.

note: I added salt to the pasta ( my own)

Chicken and Mushroom Risotto

    I bought a free-range roast chicken for this recipe.  Risotto is my children's favourite dish, with this homemade food I can have control over the amount of parmesan and oil used.




 Recipe from: Taste.com 
 Ingredients (slight alteration)

  2.5L (10 cups) Real Chicken Stock
  40g butter
  125ml (1/2 cup) olive oil ( I reduced quite a bit )
  2 brown onions, finely chopped
  880g (4 cups) Arborio Risotto Rice
  1 and 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves ( I used dried parsley instead)
  125ml (1/2 cup) dry white wine
  6 (about 500g) chicken thigh fillets, cut into 1 cm pieces
  200g button mushrooms, cut into 1 cm pieces
  4 garlic cloves, crushed
  120g ( 1 and 1/2 cups) finely grated parmesan  ( I reduced quite a bit, adjust to your own taste)

Main ingredients

Stir try mushroom, garlic, chicken.
Set aside.

Cook, stir with ladleful of stock, keep doing that until it turns glassy, tender yet firm and creamy.

Yes, it is worth the waiting!
Yummy!

    Method
    1.  Bring the stock just to the boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and hold at a gentle simmer.

    2.  Heat butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy- based stockpot over medium heat.  Add the onions. Cook, stirring for 5 minutes or until soft  and translucent. Add rice and 1 tbsp thyme. Cook, stir for 1 minute or until the grains appear slightly glassy.

    3.  Add wine to rice mixture and cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed. Add a ladleful ( 1/2 cup) of stock to the rice and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the stock mixture, a ladle at a time, stirring constantly and allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding the next ladleful, for 20 to 30 minutes or until the rice is tender yet firm to the bite and the risotto is creamy.

    4.  Heat remaining oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until the chicken just start to brown. Add mushroom and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes.

    5.  Add the chicken mixture, parmesan and remaining thyme to the risotto and combine. Season with salt and pepper to serve.

    Note: I bought a free-range roast chicken for this recipe.

Basic Homemade Noodle

Because I had some important stuff to do, I had to speed up my noodle making, so these slurpy things could have been better than what I have currently. Anyway, for a first attempt, I was quite pleased with the result.

Need to roll dough thinner...
 Patience and a sharp good knife to cut it thin enough..

Ingredient
1000g  plain flour
500g  water ( room temperature cool filter water)
3/4  salt

Roughly stir and mix into loose dough.
 It may look dry at this stage.

10 seconds kneading and 10 minute rest does make a lot of difference here.
Dough is smooth and glossy now.

Now, flatten and roll it out as thin as you can.
 Dust with flour on the bottom and top surfaces generously.

Fold it over like this.

Cut them out, as narrow as you can.
Could have been a thinner sheet, more even and narrow cuts here..

Here you go, I pulled and stretched it longer.

I have 500g per packet, saved one packet in the freezer for later use.

Boil on a high heat.

Rinse in cold tap water.

Method

1.  In a large bowl, mix flour and salt well.  Gradually pour in water, keep stirring it with a chopstick. It should look a little loose and dry.  Cover and leave for 10 minutes.  Knead and fold for 10 seconds, cover and leave for 10 minutes. Do twice more for 10 minute intervals.  By now dough should look glossy and smooth.

2.  Divide into 2 halves.  Cover and set aside one half while working on the other.

3.  Dust with flour generously on the work surface, flatten and roll out the dough, try to roll it as thin as you can.  Dust more flour on sheet, fold in half, dust more flour on the top surface again.  Use a sharp knife and cut them into strips, as narrowly as possible. Sprinkle cornmeal or more flour on noodles to avoid sticking.

Dry noodle

Could this be the Australian native plant too?