CNY dinner dishes

Feed me please... !!!!


My daughter was hungry so i decided to do some nice dishes for some friends and family. Chinese new year was a reasonably quiet affair for us. Simple food to wet our taste bud. I decided to cook some dishes as requested by my friends. On offering for our CNY :



Singapore Chilli Crab




Three egg spinach with Abalone





Oat meal prawn



Grilled Beef with Thai Salad

Easy dishes... to do... but really nice to eat especially the chilli crab which i had to make the chilli from scratch

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New year Dinner 3

I thought i should write this down in case i forget the recipe as it was really nice dish.



Stewed Pork with Fried Tofu.

I did this a little different, I marinated the pork in soy sauce, rice wine and deep fry it. to get the crispy texture. Then I heated up the pot and put in half a bulb of garlic. After some light frying, I add in the pork and the marinate left over. I pour in some soy sauce, sugar, sweet sauce, rice wine to get the sauce at a level it can stew the beef.





this is a thai beef salad with a twist.

I used the same Som Tum style but grilled the beef with Lab Naamtok Spice.

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My new dishes

I was in an experimental mood one night as Bird was also having her exam, so i decided to try something new.

First i did a soup - Preserved Veg with Sliced fish




Honey Baked Char Siew




XO Spinach with Sliced Chicken



My fav was still the Char Siew. I think i can do this again.. nice...

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Spinach with 3 egg recipe

This dish is one of my wife favourite dish and also my parents, so i normally do this dish when they are over here. It is really a simple dish to do.

The main ingredients are

1. 1 bunch -Spinach more if you like...
2. 3 pieces of garlic or more if you like ( dont chop) but remove the white outer skin
3. Normal egg
4. Century egg - chopped
5. Salted egg
6. Chicken stock - can use chicken cube or canned soup
8 Fish sauce
9. Fried shallots
10 - Cornflour and with water

The trick to making sure this dish taste nice is to make sure the Spinach is cooked properly as spinach has this sandy taste, which some people do not like. Of course make sure the veg is washed.

Cooking method

1. Heat the wok with some oil

2. Put in the garlic ( make sure its not too hot.. if not the garlic will burn.) - The aim is to get the garlic taste into the oil with out burning the garlic

- The restaurant method... would then require you to take out the garlic once its abit brown...
- Then heat the wok up till its there you can see some smoke from the wok

3 Throw the spinach into the hot wok and start frying... also put in some fish sauce and the garlic pieces. Allow the spinach to wilt a little before pouring in the chicken stock.

** How much stock to use is personal preference i think.. i like mine abit towards the soupy side... as i like to drink the soup.. after.

4. But i will allow the veg to simmer with the stock for at least 2 min... ( if you like it thicker add abit of cornflour- but u can leave it as it is... too... i like more like soup ** also check the soup... and season to taste... using either chicken cube or fish sauce...


The egg sequence is also impt... so that you get the same texture as the restaurant

5 I put in the salted egg.. first and break it into the soup... and allow the veg to absorb the salted egg taste

6. Then i put in the chopped century egg

7. Lastly i break the normal egg into the wok stir it in ... I leave it on for only another 20 sec after that and shut the fire and allow the heat to cook the egg..

To garnish... some places use Fried shallot


This dish is simple to make, its about timing and mostly the seasoning. Its hard to get wrong.

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Peking Duck Recipe
Ingredients :
2.5 kg 40 pieces 6 1/2 2 Coating 1 tablespoon 1 teaspoon 1/2 teaspoon Sauce 2 tablespoons 1 tablespoon 1 tablespoon 1 tablespoon	Duck Chinese pancake (refer recipe) Spring onions (scallions) Cucumber, sliced Red chilies Malt sugar, honey or molasses Cornflour Vinegar Hoisin sauce Peanut butter Sesame oil Chinese yellow wine
Method : Clean the duck, removing and discarding any excess fat in the cavity. Tie a piece of string around its neck. Pat dry. Bring 25 cups of water to the boil and turn off the heat. Put the duck into the water and turn it backwards and forwards for about 1 minute. Remove. Bring the water to the boil again and repeat the previous step. Do this twice more (total four times). Hang the duck in a cool, draughty place for about 5 hours. Mix the coating ingredients with 10 tablespoons hot water and brush the duck all over with the mixture. Hang to dry for a further 4 hours and apply a second layer of coating. Pre-heat the oven to 450oF / 230oC. Put a roasting pan in the oven with a wire rack in it, making sure that there is a space of about 5 cm between the rack and the pan base. Place the duck on the rack, breast side up, and roast for 8 minutes. Turn the duck over using a towel, not a fork, and roast for a further 8 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350oF / 180oC and turn the duck breast side up again. Roast for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 250oF / 120oC and roast for 10 minutes. Increase the heat again to 450oF / 230oC and roast the duck for about 10 minutes. At this point you have to watch carefully to make sure the skin of the duck does not burn. Turn off the heat once the skin has turned a rich deep red. While the duck is roasting, prepare the Chinese pancakes. Refer to the Chinese pancakes recipe. Cut the spring onions into 5 cm lengths, shred the tip of each piece and put it in iced water for 10 minutes. Cut the cucumber into similar lengths. Decorate each piece with a red chili ring. Blend together the sauce ingredients over a low heat. Carve off the skin on the back of the duck. Hold the knife horizontally and carve the skin and meat from the breast and legs, cutting at an angle of 15o. Arrange the skin and meat on a large plate and serve it with pancakes and cucumber, spring onions and the sauce. Note : Diners help themselves. They place one pancake flat on a plate, put a piece of duck in the center, dip a spring onion (scallion) in the sauce and put it on top of the duck, wrap it up and eat it. The contrast of textures and taste is delicious.

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Fusion Recipe

I made a couple of great dishes during my wife confinement...

My new Dish - Wasabi Beef with Kilpatrick Sauce ( I think no one tried this ever.. but beleive its delicious.. I was pleasantly surprise too. Then i made ginger chicken with Black fungus, and also Spinach with 3 eggs.


Kilparticjk Sauce - Tomatoe Sauce, Worschester Sauce are the 2 main ingredient. I prob will make this on my baby's one month..

If anyone wants the recipe i will gladly put it down.. but for now .. i shall keep it in my manual..









The Beef dish ....

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Paper Wrapped Chicken

A popular banquet appetizer, paper wrapped chicken consists of marinated chicken that is wrapped in paper and cooked. While paper wrapped chicken is normally deep-fried, it can also be baked in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Yields 24 packages
Prep Time: 1 hours, 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:

* 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
* Marinade:
* 3 tablespoons soy sauce
* 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
* 1 slice ginger, shredded
* 1 tablespoon sesame oil
* 1 tablespoon sherry
* 3 teaspoons sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
* Other:
* 3 - 4 Chinese dried mushrooms, softened and thinly sliced (24 slices, 1 for each packet)
* 3 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal (2 - 3 slices for each packet)
* 24 sprigs cilantro (coriander leaves)
* 24 6-inch squares of cellophane paper, cooking parchment paper, or aluminum foil
* peanut oil for deep-frying

Preparation:
Cut the chicken into thin slices roughly 2 1/2 inches long (to make 48 slices). Pound lightly on the back of the chicken to tenderize.

Combine the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 45 minutes. Add the mushrooms and green onions and marinate for another 15 minutes. (This allows the vegetables to absorb the marinade).

To wrap the chicken: paper-wrapped chicken is normally wrapped envelope style. Take a square of paper and lay it out in front of you. Add 2 of the chicken slices, 1 slice of mushroom, 2 slices of green onion and a coriander sprig (if desired) in the middle, being sure to keep the filling in the center and not near the edges. Bring the bottom flap up over the chicken. Fold the right side over toward the middle, then the left side, so that one is overlapping the other. Fold the top flap down, tucking it inside the opening to seal the package. It is very important to make sure the packets are well sealed so that no oil seeps in.

Heat wok and add oil for deep-frying. When the oil is ready, slide the packages in, about 6 at a time so as not to overcrowd the wok. Deep-fry the packets, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through (about 3 minutes). Drain on paper towels. Continue deep-frying the rest of the packets.

Serve the chicken packets on a large platter, garnished with greens if desired. Guests can open the packets with either chopsticks or their fingers.

(This recipe can be prepared ahead up to the deep-frying or baking stage and refrigerated or frozen. Bring back to room temperature before cooking.)

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Puree of Potato and Celeriac with Garlic

Puree of Potato and Celeriac with Garlic
This is a beautiful combination of flavours and perfect, as all purées are, for serving with braised dishes that have lots of sauce. Because you don't want to be mashing potatoes at the point when your guests are just arriving, we tested this, making it a couple of hours in advance and keeping it warm. There were no ill-effects whatsoever.

Serves 8
Ingredients
1 lb (450 g) potatoes 2 lb (1 kg) celeriac 2 fat cloves garlic, peeled 2 oz (50 g) butter 5 fl oz (150 ml) double cream or crème fraîche salt and freshly milled black pepper

First tackle the celeriac. You will need to have a bowl of cold water ready in which to put the prepared pieces to prevent them browning. Peel the celeriac thickly with a knife. Then cut into approximately ¾ inch (2 cm) cubes. Leave these pieces in the water whilst preparing the potatoes. Peel and cut these into 1 inch (2.5 cm) cubes – ie slightly larger than the celeriac.

Now place the prepared vegetables in separate saucepans with 1 clove garlic to each saucepan. Pour enough boiling water over the vegetables just to cover them, add salt and simmer them for about 10 minutes or until they are tender.

Drain each vegetable in a colander, place them together in a large heatproof mixing bowl and add the butter and cream or crème fraîche and some freshly milled black pepper. Next, using an electric hand whisk, whisk them to a purée using the slow speed to break them up, then the fast one to whisk them till smooth. Now taste and season the purée, then place the bowl in a roasting tin half-filled with barely simmering water and it will keep warm quite happily until your guests arrive.

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Parsnip Puree Recipe

Watched alot of cooking show and this side dish keeps coming up. I will try this tommorrow and see how it goes

Seared Tuna with Parsnip puree

Parsnip puree

Cooking time: Less than 60 minutesSpecial options: VegetarianCourse: Condiment
INGREDIENTS
50g unsalted butter500g of parsnips peeled and cored3 cloves of garlic, peeled250ml vegetable stock250ml milk100ml cream¼ bunch of thyme, tied together with string1 bay leafsalt and pepper
METHOD
Cut parsnips into 3cm pieces.Heat a medium sized saucepan, and then add butter. Once it begins to foam, add parsnips and garlic. Season well. Sauté for a couple of minutes without colour. Add stock, milk, cream, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a simmer.Cook on a low heat for about 30 minutes or until parsnips are tender.Once parsnips are cooked, strain and reserve liquid. Blend the parsnips (small portions at a time) adding a little of the liquid to achieve the right consistency.Check seasoning.

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Pepper rice

How could one forget, pepper lunch in singapore, so adventurous as i am, i decided to give it a go.
I use 3 types of pepper - sechuan, black and white pepper as my base

Now how to make the delicious pepper lunch we have in Singapore... if you have a sizzling plate of course would be great.

First Step - Cook the rice with Can corns. I always feel the can ones are a little juicer, i put a little salt in

Step two - the essential sauce. My experiment came up with

- 1 teaspoon of garlice and ginger mix ( premix in a bottle)
- About 3 tablespoon of premium light soy
- 1 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
- Some chines wine ( optional )
- And the pepper mix
- 1 knob of butter
- You can add a little water

- Cook till sauce is abit thick but still runny

Step three - Fry the meat ( if you have no sizzling plate)

- use a little of the garlic sauce
- some pepper mix and a little salt

Step four - Fry the eggs


Final step - Put everything together as shown above and makan... so simple... of course... you can fry the rice once its cooked with a little butter and a bit of pepper mix to give that nice heat.

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Bi Bim Bup

I felt very korean one night so decided to make bibimbup and Kimchi Soup. Really easy to make.
Bibimbup essential needs . So invited a couple of friends over for dinner

1. Sliced Letuce
2. Sliced Cucumber
3. Carrots
4. Beef or pork
5. Eggs
6. Rice
7. Korean chilli paste

This dish essential takes about 10 minutes to make. So here goes before you do anything cook the rice.

Prep work

1. Marinate the meat with soy sauce, sugar, a little sesame oil, onions and sesame seed ( meat should be on the sweeter side )
2. Sliced the carrots, cucumber, lettuce as shown on the picture
3. Fry the meat with a little oil
4. Then put all the ingredients together and put a teaspoon of korean chilli paste...

Then wah lah... mix it up and eat....

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Spare ribs with Char siew and Coffee sauce

Here is an interesting recipe i tried, i thought it would be nice to do something unique so i made up this dish to see if it taste nice.

And surprisingly it is wonderful. And also easy to do.


Ingredient :

1. Spare ribs
2. Char siew sauce ( bottle)
3. Coffee powder
4. Fish Sauce or salt
5. Chinese cooking wine
6. Sesame seed
7. Sugar

Step 1 - Marinate the ribs

- Add some wine, salt and sugar ( of course it all depends what you like more)
- Rub about 2 tablespoon of char siew sauce and let it marinate for at least half and hour

Step 2 - Fry the ribs
- Easy to do ..if you have a deep fryer makes life simple. I have one at home so its easy
- Take it out once golden brown

Step 3 - Make the sauce
- Put some oil in the wok
- Heat it up and put in sesame seed
- Put in the Char siew sauce ( about 3 table spoon )
- Add a little wine
- Then throw in the ribs and the last minute put in a teaspoon of coffee.
- Off the fire and coat the ribs

Plate and eat....

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Chilli Pepper Squid

I made this when Bird wanted to eat the chilli pepper squid. Here is my recipe...

Main Ingredient

1. Squid cut into pieces
2. Chilli
3. Garlic
4. Spring onion

Step 1 : Cut and marinate the squid

- After cutting the squid
- Use about 1/2 teaspoon of sodium bicarb
- Add salt, pepper
- 1 teaspoon of self-raising flour

Step 2 : Chopped up the chilli, spring onion and garlic

Step 3 : Prepare the batter
- Just remember this ratio 1:2
- if you use 1/2 cup of self raising flour then put in 1 cup of flour
- I normally use beer instead of water , but you can use cold water it frys better

Step 4 : Dip the squid into the batter and fry it until golden brown

Step 5 : Heat the wok
- Once wok is heated, put some oil
- Add garlic, chilli and spring onion, add a little fish sauce
- ** Sometime i use 3 pepper mix : white pepper, sechuan pepper and black pepper ( pound them first of course)
- Right, then after about 1 min, throw in the fried squid
- stir fry it and add a little salt and if you like fish sauce


Then wah lah... Chilli Pepper Squid...

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Kum Heong Chicken

Here is the recipe for the Kum Heong Chicken I cooked on Sunday. Its a very simple dish,which you can try

Kum Heong Kai ~ Golden Spicy Fragrant Chicken

A relatively simple recipe with very few ingredients yet producing a dish with very intense flavour. It is spicy but not 'hot'. This is the healthy version as I prefer not to deep fry the chicken.


Ingredients

6 drumsticks or 1kg chicken, cut to pieces
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp cooking oil
5 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 tsp coriander seeds or powder
2 sprigs curry leaves
1 tbsp curry powder
Salt to taste
Ginger Beer

Method
1. Marinade chicken with Ginger beer and light soy sauce for about 30 minutes. You can use also sugar but i think ginger wine is better
2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a wok or frying pan. Sauté chopped garlic until fragrant. Add in chicken, coriander and curry leaves. Season with curry powder and salt.
3. Cover, turn down the heat and cook for a further 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked.


Note : I did not need to add any water during the cooking process as there was a fair bit of liquid from the chicken. If you find it dry, add in a little water or chicken stock

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Apple Caviar

Apple Caviar version en español »

Chef Ferrán Adriá of El Bulli - Roses, Spain
As demonstrated at Lo Mejor de la Gastronomía 2003
Adapted by StarChefs

Yield: 10 Servings

Ingredients:

Apple Juice
• 1 ¼ pounds golden apples
  
  
Apple Reduction
• ¾ pound Granny Smith apples
  
  
Caviar
• 8 ounces Apple Juice
• ½ teaspoon Alginato
• 1/8 teaspoon citric acid
  
  
Calcium Chloride
• 2 cups water
• ½ teaspoon calcium chloride
  
  
Garnish
• 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and very cold
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/8 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Method:

For Apple Juice:
Wash and core apples and cut into quarters. Purée apples and pour liquid into a tall and narrow container. Freeze about 30 minutes so that the impurities solidify and rise to the top. Remove from freezer and extract impurities with a skimmer. Strain juice and reserve.

For Apple Reduction:
Wash and core apples and cut into quarters. Purée apples and pour liquid into a tall and narrow container. Freeze about 30 minutes to solidify impurities, which will rise to the top. Remove from freezer and extract impurities with a skimmer. Strain juice and place over medium heat until reduced to caramel consistency.

For Apple Caviar:
While cold, mix 1/3 of juice with Alginato in blender until Alginato has dissolved. Heat mixture to 205°F, then remove from heat and stir in remaining juice. Add baking soda and stir to dissolve. Strain and freeze until service.

For Calcium Chloride:
Dissolve the calcium chloride in water and reserve.

To Serve:
Purée Granny Smith apples and freeze in a very tall and narrow container 5 minutes. Fill 4 syringes with apple solution. Release one drop at a time into Calcium Chloride and cook 1 minute in water. Strain and rinse caviar in cold water bath. Drain and add 2 teaspoons of Apple Caviar. For each serving, put ¾ ounce of caviar in a cylindrical mold, season caviar with a little Apple Reduction, cinnamon and 3 drops vinegar. Seal and serv

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Roast Black Sesame Seed Pralin

Here is a recipe which i would be dying to try. Its a recipe by Elbulli's famous chef. Its a 30seconds sponge Cake. Cooked in Mircowave.

I saw this on Anothony Bourdain and found a post on the recipe. Its abit blur just ... double click to enlarge and you will see the recipe

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Lobster Pasta and Mint Pea soup

I am no michellin star chef, still learning. So on Sat, when Vivien and Kah Sang brought over lobsters i decided to make my own Pasta. Yes thats right, i tried a new corriander flavoured pasta which i made from scratch




Mint Pea Soup served with seared scallops and truffle oil

- I saw Gordan ramsey did a cauliflower soup so i thought i would give a mint pea soup a go.
- Simple boil a bag of peas and i pour in a little chicken stock and white wine, brought it to a boil
- then put the mix through a blender and pour it over a sift to get a smooth consistency
- I seared the scallops with paprika, salt and coriander powder....
- I used a little thickened cream on the soup and use it during the serve

Verdict : nice but i thought was a little sweet for my taste. Probably need the ham or something salty to combine with the soup. I think if i had real truffle it would certainly lift up the dish





Lobster pasta

- this was really tasty. I cannot describe it but Coriander, oregano mixed in the pasta is absolutely heavenly. I would keep this combo when making my own pasta noodle once again. This would go well with seafood base

- the lobster was just boiled and then broken in half and then put into the seafood bisque sauce
- The sauce was : tomato, lobster, seafood stock, cream and prawns
- I blended the sauce and then boil it on the pot again. Brought it to a boil and put in the meat and parmesan cheese to thicken.
- On hindsight i should plate the pasta first and then pour the sauce over. It would look much nicer
- yes i used barramundi : point of note : seared barramundi with salt, paprika, corriander powder is tasty.

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Pasta of your choice (4 Key)

Here is a 30 minute dish that every family can make. Making a pasta for a family is really easy. All you need are some key ingredients. What i am going to give is a Tomato base sauce and from experience there are just a few things to note. What i will provide is principles that you can use to make any pasta you like

I found that Pasta are all the same, the taste difference is the herbs and ingredient you want to use.As long as you keep the steps simple

Key ingredients

4 main

1. Pasta
2. Meat - either chicken pieces, seafood or beef mince.
3. Herbs - you can use basil, oregano
4. Canned tomato

Side ingredient

1. BBQ sauce
2. Salt and pepper
3. Chicken stock
4. Parmesan Cheese


Noodle
Cooking the noodle - simply boil a pot of water, put in some salt - the trick is to taste the water it should taste like sea water. Once the water boil, put in the noodle. Sitr and check, cook it to slightly al-dante

Pasta Sauce
- At the same time we can prepare the pasta sauce,
- Normally i use 1 can of diced tomatoe
- Pour in some chicken stock, white wine
- I then put in some herbs : you can use oregano, basil, mint, thyme, garlic, onions. ( The combo is up to you) : Mix and match to your taste
- For the little difference i normally would use a little BBQ sauce

Meat - I would fry the meat separately and then at the last minute stir in the meat with the sauce. I would use parmesan cheese.

The final - touch stir in the pasta, add some cheese, pepper to taste. All these only 30 minutes.

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Durian Triamisu

Its been a couple of days since i blogged... and yes i am finally back in Perth, back to my trusted computer, fast and efficient. I have a total of 279 photos during my trip in Singapore and would probably take some days to put some of the more interesting photos on the blog.

Well the first would be my truly interesting experiment of Durian Tiramisu. One would have thought this would be really weird combo. But surprisingly it turned out really interesting

Now for the recipe :

1. 2 eggs
2. Mascarpone Cheese
3. Durian
4. Coffee
5. Khalua
6. Sugar
7. Finger biscuit
8. Whipped Cream

The experiment is still not complete. My father commented the durian taste needs to be stronger. But some say it was ok. I planned to tweak it abit in Perth and see if it will work better.
But i my opinion keep the khalua strong, durian reasonable and use abit more mascarpone.

I will put the finished product recipe once i mastered it

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Fresh Pasta Recipe

I just bought a pasta machine.. so i guess this week will be italian week.. i intend to try and make my own pasta... hopefully.. it will turn out excellent...

Basic fresh pasta

Time

40 minutes

Makes

550g

Equipment

You need a pasta making machine to make your own pasta, and for our recipes in this section. Pasta machines are available from department and kitchenware stores from about $60. The most common brands are Marcato, Imperia and Atlas. Electric pasta machines are also available.

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 375g (2 1/2 cups) plain flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• Plain flour, extra, to dust

Method

1. Sift the flour and salt together onto a clean work surface. Use your hands to shape the flour into a circular mound. Make a well in the centre. Place the eggs in the well and use a fork to lightly whisk. Use your fingertips to gradually blend a little flour into the egg mixture. Working with your fingertips, continue to gradually draw the flour into the centre (being careful the egg mixture does not run out of the well) until the mixture forms a dough. To check if the dough is the right consistency, press a clean, dry finger into the centre of the dough. If it comes out clean without being sticky, it is the right consistency. If not, knead in a little more flour and test again.
2. Lightly flour the surface if necessary. Firmly knead the dough by using the heel of your hand to firmly push down into it and then away from you. Lift the dough with your fingertips and fold it back on itself towards you. Turn the dough a half turn and repeat. Continue and repeat. Continue kneading the dough for 6-7 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Kneading is an important part of the pasta-making process as it develops the gluten in the flour, giving the pasta a firm, tender texture.Divide the dough into 4 equal portions and wrap each portion in plastic wrap or cover with a clean, damp tea towel. This will prevent the dough from drying out. Set aside for 10 minutes to rest. This helps make the pasta more pliable and easier to roll out.
3. Attach a pasta machine to the side of a workbench and adjust the machine's rollers to the widest setting. Spread about 4 clean, dry tea towels over the work surface close to the pasta machine. Unwrap a portion of dough and use the palm of your hands to flatten it into a rectangle. Dust the rollers with flour and roll the dough portion through. Dust again with flour and repeat on the same setting. Fold in the shorter sides of the dough to meet in the centre to form a smaller rectangle and feed through the machine again. Repeat this process 5-6 times or until smooth.
4. Reduce the width between the rollers by 1 and roll the dough through as before. Repeat the process, reducing the setting each time until the dough is 1-1.5mm thick. The settings on all pasta machines vary. The last setting on some machines may roll the dough too thin, resulting in it sticking to the rollers and tearing. So be careful to only reduce the setting and roll the dough until it reaches the desired thickness.
5. Spread the pasta sheet over the clean tea towels. When laying out the pasta sheets, they must not touch or overlap each other as the moist pasta will stick together. Repeat steps 3-4 with the remaining portions of dough. Set the pasta sheets aside for 10-15 minutes (depending on the temperature in your kitchen) or until dry enough not to stick together but pliable enough not to crack. Trim the edges of the pasta. Cut into 14 x 25cm pieces to make lasagne sheets or see step 6 to make fettuccine.
6. To cut the pasta into fettuccine by hand, loosely roll up a pasta sheet starting from the shortest end. Trim the ends and discard. Use a sharp knife to cut the pasta crossways at 5mm intervals. Unravel the pasta. To cut pasta into fettuccine using the pasta machine, you will need a fettuccine cutting attachment. Fit the machine with the attachment and feed the pasta sheets, one at a time, through the fettuccine attachment. Cook immediately or store individual portions as loose nests.

Notes & tips

• Variations:
• 
  
• Beetroot pasta - Omit 2 eggs. Place 180g drained canned whole baby beetroot in a blender or food processor and process, scraping down the side occasionally, until pureed. Add with eggs in step 1.
• 
  
• Fresh chilli & coriander pasta - Add 3/4 tsp chilli flakes and 1/3 cup loosely packed fresh coriander leaves with the eggs in step 1.
• 
  
• Fresh herbed pasta - Make the basic pasta recipe to the end of step 4. Gently press 5 mint leaves, 9 coriander leaves and 1 1/2 tsp snipped fresh chives in a single layer over half of each sheet of pasta. Fold pasta over and roll through pasta machine once more to enclose herbs.
• 
  
• Fresh pesto pasta - Place 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, 1 crushed garlic clove, 2 tbs finely grated parmesan and 1 1/2 tbs toasted pine nuts in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. Add the basil mixture with the eggs in step 1.
• 
  
• Fresh spinach pasta - Omit 1 egg. Trim 1 bunch English spinach and wash leaves. With water still clinging to the leaves, cook in a medium saucepan over low heat for 3-4 minutes or until it just wilts. Set aside for 10 minutes to cool slightly. Use your hands to squeeze out any liquid. Finely chop the spinach and add with eggs in step 1.
• 
  
• Fresh sundried tomato pasta - Omit 1 egg. Add 75g (1/4 cup) sundried tomato pesto with the eggs in step 1.
• 
  
• Orange pasta - Add 1 tsp finely grated ornage rind with eggs in step 1.
• 
  
• Saffron pasta - Combine 1/4 tsp saffron threads with 1 tbs warm water. Stand for 5 minutes. Add saffron water and threads with eggs in step 1.

Source

Australian Good Taste - April 2002, Page 76

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