Spaghetti Aglio e Olio with Seared Scallops

(serves 2)
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is practically the most basic of the Italian pasta dishes, a pasta made from a few simple ingredients, something that anyone can cook to perfection. This version of Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is made a little less unremarkable with the addition of some seared scallops. Scallops are an ideal enhancement as they are have a mild and delicate taste which will not diminish the core taste of garlic and olive oil. 

Ingredients

1. Scallops (Frozen, 250g)
2. Spaghetti (200g)
3. Garlic (2 bulbs)
4. Parmigiano Reggiano (grated, 2T)
5. Pesto
6. Dried Chili Flakes
7. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
8. Light Olive Oil
9. Salt

Preparation

1. Defrost your scallops. Large Yesso Scallops would be preferred.
2. Peel the two bulbs of garlic. Slice the cloves into very thin slices as shown. You should end up with a small mountain (as shown). Don’t worry, it’s looks like its a lot, but it isn’t.
3. Brine the scallops in a solution of 1T salt, 1t sugar and one and a half cups of water for 15 minutes. After draining, leave the scallops in a colander to dry (as shown). Finish off the drying by wrapping the scallops in a few sheets of kitchen towel.
4. Grate some parmigiano reggiano until you end up with 2T of grated cheese.
5. Place the garlic in a pan. Add 6T of light olive oil and turn the heat to low. Stir occasionally until the garlic turns a light brown.
6. In the meanwhile bring a pot of water to boil. Add a splash of oil and a pinch of salt followed by the pasta. Boil until al dente and drain (but keep some of the water).
7. Using a strainer, remove the garlic but leave the oil in the pan.
8. Turn the heat up and place the scallops in the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the other. Confirm that they are seared before flipping, the actual time will depend on the size of your scallops.
9. With the fire still going, push the scallops to one side of the pan and add 4T of extra virgin olive oil and 4T of the pasta water, followed by 1t of pesto, 1t of chilli flakes, 1t of salt and 2T of grated parmigiano reggiano. Stir and mix well to create the olio sauce.
10. Turn off the heat. Add the garlic and then the pasta to the pan. Toss until everything is nicely mixed.
11. Check if you need to add more salt, and then plate.

Notes

• In case you were wondering, Aglio means garlic, Olio means oil.
• Plain Spaghetti Aglio e Olio is exactly the same recipe but without the scallops. It’s a really fast and convenient dish to cook, you won’t even need to take the garlic out of the pan.
• If you are an experienced cook you can pan fry the garlic and scallops at the same time (as shown). Give the garlic a head start of about 2 minutes before adding the scallops. The garlic will not be as crispy this way (which I like) but it saves time and effort.
• Don’t use extra virgin olive oil for frying the garlic as it will carbonize under the extended heating. If you don’t have light olive oil, you can use any kind of frying oil, such as canola oil.
• Don’t brine the scallops for more than 15 minutes as they absorb salt really fast as compared to meat. Don’t skip the brining either, even if you are not using ‘wet’ scallops.
• The chili flakes are optional, but I really recommend you use them as depth is needed in this simple pasta sauce. You can double the amount to 2t if you are not averse to spicy foods.

 

Know Your Cake

This is my 20 page guide to cakes from around the world. The countries these cakes, pastries, pies and desserts come from include France of course, and Italy, Germany, Great Britain, Austria, Japan and America.  With it you’ll be able to name your cake and eat it too. With the guide they’ll be no more not knowing the name of the cake you just ate or wondering how you are ever going to order it again.  

Sample of one of the pages

The PDF was actually made for another of my blogs, but since it is related to food I thought it would fit right in here. Don’t expect anything too fancy or detailed; a lot of it is just cut and paste from here and there on the internet, but  it’s put together everything in one place and does the job.

Download PDF of  Kobi’s Cake Guide version 2.3

 

Classic Linguine alle Vongole

(serves 2)
Linguine Vongole is one of the pasta classics and it can be prepared in a short amount of time, without too much of a fuss. It is the pasta that should be part of the repertoire of every home cook. Linguine Vongole’s flavours may be simple and its ingredients are few, but it remains a favourite of one and all, which speaks volumes about what a perfect combination clams, garlic, oil and white wine make.  If you are just picking up cooking, this is the perfect dish for you to try your hand at. 

Ingredients

1. Baby Neck Clams in Shell (2 dozen)
2. Linguine (200g) or Spaghetti
3. Garlic (1 bulb = 12 cloves)
4. Onion (1/2)
5. White Wine (1/3 cup)
6. Olive Oil
7. Italian Parsley
8. Basil
9. Coriander Seed Powder

Preparation

1. Soak your clams in water ahead of time. If you are using frozen clams like I often do, rinse the clams briefly under running water before soaking.
2. Slice the cloves of garlic into thin slices. Cut the half onion into thin half rings. (peel them both first of course)
3. Decant the clam water into a pot top up as necessary. Add a dash of olive oil and 1/2 t of salt. Bring to a boil and put the pasta into the pot.
4. In a pan heat up a few T of olive oil with the garlic slices. Stir fry until the garlic begins to darken, then add the onion. Continue to stir fry.
5. When the onion breaks into individual half rings from the hear, add the clams.
6. Stir fry for a about minute and then add 1/3 cup of white wine followed by 1t of coriander seed powder. Cover the pan and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat immediately.
7. When the pasta is no longer stiff but not quite cooked yet, transfer it to the pan.
8. Stir 1.5t of salt and 0.5t of sugar into 1/5 cup of olive oil. Pour the oil over the pasta in the pan. Sprinkle on 1T chopped basil and 1T chopped parsley.
9. Turn on the heat and toss the pasta in the sauce until it is cooked to the desired hardness.
10. Plate and garnish with a bit more chopped parsley and some black pepper.

Notes

• The right number of clams will of course depend on the size of the clams. The clams I used are quite large. You should use more than two dozen clams if you use smaller clams. As a rule of thumb, the weight of the clams for this recipe (with shell) should be around 500g. 
• If you prefer the soupy type vongole sauce, add 4T of the pasta water right before the final toss.
• You will notice I did not specify extra-virgin olive oil. I don’t think that a strong olive oil taste goes well with ‘fresh’ clams.  If you don’t have light cooking olive oil, any kind of mild vegetable oil will do.
• The type of white wine matters too. I use chardonnay because I don’t want my sauce to be too sour. Some people like it a bit tart in which case sauvignon blanc would be the wine to use.
• If you plan to use canned clams, consider my Linguine with Clams and Pesto Recipe instead.
• You may have noticed a few slices of scallops in the picture. That’s just a little bonus I added for myself and not part of the official recipe.  

 

Chicken A La King Risotto

(serves 6)
On a whim I decided to combine two of my favourite Chicken and Rice recipes, Chicken and Porcini Risotto and Chicken A La King. It turned out to be yet another match made in culinary heaven. The rich nutty flavour of porcini goes very well with the special brand of sweetness that comes with capsicum. The recipe also uses brined chicken breast to keep the chicken extra tender and separate from the rice.

Ingredients

1. Dried Porcini Mushrooms (30g)
2. Arborio Rice (1.25 cups)
3. Brown Mushrooms (150g)
4. Chicken Wings (4)
5. Chicken Breasts (2 halves)
6. Capsicum a.k.a. Bell Pepper (2)
7. Onion (1)
8. Garlic (1T minced)
9. Butter (50g)
10. Grated Parmigianino-Reggiano (1/2 cup)
11. Cream Cheese
12. Rosemary

Early Preparation

1. Brine and poach chicken breasts as per the procedure given in this post. You can do this ahead of time and then warm up the chicken breasts in the hot stock before slicing them.
2. Simmer 4 chicken wings in 4 cups of water with half an onion and 1t salt. Continue simmering until the meat is practically falling off the bone, adding water is necessary. You can also use 8 mid joints. Start making the stock at the same time you begin the brining.
3. You also need to soak your porcini in 2 cups of water. Use cold water, as hot water will give the porcini a slight rubbery texture after it rehydrates. Keep in the fridge.

Preparation

1. Bring your chicken stock to a slow simmer. Add the juices from the poached chicken breast and the porcini water (but not the porcini itself) to the stock pot.
2. Cut the capsicums in half and remove the stem, core and seeds. Cut the tops and bottoms off and add them into the stock. Cut the sides into 1/4 inch squares and set them aside.
3. Cut the brown mushroom into thick slices.
4. Mince the garlic and julienne the remaining half of the onion into1/8 inch pieces. In a large pan, fry the onion bits on low heat in 2T of oil until they become yellow and limp. Add the garlic and continue pan frying for a minute.
5. Turn up the heat on the pan and add the rice into the pan, stirring well.
6. After another minute, add a ladle of stock (liquid only) to the pan and reduce the heat to produce a low simmer. Add the capsicum pieces to the pan at this stage.
7. Stir until the risotto begins to dry, then add another ladle of the hot chicken stock. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. The stock pot must be kept simmering to avoid shocking the rice. Continue doing this for about 20 minutes.
8. In the meanwhile grate the Parmigianino finely. Cut ¼ of a block of butter into 1 cm cubes and mix it with the grated cheese. Allow the butter to soften out in the open. This forms the mantecatura.
9. Dissolve 1T of cream cheese in the last ladle of hot stock before adding it to the pan. Add both the brown mushrooms and the porcini at this stage.
10. When your risotto is al dente you can let it almost dry up, after which you turn off the heat. Total simmering time varies a bit with the type of grain you are using, so rely on taste and appearance to decide if the risotto is done and not a timer.
11. Stir in the mantecatura and let the risotto rest with the cover on for five minutes. Slice the Chicken breasts.
12. After tasting, you may add a bit of salt or more grated cheese to the risotto as a final adjustment if you deem necessary. Arrange the sliced chicken over your plated risotto. Garnish with black pepper.

Notes

• My first risotto recipe contains many of the finer points on making risotto, which I have opted not to repeat here. You should refer to that post if you don’ make risotto often.  
• Capsicums comes in 4 different colours which have different tastes. Red is sweet and easiest on the taste buds, Green is an acquired taste as it is less ripe and bitter. Orange and yellow capsicums are in between the two. I would recommend you use red and orange for this dish.
• For reference these are my Chicken A La King and Porcini and Chicken Risotto recipes.

 

Types of Bottled Truffle Produce

I love truffles, they enhance the pleasure of eating for so many different dishes. Unfortunately, it is impractical to keep fresh truffles around at home just so you can shave some onto your food whenever the need arises. That’s not to say truffles can’t be used in home cooking. Bottled or Jarred Truffle Produce can be kept in the fridge for a long time, they capture the aroma and flavor of truffles nicely and there is a variety of such products to choose from, including Truffle Paste, Truffle Sauce, Truffle Cream and Truffle Mustard.     

Rudimentary Naming Conventions for Truffles

1. White Truffle is the more expensive variety, as they can only be found in the wild using specially trained pigs or dogs. The best White Truffles come from Piedmont in Italy. These are also called Summer or Alba Truffles.
2. Black Truffles are less, but still expensive. They cost less as they can be cultivated, albeit with some effort. It’s debatable if they are really inferior to the White Truffle. Maybe they cost less simply because they are more common. The best Black Truffles come from Perigord in France, so Black Truffles are sometimes called Perigord Truffles, and also Winter Truffles.
3. Both Black and White Truffles can be found beyond the borders of Italy and France, but these are generally considered to be inferior cousins to the Alba and Perigord.
4. ‘Tartufo’ is Italian for truffle, ‘Tartufi’ the plural and ‘Tartufata’ is Italian for truffle product. If you see any of these on the bottle, it is a product of Italy. ‘Truffe’ is French for truffles. If you see this on the label, this means the bottle is from France.
5. The truffle percentage content is an indicator of quality, and it varies greatly from product to product. Always determine the country of origin and check the truffle percentage content before buying any bottled truffle produce.

Basic Guidelines for Cooking with Truffles

1. Heat dissipates the aromatics of truffles and since truffles are 80% aroma and 20% taste, cooking truffles is tantamount to not having truffles in the first place. Thus one only adds the truffles after  the cooking is done.
2. Truffles go with savoury foods. Macaroni and cheese for example tastes great with truffles. Pasta in a consommé reduction is another viable pairing with truffles. Sour and sweet foods are the opposite. So truffles don’t work with tomato based sauces, vinegar, red wine reductions or anything with fresh or preserved fruits.
3. Don’t use fragrant ingredients that compete with the truffles for the centre stage. Garlic, raw celery and onions, sardines, smoked meats, blue cheese, BBQ sauce are all foods to avoid with truffles. Mild foods on the other hand serve as the perfect medium for truffles. Some examples are scrambled, steamed or poached eggs, butter, brioche, mushrooms, potatoes and cream soups.

Truffle Paste (Pate)

This is bottled truffle produce of the highest quality and needless to say it is also the most expensive. According to the label at the back of the jar, it is 70% truffles by weight with the remainder being mostly olive oil and truffle juice. Truffle Paste has the most intense aroma, and luxurious taste and texture.

As you might expect something this expensive would be from France and will usually contain the phrase ‘Pâte de Truffe’ on the jar. Actually it is not really a paste, but more a suspension of truffle bits in oil. Do not get misled by the term pâte, pâte does not need to contain foie gras or liver; this is pâte made from truffles.

Use this when the truffle is meant to be a topping, akin to caviar, say like when served on a blini. In other words your intention is to taste the truffle directly in a concentrated dose, as opposed to mixing it into some food. Of course if cost is of no concern to you, then use it all the time by all means.

Truffle Sauce (Salsa)

Truffle Sauce is a less concentrated version of bottled truffle more suitable for every day use and gram for gram it is perhaps only a tenth of the price of Truffle Paste. It is more common in Italy, and the label will usually say “Salsa Tartufata” or “Salsa di Tartufo”, but not always. Sometimes it is also ‘mislabelled’ as a pate (see the top picture, a truffle pate from Italy is actually a sauce). Typically the truffle content of Truffle Sauce is somewhere in the 3-5% region, with most of the rest of the solids in the bottle being minced mushrooms. Don’t look down on Truffle Sauce, it still packs a punch with its truffle aroma.

If you are stirring truffle into your scrambled eggs, pasta or a cream of mushroom soup, this is probably the type of truffle product you’d use. I also use for truffle mayonnaise. Truffle Sauce is also an ideal gift to bring to a casual home dinner, instead of that boring bottle of wine.

Truffle Cream

Truffle Cream is in the same quality category as Truffle Sauce and also tends to be an Italian product. The truffle content will be around the same, that is to say 3-5%, but it is typically (but not always) light coloured and has a more creamy texture. In Italian the label is similar to Truffle Sauce except the word ‘Salsa’ is replaced with ‘Sapor’ or ‘Crema’. ‘Sapor’ means flavour or taste. You are also more likely to see labels in plain English as it is produced in various Commonwealth countries too. Unlike Truffle Paste and Sauce, Truffle Cream contains more than just truffles, mushrooms and oil. If you have a look at the nutrition information you’ll see additional ingredients like vegetable extracts, herbs, spices and emulsifiers.

One of the best ways to use Truffle Cream is to mix it into a cream sauce like hollandaise or béarnaise. Another is mashed potatoes. In general, the time to use Truffle Cream is with light coloured food. This way you get the taste and aroma of truffles but not dark flecks of truffle, and your guests will be pleasantly surprised.

Truffle Mustard

The truffle content of Truffle Mustard is usually not stated but I can’t imagine it to be much given its price. Its even cheaper than Truffle Sauce and Cream. It tends to be French in origin and the label might say something like ‘Moutarde a la Truffe’.

This type of truffle product is best just as a condiment with steak, roast pork and game birds. Not so much with lamb or chicken. Basically it as a really expensive mustard, so use it as such.

Truffle Oil

Truffle Oil is the least desirable kind of truffle product and I really don’t recommend it, which is why I don’t have any on hand to take a photo of. I suppose you could use it for salads. It contains very little truffle and is not value for money. If you insist on buying Truffle Oil look for bottles with a few flakes of truffle in them for many actually contain no truffle at all and are purely artificially flavoured. Alternatively, get a bottle of truffle pate and make your own by combining a few spoons of truffle with sunflower or other similar oil in a bottle.

Whole and Sliced Truffle

The other type of bottled truffle I am not too keen on is whole or sliced truffle in oil. The solids are 100% truffle and this makes it very expensive. When it comes to truffles texture is secondary to aroma and flavour. In my opinion the effect of having large pieces of truffle on your food compared to small bits is really not that much.

Please note I am not endorsing any of the brands featured here. These bottles are just what I happened to have in the fridge at the time.

 

Eggs Scrambled with Truffle and Morels

(serves 3-4)
Scrambled Eggs are quite mild in flavour but have a nice runny texture when cooked properly. They go well with Truffles as they don’t compete with the intense aroma of Truffles. They also go great with Morel Mushrooms which complement the eggs with a delicate yet distinct flavour. Put all three together and you have the perfect food to satisfy the most refined palate. Scrambled Eggs is one of the fastest and easiest appetizers to make once you have mastered the technique, and if you are planning a long formal dinner, this dish will afford you the time to focus on your other courses.  

Ingredients

1. Eggs (4 Large)
2. Truffle and Mushroom Salsa (5t)
3. Milk (200 ml)
4. Dried Morel (15g)
5. Butter
6. Coriander Seed Powder

Preparation

1. Soak the Morel Mushroom in the milk for at least one hour. You can also soak it overnight in the fridge. 15g of dried morels is about 1 cup in volume.
2. Beat 4 large eggs in a bowl.
3. Strain the morel-flavoured milk into the eggs. Lightly squeeze the morels caught in the strainer to release more liquid.
4. Add a pinch of salt to egg-milk mixture and beat until you have a consistent colour.
5. Melt 2T of butter in a pan. Pan fry the morels for 1 minute. Turn off the heat.
6. Pick out the morels and keep them for later use. Sprinkle 0.5t of coriander seed powder into the butter left in the pan.
7. Add the egg mixture to the pan and begin cooking with very low heat. Keep stirring to constantly remove any cooked films of egg from the bottom of the pan.
8. When you see the egg doesn’t flow to fill up any spaces made empty by your stirring, turn off the fire immediately. Add a light sprinkle of white pepper and 2t of truffle salsa and continue to stir until the pan cools a bit more.
9. Plate the scrambled eggs, arranging the morel mushrooms on top. You can use either a soup dish or a martini glass. Top off with 1 addition t of truffle salsa for each serving.

 Notes

• You can also use Truffle Paste instead of Truffle Salsa if you like. For more information on Bottled Truffle Produce check out my Truffle Products page .
• You need to stir with an implement that has a flat edge, such as a flat wooden spatula. Don’t use anything rounded as you won’t be able to scrape the cooked egg off the pan bottom.
• You cannot add pepper or coriander seed powder to the raw egg mixture directly as it will tend to clump together immediately. Salt is ok as it melts.
• The place where the amateur typically fails in this dish is over cooking their scrambled eggs. They have to be cooked until they have the consistency of semi-melted ice cream and no further. If the egg clumps together into clean pieces, its over done. If you have a problem keeping the heat down, you can intermittently turn the heat off to control the cooking process better.  

 

Lamb Sausage Ragu with Conchiglie

(serves 3)
This is a speedy (relatively) and convenient method of making a Lamb Ragu Pasta that makes no compromises on taste. I avoid the arduous task of slow-cooking mutton by using the minced meat from lamb sausages. In fact I find the starch, fat, herbs and spices of the sausage actually make for a better pasta sauce. The result is a delicious wholesome and flavourful meat sauce that can’t be beat.

 

Ingredients

1. Lamg Sausage (350g)
2. Brown or White Mushrooms (100g)
3. Onion (1)
4. Garlic(1 bulb = 12 cloves)
5. Conchiglie (3 cups)
6. Oxo Stock Cube (2)
7. Red Wine (1 cup)
8. Turmeric
9. Coriander Seed Powder
10. Oregano

Preparation

1. Peel and then cut your onion into 6 wedges. Then slice them coarsely and pan fry in a large pan with some oil on low heat.
2. In the meanwhile, slice your lamb sausages lengthwise on one side and peel off the skin. Place all the minced lamb in a bowl with half a cup of water. Mix well to loosen up the meat.
3. Remove the onion from the pan, turn up the heat, add some oil and throw in the meat. Break up the clumps of meat as the water boils away. When the meat begins to brown, return the onion plus any drippings to the pan and continue stir-frying for another minute.
4. Next add 1 cup of wine. Then add 2 oxo stock cubes (I normally use beef but you can also use lamb) dissolved in 2 cups of hot water.
5. Peel your garlic bulb and throw the individual cloves into the pan. Quarter each mushroom into and add them to the pan as well.
6. Add 1t sugar, 1t turmeric, 1t coriander seed powder and 1T oregano. Turn down the heat and simmer covered for 45 minutes to1 hour – until the sour taste of the wine is gone. Add water as needed such that you end up with a light sauce. You can make the sauce ahead of time, just keep it in the fridge til its needed.
7. Boil your pasta in a pot of water with a dash of olive oil until it is about 2/3 cooked. Strain and then add your pasta to the pan and stir fry until the pasta is al dente. Add water as required such that you end up with a thick sauce just as the pasta is done. Splash on 4T of olive oil after turning the fire off.
8. Sprinkle on some black pepper and perhaps some parsley after plating.

Notes

• You can use 3/4 cup red wine plus 1/4 cup Marsala wine for a more authentic Italian taste – remember to skip the 1t of sugar in step 6.
• Conchiglie a.k.a. seashell pasta is the best choice of pasta for this kind of sauce as it can hold the bits of meat better. Another type of paste suitable for this dish is farfalle, a.k.a. butterfuly pasta.
• The picture would look nicer if I had just cooked the pasta separately and then poured the sauce over it, but then it wouldn’t taste nearly as good. Sometimes you have to sacrifice looks for taste.
• Ragu and Ragout are both a dish made from gamey meat and chopped vegetables. Ragu is Italian and is usually cooked as a sauce. Ragout is French and is usually a stew.

 

Japanese Wafu-Style Orzo

(serves 3)
How does one cook a light pasta that still tastes good? For the answer we have to look not to Italy, but to the Far East where the Japanese have developed Wafu Cuisine, a style incorporating the best of Japanese and Western cooking. Miraculously, my Wafu Pasta recipe is not based on cream, cheese or oil, yet it’s still delicious and satiating. You will find this Italy meets Japan recipe great for the formal dinner table but also perfect for those times when you just want to have dinner on the sofa.       

Ingredients

1. Scallops (12=200g)
2. Shaved Ham (100g)
3. Mushrooms (100g)
4. Corn (1 ear)
5. Scallion (4 sprigs)
6. Orzo a.k.a. Risoni (200g)
7. Miso
8. Butter
9. Sesame Oil
10. Sherry

Preparation 

1. Slice each scallop into 3 discs. Marinate them in a mixture of 1T of sesame oil and a flat 0.5t of salt.
2. Cut the mushrooms into thin slices. Any kind of brown or white mushrooms will do. If they are large, cut them in half before slicing.
3. Julienne the bottom 1/4 (white) of the scallion into one bowl and the second 1/4 (green) into a separate bowl. Discard the remaining tips.
4. Cut the ham into small pieces. Brine soaked pre-sliced ham, the type that is sold for sandwiches, has the texture best suited for the Wafu style.
5. Shave the corn kernels into a bowl. Retail the cob.
6. Fry the white scallion bits with1T of sesame oil in a pan. When the scallion begins to brown, add the shaved ham. Continue to stir fry for a minute. Mix 1 heaped t of miso with 1T sherry and add this to the pan followed by 1 cup of water. You now have a ham and scallion miso soup base.
7. While the mixture is simmering, rinse 200g or orzo in boiling water and then add the orzo to the pan, followed by the corn kernels and mushroom. Scrape the cob with the back of a knife blade over the pan. Leave uncovered on a low simmer.
8. In the meanwhile melt a large knob of butter in a second pan over high heat. When the butter browns add the scallops. Stir fry for thirty seconds and then turn off the heat. Immediately add a second large knob of butter to cool the pan.
9. When the liquid in the first pan thickens, test the texture of the orzo. If it is still hard, add 1/4 cup of hot water and continue simmering. Repeat until the orzo is just right, then pour the scallops and butter into the pan and mix well.
10. Spoon the orzo into your serving dishes. Dust with black pepper and garnish with the green scallion bits.

Notes

• I suppose I should start off by explaining what the Japanese Wafu-style is. It translates as ‘Winds in Harmony’ and refers to the way the Japanese prepare Western dishes to suit local tastes. Its a style of cooking that developed gradually after WWII and has now become immensely popular in family restaurants in Japan. You could go as far as to say it is a type of fusion cuisine. Salad dressing containing soya sauce, yozu or sesame oil and mayonnaise containing wasabi are both examples of Wafu.   
• One important aspect of Wafu cooking is it tends to be balanced with delicate flavours. If you want to stay true to the Wafu style, stay away from strong tasting ingredients like garlic, olive oil, bacon, blue cheese. A little cream is ok, but not too much. 
• This is quite a flexible recipe and you can substitute a number of ingredients to create many different varieties of the pasta. You could for example swap the corn for baby asparagus (you might want to add a bit of sugar though), the shaved ham for smoked turkey or the scallop for clams.
• The prime flavour for the sauce is Miso. For more information on Miso, refer to this page. 

 

Spaghetti with Seafood in Miso Cream Sauce

(serves 3 full portions)
Spaghetti in Miso Cream is quite the quintessential Japanese pasta and is on the menu in family restaurant chains all over Japan. You will find the fusion-style dish a refreshing adaptation of the more traditional pasta sauces. This recipe is a special version of the dish with crustacean flavour infused into the miso cream. To accompany the pasta, I have used soft tender scallop slices and lightly cooked morsels of prawn.     

Ingredients

1. Scallops (8=150g)
2. Large prawns (4=300g)
3. Miso
4. Crushed Garlic (4t)
5. Sesame Oil (1/3 cup)
6. Cream (100ml)
7. Spaghetti (300g)
8. Shredded Nori (Dried Seaweed)
9. Coriander Seed Powder
10. Honey
11. Cognac

Preparation 

1. Mix 4T of sesame oil with 0.5t salt, 1t coriander seed powder.
2. Cut the heads off the prawns and stir fry the heads in a pot with a few dashes of oil and 2t of crushed garlic. Use a low flame and when the garlic begins to brown add 1.5 cups of water. Cut the heads up with a pair of scissors while they are in the pot and leave to simmer. You should end up with a rich red broth.
3. Slice each scallop into 3 round slices.
4. Shell and devein the prawns. Slice the prawns lengthwise into 2 and then into small pieces.
5. Marinate both the scallop and prawn pieces with the salted sesame oil but in separate bowls.
6. Mix together 2 heaped t of miso with 2t of crushed garlic. Fry this mixture in a pan with 3T of oil on low heat. After a minute, add 3T cognac and 1t honey.
7. Slowly pour in 100 ml of cream and mash the miso till you get a nice even emulsion with no lumps. Pour in the prawn head stock through a strainer. Simmer down till you get a nice sauce and remove from heat.
8. Put 300g of spaghetti into the pot of boiling water with 1t salt and a dash of oil.
9. Reheat the sauce and when it is boiling add the prawn meat. When the prawn meat has curled, add the scallop slices and immediately turn off the fire. Mix well to make sure no scallop slices are stuck together and leave for a minute.
10. By this time the pasta should be al dente. Strain and plate the spaghetti, and pour the sauce over it.
11. Garnish with black pepper, some Nori and serve.

Notes

• If you want to go the extra mile, add Uni (raw sea urchin) together with the scallops into the pan in step 9. It is the Japanese equivalent of adding truffle shavings to a pasta.
• The stock will not be red (see photo) or have a rich taste if you use small prawns or shrimp. The prawns have to be large, i.e. 4 per 300g. 
• Most of the greyish stuff in the ‘spine’ of the prawn is roe. When deveining the prawn, you really only want to find and pull out the alimentary canal. 
• You’ll notice I did not mention olive oil. The taste of miso is quite distinctive and will clash with the hint of olives. You’ll do better with a milder vegetable oil.
• Reduce the amount of cream by half if you want a very light sauce.
• For more information on Miso, refer to this page. 

 

Risotto Carbonara

(serves 3)
Here we have an unusual flavour for risotto, the trademark combination of pancetta, parmigiano and raw egg yolk known as Carbonara. Arborio rice is a good deal more starchy than pasta so its not as simple as making a carbonara sauce and pouring it over cooked rice. We also desire some bits of other crunchy morsels in the rice to give our risotto a bit more textural variety. Therefore I’ve had to improvise with some other additional ingredients…. 

 

Ingredients

1. Cubed Pancetta (300g)
2. Luncheon Meat (200g)
3. Bacon (3 slices)
4. Arborio Rice (1 cup)
5. Parmigiano-Reggiano (1/4 cup)
6. Onion (1)
7. Spring Onion (8 stalks)
8. Mushrooms (100g)
9. Butter (40g)
10. Eggs (2)
11. Cream (1/2 cup)
12. Basil
13. Brandy
14. Turmeric

Preparation

1. Start with the stock first. Cut the luncheon meat into 1cm cubes and boil them in 4 cups of water. When the water is boiling, add 3 slices of bacon, 4 stalks of spring onion and 1 flat t of turmeric. Simmer for 1 hour.
2. While the simmering is going on, fry 300g of cubed pancetta on low heat in a pan. While the pancetta is being fried (you only need to move it occasionally), dice 1 onion finely.
3. When the lard has been melted off the pancetta, remove the bits of meat, leaving the oil in the pan. Stir fry the onion bit over a low flame in this oil till they begin to caramelize.
4. Next, add 1 cup of Arborio rice to the pan and continue to stir fry for 5 minutes and then turn off the heat.
5. Cut the remaining spring onion into small bits, keeping the bits from the bottom half separate from the bits from the top half. Also, slice your mushrooms, and grate 1/4 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Mix the cheese with 30g of diced butter.
6. By this time, the 1 hour on the stock to be up. Keep the fire going under the stock. Reheat the pan on low heat and then ladle some of the boiling stock (liquid only, not the solids) into the rice. Keep the pan on a low simmer, stirring occasionally. Add more stock whenever the rice begins to dry. Add more water to the stock pot when that begins to dry up.
7. After 20 minutes, add 1/4 cup cream, 3T of brandy and 1t of sugar. Then mix in the mushroom slices, 1T of chopped basil and the white portion of the chopped spring onions.
8. Soon thereafter the rice will get to the al dente stage. At that time turn off the heat and add another 1/4 cup of cream, 2 egg yolks, the pancetta bits and the cheese-butter mixture. Give everything a thorough mixing and keep covered for 10 minutes while the rice fluffs up.
9. You shouldn’t need to add any salt but taste for saltiness anyway, just in case. Plate and serve immediately after the 10 minutes is up. Sprinkle on some black pepper and use the remaining green part of the chopped spring onions as garnishing.

Notes

• If you are making risotto for the first time, refer to this earlier recipe for more details on risotto making.
• If you like Carbonara, you might be interested in my Lagsana Carbonara or Fettucine Carbonara recipes.
• I normally don’t add cream to my risotto, but this is a Cabonara after all.
• For this recipe both the smoked or sweetened pancetta varieties are suitable.