SPAGHETTI WITH ASPARAGUS AND MUSHROOMS

1/2 cup olive oil

8 cloves garlic, sliced

4 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped

4 shitake mushrooms, chopped (if dried, soak first)

1 bunch of asparagus, cut into cm-thick pcs and blanched

Peel from 1 lemon, chopped

1 big bunch of basil, chopped

1/2 cup cream cheese, cubed

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 handful of cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 450g spaghetti noodles

1. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Once cooked, set aside atleast 1 cup of cokoing water.

2. In a saute pan, heat olive oil.  Add garlic and seat until soft and tender.  Add tomatoes and mushrooms and simmer for approximately 3-5 mins. Add asparagus, lemon peel and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer.

3.  Add spaghetti and toss together. Remove from heat.

4.  Add cream cheese, lemon and cilantro. Toss through and serve immediately.

BEEF BOURGUIGNON AND SIDES

 (Adapted from Julia Child)

I finally decided to try this recipe after hearing so much about it and from watching Julie and Julia. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to follow the recipe to a T, because I didn’t have the necessary ingredients and I didn’t want to open the oven.  In the end, it turned out okay. Something I would try again, as long as I have 2-3 hours to spare. The main recipe here is the one I did, but I’ll include in parenthesis the method that  was originally done by Julia Child.)

top to bottom: beef shank, bacon

6oz bacon, cut into 1 cm strips (in the original recipe, an uncut piece of bacon was used. The rind was removed and both meat and skin was boiled in water.  Its cut into lardons, which are centimeter-sized pieces, and then the procedure continues as it is)

3 tbsp oil

500 gms beef (Julia Child used beef chunks, but I had shank on hand so that’s what I used.)

clockwise, from right: carrots, onions,
garlic, bay leaf, thyme, tomato paste

1 large carrot, cut into big chunks (I cut them into big chunks so that at the end, I can still serve them with the meat. In Julia’s recipe, I have the impression that they end up as mush and are discarded at the end).

1 medium onion, french cut

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tbsp flour

2 cups red wine (rule of thumb is - if you can drink it, cook with it)

2 cups beef stock (I used 4 beef cubes in 1 L water, which is more than enough to cover the amount needed for this recipe and its sides)

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves garlic mashed with 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

1. Saute bacon in oil for 2 to 3 mins until browned. Remove with slotted spoon. Set aside. Reheat oil.

2. Dry beef in paper towels. Brown. Remove and set aside with bacon.

3. In same pan, brown vegetables, app 10 mins. Pour out excess fat.

4. (If beef cubes are used, add beef in this step and coat with flour as well. Brown also.) Add salt, pepper and flour. Toss together until slightly browned. (In the original recipe, after the flour and seasoning is added to the beef and vegetables, the entire casserole was placed in a 400F oven for around 15 minutes or until the meat was browned even more.)

from left to right: red wine, beef stock

5. Add tomato paste, garlic and herbs. Stir in wine and stock. Scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. (Actually, in the original, the wine was stirred in first before the tomato paste, garlic and herbs).

6. Transfer to a slow cooker/crockpot and cook on moderate heat for 2 - 2 1/2 hrs or until meat is fork tender. (Here I deviated once again.  The dish is supposed to be cooked in a 350F oven for the said hours).

7. Once done, remove meat and pour rest of contents of casserole through a sieve set over a saucepan. Transfer meat, bacon and carrots to a serving platter and set aside. Garnish with braised onions and sauteed mushrooms (recipes follows).

8. Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce until approximately 2 1/2 cups of sauce remains, or until thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Taste for seasoning. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables.

beef bourguignon, carrots and sides

SAUTEED MUSHROOMS

left to right: sliced mushrooms, butter

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp oil

1-1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

Salt and pepper

Heat skillet over high heat with butter and oil. Be careful not to burn the butter. Once bubbles subside, add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Saute for 8-10 mins until lightly browned. Set aside to serve with beef.

sauteed mushrooms

BROWNED BRAISED ONIONS

browned braised onion ingredients
(clockwise, from top):
beef stock, onions, butter,
dried parsley, bay leaf, dried thyme

Pearl/small onions, 3-5 pcs per person (I couldn’t find any pearl onions in my supermarket, but luckily enough, there were some small onions of approximately 1 inch in diameter).

1 1/2 tbsp butter

½ - 1  cup beef stock

Pepper

Parsley sprigs (I didn't have any parsley but i did have dried parsley. Not the same, but I had to adapt)

1 small bay leaf

1/4 tsp thyme

1. In the same pan where mushrooms were cooked, add an additional 1 1/2 tbsp butter to the fat. Add onions and saute over moderate heat for approximately 10 mins until brown.

2. Pour in beef stock until I reached halfway up the onions, and add herbs. Cover and simmer slowly for 40-50 mins until onions are tender and liquid evaporates. Once done, remove herbs and serve onions with beef.

brown braised onions

GREEN BEANS WITH LEMON

250 gms green beans, topped and cut to 3 inches length

1 tbsp butter

Grated peel of 1 lemon

1 – 3 tbsp lemon juice (approximately ½ lemon)

Pepper

1. Steam green beans until cooked, around 3-5 mins.

2. Heat pan. Melt butter and toss in cooked beans.  Add 1/2 of lemon peel, juice (add tbsp by tbsp, to make sure it isn’t too sour) and season with pepper.  Mix together. Garnish with remaining lemon peel to serve.

green beans with lemon

CHEESY GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

mashed potato ingredients (clockwise from top right):
garlic cloves, melted butter, cheese spread,
parmesan cheese, cut potatoes

4 large potatoes, cut into chunks

4 large whole garlic cloves

1/2 cup cheese spread (there wasn’t a lot of choices in terms of cheese in the small supermarket I went to, so I decided to try this)

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

1 tsp melted butter

Parmesan cheese to garnish

finished mashed potato

1. Boil potatoes and garlic together in salted water until potatoes are cooked, approximately 15 mins.

2. Heat cheese spread and milk together. Set aside.

3. Mash potatoes with melted butter and cheese spread. Add parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving platter and pour with 1 tsp butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve. 

finished dish of beef, carrots, mushrooms, onions,
green beans and mashed potato

ASPARAGUS AND BACON QUICHE WITH BASIL CRUST

I love quiches. But it can be a little hard to look for stores that sell them, and can be a little pricey.  This is my standard recipe that I use with various proteins.  Another favorite of mine is spicy sardines.

Quiche slice

Quiche ingredients

First, make the CRUST: Place 1/2 c very cold butter and 1/3 c very cold shortening, both cubed into 1/2 inch cubes, into a food processor. Add 1 1/4 c all purpose flour, a handfull of basil leaves and 1/4 tsp salt. Pulse until mixture is in pea-sized pieces. May have to add more flour. Add ice-cold water, tsp by tsp. I used about 5 tsps, which depends on the humidity. Pulse until mixture forms into a ball. 

dough ingredients

Form into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 30 mins. 

When ready to prebake the crust, pre-heat the oven to a temperature of 400F. Oil a fluted quiche pan, approximately 10 inches in diameter. Place chilled dough on a floured surface and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness.  Transfer to the pan and prick the bottom and sides with a fork to release any steam that might accumulate while baking. The usual procedure in blind baking is to put wax paper or parchment paper on the crust and fill with either raw rice, beans or special baking pebbles. I skipped this part because I find that enough pricking usually does the trick. Bake for app 15-20 mins, or until lightly browned. Set aside to cool prior to filling.

Crust, prior to baking

Assemble the FILLING:

LEFT, filling ingredients; RIGHT, custard ingredients

1. Prepare the ASPARAGUS. Depending on the size of the vegetable, cut 1-3 inches off the woody end. If stalk is still tough, peel around to expose the more tender part. Cut into 1 inch sections.  Blanch the asparagus by boiling salted water and dropping in the asparagus. Cook for app 2-3 mins, remove, and immediately drop into ice-cold water. Drain and set aside.

2.  Prepare the BACON. Cut meat into 1 inch pieces. Heat a pan and drop in bacon, without adding oil. Render out the fat until cooked, but not browned or crispy. Drain fat (leave in the pan) and set aside.

3. Prepare the CARAMELIZED ONION. French cut a medium-sized onion . Melt 1 tbsp butter in the same pan where the bacon was cooked. Add 1/2 tsp dried thyme, rubbing it first against your palm, and heat through until fragrant. Add the onions and gently saute over a low flame. Add 1 tsp sugar and 1/4 tsp salt. Continue cooking until soft and lightly browned. Drain (leave fat in pan) and set aside. 

FROM TOP RIGHT CLOCKWISE, blanched asparagus,
cooked bacon, and caramelized onion

4. Slice 3-5 tomatoes, depending on the size, into 1/4 inch thick slices. De-seed. Toss in cooled cooking fat from the bacon and onions. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange on a wire rack and roast in a 400F oven for app 15 mins (I roasted this with the crust). Set aside once done.

LEFT, sliced tomatoes prior to roasting; RIGHT, roasted tomatoes

5. Grate enough CHEESE to make approximately 1 c.

6. To prepare the CUSTARD: Whisk together 1 tbsp melted butter, 1 c cream, 1 c milk, 4 eggs, 1 tbsp flour, and 1/2 tsp nutmeg. Set aside. (Salt can be added, but because of the bacon and cheese, and since the onions and tomatoes are also seasoned, I didn't add anymore).

prepared custard

TO ASSEMBLE:  Layer the roasted tomatoes at the bottom of the cooled pre-baked crust. Scatter the caramelized onions as equally as possible over them. Do the same to the bacon and asparagus, reserving the asparagus tips for decoration. 

Sprinkle the grated cheese over and arrange asparagus spears on top. 

Carefully pour custard into the shell. Sprinkle with pepper and place in a 350F oven for around 35-40 mins, or until quiche has set and is not wet. Let cool for a bit before serving.

Finished quiche