TUNA SALAD WITH CANNELLINI BEANS

I can’t wait to share this recipe that can be prepared within 5 minutes. I found it from an old recipe book by Carla Capalbo which was sitting on the shelf for some time. I got to admit that initially I was skeptical about the combination but surprisingly it turns out really good!

Canned tuna chunks

Canned cannellini beans

Good extra virgin olive oil

Fresh lemon juice

Sea salt

Crushed black pepper

Fresh basil (the original recipe uses parsley)

 

Emulsify the oil with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Mix in all other ingredients. That’s it!

I doubt you need 5 minutes.

PAN FRIED BRINJAL

I’ve never liked brinjals or eggplants when I was young. Only much later than I realized it’s the way it was cooked in the old oriental style that makes it mushy.  I am quite afraid of mushy food.

I learnt to enjoy it after I followed a chef on TV to fry it till caramelized and top it on pasta in crushed raw tomato sauce with basil, sea salt and lots of black pepper. That’s when I know that other than onions, brinjals and eggplants can be cooked till caramelized as well and it taste really good.

Grilling or pan fry works for me. This time, although it takes more effort, I pan fried it to avoid getting hard edges that results from grilling.

1 large brinjal cut into pieces about half a centimeter thick (egg plants are more expensive in Singapore)

Sea salt

Black pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

Chopped cherry tomatoes

Lemon juice

Heat up enough olive oil in a non-stick pan over small-medium fire. Put in brinjals and add salt and pepper. Fry both sides till brown and caramelized. Remove from pan and cool it in the fridge for an hour. Squeeze a quarter lemon and serve with chopped cherry tomatoes.  

 

TOMATO SALAD WITH ONIONS, OLIVES AND AGED CHEDDAR

I like black olives in tomato salad or marinara sauce (Click here for my marinara sauce recipe). With the closure of Carrefour Singapore, I had a hard time trying to top up my olive bottle. I can only find green olives in other supermarkets. Black ones that are imported from Spain or Italy seem to be hiding themselves away. Green olives are good too but I just got that special love for black ones.

Cherry tomatoes

Pickled small crunchy onions

Black olives

Aged cheddar

Balsamic vinegar

Sea salt

Black pepper

Dry herbs

Extra virgin olive oil

Emulsify olive oil with vinegar, dry herbs, salt and pepper. Mix well with all other ingredients. If you happen to have fresh basil, throw some in. Basil is good friend with tomatoes.

PESTO SAUCE

Finally after ten weeks, my sweet basil that I have planted from seed is ready for the first actual harvest and pruning. That adds another happy moment in my life. Immediately, I turned them into my long awaited pesto sauce.

Lots of fresh sweet basil

Pine nuts

2 cloves of garlic

Extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt

Freshly crushed black pepper

Grated parmigiano-reggiano

Wake pine nuts by toasting in a pan over medium heat without oil. Other than parmigiano-reggiano,combine all ingredients in a blender and mix using high speed. Add enough olive oil at different intervals during blending to create a smooth paste. In a bowl, blend in parmigiano-reggiano into paste with a fork and it’s done!

Bring water in a pot to boil and add salt. Add in pasta and cook to al dente, drain well and mix in pesto sauce.

You can store the excess sauce in the fridge for other use. To my surprise, it tastes extremely good when I use it to make ham sandwich.

EXTRA VIRGIN

Just like most Asians, I grow up eating food cook in pork lard or peanut oil. I never knew the existence of olive oil even when I tried to cook my first plate of pasta which turns out as a disaster.

I only learn about olive oil much later when I watched cooking programs from the discovery travel and living channel (now known as TLC) and of course from Jamie Oliver.

The fact is olive oil cost so much more than our usual peanut oil which makes it uncommon as basic cooking oil used in most family here. But when it comes to pasta, salads and most European dishes, there is no compromise.

I won’t go into the differences between extra virgin and pure olive oil but in general, i use extra virgin when i do not need to heat it. It is good for salad, as a dip with balsamic vinegar for crusty bread and as table oil for adding into cooked food to gain that extra smoothness. Pure olive oil for the actual cooking as the cost is slightly lower than extra virgin. And if you are loaded with extra cash, you can try using it for deep frying and tell me the difference.

Personally, “Pietro Coricelli” from Italy is my preferred brand as it comes in dark bottles which are the best for storing olive oil.