Curry Puffs (Karipaps)

I really have to thank my very dear friend Adam from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for introducing me to this wonderful snack.
He not only told me about them but also sent me a cookbook with a recipe for them.
For a dipping sauce, I like to use the sweet chili sauce that comes in a bottle.  Both Mae Ploy and Dragaonfly make this and is in the asian section of the supermarket.  Anther friend from Malaysia has given me a recipe for it which I have yet to try so I won't include it here.  If you cannot get it, I would use oyster sauce, hoisin or some other sweet sauce.  If you have sweet and sour that would be fine, too.
For the curry powder, I use Oriental curry powder from S&B. Use a little extra if you cannot get curry leaves.
These are best eaten fresh and hot buy can be reheated in the oven on a baking sheet.  DO NOT reheat in the microwave.  It destroys the texture.


Malay Curry Puffs (Karipaps)

Pastry:
3/8 cup oil
2 1/2 tablespoon butter
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt dissolved in 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup water

Filling:
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, minced
5-6 curry leaves
1 tablespoon curry powder mixed with 5 tablespoon of water
5 oz ground beef
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and finely diced
1 teaspoon salt
water

To make the pastry, heat up oil and butter just until the butter melt and then cool slightly.
Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the oil and butter mixture.  Mix well.  Add the salted water and mix well.  Add just enough water to make a pliable dough and knead.  Cover and set aside for half an hour.

To make the filling, heat oil in a skillet and saute onion until translucent.  Add the curry mixture and curry leaves and fry for a few minutes splashing a little water in the pan if it starts to stick and burn.  Add the beef and fry for a few more minutes.  Add the potatoes and salted water and continue cooking adding a little water from time to time to "steam" the potatoes.  Correct for seasoning and set aside to cool.
Roll the dough out thin and cut into 3-inch circles. Fill, fold and crimp the edges.
Fry in oil until golden brown and serve immediately

Lamb Rendang

Lamb Rendang over rice

Frying spice paste

On the Saturday morning before Easter when I decided at the last minute that I wanted to make Abbacchio, Roman lamb, for my dinner the next day, I had no idea that I was getting into a situation that would leave me with more meat than I had counted on.  I called a local butcher shop and was told there was one lamb shoulder roast left.  Excited, I asked the man                                                                      to put my name on it and save it.  I pictured a medium-sized roast like the one I had gotten in Rome during my stay there. When I got there I was surprised at the size of this monster. It wasn't a shoulder of lamb, it was a shoulder of elephant!
The next day I cut the lamb into pieces and started wondering what I would do with the rest. (I had two 1-gallon bags full of cut up lamb.)  My answer came soon after as I was looking through my favorite Malaysian cooking site, Rasamalaysia where I found a recipe for slowcooker Lamb Rendang.  Really?  Slowcooker?  Who knew?  OK, I am chronically western and ignorant with visions of an ancient culture that has remained the same for centuries in spite of the fact that I talk to my Malaysian friends on Facebook and Skype and warn at least one not to become too addicted to the McDonalds' and KFC's in Kuala Lumpur.
But yes, this uses a slowcooker and the results are amazing.  This is some of the tenderest and most succulent lamb I have ever eaten.  And it was not that spicy, either.  I hope you'll give this a shot.
Lamd Rendang

Char Kway Teow

This popular dish from the hawker stalls of Malaysia is my current favorite way to eat fried noodles.  You really get to play with you food from the get-go with this recipe which makes it fun.  You start by opening the package you see on the right, and separating the strands of noodles and putting them on a platter.
(Get your honey to help you and make dinner a collaboration.)
Besides getting tactile with the noodles, I love the silky texture of the mouth-feel you get with these.  These are not like any other noodle I have ever eaten or cooked with.
Look for these up by the register of your local Asian or Southeast Asian market.  (The fresher, the better.)
A word about ingredients:
The original recipe calls for blood cockles and you can usually find them in the frozen food section of your local Asian or Southeast Asian market.  They are precooked and only need to have hot water poured on them to open and then are easily removed.  I however cannot stand the taste of them.  I ended up picking mine out and tossing them.  I may try again if I can find them fresh the next time I am in Chinatown or one of the shops on Clement or (better yet) Irving St.  I just doubled up on the shrimp in the recipe I came across, leaving out another traditional component.
The person who told me about Char Kwey Teow told me that where he lives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, that the dish comes with Chinese beef sausage as opposed to rump steak, which I used. (Malaysia has a large Muslim population and the consumption of pork is forbidden in the religion) which I could not find anywhere.  If you have no opposition to it, you may use Chinese style sausages in your version.  (If you happen to find yourself in Chinatown in San Francisco, a few places make their own barbecue pork sausages which are many times better than the ones you buy pre-packaged.)

Char Kway Teow

1 lb fresh flat rice noodles (available in Asian markets)
3-4 red chilies, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 oz round steak or rump steak, sliced thin
8 oz prawns, peeled and deveined
Pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons light soy
8 oz fresh mung bean sprouts, cleaned and trimmed
1/2 bunch Chinese garlic chives, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 tablespoon kecap manis (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste

Unravel noodles and set aside on a plate. Grind chilies and garlic to a rough paste.
Heat oil in a wok or large skillet. Fry paste taking care not to burn. Add meat and stir-fry until cooked. Add shrimp and shrimp and stir-fry until just underdone
Add a pinch of sugar and the light soy and mix well.
Add noodles and stir-fry until coated with the mixture.
Add bean sprouts, chives and kecap manis and toss until everything is mixed. (Do not over-cook bean sprouts; they should have a crunch in them)
Add water or more kecap manis, if you wish.
Serve

Stuffed Artichokes

My inspiration for stuffed artichokes comes from my mom's old neighbor, Tony, a man who, although he has been in The US and Canada since he was 19 years old, still sounds like he just got off the boat from Palermo.  The first time I had one of his stuffed artichokes was a number of years ago when he invited us to his house for dinner.  I was more than a little eager having heard about some of the wonderful things he made.   I was not disappointed.  After snacking on various veggies, bread, cheese and salami, we were ushered into the dining room where we were met with a huge platter of very large artichokes bursting with a stuffing of breadcrumbs, garlic, cheese and peas.  Satisfied and ready for some after dinner chat and wine, I was astonished when Tony and his wife, Jillian, excused themselves to fetch the entree.
Yes, this is the Italian way, or at least the Sicilian way, as I later learned.  When one course is finished, another is brought to the table.  (Several years after, I would encounter the same practice in Sicily and be just as amazed each time it occurred.)
These are big enough to make a perfect luncheon or a light supper.  Anyway you decided to do it, I hope you will celebrate Spring this time around by serving these stuffed artichokes.

Stuffed Artichokes

4 artichokes
1 1/2 cups plain, dry breadcrumbs
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat leaf parsley
3 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
2/3 cup cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup Parmesan or pecorino cheese
Chili flakes (optional)

Mix the bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, anchovies and salt and pepper together. Add enough olive oil to moisten.
Holding the stem, smash each artichoke against the counter top to open up the leaves.  With a teaspoon, dig out the inedible choke in the center and discard.
Remove the stems. Peel and finely dice and add to breadcrumb mixture.
Add the peas and cheese.
Fill between leaves and inner cavity.
Drizzle with some olive oil and place upright in the bottom of a pan.
Add enough water to come up about 2 inches.
Sprinkle with chili flakes (if using) in the water and turn on heat. Once the water boils, turn it down to a simmer and steam for 40-45 min adding more water if needed.

Calamari and Pasta

Since I had a crazy cartoon shrimp for my shrimp sauce entry in this week's blog, I thought I'd better add one for my calamari and pasta recipe as well.
By the expression in his eyes, this little squid has an idea about his fate. Ah, no greater love hath a squid then to lay down his life for a tasty plate of pasta.

When you buy squid, you can save yourself some money by cleaning it yourself which is not that difficult.  My sister and I pulled a few calamari cleaning marathons a few months ago in Arizona when we (I?) bought quite a bit of nice looking calamari at a good price.  Some went into fried calamari and some went into calamari and angel hair pasta, one of my favorite ways to have this and very simple as well.

You can cut back (or leave out, if you wish) the red chili flakes if you want to cut down on the heat.



 Angel Hair Pasta with Calamari Sauce



1/2 pound calamari cleaned and sliced into rings, tentacles
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons chili flakes
1/2 cup dry white wine
14 oz can tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/2 pound angel hair pasta
grated pecorino*

Heat olive oil in large skillet and add calamari, garlic and chili flakes. Cook stirring on medium high heat until calamari firm up and garlic turns a light golden. Add wine and let bubble away for a few minutes. Add tomatoes and mash with back of spoon. Cook at a gentle but constant simmer for about twenty-five minutes mashing tomato until broken up.
Meanwhile, boil pasta in plenty of salted water until al dente, about 5 minutes. Drain well and add to skillet tossing well in the sauce.
Add chopped parsley and toss again. Serve with pecorino on the side.

* Yes, I know that it is considered gauche in some circles to serve  grated cheese with seafood but I would rather be ridiculed than go without.  And, yes, I have asked for grated cheese for seafood pasta in Italy and was graciously obliged without the merest hint of a flinch on my server's face.

Pink Shrimp Sauce

I spend way too  much time looking for a picture of the recipe for Pink Shrimp Sauce over fresh papardelle which I definitely remember having and vaguely remember deleting because I didn't like the way it looked.  So I ended up using this picture that looks like the love child of a shrimp and a lobster.  (These things frighten me.  But I am sure the Frankenfood folks are working on it even as I type.)  But I will not bother you further with my freakish pondering but move ahead with this delicious recipe for what has to be my favorite seafood because of the way it lends itself to so many different treatments this pasta sauce, from Essentials of Italian Classic Cooking by Marcella Hazan being but one.
This works well on dried boxed linguine but I really like it best on a homemade papardelle.




Pink Shrimp Sauce with Cream

1/2 pound medium shrimp
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste dissolved in 1/2 cup dry white wine (I use vermouth)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup cream
1 pound pasta
2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Shell shrimp and cut in half lengthwise
Saute garlic and olive oil in a saucepan briefly. Add tomato paste/wine solution and cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes
Add shrimp, salt and pepper and increase heat to medium high cooking just until shrimp are done. Remove pan from heat.
Remove 2/3 of the shrimp and puree them in a food processor.
Return them to the pan and reheat. Add cream and cook for about one minute. Taste and correct for seasoning.
Toss with pasta, add parsley and serve

Sicilian Pesto

This picture is so reminiscent of Sicily to me.  A narrow walkway in a 13th Century town typifies so many places on the island.  The ancient stone walls seem to whisper to each other they are so close and have been sharing the same small space for so long.
As old as the walls are, the tastes and aromas of Sicily is even older.  Herbs growing wild on the roadside combined with the nuts and olive oil that are produced in great quantity lend themselves to the exotic and delicious pesto that seems as far away in style and taste as the Ligurian version most of us are used to.  But I actually like this as a break from the Pesto Genovese which has found its way into everything from pasta, to chicken breasts to pizzas and beyond.  I find the Sicilian version much more rustic and interesting.
This recipe comes from the book, La Cucina Siciliana di Gangivecchio by Wanda and Giovanna Thornebenne.  I like this because the "kick" in this recipe is produced by the addition of arugula instead of chili flakes.

Spaghetti with Arugula Pesto 

4 cups loosely packed fresh arugula, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup olive oil
4 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound spaghetti
1 tablespoon butter
Parmesan or pecorino cheese

Place the arugula, garlic, walnuts, olive oil and one of the tomatoes (chopped) in the bowl of a food processor and process to desired consistency.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.
Dice remaining  tomatoes.
Mix a little sauce and the butter in the bowl in which the pasta will be served.
Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water and drain reserving one cup of the cooking liquid.
Place pasta, half the sauce and half the diced tomatoes in the serving bowl and toss gently.
Add the rest of the sauce and tomatoes and toss again using a some of the cooking liquid to loosen the sauce if needed.
Serve and pass cheese.