Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil

I don't usually have the 'motivation' to cook when I'm alone at home. The thought of washing up after that would be enough to deter me most of the time, and I would end up buying food from outside. But once in a while, I'm even lazier to drag my butt out of the house. And today is one of those days.

Thanks to this cookbook I borrowed from the library a few days ago, I managed to find some really simple pasta dishes that I can cook for myself without much fuss. Also, if you are trying out this dish, do note that there is a difference between the flat leaf parsley stated in the recipe, as to the curly parsley I used (bought from NTUC).

Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil (recipe from : The Best Ever One-Pot Cookbook by Jenni Fleetwood)

Note : the following quantity is for 4 servings

Ingredients :

- 400g fresh / dried spaghetti
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 - 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 dried red chilli (I substituted with red chilli flakes)
- 1 small handful of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped (I could only find curly parsley)
- salt

Directions :

1) Cook the pasta in a large pan of salted boiling water, according to the packet instructions, until it is just tender, adding plenty of salt to the water* (see note below).

2) When the pasta is just tender, drain it using a large colander, then transfer it to a warmed, large serving bowl.

3) Heat the olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic and dried chilli and stir over low heat for a minute or two until the garlic is just beginning to brown. Remove the dried chilli and discard.

4) Pour the hot olive oil and cooked garlic mixture over the pasta, add the chopped parsley and toss vigourously until pasta glistens, then serve immediately.

* Note : Don't use salt when you are preparing the hot oil, garlic and chilli mixture, because the salt will not dissolve sufficiently. This is why plenty of salt is recommended for cooking the pasta.

And being a cheese person, I added a handful of grated Parmesan cheese to the pasta in the end so the saltiness of the dish is just right. :)

Auntie Tips (18)

Tip 1 :
Here's another way to get rid of dirt on any white material : just pour any herbal-infused shampoo you can find into a pail, together with the material. Add some water and leave it there for a while. The water will turn grey - a sign that the dirt has been removed. Try this method for getting the shine back in your stainless steel pots and pans too.

Tip 2 :
Are your child's stuffed toys beginning to get dusty and dirty? Bring out the cornstarch and start rubbing it onto the affected areas. Let the cornstarch stand for a while before brushing it off.

Tip 3 :
To make fresh lemon or orange juice without a juicer, simply place the fruit on a chopping board, and roll it back and forth a couple of times. Cut the fruit in half and insert a fork in the centre. Twist the fork continuously inside the fruit above a wide and large bowl. You'll still get a lot of juice and there'll be no mess at all.

Tip 4 :
If there are stains or unpleasant smells in your vases, just make a mixture of salt and vinegar and rub it all over.

Tip 5 :
You can reuse the plastic, boxy containers which are used to pack grapes and starwberries. As these containers have holes punched into them, you can actually convert them into recyclable strainers. Put your vegetables inside one so you conveniently wash each item under running water. Use it to store the washed vegetables in the fridge as well.

From : Women's Weekly - Oct 2007

Happy Lunar New Year

新年快乐!

恭喜发财!

Butter Chicken (Indian Chicken in Tomato Cream Sauce)

This is the second attempt at another butter chicken recipe. I did one back some time ago and it didn't have any sauce. But this was different and we bought a packet of frozen naan from NTUC to go with it.

And I also made some changes to this recipe :

- instead of cooked chicken, I bought chicken fillets and marinated them using the ingredients from the previous butter chicken recipe

- I opted to leave out the garam masala and ground cinnamon coz I didn't want to buy bottles of those just for this recipe (and I thought the marinating would be enough)

- I left out the peas coz I don't like peas

Butter Chicken (Indian Chicken in Tomato Cream Sauce) (recipe from here)

Spice Blend:

• 1 tablespoon garam masala seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Sauce:
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 2 teaspoons jarred minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 skinless rotisserie chicken, boned out and pulled into 1 1/2 by 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 (10-ounce) box frozen peas, placed in a colander and run under hot water to thaw
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

1) To make the spice blend: Stir the ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

2) To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the pieces just begin to turn gold, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and spice blend, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent burning. The spices will be fragrant. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes and stir will. Add the chicken pieces, spoon the sauce over the top and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat to low and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is warmed through and the sauce is flavorful, about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. Remove the chicken to a serving dish and cover to keep warm.

3) Shake any excess water from the peas. Add the peas and cream to the sauce in the pan, stir well and heat through. Do not boil. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. Serve with rice and warmed pita bread.

Variation: If you prefer shreds of chicken to whole pieces, remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat into large chunks by hand. Add to the pan along with the garlic, tomato paste and spice blend. Cook for 3 minutes and then add the tomato sauce and continue with the recipe. Serve over basmati rice.