22 Jun 2010
by Ubiquityin Recipe Vault Tags: dinner, food
Have you seen the movie Julie & Julia? If so, I’m pretty sure you remember that part when Julie’s husband greedily devoured that boeuf bourguignon that she lovingly prepared for her guests. For me, I knew that I gotta have it right there and then. My tummy was aching badly for that beefy stew for weeks. Until of course I decided to do something about it. That’s when I knew that absolutely nothing (and I really mean NOTHING) can beat that boeuf bourguignon.
Boeuf Bourguignon
In my humble opinion, boeuf bourguignon is one painstakingly long dish to create. The nitty gritty details of the cooking process is so important, that if you miss that one single step (which you think is unimportant), you’ll lose the intricacy of the whole dish. Julia Child is right. That beef has to be dried before sautéing, otherwise it won’t brown. But of course there are a few steps which you can skip or substitute altogether. For instance, when using the bacon. Julia called for the blanched bacon rinds to be added just after the wine. However, I added them to the casserole when I was sautéing the vegetables and beef together with the bacon.
Okay, I know how technical I just sounded and it may seem really difficult. But trust me, it’s not. In fact, I thoroughly enjoyed the cooking this beouf bourguignon and I will cook it again. So in all honesty, it just takes a long time. But at the end of it, you will be greatly rewarded with a dish that will only win you praises. And so, if you want to impress your boyfriend / husband / mother-in-law / whoever and has A LOT of time in your hands (and A LOT of patience), I can tell you that this particular boeuf bourguignon (thanks to Julia Child) is a sure winner!
Serving suggestions:
Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. I served mine with buttered spaghetti.
Cooking time: Around 3 and a half hours
Serves : 3
Ingredients:
for the beef
A fireproof casserole dish about 3 inches deep (if you don’t have one, you should be able to use a pan for the sautéing and an ovenproof dish with a cover for the oven cooking)
3 ounce / 85g chunk of bacon (lardons), simmered in 75ml of water for 10 minutes, drain & dry
3 lbs. / 680g of stewing beef cut into 2 inch cubes
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, sliced
salt & pepper
olive oil
1 tablespoon of flour
1 and a half cups of full-bodied, young red wine or a Chianti
1 and a half cups of brown beef stock
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
2 cloves of garlic, mashed
1/2 a teaspoon of thyme
a crumbled bay leaf
for the onions (Oignons Glacés à Brun)
18 small white onions, peeled
1 and a half tablespoon of butter
1 and a half tablespoon of oil
half cup of brown beef stock
salt & pepper
4 parsley sprigs
1 bay leaf
a quarter teaspoon of thyme
for the mushrooms (Champignons Sautés au Beurre)
1 lbs. / 450g of fresh mushrooms (I used a mixture of white button & Swiss brown mushrooms), washed, well dried, left whole if small or quartered if large
2 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of oil
salt & pepper
Directions:
for the beef
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit / 230 degrees Celcius.
In the fireproof casserole dish / pan sauté the blanched bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish. Using the same fireproof casserole dish / pan, reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef. Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browed on all sides. Remove from heat, add it to the bacon. In the same fat / oil, brown the sliced vegetables. Remove the sautéing fat.
Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of the preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust) Remove casserole from the oven and turn down heat to 325 degrees Fahrenheit / 160 degrees Celcius.
Bring the casserole to the stove on moderate heat. Stir in wine and enough stock so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato puree, garlic and herbs. Let it simmer. Remove from heat. Cover the casserole and set it in lower third of preheated oven. Let it simmer in the oven very slowly for 2 and a half to 3 hours.
While the beef cooks, prepare the following:
for the onions (Oignons Glacés à Brun)
Heat butter and oil in a pan. When the butter and oil are bubbling, add the onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect to brown them uniformly.
Pour in the stock, season to taste and add the herb. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape. Remove from heat. Drain and set aside.
for the mushrooms (Champignons Sautés au Beurre)
Heat butter and oil in pan over high heat. As soon as you see that they butter foam has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add the mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan for about 4 to 5 minutes. Season to taste. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat. Set aside.
—
When the meat is tender, remove from oven. The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat. Bring it back to the stove on moderate heat and let it simmer covered for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve in its casserole or arrange the stew on a platter with potatoes, buttered noodles or rice and decorated with parsley.
27 May 2010
by Ubiquityin Recipe Vault Tags: dinner, food, pasta
Pasta with fillings goes a long way back and almost every region in Italy has its own varieties. There are vegetable, meat and even fish-based and they can also include cheese together with the stuffing. These pastas can be found in the supermarket; commonly fresh. Unlike those in the pantry, stuffed pasta does not have a long shelf life. Once purchased, it is always recommended to consume as early as possible. It may be refrigerated unopened for a couple of days (5 days maximum) before it goes moldy. The canned ones are, of course, beyond comparison as they are always full of preservatives and ends up soggy on your plate. Remember! Always buy fresh!
Stuffed pasta goes best with simple tomato or light, cream-based sauces. This is to ensure the sauce do not overpower the pasta but compliment it instead. So for my fresh tortellini filled with spinach and cheese, I made a red bell pepper pesto to go with it. Ready made pestos (they are good too) are available in the supermarket but I made mine fresh because it’s really easy. And since it turned out good, I’m gonna share the recipe with you…
PS: If there are leftovers of the pesto, you may refrigerate them for up to 3 weeks in an airtight jar.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
60g sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
1 red bell pepper, cut into dices & roasted in the oven at 200 degrees Celcius for 15 – 20 minutes
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 and a half tablespoon of pine nuts, toasted (I used almonds instead, some people are allergic to pine nuts)
half a teaspoon of crushed chili flakes
6 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoon of balsamic vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Place tomatoes, red bell pepper, garlic, pine nuts, chili flakes and oil in a food processor; pulse to a smooth paste. Add balsamic vinegar and pepper to taste. To serve, toss well with cooked pasta in the warm pasta pot and sprinkle with generous amount of grated parmesan cheese.
27 May 2010
by Ubiquityin Recipe Vault Tags: dinner, food
Pasta al forno con i funghi basically means pasta baked in the oven with bechamel mushroom sauce. The best type of pasta used in this dish are generally tubes or shells like: penne macaroni, rigatoni or conchiglie. Great cookouts and BBQ, you may prepare it well ahead and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake it. Alternatively, you may also freeze (unbaked) up to 3 weeks in advance. Simply defrost it in the fridge overnight, cook in preheated oven at 200 degrees Celcius for 30 minutes and voila !
Pasta al forno con i funghi
Serves 4
Ingredients:
25g mixture of white button & swiss brown mushrooms, finely sliced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
750ml milk
4 and a half tablespoon of flour
half a teaspoon of dried thyme
freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt & freshly ground black pepper
a big pinch of nutmeg
butter
olive oil
Directions:
Preheat oven at 200 degrees Celcius. In a small pan, melt a knob of butter with oil and add mushrooms, thyme and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until mushrooms are just coloured (5 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
To make the beschamel sauce; Melt a generous knob butter over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Whisk in flour and cook until foaming (about 1 minute). Remove from heat and gradually pour in milk, whisking constantly. Return to heat and cook, whisking constantly until sauce thickens (about 2 minutes). Bring to boil and remove from heat. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Stir in the pan fried mushroom in the bechamel.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until just firm to the bite. Drain. Combine pasta and mushroom bechamel. Add 2 tablespoon of parmesan cheese and toss well. Place in a buttered oven-proof dish and bake until golden and bubbling (10 minutes). Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.
16 May 2010
by Ubiquityin Recipe Vault Tags: dinner, food
There will be a time in life when you are happy to receive a pot and a cookbook from your husband. When that day comes, you know that you’re lucky. I meant that literally because I receive that today. Now it’s not just ANY pot but it’s a Le Creuset pot. *beaming proudly* It’s THE perfect pot for coq au vin, beouf bourguignon and even roast chicken! As some of you may know, I am an avid cook. Not an expert but I cook well enough to keep my husband happy. But of course I aim higher, I want him to be more than happy. I want him to be proud of my cooking. I want him to drool thinking about my food when he’s in the office. Too much to ask for?
Anyway, the other present I got is a cookbook, Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The cookbook that I consider to be THE bible of French cuisine. If you have watched the movie Julie & Julia, you’ll know that the recipes are simply irresistible. Just thinking about the movie makes hungry. Excitedly, I made us Roast Chicken for dinner tonight. Guided by Julia Child of course and it turned out perfect!
I’ve always wanted to make Roast Chicken but I ‘chicken’ out at the thoughts of cleaning it. I hate the idea of putting my hand in the cavity. But Julia Child changed my mind. It’s not as bad as I imagined afterall. Yes, it’s still icky even if there are no more guts in there but you can always wash your hands afterwards. That aside, I didn’t make the chicken the exact same way as she did. I used her guides and improvised it according to our taste buds. For instance, I smeared mustard in the chicken and added vegetables to the pot.
PS: I’ve included some useful excerpts from the cookbook just in case if you’re interested.
Are you drooling? ;-)
Serves 4
Ingredients:
for the chicken
3lb ready-to-cook roasting chicken
a quarter teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoon butter
for the pot
2 large onions, cut in chunks
6 cloves of garlic
4 carrots, cut in chunks
4 potatoes, cut in chunks
a tablespoon of rosemary leaves
a tablespoon of thyme leaves
for basting (see footnote on basting)
2 tablespoon of melted butter
1 tablespoon of good cooking oil
Directions:
Preheat oven at 240 degrees Celcius. Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with the salt, smear in half the butter and rub the skin with the rest of the butter. Place the chicken (breast up) in the roasting pan. Strew the vegetables around it, sprinkle the herbs on the chicken and set it on a rack in the middle of the preheated oven and roast for 30 – 40 minutes (until the chicken is brown). Meanwhile, prepare the oil for basting. Melt the butter in the cooking oil in a small saucepan. When the chicken is browned, take it out of the oven and baste the chicken and vegetables rapidly with the butter and oil mixture. Turn the chicken (breast down), put it back in the oven and continue to roast for another 30 – 40 minutes.
Indications that the chicken is almost done are:
a sudden rain of splutters in the oven
a swelling of the breast and slight puff of the skin
the drumstick is tender when pressed and can be moved in its socket
If not, roast another 5 minutes and test again. Roast chicken can wait for up to 20 – 30 minutes in the turned-off hot oven, it’s door ajar. It cannot be reheated or it loses its fresh and juicy quality.
Serving suggestions:
Broiled tomatoes, buttered green beans or peas, sauteéd / roasted / soufléed / fried potatoes or potato crêpes. I had mine with plain rice (with the chicken juice on it) and steamed broccolis.
Footnote: Baste, to spoon melted butter, fat or liquid over food.
08 May 2010
by Ubiquityin Recipe Vault Tags: dinner, food
My love for risotto has brought me to experiment with other ingredients. As I was clearing out my spice cupboard, an idea came to me. Why not add a tinge of tumeric powder in my risotto? Along with coconut milk, it’ll be just like my favourite Malay dish Lauk Lemak Cili Padi. Sans chilli though.
After many attempts at making different varieties of mushroom risottos, I’m proud to say that I’ve perfected this dish. Patience is the key. To have the rice well cooked and not end up mushy like a porridge, attention is needed in the cooking process. Hence, you stay at the stove, stir it constantly under medium heat and add water as needed each time it dries up.
I added button mushrooms in my risotto, you can add them too if you want!
Serves 2
Ingredients:
4 handfuls of risotto rice (I don’t recommend long grain rice as they tend to get mushy after a while)
half onion, chopped
1 garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon of butter
2 cups vegetable broth (You can also use chicken broth if you want to)
1/4 teaspoon of tumeric powder
2 kaffir lime leaves (this will bring fragrance)
4 tablespoon of coconut milk
2 tablespoon of grated parmesan cheese
salt & freshly grounded black pepper
Directions:
I’d normally use a pan to make my risotto. A pan’s bottom is wider making the rice well distributed and cooked at the same time. Does it make sense to you? Oh well…
So heat butter on a pan and fry the chopped onion and garlic till caramelized. Add the rice, lime leaves and tumeric powder and fry for 3 minutes. Lower heat and *pour in 1/4 of the broth. Constantly stirring until the liquid almost dries up.* Repeat the process * until you’ve left with 1/4 of the broth. The rice should be almost cooked by now. When you do a taste test, you’ll find that the grain will be soft with a little bite inside. Almost al dente. Add the coconut milk and stir it well before adding the rest of the broth. Bring it to boil. The consistency of the risotto should be very creamy. Bring the heat down to the lowest and finally add in the seasoning and the parmesan cheese. Serve immediately! It goes pretty well with grilled fish or on it’s own.
PS: If you try making this, let me know how it turns out okay?
06 May 2010
by Ubiquityin Recipe Vault Tags: dinner, food
Gâteau au fromage
Fred’s parents were here last weekend and as always, they brought A LOT of food. There’s even a big pot of pumpkin soup in the fridge right now! Fred’s mom had basically prepared the menu for me to cook for the whole week. That’s a huge savings from grocery shopping for at least 2 weeks!
Yesterday, I made gâteau au fromage (cheese pie) from the cheese that she gave us. I don’t know what cheese I’ve used and neither did Fred and his mom. All she told me was, it’s some kind of cheese from the mountain. Nothing complicated. That doesn’t explain a lot because we all know there’s so many cheese out there. But to make things simple, I think it is safe to say that as long as the cheese is hard enough to be grated, you can use it. Here’s how the cheese look like…
As with other pies, this is Fred’s all time favourite. I got the recipe from his mom and stupid me, I didn’t write it down. I was sure I’d screw it up but it turned out really really good. So for my own reference and to share with you, here’s the recipe…
PS: Kakak! This one’s for you! I think you can use gruyère.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
pie dough, rolled out and pre-baked in a 28cm pie pan at 200 degrees Celcius for 15 minutes, set aside
1 tomato, sliced
200gm grated cheese
2 heaped tablespoon of flour
a tablespoon of olive oil
5dl milk
1 egg yolk
a dash of nutmeg
salt & freshly grounded black pepper
Directions:
Arrange the sliced tomatoes in the pie crust and set aside. The cheese will go on the tomatoes later. Heat oven at 180 degrees Celcius. Heat the oil in a pot and stir in the flour. As soon as it starts to clump, reduce heat, add the milk and stir continuously. Mixture will start to thicken after 5 minutes. Throw in the cheese and continue to stir. The cheese should be well melted like the texture of cheese fondue. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and bring it away from heat to avoid the mixture from hardening. Finally, stir in the egg yolk and spread it on the pie crust with tomatoes. Bake for 40 minutes and serve hot with crispy salad!
10 Mar 2010
by Ubiquityin Recipe Vault Tags: dinner, food
Fettuccine Alfredo is nowhere near healthy but if you want to whip up a fast and filling dinner, then this is simply perfect. Provided that you have some parmesan cheese and cream lying around in your fridge. I made this for dinner tonight along with steamed carrots (just to reduce my guilt) and it was REALLY yummy!
Fettuccine Alfredo
Serves 2
Ingredients:
a knob of butter
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
250ml light cream
1 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan
a tablespoon of chopped parsley
sea salt & freshly grounded black pepper
Directions:
Cook the pasta in a large pan of rapidly boiling salted water until it cooked. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a pot over heat. Add the garlic and sautée till fragrant. Then add the cream and the parmesan, bring to boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat and let it simmer and continue to stir the sauce until it thickens slightly. Throw in the chopped parsley, salt and pepper and stir well. Add the sauce to the pasta, toss well and serve it garnished with chopped herbs.
You may serve a wide variety of side dishes to accompany this pasta. Slices of roasted chicken, ham, steamed veggies… I chose steamed carrots that I made in the microwave.
PS: I’m currently overwhelmed by the series of life changing decisions that I’ve made. Thus, my lack of entry. I’ll update really soon. I promise. So for now, go on, make that plate of pasta!
26 Feb 2010
by Ubiquityin Recipe Vault Tags: dinner, food
I made my first attempt at pumpkin soup tonight and it turned out better than I expected. It’s thick and creamy, perfect for the cold evening. Minus the guilt because I made it with demi-crème (light cream). You can also skip the cream altogether but it won’t be as creamy. I got this recipe from Fred’s mom, who also gave me the pumpkin when she was here and since it’s edible (and quite good if I may add), I’m sharing the recipe with you. Here it goes…
Piping hot & hearty pumpkin soup!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
half pumpkin, cleaned, skinned and cubed
4 potatoes, cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic, chopped
water
250ml light cream
2 tablespoon of curry powder
freshly ground black pepper
salt
extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Get a large pot, heat a glug of olive oil and sautée the chopped onion and garlic till fragrant. Throw in the cubed pumpkins and pototoes, mix them well before adding water not more than the veggies. If you want the texture of your soup more liquid just add more water. Let it boil. Turn off heat and pop in the mixer and purée the mixture into a pulp. Bring it to low heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Adjust the seasoning according to your taste buds. Garnish with a few coriander leaves and freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot.
14 Jan 2010
by Ubiquityin Globetrotting, Recipe Vault Tags: dinner, food, Switzerland, travel
Aubergine
I never liked aubergine. I don’t like its texture. No matter how it’s cooked, I will never eat it. But somehow, this particular dish changed my mind. Gratin d’aubergines is a baked dish with layers of sliced eggplants, grated cheese and tomatoes. It is best served piping hot but I find it as good when it’s cold.
Ever since I had my aubergines obsession, I’ve been cooking them a lot at home. Sometimes, I’d even order it as a starter whenever we eat out. But I’ve never come close to Fred’s mom recipe. So last Christmas, I took the opportunity to learn from her. The only BIG difference between her recipe and mine is the way she prepares the eggplants. Prior to baking, the sliced eggplants had to be cooked. I’ve always bake them because it’s much faster, easier and undoubtedly healthier. However, the subtle caramelly taste of the aubergine is lost that way. That is why some people prefer to have them fried. I must tell you though, this option is rather sinful. Now Fred’s mother’s recipe is way more sinful but they’re certainly the BEST I’ve tried so far. And it only takes battered aubergines to do the trick.
Fresh out of the oven!
Serves 6
Ingredients:
extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 cans of good quality chopped plum tomatoes
a heaped teaspoon of dried basil (you may also use dried oregano as a substitute)
freshly ground black pepper & sea salt
lotsa grated parmesan cheese (better yet, you can use 50% gruyere 50% parmesan)
2 eggs
some flour
6 large firm aubergines, sliced into 1cm thickness
Directions:
Heat a pan for frying with cooking oil. Meanwhile, beat the eggs with some salt, black pepper and a pinch of basil. Dip the sliced aubergines in the egg, coat well with flour and fry them till they’re golden brown. Repeat this process with all the aubergines and set it aside.
Dipped in egg mixture
Then coated with flour
And fry them!
To make the sauce, get a pot big enough to hold all the ingredients together. Heat a glug of olive oil and sauté the chopped onions, garlic and basil till they’re fragrant or until they are soft. Add the canned tomatoes, give it a good stir, then put the lid on and simmer slowly for 25 – 30mins. When the tomato sauce is reduced, season it carefully with salt and pepper. Add this point the sauce maybe a bit sour, add a tablespoon of sugar if needed. You can leave the sauce chunky or purée it.
Heat the oven at 190 degrees C. Get yourself an earthenware and glaze the bottom with butter / oil. Start with a little amount of tomato sauce then a thin scatter of parmesan. Followed by a single layer of aubergines. Repeat this step until you’ve used up all the ingredients, finishing with a little sauce and a layer of parmesan. I like to drizzle olive oil at the top just before baking. Place the dish in the oven and bake for half an hour or until golden, crisp and bubbly. Serve immediately.
05 Jan 2010
by Ubiquityin Festivals & Celebrations, Globetrotting Tags: celebrations, Christmas, dessert, dinner, food, Switzerland, travel, Valais
The evening of December 24th is very much a family celebration in Switzerland. This is the evening on which the Christmas tree is brightly lit and decorated in all its splendor complete with wrapped gifts underneath.
Presents under the Christmas tree!
Starters : Shrimp cocktail with cognac & grapefruit sauce
Main course : Filet mignon with chestnuts & brusselsprouts & spätzle
No feast would be complete without cheese platter
And finally, dessert : Paradiso cake
Presents comes after midnight where everyone gathered together to give and receive while enjoying a glass or two of Amaretto and Williamine.
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