I wanted to cook something “wholesome” for family dinner on Sunday – something which the whole family could enjoy and something I hadn’t cooked before — and something which would go with Focacia and brocolli soup – so I asked my AI helper and this was the result!!

It was really great and everyone enjoyed it so m uch, I just had to add it to my collection.

Ingredients:

• 225 g penne pasta
• 450 g chicken tenders
• 30 ml olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 240 ml heavy cream
• 120 ml chicken broth
• 50 g grated Parmesan cheese
• 5 ml (1 tsp) Italian seasoning (or mix 1 tsp each dried oregano, basil, thyme, ½ tsp each rosemary, parsley)
• 100 g fresh broccoli florets
• Salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Cook 225 g penne pasta in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente, adding 100 g fresh broccoli florets in the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and set aside.
2. Season 450 g chicken tenders with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 30 ml olive oil over medium heat. Cook tenders for 4 minutes per side until golden and internal temperature reaches 74°C. Remove, slice thinly, and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, sauté 1 minced garlic clove for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add 240 ml heavy cream, 120 ml chicken broth, 50 g grated Parmesan, and 5 ml Italian seasoning. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens.
4. Add the cooked pasta, broccoli, and sliced chicken to the skillet. Toss to coat evenly in the sauce.
5. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.

Serves: Approximately 4 people (100-120 g cooked pasta and 100-120 g chicken per portion).

Slice sausages, pierce 6-8 raw spaghetti through each slice. Boil for required time like spaghetti. Drain and serve with desired sauce such as carbonara or tomato-based sauces.

Goulash, originally from Hungary, is a stew or a soup, usually made with beef, red onions, vegetables, spices and ground paprika powder. The name originates from the Hungarian gulyás (pronounced goo-yash), and means cattle stockman or herdsman.

Goulash is usually made with beef shank, shin or shoulder or veal and derives its thickness from tough, well-exercised muscles rich in collagen, which is converted to gelatin during the cooking process.

Meat is cut into chunks, seasoned with salt, and black pepper and then browned in a pot with oil or lard with sliced onions. Paprika, water or stock is added and left to simmer. After cooking a while garlic, caraway seeds or ground caraway seeds and even soup vegetables like carrot, parsnip, peppers like green pepper (or bell pepper), celery and a small tomato may be added. Other herbs and spices could also be added, especially hot chili peppers, bay leaf and thyme. Diced potatoes may be added, they provide starch as they cook, making the goulash thicker and smoother. A small amount of white wine or a very little wine vinegar can also be added near the end of cooking to round the taste.

Goulash may be served with thin soup pasta, made of a dough with flour and egg, thinly rolled out on a board. called csipetke. The name Csipetke comes from pinching small fingernail size bits out of the dough, (csip =pinch), adding them to the boiling soup.

More about Hungarian Goulash here.

There are may ways to prepare and eat goulash.

Our version is simple and uses local ingredients – in Malaysia we used to buy beef bones at the wet market. In Kuwait we use chuck steak. We also use a pressure cooker to cook the dish in under an hour.

We like to eat it with Fusilli pasta or a nice bread.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 3 – 4

400 gms chuck steak

1/2 large onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 green pepper

1/2 can peeled or stewed tomatoes

4 – 5 guindilla (Spanish dried chillies)

1 small potato, cubed (optional)

1 1/2 tbsp paprika powder

1/2 tsp marjoram

1 – 2 tbsp sour cream (optional)

1 Maggi beef cube

1/2 litre water

olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Cut the steak into chunks of approximately 3cm by 3 cm. Chopped the onions, mince the garlic and cube the green peppers. Puree the canned tomatoes.

Heat olive oil in the pressure cooker and fry the beef until medium brown. Remove. Add a little more oil if necessary and when hot, saute the onions and garlic until they are translucent. Add the green peppers and stir fry for approximately 5 minutes.

Add the meat, pureed tomato, paprika powder, beef cube and water. Crush the dried chillies using your fingers and add them to the pot . Add salt to taste and pressure cook on medium heat for approximately 25 minutes. Check it make sure it doesn’t burn in the pressure cooker.

Add the cubed potatoes, if using them, and the marjoram. Let it simmer slowly until the meat and potatoes are tender. Alternatively, you can boil the potatoes separately and add them to the goulash when the beef is tender.

Fifteen minutes before serving, reheat the goulash and add the sour cream if using it. Just let it boil through and remove from heat.

Serve hot with pasta or bread.

When I’m cooking this in Kuwait, it actually reminds me of Malaysian-style spicy noodles that I eat it with a pair of chopsticks. LOL

INGREDIENTS

For one serving

80 gms spaghetti

3 cloves garlic

5 guindilla (Spanish dried chilli)

70 gms peeled, deveined shrimps

3 leaves fresh basil

15 gms fresh parseley

1 tsp tomato puree

2 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Fill a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add the spaghetti and boil according to instructions on the packet until al dente. Check when it has been boiling for 6 minutes by biting a piece of the spaghetti. If not al dente enough, let it boil for another minute or two until the right firmness is reached.

Peel the garlic, smash it with the blade of a knife the cut into 1/2 cm widths, Mince the parseley and shred the basil.

In a pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat. Add the garlic and saute it – don’t let it become crispy. Lower the heat. Crush the guindilla between your thumb and index finger and add to the garlic. Fry a little on this low heat then add in the spaghetti. Fry the spaghetti mixing it well with the garlic and the guindilla to let it absorb the flavours and get coated in the olive oil. Add salt to taste and the herbs.

Add the tomato puree and stir well for 2 minutes or so.

Increase the heat, make a well in the centre of the pan – i.e. move the pasta to the sides of the pan – and add the shrimps. It should only take a while to cook on the high heat. Stir well and move the pasta around to spread out the shrimps.

 

Bolognese sauce made with 1/2 kg minced beef (See Spaghetti Bolognese)

9 lasagne leaves

Shredded Parmesan cheese

For the Béchamel:

3 – 4 tbsp butter

1 1/2 tbsp flour

400 – 500 ml fresh or UHT milk

salt to taste

Prepare the Bolognese sauce first.

While the sauce is cooking you can pre-boil lasagne leaves according to instructions on the package. Drain and lay them flat on a plate so they don’t stick to each other.

Lay 3 lasagne leaves on the base of an over-proof casserole dish or Pyrex. Pour 1/2 of the Bolognese sauce and spread evenly over the leaves. Lay three more lasagne leaves and add the balance of the sauce. Lay the last 3 lasagne leaves.

Pre-heat over to 180 degrees Centigrade.

Prepare the Béchamel:

• Heat the butter over a medium fire and when melted, add the flour. Stir for approximately 5 minutes on a slow fire. DON’T LET IT TURN BROWN OR BURN.
• Add a little milk and stir. Keep adding the milk and stirring until a smooth consistency is achieved. You may need 400ml milk or more. Add some salt and remove from heat.

Pour the Béchamel over the lasagne leaves, sprinkle with shredded Parmesan and bake in the oven for 30 – 40 minutes until the cheese has turned golden brown.

This recipe makes up to 4 servings depending on how much sauce you like in your Spaghetti!

1/2 kg minced beef
1 large onion, minced
5 – 6 cloves garlic, minced
1 can mushrooms, drained and sliced
1 can stewed tomatoes
5 tbsp tomato puree
1 – 2 tsp dried oregano flakes
3 tbsp olive oil for frying
2 cups water
1 Maggi beef cube
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a heavy saucepan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and fry the sliced mushrooms on medium heat till somewhat dry. Careful, they tend to jump if the heat is too high!

Remove the mushrooms, add a little more oil if necessary and fry the minced beef until all the water is gone. Remove and add to fried mushrooms.

Add 1 tbsp oil if necessary and fry the minced onions and garlic till fragrant and the onions are transparent and soft. Don’t let them brown.

Add the tomato puree and stewed tomatoes. Stir well, cover and let simmer until all the water is gone and the sauce is somewhat dry. Rub the oregano flakes between your palms and add to the sauce together with salt to taste. Let it continue to simmer until the sauce is completely dry – do not let it burn!

Add 2 cups water, the beef cube and the fried mushrooms and minced beef. Mix well and cook till most of the water is gone.

To serve, dish out the spaghetti on a plate and spoon the sauce on top. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan if you like.

This classic beef dish was invented by a chef working for a Russian general, Count Pavel Stroganov, in the 1890s. Apparently, Count Stroganoff, was also not just a diplomat but also a scion of a wealthy family that owned vast tracts of land and salt refineries in the Urals and later led the conquest of Siberia. It was Count Stroganoff who popularized the family dish in the rest of Europe. The dish is basically tender strips of beef and mushrooms cooked in a sour cream sauce and served over noodles, rice, or even French fries.

When we were in St Petersburg in 2005, we ate the dish in a restaurant right opposite the home of Count Stroganoff!

INGREDIENTS

Serves 2

• 300 gms lean beef (tenderlo9in or top sirloin)
• 1 medium sized bombay onion
• 300 gms canned mushrooms
• 50 gms butter
• a pinch of nutmeg powder
• salt and freshly milled black pepper
• 140 ml soured cream

“Wine substitute” :

• 1 tsp grape vinegar
• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 150 ml water

DIRECTIONS

Slice beef into strips of 1.5 cm wide by 5 cm long. Its not necessary to wash the meat if you buy it packed from the supermarket but if you prefer to do so, wash then squeeze away the water and place in colander while preparing the other ingredients.

Peel onion and cut into 2 lengthwise then slice 1/2 cm thick across. Drain mushrooms, rinse and slice lengthwise. Prepare the “white wine” substitute by mixing everything in a small bowl and put aside.

In a shallow pan, melt 3/4 of the butter over medium heat – careful not to let the butter overheat and burn. Add the sliced onions and allow it to gently soften, turning it around until it turns a golden brown.

Remove from pan, turn the heat up a bit and add a few pieces of meat at a time to brown them.

When the last portion of meat is brown, return all the meat to the pan, add the onions, the “wine substitute” and salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, lower the heat and let it simmer, stirring occasionally.

While that is cooking, heat a smaller pan and melt the rest of the butter. When hot, add the sliced mushrooms and fry them well on medium heat until all the water is gone. (Careful – the mushrooms will jump about if its too hot!)

Add the cooked mushrooms to the meat and let it simmer on medium heat until the meat is tender. Test by cutting a piece and trying it out.

When the meat is cooked, stir in the sour cream and nutmeg, let it just heat through and remove from heat.

Serve hot.