shrimp scampi pasta

Shrimp Scampi (with Yellow Lemon & Cherry Tomato) Pasta

This is another favourite pasta dish of mine. If you ever notice, I don't like pasta with cream sauce. I personally think that cream is too rich and too creamy for any savoury dishes. (To me, aromatic creamy food is good for dessert.) I like my pasta cooked very light and summery. (I, sometimes, cook creamy pasta for the kids though as they love it!) The heaviest pasta dish that I ever cook for myself is/was with beef or lamb. (Heavy with protein not with cream.)

Anyway, I cooked this "Shrimp Scampi Pasta" last week. This pasta dish is very  aromatic and delightful. The yellow lemon really brings out the best flavour of the shrimp. In Thailand, it is impossible to find fresh "Scampi/Langoustine". Therefore, I substituted it with fresh "Tiger Prawn" but I do like a word "Scampi". So, I keep its name in my recipe. You can cook it without tomato but I happen to love tomato. So, I put a lot of tomatoes in there. (Italian sun-dried tomato is also a good choice.)

Find below my simple recipe of "Shrimp Scampi Pasta". Its very refreshing but filling.

1 pound of dried pasta (Long form pasta ; Linguini, Capellini or Spaghetti)

16 medium / 8 big Tiger Prawns, peeled, de-veined and cleaned 

4 cloves of organic Garlic, finely chopped or grated

1 cup of organic Tomato, roughly chopped (Cherry Tomato is as good / halved.)

1/4 cup of Shrimp Stock or White Wine

1/2 Yellow Lemon, juiced (Slice the 2nd half and keep one side for garnish.)

4-5 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1-2 tablespoons of Red Chili flakes

2-3 tablespoons of unsalted Butter, cut into cubes

Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper 

For Garnish

1/2 Yellow Lemon, sliced (Lemon Zest if you prefer.)

Flat-leaf Parsley, roughly chopped
Italian Basil Leaves, roughly chopped (Optional) 

Grated (Parmigiano-Reggiano) Parmesan Cheese (Optional)

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add plenty of salt. Add pasta, cook till al dente. Drain and return to the pot

Set a large saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil and chopped garlic, fry till aromatic. Add tiger prawn, lemon juice, red chili flakes, sea salt,  black pepper and 1/2 of butter. Stir-fry very quickly to combine everything well. Remove the prawn and keep one side. (Be careful not to over cook the prawns. If they turn pink, they are already cooked.) In the same saucepan, with remaining sauce, add white wine or shrimp stock. Continue to cook until sauce reduces by half. Add back the prawns, lemon slices, tomatoes and 2nd half of the butter. Taste if more seasoning is needed.  Add pasta and toss to combine with the sauce. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Turn off the heat. Remove into serving plates and serve immediately.

Serve : 4

spaghetti aglio olio e pepercino

Spaghetti AOP with Shimeji Mushroom.

As I mentioned in my last post that this month is a month of pasta. Therefore, I will post only pasta recipes. (I know that some of you prefer to read only Thai recipes in my blog but, at times, I am bored. I need distraction. Please, bear with me.)

Anyway, to me, Spaghetti AOP (Aglio Olio e Pepercino) is way too easy. I seriously think that it doesn't require any skills. Any (grown-up) one could be able to cook it. I personally like to cook it when I feel very lazy and I want a meal ready in 5 to 10 minutes. If you want to cook to impress someone with less effort this dish is the dish. All you have to do is to add "Mushroom" and/or "Shrimp". I choose "Shimeji" Mushroom because I like the way it presents itself on the plate. I really think this mushroom looks very clean, elegant and tasteful.

Find below my recipe which is inspired & combined by a few recipes from "The Silver Spoon - Pasta" Cookbook.

1 pound of dried Spaghetti or Capellini (Any kind of pasta that you like but I prefer long form pasta for this recipe.) 

1/2 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Use the best quality that you could afford.)

1-2 tablespoons of organic Garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of fresh organic Red Chili, chopped & de-seeded (You can always use dried chili flakes.)

1 cup of Shimeji Mushroom, cleaned

Sea Salt & freshly ground Black Pepper 

For Garnish 

Fresh flat-leaf Parsley, roughly chopped 

Grated (Parmigiano-Reggiano) Parmesan Cheese (Optional)

Preparation

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add plenty of salt. Add pasta, cook till al dente. Drain and return to the pot.

Set a large saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil. Add garlic and red chili and cook till garlic is lightly browned. Add mushroom, sauté for a few minutes. Add a dash of sea salt and black pepper. Add cooked pasta and toss. Taste if more seasoning is needed. Sprinkle with chopped flat-leaf parsley, stir to mix well. Remove into serving plates. Sprinkle, if you like, with some grated parmigiano reggiano cheese (Some people like it plain without cheese.) Serve immediately.

Serve : 4-6

martha stewart's beef ragu with pasta recipe

Beef Ragù with Pasta (Recipe by Martha Stewart)

Once in a while, if I happen to find time, I like to experiment recipes from my cookbooks collection. This month (and last month) happens to be a month of "Pasta". For some good reason, I crave for pasta and I have tried many recipes from my favourite cookbooks ; "The Silver Spoon - Pasta", "The River Cafe - Classic Italian" and "Martha Stewart's" (She is actually not that much of my favourite but I guess I am brain-washed by watching her TV programs 4 days in every week for over a year now).

Anyway, last week, one of my very best mates came for dinner. I was in mood of cooking. So, I cooked her a 3-course-dinner. She was all happy and satisfied with my cooking skill. I opened a few decent bottles of "Merlot" for her and the evening was absolutely divine. Our main course was "Beef Ragù with Penne" (Bangkok was very cold last week. Its 18-19 degrees Celsius. Therefore, I think it was very appropriate to cook a winter dish.) The dish was very hearty and delicious. I personally think that it would be even better if I served it with "Chianti" but unfortunately, I didn't have any "Chianti" on hand that night.

This original recipe is picked from Martha's website as, to me, it feels very home-cooked, very easy, & very simple (It matches my cooking concept perfectly.). Find below a recipe of Martha's which is modified a little by me.

Beef Rump (Beef pieces for Stew - about 3 pounds)

Sea Salt & freshly ground Black Pepper

1/4 cup of Olive Oil

3 medium Onions, halved, then cut crosswise into slices

4 cloves of Garlic, crushed and finely chopped

1 pound of Cremini Mushroom, sliced (If you can't find Cremini, Champignon  Mushroom will do - I think they are almost the same type of mushroom.)

3 tablespoons of fresh Oregano leaves, roughly chopped
1 can (28 ounces) Italian Tomatoes with juices, whole peeled 

2 cups of dry Red Wine

1/2 teaspoon of Red Pepper flakes

1 pound of Penne or other Tubular pasta

For Garnish

Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano) cheese, shaved
Flat-leaf Parsley, chopped 

Preparation

Season the beef pieces with sea salt and black pepper. 

Set a large cast-iron-casserole (mine is a lovely blue colour from Le Creuset.) over medium-high heat. Add olive oil, and then brown the beef pieces on all sides. When the beef is done, remove from the casserole and keep one side.

In the same casserole, add sliced onion, stir till cooked through. Add garlic, mushroom, oregano and salt, stir for a few minutes. Add red wine and red pepper flakes. Return the beef pieces into the casserole and add tomato mixture. Braise till the beef is fork-tender, about 4 hours.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil, add plenty of salt. Add pasta, cook till al dente. Drain and return to the pot. 

Toss pasta with the sauce, transfer to serving plates. Top with pieces of beef, garnish with shaved Parmesan (Parmigiano-Reggiano) cheese. Sprinkle with chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley or fresh oregano.

Serve : 4-6

squid ink pasta with scallop

Squid Ink Pasta with Scallop

Yes, I know I cooked lots of western dishes at home lately. Oh well, I am in mood for western food of late. I mean now I can simply go to supermarkets in Bangkok and find lots of fresh herbs and fresh ingredients. I really love it - Now, I don't have to be in London or in Paris to find a fresh "bouquet garni" anymore !

I noticed that squid ink pasta is now becoming very popular among Thai, especially in those Italian restaurants in Bangkok. A few days ago, I had it at Delicatezza restaurant in Thonglor Soi 10. Then, I thought this dish is something you couldn't possibly ordered if you were with your date. Its best to cook at home and I think it will be better if I match this squid ink pasta with scallop. (Oh well, I couldn't find Scottish scallop here, I ended up with Thai scallop - which is not bad.)

Find below my very simple but very yummy recipe

¼ of Package of Squid Ink Linguine (Approx. 250 G.)

12-16 Scallops - Depends on how big they are. (Shelled & Cleaned - You can discard the orange bit of scallop & keep only the white bit but I keep it as it looks colourful with black pasta.)

3 Cloves of Garlic (Finely Chopped)

1 Yellow Lemon

A handful of Fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley (Roughly Chopped)

Freshly Ground Pepper

Ground Sea Salt

Olive Oil

Preparation

Bring a large saucepan/pot of water to a boil. When the water is boiling add pasta and sea salt and cook according to the package instruction until the pasta is Al Dente. Drain, drizzle with olive oil and keep warm one side.
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, fry till aromatic, add scallops, keep stirring. (You don't need to wait till they are cooked. - Over cooked scallops are not good.) Add cooked pasta, stir-fry very quickly till everything is well blended. Turn off the heat. Add salt and ground pepper to taste. Squeeze a wedge of lemon & sprinkle with chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley. Stir a few times and remove into a serving plate. Serve hot with a wedge of yellow lemon & a glass of Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio (Be careful not to put too much of lemon in your pasta if you serve it with "Pinot Grigio" as the wine is already with lemon-citrus flavours.).

Serve : 2

fusilli with smoked bacon & pesto sauce

Fusilli with Pesto

We do love noodles, especially pasta and I love short pasta: Fusilli & Penne too bits. Yesterday, we cooked Fusilli with pesto sauce. I added smoked bacon/pancetta as I like it more this way.

Cooking pesto sauce is very easy but you can always get a good bottled Pesto Sauce from any high-end deli/supermarket which sells good qaulity products from Italy and its more realistic & practical this way.

Find below my recipe of Fusilli with Pesto sauce with smoked bacon.

For the pesto Sauce
• Handful of Italian Basil
• Handful of Pine nuts (from Waitrose is highly recommended)
• 5-6 Tablespoon of Olive Oil (De Cecca is highly recommended)
• Sea Salt

• Smoked Bacon, 1/2 cup (Pacetta is higly recommended)
• Fusilli, 140 g (De Cecca)
• Pine Nuts & Basil leaves for garnish
• Very good quality of Parmesan Cheese, grated


Preparation

1.Cook the Fusili as instructed on the side of its package (I like it cooked al dente)
2.Drain, remove them into a big bowl keep one side
3.Blend all the pesto ingredients in a food processor.
4.In a saucepan, add smoked bacon, fry for 3-5 mins to your liking or till aromatic
5.Turn off the heat, add the fried smoked bacon into a pasta bowl.
6.Toss the pesto through the pasta.
7.Remove into a serving plate
8.Garnish with fresh Basil leaves & Pine nuts (Optional)
9.Serve with a cup of extra grated Parmesan Cheese

calderazzo

Calderazzo Italian Restaurant

I mean to write about "Calderazzo" a while ago but being the kind of person who trend to buy cookbooks with pictures, I just cant post without pictures. So, I just had to wait for the pictures.

Last week I got a chance to visit the restaurant for lunch, hence Calderazzo's Food pictures. : )

Oh well.. everybody knows that "Calderazzo" is one of the best intalian restaurants in bkk. So, no doubt that this restaurant is well-known and being many people's favourite restaurant. I personally, have many favourite italian restaurants in bkk too... but it seems to me that each of them has thier own best dishes to offer.

Giusto is best at thier appetizers, salads (best caprese in town), red meat dishes & desserts.
Fuzio Cuisine is outstanding in term of light & heathy food.
Delicatezza cooks very good pasta dishes which seem to match thai's taste.

Yes..to me "Calderazzo" cooks the best "pasta" in town!!

The style of Chef Marco's cooking is typically southern Italian, the emphasis on the fresh taste of the products. Almost of his pasta dishes appear, virtually, no cream or butter is used in the sauces which very much matches my taste as I personally dislike creamy food.

My most favourite dish is "Penne with Beef & Broccoli.

If you happen to love Pasta... "Calderazzo" is the answer.

Rate :
***** for the Food
**** for Decoration
***** for Service


Calderazzo
59, 59/6 Soi Langsuan,
Ploenchit Rd., Lumpini,
Patumwan, BKK 10330
T. 02 252 8108-9

rigatoni with fresh pork sausage

Rigatoni with Fresh Pork Sausage

3-4 of pork sausages
2 tablespoons of extra light & mild olive oil
1/4 of cup of red wine
1 of onion, diced
2-3 of tomatoes, diced
2 cloves of garlic ( finely chopped)
1 cup of passata ( or canned tomatoes, chopped)
1 cup of mushroom / or green beans
1 lb of large rigotoni dry pasta
fresh basil
salt
pepper
mixed herbs

praparation

in a pan, heat olive oil
add onion, and garlic
add fresh pork sausages and begin to brown for 2-3 mins
add wine and cook until evaporated
add passata
add diced of tomatoes, mushroom, and green beans and cook for 10-15 mins
meanwhile bring water to boil and cook rigatoni for approx. 10-11 mins
drain and toss into the sauce's pan
add fresh basil leave then serve

pasta @ my place

my place is a great place to hangout with your mates.
with their tea, selection of cakes and pasta dishes.

"My Place"
842 thonglor
sukhumvit 55
tel. 662 381 8812
fax. 662 381 8814
www.myplace2004.com

dinner @ delicatezza

Dinner @ Delicatezza (again)

i went there last night with a mate.
as usual, i am not disappointed. i really adore thier home-cooking ( a bit hot & spicy) style.

try - mediterranean salad, spaghetti seafood with white wine or red wine.

yummy.

spaghetti with pork & peas in curry sauce

Spaghetti with Pork & Peas in Curry Sauce

recipe will be added later - too busy this month.

fettuccine with pork & basil curry sauce

Fettuccine with Pork & Basil Curry Sauce

recipe will be added later - too busy this month.

penne with tuna in tomato sauce

penne, tuna, fresh tomato in tomato sauce

1 pound of penne ( organic pasta from "waitrose" or "de cecco" is highly recommended) 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil ( i like extra mild and light from "waitrose")
1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
1 of onion, finely chopped
2 of fresh tomatoes, cut into small cubes
2 cans of tuna in spring water, drained
1 cup of canned strained tomatoes, chopped/ or passata
2 tablespoons of mixed herbs
ground pepper, salt

preparation

- bring a pot of water to a boil.
- add salt and the pasta, cook until al dente
- meanwhile, put a pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil
- saute the celery and onion for 2 minute
- add fresh tomatoes
- add tuna and cook until warmed through, about 2 mins
- add tomatoes/ passata, season with salt, mixed herbs and pepper and keep cooking for another 10 mins
- drain the pasta, add into the sauce, and toss over.

pasta with tuna, anchovies, olives & mozzarella

Pasta with Tuna, Anchovies, Olives & Mozzarella

300 g of spaghetti or linguinie
2 tablespoons of olive oil
6 tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon of sugar
50 g of anchovies in olive oil, drained
4 tablespoons of dry white wine
20o g of a can of tuna in olive oil, drained
1/2 cup of pitted black olive, roughly sliced
125 g of fresh mozzarella cheese, drained and diced
salt & ground black pepper
fresh basil leaves

preparation

cook pasta as intructed on the packet.
heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan.
add tomotoes, sugar and peper to taste
toss over a medium heart for a few mins until the tomatoes soften and the juices run.
snip a few anchovies at a time into the pan of tomatoes with kitchen scissors.
add wine, tuna and olives, stir once or twice until they are evenly mixed into the sauce.
add mozzzarella, heat through without stirring.
taste and then add salt if necessary.
drain the pasta and tip it into a warmed bowl.
pour the sauce over, toss gently and sprinkle with fresh basil leaves

serve immediately.

spicy sphagetti with scallop - thai style

Spicy Sphagetti with Scallop : Thai Style

9 of scallops
1 clove of garlic, roughly chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
4-6 of chillies, roughly crushed
5-6 leaves of sweet basil, roughly chopped

sphagetti - as much as you like

2 teaspoons of abalone sauce ( or oyster sauce)
1 teaspoon of seasoning sauce
2 tablespoons of extra olive oil
1 teaspoon of rock salt
a pinch of sugar


preparation

One of the great things about Thai food is its flexibility. Most people associate pasta with Italian food, yet here we have an authentic Thai dish made with spaghetti. Many Thai people would cook this dish with noodles but many of my farang friends don’t much care for noodles. So here we have a great compromise, Thai taste with Italian pasta. Call it Thai fusion if you want. I just like the look and the taste and it is so easy to prepare.

First task. Cook the spaghetti. Not your most complicated task. Heat some olive oil in a wok or frying pan and add garlic and chillis. I use red chillis for color but green chillis are just as good. Cook the garlic and chilli until you start to feel the chillis aroma. Add onion and continue frying until about half cooked. The onions should be soft but not browned. Add your scallops. Remember that the cardinal sin with any fish or seafood is over cooking. Keep your heat at medium and stir a lot, but gently. Add a pinch of salt and sugar, together with oyster and seasoning sauce. Stir until the scallops are cooked. It should not take more than 3 minutes.

Turn off the heat and add the spaghetti and fresh Thai basil. Be generous with the basil. It really does make the dish. Garnish with some un-chopped basil leaves and there you have it.

Spicy spaghetti with scallops, Thai style. Delicious and easy. You can be eating in less than twenty minutes. You could make the same dish with chicken breast, pork loin and just about any white fish.

A couple of tips. I have provided quantities but feel free to alter them to your taste. Thai food is not exact in its quantities. In fact, most classical Thai recipes don’t include quantities at all. Also, it is worth grinding the chilli and garlic a little in a pestle before you fry. It does improve the aroma.

pasta, tomato, beef, basil

Pasta, Tomato, Beef and Basil

pasta (coudes or penne) - any one that you like
beef fillet - as much as you like
garlic - 4 cloves
extra light olive oil - 3 tablespoons
tin tomatoes - 1/2 of a can
italian basil - 5-6 leaves, roughly chopped
salt - a pinch
black pepper - a pinch
mixed herbs - 1 tablespoon
red wine - 350 ml

preparation

trim the fillet and cut into small cubes
peel and finely chop the garlic
roughly chop the basil leaves
cook pasta as how you like it

heat the olive oil in the frying pan until very hot
add the beef peices and fry very briefly just to brown them.
put them aside to rest.

heat the remain olive oil from frying the beef and then put the garlic in.
add tomatoes and season with salt, pepper and mixed herbs
add red wine
cook over a high heat for 5 mins
stirring to break up the tomatoes
put the fried beef cubes into to pan and then basil

then into the plate pasta and beef sauce and its ready to serve.

delicatezza

Delicatezza is one of my favourite italian restaurants in bangkok.

Rate :
**** for the Food.
**** for Decoration
**** for Service

Delicatezza
351/3 Sukhumvit 55 (Soi Thonglor)
Tel 662 382 2850
Fax 662 382 2849

fettuchini, lamb fillet with rosemary & garlic

Fettuchini and Lamb Fillet with Rosemary & Garlic

1 cup (235 mL) orange juice
1 cup (235 mL) pineapple juice
2 cloves garlic - chopped
1 medium (110 g) onion -chopped
1/2 tsp. (3 g) salt
1 tsp. (2.1 g) ground black pepper
1 tsp. (1 g) dried thyme
2 to 4 lamb fillet
4 stems fresh rosemary

1 tsp. (2.1 g) extra virgin olive oil

preparation

- marinade the lamp fillet for 1-4 hours in the fridge

- heat a medium pan on high heat.
- add olive oil
- fry the lamb as how you like it. ( becareful to not burn the garlic and rosemary)

- serve with fettuchini and rosemary

pasta and steak

Pasta and Steak