Mee goreng

X caught something in Vietnam so he has been in bed ever since we got back. I'm praying hard for him to recover, just so I can get my fix of mee goreng (selfish of me of course). After all the poor man missed the Earth Wind & Fire concert last night because he wasn't feeling well. I should be home nursing him back to health but you know this is the band that has THE song that would ALWAYS get me to the dance floor.

Quite a few people have asked for this & I'm surprised I haven't posted it. Since he's too weak to protest, I'm sharing his mee goreng recipe here.

Mee Goreng
serves 4-6

Ingredients

Squid 500g
Shrimp 10-15
Half an Onion, diced
Green vegetables & beansprouts
Chilli paste (depending on how spicy you want it)
Garlic, diced
Fresh Noodles 1 kg
Curry leaves 4-6

1. Cut seafood into bite sizes

2. Using a wok , first fry the squid & shrimp until cooked

3. Add onions, garlic & chilli paste

4. Next add the vegetables & curry leaves. Water if necessary ( half a glass )

5. Finally add the noodles and fry for 5 minutes

6. Season with a bit of soya sauce & salt

Aglio Olio with Seafood

I'm sure you all know my soft spot for seafood pasta.

All thanks to a fellow anchovy lover Sri, this has become my latest favorite pasta to make. So easy to throw together & so delicious. Seafood, around here, doesn't come cheap but when there is a promo ie. sales & even then, only on very selected items, I'll stock up.

I'll never be a meat & potatoes kind of girl, seafood is more my thing.

Aglio Olio with Seafood

3-4 Tbsp olive oil
6 anchovy fillets (more if you like them), diced
red pepper flakes or cut chillies
5 cloves of garlic, diced
choice of seafood, cooked & then marinate with lemon juice, olive oil & coarse salt
parsley

1. Heat olive oil in pan. Then add anchovies, chillies & garlic. Fry till anchovies are disintegrated

2. Next add in the seafood & mix well

3. Toss in the noddles & mix well

4. Sprinkle the parsley before serving

Ma Po Tofu

Mapo Tofu is another perennial favorite of mine & is probably the first Chinese dish I ever attempted.

Last week I found myself with a packet of thawed minced pork & tofu in the fridge & I realised that it's been ages since I cooked this.

The only way to eat this is pour over white rice to let it soak up the goodness. Perfect for a cold winter day. Gawd I practically finished the dish all by myself.

Mapo Tofu
source Appetite for China

1 block soft tofu, drained and cut into cubes
3 tablespoons oil
350g ground pork
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 leeks, thinly sliced at an angle (or spring onions)
2 1/2 tablespoons chilli bean paste (since I didn't have chili bean paste, I used chilli oil)
1 tablespoon fermented black beans (& added 2 Tbsp of this instead)
2 teaspoons ground Sichuan pepper
1 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons white sugar
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
Salt to taste
4 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 6 tablespoons cold water (I used only half of this)

Optional garnish: 1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions, or 1/2 teaspoon crushed roasted Sichuan peppercorn

1. Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Add pork and stir-fry until crispy. Reduce heat, then add garlic and leeks and stir-fry until fragrant. Add chili bean paste, black beans, and ground Sichuan pepper, and stir-fry for about 1 minute, until the oil is a rich red color.

2. Pour in the stock and stir well. Mix in the drained tofu gently by pushing the back of your ladle or wok scoop gently from the edges to the center of the wok or pan; don't stir or the tofu may break up.

3. Season with the sugar, soy sauce, and salt to taste. Simmer for about 5 minutes, allowing the tofu to absorb the flavors of the sauce. Then add the cornstarch mixture in 2 or 3 stages, mixing well, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. (Don't add more than you need).

4. Serve while still hot in a deep plate or wide bowl. Garnish with optional scallions or crushed Sichuan peppercorn.

Tod Mun pla or Thai fish cakes

Tod mun pla is something I inevitably order in a Thai restaurant which means it's something I want to learn how to prepare at home.

It's easy, delicious & I'm wondering why I hadn't done so earlier. It was a big hit with both X & The Girl. This will definitely be making a comeback. Perhaps as finger food for the next party.

I served them with wedges of lime & a simple dipping sauce of cut chillies & fish sauce. They are usually made with snake beans or long beans but since these are out of season, I just left them out. I don't like coriander so left those out as well.

Tod mun pla or Thai fish cakes
makes about 16 pieces

500g firm white fish, remove skin & bones
2 Tbsps red curry paste
2 kaffir lime leaves (I left out)
2 spring onions, chopped coarsely (I used a small onion, sigh even spring onions are hard to find here)
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp fresh coriander (I left out)
3 long beans, chopped finely (I left out)
2 chilli padi, chopped finely (I left out cos I made them for The Girl)
yikes I just realised I left out about half the ingredients but that didn't seem to compromise the taste too much. I will have to make sure I add long beans the next time tho'

1. Cut fish into small pieces. Blend or process fish with curry paste, lime leaves, onion, fish sauce & juice until it becomes a smooth paste

2. Combine the fish paste with coriander, beans & chilli

3. Form patties with the fish paste (dip fingers in cold water when shaping to prevent mixture from sticking). If you have the time, you can put the shaped fish cakes into the fridge for an hour to firm them up before frying (I didn't do this & the fish cakes didn't fall apart)

4. Heat oil in pan or wok. Make sure it's smoking hot before you start frying. Deep fry in batches, until browned lightly

Cauliflower Gratin

This is something I make so often I was surprised I haven't blogged about it already.

X has his eggplant gratin but this is our favorite (The Girl too). I recently made a variation of this after reading a post @ CityMama - with addition of proscuitto & three cheeses (brie, parmesan & mozarella) which is also delicious.

But here is the basic cauliflower gratin.

Cauliflower gratin

1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
3 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp oil
1/2 litre of milk
grated cheese
breadcrumbs
salt & pepper

1. Boil the cauliflower till soft, drain & set aside

2. Make bechamel sauce (more details here) - heat up 3 Tbsp of oil then stir in 3 Tbsp of flour, next add milk, a little at a time & keep stirring till the sauce thickens before adding more milk

3. Stir the grated cheese into the bechamel & season with salt & pepper

4. Spread cauliflower in an oven dish. Pour over bechamel & cheese over. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on the top

5. Bake in oven 190 C for around 30-45 mins till the top is golden brown

Note :
For the other variation, just diced up the proscuitto & fry them in the oil when making bechamel then proceed as normal. Cut brie & mozarella into pieces & add them into the oven tray with the cauliflower. Pour bechamel over & lastly sprinkle the parmesan & breadcrumbs on top.

Eggplant Gratin

Eggplant gratin or eggplant parmigiana is one of X's favorite side dish. So much so when aubergines are in season, I would make platters of this & freeze. We like to eat this hot or cold.

I made this once with white aubergines but I didn't fancy them too much. White aubergines just don't have the same flavor.

Before frying the eggplant, egoutter or drain away the water. This is how you do it. Clean, cut off the stems & then slice thinly lengthwise. Next make criss cross marks ensuring you don't cut through.

Then sprinkle generously with salt & leave in colander for at least half an hour. You'll see big drops of water appear on the eggplant extracted by the salt through osmosis. Although it might seem like a lot of salt, I don't rinse them, I just make sure I don't add any more salt to the dish.

Once that's done, you're ready to fry the eggplants. The tricky thing is that they absorb a lot of oil so have tons of kitchen towels on stand by to soak up as much oil as possible.

Then line them in an oven dish. Layer the eggplant, pour tomato coulis / tomato sauce, then sprinkle grated cheese (I used parmesan in this case). Repeat with the rest of the eggplant.

Bake in the oven at 190C for 30-40 mins until the top is golden brown.

Linguine alle Vongole

I *heart* pasta with seafood. Any type of pasta with any type of seafood.

My first love & you never forget your first. Linguine alle vongole. We go way back.

Clams are really easy to prepare & if you don't add pasta, this makes a great clam starter - not unlike the one that I'd already bogged about here. Some recipes use tomatoes making it a red clam sauce but I personally prefer not to.

Remember my trip to Geneva way back in August last year, well my friends gave me 10 packets of Prima Taste's Vongole Sauce. I thought Prima only does Asian so I was a little sceptical at first. Besides I've never really needed this to make vongole sauce before. But you know what - I'm already down to 4 packets. I don't know how much they are retailing for so I can't say if they are worth it or not but if you're given free packets by generous friends, by all means use them.

Since it is basically clam juice - I've used it to flavor my fish stew & instead of clams (cos they are really expensive here), used them to cook prawns & squids. The packet suggests using Chinese wine but I wouldn't dream of using anything but white wine.


Linguine alle Vongole
(for 2-3 portions)

2-3 cloves garlic, diced
2 chilli (optional)
500g fresh clams
parsley
linguine
1/2 cup white wine
clam juice (if available)

1. Cook linguine. Drain & set aside

2. Fry garlic & chilli in olive oil until fragrant. Then add clams, white wine, clam juice, salt & pepper. Cover the pan

3. Once the clams open which shouldn't take very long - around 5-10 mins, they are ready. Discard any that aren't opened

4. Toss linguine in the sauce & add chopped parsley before serving

Coconut macaroon

Coconut macaroons are more like little coconut bites rather than cookies.

I made them at our last playgroup & they were a big hit with the young & old. If you don't like coconuts, you can substitute with almond powder.

Coconut macaroon
makes about 30

180g desiccated coconut
1 packet vanilla powder
150g sugar
3 egg whites

1. Mix dessicated coconut, vanilla powder & sugar

2. Beat the egg whites till stiff then add to coconut mixture

3. Place wax paper on oven tray

4. Form little balls & place on oven tray tray

5. Bake at 190C for 10-15 minutes until brown - check often to make sure you don't burn them

French Doughnuts

Beignets are French donuts, without the holes. You can find them in the local pastry shops & like everything else, each region would have their own special recipe.

It's a tradition in our family that X makes beignets around this time. So instead of cookies, we give away bags of beignets.

Beignets
(makes around 50 pieces)

1.5 kg flour
42g fresh yeast (usu comes in a cube)
8 eggs
1 cup of oil
100g butter
1 bottle fleur d'oranger
icing sugar

1. Mix yeast with a cup of hot water, 100g of flour & 1 Tsp of sugar. Set aside to let rise for half an hour

2. Take the yeast mixture, add the rest of the flour, eggs, oil, butter & fleur d'oranger. Mix into a dough & then leave to rise for 3-4 hours (depending on temperature of the room)

3. Roll the dough to 1 cm thick, cut into squares & then deep fry till brown

4. Drain & then put in plastic bag with icing sugar. Shake till all are coated

Crunchy Cornflake Cookies

I triple love these cookies.

You can make use of those extra crushed cornflakes you have left over from making nuggets. (tsulin, I promised you this).

For reasons unknown, there were cookies left over even after one week & they still remained crunchy (I kept them in a biscuit tin). They were great for that mid afternoon snack on the site with a cup of coffee.

Crunchy Cornflake Cookies (makes 24)

Ingredients 100g butter, room temperature
50g sugar pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
1 - 1.5 tsp orange zest (I used lemon zest)
150g cake flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
50g cornflakes

1. Sieve flour together with baking powder and baking soda.

2. Cream butter with sugar and salt till creamy.

3. Add in the egg yolk and vanilla esssence and cream till well combined.

4. Stir in the orange zest.

5. Fold in the sieved flour mixture and cornflakes. Mix till you get a soft dough.

6. Divide dough into 2, then quarter, then each into 3 equal pieces. Press each into a flat round.

7. Bake at 175C for 18 - 20 minutes or till golden brown.

Chicken Tikka Masala

As much as I like Indian food, I realise that I don't cook it often. Although I'm personally partial towards South Indian food, it's easier to find North Indian restaurants any where you go & without fail, I would order chicken tikka masala.

I've been hoarding several recipes from the internet for chicken tikka masala but when I saw Lotus of East meets West post - I knew I had to try her version. It was so good I made it twice in one week.

It's a pity curry is not very photogenic but trust me, this is really delicious. I love the bright orange colour & the flavours. Once you've made this at home, you'll probably never need to order this in a restaurant again. Here's Lotus recipe which I've reproduced - I didn't & wouldn't make a single change to it.

Chicken Tikka Masala
source East meets West

Chicken Tikka :

500g Chicken filet cut into bite-sized pieces and marinated overnight with
Ginger powder or minced fresh Ginger
Ground Cumin
Cround Cinnamon
Ground Chilli
Ground Turmeric
Ground Coriander
Ground Pepper
Ground Paprika
Salt
Lime Juice
1 cup Yoghurt

The Gravy :
Butter
Onion
Garlic
Ground Cumin
Ground Coriander
Ground Paprika
Garam Masala
Fresh Chilli
250ml Tomato Purée
Diced Tomatoes
250ml Cream (e.g. Crème Fraîche, Mascapone, Philadelphia Cream Cheese)
Fresh Coriander leaves

It's great grilling the Tikka on a BBQ during BBQ season and then using the leftovers for a Tikka Masala. In colder months, one can cook the meat in an oven or like me when I'm lazy, just cook it till it's nicely browned in some butter on my heavy grill or non-stick wok.

If using the last solution, remove the browned meat pieces and set aside. Using the same butter left in the wok, brown the diced onion and minced garlic till fragrant. Add in the ground spices and stir fry for a minute or 2, then stir in the diced tomatoes (fresh or tinned) followed by the tomato purée. Stir and mix well with the spices, then add in the cream. Lower the heat and simmer till the sauce thickens, stirring from time to time.

10 minutes before serving, add the grilled Chicken Tikka into the sauce. Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and serve hot with buttered Basmati rice, naan or chapati.

It never rains, it pours

This was a recipe that I've been meaning to try the moment I saw Sri's post on it. It sounded so delicious - chunky crab meat, crunchy celery, lime juice - what's not to like. The only reason I've not done so before was that wonton skins were so precious. The few packets I have were exclusively used for wontons. I really didn't have any to spare....that was until I discovered that the Asian store in Aubenas, Papilla stocks them too.

I was excited to finally make them but sigh...anything that could go wrong, went wrong with this. First of all, the wonton skins had too much flour on them - nothing that I couldn't fix, I just had to brush the next batch with oil. Then they start crumbling on me the moment they were in the oven but that also got fixed when I brushed them with oil.

When I opened the can of crab meat (no fresh crab meat here) that I'd bought, okay so I wasn't expecting big chunky meat but they turned out to be a sort of watery crab soup - yikes. Then cos I couldn't find fresh mangoes, I used canned mangoes which was another big mistake. To make things worse (yes, it does get worse), my head wasn't screwed on right & instead of dicing the mango-wannabes, I turned them into a puree by putting them thru the food processor.

All I can say about this is that, in the end, the cups turned out great & I would be doing them again for pre-dinner snacks but unless I get the right ingredients for the crab filling, would probably look to substitute with other type of filling instead.

So to see what it should have looked like, go see Sri's beautiful crab wonton cups.

Crab Wonton Cups
source Feed My World

For the Wonton Cups:
18 wonton wrappers, thawed (if frozen)
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the dressing:
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil

For the salad:
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1/2 cup finely diced mango
1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves


1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Brush the wonton wrappers with oil, and place each wrapper into a section of a muffin tray. Gently press each wrapper into the tray and arrange so that it forms a cup shape. The wrapper will overlap itself and stick up out of the cup. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned and crisp. Remove and allow wrappers to cool.

3. Meanwhile whisk together the zest, lime juice, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. Add the oil and whisk until well combined.

4. In a medium bowl, toss together the crabmeat, celery, mango, scallion and cilantro. Add dressing and toss to combine. Fill each cup with the crab salad and serve.

Best Banana Cake Recipe

Best. Banana. Cake.

Everybody who has tasted this have asked for the recipe. I don't remember where I got this from cos it was in my archive from a year ago (you see whenever I come across a recipe that I like, I send an email to myself with the subject recipe & back then, I didn't know I was going to be posting this on a blog).

The recipe yields a big loaf or you could pour the extra into a muffin tray which is what I would do the next time.

Eat it in slices, in cubes, with coffee or with ice cream. Enjoy.

Banana Cake

250g butter (X says that's the reason it's so good)
300g sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
4 Tbsp milk
4-5 bananas, mashed
300g flour, sift with 1 tsp bicarbonate soda & 1 tsp baking powder

1. Cream butter & sugar. Add eggs, vanilla essence & milk and mix well.

2. Add mashed banana & mix well. Then add flour & mix.

3. Pour into loaf pan. Bake at 160C for 1-1.5 hour until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes up clean.

4. Cool before slicing & be prepared to fend off greedy fingers and forks.

Wanting Wontons

A must have in my freezer are wontons. Okay, so I know there are lots of stuff in my freezer but none as crucial to me as wontons. I suppose if you know how much I love my noodles, you'd probably understand why there must always be some in the freezer.

Last week, I finished the last of the wontons & it was time to make new ones. Back in May, I posted that I had a make-your-own-wonton-party with my neighbour Laurence but had forgotten to take any pictures. This time round I didn't make the same mistake.

I use store bought wonton skins which I buy in abandon whenever I find any. I once entertained the thought of making my own but it's too much hassle cos they all have to be cut in squares & must be fairly thin which I probably won't be good at doing. Thick wonton skins is just buerk.

If only shrimps were not so expensive, I would be tempted to make all shrimp wontons like they do in HK. For now, I use half meat & half shrimp. The recipe makes about 60 so halve that if you don't want to make so many.

Wonton Filling - Just mix the following together

700g minced pork
700g shrimp (remove heads, shell & tails then diced)
12 water chestnuts, diced
1 egg
light soy sauce
oyster sauce
chinese wine
sesame oil
corn starch
salt & pepper



I'm not going to show you step by step how to wrap one cos I couldn't wrap & take pictures at the same time. But I did find this site which has 8 different styles of wrapping wontons. I think mine is either style 5 or 6.

The 60+ wontons I made should last me for at least 3 months, I hope.

Perfect for the cold weather
A simple bowl of wonton noodle soup

Teriyaki Pork Chop with linguine

Being away from home & away from food that I crave for, I make do with substitutes or learn to make my own. This has turned out to be a good thing cos very often I've found that it's not as difficult as it seems.

This is one of those examples. If I were back in Singapore, I'd probably be buying expensive bottles of teriyaki sauce or maybe why bother, just hop into any of the many Japanese restaurants & order this.

But teriyaki sauce is really easy to do it yourself. I usually do this with deboned chicken leg but since I had some pork chops in the freezer, I decided to use those up instead. For a change instead of serving it with rice, why not change it up & serve it with pasta. You know I like to walk on the wild side.....

Teriyaki Pork Chop with Linguine

For the sauce
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup mirin
2 Tbsp sugar

4 pork chops
linguine

1. Put all the ingredients of the sauce in a small pan, bring to a boil then simmer

2. Take 2 Tbsp to marinate the pork chops & set aside for half an hour

3. Fry the pork chops in medium heat until done

4. Turn up the heat & pour the rest of the sauce into the pan. It should start to carmelise. Coat the pork chops with the sauce

5. When done, sprinkle sesame seeds & serve over linguine

Steamed meat patty

This really should have been included in my earlier Cantonese food post.

Steamed meat patty or yoke bang is the quintessential Cantonese dish but you wouldn't find this in fancy Cantonese restaurants cos this is what our mother's cook at home. This is what I grew up eating. My mother even used the same stainless steel plates that you see in the picture.

She usually steams the salted fish separately on top of the meat patty with slices of ginger but I kind of prefer it done this way.

Steamed meat patty

Ingredients
350g minced pork
5-6 water chestnuts
half onion, diced
3-4 cloves of garlic, diced
salted fish, diced
sesame oil
soy sauce
salt & pepper

1. Put all the ingredients together in a bowl & mix well

2. Place in a shallow tray & steam until meat is cooked. Served with rice

Roasted Tomato Soup

I went & bought 7 kg of tomatoes this week. The last of the summer tomatoes were on sale & I couldn't resist. I have big plans to make more tomato juice, jars of tomato coulis & of course, tomato soup.

Making this soup always puts me in a good mood. The smell in the kitchen as the tomatoes & garlic are roasting, the sound of the immersion blender & the pretty swirl in the soup.

At this point, I really should introduce my accomplice in making soup - my immersion blender. It's not a must have since you could always puree your soups in a blender but if like me, soups are a regular feature on the menu then it's so much better to invest in one of these.

Roasted Tomato Soup
serves 3-4

1.5 kg tomatoes
6 garlic cloves
1 medium onion
2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter
3 cups stock
1/2 cup cream

1. Core tomatoes & cut them lengthwise in half. Put on a baking tray & sprinkled with olive oil. Add unpeeled garlic. Roast 180C for 1 hour

2. Fry onions & sugar in butter

3. Then add tomatoes, peeled garlic & stock

4. Simmer for 15-20 mins

5. Pour into a blender to puree or use immersion blender

6. Serve with cream, croutons, grated cheese or toast bread

Note :
- You can strain the soup if you want it to be smooth
- The cream can be added before you puree but I like to add it at serving so that I can have fun with making little swirls or funny faces

Gratin Dauphinois

From the classic Chinese dish to the classic French dish. Gratin Dauphinois or potato gratin. Everybody here have their own way of doing it & like all my French recipes, this one is again from X's mum.

I've been to restaurants where they served individual portions in small gratin dishes. One day when I'm feeling rich, I might go get myself some but in the meantime, for the family, it's done in a big pot & just dished out from there.

Following in the style of Pioneer Woman, I'll attempt a step by step tutorial. What ? You've not heard of the Pioneer Woman ? Well head on over & check out her blog - she lays out her cooking process each step of the way peppered with her own personal blend of humour & colourful commentary. I'm a huge fan of hers.

So anyway, here's what you'll need
3-4 potatoes, sliced as thinly as you possibly can. 3 cloves of garlic, diced. Butter, nutmeg, salt, pepper, milk, cream & grated cheese.
I had to take the group photo a few times cos I kept forgetting items. This PW style post was not off to a good start.

Next assemble the dish. This is The Girl's favorite thing to do. For as long as I can remember, every time I do this, she would insist on helping me lay out the photos. But today my little helper is in school so I'm afraid I'll have to rough it out myself.

Place a layer of potatoes in the dish, next add a few slices of butter, handful of grated cheese, sprinkle some garlic, dash of salt, pepper & nutmeg. Then pour about 3 Tbsp of cream over. Place another layer of potatoes & repeat the process - as many layers as necessary to use up all the potatoes. In the end, heat up a bowl (or more) of milk in the microwave & pour over until it just about covers the potatoes.

Cook in the oven at 190C for an hour or until the top turns golden brown.

I served it here as a side for another French classic , steak hache - the quintessential food of all French children. Ask any French person & they will tell you they grew up eating steak hache which is basically ground beef patty.

But of course, you can serve this with any roast meat, steak, sausages etc.

Tomates Farcies or Stuffed Tomatoes

X's mother is a very good cook & most of my French dishes I learned from her. This is one of her many recipe & something that I make whenever tomatoes are in season. Any extras I'll just freeze. I did an earlier post on stuffed zucchinis with rice but this is my preferred stuffing.

The tomatoes are prepared by first cutting off the top to create a cap. Then using a spoon, scoop up the insides making sure to not break the skin. Set aside the pulp & juice (you can add that to the stuffing or keep to make tomato juice). Next sprinkle a bit of salt inside the tomato, turn it over to drain off the water. The French calls it egoutter & it's a technique they use often for vegetables - sprinkle a little salt, let stand for half an hour or so to get rid of the liquid/water.

Stuffed Tomatoes
makes 8-10 tomatoes

8-10 tomatoes
500 g minced beef or pork
5 slices of bread
2 cups of milk, hot
3-4 cloves of garlic
handful of parsley
onion
1 egg
salt & pepper
breadcrumbs
butter


1. Prepare the tomatoes as above

2. Soak bread in the milk & then squeeze out excess milk. Put them together with the ground beef, garlic, onion, parsley, 1 egg, salt & pepper into a food processor & mix well. If the mixture is too dry, add some of the removed tomato juice

3. Oil the oven tray. Stuff the tomatoes with the mixture & top off with breadcrumbs & a small slice of butter.

4. Place in the oven at 190C for 45 minutes without the caps. Once the top starts to brown, add the caps on & put them back into the oven for another 15-20 mins

Calf's liver with bacon

I've been so busy jamming, preparing & freezing mushrooms & vegetables - that's all I seem to be doing these days. What happened to all that free time I'm supposed to have now that The Girl is back in school.

So this is a dish I prepare when I don't have time to fuss around in the kitchen but yet still want something substantial & tasty. I'd already mentioned my love for offals, liver, in particular. I try to prepare liver whenever I can cos it's a good source of iron (don't know about you ladies out there but I try to make sure I get sufficient intake).

Calf's liver with bacon
serves 2

6 slices of bacon
2 slices of calf's liver
3-4 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1. Fry bacon until crispy. Set aside

2. Using the same pan, crank up the heat. While the pan is very hot, fry the calf's liver. Don't overcook, depending on the thickness, you probably only need to fry it for 1-2 mins on each side. When done, set aside

3. Pour red wine vinegar into the pan to deglaze, making sure to scrap off all the bits from the pan

4. Place the bacon over the liver then pour the red wine vinegar "deglaze" over. Serve with fried potatoes & a glass of red wine, of course