Non-traditional Goulash recipe

I have always been intrigued to try new recipe. The other day someone posted a recipe of Goulash and after a few more digging, I found that the dish is originally from Hungary. Then of course the Americans also have their own version of Goulash. After reading about it I decided to add something Italian to my Goulash. This will probably infuriate the Hungarian for playing off with one of their national dishes ; but...my version tasted so good. So, here is my non-traditional Goulash recipe, a mix of Hungarian, American and Italian.

Ingredients:
750 grams ground beef
1 can (800 grams) diced tomatoes
1 can (400 grams)  tomato paste
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 medium green peppers, chopped
2 tbsp garlic salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
500 grams macaroni
1 tbsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp dried basil
1 cup of cheddar cheese
1 cup of monterey  jack cheese

Preparations:
In a large pot, brown the ground beef until it's no longer pink colour. Add onions and peppers, mixed until the vegetables are soften.
Season with garlic salt and pepper.
Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes, rosemary and basil. Mix well.
Simmer for 10 minutes in medium heat. Meanwhile in another pot, add water to boil, generously seasoned with salt. Cook the macaroni until al-dente, about 6 minutes.
Drain the cooked macaroni and add it to the beef mixture. Stir well.
Add the cheese and mix it until it's combined. (PS: Save some cheese for garnish)

Serve immediately in a bowl and top it with the leftover cheese.

This is the kind of food that gets better after time. To reheat, add 1 cup of chicken stock to the pot, stir and leave it in medium heat.

Enjoy!

Cabo Verde, where is that?

Not many people know where Cabo Verde is. When I told my friends that we are moving to Cabo Verde, they all asked the same question: Where is that? 

To be completely honest, I just recently learned where it was. Thanks to Mr. Google, everything is just a click away.

Cabo Verde is a country located in the Atlantic ocean, west of the west coast of Africa. It has ten islands and it was a former Portuguese colony. The official language spoken is Portuguese and the daily conversation is carried out in Creole.

For a brief moment, I hesitated. What will I do there? I don't speak Portuguese. I love my job and my friends here in Canada. Moving? Again? Gosh!
I took a glance of the pictures provided by Mr. Google and I gasped with admiration of the blue turquoise beaches.
Why would I say no to a new adventure? An exciting life of the unknown?

Long story short, here we are.
We settled in nicely in the island of Sal, named because of the salt mining back in the old days. Unfortunately it was mentioned as the least attractive island of all islands in Cabo Verde. Trip Advisor said to skip Sal and better go to other islands instead. The beaches are beautiful. More beautiful that the pictures provided by Mr. Google. But that's it. The rest is pretty basic. Really nothing special here but the sun, beautiful beaches, abundant fresh fish and good weather all year round.

The weather is pretty similar to Indonesia, minus the humid. Sun, sun, sun. Sal is the sunniest island of all with 360 days of sunshine in a year. Because it's flat, it barely rains in the island; which means, it's also pretty dry. Brown is the colour of Sal. When we got here in May, it was really windy. Apparently we got the wind from the Sahara desert. It was so windy sometimes it was painful to go to the beach. The wind blew the sand and it hit you like thousand small mosquito bites.

After a month or so, we get to know some shops and restaurants. Fresh fruits and vegetables are difficult here. They have to get it from the other island. Things that available varied and there is no such thing as one stop shopping here in Sal. You have to get to know what each store has. Creating one meal might means a few trips to different stores. Each time we go out, it seems we find new store with new things in it. The other day we found a little Italian shop that sells Parmagiano, and we were so happy like little kids that we had spaghetti with Parmagiano cheese. Amazing how in this place we find happiness in simple things.

Have I mentioned that the streets have no names? Yeah! That's why it's difficult to memorize where the stores are sometimes, along with what they have. Still, I look at this as an adventure.and I have the perfect man to share this experience with. The most important thing in life is to be with the person you love; and I plan to make the best out of it.

Santa Maria Beach

Fishermen's boats

A typical day at the wharf

Book Review: The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

Okay, I am officially in love with this novel!

If you love to bake and some good written novel, then this one is for you. It is so well written, provoking and moving. It is amazing how the writer described the baking process; I felt like I was in her kitchen watching her. And there is more to it too. It's a story about forgiveness, determination, gratitude, love and respect for your roots and family.

This is the book that will get you thinking about life and what is important in life!

Easy appetizer: Baked Mussels

If you are looking for quick and easy but tasty appetizer, this recipe is for you! This will take  less than 30 minutes to do and guaranteed satisfaction!

Ingredients:
12 mussels
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tbsp salted butter, melted
Paprika, to taste

Preparations:

In a baking sheet lined with foil, arrange the mussels on the pan.

Top the mussels with minced garlic, parsley, paprika and melted butter.

Preheat the oven to 375F and bake for 20 minutes.

So easy and very tasty!

Spaghetti Carbonara with Mussels

I am a fan of carbonara sauce, in fact, I can eat pasta carbonara as it is without addition of anything else. Lately I get bored with the common carbonara recipe, it’s either with bacon, ham, shrimp with peas, and repeat. I want to find something different, and luckily I saw a pack of frozen mussels at the grocery store. So this week I decided to play with mussels. Here is the recipe for Spaghetti Carbonara with Mussels.

Ingredients:

1/2 kg mussels

1 yellow onion, diced

4 eggs

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups of shredded Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp. butter

2 1 /2 cups whipping cream

350 g spaghetti

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp. parsley for garnish (optional)

Preparations:

If you use fresh mussels: Rinse the mussels in cold running water. Stir with rough hand around the mussels, then check whether the mussels are alive, by giving them a little tap into the kitchen table. Discard them if they do not close, or if the shells are damaged. Scrub the mussels clean with a sponge or a small knife. Boil the mussels in a pot for 5 minutes. Drain and discard the mussels that do not open.

In another pot,  add water and salt to boil and cook spaghetti until al-dente (about 7-8 minutes). Meanwhile, prepare a saucepan and melt the butter. Add onion and garlic and sauté until fragrant. Drain the spaghetti in a colander and add the spaghetti and mussels to the sauce pan.

Beat the eggs, whipping cream and 1 1/2 cup of cheese all together in a mixing bowl. Add the mixture to the saucepan and blend it well. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until sauce is a bit thicken and serve immediately. Top with  the remaining cheese and parsley if you wish.

Happy eating!

Ayam Sereh (Lemongrass Chicken)

Sereh (lemongrass) is popular in Indonesian cooking. It adds a subtle flavour entirely distinct from lemons. This wonderful recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make and perfect for busy nights. You can also switch things up with beef; or if you are a vegetarian, tofu and tempe will work wonderfully too.

Ingredients

2 tbsp. fish sauce
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp. curry powder (may I suggest Madras curry powder? They are the best!)
1/2 tsp.salt
2 tbsp. plus 1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thigh, cut into 1 1/2 cm pieces
3 tbsp. water
3 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 fresh lemongrass stalks, minced the tender white parts only
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
3 chilies, seeded and minced (if you like it spicy then leave the seed)
1 green onion, thinly sliced, for serving

Preparations

In a small pan, mix 2 tbsp. sugar with 1 tbsp. water and cook over high heat, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Cook without stirring until it turns into a deep amber caramel. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tbsp. water.

In a different bowl combine the fish sauce, garlic, curry powder, salt and 1 1/2 tsp. sugar. Mix it well and then add the chicken and the caramel sauce all together. Make sure the chicken is all coated.

Heat a large pan over high heat. Add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the lemongrass, shallot, and chilies and stir-fry until fragrant. Add the chicken and caramel mixture and stir-fry until the chicken is cooked and the sauce is slightly thickened. Transfer to a plate and top with the green onions.
Serve best with rice.

Slow Cooker Rendang (Beef Stew)

Rendang (Indonesian Beef Stew) was voted the best food in the world by CNN Travel back in 2011.  Originally from Sumatra, it is one of the most beloved food among Indonesians; but to be completely honest, who has the time to make it? The traditional making of Rendang is so tedious, and it takes long hours.  I for one, do not have the patience; so I started to experiment making Rendang in a slow cooker. This kitchen gadget is my best friend. The meat falls apart beautifully, and I find it better tasting than having the meat in cubes.

So, here it is...a lazy version of making Rendang; just dump all in the slow cooker and let it simmer overnight.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. chopped shallots
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp dried chili
2 tbsp. peanut or corn oil ( to fry)
1 1/2 pounds beef top sirloin, uncut
4 cups coconut milk
1 tsp ginger, minced
4 kafir lime leaves
3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Fried shallots (to serve)

Preparations:
Crush the shallots, garlic, salt, turmeric and chili into a paste. Fry in the oil for two minutes.

Put the whole meat in the slow cooker, rub the meat with the paste. Add the coconut milk, ginger, kafir lime leaves, bay leaves and simmer in low heat for 12 hours, covered (overnight).

When you wake up in the morning, the meat will fall apart easily. Taste, add salt and pepper as needed. Keep cooking the meat in low heat until about 2-3 hours before serving time then switch to high heat, uncovered. It will dry up the liquid quickly.

Garnish with fried shallots on top. Serve with warm rice.