~A Not-So-Mafia-Affair~

"Sharing food with another human being is an intimate act that should not be indulged in lightly"

~ MK Fisher

It wuz not a meeting of the gun-tottering thugs alla "The Sopranos" as the title of this post suggests. Neither did the "heavily-coerced participants" have olive groves at their backyards, rode in Vespas nor swear the words "funkulo putana"! These guests were just food-lovers eager to savour every morsel from dishes made famous by "The Land of The Chianti", but prepared by an almost slant-eyed-Wah-Lai-Toi-luvin' PJ-rian cum Klangite, with a dose of mixed parentage thrown-in-to-boot.

Last Saturday wuz when I had the chance to test the new heavy-duty oven with full-rotisserie functions. So, out came the pots and pans for an all-Italian affair; thanks to my stays with an Italian "mama" and experiences as a kitchen hand at an Italian restaurant during my student years in Australia. Traditional feasts and cultural foodie-affairs have always been my interest. Thus, armed with my previous cooking experiences coupled with many, many hours of intense DavidRocco's tv training via Astro's AFC channel, I embarked on an aggressive attack of gastronomic cooking, thanks to my promise to celebrate both SK and Pikey's recent birthdays.

The bloggers aka "victims" included KeenYee, TZ, Dr.Bong and Pikey ...... whilst PapaTwilight and Mama Michi escaped the torturous food-journey as they required 3 months advance booking and the other 2 pilots, SK Thamby (probably skipped when he heard there were no thosais and curry dishes proffered! :P ) and Fable Frog ( who was more eager to skinny-dip in the legendary Mahsuri's beauty pool :P ) excused themselves due to other prior appointments-made.

The welcoming party

Lil' Junior probably fretting at not being served any food!

The waiting area

The table wuz all ready for the feast .......... ambiance please!

"It takes four people to make a salad properly: a wise man to add the salt, a miser to put in the vinegar, a spendthrift for the oil and a mad man to toss it!"

~ Anonymous

Antipasti ~ Insalata pesto alla genovese

(salad with genoese pesto)

"Food without wine is a corpse; wine without food is a ghost; united and well mitched they are body and soul, living partners
~ Andre Simon

It's a hard day's work, and it pays!
Australian Penfolds Bin Special Cabernet Sauvignon

Go on, eat your pasta if you wanna be big, strong and friendly ....... just like Keen Yee! ~ Mario Anton's quote :P

Pastini Con Sugo Di Pomodoro Basilico E Burro (Angel Hair Spaghettini With Tomato, Basil and Butter Sugo)

The only time to diet is to wait for the next dish to be served!

~Anonymous (probably SK Thamby's) quote

This lil' piggy went to market, this lil' piggy stayed at home, this lil' piggy ventured out too far

and

this lil' piggy ended up at my home.

Grilled Pork Chops With Fava/Broad Beans In Saffron Cream Ragu

A surprise belated birthday celebration for Pikey .......... "Many wonderful returns!"

"Happy Birthday Pikey!"

"The devil resides in every credit card and apple pie with gelato"

Apple Pie with Vanilla Gelato

Time flies when you are with good food, plentiful vino and wonderful company!

The flame burning brightly into the night

They were lucky for not raising any demands for tiramisu or segafreddo...... else overworked and underpaid Anton Mario would have soundly whacked their Vino Diesel arses! lolz

Last round of that irresistible vino

Since Pikey and KeenYee requested for the recipies, I decided to make it available for everyone who would wanna dabble into a lil' Italian fest too. After all, good experiences must be shared!

Thank you so much guys for gracing this event. Likewise to how your tummies were filled to the brim with food and wine, may your hearts also be constantly filled with joy!!!

"I feel a recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation" ~Madame Benoit

Happy Cooking!

Recipies shared:

Pesto Alla Genovese
(Genoese Pesto)

3-4 large handfuls of fresh basil leaves (dried ones a less-favoured option)
1 clove fresh garlic
1 tablespoon pine nuts
2 tablespoons of grated parmigiano (parmesan) cheese
1/2 lemon (optional)
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste (or at least 1/2 teaspoon to start)
a pinch of ground black pepper.

Mix all the ingredients together and pound and crush in a pestle and mortar (malay: lesung) The friction of the rough salt aids the grinding of the basil leaves. Any left over pesto can be stored in the fridge for a few days, better if a thin layer of olive oil is added to the surface to preserve further and stop the oxidization.


Roast Vegetables

Rub virgin olive oil, a dash of salt and some black pepper onto any vegetable before popping into the oven at high-heat for around 20 minutes or till slightly charred. Root vegetables ie. potatoes, radish, fennel are better softened in boiling water before making their way into the oven.


Pastini Con Sugo Di Pomodoro Basilico E Burro
(Angel hair spaghetti with tomato, basil and butter sugo)

This vegetarian dish is the most indulgent sugo (sauce) and especially because it's so simple to prepare. It's perfect for most types of pasta eg. gnocchi, ravioli, penne, farfelle, fusilli, tagliatelle ......

2 x 400g tins plum/whole tomatoes (fresh is better but must be very ripe)( optional: puree)
1 small shallot (lil' red onion)
250g or 1 block of butter
1 tablespoon of sugar
a sprig of fresh rosemary (optional: dried or mixed italian herbs sold in supermarkets)
salt to taste (brings out the sweetness of the tomatoes)
360g of pasta
grated parmigiano (parmesan) cheese (freshly grated if possible)
optional : pepperoncino (dried chillies) for those who love the spicy-kick

Put the tomatoes, shallot, butter and sugar into a saucepan over low heat and cook very gently for half an hour, with the lid half covered via balancing on 2 wooden spoons at each end (to stop the sauce from hopping out and messing your stove)

Stir the sauce at regular intervals to stop the butter seperating.

Remove the shallot and add the rosemary (or other dried Italian herbs), then season with salt to taste.

Boil the dry pasta in salted water and a lil' oil until al dente (not-hard-not soft or "ngam-ngam hou!" :P ). Cooking time is usually stated in the packaging. Drain the water and top with the sauce and plenty of grated cheese. You could add in some fresh basil leaves to further add flavour.


Grilled Pork Chops

12 slices of pork chop (easily found at the butchers', recommended 2 pieces per pax)
marinade:
2 pinches salt
2 cloves of garlic ( lightly smashed)
generous sprinkle of italian herbs
2 bay leaves
1/4 bottle red wine

Tenderize the pork chops via stress-release pounding with mallet or hammer (next available option :P ). Rub on salt and herb flakes and proceed to layer the chops into a container. Pour in the wine and add-in the bay leaves and garlic. Seal and leave the container to marinate in the fridge overnight ( or at least a few hours).

Gently grill the chops in olive oil till golden brown. Do not overcook as they'll lose their tenderness. Serve warm.


Saffron-infused Ragu

300ml milk
3 tablespoons of white wine (more if you prefer the "kick")
2 tablepoons of olive oil
1 carrot (diced)
1 stick of celery (diced)
1 onion (diced)
1 clove of garlic (diced)
1 handful of fava/broad beans (dry ones can be bought and soaked overnight in water till soft)
1 pinch of saffron (not tumeric powder hokay! :P )
2 bay leaves
50g unsalted butter
50g plain flour
sea salt and white pepper (to taste)
optional: a dash of grated nutmeg (or cinnamon)
optional: 100ml or more of double cream for the indulgent-ones :P

Heat saucepan and gently fry garlic, onion, carrot and celery till golden brown. Add in broad beans and wine, stir, and followed by milk, butter, saffron, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Gently stir in flour and add nutmeg before turning off the heat.

Pour onto dish before placing pork chops.


Simple Apple Pie

dough:
250g flour
150g butter
2 eggs
100g caster sugar
a pinch of salt

filling:
6 apples ( granny smiths if you prefer tangy/sour flavour) cut into wedges
2 tablespoons of brown sugar (optional: white sugar)
a pinch of nutmeg powder
icing sugar to be dusted lightly, enough to cover pie surface

Mix all the dough ingredients and knead for around 5 minutes. Wrap in clingwrap and store in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour to allow it to set. Proceed to roll-pin the dough (use round bottle if you don't have a rolling-pin) until it's flat (1/2cm thick) and use the flat dough to cover the base
of the baking dish. Scrape off the excess dough at the side of the dish. Apply a thin layer of butter to the dough.

Fill the apple wedges into the baking dish in a domino-style and proceed to sprinkle brown sugar before finally painting the surface with butter.

Bake on low heat in the oven for 40 minutes or until the surface browns. Sprinkle with nutmeg powder and icing sugar on the surface and serve hot, accompanied with gelato/ice cream or whipped cream.

"There is no love sincerer than the love for food"

~ George Bernard Shaw

I'm wondering now as to who's loving me enough to offer his/her house as the next pitstop for another gastronomic feast?