The Classic Milano Panettone

Christmas is only round the corner (again), how time flies... Being a childless adult with no responsibilities, apart from the food and an excuse to have lots of gatherings, I am indifferent about the festive period. Lots of people generally putting so much emphasis on the whole thing, the pressure of having a good time is such an anticlimax. 

For most workers we can effectively have 10 days off work - the perfect length for a holiday somewhere away from the frenzy, and that's precisely what I am doing, jetting off to soak up some winter sun and top up my Vitamin D. Before we jet off, there are guests to be entertained, food to be made and consumed!!

I do enjoy good quality mince pies, especially there freshly baked ones by a local baker. That said, i am not a fan of Christmas pudding or Christmas cake. In the same boat and struggle to think of something Christmasy to serve your guests as pudding? Well, the Italian panettone could be your saviour. This sweet bread loaf/cake originates from Milan, and you will be amazed how much tastier to make your own. 

Because it is a bread/ cake loaf, the preparation time is rather long. If you are thinking of making some at night to take into the office in the morning, I would recommend allow 2 days for this process. If you are preparing this in the morning for a evening meal then that should allow enough time. 

Instead of getting a special panettone tin I used a muffin instead. I also think it is nice to serve mini one.

 1st batch

2nd batch

Wrapped a couple up as gift

Make 6 (muffin size)

250g good quality plain flour

250g Italian 00 grade flour

200g caster sugar

160g good quality butter

12g easy bake yeast

4 large free range eggs

3 free range egg yolks

150g sultanas

80g Waitrose Italian cut mixed candied peels

Zest of 1 lemon

15ml pure vanilla bean paste

A splash of milk and warm water

A shot of brandy

1. Combined the 2 flour and put them trough a sieve.

2. Measure the sultanas and soak them with a shot of brandy mixed some warm water. Leave to one side.

3. In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast with a splash of milk mixed with warm water. 

4. Mix in 75g of the combined flour, knead until smooth then shape into a ball. Slash the dough with a cross over the surface and place into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave it to rise in a warm place. This should take approximately 45 minutes.

5. When the dough has doubled in size, add an addition 250g flour and 2 eggs. Knead until smooth. 

6. Add 100g of sugar and knead until the sugar is mixed into the dough completely. Add 60g of butter and knead again until it is well combined. Again, leave it to rise in a bowl covered with cling film in a warm place. The dough should double in size in an hour or two.

7. Once risen, Add 2 eggs, 3egg yolks and the remaining flour into the bowl and knead until smooth. Add in the remaining sugar and knead until the sugar is mixed into the dough completely. Add the remaining butter and knead again until it is well combined. 

8. Mix in the sultanas, lemon zest, candid peels and vanilla bean paste. Mix for 5 minutes and again leave it to rise in a bowl covered with cling film in a warm place for another 2 or 3 hours.

9. Meanwhile, oil the muffin tin and line it with muffin casing or greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven at 200°C. 

10. Carefully transfer the dough mix into each mould. Let it for 5 minutes or so for it to rise a bit further before baking.

11. Place a small bowl of water in the oven before place the muffins onto the lower shelve of the oven. Bake of 5 minutes, take them out and slash a cross on the surface of each panettone (this is to stop them expanding into muffin tops in the heat), place a dab of butter int he middle of the intersection of each, return to the office and cook for further 10 minutes before reducing the heat to 180°C and cook for 30 - 45 minutes, depending on the ovens' power and efficiency.

12. To test if the panettone is cooked, put a skewer all the way though in the middle. If it comes out clean and not sticky then it is ready.

Merry Christmas!

Boiled Dumplings (水餃) with Szechuan Red Oil Sauce

Dumplings are one of my favourite food. Pan fry, boiled, steamed, deep fry.... I love all forms of dumplings and can never have enough of them. Making them is not difficult at all, especially if using pre-made wrappers. All that is required is to chop some vegetables. marinade the meat and let the wrapping commence. 

Making your own wrapper is an entirely different story. My partner and I learned how to make dumplings from scratch and they really do taste different. The wrapper has more textured, or perhaps they taste better because it usually takes over 2 hours just to make a just a dozen... 

Wherever possible we would purchase free range belly pork at the butcher and has it minced fresh. The result is quite remarkable. Pre-minced meat usually is more watery which dampen the wrapper so they don't keep the shape as well. More importantly there is a different in taste and quality. I would recommend giving this a go.

The veg that goes in the dumplings is usually Chinese chives, which is widely available in Asian supermarkets and has a distinctive garlicky taste to it. Alternatively pak choi or cabbage is just as good although lacking the garlicky flavour. 

Now the marinade. The meat is usually marinaded in light soy, sesame oil, ground white pepper,  chicken powder and Shaoxing wine. Mix all the ingredients together until the meat becomes a little sticky before mixing in the Chinese chives or any kind of vegetable of your choice. 

Here are the 3 different ones I've made recently. The sauce that goes on top is Szechuan Red Oil Sauce. I don't always follow the exact recipe, especially the coriander bit as it doesn't always make it on to the shopping list!

Szechuan Red Oil Sauce

First you need to make some infused dark soy sauce:

100ml dark soy
100ml water

1 tsp of sugar

1 tsp of ground cumin

1 star anise 

2 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine

1. Place everything but Shaoxing wine in the frying pan and bring to boil then let it cook on low heat for 10 minutes. 

2. Take it off the heat and mix in the Shaoxing wine.

Now the Szechuan Red Oil Sauce:

1 tbsp Szechuan pepper oil

1 tbsp of chilli oil (add more or less depending on personal taste)

1 tbsp of fresh coriander, chopped

1 tbsp of spring onion, chopped

1 tsp of sesame oil

2 tbsp of the infused dark soy sauce (as above)

1. Mix all everything but the spring onion and coriander together.

2. Add the spring onion and coriander just before serving.

3. Pour over the dumplings and enjoy.

Homemade Hummus Dip

One of my life goal for this year is to get fitter, and I am aiming to achieve this through exercise and better eating habit. I don't eat badly but I can eat better. My weakness is crisps, or strictly peaking anything snacks that are crunchy and savoury! 

I am trying to cut down/ out of this bad habit, and replace it with something healthier, hummus dip. OK, shop bought hummus dip is not that fantastic, I mean check out that traffic light labelling on the front. Hummus dip is extremely simple to make, and the key tool to success is a mini food chopper. 

I would like to say that after many trial and error I may have finally mastered the best hummus dip, in terms of consistency and flavour! 

400g of chickpeas in water

80ml of rapeseed oil

1 1/2 tsp of salt

1 juice of lemon

2 cloves of garlic

2 1/2 tbsp of tahini paste

A sprinkle of paprika 

1. Rinse the chickpeas under cold tap water and drained.

2. Place all the ingredients in to the mini food chopper and blitz until smooth.

3. Scoop hummus into a glass bowl or any container you wish to use and sprinkle with paprika.

Great with carrot or celery sticks. For something crunchy, serve with wholegrain crackers.

Beef congee (牛肉粥)

Congee is especially comforting and cleansing when I feel under the weather or when overindulge. There are so many kind of congee, chicken, fish, pork, beef or better still, plain ones. The congee recipe remain largely the same but mix in with different ingredient.

Serves 2

180g of rice

150g minced beef

1/2 cube of organic chicken stock cube

Dash of sesame oil

1.2L water
1 tbsp of mirin
Pinch of white pepper

1. Season the rice with a pinch of salt and a dash of sesame oil. Soak in cold water for at least a couple of hours before cooking (preferably overnight as this process helps to breakdown the rice).

2. Bring the water to boil, stir in the rice. Turn the heat up and keep staring for 5 minutes.

3. Bring the heat down, cover and let it simmer for 20 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, marinate minced beef with mirin, salt & white pepper.

5. Back to the congee base. Turn the heat up, break up the chicken stock cube and add, stir for 10 minutes. This is a very important step as it helps to break up the rice. If the consistency becomes too think, add some boiling water to dilute.

6. Take the congee base off the heat, stir in the minced beef, keep staring and break up the lumps.

7. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. 

Classic Carbonara

The typical carbonara that are available at high street eateries are usually laden with béchamel sauce. The cheesier it is, the better, and that's we define a 'good' carbonara. I am sure most Italian who come across these ghastly concortion of which we christianed carbonara would fell off their chair. 

An authentic carbonara is a very simple and light pasta dish, consist of pancetta, pasta and and egg to garnish. Here is my take on this classic. In this recipe I used macaroni pasta for no particular reason, apart from I have some left over from macaroni cheese. 

Serves 2

150g high welfare smoked pancetta

1 small red onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

150g closed cup mushrooms, sliced

1 small free range egg, whisked

160g macaroni, cooked in accordance to instructions on packet

1. In a deep frying pan, up some rapeseed oil in medium heat and cook the pancetta till they are starting to turn crispy.

2. Add the garlic and onion. Cook till soften.

3. Meanwhile, cook your pasta of choice in accordance to the instructions on the packet.

4. Add the mushroom and cook for a couple of minutes. Be careful not to overcook the mushrooms or they will go watery and grey.

5. Drain the cooked pasta and stir in with the pancetta mix.

6. Season with salt & pepper.

7. Take it off the heat and mix in with whisked egg. Be sure to keep folding the pasta mixture whilst adding the egg.

Enjoy!

Slow-braised beef tendon & beef shin in chu hou sauce (柱侯蘿蔔炆牛筋牛腱)

Early autumn is definitely in the atmosphere. There is a slight breeze when the wind blows and length of daylight is reducing for sure. It is again time for a change of our diet, and to opt for something more warming and comforting. 

I have decided to make one of my all-time favourite dishes this weekend: slow-braised beef tendon & beef shin in chu hou sauce. The combination of the tender beef shin, the nourishing texture of the tendons mixed with the flavoursome and versatile chu hou sauce is truly inviting. 

450g beef tendon

300g beef shin

300g mooli, thickly sliced 

200g chu hou sauce

4 tbsp of Shaoxing wine

500ml of boiling water

3 cloves of garlic, crushed 

1/2 tbsp of palm sugar

1 1/2 tbsp of dark soy sauce

1 1/2 tbsp of light soy sauce

2 piece of dried citric peel

1 star anise 

1. Boil a kettle full of water, blanch the beef tendon & shin and drained. 

2. Heat a tbsp of oil in casserole dish, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the chu hou sauce, both soy sauce and cook until the aroma is released. 

3. Pour in the water, bring the mixture to boil and add the dried citric peel, palm sugar & star anise.

4. Add the tendon & shin, cover and bring to boil then reduce to low heat and cook for 1 hour.

5. Add the mooli and cook for further 30 minutes or until tender. 

6. Serve with steamed rice and vegetables.

Note: It tastes even better the next day! 

Cream of mushroom soup (with crispy bacon)

Fungus is a fascinating ingredients. Depending on the variety, the texture is often vary. I would love to know more about fungus, or at least feel competent enough to forage these beauty in the woods. The only fungus foraging I have done is for Chicken Of the Wood. 

It is distinctively bright yellow and it was a well known local site. As the name suggests, this fungus has a texture of chicken meat and would make a fantastic substitute, only if it were commercially available. Simply pan fry it with a little oil, salt and pepper and that's all it was needed.

So that's a little insight into my love for fungus, back to this cream of mushroom soup recipe I originally wanted to share here. It is incredibly simple to make, and its great to take into the office for lunch or as a light supper. I sprinkled my with some crispy streaky bacon but they can be replaced with croutons if desired.  

Serves 4

900g chestnut mushroom, halves

1 tsp of thyme 

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

170ml single cream

1 potato, peeled and diced

1 litre of vegetable or free range chicken stock

1 tbsp of porcini paste

10g of dried porcini 

8 rashes of streaky bacon, diced

1. Preheat the oven to 150°C. On a baking tray, lined it with a sheet of baking paper, place the mushrooms on top and sprinkle the thyme and a drizzle some olive oil all over. 

2. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes. The mushrooms will shrink and release water. 

3. Take the mushroom out and sprinkle the finely chopped garlic. Cook in the oven for a further 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cook the diced potato in the stock, dried porcini and porcini paste until very soft. 

5. In a frying pan, cook the bacon pieces until crispy.

6. Tip the mushrooms and the juices in with the potato and stock, bring it to boil.

7. Take the mixture off the heat and blend with a handheld blender. 

8. Mix in the single cream and sprinkle the bacon before serving.

Szechuan 'Mala' Chicken (麻辣雞)

I love spicy food. The spiciness often helps to lift a dish up with a nice kick. Szechuan is renowned for its spicy food with an unique twist - spicy & numbing. A typical Szechuanese dish must consist chilli and a form of Szechuan pepper, this could be peppercorns, pepper oil, pepper powder etc Chilli gives the spiciness and Szechuan pepper gives the numbing/ tinkling sensation to the tongue and lips. If you have never experienced the tinkling sensation in the mouth whilst eating I would highly recommend trying this 'mala' chicken dish.

'Mala' literally means 'numbness and spiciness' and it usually used to described a cooking paste, which can be bought in most Asian supermarket. I made my own paste in this recipe and it is actually very straightforward. It can be kept in the fridge for a few weeks and it is fabulous for noodle dishes. In this recipe I will also share a tip in how to make sure the chicken stays succulent. 

Mala Paste 

This paste is of moderate heat. Please adjust the portion of spices in accordance to personal taste.

20 g fragmented black beans

30g chili bean paste

30g garlic

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground sand ginger powder 

1 tsp ground chilli powder

1 stp ground cinnamon

2 tbsp of Szechuan peppercorns 

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp of salt

100ml water

A dollop of mayonnaise 

1. Lightly toast the Szechuan peppercorns on a frying pan then crushed using a pestle and mortal.

2.  In a bowl, mix in all the ground spices including Szechuan pepper powder and add the water. Mix well. 

3. In a mini food chopper, put in the garlic, fragmented black bean and chilli bean paste and blitz until smooth.

4. In a frying pan, squirt a dollop of mayonnaise and add a splash of oil. Heat until the mayonnaise dissolved. 

5. Now add the garlic & black bean paste into the frying pan and cook for 8 minutes on a low heat. You will need to keep folding the paste so it doesn't stick or become overcook. 

6. Pour in the spice powder water and fold in the 2 mixtures, follow by the sugar.

7. Cook the paste for a further 5 minutes and take it off the heat. 

Szechuan 'Mala' Chicken

Serves 4

1kg skinless free range chicken legs and thighs 

6 slices of fresh ginger

1 chilli, halves

2 garlic

5 stalks of spring onions 

3 shallots, halves

1 tbsp of Shaoxing wine

3 tbsp of mala paste

1. In a shallow frying pan, heat some oil and add in the shallots, half of the spring onions, chilli, garlic and ginger. Cook for a few minutes so the aroma releases into the air.

2. Add in the chicken and cook until they're lightly golden on both sides. 

3. Pour in the Shaoxing wine and follow by the mala paste made earlier (can be shop bought if preferred). 

4. Smother the chicken with the paste. Bring it all to boil, put the lid on, reduce the heat and let it simmer for 8 minutes.

5. Turn the heat off, leave the lid on and let the remaining heat to steam the chicken for a further 8 minutes.

6. Now, cook the chicken with high heat for 2 minutes before serving. 

Fantastic with rice and some veg. The mala paste should allow another serving, so perhaps try it with some minced pork next and serve it with noodles as a quick, mid week supper.