Chicken & bacon cacciatore

Oh dear! I didn't realise that it has been more than one month since my last post! =(

I prefer this version to the previous that I blogged on. This version has some rosemary & red wine vinegar added and so gives it an exciting twist. =)


Serving portion for 2:

Half a chicken
250ml chicken stock
3 rashers bacon
Some onions, sliced
Olive oil
Some fresh rosemary
1 x 400g canned plum tomatoes
Some red or white wine vinegar
Some sugar


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1] Season the chicken pieces with a little salt and some pepper. Put aside.

2] Heat some oil in large frying pan and brown the chicken, a few pieces at a time, if necessary until its skin is golden on all sides.

3] As each batch is done, lift out from pan and put aside while you fry the rest of the chicken.

4] After all the chicken is done, remove some of the fats from the pan, if necessary.

5] Lower heat and add the bacon. Keep going with the bacon till it crisps.

6] Then remove the bacon and leave it with the chicken pieces.

7] Again, remove some of the fats from the pan, if ncessary. Then using the fats behind behind in the wok by the bacon, fry the onions and rosemary until the onions softened. Then return the chicken and bacon back to the pan.

8] Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, vinegar and sugar. Season with some salt and pepper.

9] Bring to a simmer, cover and then leave it alone for 20 to 30 minutes. Turn off fire when you are happy with its consistency. Serve with rice or pasta. I had mine with rice =)



Chicken pieces after they
have been fried



I like this consistency

I also roasted some vegetables
to the delight of my friends
who finished up to the last bit
=)

XOXO
Ariella

Chicken with parsley & lemon

I got this recipe from http://www.coles.com.au/. The 2 cities in Australia that hold memories for me are Sydney & Melbourne, in that order.

Though I've been to Sydney only once for about 2 weeks and was there alone, I met someone there who displayed extraordinary grace.

She owns an Asian bakery shop along Quay Street and is my church friend's elder sister. She offered me a buffet of breads & cakes everyday (no time limit) and I had the privilege to have her cook lamb chops for me right from the kitchen in her bakery. She asked her student part-timers in her bakery to bring me around the city & secretly passed them money to host me. When I said that I have never tried ... erm.. what's that donut brand again.. Crispy Kreme! Yes, Crispy Kreme. When I said that I have yet to try that, she bought a dozen for me the next day to choose from. Then she brought me some persimmons to eat in the backpackers' for she said they were very sweet & in season. She also offered to send me on local tours & I declined because I know she would insist on paying for it. She was very kind and giving, everything I wouldn't expect from someone I am meeting for the first time and hopefully, not the only time.

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Serving for 2:

4 chicken drumstick
Garlic, crushed
Parsley, finely chopped
1 lemon
2 tomatoes-on-the-vine, diced
1 avocado, diced
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & freshly grounded black pepper to taste
Spaghetti

1] Combine garlic, parsley, lemon rind, some lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Pour half of these over the chicken and leave for 10 minutes or more.

2] Meanwhile, put the spaghetti to cook.

3] Combine the tomatoes, avocado, some lemon juice and olive oil. Season with some salt & freshly grounded black pepper.

4] Now, grill the chicken for about 20 to 30 minutes until its juice runs clear when cut into.

5] Then place the chicken on one side of the plate and drizzle the other half of parlsey sauce over chicken.

6] Twill spaghetti with a fork and place it on the other side of the plate. Top it off the avocado salad.

VOILA!

The avocado salad to go with the
spaghetti

The chicken before it goes into
the oven

Undo the twill from
your fork onto the plate

Top it up with the avocado salad

Chicken with lemon & parlsey

XOXO
Ariella

Basil pesto with smoked chicken breast

Hello people.. =)


I've been away for so long...! I went on a trip to Taiwan and I met many lovely people there, some locals and some travelers like us. When I told people that I went to Taiwan, they would usually ask " Did you try this this & that?"," Did you eat a lot?"," Did you put on a lot of weight?" And my answer to each of the above is " No". This isn't our first time there. Neither is it our second. It's the third time for me and for her, the fourth time. Therefore, there wasn't a need to gobble down their local food.

Neither did we eat alot (and I'm glad). Since we didn't eat alot, naturally, we didn't put on much weight. I, in fact, lost weight from the heavy backpack, the late nights, irregular meals, the forest/ mountain trails & walking the night markets.

The most memorable wasn't the mountains we went, the sunrise we missed, the food we had or the itinerary. It was the lovely people we met. The angels who gave us directions, the Japanese and the Swiss who were with us at Alishan, and the Malaysian who were with us at Sun Moon Lake & in Taipei. And the group of warm locals we met up in Taipei. I'll definitely return for lovely angels are found there. =)

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Do you remember I mentioned about Basil Pesto in my previous entry? I did the Chicken Basil Pesto pasta back then and here is another recipe with the Basil Pesto.

This would be very similar to the one we did previously, just change the chicken to smoked chicken breast.


1 pc smoked chicken breast, sliced
A bottle of basil pesto (you can get one from our shop)
Carrot, sliced
Olive oil
Pasta of your choice or whatever's in the kitchen!
Veal cipolata

1] Prepare the pasta by boiling some water and adding the pasta/ spaghetti in. Add some salt to it. The salt would prevent the pasta from sticking together. Keep watching over this pot especially when the water boils again. The pasta ought to be al dente. Test if it's ready by breaking the pasta: you should still see some white in the middle but it shouldn't feel "crunchy" in your mouth. When pasta is ready, retain some of the hot water and discard the rest. Then rinse the pasta with some tap water.

2] Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a pan. Then fry the carrot slices for a couple of minutes.

3] Now, the chicken breast

4] Mix them together for a while.

5] Now add the pasta to the pan. And quickly add some basil pesto. I added 2 heaped teaspoon for a 2-servings portion. You can add more/ less depending on your preference. Mix the pasta quickly.

6] On a separate pan, brown the cipolata.

7] Serve the cipolata with the pasta. Viola!

I wish I added more pesto: The smoky flavour of the chicken covered that of the pesto. If you are not particular/ are looking for another variation to the chicken basil pesto, this then is it.

Enjoy!

XOXO
Ariella

Penne Bolognese

Serving for 2

250g penne pasta (or slightly more than 1 handful/ pax)
1 can chopped tomato/ 1 can whole tomato, chopped
125ml red wine/ chicken stock
250g minced beef
Worcestershire sauce
1 small red chilli (de-seeded if preferred)
Garlic, chopped
Onions, sliced/ chopped
Carrots, sliced
Capsicums, sliced
Portobello mushrooms, sliced
Olive oil
Dried oregano


--------
1] Heat oil in a pan, then add onion, garlic, carrots, capsicums, mushrooms & chilli.Cook gently until soft.

2] Then keeping it at low heat, I put in the minced beef & quickly break them apart before they turn into meatballs. I had to do it at low heat for I am still not fast enough to break them apart before they turn into meatballs. If you are confident, by all means, up the heat & add the minced beef.

3] Keep breaking minced beef apart till they are well separated. Then add a splash of Worchestershire sauce, all the red wine/ chicken stock and tomatoes. Put on low heat & leave it to simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Add some salt to flavour, if necessary.

4] While that is simmering, boil some water and add some salt to it. Cook the pasta till al dente. When ready, discard the water.

5] When the sauce is ready, mix the pasta into the sauce.

6] I served it with some dried oregano sprinkled generously. It adds some "sting" to the sauce. If you don't have a bottle of it at home, it's all right to skip it.

Hope you find it easy enough to try at home!



Chicken stock sold at
Huber's Butchery.
Made using only the finest ingredients,
frozen fresh to achieve optimum flavour.
Preservative free, low in fat and carbohydrates,
contains no added salt & no added sugar.
Made in Australia
Available at also at http://www.hubers.com.sg/



Chicken basil pesto pasta




Chicken basil pesto

 


I have a bottle of basil pesto sitting (neglected) in the kitchen cupboard. I decided it's time to bring it out.

--------
Chicken thigh, bone-less, skin-on & cut to bite-sized
A bottle of basil pesto (you can get one from our shop)
Celery, sliced
Carrot, sliced
Capsicum, sliced
Cherry tomatoes
Garlic
Onion
Olive oil
Pasta

1] Season the chicken thigh with some salt & pepper. Leave it aside.
2] Prepare the pasta by boiling some water and adding the pasta/ spaghetti in. Add some salt to it. The salt would prevent the pasta from sticking together. Keep watching over this pot especially when the water boils again. The pasta ought to be al dente. Test if it's ready by breaking the pasta: you should still see some white in the middle but it shouldn't feel "crunchy" in your mouth. When pasta is ready, retain some of the hot water and discard the rest. Then rinse the pasta with some tap water. Then discard the water again.

3] Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a pan. Then fry the onions & garlic till fragrant.

4] Now, the carrots go in. The carrots have to be the first to go so they soften/ less crunchy by the time you are done.

5] Then the rest of the veggies (except the tomatoes)..

6] Stir for a while. If the pan gets too dry, add some hot water from the preparation of the pasta.

7] Now the chicken goes in. Stir. I check if the chicken is cooked by tearing it with my frying stick. If it can be torn with my frying stick, I know it's cooked.

8] Now the pasta goes in.Mix together.

9] And now, quickly add the pesto sauce in, not the entire bottle though. I added almost half a bottle for a serving portion of 3. Add some salt & pepper if you like.

10] If uncertain or indecisive, turn off the fire/ heat! You don't want your pasta to turn soggy! =)

Sliced onions, chopped garlic, sliced carrots, celery,
red capsicums and cherry tomatoes

Stir-fry the veggies
You need not use red capsicums (though it looks better with
the myriad of colours). Use whatever
you already have in the fridge.



Add the pasta in

Voila!
PS: This plate here has been with me since 2005. I
bought a set of this with my housemates in Gippsland then.
Yeh.. I brought it back home from Gippsland to Clayton to
Singapore!

  If basil pesto is something new to you and if you (like me) wonder if you can use it in other recipes, stay tuned.
Pardon the time stamp at the bottom of the pictures. I've turned it off =)



 XOXO

Ariella =)