Tagliatelle in Saffron and Mascarpone Sauce with Prawns

Ingredients for 6:

600g Tagliatelle
2 onions
1 Garlic clove
2 tb Olive oil
1 pinch Saffron strands
200ml dry white wine
500g Mascarpone cheese (can be substituted with cream cheese)
36 small/medium prawns, around 300g
Salt and pepper
1tbsp fish sauce (optional)
1 tbsp light soy sauce (optional)
1 tsp dried dill
1 handful torn fresh basil leaves to garnish


Method:
1. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. (Pasta is done when it's still very firm to the firm. It will continue to soften after the water is drained.)

2. Finely chop the onions and garlic. In a large frying pan heat the oil, add the onions and garlic and fry for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the saffron, then half of the wine and finally add the Mascarpone cheese. Simmer gently for a few minutes, add the remaining wine, prawns and dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add fish sauce and light soy sauce if you like.

4. Drain pasta, add sauce and garnish with basil leaves.

recipe modified from here

Comments:
This is a once in a while dish...and i m slightly embarassed to confess that i cannot resist bargains..i saw the mascapone cheese going for one-sixth of its regular price and grabbed two tubs...
and when i reached home, i realised..."shucks!! What am i going to do with 500 g of 35% fat cheese!!!!!????"
(do the math...it's around 175g fat..!!!) First thought was tiramisu...but i really don't like sweet stuff and would feel so guilty eating it...and a brief, ok, not so brief, search on the internet yielded a few interesting sounding recipes...and i tried the one above...cos it had...saffron!!! Ever since tasting a very interesting prawn saffron avocado soup that Moa made, i have been quite intrigued with the spice...it's touted as the world's most expensive spice and for good reason...it retails for more than its worth in gold and thank God, that you only need a pinch for most recipes...but i think it really adds body and complexity to a dish...or perhaps it's just the psychogical effect of paying more and expecting more??? haha...
AND it has some health benefits to boot! (I'm really interested in 'protective foods'..the practical side of me likes to eat food which taste great and is also good for you..) According to wikipedia, it's apparently good for gastrointestinal ailments, wound healing (you bathe in saffron-infused water!), coughs, scabies, depression and is also anticarcinogenic! haha...sounds like a wonder drug!! But with all things, it can be toxic if used in excess..but i guess its hefty price tag is a good deterrant..
:)

oh!! and here's a picture of Moa's soup....yummm....

Salmon fettucine with mandarin orange ginger paste

:) own concoction...no recipe cos it wasn't that fantastic...the salmon was too fishy....but the madarin orange peel ginger paste idea pairing was interesting....might try that again as a topping when baking some other fish...
Just take fresh mandarin orange peel, chop it up with a roughly equal amount of ginger as fine as you can and add a teaspoon of olive oil...

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...