Salmon in hot bean sauce

This fantastic recipe was taught to me at culinary school years ago and is still one of the most requested dishes both by my family and friends .it has the best combination of flavors but is very Chinese seafood dish I have made. Originally this dish was made with Carp but I switched over to Salmon,a more widely available fish and touted for its great vitamin content. The best point with this dish is it can be under cooked and heated and finished cooking just prior to serving.

Photograph by Ashish Mahtani

2 lb Salmon        1  1/2 tbsp chopped ginger root ( fresh please)

2 tbsp chopped fresh garlic

3 scallions,diced

2 tbsp hot bean sauce ( available in Asian markets)

2 tbsp dry Sherry or Rice wine

1  1/2 cup stock

2 tsp sugar

2 tsp soy sauce

1 tbsp cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsp water

2 tsp vinegar

1/2 cup peanut or corn oil ( I use Canola oil)

Clean the fish and pat dry with paper towels. Make 3 cuts on each side of the fish.

Put ginger,garlic and hot bean sauce on a plate.

Combine Sherry or Rice wine, stock , sugar and soy sauce in a cup.

Sprinkle salt on both sides of fish just before frying . heat a wok until hot. Add 5 tbsp of  oil and swirl it around. heat it until very hot. Slide the fish into the oil and fry until golden brown. Turn and brown the other side. Remove the Fish and oil.

Add 3 tbsp fresh oil and heat until hot. Add ginger and stir fry until fragrant. Add the hot bean sauce. Stir fry a few times.

Add the fish, the stock mixture . Bring to a boil. Cover and cook in medium heat for 5 minutes. Turn fish over and cook 5 more minutes or until done. Remove fish to a serving dish.

Restir the cornstarch mixture. Add it to the sauce,stirring all the while until it thickens. Add the vinegar, scallions, stir and pour over the fish.

Baked Rice

Ross-il-forn is a very popular Maltese dish very much like Arancini Scicilani is to the Sicilians. The concept is similar except,in this case,the rice is cooked separately,combined with a flavorful meat sauce, eggs and topped with cheese then baked.Just rustic and super delicious. It is ideal to prepare with left over rice and some ground meat.I often use Buffalo or lamb to change it up a bit.

Photograph by Rahul Mahtani

1 cup short grain rice, cooked

1 lb ground meat,such as Buffalo or lamb

1 small can tomato paste

a few sprigs each Oregano, Basil and parsley, chopped

2 cloves garlic,finely minced

1 small onion,finely minced

1 cup red wine

1 bay leaf.

3 eggs beaten

1/2 cup each freshly grated pecorino romano and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Heat a saucepan and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.Allow to heat,then saute onion till translucent. Add garlic and saute 2 more minutes.

Add meat and use wooden spoon to break up meat. Cook on medium heat until meat browns. Stir in tomato paste and saute 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in chopped herbs and bay leaf. season with salt and pepper.

Pour in wine and allow to simmer 10 to 15 minutes on medium low heat, covered. Turn off heat and allow meat to cool.

Preheat oven to 350*F

In a separate dish beat eggs.Season with salt and pepper. Stir in half of both cheese. Add in the cooked rice and stir gently so as not to break up the rice.

Stir in the cooked meat, once again to incorporate but not break up the rice.

Pour into baking dish and top with the balance cheese.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until set and cheese melted. serve.

Eggless Pasta Frolla with almond filling

Having just returned from Malta has left me salivating for many of the local foods and confections of the beautiful island. While visiting I often dine al fresco in Cafe Cordina,one of the premier cafe in the capital,Valletta. They serve some of the finest pastries I have tasted. Malta is famous for pastry and cookies containing ground almonds. They serve a “bar” cookie called simply Pasta Frolla,generally referring to the type of shortbread pastry,but this one has an almond filling,or frangipani. This is my version of that amazing cookie,so very dear to my heart.

Photograph by Rahul Mahtani

Makes one 9×13 sheet

PASTRY

2  1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp cornstarch

1/2 tsp salt

2 sticks unsalted butter,at room temperature

1/3 cup superfine sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 tablespoons heavy cream plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce.

Sift flour and salt,set aside.

Cream butter and sugar. Add extracts and mix to combine. Slowly add in the cream applesauce mixture. Scape down bowl.

With mixer on lowest setting start to fold in flour salt mixture. Fold,just until combined.DO NOT OVER MIX or dough will turn heavy .

Scrape dough onto a piece of parchment paper and flatten into 2 disks. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

FILLING

8 oz toasted blanched almonds,ground finely.

1/2 cup superfine sugar

2 tablespoons heavy cream plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

zest of 1 orange

1/4 tsp salt

2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter

Combine all ingredients till well combined. Set aside.

Assemble

Preheat oven to 350*F

Roll 1 disk of dough thinly to fit a 9 by 13 baking pan with removable bottom. Line pan with cookie dough.

Pour over and spread the almond paste. Leave a 1/4 inch border filling free all around the perimeter.

Roll out the second disk of dough and place on top of filling. Press to seal edges. Dock top with fork and sprinkle on some granulated sugar.

Bake for 40 minutes, until golden. Place on cooling rack until completely cooled before cutting into bars.

Kashmiri Dum aloo

There are very few Indian dishes,specifically North Indian dishes,my son Ashish loves. He used to call it indian stuffed potato in gravy and promptly remove the filling. i prepare these at home in the simplest way,no filling,and serve them with store-bought Garlic Naan,a treat my whole family enjoys!!!

1 lb baby potatoes,boiled till just done and peeled.

1 onion,finely chopped

2 tomatoes,peeled

2 green chilis,minced

1 inch piece fresh ginger,grated

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander ground

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

salt to taste

1 tsp garam masala

1/4 cup heavy cream

10 cashews ground with 4 cardamom pods

chopped fresh cilantro,for garnish

Mix the tomatoes,green chilis and ginger together,set aside.

Heat a saute pan and add about 1 to 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to heat. Prick the peeled potatoes all over with a fork (this helps the sauce to cook into the potato better). Place the potatoes in the hot pan and season with salt.Allow the potatoes to get a golden brown color and crisp up a little. Remove the potatoes to a plate and keep aside.

Add a little more oil to the pan and stir in the cumin seeds,allow them to sputter,stir in the onion. Cook for 4 to 7 minutes over medium heat until onions are wilted and cooked. Add the tomato mixture and cook for a further 5 minutes on a medium heat. Stir in the ground coriander and turmeric,season with salt.

Stir in the ground cashew/cardamom into the cooked sauce. Stir for a further 2 minutes.Stir in the heavy cream and 1 cup of water to achieve a thick gravy.

Stir in the reserved cooked potatoes and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garam masala and top with chopped cilantro.

Serve

Eggless raspberry squares

Raspberry squares are an amazingly delicious cookie for so many reasons.The buttery crust doubles up as the crumble topping with a raspberry preserve sandwiched in the middle. The crust has oats and nuts,giving it a fantastic crunch. The white and dark sugar combine to lend a complex flavor. i often have to double the recipe as once served they go so fast.

Americas test kitchen

Makes 25 squares

Photograph by Rahul Mahtani

1  1/2 cups ( 7 1/2 oz) all purpose flour

1  1/4 cups #  1/4 oz) quick cook oats

1/2 cup pecans or almonds,chopped fine

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp table salt

12 tablespoons ( 1  1/2 sticks ) unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened

1 cup raspberry preserves

Adjust an oven rack to the lower -middle position and heat oven to 350*F.Line a 9 inch square baking pan with two pieces of foil and spray with vegetable oil spray.

Whisk the flour,oats, nuts, sugars, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl.In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat flour mixture and butter at low speed until well blended and the mixture resembles wet sand,about 2 minutes.

Transfer two thirds of the mixture to the prepared pan. Press the crumbs evenly and firmly into the bottom of the pan. Bake until just starting to brown, about 20 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, spread the preserves evenly over the hot crust;sprinkly the remaining flour mixture over the preserves. Bake until bubbling around the edges and top is golden brown,around 30 minutes, rotatating the pan halfway through the baking time. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature, 1 to 1  1/2 hours.Lift the bars from the baking pan using the foil extentions;Cut bars into 25 squares,serve.

Thai crab salad with fresh mango

In the summer I am obsessed with freshness,from fruit to seafood. I adore the simple abundance of herbs in my small herb garden,especially the fresh green chilis,cilantro and Thai basil.Wish I could grow tropical fruit such as Lychees and Mangoes but….the market will have to supply those. While away at college,yearning for a home cooked meal,my son,Ashish e mailed me a list of items he would love to eat during his summer home,this crab salad was one of the first requests.It is best to prepare this with the freshest of ingredients,as it is a simple salad and each ingredient contributes to its explosion of taste in your mouth.

Chef Tony Wrigley,Rockfish restaurant,Phuket Thailand

Photograph by Ashish Mahtani

Serves 1

1/2 cup cooked crab meat

1/2 diced mango

2 to 3 sliced Thai chilis

2 green onions,sliced

a few sprigs cilantro,roughly torn

a few Thai basil leaves,roughly torn

1/4 cup ry roasted peanuts

2 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp canola oil

juice of 1 fresh lime

some chili sauce for presentation

Gently toss all ingredients so as not to break the crab meat. Taste to adjust seasonings. Serve.