Cherry tomato cheese pops!

ingredients:

20 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
20 baby bocconcini, cut into halves
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
20 basil leaves, cut into halves
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbsp fresh chives/ spring onions, chopped

method:
1. Marinate the cheese in salt, pepper, olive oil, parsley and chives. Leave overnight.
2. Assemble using toothpicks. cheese, basil, tomato or in any other sequence u prefer.
SERVE!

from Bay Book's 'finger foods best ever small food recipes' book...

i would add some chopped garlic and paprika to the marinade the next time too...overall a very pleasing appetiser...! Pretty and extremely easy to make.

Asian Carrot Cake aka Chai Tow Kueh!

If you mentioned 'carrot cake' to a Singaporean or Malaysian, chances are that we'd think immediately of the savoury version with lots of egg and oil instead of the sweet nutty version so loved by Americans.

After making it today, i wondered how it was first invented. It never fazes me how complicated/ time consuming Asian cooking is!! First, you've got to grate the carrot (raddish, but in Mandarin, it's called 'white carrot'), then you've got to fry it til tender, mix it into a rice flour water mixture, steam for an hour, cool for 1.5 hours and then leave it in the fridge for at least 8 hours! And that is only half the job...then you've still got to stir fry it in a copious amount of oil and egg for around 10 more minutes and in the process, infuse your home with oily fumes. (I really do feel sorry for my housemates sometimes!)

Ok! No more whinning! The result is relatively authentic i think...though I'd follow the recipe more closely the next time (if there is a next time! I only cooked chai tow kueh today cos I had half a daikon i had to finish before leaving for placement tomorrow!) and stir fry it for at least 8 minutes..I was impatient and remembering the hawkers back home, I thought that it can be cooked in a jiffy! (Most probably, the hawkers have already stir-fried the carrot cake once through, that's why they take a much shorter time! Thanks Peter for the tip!)
Most pieces came out a tad too chewy but on the whole, was still acceptable! Oh...and I think it is not advisable to cut back on the oil....otherwise, it won't be crispy or fragrant enough....Eat this only occasionally ok!!

Got the recipe from Epicurious.

PS: Actually I like the 'white' carrot cake much better...if you've got a good recipe for that, please share with me!! Thanks!

Catalan Chickpeas with Tomatoes and Almonds

i followed the recipe from the traveler's lunchbox...and was blown away by the results!!

You've gotta try it!!! It's extremely flavourful and oh-so-satisfying...!! Mmmmmmmm...

Aglio Olio

ingredients:

(for 4 pax)

500g pasta (slightly undercooked)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
10 garlic cloves
1 cup stock
salt and pepper to taste.

optional:
1/2 cup pine nuts, slighted toasted
250g frozen spinach, thawed
1 teaspoon chilli flakes (more or less up to you..)
grated parmesan cheese

method:

heat oil in pan. Add garlic and chilli. Fry til fragrant. Add spinach if using. Fry a couple of minutes. Add pasta, white wine and stock, stir and cover for 2 minutes.
DONE!!
Top with pine nuts and parmesan. Ohh yar, remember to add salt...!!

Comments: the original recipe called for 1 cup of oli, definitely nicer but...i was thinking about the health of my friends you see...

cold dish

spinach with sesame seeds

1 bunch of spinach (uncut)
4 drops of sesame oil
1 tablespoon of soy sayce
1 tablespoon of sugar

boil spinach for 4 mins and drain. run it under cold water. Take bunches of spinach and squeeze it dry. chop into 4 cm pieces and leave it a bowl

mix all the ingredient and poor it onto the prepared spinach. mix and chill it in the fridge. before serving sprinkle some sesame seeds on top

what i think
i love this this. simple and tasty to eat!!

Dim Sum Style Chee Chong Fun!!!

recipe from Imperial Kitchen Forum
http://lovefood.14.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=656

Ingredients :
150g Rice Flour
1 ½ Tbsp Wheat starch flour
2 Tbsp Corn flour
1 Tbsp Oil
2 cups Water
½ tsp Salt

Method :
1. Sift the 3 types of flours together.
2. Slowly add the water, mixing as you add.
3. Add the oil and salt and mix thoroughly. Set batter aside for at least an hour.
4. Prepare your steamer. Grease a swiss roll pan or any aluminium tray with oil
and pour the batter directly on the pan and steam for 5 mins.
5. After steaming, using a plastic scrapper roll the ccf up. If you are using
ingredients like char siew or prawns, you can sprinkle it over the steamed ccf
and then proceed to roll it up.
6. Place in a plate brushed with a little oil. Continue with the rest of the
batter.


Sauce:
Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
2 tbsp sugar
a few slices of ginger
½ cup water
4 tbsp mushroom flavoured soy sauce or normal light soy sauce
½ to 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

method:

1. Place ginger with oil and sugar in a pot. Cook over small fire until sugar
turns brown.
2. When sugar is brown, add in the rest of the ingredients. Cook over medium
fire for about 5 mins. Taste the sauce and adjust taste accordingly. If you
find the sauce too sweet, you can add in a bit of salt.

Modifications: I added sliced chinese shitake mushrooms in the sauce too. (To prep: Soak in hot water with 1 tsp of sugar for 20 mins). For filling, we added crabsticks, the mushrooms, spring onions.

Comments: HEAVEN!!!! It's really the thin and soft type ccf...very yummy!!! Quite time consuming though....Qin and I took nearly 1 hour 15 mins to make 6 rolls....eat and make, eat and make...so by the end of it, we were both very full cos the meal took so long!!! hahaa...

No-crust spinach quiche

ingredients

1 tbs olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlice, minced
1 (250g) box of chopped spinach, thawed n drained
5 large eggs, beaten
3 cups (360g) of shredded Muenster/Jack/Tasty cheese (I used Swiss Guyere)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

optional: mixed herbs, parprika, chilli powder

directions:
1. Adjust oven rack to centre position, preheat oven to 200 degrees. Light grease a 9-inch pyrex dish n set in heating oven
2. heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high hit. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, abt 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add spinach and continue cooking until all moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat.
3. Combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper (and other spices) in a large bowl. Stir in spinach mixture.
4. Carefully remove glass dish from oven. Pour in spinach mixture and bake until set, abut 25 minutes. Cool slightly, slice and serve.

recipe from allrecipes.com

Comments: I made this for appetiser tonight and the girls thought it was the main course...ha....
it was quite good...very creamy and satisfying...