Hazan's Sugo

This is Marcela Hazan's take on a nice tomato sauce for pasta. I thought this was well worth noting because it is one of Ruth Roger's favorite recipes. Key is to make sure the garlic barely colors and then allowed to simmer gently in the tomato so that it can release its sweetness. The raw basil at the end is also important, so that it does not under any cooking.

450 gr pasta
6 tblsp EVOO
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and sliced very thinly
300 gr tinned Italian tomatoes, with their juice
maldon sea salt
ground black pepper
10 fresh basil leaves torn by hand into small pieces

1. put EVOO and garlic in a saucepan and turn heat to medium
2. when the garlic becomes slightly colored add the tomatoes and turn the heat down to very low
3. cook uncovered until the oil floats free of the tomatoes for about 20 minutes
4. add salt and pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring now and then
5. off the heat stir in the torn basil leaves

Chestnut Linguini, Caramelized Onion

This came together so nicely tonight I had to write it down. I will take full credit for this combo. Thank you.

250 gr chestnut tagliatelle
1 onion, 12 shallots, 6 garlic cloves sliced thinly
a few rosemary needles (or thyme)
12 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
2 tblsp white port
maldon sea salt
EVOO
1 tblsp butter
parmesan (optional)

1. put onion, shallot and garlic in big pan with EVOO, rosemary, pepper, bay leaf, salt
2. confit and caramelize for 3-4 hours on super low heat; about one hour in add the port
3. toward the end put lid on pan for quicker caramelization (around 20-30 mins)
4. set aside until needed and reheat if necessary
5. boil pasta, add 2 tblsp of pasta water to onion mixture to loosen
6. drain pasta and add to pan with butter
7. serve with grated parmesan, if you like

Green Milk

An absolutely delicious drink recipe that we snatched from Pressed Juices in Hong Kong. I think Michelle's is even better! This can satisfy your tummy for a healthy lunch.

1-2 chopped dates depending on your sweet tooth
1 cup cashews
big handful of spinach leaves
2 cups almond milk -- or 1 tblsp almond butter and 2 cups rice or oat milk
pinch of sea salt
freshly shaved nutmeg - just a touch
a dash of vanilla extract
a few almonds

1. put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth
2. if too thick, add more almond milk and if too thin add more nuts

Speck & Prune Bomb

Not really a recipe but a lovely combo of contrasting yet complementary flavors. Another addition to the cured meat "bombs".

best quality speck
rociola cheese
pitted prune
young walnut

1. put a spoonful of rociola on one end of the speck slice
2. plop the prune and walnut on top
3. loosely roll the speck up and pop in your mouth 

Easy Chocolate Nemesis

Michelle made this the other night, the perfect staple chocolate cake from The River Cafe. The original version is a tad more complicated, but found that this one is just as good. We had it with some creme fraiche but was thinking it would be amazing with some matcha green tea ice cream, or a hazelnut or mint ice cream.

340g 70% Lindt Dark Chocolate
195g unsalted butter
5 organic eggs
180g caster sugar

1. preheat oven to 120*C
2. grease a 25 cm cake tin using extra butter and line with parchment paper
3. break chocolate into pieces and melt with butter in a bowl over simmering water; while chocolate and butter are melting, beat eggs and 70g of the sugar in an electric mixer until the volume quadruples
4. mix remaining sugar with 100 ml of boiled water and stir until dissolved into a light syrup
5. pour the hot syrup into the melted chocolate and cool slightly
6. add chocolate to the eggs and beat slowly until the mixture is combined
7. pour into cake tin
8. put a folded kitchen cloth in the bottom of a baking tray; put in the cake tin and add enough hot water so that it comes 3/4 of the way up the side of the cake tin
9. bake in the over for 50 mins until set
10. leave the cake to cool in the water before turning out
11. sprinkle with cacao powder before serving

Seoul Observations

A nice discovery in Seoul recently.

• Seokparang: an old villa turned restaurant serving kaiseki-like dinners. This meal included traditional porridge, Gujulpan (pancakes with shredded vegetables), Eomandu (cod dumpling), bo scam (pork belly & condiments), grilled abalone, chilhyanggye (black bone chicken soup with seven flavors), fried red snapper with apple soy sauce, neobiani (grilled marinated beef) and fresh pine mushrooms, sinseollo (hot pot of seafood, meats and vegetables), noodle soup, crispy korean date, fresh ginseng with honey and su jung gwa (best cinnamon tea ever).

Caviar & Brillat Savarin

Thanks to resident HK caviar expert Cyrille for this revelation. At least for me anyway, as this pairing has been savored by those in the know for many years! Some enjoy caviar with Comte even more!

caviar
Brillat Savarin

1. slice of cheese
2. place a little smattering of caviar on the cheese and eat