A New Pie!

I was lazy (or was I adventurous?) the other day - I made an apple pie using some ready-to-use pastry.

Maybe I used the wrong apples - but locally we can only ever find one type of green apples, right? So I used that and the fillings turned out a little soggy - so I put it a bit longer in the oven than was recommended. & the pie pastry turned out dry.. (sigh..)

The children didnt favor it much - maybe I should try it again and follow the instruction strictly this time.. the pie looked nice though, dont you think?

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No Idea Whatsoever!

I am truly and definitely going through a plateau here - it's the time where you just cant crank your head for anything to cook. Dont even think about asking your spouse for any ideas at time like this - nothing will seem attractive..

Lunch was a quick / simple and an indolent sup gear box! he-he.. well, the children did enjoy it.

I dont have anything prepared for dinner - I already flipped both Jamie's cookbooks this afternoon and then declared to anyone who'd listen that "there's nothing to cook in here!" Maybe we'll just go for teh tarik / roti canai session later..

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Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme Part II aka Beef Stew

I've been very busy for some time and the last few days, busy doing nothing. Maybe I've reached the plateau after doing a lot of things..

Anyway, I made the beef stew like I had planned. It turned out ok. I served it with some warmed roti Arab I got at the pasar tani. Eirfan and his father loved it but the others kata a bit creamy and they cant take a lot of it.

I dont know what the original recipe should taste like because I had omitted the red wine (obviously) and parsnips. But I think with a bit of cili api the stew would be a bit more like a local dish. Personally I think it is quite good. Maybe I will make it again with the chilies.

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I got the recipe from Jamie's website (of course) and he calls it Jool's Favorite Beef Stew. Here's the recipe should you be interested.. Oh, the photo's from his site too.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/meat/jools_s_favourite_beef_stew

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Uh-oh..

We are having a breakfast pot-luck tomorrow. Last week I had happily planned to bring a bit of lasagna.

Nevertheless since ages the oven at home had made some noises while it warms up and I have been nagging about it to my significant other. And surprise, surprise after all this time he decided to take it for repair last weekend..

So I have a pot-luck tomorrow, but I dont have anything to bring with me. Someone suggested bringing my empty tummy..

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Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme

Do you know the lines -
... If you are going to Scarborough Fair
... Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
... Remember me to one who lives there
... For she once was a true love of mine..

Scarborough is a seaside resort in North Yorkshire. Yeah well, I'm not going to write about that.. .
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I went to TMC Bangsar yesterday and got some more fresh herbs for a new Jamie recipe that I want to try. It's just a simple beef stew. I'll tell you about it once I've done it. But while at TMC I got some rosemary ~



and sage ~


Wish me luck on the new dish, yes?

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A Shortcut Pizza

I really like to serve this - as everytime I do the kids and their friends will ooh and ahh over the pizzas. It doesnt work as well with the adults - maybe they have more discerning taste! muah-ha-ha..

Anyway, I bought ready made pizza base - thanks to helpful friends - and that made the cooking much easier. I only prepare the sauce and whatever topping the kids like - usually hawaiian. But I love fresh button mushroom and capsicum and jalapeno alike chilis on my pizza. And sometimes olives too.

Anyway, I've got questions from friends on how to make the pizza - so this is how I make mine. If you have a nicer recipe, tell me ok?

I dont have measurements; everything would be according to taste--

Fresh tomatoes
Onion; chopped
Garlic; chopped
Pizza seasoning herbs (or you can use plain dried oregano instead)
Tomato paste / puree
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

1. Boil water and put whole tomatoes in. Drain after about 2 minutes. Cool. Pull off tomato skin and throw away the core (this will make your sauce smooth)
2. Heat olive oil in wok. Add onion & garlic; cook till brown.
3. Add boiled tomatoes and all the other ingredients. Add water also.
4. Cook till fresh tomatoes disintegrates / breaks apart. You can mash / press them whilst cooking. Some people blend the tomatoes. You can if you like but I prefer the sauce to have some bits and pieces of tomatoes in it. (This could take 30 mins or longer if you have a big amount)
5. Taste.
6. Cool a bit and then you can put it on your pizza base.

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For chicken topping I cut chicken breast to small pieces then brown them together with chopped onion and garlic too if you like. Put salt, pepper and some oregano.

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Get your spices from your baking supply store (McCormicks / Master Foods prices are outrageous!) Use mozarella cheese or Perfect Italiano's (or any brand) ready for Pizza cheese. Some people mix cheddar with mozarella - up to you. The generic (non-branded) cheese arent as nice (they dont melt as nice / have that gooey texture) as the branded ie more expensive ones.

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Parmesan cheese tastes great on your pizza; with paprika too. But lately I replace paprika with chili powder that's a bit coarse. You can lightly toast the chili powder in the oven for a short spin and then store that in the fridge ready to be used. Enjoy trying.

Going..

Gone!

ps - This has got no relevance to making pizza, but I hate tomato ketchup or chilli sauce on my pizza and I dont get people who eat pizza with fork and spoon..

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Meatballs You Must Try

I quickly put this in for Poji as she had asked for it. I earlier wanted to send the recipe in an email but decided to share it here after all.

For ages I had wondered how to make meatballs for my spaghetti and now I know. If you like you can omit the rosemary. But I think rosemary can really make a dish, you know.

And yeah, you guessed it - this is another one of the Naked Chef's recipe. Here's how ~

900 g minced beef
2 slices bread (use the food processor to turm them into breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoons cumin (jintan manis); pounded
1/2 small dried chili; pounded
1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary
1 egg yolk
salt and black pepper to taste

Optional
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1. Mix together beef, breadcrumbs, oregano, cumin, chili, rosemary and egg yolk in a bowl.
2. Add salt and black pepper. Add the optional ingredients here if you are using them. (Personally I dont)
3. Mix well. With wet hands, roll and pat into meatball shapes / sizes that you want.
4. Preheat a thick-bottomed casserole to a very hot temperature. (Make sure this is a non-stick pan otherwise you'd be in so much trouble.. )
5. Add 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil, swirl around the bottom of the pan and add the meatballs.
6. Fry until they are brown all over, being careful not to break them but just moving the pan around so that all sides are nicely colored. Remove from fire.

You can add this to your spaghetti sauce when it is almost done or arrange them in your serving plate / plate and then pour the sauce on top of them.

Yumm.. you must really try this.

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The Best Apple Pie Ever!

I got this from the Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cook Book which I had purchased in 1984 -yes, 1984.. which Iman had almost torned to pieces when she was a baby. ha-ha.. I made it a couple of times a long time ago but the children didnt like it then.

Now the pie wouldnt last long in the fridge once I put it there.. I am posting this especially for Fatin whom I know adore apple pies..

If you like the apple pie at McD, trust me this tastes folds better..

Pastry:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shortening
5 - 6 tablespoons coldwater (depending on the consistency that you have)
Milk (for brushing)

1. Stir together flour and salt
2. Rub in shortening till the mixtures resembles coarse crumbs
3. Sprinkle in cold water, a spoonful at a time, until pastry holds together
4. Shape pastry into a ball.
5. Divide pastry into 2 pieces, one slightly bigger than the other
6. On floured surface roll the larger ball into a circle, 2 inches larger all around than the pie plate
7. Transfer the pastry to pie plate. Fill with apple filling (see below)
8. Roll the smaller ball as previous piece
9. Place over the filling in the pie plate
10. With a sharp knife cut a few slashes/put patterns on the center of the pie
11. Trim pastry edges. Press close with a fork along the edge of the pie plate.
12. Brush the top lightly with some milk.
13. Bake 40 - 50 mins in a preheated oven at 190 degrees C.

Apple Filling:
2/3 cups sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated smells / tastes better than off the rack powder)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 to 2 teaspoon lemon juice
4 to 5 medium green apples (peeled, cored and thinly sliced)
1 tablespoon butter / margerine

1. Combine sugar and next five ingredients
2. Place half of sliced apple in the pie and sprinkle with half of the sugar mixture. Top with the rest of the apple and the rest of sugar mixture
3. Dot the filling with butter / margerine.

ps - Use Crisco brand shortening (vegetable of course) not the generic ones that you can find. They make a whole world of difference. Trust me. And dont buy McCormick / MasterFoods spices (cinnamon, nutmeg) they cost the earth! You can get cheaper ones at local bakery supply stores. And, lemons are cheaper at Carrefour compared to Jusco / Giant - well, most of the time anyway.. that's it I think.

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He Cooks Like A Dream

I met him at my sister Laili's place when she did her raya open house. I have his photo but I dont know his name.

The food served that day was - yeah you guessed it - like a dream. There was lamb rack and beef and more lamb (I dont know what they call it). There were prawns and chicken and pasta that were cooked in ways I cant name them.

I went to the back of the house to check on the cook - the guy in the photo - who corrected me by saying, I am the head chef at the Italian restaurant in Bangsar.. Oops.. did I insult the chef? (this reminds me of the credit card ad where the chef barged out of the kitchen with his cleaver to attack the customer who dared request for the tomato ketchup!)

Anyway, he was nice about the cook / chef thing. He said he started by washing dishes when he was in Ireland. He got no formal training in cooking - he somehow discovered he can cook and sort of climbed the ladder in the industry (so to speak).

He introduced me to the herbs that he had that day (basil and thyme and rosemary and marjoram). He said you can get them fresh at a decent price in Tesco Damansara but I dont remember for how much. I know though they cost RM2.99 for a few miserable sprigs at Isetan KLCC. You can also get some at Giant and of course at Cold Storage but not at Jusco or Carrefour. Trust me on this.

He also said you should lightly boil your vege with butter and baking soda - to flavor and make 'em vege a bit more colorful and fresher, and not lay limp on your plate. So there, and now we know.

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Jamie's Brownies

I found this recipe (and photo) on Jamie's website. The kids love this and said it tasted even better than the other recipe that I usually use.

This recipe is especially for Nadia who had asked me for it and anyone else who'd like to try. This is very, very easy to make. It is chewy and d-lish, and as Jamie would say, wicked! Follow this link for the recipe..

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/chocolate-recipes/bloomin-brilliant-brownies

The guys said yumm.. to the brownies.. ha-ha..

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Cook Books I Simply Love

I have two of Jamie's books. Just cant resist the temptation to get them. I read and re-read the books from first till the last page. But I am curious - does anyone read cookbooks?

He has new ones too but I bought the old books as I have the notion that the recipes in there are less complex (or so I think..). So these are the two that I have.

The recipes that I have tried so far (and have become my fave) are roast chicken, meatballs, basic tomato sauce. They are gorgeous!

I tried his potato chips (french fries) but they turned out wimpy instead of crispy. And the banana/bread pudding that I did turned out dry. I am convinced I must have done something wrong..

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My Hero

He's Jamie Oliver; my fave chef.

If you are looking for a miss-or-mister-proper-cook where items are meticulously measured and arranged in small bowls on the work range, please look elsewhere as he doesnt do that - he dumps things into the pan, mixes his salads with his fingers, and breaks up breads into small pieces without the knife...

I like his style of cooking - no fuss and straight to the point. Quick. A bit homey-style (instead of posh-like, like Nigella). I watch all his programmes and their repeats too.. (everyone at home knows to steer away from the tv when Jamie comes on).

I also think he's inspiring; well, at least he inspires me to try more new dishes instead of my usual sambal and kari and masak lemak etc etc.

Catch more of his stories here : http://www.jamieoliver.com/

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A (New) Beginning?

It's much satisfying to see the children emptying their plates and ask for seconds at any meal; or to see them keep making their way to the kitchen for that slice of cake / brownie / cookies that you have made and stored in the fridge / jar.

And after many, many years of cooking the stuff that my own mother used to cook for me and her mother for her years before that, I find the same dishes can sometimes de-motivate me where cooking is concerned. Whilst I call these food my comfort food (so to speak), at times I need to get away from the same dishes that had nourished me for so long.

These days I love to try new tastes with new ingredients to diversify the cooking palate a bit. I am experimenting with Thai and western dishes that arent too challenging..

I am putting up the blog to well.., maybe journal a bit my new journey in the world of cooking.. muah-ha-ha.. sounds like I have a long / serious journey ahead of me..

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