The Occasional Cook

Roast Duck with Bitter Orange Sauce

June 8, 2011 7shasha7

I roasted duck. In a few months time, OK in December then (who am I kidding), I’ll probably roast another one.

My first attempt wasn’t too bad. Edible. But definitely with loads of room for improvement. For example, the skin. Sigh. I wonder how the Pekingnese (there’s no such word, just for the record) are able to make the perfect Peking Duck.

This is what I did…

IMG01604-20110529-1100 — Rub duck with salt, black pepper and paprika.

IMG01606-20110529-1225 — And then pop it in the hot oven for more than an hour. That hole there in the duck? Thats me checking the skin for crispiness. Not like the restaurants but still crispy enough.

IMG01621-20110529-1632 — Bitter Orange Sauce. Why bitter? Because the jam that I used was a bitter orange one! All I did was take a few tablespoons of jam and plonk it in a small saucepan, add freshly squeezed orange juice and orange zest and let it boil till it thickens.

I will cook you again, Mr Duck, even though the only two people in the family who will eat you are The Hubby and I.

Tuna Roll

June 5, 2011 7shasha7

For those of you who know me quite well, my TV is always showing the food channel 24/7. One thing they (the many tv programmes shown on channels 427, 433, 435…) like to showcase ‘lobster rolls’. Lobster rolls are simply lobster in a hotdog bun. Ha ha. Only the Westerners can make something so mundane into something so interesting and delicious.

Of course I didn’t have enough cash to buy a lobster just to make lobster roll. But I had tuna! Heh. The secret for making the best tuna roll? COLD tuna (so pop it in the fridge to chill after mashing them up with some mayo) and lots of vegetables and a warm bun. I used the hotdog buns at Giant from their in-house bakery. The rolls are firmer, softer, and definitely tastier.

Meat, Sides

Tacos

May 25, 2011 7shasha7

I so wanted to make tacos. I bought a box of tacos and decided to make them for breakfast. I made the filling: minced meat with spices and a bit of tomato paste. I made the condiment: chopped Japanese cucumbers and sliced baby tomatoes. Before I grated some tasty cheddar, I decided to bake the taco shells like instructed on the box for 5 min. And then… little kids are spoilers I tell you. In the middle of my cooking session, I had to attend to an emergency wail and flailing arms and before I knew it, I saw smoke coming out from my oven! Looking dejectedly over my burnt tacos, I had no mood to grate the cheese. Burnt tacos it is then for breakfast! Ironically, The Little Girl loved it. Tacos, Nachos…they all the same thing ain’t it?

IMG01514-20110522-1104 — Only one brand sold here...I think.

IMG01515-20110522-1104 — Make minced meat filling.

IMG01519-20110522-1107 — Make the vegetable topping.

IMG01521-20110522-1124 — Fill taco shells. Best to top with grated cheese. And make a sauce or drizzle Tabasco sauce over.

IMG01528-20110522-1137 — Enjoy. Make sure tacos aren't burnt while toasting the,. Here, The Little Girl is also enjoying them with sliced cheddar cheese. Processed.

Seafood, Sides

Salmon Croquettes

May 22, 2011 7shasha7

Yesterday for lunch, I made salmon (pronounced sae-men) croquettes (kro-cats) “,)

I think in an earlier post I mentioned about begedil – ubiquitous delicious potato minced meat patties. I had a pack of frozen salmon meat which I had no idea what to do with except to make croquettes when I first spied them at Fassler. So yesterday, croquettes it was. However, when I finally opened the pack and took the meat out, I realised I could use it in a million other way. OK, more than just croquettes then.

After making them, they did look beautiful so I decided to make a little sauce. Without following any recipes, I decided to be like one of the Chopped contestants (my favourite show on telly). I blackened my one and only vegetable in the fridge(yellow capsicum) and then took off the skin and sliced them. Throw them into the blender, added some leftover sunflower seeds (from the vegetable salad pack), a wee bit of balsamic, olive oil and salt. The colour turned out brilliant! The taste, a bit salty/vinegary … not a lot of pepper flavour came out. But it taught me a lesson: anything can be blended and made into a sauce!

IMG01497-20110521-1125 — Cook salmon meat in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic.

IMG01498-20110521-1333 — Boil and mash up russet potatoes (5 in the bag) and season with salt, pepper, a bit of olive oil. Stir in the salmon.

IMG01501-20110521-1346 — Form the potato mixture into a ball and then a pat into a patty. DIp in egg and coat with panko breadcrumbs and then fry in shallow oill. Make sure its shallow. Too much oil and it wont work at all!

IMG01509-20110521-1446 — Serve plain or with some sauce.

Salads and Vegetables

Roasted Vegetables

May 17, 2011 7shasha7

I think I cooked this on my Mom’s birthday this year which was a couple of months back. Lovely colourful root vegetables like purple and red potatoes; sweet potatoes; even corn, get seasoned with black pepper, salt (always my pink Himalayan pink salt) and a generous coating of olive oil before going into the oven till soft and crisp. Gorgeous to serve with any main.