Love is Bacon Tomato Pasta and Lemon Roast Chicken
I've finally finished the last of my papers in NUS. Now, with less than two weeks to exams, I can assure you the near future is full of late nights, panda eyes and a crammed head.
After a long Sunday night at the breezy arts canteen writing my essay (the study rooms are full and the library is closed) and a tiring Monday morning editing the essay, I just had the urge to cook a huge, elaborate meal.
Furthermore, the boyfriend was hinting (pretty hard) that he missed my cooking. I had to oblige.
I wanted to make Belle's baked fish with marjoram but I was out of the herb. Then I couldn't decide between pasta and salad, or roast chicken with butter and garlic rice... so I made everything (with the exception of the rice).
The pasta was a great success! Here's my secret when I try out online recipes: I choose one that I like, and then google around the main ingredients to find other recipes to compare, and add own touches to the recipe and voila! But with the searching and cooking and preparing, my whole afternoon and evening was all used up.
I started off with this Capellini Capricciosi recipe.
Bacon and Tomato Pasta
serves one tiny eater and one large eater
Olive Oil
100g of streaky bacon (2cm bite sizes)
Two cloves of thinly sliced garlic
Two medium sized onions
Two large ripe tomatoes
Handful of parsley
Salt and Pepper
Chicken broth
Splash of white wine
Angel hair or thin spaghetti
Heat a hot skillet coated with olive oil to pan fry the bacon. Cook the bacon either half crispy or well done, depending on how you like it (if you like very crispy bacon, do make sure you continue frying and remove ASAP and add it towards the end else further cooking processes will make it soggy. I prefer the medium crispy version). Add garlic and onions and saute till the onions turn translucent.
Add the finely diced tomatoes. I would prefer to leave the tomatoes for a long time in the skillet to get it relatively soft. Again, it is up to you how long you like it. Add a little chicken broth (not too much, it is a relatively dry dish) and the salt and pepper. I added a little more salt than usual as the pasta, since dry, would require this.
Add the white wine (around half a cup) and simmer to evaporate some alcohol. Then the al-dente cooked pasta and then the parsley. Serve immediately. If the pasta looks a little dry, add a spoonful or two of olive oil (the original recipe demanded 1/3 cup!).
I would add a little cheese. I bought some and I forgot to add it but it tastes good enough even without. I would skip any herbs though. Any of that dried stuff would have made it the taste too complicated.
Preparation time: Twenty minutes if you chop your ingredients quickly or one hour and fifteen minutes if, like me, did preparations while watching Gilmore Girls on the telly.
*Gallant loved this dish! We prefer this to the white sauce or marinara based ones. I will definitely be making this again and it is relatively easier to prepare.
serves one tiny eater and one large eater
Olive Oil
100g of streaky bacon (2cm bite sizes)
Two cloves of thinly sliced garlic
Two medium sized onions
Two large ripe tomatoes
Handful of parsley
Salt and Pepper
Chicken broth
Splash of white wine
Angel hair or thin spaghetti
Heat a hot skillet coated with olive oil to pan fry the bacon. Cook the bacon either half crispy or well done, depending on how you like it (if you like very crispy bacon, do make sure you continue frying and remove ASAP and add it towards the end else further cooking processes will make it soggy. I prefer the medium crispy version). Add garlic and onions and saute till the onions turn translucent.
Add the finely diced tomatoes. I would prefer to leave the tomatoes for a long time in the skillet to get it relatively soft. Again, it is up to you how long you like it. Add a little chicken broth (not too much, it is a relatively dry dish) and the salt and pepper. I added a little more salt than usual as the pasta, since dry, would require this.
Add the white wine (around half a cup) and simmer to evaporate some alcohol. Then the al-dente cooked pasta and then the parsley. Serve immediately. If the pasta looks a little dry, add a spoonful or two of olive oil (the original recipe demanded 1/3 cup!).
I would add a little cheese. I bought some and I forgot to add it but it tastes good enough even without. I would skip any herbs though. Any of that dried stuff would have made it the taste too complicated.
Preparation time: Twenty minutes if you chop your ingredients quickly or one hour and fifteen minutes if, like me, did preparations while watching Gilmore Girls on the telly.
*Gallant loved this dish! We prefer this to the white sauce or marinara based ones. I will definitely be making this again and it is relatively easier to prepare.
Remember to only eat free range (kampung) chicken
to help minimize cruelty to animals! =)
I made a roast chicken too (for the first time). The recipe was adapted from Tauton Press. It was truly fun to make (the hour cleaning, stuffing and *rubbing the chicken quickly *flew by). I was so impressed that despite my gusto preparing so much stuffing that consisted of huge button mushrooms, lemon, garlic, bell peppers and parsley, everything fitted into my tiny chicken's cavity. I made the sauce too with the drippings, chicken broth and some white wine.
The pasta and chicken, along with lemonade (when you buy too many lemons, make lemonade!) and a green garden salad, we had a great dinner last night.
The pasta and chicken, along with lemonade (when you buy too many lemons, make lemonade!) and a green garden salad, we had a great dinner last night.
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