Ariosto Seasoning - Risotto with Tomato Sauce

First thing first, I have just launched my fan page on Facebook.  If you enjoy my recipes, feel free to click on the Facebook logo below and "Like" my page. I guess by now, we have Facebook accounts so, I will use this opportunity to share with you some food news, interesting finds and recipes made by others, and even some cool science facts related to my field of research in nanotechnology. I love sharing my finds on Twitter and on my own personal wall. Feel free to post on the wall your favorite recipe, questions and comments.

While I was in a conference at Cambridge, I was contacted by an Italian company called Ariosto which sells all-natural seasoning mixes. I like their idea that they sell more than the basic Italian seasonings that are usually found in supermarkets. They have seasonings for potatoes, fishes, pasta sauces, roast beef, chicken, and even omelettes. If you are not the type of person who preserve herbs in your fridge, these products can be suitable for you.

I didn't hesitate to say yes when it comes to Italian food, so the company sent me samples of their products. On their website, there are some interesting and creative recipes that are published by other food bloggers, and some of them, I know quite well. Anyhow, I wanted to make a dish that doesn't intervene with any of the food bloggers. I was thinking of making something with the seasoning for tomato sauce. One would instantly think of mixing tomato sauce into pasta. I think tomato sauce has more than one purpose...

I was inspired from a few of my past recipes like Beef with Tomatoes, Rice with Shrimp Egg Sauce and Artichoke Risotto with Pesto. All these have a generous amount of sauce and served with a fair amount of rice. In fact, why not make a basic tomato sauce and mix it into a risotto?

Do you have a killer tomato sauce to share? Have you used tomato sauce other than on pasta? Please do post your recipe link on the comment section, I will definitely read it.

Serves 2
Preparation Time: 5 mins
Simmering Time: 45 mins to 1 hour for tomato sauce
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Tomato Sauce
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Ariosto seasoning for tomato based sauce
1 tbsp sugar
1 28 oz. can whole plum tomatoes

Risotto
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
4-5 cups warm vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups Tomato Sauce
2 tbsps butter (optional)
Parsley for garnish
Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Prepare tomato sauce. In a saucepan, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. Add Ariosto seasoning to the pan and brown it for a few seconds.

2. Add tomatoes with its juice and cut them into cubes with scissors. Bring to low heat. Simmer for 45 mins to 1 hour, uncovered until thickened.

3. Prepare risotto. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tbsp of butter and oil over medium heat. Cook chopped onion until transparent, about 5 mins. Set aside.

4. Add Arborio rice to skillet and cook until translucent. Add a ladle of broth until the rice has adsorbed most of the liquid. Stir frequently. Bring back cooked onion to skillet.

5. Continue adding a ladle of broth at a time, stirring until liquid is almost fully adsorbed.

6. After 15 mins, once rice is almost done, stir in 1 1/2 cups of the prepared tomato sauce.

7. Continue adding broth in the same manner until rice is al dente. For a creamy texture, stir in 2 tbsps of butter.

8. Spoon risotto onto serving plates. Garnish with parsley and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Salmon en Papillote with Maple Syrup, Ginger and Mango

I'm back from my trip to UK. In fact, I was back since the beginning of August. I was just overwhelmed with work and I'm a bit behind with my research, so I'm catching up slowly... I also get distracted by the numerous summer activities and events in Montreal. If you visited Montreal, you would understand why...I received numerous e-mails and tweets about when I'll be publishing my next recipe. I have been pressured quite a lot by co-workers too, so you're not the only ones... I'm so fortunate to have such loyal viewers and I greatly appreciate it.

The Highlands of Scotland in a nice sunny day.

You might wonder what I did in my three-week vacation in the UK. I visited over 30 cities which includes Wales, England, Scotland & The Highlands. When I'm in a foreign country, I hunt for the best places to eat and acquire as much knowledge about their food culture. Expect some posts about my food adventures in the following weeks.

Yes, this is Stonehenge!

I received a request a week ago from my brother's friend who wants me to make a salmon dish which is savory and, at the same time, original. When I deal with salmon, I immediately think of "en papillote", a classic French cooking technique in which the fish is steamed inside a sealed pouch with fresh herbs, seasonings and aromatics. My favourite marriage of ingredients is maple syrup, ginger and lime which gives a contrast of sweet, tangy and citrus flavour to your dish. Simply licking your mixing bowl, you'll be amazed of this combination. I added some mango and coriander for some freshness to the salmon.

What is your favourite salmon dish? If you have already published a salmon recipe on your blog, feel free to post your link on the comment section. I would love to read it!

Note: I presented both ways to make a pouch. Both methods are as good, I didn't see any difference in terms of doneness and flavors.

Serves 4
Preparation Time: 10 mins
Oven Time: 15 to 18 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
4 salmon fillets, skin on or off
salt and pepper to taste

Garnish
3 tbsps maple syrup
1 tbsp ginger, grated
2 tbsps lime juice
2 tbsps coriander, chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
2 mangoes, cut into cubes

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. In a medium bowl, mix maple syrup, ginger, lime juice, coriander and scallion.

3. Add in the mangoes and, with a spoon, gently coat the mangoes with syrup mixture.

2 options for the pouching:

4. Cut parchment paper in a heart shape. Add a tsp of olive oil in the middle of one side of the heart. Place the salmon skin side down, add 1/4 of the mango garnish on top of the salmon.

Fold the other half of the paper, starting from one end of the heart, crimp the open edges to seal them by making a series of small folds.

OR

4. Lay a foot-long parchment paper. Repeat the above process for the salmon. The pouch should look like a calzone.

5. Place salmon pouches on a baking pan and bake for 15-18 mins.

6. To serve, place the pouches on serving plates, and let each person cut open his or her own pouch. Bon apétit!

Parsley Hummus with/without Tahini

I am now officially in UK, staying at Trinity College, one of the oldest residence in Cambridge University, built in the mid-1500s and founded by Henri VIII. Famous scientists, mathematicians as well as numerous Nobel prize winners used to stay in Trinity, so it is quite wonderful to know that I am staying where the fundamental science has started. 

My body hasn't gotten used to the jet lag. So basically I am writing this post at 3 in the morning (10PM in Montreal time). I guess I have free up some time for food blogging. The past weeks, I have been practising my presentation for the conference in front of various groups of people, those who knows my research and those who doesn't. It gives a good indication on how well I am transmitting my key messages to the audience. The more practice, the more confident that I will be able to answer audience's questions. This is always nervous part of the presentation. You will never know what kind of trick questions that will be asked. The most terrifying moment is not able to answer the question properly.

A while back, I made hummus, great for spreading on bread every morning, rarely I have time to make fancy breakfast in the morning. I create many variations of hummus so I won't get tired of eating hummus everyday. Try to blend some flavours, explore alternatives. For example, tahini paste has a silky texture and nutty flavour, why not substitute with peanut butter or raw coconut butter or even almond butter.

If you like hummus, what flavours would you put in it?

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1 19oz. can of chickpeas (garbanzo) beans
1/3 cup tahini or smooth peanut butter or coconut butter (Artisana Raw Coconut Butter)
2-3 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
1 tsp cumin
1 pinch salt
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 apple, quartered (optional)
1 handful of parsley
2-3 tbsp water (if necessary)

Procedure

1. In a food processor, blend chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, salt until smooth.

2. Add in garlic and apple. If necessary, add few tbsps of water if mixture is too thick. Blend in parsley.

3. For decoration, make a circular well on the hummus and drizzle with hummus. Place unblended chickpeas in the well.

Hoisin Peanut Butter Glazed Chicken Drumsticks

I can't believe it has been nearly a month since my last blog post. Don't worry nothing life threatening happened to me the past few weeks. I was basically stuck with loads of paperwork, 2-months of paperwork that I set aside during my PhD exam. I didn't realize that I have that much work to do, so food blogging was set aside for a while, seriously I didn't expect to be that long. Hopefully, I didn't desert you viewers for too long (probably I did). I have lots of blog catching up to do.

Here's a quick update of my weeks:

1. For all of you who were waiting impatiently of the results of my PhD exam, I successfully passed it.
   
   
2. After 8 months from the submission of my thesis, I finally graduated and received my Master degree.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Some of you might already know the news, I will be heading to UK to give a talk about my research at a conference in Cambridge University in mid-July. Afterwards, I will travel around UK until the end of July. I will be meeting some food bloggers. If you live in UK, I would gladly meet you, just send me an e-mail.

If you're busy person like me and don't feel doing much on the stove. This Thai-inspired dish is something you do want to make on your lazy-to-cook days. All you need is to mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and brush it over the chicken. Leave it in the oven until fully cooked. Remember: a balance of sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavours is key to a great Thai dish. 

Preparation Time: 5 mins
Baking Time: 50-55 mins
Adapted from Canadian Living
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

1/4 cup green onions, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp hoisin sauce
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp gingerroot, grated
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes (or Sriracha) (optional)
8-10 chicken legs or thighs

Procedure

1. In a bowl, combine all ingredients except for the chicken.

2. Arrange chicken in a lightly oiled baking pan.

3. Brush sauce over chicken. Bake for 50-55 mins until golden brown and juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

4. Garnish with green onions.

Chocolate Layer Cake with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

I would like to start the post with a big thank you for all your support and good luck wishes for my 2-day PhD exam. I can tell you that I was pretty satisfied of my performance and glad that it is finally over after 2 months of study.

The day after my exam, I was invited to the 30th birthday party of my Brazilian friend, Carlos. After studying for so long, it was an opportunity to personally bake a surprise birthday cake for him. I love planning surprises and I had quite a few successful ones in the past. The last time I planned a huge surprise was on my 1st blogiversary for my Mexican friend, Mon. Her reaction was totally priceless. 

Turning 30, that's something big. Being such a great friend, he deserves a surprise cake, one of these little joys in life. I knew there would be about 25 guests at the party, with half of the people that I never met. So I had to bake a cake, enough for everyone and make a first good impression too. When I think of the number 30, I immediately thought of baking three circular cake layers. The génoise was chocolate, the cream cheese frosting was chocolate, everything ended up to be chocolate. Who doesn't like chocolate? I assumed that everyone like chocolate. It took me a few hours to assemble it.

Now that it is done, it is time to carefully plan the surprise. The party was at my Peruvian friend's place, Jorge, so I knew his place pretty well. When I arrived at his place, I dropped the cake at the back porch and entered the building from the front. I was greeted by my friend Carlos at the door, wished him a happy birthday and started to chitchat with friends and guests. When Carlos got out of the conversation, I told them about the surprise cake. As the night progressed, more guests arrive and it was time to execute the plan. While a couple of friends distracted him, I took out the cake, lit the candle and everyone started to sing the birthday song. Reaction: priceless. Another successful surprise and a great collaborative effort from the part of everyone.

As you can see, I did not frost the edges of the cake, it gives the guest the freedom to choose whether they want 1, 2 or 3 layers of cake. Everyone ended up having 1 or 2 layers, except for one who asked for 3 layers. I received rave reviews about this cake, and some can't believe that an Asian guy like me made this cake. When you think about it, how many guys do you know know how to bake cakes? With a few years of baking experience, I know how to bake moist cakes and the perfect frosting which compliments well with the génoise.

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Baking Time: about 20 mins per layer

Frosting adapted from Donna Hay

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Chocolate Génoise
9 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/4 cup cake flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting
375g cream cheese, softened
75g (1/3 cup) butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder, sifted

Chocolate Shavings
1 oz. bittersweet chocolate

Procedure

1. Grease with butter and coat with cocoa powder three 9-inch round cake pans.

2. In a large bowl, place egg whites, stand for 30 mins at room temperature.

3. In another large bowl, beat egg yolks and 1 cup of white sugar until thick and pale.

4. In a small bowl, combine and sift flour, cocoa powder and salt.

5. Gradually whisk in the dry ingredients into egg yolk mixture until blended. Set aside.

6. Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until it starts to foam. Add in cream of tartar and gradually add 1/2 cup sugar. Beat until stiff peaks. As a test, the egg whites should not fall if you invert the bowl.

7. Incorporate 1/4 of the egg whites into chocolate mixture. Fold in the remaining egg whites. 1/3 of egg whites at a time until incorporated.

8. Preheat oven to 350F. Divide batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans. Bake for 18-20 mins or until it springs back when gently pressed or passes the toothpick test. Allow to cool completely.

9. Prepare chocolate cream cheese frosting. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until pale and creamy, about 5 mins.

10. Add in icing sugar and cocoa powder. Beat for an additional 5 mins until light and fluffy.

11. To assemble, turn out one cake layer onto a flat surface or plate. Spread with 1/3 of the frosting. Repeat this process with the remaining layers and frosting.

12. Hold a chocolate bar with a paper towel and carefully shave chocolate with a vegetable peeler to create curls. Garnish on top of the cake.

Gluten Free Coconut Pie

The past two months, I have been studying for the PhD qualifying exams: the first step of becoming a full fledge PhD. This exam consists of a review of all the topics covered in my undergraduate study in physics. I have to admit that it is not always easy to study and solve physics problems continuously throughout the whole day, and still manage to squeeze in some time for food blogging. I still have 5 days to prepare myself before the exam. Here is a picture of the books I have studying the past months.

I will leave you with this pie which will sure satisfy all my viewers. This dessert has only four ingredients: easy to make, requires no fancy or hard-to-find ingredients. You can think of this pie as an extended version of my gluten-free coconut macaroons.

Serves 8
Modified from Delicious WordFlux
Preparation Time: 10 mins
Baking Time: 25 mins
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

4 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
3 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp lemon zest

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9'' spring form pan with butter and coat with flour.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs and add in condensed milk, coconut flakes, lemon juice and zest.

3. Pour mixture to the prepared pan. Bake for 25 mins until golden.

4.  Cool completely. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve.