Spicy Spiral Pasta with Chorizo and Roasted Tomato Sauce

So I was just doing my ususal grocery shopping when I stumbled across Cole's recipes by Curtis Stone. One specific recipe caught my eye which was their spicy penne with chorizo and roasted tomato sauce although I did substitue my penne with spiral pasta. It worked either ways :) I was very delighted with the end result, tinge of spiciness from the chili flakes and chorizo with homemade roasted sauce, finish it off with some parmeson. Nuff said. I hope you'll enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

Ingredients

6 medium Field Tomatoes, core removed, quartered                                                           

3 tbsp Olive Oil

1 medium Red Capsicum 

1 small Brown Onion, cut into large chunks

3 cloves Garlic, unpeeled

1/4 tsp Chilli Flakes                               

1 Chorizo, halved and cut into 2mm long slices 

350 g Penne/ Spiral Pasta                               

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese                               

1/4 cup lightly packed Basil Leaves, roughly chopped        

Consistency and look of the roasted tomato sauce. Good stuff!

Method

1. Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan forced). Arrange tomatoes on a foil - lined baking tray, cut side up. Drizzle with 1 tbsp oil and season with salt and pepper.
2. On a separate foil-lined tray, repeat with the whole capsicum, onion and garlic.
3. Place both trays in oven and roast the tomatoes for about 1 hour, or until soft and lightly browned. Roast the capsicum, onion and garlic for 30 minutes until lightly charred and very tender. Transfer the capsicum to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam off skin. Peel and discard skin, stem and seeds.
4. Squeeze the flesh from the garlic into a food processor, discarding the skin and add the onion and capsicum. Pulse until chunky. Add the tomatoes and process until combined but still chunky. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook penne according to packet instructions. Drain penne in a colander. Return the pan to medium heat with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Once oil is hot, add chorizo and cook until lightly browned, adding the chilli flakes after 2 minutes.
6. Add the tomato sauce to the pan and stir to combine. Add the pasta and toss to coat. Fold in basil and divide evenly among 4 shallow serving bowls. Garnish with shaved parmesan and serve.                                       

And so the final dish!

Twenty and Six Espresso

So I was suppose to have brunch at Fandango with Bex last Saturday but to our disappointment, it was closed due to some renovation and would only reopen later on in the week. So we were walking along Queensberry street and we stumble across this cafe, camouflaging itself within rows of buildings. It has a very simple and urban design, so we decided to give Twenty and Six Espresso a shot!

Scanning through the menu, 2 dishes caught our eyes respectively. 'The Hulk' which was smashed avocado with lemon, chili & mint, meredith goat's feta, house cured salmon gravalax, salsa verde and poached egg on sourdough plus 'The Hunter' which was balsamic roasted cream portobello mushrooms w spicy Spanish chorizo and poached egg on sourdough, finished with truffle oil. The truffle oil totally took the dish to an entirely whole new level for me, mushroom lovers out there, this dish is a must try! I have come to a conclusion, avocado, feta and mint is a match made in heaven. Yummy yum yum!! Of course, what's brunch without a couple of good coffees? I tried their mocha and chai latte. Very very please with both of them, highly recommended!

Scallops with Cauliflower Puree and Bacon Crumble

So I came across this recipe by Julie Goodwin, and I would say the scallops and cauliflower puree is a good combination and the bacon crumble just adds a crunch texture to the dish. Although I recommand not putting too much cauliflower puree because it does overpowered the natural sweetness of the scallops. This would make a greaaaaat entree dish! Easy to make too!

Ingredients

½ head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 cup milk
125g unsalted butter, cut into 2cm cubes

1 cup finely diced bacon
½ cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs

12 scallops in the half shell, roe removed
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
40g unsalted butter
Micro herbs, to garnish
Lemon wedges, to serve

Methods

Step 1: For the cauliflower puree, place cauliflower in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Place the cauliflower and milk in a saucepan, bring to the boil and simmer for about 8 minutes until cauliflower is very soft. Remove from the heat, then add 1 teaspoon salt and the butter and stir until well combined. Blend in a small blender or food processor until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing down on the solids with a plastic pastry scraper.

Step 2: For the bacon crumble, heat a frying pan over medium-high heat, add bacon and fry for a few minutes, stirring regularly, until crisp and golden brown. Add breadcrumbs, stir to coat, then cook for 5 minutes until golden.

Step 3: For the scallops, remove the scallops from the shells (you can wash and reserve the shells to serve). Pat the scallops dry. Heat a frying pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and half the butter. When butter is foaming, add 6 scallops and cook for about 10-20 seconds each side until golden, then season with sea salt. Remove scallops and set aside. Wipe the pan clean with paper towel, then repeat with remaining olive oil, butter and scallops.

Step 4: To serve, place a dollop of cauliflower puree in the centre of each scallop shell. Place a scallop in the centre of the puree, then sprinkle generously with the bacon crumble. Place scallops on a large serving platter, garnish with micro herbs and serve with lemon wedges.

Serves 4 as a starter

Ponyfish Island

Ever walked passed the yarra river and wondered what that little place under the bridge is? Well that little cosy bar is called the Ponyfish Island! Funky name ey? but boy I enjoyed every bit of it. I would say they serve really good warm hearty food. I ordered their beef goulash with mash which was such a treat indeed, having it with the mash was just an awesome treat for my tastebuds. Bex had their rigatoni with cream mushrooms, peas, almonds and basil. The combination was very well taught up and works beautifully, although it would be even perfect if the pasta was al dente. Needed to be cooked abit longer.

Great place to chill during summer time, cool breeze with a glass of lemon lime and bitters? Perfect indeed. 

Taxi Dining Room

Haven't blogged for ages! How I've miss you my darling!! Posts that should have been updated monthes ago but due to exams and travelling issues, I just haven't had the time to update my blog, till now!

Back in November, Me, Iz, Nic and Sa decided to grab a quick 'pre-birthday' dinner before Sa flies back to Malaysia, and we decided to grab a quickie at Taxi Dining Room located on Federation Square. Taxi is widely recognised as one of Melbourne’s best restaurants. You can dine exclusively while admiring and enjoy one of Melbourne’s most iconic views, taking in the MCG, Rod Laver Arena, Government House, Southbank, The Arts Centre and, of course, Federation Square. On a side note, Taxi was awarded Two Chefs Hats in 2010.

So we decided to mix and match, we tried their quail, scallops, their soft shell crab sushi and roast stuffed rabbit saddle. Food was amazing indeed, and to be honest its my first time eating both rabbit and quail, truly an experience indeed. Would love to go back and try their lunch deals. 40 bucks for an entree main and dessert, good deal indeed. Shall update this food blog when I do!

So the rabbit was cooked to perfection, not tough at all and very very tender indeed. Rabbit meat can be one of the hardest protein to cook cause it has very little fat in it compared to the other proteins, having the proschiutto wrapping around the rabbit is a great concept in maintaining the tenderness of the rabbit meat. Scallops were to-die-for. It was wrapped in kadayfi pastry. Cooked perfectly such as so its not too chewy or too tough like chewing on bullets. The sauce just binds the entire dish beautifully together.