AUSSIE MEAT PIE

This is a result of my not so recent infatuation with pies. I love them all; sweet, savory, hearty, cheesy...you name it.

So making the story short, here is how you make these little beauties:

Filling

1 lb ground beef

1 medium size onion chopped

1 large carrot diced

1.5 cup of beef stock

3 tablespoons of tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon of sugar

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

3 of corn starch

pepper (to taste)

 salt (to taste)

Lightly sautéed the onions and carrots, add the meat, brown for 2 minutes, then add the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt, pepper and half of the beef stock. Simmer the meat on the stove top for about 45 minutes. Keep adding the stock, when need it. Remove the filling from the stove top, then stir in the corn starch. Let the meat cool off while you are preparing the crust.

Crust

3 cups of all purpose flour

1/3 of butter (not salted)

½ cup of lard

1 egg for the dough

1 egg for brushing

1 tablespoon of white vinegar

1 teaspoon of salt

1 cup of chilled water

Mix together the salt and flour then fold in the lard and the butter at room temperature. 

Separately beat one egg and white vinegar together, and then add the water.

Start pouring the mixture over the flour, and mix until the dough become smooth and slightly sticky. Add more flour, if the dough is too  sticky.

Form a ball, wrap it up in plastic and refrigerate it for at least 45 minutes.

While the dough is chilling, heat up your oven at 400 degrees.

Butter and flour up your pie molds or ramekins. When the dough is chilled, roll it up, not too thin, then cut up circles using your ramekin (if your mold diameter is 4 inches you should cut a 6 inches circle).  Line the bottom and the sides of the mold with the dough; fill in with the meat, then, close the pie, pinching the dough together. Make a small hole in the top center, so it can release the steam, while is cooking. Put the pies in the oven and after 15 minutes of baking, take them out and brush them with egg, put them back in the oven, and cook them until become golden brown. Let them cool for few minutes, and then remove them from the molds. Now they are ready to eat. Aussies eat them with ketchup, but I personally, pass on that.

Enjoy!

Shaaryia Medfouna with kefta (Burried in vermicelli and Moroccan meatballs)

Shaaryia Medfouna with kefta

Burried in vermicelli and Moroccan meatballs

 So, due to my recent infatuation with this beautiful cookbook "Arabesque" by Claudia Rodin I am cooking lately, a series of North African/ Middle Eastern dishes.

My tagine came very, handy, in this case, but if you don't have one, you can use any other dish, preferably a cast iron or a clay pot. So less talk, more action :)

Kefta

1 1/4 lb ground beef or lamb

½ cup of chopped scallions

½ cup of chopped parsley

2 tbs of paprika

2 tbs cayenne

1 tbs of cumin powder

Salt to taste

2 eggs

Mix the ingredients together, form the meat kefta, the size of a walnut, lay them on a lightly greased tray, and roast them for 10 minutes at 375 F. 

Remove them from the oven, cool them of for few minutes, and then finish them in the sauce.

 Sauce
3 cups of beef broth
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads or powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 cup almonds
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 lb of vermicelli

Melt 3 tbs of butter in a sauté pan, add the oil, chopped onions, saffron,  ginger, 1 cup of broth, cook it together for 3-4 minutes, then add the honey, mix it together then add the kefta and the raisins together, pouring the second cup of broth, cover it up and cook it together for 15 minutes. While the meat is cooking, add water to boil, then cook the vermicelli a bit al dente,  drain them, mix a table spoon of butter and add them on top of the meat cover  up the dish, and serve after 10 minutes with chopped almonds, sprinkled cinnamon and chopped coriander. You can add some chilli peppers as well for presentation or as kick :)

Enjoy!

Tuna preserved in olive oil, herbs and spices

The other day, I was thinking of Nicoise salad all day, so I went to see my guys, at New Young Fish Market, on Amsterdam Ave. and 108 st, picked up a nice piece of fresh tuna loin (aprox. 1.35lb.) and rushed home, to cook dinner, for my hungry tribe.The fish was so fresh, so I couldn't resist, and I had few slices, just drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkle of Maldon Sea salt, to star with.

First of all, I had sliced the chunk of tuna, lengthwise, in 6 pieces, aprox. 3 inches long and 1 inch wide.

For seasoning, I used: olive oil, Herbs de Provence, sea salt, freshly milled back pepper, red peppercorns and few whole Cayenne peppers. I did tossed the tuna and the spices, in a  bowl.

In a small pot, I warmed up 1 1/2 cup of olive oil, over a small flame. I added the seasoned chunks of tuna, and let them start poaching.Using a kitchen tong I was turning them around, so they won't stick to the bottom of the pan. Make sure, that the oil, will not be overheated, so the fish won't start frying . After 4-5 minutes of boiling, remove the pot of the stove, and add few strips of lemon zest and few bay leaves, then let the pot cool off. When the oil is completely cooled off, arrange the chunks in the jar as pictured, then pour the oil over, filling up the jar.
Now you have your own canned tuna, preserved in olive oil. Serve it over salads, in pasta dishes or as pizza topping, as well as an antipasto along with a nice chilled white wine or rose! 

Cheers!

POACHED HADDOCK FILLET APPETIZER

I'm Back!

Too much fun, and lots of entertainment, this past Holiday Season, now things seem to be back to normal, and I got the chance of posting some new stuff on the blog.

I would like to share with you, the recipe for this dish, because is delicious, elegant and very easy to make.

When I entertain, I always try to bring some fish at the table, either is smoked, raw, fried..., it always goes.

Today's player is Haddock, a fairly firm flesh deep sea fish.

For the above dish I used about a lb of fish fillet,

1/2 cup of Pomagrante molasses

 the zest of a small lemon

 za' atar 

olive oil

Maldon sea salt

 For the toast, I used Greek pita, brushed with olive oil.

After washing and drying the fish, cut it in equal squares, season it with salt, pepper and some lemon juice and refrigerate it for 20 minutes.

While the fish is marinating, set to boil a pot with water, add some olive oil for aroma.

Once the water is boiling, reduce the flame low, and add the fish,.

Let it steam for a about 1 min., then remove it and set it on a plate, to cool off.

Once the fish is cooled down, brush it with some Pomagrante molasses, then sprinkle za' atar, sea salt and shredded lemon zest.

Cut the pita in squares, then toast it, lightly. 

Set on each pita toast, a piece of the fish, plate it and serve it!

I served it with a nice bottle of 2010 J Schmid Gruner Veltliner.

The company of good friends is a must, for maximum enjoyment.

Cheers!

CLATITE BRASOVENE - CREPES BRASOV STYLE

We recently traveled to Romania, and I had a chance to refresh 

my cooking portfolio with some Old World recipes.

A lots of gastronomical memories, came back to me, helping my inspiration for

this dish, a classic, from my beloved native town: Brasov.

One of my fond memories from childhood, is assisting my grandmother Ana, preparing " Clatite Brasovene". She was actually the only one in the family, that mastered the recipe for this dish....no offense Mom :)

Here is  the recipe!

Crepes (15 min.)

2 eggs

1 lb of all purpose flour

2 cups of milk

1 pinch of salt

Mix the ingredients together to form the batter.

Refrigerate the batter for 10 minutes before making the crepes.

Brush a non stick pan with melted butter, then cook the crepes.

Depends on the size, but you should be able to make 10-12 crepes.

Filling ( 10 min.)

1 lb of ground meat (beef, veal or pork)

1 small onion

1 medium size carrot

1 cup of milk

1/2 cup of flour

chopped parsley

paprika

salt pepper

cooking oil

Heat up the oil in a saute pan, add the chopped onions, carrot and the ground meat, 

cook the mixture until the meat turns a brown..

Make sure that you are mashing the meat with a fork, so you don't get  big chunks.

Add the spices, then the milk, keep stirring until the mixture becomes homogeneous, then sprinkle the flour, and stir together.

Set the saute pan aside and let the filling cool off about 20 minutes.

Sauce ( 10 min.)

1 cup of heavy cream

1 cup of white wine

2 medium sized fresh chopped tomato

2 tbs paprika

salt

fresh milled black pepper

Transfer the filling from the pan into a bowl, and over low flame, heat up the same pan, adding wine, cream and the tomatoes.

Cook the sauce until the tomatoes are soft, add the paprika, salt and pepper, 

then process the sauce until smooth.

Now, you are almost there.

Pour half of the sauce in a pan, fill and fold the crepes, burrito style, 

then layer them in the pan,

then cover them with the rest of the sauce.

Add some shredded cheese and some breadcrumbs on each crepe.

Bake them at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes.

We had them over sauteed spinach with garlic and oil, 

but you can enjoy them by themselves.

It's a must to have them with a nice glass of white or rose, as well a beer!

Enjoy!

White Perch with lentils and collard greens

Dear friends, sorry for the long time absence.

I did cook, but I didn't have enough time to write, and present the recipe. 

Here is one of my latest, samples of home cooking, that we really enjoyed it, and I decided to share it with you.

Few days ago, I stopped by my newly discovered seafood place" New Young Fish Market", on Amsterdam Ave. and 108st, and I found beautiful 

white perch (fish that we used to eat , back in Romania).

I've bought 2 pieces, about a 1.25lb each, and after the fella behind the counter, cleaned them up for me, I stopped next door at the Hispanic market, grabbed a bunch of collard greens, and headed home, to prepare dinner for my hungry tribe.

 Once I arrived in my kitchen, the dinner plan was ready.

First of all, I washed the fish than I simply seasoned it with sea salt, ground pepper and herbs de Provence, and let it marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

While the fish was marinating, I started to prepare the sides.

After I steamed the collard greens, aprox. 12 minutes, I sauteed them with crushed garlic, olive oil, crushed chili peppers, and sea salt.

In a medium size pot, add to boil, 1 cup of lentils, 2 cups of water, 1 chopped celery stalk, 2 chopped small carrots, 1 red bell pepper, 1 Spanish onion, 1 spoon of coriander seeds, 

1/2 teaspoon of dry thyme and 3 tbs of olive oil, salt and pepper.

I cooked the lentils, for about 25 minutes, at low flame, then I removed the pot on the side and covered it.

Once the sides were ready, I started prepare the fish.

In a large bowl I mixed 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup corn meal, salt, pepper and 1 table spoon of ground cumin.

Flour the fish, then saute it, in hot oil, both sides, until the skin gets crispy.

Finish the fish in the preheated oven at 375F for about 12 minutes.

For the sauce, chop 3 small preserved lemons, than mixed them with chopped parsley, a pinch of hot paprika, sea salt, olive oil and garlic.

The sauce should be served at the room temperature, on top of the fish or on the side.

For the better enjoyment, I suggest a crisp chilled White wine or a dry Rose, 

with the dish.

Cheers and enjoy!

CRAB SAMOSAS

I am a sucker for crab meat, I can have it everyday, prepared different ways.
Recently we had entertained a group of friends at home, the dinner theme was Indian, 
and for the first time I made crab samosas,
  a very light starter, and not so hard to put it together.


The following ingredients are for about 24 samosas:


samosa sheets or Chinese spring roll sheets
1 lb of cooked crab meat (lump)
1 large boiled potato
mustard seeds
2 tbs of grated ginger (you can use ginger paste)
1/2 large onion finely chopped
1/2 cup of heavy cream
6-8 dried curry leaves
2 tbs of chopped cilantro
1 tbs of garam masala 

salt

pepper
canola oil for frying


First of all, in a large saute pan, add little ghee or butter and 
cook the onion the, spices and the chopped boiled potato.
After 1 minute, add the crab meat and cilantro, mixing them together.
Once the mixture is cooked, add the cream and stir for one more minute.
Set the crab filling aside, for about 30 minutes.
Cut the  square of dough in half (2 triangles), then roll them in a cone shape, 
fill them with the crab mixture, like 3 quarters, then brush the top part it with water, 
and roll it to close.
When you're done, filling the samosas, refrigerate them 
for 5 minutes, while you heat up the oil for frying.
 Fry them gently on both sides, then set them on a board over a paper towel, to crisp.
You can serve them with any kind of store bought chutney 
( I did mine with mango chutney) or make your own.
Here is a quick chutney, recipe.
Saute one tbs of crushed garlic, with a touch of oil, 1/2 tbs of cayenne pepper, 1 tbs of garam masala, 2 shredded mango, salt  and a squeeze of lemon, 1 tbs of brown sugar.
Preferably, make the chutney a day before so it marinates.
Serve it on the side, with your crab samosas.
Don't forget the wine, this time I suggest : Grunner Veltliner, Loimer, 2009  from Austria, a great fresh taste, that compliments the spices and the aromas of the samosas.


Cheers !

THE WINGS............

As an Euro transplant to US, I never had such an appreciation for chicken wings,
I always used them for stocks, but now, I treat them with more respect :)
Recently, at one of our Eating and Drinking play dates, I made some chicken wings, my way, which were highly appreciated by our friends.
For the best results, I suggest smaller wings (Murray's for example).
Use the chubby piece and the center piece, discard the tip or use it for stocks.
This recipe is based on 2lbs of wings.
First of all you should  add salt and pepper, then cover them and refrigerate'm  for few hours.
While the wings are marinating, you should put together the sauce, mixing the ingredients
into a homogeneous paste.

For a medium hot sauce you need :

1 cup of apricot preserve
1/2 cup of tomato paste
1/4 cup of Harissa or can be substitute with Sriracha
2 tbs of crushed garlic
2 tbs of smoked paprika
1 tbs of Herbes de Provence
sea salt
2 tbs of lemon juice

Prepare a saute pan, then remove the wings from the refrigerator, toss them with half cup of olive oil, saute  them, until the skin become little crisp.
While they're still hot, in a mixing bowl, toss them together with the sauce, allow them few minutes to rest.
Heat up the oven at 400 degrees,
 lay the wings on a non stick sheet pan, and roast them for 20 minutes.
During the last procedure, you can brush them with the remaining sauce from the mixing bowl.
Once the wings are ready, remove them from the tray, put them on a serving platter and let the cool off a bit.
A nice bottle of crisp white will pair well the dish.
We had some delicious Ametzoi Txacolina 2009, bought from some local wine shop.
Enjoy!

Dan

Tagliatelle al ragù di tonno

This is my all-time favorite pasta, and for some reason I never posted the recipe.

Easy to make, flavorful and delicious.

Any kind of pasta will work with the ragù, so don't get stuck into tagliatelle.

For two servings, that's you need the following:

2 servings of pasta

1 can of tuna in olive oil (4oz)

1 medium size shallot (finely chopped)

1 chopped tomato

1 tbs of capers

1cup of tomato sauce

1/3 of a cup of olives

2 sprigs of dry thyme

1/3 cup of olive oil

While boiling the pasta , you can start preparing the ragù .

In a large sauté pan sauté the chopped shallot with some olive oil for a minute, add the tuna, the capers and the fresh chopped tomato, and keep stirring, until tuna breaks into flakes, add the tomato sauce and half cup of cold water and bring them together to a boil.

While the ragù is still simmering, you can mix the olives and add the thyme.

Set the pan aside, and add the pasta, then stir gently.

Your pasta is ready to be plated.

Buon appetito!

PS. To be matched with a nice Southern Italian wine, for example Casalj from Tenuta Rapitala

(blend of Chardonnay and Catarrato)

Red beet and blood orange salad!

After a long while, I am back at food writing.

I wish I could've say, that I've took a break from eating, but that's not true :)

The salad featured on my post today, is sort of a past season dish,

but is worth trying at anytime.

I grew up eating red beets, and they were prepared always the same way.

Roasted, shredded, tossed with horseradish and vinegar.

This recipe is a revenge taken against the old fashioned beets salad.

To prepare this salad for 4 people, you need the following ingredients:

2 blood oranges cleaned and skinned

4 small roasted or boiled red beets

1 head of organic green leaf salad

3oz of Feta cheese crumbled

olive oil

Champagne vinegar

First chopped the green salad toss it with olive oil, salt, pepper and a touch of the vinegar.

In a serving bowl, put the salad, then lay the sliced beets and the blood oranges on top.

Sprinkle the top with crumbled Feta, add a pinch of black pepper, then drizzle with olive oil.

Refrigerate the salad for 10 minutes, then serve.

Easy and simple!

Enjoy!

PENNETE CON GAMBERI, FIORI DI ZUCCA E POMODORINI

Recently we went Upstate NY, to see our dear Margaret.

I love the two hours train ride, but what I love the most, is hanging out, relaxing and picking fresh fruits and vegetables at local farms .

This time was different, no local farms in program, but similar, we were privileged to invade some relative's vegetable garden, and pick up yellow zucchine, baby zucchine, zucchini blossoms, cherry tomatoes and some fresh basil .

The next day's dinner was already planned.

This time a pasta dish. I did choose pennete, but you can use

any kind of short pasta.

While I was boiling the pasta (1/2lb for 2 portions),

I started to make a quick cheese-less pesto.

2 cups of chopped basil

2 garlic cloves

1/2 cup of cracked almonds

1/2 cup of olive oil

lemon zest (from half lemon)

sea salt and pepper

After processing the ingredients until became homogeneous,

the pesto was ready .

I sautéed 10 small shrimp with cherry tomato and touch of olive

oil for 2 minutes, and added 8 small zucchini blossoms, cooked

pasta and the pesto, afterwards.

This pasta is a great summer pasta, and can be enjoyed cold or warm.

As a wine match, we had a beautiful Traminer,

again from Slovenia ( G Pullus 2009) .

If you try to cook this one at home, I assure you, that

you won't be disappointed!

Cheers!

Sardines a la Chez Nistorescu

Summer time, Summer wines, Summer food!

Cooking in the summer, transports me instantly to Carribean, Mediterranean, South Asia, North Africa etc.

I was thinking of sardines for a while, and to my surprise I found them at my local market unexpectedly, fresh, plump and ready to hit my pan.

The man behind the counter was recommending them highly, so I picked up 6 pcs,

already planning on my mind , the appetizer for the evening..

Once I got home I cleaned them up and butterflied them.

The next step I was mixing a cup of Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) with 1 tbs of sea salt, a pinch of Cayenne pepper powder and half tbs of Herbs du Provence.

I did coat the sardines with the bread crumbs, then stacked them on the side, before frying.

In a large sautee pan I heated up 1/4 Canola oil and 2 tbs of butter, adding a tbs of freshly chopped garlic. I gently fried the sardines on the both sides, then I transferred them on a paper towel to drain.

While the sardines were cooling of, I did put together a small salad to top them with.

I thinly shaved half fennel bulb then mixed it together with some chopped pineapple

( you can use orange or grapefruit instead), chopped fennel sprigs, pitted olives, lemon juice and olive oil.

The last step was plating them (as pictured) and served them

accompanied by a nice glass of Riesling.

Easy, fast and simple, but a very enjoyable dish.

Foie Gras a la Chez Nistorescu

Foie gras is always on of my list of favorites.

I order it whenever I see it in the menu, cooked different ways, dressed with the most incredible ingredients, always accompanied by beautiful wines.

For some reason I don't cook it so often, but this time I prepared a handful of "expensive fat"(approx 2 lbs), which end up in my fridge due to the generosity of a guest,

who showed up late for dinner.

Thank you Cami!

I've choosen to cook the foie gras very simple, just cut in 3 oz medallions, salted and peppered, simply seared about 35 seconds on each side on a hot pan.

Make sure that your kitchen is vented, open few windows, if any :)

For the base, I had brioche , lightly toasted, smeared with some Sicilian orange marmalade.

For the topping I made some sauteed onions with a touch of aged balsamic vinegar and cracked black peppercorns.

Assembly the dish as pictured, and you just made a spectacular dish in minutes.

For wine, I've got a bottle of chilled Moscatel de Málaga by Jorge Ordóñez & Co. .

Enjoy it !

PS. It can be a great Valentine's Day appetizer, if you are on budget and cook at home (like I do).

After a long break, I am back writing about my latest cookings.

Thanks God is fall almost winter, and the abundance of seasonal ingredients is very inspirational.

I was looking for purple cauliflower, but I've found a green one (this particular color is following me lately.

So cruising my home market, I picked up the ingredients, and I already did picture the whole dish.

To put togheter the dish, you need:

1 box of pizzocheri or any buckwheat pasta,

1 head of green cauliflower

6 oz of heavy cream

3 shallots

butter

salt

pepper

Bring the water to boil, add little salt and cook the pasta for 10 minutes.

in a sepparate pan, sautee the shallots with butter until clear.

Remove the pasta from the pot, drain and transfer over the cooking shallots, add the cauliflower florets top the boiling water, and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove and drain it after.

transfer the cauliflower over the pasta, pour the heavy cream over, mix and cook over the small flame for 10 more minutes.

add some grean peas if you have, sprinkle Parmigiano and fresh ground pepper on top, and you are almost ready.

A nice bottle of Picpoul de Pinet will do with this dish.

Buon Appetito!

Blue crabs steamed in beer

Spending August at the sea side is always great, and the only dish I always cook this time of the year is the beer steamed crabs.
I've done it quite few times, and is always great. All you need for this recipe is a dozen of blue crabs or any other hard shelled crab, 5 bottles of beer (lager or pilsner),1 medium sized onion cut in half. a bunch of parsley, 5 cloves of chopped garlic, sea salt and pepper.
In a large pot brings the beers to boil along with the chopped garlic, parsley, pepper and onion then add the crabs. Let them simmer together at the small flame for about 12 minutes. Remove the pot from the stove, cover it up, let it stay for few minutes, open a bottle of nice vino, in our case a Dr.Hayden Riesling 2007, then enjoy it with your friends!
This is a nice and easy summer recipe, that everyone can make it!

Buon apetito!

FIDEUA CON COSTIGLIA DE CERDO E CONEJO

Since I came back from Spain last year, I prepared this dish quite few times, and it became a staple of my Spanish dinners . We had this in Barcelona on our first day at a neighborhood restaurant on the side streets of Eixample`. The only problem we had, was the fact that was no rabbit in the plate, even though the dish was advertised as pork ribs and rabbit fideua. It was delicious anyway. Fideua is a short cut pasta, similar to vermicelli and is very popular in Catalunya, replacing the rice in the paellas. It comes up in different sizes and can be found in Latino markets or Spanish specialty food shops. For mine I used spaghetti bits (I can't stay away from Italian ingredients). The dish I made is for 6 people, but easily can feed 8.

1 pack of spaghetti

2 lbs of rabbit (thighs and loin only)

3 lbs of pork short ribs

2 small size onions

4 oz tomato paste

2 oz of frozen baby green peas

2 chopped carrots

piquillo roasted peppers

4 cloves of chopped garlic

1 tbs of smoked paprika

1/2 bottle of dry white wine

salt and pepper

olive oil

To begin with I marinated my meats with salt, pepper, garlic, paprika and a touch of olive oil. I've braked the spaghetti in 1/2 inch pieces and I boiled them for three minutes. In a non stick pan I added olive oil and I pan seared the meats, to seal the juices. on a cast iron casserole, I added the meat, tomato paste, the wine and the chopped carrots, and I slow cooked the meats at 300 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. After cooking the meat, the next step is adding the precooked fideua, so I taked the meat out in a separate pan, and I added the noodles to the sauce, putting the meat on top of them, adding the thawed green peas, as well the roasted peppers. Salt and pepper should be added, only if necessary. The casserole is almost done, needs about 1/2 hour more in the oven. Remove the casserole from the oven when the meats are tender, falling of the bones, and the noodles are not over cooked. The dinner was fabulos, we had friends, bottles of Beautiful Spanish reds : Tempranillo, Bodegas Valdepablo 1999, Rioja Reserva Ondare 2002, and quite few more. If you try this at home and have any questions, I'll be more than happy to assist.

Enjoy!

MONDAY'S LUNCH SALAD

Mondays to me, are very uninspiring days, but you can't skip them, so it comes the lunch time, and you want to eat a light meal, something that will make you feel not too guilty for what you've ate the past week, so here it is an ideea.

Get the freshest out of your local market, and go ahead and prepare this.

Cucumbers, radishes, bib lettuce, tomato and scallions are the ingredients for this salad.

Chop them, slice them, then toss them with scrambled eggs (previously cooked)along with some chopped fresh dill.

A light lemon vinaigrette, salt and pepper, a big bowl, and your appetite...

Voila, enjoy it with a nice glass of Muscadet .

SOMEN NOODLES AND CRAB CURRY

Rice noodles from Japan this time (Somen), tossed with crab curry, was the special dish of last week at Chez Nistorescu :). Somen noodles are very delicate, especially the ones made out of rice flour (used on this recipe), so require 3-4minutes cooking time only. For the sauce I used fresh crab meat (claws only), from my local fish market, but you can use canned crab if you want. After cooking the noodles as indicated on the package, rinse them with cold water and set them aside. In a saute pan, heat up 4 tbsp of canola oil, then add a small chopped onion, saute it until becomes clear, at this point add 4 tbsp of curry powder (Mild) and stir it up. Once the powder turns brown add 1 1/2 cups of milk and mix together over small flame. Once the sauce starting to boil, add the crab meat (1lb), 2 oz of frozen corn, 2 oz of frozen green peas and a diced small size red bell pepper. Cook the sauce for ten more minutes, then set aside, add the noodles and mixed them together, sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro and you are ready to enjoy a beautiful dish. We had a bottle of 2007 Grüner Veltliner, Gaisberg , Weingut Allram.Fermented and aged in stainless steel, this Gruner is flawless and lovely, with a fresh, green juicy spice note (white pepper) and a very clear and fresh. If you make this dish at home please let me know.

CALAMARATA

Hanging out at my local Market I came to some fresh NZ cockles, I got a couple of dozens, and I already picture in my mind what's for dinner.

I also got a bag of this pasta I never used before, called Calamarata, which looks similar to cut calamari tubes and goes great with seafood .

You need about 25 minutes, which are going to be highly rewarded, by the satisfaction of enjoying this dish.

For four people, you need one bag of pasta (1lb)

2 dz cockles

1 bunch of broccolini or broccoli rabe

3 cloves of chopped garlic

4 oz of chopped dry hot sopressata or dry spicy chorizo

olive oil salt & pepper

While boiling a gallon of water, for the pasta, rinse the cockles well, and let them under running cold water .

In a large pan, heat up some olive oil, add the chopped garlic and chopped broccolini, then saute them together for a couple of minutes.

Once the greens are getting softer, add finely chopped sopressata and the cockles, and cooked them for 5 minutes, adding a cup of hot water, from the pasta.

Remove the pasta from the water, and transfer it to the cooking pan, add salt and pepper according to your taste, and mixed them together over reduced flame, keep stirring for few more minutes.

Once the pasta looks done, remove it from the stove, let it rest for a minute, then serve it.

A nice bottle of Falanghina or Greco di Tufo, will be the right compliment for this dish.

NO CHEESE PLEASE!

Enjoy it .