Tuna Bacon Pasta Salad

Whenever there is a pot luck gathering, I like to bring a pasta salad of some kind. It's easy to transport, easy to make in small or larger quantities, and can be prepared a day ahead of time. For the version I made for last weekend's gathering, I added tuna, bacon, and peppers (capsicum) together with spiral pasta in 2 colours. This pasta is great eaten cold - perfect for bento and picnics, but it can also be heated up if you are serving it at night as a side dish.

Continue reading for the recipe...

Tuna Bacon Pasta Salad
(makes a huge bowl. Decrease the quantities for a smaller portion)

500g spiral pasta (or 250g plain spiral pasta and 250g spinach spiral pasta)
2 red peppers (capsicum)
2 yellow peppers (capsicum)
1 green pepper (capsicum)
200 - 300g bacon (I use back bacon as it has less fat)
2 x 185g canned tuna (in water or olive oil)
2 cloves garlic
light olive oil (or other cooking oil)
1 1/2 Tbsp tomato paste

Note: The different coloured peppers (capsicum) are used to make the pasta more attractive - you can also just use one colour if you prefer.

1. Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to the instructions on the packet (less 1 minute). Drain, rinse under cold water to stop the pasta cooking, then set aside.

2. Dice the red and yellow peppers (capsicum) into small pieces. Dice the green pepper (capsicum) into small pieces and set aside separately. Chop the bacon into small pieces.

3. Peel and chop the garlic.

4. In a large pot (I use the same pot I used to boil the pasta to save on washing up) add a little olive oil (or cooking oil) and fry the bacon on medium heat. Add the red and yellow peppers (capsicum) and fry lightly. Add the canned tuna and stir. Pour the mixture into another bowl and set aside. 

5. Rinse out the pot, then add some olive oil (around 4 - 5 Tbsp depending on the amount of pasta you made). Add the chopped garlic, and over low heat, slowly fry the garlic until fragrant and golden. Be careful not to brown or burn the garlic. 

6. Turn the heat to high, and pour the cooked pasta into the garlic oil. (You may need to rinse the pasta a little to loosen it if it has stuck together.) Coat the pasta with the garlic oil, then turn the heat to low, and add the tuna bacon mix. Add the tomato pasta, and season with freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkle of salt. Turn off heat, add the uncooked chopped green peppers (capsicum) and stir well. Taste, and season with more pepper, salt and tomato paste if necessary. (The tomato paste is used to add flavour, not to make the pasta taste tomato-y.)

Tip: I find the flavours of the pasta develop well when left in the fridge overnight. If you are making this for a gathering, picnic, or for your bento, make the pasta a day ahead and store it covered in the fridge in an airtight container. Remove it from the fridge and allow it to come to room temperature before serving.

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In a Pasta Rut

Sometimes I get so caught up making the same thing over and over again, there is nothing new to post. It's been a little like that lately, with poor YH constantly being served my regular favourite dishes (not that he ever complains). 

My obsession with pasta took on a life of its own last week, when we ate pasta 4 days out of 7! If you happen to get into a pasta rut like me, a nice way of making things more interesting is to explore the different types of pastas available. I found one interesting dried spaghetti with chilli in a little Italian deli, which was orange in colour. The pasta was made out of durum wheat semolina, water and red hot peppers (peperoncino). Since I love all things spicy, I had to buy it at once, and used it to make my Scallop & Sausage Aglio Olio spaghetti. The chilli spaghetti turned a lovely light tomato red colour when cooked, and a little to my surprise, you could still taste the chilli in the spaghetti (I thought the chilli might have been washed out or watered down after being boiled). 




Easy One-Sauce Lasagna

As the days go by, I've come to realise that Cloud9Food is all about comforting, home-style food that is not only tasty to eat, but is also heavenly for the chef ie. simple to prepare! Another favourite of mine which falls into this category is my One-Sauce Lasagna.

I love lasagna, but the thought of preparing the bolognese meat sauce, bechamel sauce, layering everything and then baking it sends me running to find something else that's faster to cook. Hence the One-Sauce version. 

Instead of making bechamel sauce from scratch (which I find terribly tedious), I make a large portion of "creamy" tomato meat sauce. The sauce is then layered with instant lasagna sheets and baked. It still takes some time, but is much faster than the original 2-sauce version, and I don't find I lose much taste-wise. This lasagna is still tomato-y, creamy and cheesy. The meat sauce can even be made in advance and frozen, which cuts down preparation time even more. And yes, I cheat and buy tomato soup (the no MSG, no preservative variety!) to add further flavour to the meat sauce. Who has time to boil and boil and boil the sauce?

For bento lunch makers, leftovers can be packed in microwaveable safe containers for lunch the next day.

Continue reading for the recipe...

Easy One-Sauce Lasagna
(makes one large lasagna in a 2.5 L capacity dish)

500g pack of instant lasagna sheets (which does not require pre-cooking)
6 -7 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp light olive oil (or other cooking oil)
400g minced beef or a mix of minced beef and pork (as lean as possible)
2 large carrots, chopped into small cubes
2 x 400g canned tomatoes
5 heaped Tbsp tomato paste
500 - 600g creamy tomato soup (look for the no MSG, no preservatives, organic soup variety if possible. For reference, I use Pacific Natural Foods Organic Creamy Tomato Soup)
black pepper
salt
1 -2 bay leaves (optional)
1 cup milk (low-fat, skim milk is also fine)
100g cheddar cheese
additional 200g - 250g cheddar and/or parmesan cheese (for layering and topping the lasagna)

1. In a large saucepan, add the olive oil and fry the garlic lightly until fragrant. Add the minced meat and stir to separate the mince until the meat is cooked. Add the chopped carrots. (If you are pressed for time, microwave the carrots to soften them first.)

2. Add the canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Season with some salt and pepper, and stir. Add 1 -2 bay leaves here for added flavour (optional). Bring to the boil, then simmer over medium heat for 20 - 30 minutes. 

3. Add 500g of the creamy tomato soup and simmer for another 5 - 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

(When making the meat sauce in advance, allow to cool and transfer into a freezer-safe container for freezing at this point. To defrost, transfer the frozen sauce into a large saucepan and heat until defrosted.)

4. Add the milk and 100g cheddar cheese to the meat sauce and stir. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. You should have quite a lot of meat sauce at this stage as it replaces both bolognese and bechamel sauces.)

5. Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees C. Lightly grease a 2.5L capacity ovenproof dish. Ladle some meat sauce into the dish to cover the bottom. Add a layer of instant lasagna sheets (you may need to break them to fit the size of your dish), then a sprinkle of cheddar or parmesan cheese, then some more meat sauce. Repeat until the meat sauce is used up. (There may be leftover lasagna sheets as well.) End with a layer of meat sauce, and sprinkle some cheddar/parmesan (or a mix) of cheeses on top.

Tip: Around 3/4 of the way through layering, if it looks like you don't have enough sauce, add another 100g or so of the creamy tomato soup to the sauce and mix. 

6. Bake the lasagna in the oven according to the time indicated on your packet of instant lasagna sheets (approx 30 -45 minutes). Serve with a side salad.

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Pumpkin & Pancetta Pasta II

On the second day of the New Year, I was already running low on fresh meat in the fridge, so I turned to my stock of preserved meat, namely some cubed pancetta. I combined the pancetta with pumpkin and cherry tomatoes and roasted it all in the oven to make a simple pasta sauce. It's the same pasta recipe that I made last Halloween (Roasted Pumpkin & Pancetta Pasta), except that for Halloween, I used squid ink spaghetti for a more ghoulish effect. 




Tuna Spaghetti Aglio e Olio Bento

I stopped making bento over the holiday period, and am slowly getting back to it. Today's bento lunch is a leftover from last night's dinner - Tuna Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. I made a slight variation to the recipe by adding a squirt of tomato paste to it (around 1 Tbsp) - when you mix it through, you can't really taste the tomato, you just get a bit of added flavour coating the spaghetti. I also substituted the rocket leaves for baby spinach leaves. 

Also in the bento are some kiwi fruit, half a nashi pear and the odd frozen raspberry (for colour). This year I'm really going to try adding more fruit and vegetables to my diet...

This pasta should really be eaten warm, so I packed it in my microwavable container. The fruits are sitting in little plastic sections that can easily be lifted up before heating the pasta. I then sprinkled a few drops of water over the pasta before microwaving it.




Tomato Ketchup Spaghetti

We are back from our short holiday and my post-holiday laziness has kicked in. I've not been very inspired in the kitchen, so last night YH bought a roast chicken home and I paired this with a favourite side dish that I've eaten and loved since childhood - tomato ketchup (or tomato sauce) spaghetti. My mother first ate this when she was young and studying in Ireland - her landlady used to serve this up to them fairly often (it's simple and cheap, I suppose) and my mum re-created this recipe for us when we were growing up. 

The pasta itself doesn't sound that impressive - just spaghetti, garlic, oil and yes, tomato ketchup straight from the bottle, but do give it a try - I liked this pasta even during the days I didn't like ketchup. You must serve this with some sort of meat, though, as the pasta on its own is very bland. My mum always served it with pork chops, but sausages, roast chicken, and lamb also work well.

Continue reading...

Tomato Ketchup Spaghetti

spaghetti
light olive oil
1 bulb garlic, peeled and chopped
tomato ketchup (I use Heinz, but use whatever brand you prefer)

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat up a saucepan on low heat and pour in some olive oil (around 3 - 4 Tbsp, or enough to coat the amount of pasta you have).

3. Add the chopped garlic and fry gently on low heat until the garlic is golden and fragrant (be careful not to burn the garlic).

4. Pour the spaghetti into the saucepan (you may need to loosen up the pasta with some water first if it has clumped together) and mix it with the garlic oil until well coated. Turn off the heat.

5. Squeeze tomato ketchup (tomato sauce) into the spaghetti and mix well. Add enough ketchup to coat the spaghetti. Season with a little salt and pepper, and more ketchup if necessary.

6. Serve as a side dish to meat, such as pork, chicken, or lamb. Place the bottle of ketchup on the table so those who prefer more sauce can help themselves.

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(Turkey) Pasta Salad

Christmas for me usually includes roasting a turkey, and it's around this time that I'm faced with a fridge full of leftover turkey meat. This is not a burden, mind you - I absolutely love having leftover turkey, and I suspect if a day comes when the turkey is completely eaten on Christmas itself, I would be very depressed. 

This year, I didn't roast a turkey, but went over to a friend's place for dinner instead. She'd ordered a giant 6kg turkey(!), and as she was busy the next few days and not particularly keen on leftovers, I (the Leftovers Queen) had the happy honour of taking most of the meat and bones back. The turkey carcass, in large ziplock bags, went straight into the freezer and the packets of turkey meat (also in ziplock bags) were stored in the fridge. Over the next few days, I've been making turkey and avocado sandwiches, turkey pasta salad and tomato turkey pasta. I'm not sick of turkey, yet...!

Here's the recipe for a simple (Christmas-coloured) turkey pasta salad. This pasta salad (without the turkey) is a great side dish to accompany meat (roasts, sausages, etc.), and works well at picnics and BBQs. Continue reading...

(Turkey) Pasta Salad

375g spiral pasta (use tri-colour spiral pasta for added colour)
1 whole bulb garlic
1 red capsicum
1 green capsicum
light olive oil
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
chicken stock (optional)
red pepper flakes (optional)

leftover roast turkey meat (omit for a plain pasta salad)

1. Cook the spiral pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to the timing on the pasta packet (less 1 minute). Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

2. Peel and chop the garlic.

3. Chop the capsicum finely into small pieces.

4. On low heat, pour some light olive oil in a pot and add the garlic. Fry until the garlic is fragrant, but not brown/burnt.

5. Turn up the heat to medium, add the capsicum and turkey meat and fry for a short while. Add the cooked pasta. Mix well. If the pasta looks a little dry, add some more olive oil.

6. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. For added taste and some spice, sprinkle a little chicken stock (optional) and red pepper flakes (optional).

Tip: Substitute the turkey meat for chicken meat, slices of ham, bacon bits, etc.

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Scallop & Sausage Aglio Olio

This is another of my favourite pastas. Usually I just make this pasta with sausage, but on special days I like to add some scallops to it. Continue reading for the recipe...

Scallop & Sausage Aglio Olio Spaghetti
(serves 2)

250g spaghetti
1 whole bulb garlic (or less if you are not a garlic fan)
light olive oil
2 polish sausages (use 3 -4 sausages if you making the sausage version without the scallops)
8 large scallops, sliced into half
wild rocket leaves (optional)
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions (less one minute).
   
2. Peel and finely chop the garlic, slice the sausages thinly and slice the scallops into half.
   
3. When the spaghetti is cooked, rinse with cold water to stop the spaghetti cooking, drain and set aside.
   
4. In a saucepan (I use the same one I boiled the spaghetti in), heat up the chopped garlic with some light olive oil over low heat.
   
5. Fry the garlic until golden and fragrant (make sure it doesn't brown or burn). 
   
6. Turn up the heat to medium and fry the scallops until they are just cooked, then remove them from the saucepan and set aside.
   
7. Add the sausages and fry a little, then add the spaghetti into the saucepan. (You may need to loosen the spaghetti a little first with some water as it may have clumped together.) 
   
8. Mix well, then add the scallops back to the saucepan and stir gently. 
   
9. Season with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 
   
10. Top with some wild rocket leaves (optional).
    

Tip: Add some chilli flakes or chilli oil to the pasta for a spicy version.

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Lazy Tuna Mentaiko Spaghetti

I usually use fresh mentaiko when making mentaiko spaghetti, but on days I'm feeling extremely lazy, I do resort to using a packet of pre-made mentaiko sauce. At first I was a little suspicious of mentaiko from a packet, but it isn't too bad, and the MSG it contains naturally makes it taste better. I find adding some canned tuna also adds to the flavour.

Continue reading...

Lazy Tuna Mentaiko Spaghetti
(serves 2)

200g spaghetti
1 packet mentaiko spaghetti sauce (I use S&B Spicy Cod Roe Spaghetti Sauce - there are 2 sauce sachets inside each packet, as well as shredded nori seaweed)
1 can tuna, drained (preferably in olive oil)

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions, less one minute.
   
2. Add the drained tuna and mentaiko sauce to the spaghetti, and combine well over low heat. 
   
3. Sprinkle with shredded nori and serve immediately.
   

Note: There are many different brands of pre-made mentaiko sauces/mixes; some are dried, others a thickened sauce. Naturally, choose a brand which you prefer. They should be available at your local Japanese grocer or in supermarkets that stock Japanese products.

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Roasted Pumpkin & Pancetta Pasta

I made this Roasted Pumpkin and Pancetta Pasta for a Halloween themed dinner, but it is actually a fabulous pasta to make any time of the year. It does have an autumn feel to it though, with the use of pumpkin and its orange and red tones. Make it with normal spaghetti and without the decorations for a non-Halloween themed dinner. 

Continue reading for the Roasted Pumpkin & Pancetta Pasta recipe...

Roasted Pumpkin & Pancetta Pasta
(serves 2)

200g spaghetti
160g pumpkin, chopped into bite-sized pieces
160g pancetta, cut into small cubes
80g (approx 10) cherry tomatoes, cut into half
3 Tbsp light olive oil
6 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
freshly ground black pepper

1. Put the chopped pumpkin with a little water into a microwave-proof dish and microwave on HIGH for 10 minutes.
   
2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F).
   
3. Put the microwaved pumpkin, pancetta, cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and black pepper into an oven-proof dish. Stir well to coat the oil over everything.
   
4. Roast for 30 minutes.
   
5. Cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions (less 1 minute). Drain the pasta.
   
6. Pour the roasted pumpkin mix into a saucepan. Add the spaghetti and fry lightly over low heat to combine.
   
7. Season with sea salt/more black pepper to taste. (You may not need to add any salt as the pancetta is already quite salty.)
   

Serve (with or without Halloween decorations).

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Halloween Witches' Brew Spider Bento

I don't usually make Halloween-themed food, but this year, since I've been bitten by the bento bug, it seemed like another great opportunity to design a bento. I suppose I got a little too excited, as it isn't even Halloween yet! But the stores and restaurants here are covered with Halloween-inspired decorations, so I'm not that early, either.

The bento is my little Ode to Macbeth - "Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn and cauldron bubble" - but the fire must have bubbled out for some time because a spider came along and decided to build a web over it...

The bento contains squid-ink spaghetti tossed with roasted pancetta, pumpkin, garlic and tomato, representing some foul-looking (but tasty) witches' brew. "Eye of newt" edamame with nori eyes have been tossed in here and there, and the spider web is made from a slice of smoked turkey. The spider itself is made out of polish sausage (I didn't want to go the frankfurter route with this one, and the polish sausage is an adult-version, I suppose!)

Note: I don't usually pack spaghetti for cold bento, but this pasta is covered in enough garlicky-oily goodness that it doesn't dry out.

You can also use this pasta and decorate it in a similar way for a Halloween themed dinner, if you feel so inclined...See Roasted Pumpkin & Pancetta Pasta




Garlic-Butter Seafood Pasta

When I was young, my mother used to make a seafood pasta we called spaghetti marinara, but it was a garlic & butter-based seafood pasta. Therefore I grew up thinking marinara sauce contained seafood (with or without tomatoes). It was only later that I realised this is not quite accurate. The word "marinara" is from the Italian marinaro (sailor), therefore many people assume the sauce contains seafood of some type. Actually, the sauce first originated in Naples after they were introduced to the tomato, and it was a meatless sauce made by the sailors. Most marinara sauces contain olive oil, ripe tomatoes, garlic and herbs. 

The butter-based seafood pasta my mother made is still delicious though, whatever you call it...

Continue reading...

Garlic-Butter Seafood Pasta (Mum's "Marinara")
(serves 2)

250g spaghetti (or any long, thin pasta like linguine, or bavette (as in the photo)
1 bulb garlic (if you are not a garlic fan, reduce the amount to half a bulb, or less)
variety of seafood - I used 6 mussels, 6 prawns, 100g scallops and 170g clam meat (this was a little extravagant; you can cut down on these amounts)
10 - 20g butter
light olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
chilli oil (optional)

1. Boil water in a large pot, add some salt and cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet (less one minute). When the pasta is ready, drain it, and cool it under cold water. Set aside. (Apologies to Italians who may shudder at this, but the cold water stops the pasta from cooking further...)
   
2. Chop the garlic.
   
3. If you are using mussels and prawns, scrub the mussels to clean the shells and devein the prawns. You can shell the prawns or leave their shells on, whichever you prefer.
   
4. Heat up some light olive oil in the large pot (around 1 - 2 Tbsp) and lightly fry the chopped garlic on low heat, until the garlic is soft and fragrant, but not brown or burnt. Add the seafood (except the clam meat) in batches and fry in the garlic oil until cooked. Remove the seafood from the pot. This is to stop the seafood from over-cooking.
   
5. Add the butter to the pot. Turn the heat up to medium. Add the clam meat and fry (the clam meat I buy are small bits of clam, therefore I do not cook them in the above step, as they would be too difficult to scoop up). 
   
6. Loosen the pasta with a little water if it has stuck together, and pour the pasta into the pot. Mix well to coat the pasta in butter. You can use butter or light olive oil here, or a mixture of both. This is one of the rare times I add butter to pasta dishes as it really improves on the taste.
7. Gently mix the pasta and seafood. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

Tips: If you like your pasta spicy, add a few drops of chilli oil (optional). This may sound odd, but it is like adding Tabasco sauce to pasta, which I find tangy and strange. Chilli oil, however, is perfect. The chilli oil I use is not the one which contains sediments of chilli inside, it, but a clear oil, like this: 

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Spaghetti Bolognaise Bento

Traditional Bolognese sauce originated from Bologna, Italy, and is a thick meat based sauce/ragu with very little tomato in it. However the version I make is the non-traditional form that has become very popular outside of Italy.

Spaghetti Bolognaise (or Spaghetti Bolognese) is one of my favourite comfort foods as it reminds me of my childhood. My mother used to make this dish with a lot of gravy and I'd always wished I had second helpings. (Now I can, but I usually regret it after!) When I have time, I will make the sauce from scratch (with carrots, celery, tomatoes, etc.) but I've become more lazy and am more into fast, easy cooking, so I now often buy a pre-made tomato pasta sauce. 

The spaghetti I used for today's bento is not only from purchased pasta sauce, it is also leftover from last night's dinner. A wonderful part of bento is the ability to use and dress up leftover food in an attractive way. However I refuse to eat this dish cold, so I packed it into a microwavable Lock n Lock container. The side dishes (peas, raspberries and smiley cheese cubes) and grass food separators were removed before microwaving the pasta.




Grilled Prawn Mentaiko Pasta

Yet another pasta. I was trying to use up leftover mentaiko pasta, so I just grilled some prawns and added them on top. I found these enormous tiger prawns from the supermarket (City Super). They were - huge! Compare the size with the other smaller prawns (and the "smaller" prawns are normal medium prawns, too, not shrimps!).

This dish is probably not good to eat very often for those watching their cholesterol... 


Beef Soboro & Pesto Spaghetti

This Japanese-style fusion pasta was created out of the desire to use up leftovers in the fridge. I wanted to use up leftover pesto spaghetti from the previous night's dinner, so I combined it with some beef soboro that I prepared earlier that week (as part of my bento stash). A little to my surprise, the combination worked together really well. The slight bitterness of the basil pesto and the sweetness of the beef soboro provide an interesting and flavourful contrast. In fact, it was good enough that I have added it to the list of pastas I will repeat making.

Continue reading...

The pesto I use is the traditional pesto alla genovese, which is made from (Genovese) basil, salt, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, pine nuts and a grated hard cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano. I've not actually tried to make pesto on my own, but I intend to get around to it someday. It's easier to buy bottled pesto these days - just look for a good quality product which actually contains all or a high percentage of extra virgin olive oil.

Soboro is a moist, crumbled and seasoned meat/egg in Japanese, and is often sprinkled over rice in bento lunches. It is similar to furikake, which is also sprinkled over rice, but furikake is dry, and soboro more moist.

Beef Soboro (adapted from Just Bento)

450g minced beef (as lean as possible)
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp sake
3 Tbsp dark soya sauce
2 Tbsp oyster sauce

1. Heat the sesame oil in a pan and fry the garlic until fragrant. 
2. Add the beef and brown well, separating it as you cook so the mince does not clump together. 
3. Add the sugar and stir until it is a bit caramalised. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until the liquid is almost gone, but the meat is still moist. 
4. Taste, and add more seasoning if required. The meat should be strongly flavoured, as it is meant to be eaten with plain rice.
   

Soboro is a popular rice topping for bentos, and it can also be used as an onigiri filling. It keeps for a week in the fridge and can also be frozen.

Beef Soboro & Pesto Spaghetti

1/2 - 3/4 cup beef soboro
250g spaghetti
approx 4 heaped tsp pesto alla genovese (basil pesto)

1. Cook spaghetti or other thin, long pasta (in salted water) according to the packet's instructions, less one minute. Drain, then pour back into a pot.
2. On low heat, add the pesto to the spaghetti and mix. (I use around 4 heaped tsp of pesto for 250g spaghetti.)
3. Add about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of beef soboro for 250g pasta. (If your soboro has been in the fridge, make sure it is heated through well. You can also microwave it before mixing it into the pasta).
4. Taste, and season with salt and pepper, and add more pesto or soboro if necessary. The soboro is quite salty, so you may not find it necessary to season the pasta with additional salt. 

Optional: Add some spinach leaves and mix with the heated pasta until the leaves wilt slightly.

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Mentaiko Spaghetti Bento

I don't often put spaghetti in a bento as the thought of cold spaghetti is not that appealing (unlike spiral pasta, which is fine cold as it is like a pasta salad) but today I made an exception... I had leftover mentaiko (cod roe) spaghetti from last night's dinner, and I couldn't let it go to waste.

It wasn't too bad cold. There was enough oil coating the pasta to keep it from sticking together, and if you like eating mentaiko, you won't mind it at room temperature. If you really dislike the thought of room temperature pasta and have access to a microwave,  you can also pack it into a microwaveable bento and zap it for a minute before eating. (Add a few drops of water before microwaving or the pasta will dry out.)

I was also thrilled because I could use one of my new bento sets that arrived in the mail on Saturday! The cute apple container has chinese pear, strawberries and kiwi fruit inside.

Mentaiko spaghetti is a popular Japanese-style fusion pasta dish in Japan. Click here for my mentaiko spaghetti recipe.




Mentaiko Spaghetti #2

The Ode to Hokkaido Weekend concluded on Sunday night with my 2nd attempt at Mentaiko Spaghetti - a Japanese-style fusion pasta. (Ok, so this dish is not really Hokkaido-specific, but it still fits my Japanese food theme...)

I actually measured out the ingredients this time, so I could write up a proper recipe. I'd written out rough instructions before, but I'm trying to be a little more exact, so here's a proper recipe for Mentaiko (or tarako) spaghetti (Mentaiko is marinated pollock roe, and Tarako is salted roe, usually from pollock):

Mentaiko/Tarako Spaghetti
(Serves 2)

250g thin spaghetti
130g (or 2 sacks) Alaskan or walleye pollock (cod fish) roe
20g butter
2 tsp light olive oil
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
4 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Japanese mayonnaise (I use Kewpie brand)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
chilli oil (optional)
shredded nori (seaweed)

Here's what the roe looks like in its sacks.

1. Gently slice open the cod roe sacks and scoop out the cod roe. I slit open one end and use the back of a spoon to squeeze the roe out of the sack (as if you are squeezing out the filling from a sausage).

Here's the squeezed out roe (on top) and the empty membrane sacks (bottom).

2. Cook the spaghetti according to the timing on the packet instructions, less 1 minute. Drain, then pour back into the pot. 

3. Add the butter, and melt it using the heat from the spaghetti. Add the light olive oil (or other oil) and mix to coat the spaghetti. I add a mix of butter and oil, so it is slightly healthier, but if you like, you can just add more butter and no oil. 

4. Add the cod roe and mix. If your spaghetti is getting cold, you can do this on low heat.

5. Add the mayonnaise, rice wine vinegar, lemon juice, then a dash of salt and pepper. If you like your pasta spicy, sprinkle in a few drops of chilli oil. 

6. Mix well together, then taste. Add more seasoning if necessary.

7. Serve immediately, sprinkled with some shredded nori (seaweed).

Tip: If the pasta is drying out, add a bit of olive oil and/or water (not too much water, just a splash).

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Grilled Lamb and Pesto Pasta

This is now one of my favourite dishes to make because it is so fast and easy - grilled lamb on a bed of pesto spaghetti. I usually buy lamb fillet, because the meat is very lean, but still tender. Lamb cutlets (pictured above) are good, too, but they can be a little fatty.

Directions:

Boil water and cook spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Drain the pasta and add about 4 heaped tsp of pesto for 250g pasta. Taste and add more pesto if necessary. (I cheat and buy bottled pesto, but you can make your own). Add salt and pepper to taste, and some washed baby spinach or rocket leaves. The warmth of the pasta will wilt the leaves slightly.

Coat lamb with a little olive oil and a dash of soya sauce. The soya sauce gives the lamb a nice browned colour when you cook it. Sprinkle the lamb with some fresh rosemary leaves. (If you don't have fresh herbs on hand, dried basil leaves also work). Grill or pan-fry the lamb for a few minutes, then serve on top of of the pasta.

The same recipe using sundried tomato pesto instead of basil pesto. Here I've used my preferred lamb fillets (all meat, no fat) instead of lamb cutlets.




Spam Spiral Pasta Bento

Yet another pasta bento...it was the easiest thing to make late on Sunday night after a lazy weekend. Long story, but as I had to pick up some groceries in-between stops on the weekend, I was forced to buy non-perishable food (ie. canned food)! That's my reason for adding Spam to the pasta. Despite my obsession with luncheon meat, I actually don't buy it very often. It's not exactly the healthiest thing in the world, but it tastes oh so good!

The sprial pasta holds up well in a bento (it doesn't get soggy) and is made with a tomato pasta sauce, garlic, Spam lite luncheon meat, and mushrooms. I added a side salad of corn, with carrots and cucumber shaped like flowers.




Easy Tuna Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

"Aglio e olio" means "garlic and oil" in Italian, and it is my favourite pasta "sauce". I find Italian restaurants in my area seem to feature a lot of tomato and cream based sauces, and their aglio e olio dishes are usually plain without much meat (not suitable for a carnivore like me). 

This recipe is adapted from the very first pasta I used to make during my Uni years. It is really simple to prepare, and I'd recommend it for days when you feel a little lazy or don't have much time to cook. For those people who don't like preparing something elaborate just for themselves or for two people, this is also the perfect dish. You can also make it all in just one pot (less washing up)!

When I started making tuna pasta in Uni, I used to buy cans of flavoured tuna (John West sundried tomato tuna was the best) and mix it with spaghetti. As I only had a microwave and kettle to use at the time, I couldn't do much more. Since then, the recipe has become a little more complex than just opening a can of tuna and adding it in, but essentially, that's all there is to it...

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Here's how to make it:

Easy Tuna Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
(Serves 2)

250g thin spaghetti
1 whole bulb garlic, chopped
2 cans tuna (tuna in oil works best, but try to find tuna in olive oil, or else go for tuna in springwater)
light olive oil
sea salt
black pepper
red pepper flakes (optional)
rocket or spinach leaves (optional)

1. Cook the spaghetti in salted water according to the cooking time on the packet, less one minute. When ready, cool under running tap water, drain and set aside.
   
2. Chop garlic. In a large pot (you can use the same one you boiled the spaghetti in), heat up around 3 Tbsp of olive oil on low heat. 
   
3. Add the garlic, and fry gently until the garlic is fragrant and just turning a light golden colour (be careful not to burn it). If you like your pasta a little spicy, shake some red pepper flakes into the oil as well. 
   
4. Turn up the heat to medium and add the spaghetti. Fry the spaghetti with the garlic oil, then add the tuna. Mix well. Turn the heat down to low. 
   
5. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and more red pepper flakes, to taste. Stir in some washed rocket or spinach leaves at the end, if desired. Serve immediately.
   

Tip:

For even more spice, stir a few drops of chilli oil into the pasta before you eat it. This may sound odd, but it really tastes good. It's like adding tabasco sauce into pasta (without the sour vinegar taste of tabasco).

Update: Another variation to this recipe - Add a squirt (around 1 Tbsp) of tomato paste into the spaghetti during Step 4 and mix well. You don't want to add too much, as the addition of the tomato is only for a hint of added flavour, and not for turning the dish into a tomato-based pasta.

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