Simple Shrimp Pasta

[Thank you everyone for helping get this to Foodbuzz Top 9]

Another quickie dish with a quickie pic.

Normally I'd add in some squid rings and some mussels if I can find some fresh ones in the market .... a seafood pasta. But not this time.

This could get all hoity-toity if you dress it up a little and do the pasta twirl on a fancy plate and call it "Pasta al Frutti di Mare" or "Spaghetti Aglio Olio e Frutti di Mare" or something of the sort, but I've unhoity-toity it to save some time.

Today, it's got to be quick. So, today, it's plain ol' Shrimp Pasta, or in all hoity-toityness ... "Pasta Piccante di Gamberetti". (Italian speaking folks ... did I get that right?)

(I am a little behind in my postings as well as visits to all your lovely posts. I shall slowly, but surely, make my way through them all. Also, I usually make it a point to reply to every single comment made on all of my posts, guest posts included. I definitely will reply to everyone soon once I'm fully recovered from my bleary state and have tuned my very tired being to regular mode. Oh, and in case anyone is interested, things are better now. Thank you all for your well wishes and concern and of course, all the help with the guest posts.)

So, in the meantime, you find out what a half-zonked person eats.

Pasta is actually one of my many comfort foods. Hey, I need the carbs for energy.

I can't think straight, I can't write straight, I can't spell stagriht (eek), I'm gonna shut up and eat.

INGREDIENTS

(Note: This recipe is for 2 - 3 people. Adjust amounts to suit your taste.)

half a garlic bulb (not clove, bulb), finely chopped

10 - 12 medium prawns / shrimp, shelled

1 medium-sized fennel bulb, sliced (I looove fennel, don't you just love fennel?)

chilly flakes (I used about 1 tbs)

2 - 3 tbs grapeseed / olive oil

1 small bunch of coriander, chopped

salt, to taste

prepared spaghetti for 2 - 3 people (al dente)

METHOD

Heat oil in a wok or deep frying pan.

Stir in garlic, chilly flakes and shrimp.

Give it a quick stir (you don't want to burn the chilly flakes, otherwise you'll get a slight bitter flavor and also to not overcook the shrimp) and add in the fennel. Stir fry until fennel is lightly translucent.

(If you want to be a little more refined, remove the shrimp when it's just cooked and set aside. I couldn't be bothered.)

Toss in the prepared pasta and chopped coriander.

Turn off the heat and mix well.

Add in salt to taste.

Add more chilly flakes if you like it spicy.

Guest Post: Elisabeth's Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pudding

Oh YUM!

Two of my very favorite ingredients! Hmm ... come to think of it, I have not many that I dislike. Maybe it might be easier to just say that FOOD is my favorite ingredient! ... as long as there's no durian in it. Yup, must always put that clause in, in case someone accidently slips in some. :D

I'll definitely be making this soon. It sounds simple enough for me not to mess up and sooooo delicious!

Here's introducing Elisabeth of Food and Thrift Finds ... wait a minute, what am I saying?! There really isn't a need to introduce Elisabeth. She's well known in the food blog world. She's the one who's always the first to give her support to a newbie blogger and have continued to be a great friend. Yeah, that's the one ... you know her. She's blog-sitting for me while I run off again for a short while. Thank you, dear friend.

A pro in her field with a big heart. Need I say more?

Here she is with such sweet words .........*blush*

I am so thrilled and honored to guest post for my dear friend Ping, whom I had the pleasure of meeting since we both started our food blogs, nearly two years ago... and have been supporting each other throughout the entire time. Ping has a meticulous food blog, and is very specific about her photos...no more than one, or two, and always a specific size...unlike my photos, which vary in sizes, and step-by-step directions when time permits. Ping has an amazing sense of humor, and always has the right thing to say, on any subject given...only in a "lighthearted" way! Her photos are always perfect, and immaculate, her choice of dishes, desserts, and baked goods are "drop dead" gorgeous, and makes you want to see, and get more! She is kind, and caring, and you will feel blessed to have her as a friend...a beautiful friend, indeed!

Thank you Ping for asking me to guest post..."the second time around!"

(* In case anyone's wondering about the "second time around" .... Elisabeth so kindly did a post for me earlier but was coincidentally the same recipe as QuayPoCooks Macaroons. You can see it here and here. How lucky am I?)

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Pudding

created by: Elisabeth

INGREDIENTS

3 cups whole milk

yolks of 5 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

5 oz semisweet chocolate

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

Sweetened Whipped Cream, for garnish

METHOD

Whisk sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan, to blend. Gradually, whisk in milk, then egg yolks.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low and stirring gently, cook for 2 minutes.

Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.

Pour mixture, into a bowl. Add chocolate by breaking it into chunks; add peanut butter. Let stand for a minute, and stir gently together, to combine until well blended.

Carefully spoon pudding into glass goblets, or parfait glasses, smoothing surface of pudding after each

addition.

Place plastic wrap directly over pudding, to keep skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 2 hrs. or longer.

Garnish with whipped cream, and enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day !

Mother: (Moth-er) : n

~ A female human/animal (we behave like animals too sometimes), who loves unconditionally ..... be it her own family, her partner and her friends (virtual or otherwise).

~ A male human/animal who cares for and loves his children when there is no mother around (for whatever reasons)

(No discrimination here)

Happy Mothers' Day, everyone!

I'm sure we've been mothers sometime in our lives, whether to our own kids, cats, dogs, pets, car (?), food processor (me) and even to our own parents when they get old and infirmed.

Bottom line ... unconditional.

Have a great weekend!

Raspberry Ripple Cheese Tart

I did say I couldn't get myself into the mood to cook nor bake at this point of time but things are starting to look up a little. Also there are certainly no shortage of seriously tempting recipes around to get me going.

This was one of many. And I've also not made a cheesecake for the longest time. My family likes the non-baked ones, which is what I usually do (one day, that will get posted ... one day). The baked cheesecakes have always been a little too rich for me.

But when I saw this on Charles' page @ Five Euro Food, I knew I needed to make this and my tummy actually growled in approval! Definitely a good distraction from my worries for the moment. Not only that, the raspberry coulis, I knew, was going to balance out the richness of the cheesecake, so this was going to be a good one!

I called it a tart coz I'd sort of halved the recipe and it fitted perfectly into my flan pan ... and a couple of teeny tartlet tins. If you'd like the full recipe, please visit Charles, check out the English gentleman, ogle at his food and pics and get that idea of "English people eat only jellied eels and fish and chips" out of your head .... what? Nobody thinks that? Only me? Whoops .... (sorry, old chap) ... I forgot about Chicken Tikka Masala :)

(Please don't hate me).

INGREDIENTS

8 digestive biscuits

40g butter

250 g cream cheese

1/3 cup cream

1 tbs plain flour

80 g sugar

1 egg + 1 egg yolk

1/4 cup raspberry coulis (I used frozen berries pureed with 1 tbs lemon juice)

METHOD

Preheat oven to 180˚C

For the base:

Place biscuits in a food processor. Buzz til you get fine crumbs.

Melt the butter in the microwave and stir into the crumbs. (It should resemble wet sand)

Press into the bottom and sides of a shallow pie tin or in this case, I'd used an 8" tart / flan pan.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove and cool.

*Note: I made this a second time without baking the crust first and it also worked fine. I'd placed it in the fridge while I made the filling.

For the filling:

* Here you can use a hand/electric whisk. I'd used my food processor again after cleaning it of the crumbs.

Put in the cream cheese, eggs and flour. Buzz to mix evenly. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom if needed.

Add the sugar and cream. Process until smooth.

Pour mixture into cooled crust.

Drizzle the coulis over the top. (I'd used a chopstick to make the streaks)

Bake for about 30 minutes.

Cool and place in refrigerator for a couple of hours to set a little (this was the hardest to do ... the waiting!)

(Don't ask me how long it keeps for, coz this was gone within 24 hours)

YTF: Unplugged

(Thank you everyone for helping get this to FoodBuzz Top 9)

No relation whatsoever with WTF .... and I don't mean the World Tennis Federation. Go figure it out for yourself .... or ask any teenager what WTF stands for. I'm too prim and proper (ahem) to say it out here.

YTF, as in Yong Tau Foo, our local get-your-hands-on-any-vege-and-stuff-it-with-some-fish-or-meat-paste type dish. In my case, I left it unstuffed or according to the title, unplugged. Instead, I've used the minced meat in the gravy.

The traditional YTF is usually stuffed with fish paste .... I can't see myself eating this with a fish-type sauce and meatarians we are in this household. I've used minced pork here, but you can always substitute it with minced chicken.

This is so not the typical YTF. This is my spur of the moment version, my what-else-can-I-add-to-this version. The I'm-too-tired-but-I-gotta-eat version. It worked out quite well altho I think I'd add more mince to it next time. Even the pic is "spur of the moment", taken with my mobile phone, still trying to figure out how to use its camera to its full potential.

Just in case you're wondering what's on the platter ... besides the little bowl of gravy.

From left to right: eggplant, firm tofu (tub tofu, yes TUB, not tube, tofu), ladies fingers, tofu puffs and fresh chilly.

INGREDIENTS

These are the usual stuff (pun intended) for YTF but feel free to add whatever suits your fancy:

eggplant, sliced

firm tofu, cut into wedges or thick slices

ladies fingers, whole

fresh whole chillies, seeded (or leave them unseeded if you're feeling sadistic)

puffed tofu

bitter gourd, seeded and sliced

long beans (this one's just blanched in stock)

... have I left anything out?

For the gravy: (you'll need to adjust your amounts depending on how much of the YTF condiments you have)

1 cup minced meat

1/2 cup water

2 tsp sugar

2 tbs miso

1 tbs oyster sauce

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 tbs balsamic vinegar

chopped scallions

cornflour + water, to thicken

METHOD

Singe the veges and tofu on a lightly oiled pan until lightly browned.

Leave aside while you prepare the gravy.

Stir fry the chopped garlic in a little oil.

Add the minced meat and stir fry until browned and cooked.

Add in water, miso, oyster sauce, stir to mix well.

Taste to see if you need to add all 2 tsp of sugar.

Stir in the balsamic vinegar.

Bring to a boil and add in enough of the cornflour and water solution to thicken to gravy-like consistency.

Sprinkle with chopped scallions and serve.

Guest Post: One "O" or two "Os"

Hello everyone. I'm back ... at least for a couple of weeks, before I have to run off again to follow up on dad's condition with the doc.

Thanks all for being patient with all this inactivity. Whoo! I can tell you where all the activity was .... back home, at the hospital. But after all the last 10 days' of tests and specialists, we know that it isn't life threatening and not too serious altho looking at the discomfort, depression and distress dad was in really turns my stomach.

Anyway, here I am, with a guest post that is loooong overdue. This was suppose to be set for when I'm gone but things happened earlier than planned and I just wasn't prepared. But thank goodness for this ... I'm so exhausted right now after having just returned home yesterday. So while I recuperate and recharge my old batteries, enjoy!

Veronica, aka, Lucy (as in Lucille Ball), aka Quay Po of Quay Po Cooks, really doesn't need any introduction. She's got tons of fans from all over. And if you need an explanation as to why she calls herself "Lucy", head over to her space and read all about it.

I had the pleasure to meet up with her before all this hoohah happened.

She's such a lovely person to talk to and to be with. It was just the two of us and I don't believe we had even a moment's awkward silence (quite common with first meets) in the hours we had together.

Here's hoping we meet up more times once things settle down on my side.

Here she is, folks! Applause, please .....

One “O” or two “Os”

When Ping asked me to do a guest post for her, I felt honored. I immediately jumped on the offer. It is a great feeling to know that you are regarded as a friend and are trusted to write a post for her. Thanks Ping for thinking of me.

Ping’s blog is one that I love to visit because I always admire her incredible creation of new recipes and also the gorgeous food pictures she puts up on her blog. I also enjoy her humor and the wittiness in her writing.

The last time I met up with Ping, I brought with me some French Macarons, with lemon curd, durian filling, and was so anxious for her to taste the macs. You might guess what happened next. When I told her about the macarons, she said she does not eat durian. Aiyoh, I felt so silly for not inquiring first. I love, love love durian and am clearly guilty of assuming all Malaysians will like it too. I forgot that Ping, while a true blue Malaysian, has worldly taste. I should have made the Macarons with kumquat chocolate ganache fillings for her. Now the kumquat season is over, so I guess I can only make that one for her next year.

So the next time we meet up again, my dear Ping, I will make some of these American coconut macaroons (note, two Os) for you instead.

When I first became infatuated with macarons (note, one O) I mentioned to my Quay Lo (my husband) that I was going to learn to make them but I pronounced it as Macaroons. He was very pleased and when I first produced some from the oven that had not crack into halves, or collapse in a messy blotch in the pan, I proudly took a few to him to try. He took one look at them and said “Darling, what is this? These are not Macaroons. I don’t know what these are.” In fact, my husband’s response was no surprise. The recipe for today is indeed an American concoction which they borrowed from Scottish recipes. The principal ingredients consist of egg whites, sugar and shredded coconut. It is the only confection that my Quay Lo knew to be called Macaroon. It is sometimes called a “Coconut Macaroon” just to be sure the listener knows that it is not the classic French Macaron. Sensing my Quay Lo’s disappointment (which was brief as he was soon devouring the Macarons I had offered) I decided to give the Coconut Macaroon (ala American) a try. Here is the recipe along with the photos and I have to say, I like both confections very much. Still, as I told my Quay Lo, I felt that the Macarons (ala French) is a more refined pastry. “Darling, It has been around since 1791 according to the bible of French culinary wonders, the Larousse Gastronomique” I said to him breezily. “Not when you make it so that it smells like sewer water, my dear” he said dryly back.

So you see my dear Ping, you and my Quay Lo are of the same view and I am out voted. So this recipe is for you and your readers with some assurance that these smell perfectly divine… I promise.

INGREDIENTS

2 large egg whites

3 tbs flour

a pinch salt

1/3 cup sugar

1 (7-ounce) package sweetened shredded coconut

½ tsp vanilla extract

METHOD

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a mixer whip egg whites and salt until they become foamy. Add sugar in slowly. Continue to whip until the egg whites are stiff peaks. Add vanilla extract. Fold in shredded coconut and flour.

On parchment lined cookie sheets, drop a teaspoon of the mixture leaving 1 to 2 inches around each cookie. Place into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The outside should be golden brown but the insides should still be moist.

Optional: Drizzle dark chocolate ganache.

Guest Post: Cannelés by Sissi

I'm so blessed with so many blogger friends who are so willing to help me out during this period.

I mentioned earlier of a family medical crisis which will be causing me some time away from blogging. I won't bore you about it.

Just be assured that there will be some very interesting guest posts for you while I'm away. I will slot in some of my spur-of-the-moment type dishes during some lull moments as well. Oh, how I treasure those lull moments these days ...

Anyway, here's Sissi. One very special lady with a penchant for the exotic stuff. Take this Cannelés recipe for instance, it's oh-so-complicated (I like the part about "big amount of rum" tho) and so delicate ... and she made these for me! I'm very flattered Sissi, that you've gone to so much trouble to help me out. I love this! How I wish I could actually taste it.

You'll need to check out her space at With a Glass to see all the fantastic, Korean, Japanese, French .... and she says I have wide-ranging culinary interests?

Nuff said ....

Here she is!

Hello, my name is Sissi and I am honoured to guest blog today on Ping's wonderful blog. Ping is one of my dearest blogging friends and one of the rare people who always make me laugh with her writing style and unique sense of humour. Thanks to Ping's wide-ranging culinary interests, her posts are always surprising and often result in an amazing discovery, such as the excellent Coconut Pie, which has become a staple in my house. Since Ping is particularly fond of unusual patterns and originally shaped pastry (I still get hypnotised looking at these spirals), I have decided to write about Cannelés de Bordeaux, hoping their cute shape brings a smile to her face. Thank you, Ping for inviting me to your blog!

Cannelés (or canelés) de Bordeaux are one of my favourite sweet treats and it would be difficult to say which aspect I appreciate the most. Their taste, aroma, texture and even the beautiful shape are all irresistible. I still remember the first time I tasted them. I loved their rich flavours and was totally blown away by their extraordinary, springy softness. As their name suggests, cannelés come from Bordeaux in France, but they are very popular all around the country and also become famous abroad. Different sources quote different origins, but all agree that the characteristic shape, as well as the obligatory vanilla and rum presence are quite recent and date back to the beginning of the XXth century.

Cannelés are not really difficult, but they require patience, close attention during the long baking process, they do not accept shortcuts and every modification is a big risk. French websites, forums and blogs are full of cannelé recipes and related tips, but I must admit that I had to go through several failed experiments before I found a method that works with my oven and my silicone moulds. From my experience a big amount of rum as well as 24 hours refrigeration are necessary to obtain the optimum taste and texture. Apparently old-fashioned copper moulds guarantee the best results, but they are not easy to use and I am perfectly happy with the cannelés I obtain with very convenient silicone moulds. I have adapted my recipe from the one featured on Marmiton.

Preparation: 15 min + 24 hours in the fridge + about 1h30

INGREDIENTS (makes 18-20 cannelés):

500 ml (2 cups) milk

25 g (a bit less than 1 oz) butter

pinch of salt

200 g (1 cup) sugar

100 g (about 3/4 cup) flour

100 ml (about 0,4 cup) white rum

1 vanilla pod (sliced in two, lengthwise)

2 eggs

2 egg yolks

METHOD

In a big bowl combine the flour, the eggs, the yolks, the sugar and the salt.

Pour the milk into a pot, add the butter and the vanilla pod.

Bring to boil.

Pour the boiling milk mixture into the bowl and combine with the remaining ingredients, constantly stirring.

When the batter has cooled down, take out the vanilla pods and scrape off the grains into the bowl, discarding the empty pods.

Add the rum, give the batter a stir and put into the fridge (covered) for 24 hours.

The following day preheat the oven to 250°C.

Fill the baking moulds up with the cold batter to the 2/3 of the height.

(If you make several batches put the remaining batter back to the fridge).

Put the moulds to the oven immediately and bake at 250°C (480°F) for 10 minutes.

Lower the temperature to 180°C (350°F) and bake for 50-60 minutes (in the case of my oven it's only 50 minutes).

Take the cannelés out of the oven and let them cool completely before removing from the mould.

They should be browned outside, but still soft inside.

Cannelés keep fresh for three days (or maybe more but I have never had a chance to check...).