Archives

Pastas & Breads
May 27, 2025 Leave a comment In Pastas & Breads

Ingredients

  • 8 oz of Gemelli Pasta
  • 3-4 Tbsp of Sundried Tomato Oil (or whatever oil you have, butter works fine as well)
  • 16 oz of Diced Mushrooms (Beech Mushrooms or Baby Bellas)
  • 4 Garlic Cloves, Diced
  • 2 cups of Broth/Stock
  • 1 cup of Half & Half
  • 1/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese
  • Optional: Fresh Mozarella (I use the small snacking balls cut into 4)
  • 1-2 Tbsp of Soy Sauce

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil and cook the mushrooms with a touch of salt until it’s all golden brown (making sure the mushrooms are browned is really important; this has a big impact on the flavor)
  2. Add the broth/stock, soy sauce and half and half
  3. Add the garlic and pasta and cook until pasta is done and liquid has absorbed, medium simmer
  4. Finish with Parmesean Cheese and let melt to get smooth.
  5. Turn off heat and mix in fresh Mozarella.
Salads, Sides & Starters, To Try, Vegetable Dishes
July 12, 2023 Leave a comment

Ingredients

Roasted Mushrooms

  • 700g/ 1.4 lb small whole white mushrooms or halved larger ones
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 5 sprigs fresh thyme (sub 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
  • 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
  • 2 garlic cloves, smashed

    Balsamic Marinade

    • 4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
      • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

      Directions

      • Preheat oven to 200°C/375°F (180°C fan).
      • Season – Put mushrooms into a roasting pan (not tray, easier to mix well in pan). They can be snug but should be in a single layer (mushrooms shrink ~25-30%). Toss with olive oil first. Then add salt, pepper, thyme and garlic (minced & whole), then toss again.
      • Roast 35 minutes, tossing well at the 20 minute mark, or until the mushrooms are browned and soft.
      • Marinade – While hot, transfer mushrooms into a bowl (including all the juices). Add balsamic and olive oil. Toss well.
      • Marinate 2 to 24 hrs – Let the mushrooms cool and marinate for 2 hours (uncovered), tossing once or twice, or for even better flavour, marinate overnight (covered in fridge once cool).
      • Serving – Always serve at room temperature or slightly warmed, for best flavour. And don’t waste the juices – it’s full of flavour!

      Note: Serving options – As part of a grazing board, on polenta or mash as a meal, on toast slathered with goats cheese or cream cheese, on the side of fried eggs, on creamy risotto or risoni/orzo.

      Finger Foods, Snack
      November 11, 2022 Leave a comment

      Ingredients

      • 1 King’s Hawaiian Bread Round

      Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients

      • 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
      • 1/4 cup of granulated sugar

      Garlic Butter Soak Ingredients

      • 1 cup of unsalted butter (melted, 2 sticks)
      • 1/2 cup of whole milk (or half and half or cream)
      • 2 Tbsp of granulated sugar
      • 4 Tbsp of garlic (minced or grated)
      • 1 1/2 Tbsp of dry parsley flakes
      • 2 large eggs
      • Salt to taste (you can salt the butter mixture or you can sprinkle the rolls after they come out of the oven–if sprinkling, I use fleur de sel, otherwise, Kosher Salt)

      Directions

      • Combine the cream cheese filling with the sugar and put it in a ziplock and set aside until needed to pipe–cut the tip pea-size if using for slider rolls, larger if using the round loaf
      • In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients for the garlic butter but make sure not to cook the eggs; warm only and set aside until needed
      • Cut the King’s Hawaiian bread horizontally without cutting through to make a “flower” with 8 equal wedges
      • Dunk the bread into the garlic butter soak and let the excess drain
      • Put the bread on a baking sheet and pipe the cream cheese filling in the middle
      • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the bread is crispy and golden

      NOTE: 

      • I double the recipe for both the filling and butter (the butter can get away with 1 recipe but it makes it easier to dunk if you have more)
      • I typically use half the sugar for both the cream and the butter
      • Enough for 2×24 party pack rolls of King’s Hawaiian sliders (Costco Pack which has since changed to 2×16)
      • Do not double pipe the bread; too much cream isn’t as good
      • Do not cut too deep, the bread falls apart, cut enough for 1 layer of pipe
      • Dunk in top down and lift and let the excess coat the rest of the bread
      • Do not cook longer than 10 minutes; don’t wait for it to brown; take it out at 10 minutes and let it cool
      Finger Foods, Snack
      November 11, 2022 Leave a comment

      Ingredients

      • 2 Potatoes
      • 1/2 cup cornstarch
      • 1/4 cup grated cheese
      • 1 tsp of salt
      • 2 tsp of garlic powder

      Directions

      • Peel the potatoes and cook until tender (chop into big pieces to make it took faster)
      • Mash the potatoes and mix in the cheese, salt, garlic powder and corn starch
      • Take the “dough” and flatten it (you can put it in a ziplock bag and flatten it in the bag)
      • Freeze for 30 minutes
      • Slice the “dough” into long strips and fry in hot oil until crispy
      Snack
      November 11, 2022 Leave a comment

      Ingredients

      • 3 large eggs
      • 4 slices of shokupan / soft white bread
      • 1/4 tsp of sugar
      • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
      • Ground Pepper
      • 2 tsp of milk
      • 2 Tbsp of Kewpie

      Directions

      • Boil eggs for 12 minutes
      • Peel the eggs and separate the white from the yolks
      • Puree the yolks with all of the ingredients until smooth and well mixed
      • Dice the egg whites and fold into the egg yolk mixture
      • Adjust sugar/salt/kewpie to taste as needed
      Seafood, Vegetable Dishes
      May 28, 2022 Leave a comment In Seafood, Vegetable Dishes

      Ingredients

      • 5 tablespoons soy sauce
      • 3 tablespoons rice wine (or mirin)
      • 2 teaspoons gochujang (Korean red chili pepper paste)
      • 1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes)
      • 2 tablespoons sugar (or less to taste)
      • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
      • 1.5 cups broth (vegetable broth or dashi)
      • 1/2 onion, sliced
      • 8 garlic cloves, crushed

      Directions

      • Put all ingredients in a pan and boil until reduced and slightly thickened.
      • Add desired ingredients (black cod, tofu, shrimp, mushrooms, radish, green onions) etc.
      • Finish with cornstarch slurry if you want to thicken.
      Pastas & Breads, Vegetable Dishes
      March 14, 2022 Leave a comment

      Ingredients

      • Sunflower oil for frying
      • 6 medium zucchini
      • Salt
      • 14 ounces | 400 grams spaghetti
      • Freshly ground black pepper (optional)
      • Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (preferably aged 2 years)
      • 1 bunch fresh basil leaves

      Directions

      1. Heat a generous amount of sunflower oil in a large saucepan.
      2. Slice the zucchini into thin rounds and then fry in the hot oil until they begin to turn golden. Drain the zucchini with a slotted spoon, place in a bowl and leave in the fridge to rest and soften for at least 2 hours.
      3. When you are ready to prepare the dish, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve some of the cooking water for the next step.
      4. Heat the rested zucchini in a large frying pan along with 2 ladles of the spaghetti cooking water and season with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper if desired.
      5. Drain the spaghetti and add to the pan with the zucchini. Remove the pan from the heat, add a couple of handfuls of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and toss everything together well.
      6. Divide into 4 portions, sprinkle each bowl with more Parmigiano-Reggiano and top with a few fresh basil leaves before serving. For extra decadence stir through a spoonful of butter before serving.
      Vegetable Dishes
      May 1, 2021 Leave a comment In Vegetable Dishes

      Ingredients

      • 4 large Yukon Gold Potatoes
      • 1 bag of Swiss Cheese
      • Bacon or Prosciutto
      • Salt & Pepper to taste
      • 3 Black Garlic pieces
      • 1.5 cups of Heavy Cream

      Directions

      1. Peel and slice the yukon gold into water so it does not oxidize
      2. Heat the heavy cream in a separate saucepan with the black garlic–when the black garlic is tender and warm, puree it and put back in the heat to warm; season with salt and pepper to taste
      3. Preheat oven to 400
      4. On a cast iron pan, render the bacon or prosciutto and removed the meat, keep the oil on the pan
      5. Layer the potato, top with a little cheese and prosciutto and repeat layers
      6. Halfway through, pour half the sauce and make sure you keep pressing layers down
      7. Prior to the final layer, top with remaining sauce and put a layer of potatoes on top and foil
      8. Bake for 1.5 hours covered and let cool for as long as needed
      9. Prior to serving, top with cheese and broil until cheese is golden brown and bubbly
      Dessert
      April 27, 2021 Leave a comment

      Ingredients

      • 1 stick unsalted butter
      • 1 10 oz bag mini marshmallow
      • 1 cup + 2 tbsp dry milk powder – plus more for dusting
      • 1 12 oz box Ritz cracker
      • 1¼ cup dried cranberry

      Instructions

      1. Line a 9 X 9 or 8 X 8 baking pan with parchment paper and set it aside.
      2. Break the crackers into large chunks and set aside – take 2-3 at once and break in half. Keep chunks large.
      3. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or non-stick pan over medium low heat.
      4. Once the butter melts completely, add mini marshmallows into the pot. Stir and cook until all the marshmallows melt and became a smooth batter. Adjust the heat accordingly to prevent the bottom from burning.
      5. Stir in milk powder and mix until there’s no more dry powder before adding cranberries and crackers.
      6. Fold the crackers and cranberries until they are evenly coated with the marshmallow mixture. Work quickly and try to keep the crackers from being crushed too much.
      7. Transfer everything into the baking tray, cover with another piece of parchment paper and press down until it’s firm and the surface is smooth.
      8. Let it cool completely before cutting into bite sized pieces; dust with more milk powder and enjoy!
      Pastas & Breads
      September 14, 2019 Leave a comment

      Ingredients

      • 3 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
      • 2 tbsp miso paste
      • 3.5 oz finely grated parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
      • ½ tsp ground black pepper
      • 14 oz spaghetti
      • 7 oz thick cut bacon or pancetta, sliced into batons
      • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (optional)
      • Furikake to serve

      Directions

      1. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, miso paste, parmesan and pepper.
      2. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta for its recommended cooking time.
      3. While the pasta cooks, heat the bacon in a large frying pan over high heat. You want the bacon to colour as well as render some fat. If there isn’t a sheen of fat on the bottom of your pan after 3-4 minutes, then add olive oil. Turn the heat off but let the pan sit on the warm stovetop.
      4. Reserve a cup of pasta cooking water. Then drain the pasta and add it straight into the warm pan. Add the egg mixture and toss with the pasta. Keep tossing the pasta in the egg mixture until it thickens (turn the heat on low under the pan if necessary). If the sauce becomes too thick you can loosen it with some of the pasta cooking water. Be careful not to scramble the eggs!
      5. When the sauce is thick, divide among serving plates. Grate over extra parmesan cheese and scatter over the furikake.
      12 Next

      Recent Posts

      Test

      September 4, 2025

      One Pot Mushroom Pasta

      May 27, 2025

      Hokkaido Milk Bread

      May 11, 2025

      Strawberry Sago

      February 17, 2025

      Easy Cucumber Salad

      December 17, 2024