Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients:

500g Fresh Beef Mince
400g Dried Spaghetti
4 Rashers of Smoked Streaky Bacon, finely diced
2 Tins of Plum/Chopped Tomatoes
6 Fresh Cherry Tomatoes
2 Medium Onions, peeled and finely diced
2 Sticks of Celery, trimmed and finely diced
2 Carrots, trimmed and finely diced
2 Cloves of Garlic, peeled and finely diced
1 Medium Chilli (optional), seeded and finely sliced
75g Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese, plus extra for grating over
2 tbsp Tomato Puree
1 Beef Stock Cube
Glass of red wine (optional)

Herbs:
2-3 Sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
Handful of Fresh Basil, plus extra for Garnish
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1-2 Fresh Bay Leaves
Olive oil
Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Method:

1. Get yourself a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, and place it on a medium heat. Add a good lug of olive oil and gently fry your bacon until golden and crisp, then reduce the heat slightly and add your onions, carrots, celery and garlic. Next remove the leaves from the Rosemary sprigs and add them to the pot, discarding the sprigs. Move everything around and fry for around 8-10 minutes until the veg has softened.
2. Next, increase the heat slightly, add the mince and stir until the meat is browned all over. 
3. Stir in your tins of plum/chopped tomatoes, (plum tomatoes are best as they contain less water, but either will turn out great!). Add your remaining herbs, tomato puree, stock cube, chilli and if using, the wine. Slice your cherry tomatoes in half and throw them in aswell. 
4. Give everything a stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the plum tomatoes as you go and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to low-medium, put the lid on and leave it blipping away for about an hour and 15 minutes until the flavours develop into a wonderfully rich tomatoey sauce. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn't catch.
5. Just as the sauce is nearly ready, Add the parmesan and season to taste. Meanwhile add salt to a pan of boiling water and cook the spaghetti according the the packet instructions. Once the spaghetti is ready, drain it in a colander and add it to the pan with the sauce. Give it all a good stir, coating the pasta in the lovely tomato sauce. Serve with a little grated parmesan and use the extra basil leaves to make a great little garnish.

Chilli Crabs

a) You will need to blitz the following:

5-8 fresh chillies (and a few bird eye chillies to crank the heat up a few notches depending on your target audience. Kalau ada bau2 Mat Sal celup, kurangkan sikit.

loads of garlic

a thumb-size piece of ginger

a bowl-full of shallots or bawang merah

2 stalks of lemongrass (optional) No lemongrass in the Singapore version btw

2 tblsp peanut oil 

b) For seasoning:

a splash of white vinegar

1-2 tablespoons of palm sugar or brown sugar 

an egg

salt and pepper

Last of all, not forgetting the leading actors in this show … your 1.5 kilo of mud crabs (2 medium size ones).

Heat oil in a traditional Chinese wok (not one of those branded teflon rubbish) till its smoking, add the blitzed ingredients and "tumis" till the oil separates from the ingredients or till the distinct garlicky aroma fills a large part of your show-house kitchen. Add the crabs and toss them around till they are well coated. Cover with a lid and let it cook for a 2 to 3 minutes. Season with vinegar,salt, sugar and moisten with a bit of fish stock/water. At the last minute, stir in a beaten egg to thicken the sauce and serve immediately if not sooner.

Chicken Pot Pie

SERVES 6

ACTIVE TIME 20 min.
TOTAL TIME 30 min.

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups frozen vegetables, (corn, peas and carrots)
3 oz fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tsp dried parsley
Cheesy Drop Biscuits:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 oz fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup whole milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. 
2. Melt butter in a (10-inch) oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is browned, about 2 minutes each side. 
3. Add flour and whisk to combine. Slowly add chicken stock while whisking skillet. Whisk until well combined. Add in vegetables and cheese. Stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium. Allow mixture to come to a boil, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile: In a large mixing bowl combine flour, cheese, baking powder, sugar and salt. Whisk to combine well. Add butter and milk. Stir to combine. 
5. Drop biscuits by the rounded tablespoon full on top of pot pie. Place skillet on cookie sheet and then slide into the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until biscuits are golden brown.
6. Sprinkle with fresh parsley, serve and enjoy.

Carb-stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Mayonnaise
3 Tbsp Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 can (6-1/2 oz.) crabmeat or 1 cup frozen crabmeat, thawed
18 medium mushrooms, stems removed

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In small bowl, blend Mayonnaise, bread crumbs, cheese and garlic; fold in crabmeat. Evenly spoon mixture into mushroom caps.
3. On baking sheet, arrange mushroom caps. Bake 20 minutes or until heated through and lightly browned.