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30 minute mealsItalianPasta

Spaghetti With Bottarga and Stracciatella

by michelletang118
written by michelletang118

Spaghetti with bottarga and stracciatella. Or in Italian, they will call it spaghettoni alla bottarga con crema di stracciatella.  As if adding bottarga to your spaghetti is not luxurious enough. I’ve decided to up it a notch and top it off with a creamy dollop of stracciatella.

So what is stracciatella? Well, my guess is that you are all familiar with burrata. The only difference between stracciatella and burrata is the thin layer of mozzarella; which, to me, doesn’t add that much value anyways. You just want that oozy, creamy goodness inside. Burrata, in fact, came after the invention of stracciatella, as a way to “hold it all together”.

Simply put, stracciatella di bufala is made with the leftover mozzarella curds and  mixing it with salt and fresh cream, thereby creating a sweet and milky delicacy. Its extremely versatile as a cheese, you can slather it on top of pizza or incorporate it into salads. Often it is served at breakfast time in Puglia, alongside toast, proscuitto, and fresh fruit. For more details as to how stracciatella is made, read this article.

The combination of  stracciatella (or burrata) on top of a dish of perfectly cooked al dente pasta is seriously delicious.

Now onto bottarga. Made from cured grey or red mullet egg roe, bottarga is a delicacy not to be missed. Bottarga is not just a delicacy in Italy, but also in Japan (known as karasumi) and in the Arabic speaking countries (known as butarkah). In Italy, mullet bottarga, or bottarga di muggine, is a specialty of Sardinia, where the rose sacs were traditionally sun-dried after salting. The texture is akin to cured egg yolks or a firm pecorino cheese, therefore making it perfect for grating.

One of my favourite ways to use bottarga is to make pasta con la bottarga. Start with gently toasting whole, crushed garlic cloves in olive oil in a pan set on low heat. This will impart a subtle allium aroma without distracting from the main flavour of the dish: the briny, salty bottarga. Meanwhile, grate your bottarga as the pasta boils. You want to steep this bottarga off-heat in the warm olive oil to coax out the delicate aroma. Last, save a cup of starchy pasta water from the pasta pot as this is ideal for emulsifying the sauce, which is brought together by simply tossing and stirring the noodles off-heat (i.e. no need to finish the pasta dish on heat, a process called mantecatura).

Fresh lemon juice and zest, plus some freshly chopped parsley helps impart some acidity and freshness to the dish. Plate up the pasta (twirl it around a tong inside a ladle if you fancy more of a refined look) and shower it with a fresh dusting of bottarga to accentuate the salty, briny flavour in the first few bites.

 

Spaghetti with Bottarga and Stracciatella

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Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat
Rating: 2.3/5
( 8 voted )

Ingredients

  • 40 grams of bottarga
  • 60ml of extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
  • 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
  • 170g of pasta such as spaghetti or linguine
  • few sprigs of parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice and zest of half a lemon
  • 1 tablespoon of toasted bread crumbs
  • salt

Instructions

  1. Grate the bottarga with a rasp grater (microplane works) and set aside on a plate.
  2. Heat pot of water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook al dente (take off 2 minutes before time instructed on the package). Reserve a cup of pasta water.
  3. In the meantime, heat a skillet on medium low heat and add the olive oil and crushed garlic. Wait till the garlic turns light brown and discard.
  4. Add the red chilli flakes and cook on low heat for 30 seconds.
  5. Take off heat and add the grated bottarga.
  6. Add the pasta to the skillet with some pasta water and toss till it emulsifies and coats the pasta all over. Add some parsley, lemon juice plus zest, and salt and continue to add the pasta water in 60ml increments till you get the right consistency.
  7. Transfer to serving bowls and dust with fresh parsley, toasted breadcrumbs and a grating of more bottarga. Final touch is to add roughly 30 grams of stracciatella on top of each pasta bowl/dish. Drizzle with a teaspoon of EVOO if desired and serve immediately.

Notes

Grey mullet bottarga, or "bottarga di muggine" in Italian, is sold at some Italian specialty shops and online. It is sold as whole roe sac lobes, or already grated. As with hard cheeses, for optimal flavor we recommend buying whole pieces and grating it yourself. Bottaga, when wrapped tightly, can be stored for several months in the fridge.

 

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30 minute mealsItalianPasta

Aglio e Olio with Bottarga

by michelletang118
written by michelletang118

Aglio e Olio. Translated into English, it means “spaghetti with garlic and oil.” Perhaps the most simple pasta ever known to man. While there are debates as the origins of this pasta dish, suffice to say it comes from Naples. Four ingredients are all you need: garlic, olive oil, spaghetti, and red chilli flakes. Finish off with a sprinkling of diced parsley if you desire. Due to its sheer simplicity, Aglio e olio makes a great base recipe for any home cooks repertoire.

Me being me though, I like to step things up a level with a veil of sophistication. I incorporated some anchovies into my recipe and cooked it gently on low heat simultaneously with the garlic in the olive oil and also grated some bottarga for the extra umami touch. Decadence.

One word of caution. While Aglio e olio is simple and can be inexpensive to make, you really need to let the flavours shine. Hence, don’t be a miser and dish out on the best quality pasta and olive oil you can afford. The artisan Martelli pasta is my brand of choice. Martelli is a family-run business located in Lari, a small medieval village near Pisa. They have been making pasta using old-style traditions since 1926.

Aglio e Olio with Bottarga

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Serves: 2 Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat
Rating: 2.5/5
( 2 voted )

Ingredients

  • 1 pound spaghetti
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (or 2 peperoncino peppers, diced)
  • 3 anchovies, diced
  • 1/2 cup of quality extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons of grated bottarga
  • 4 tablespoons of freshly grated Parmesan
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked al dente, about 10-12 minutes (read packet instructions or go by 'feel'). Drain and transfer to a pasta bowl.
  2. Combine garlic, anchovies and olive oil in a cold skillet. Cook over medium heat to slowly toast garlic, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and add the peperoncino peppers or red chilli flakes. Cook and stir until garlic is golden brown, about another 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  3. Stir the pasta in a bowl along with the salt, black pepper and parsley. Pour in the cooked garlic oil from other pan and toss with the parsley and bottarga.
  4. Serve with extra grated parmesan (and bottarga) if desired.

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30 minute mealsBreakfast

Baked Eggs with Mushrooms and Spinach

by michelletang118
written by michelletang118

Instead of baking hot crossed buns this Easter I baked eggs with garlicky sauteed mushrooms and wilted spinach instead. Healthier right? To top off this long weekend of indulgence though, I added a generous shaving of bottarga and parmesan too.

Eggs in my pink-purplish shaded Le Creuset mini-cocottes are so pretty and a beautiful way to start Saturday morning. Note that as I did not have heavy cream at home, I substituted for full fat milk instead.  Anyways, this is a protein packed breakfast and a brilliant way to start the day and honestly, it isn’t very hard to make. Feel free to use other ‘fillings’ besides mushroom and spinach (say, I may try sun-dried tomatoes next).

 

Baked Eggs with Mushrooms and Spinach

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Serves: 2 Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat
Rating: 4.0/5
( 2 voted )

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 1 large portobello mushroom
  • 1 garlic, sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme (or fresh)
  • 4 tablespoon of full fat milk or cream
  • 10 spinach leaves
  • 1 teaspoon of grated bottarga
  • Few shavings of parmesan
  • Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180C.
  2. Wipe mushroom clean using kitchen towels and then slice it (not too thin that it breaks).
  3. Heat a small pan on medium heat. Add the butter and the mushrooms, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Sautee until the mushroom becomes soft, around 5-6 minutes on low-medium heat. Flip the mushrooms when browned on one side. 
  4. Divide the mushrooms and spinach between the two lightly greased ramekins. Crack one egg in each and top with some freshly grated parmesan.
  5. Fill baking tray with some hot water and place ramekins into the tray (water should reach half the ramekin). Bake for 10 minutes or longer if you don't want a runny yolk.
  6. Serve with some grated bottarga and thinly shaved parmesan and freshly diced parsley. 

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BreakfastVegetarian

Bottarga Soft Scrambled Eggs

by michelletang118
written by michelletang118

When it comes to making scrambled eggs, low and slow is the cardinal rule. Patience is the name of the game when it comes to producing silky and outrageously creamy scrambled eggs; and by patience, I mean extreme patience. Ideally you would want to use a quality non-stick pan (don’t use cast iron it may stick like crazy), and place the pan over the lowest heat you can get your stove, and stir frequently with a silicon spatula (or wooden spoon) to break up the curds as they form. Trust me, the results are second to none and it’ll taste like an egg porridge!

To jazz up the class scrambled egg dish, I have added a touch of creme fraiche (to boost the creaminess factor though this is not essential) and a generously teaspoon of bottarga. Note that bottarga is salted, cured fish roe, typically of the grey mullet or the bluefin tuna. As such, when incorporating this delicacy, you can use less salt on the eggs as you cook it. The bottarga will elevate the standard scrambled egg dish to a new level with flavours from the sea. You won’t regret it.

Make this dish to impress your friends or your other half on a slow and leisurely weekend. In no time, they will be requesting more visits to your home every weekend!

Bottarga Soft Scramble

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Serves: 2 Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 572 calories 54g fat
Rating: 4.7/5
( 3 voted )

Ingredients

  • 5 or 6 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons cream
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon bottarga, grated
  • 1 teaspoon of finely chopped parsley (for garnish)
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  1. Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them with a whisk, just until the yolks and whites are combined. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Heat a medium non-stick skillet, over medium heat for 1 minute about. Add the butter and swirl it around the pan until the butter melts. One butter is melted, quickly turn down the heat to very low (the smallest temperature you can get it).
  3. Add the eggs into the skillet and cook over the super low heat, being careful to stir occasionally with a silicon spatula or wooden spoon. At first, the egg will remain a liquid texture, but after 10 minutes or so, you will begin to notice curds. Important not to lose patience, keep stirring and break up the curds as they form until the mixture resembles a mass of soft curds. This could take up to 20-30 minutes.
  4. Remember eggs will continue to cook when they are off the stove so while the egg mixture is still slightly runny (about 5 minutes or more cook time), you want to quickly remove it off the pan and dish it onto the bread/serving plate. At this stage before just doing so, add the dollop of cream fraiche and bottarga and give it a few folds to ensure it is distributed evenly. Serve immediately on rustic bread and garnish with extra bottarga and/or parsley if desired.  scrambled eggs

 

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30 minute mealsBreakfastFrench

Oeufs en Cocotte

by michelletang118
written by michelletang118

How I miss the south of France. Had the most amazing trip last summer in Rodez, nestled in the Aveyron district of France. For those of you unaware of Aveyron, it is a department in the Occitanie, the south western region of France and is divided into 3 districts , 46 townships and 304 municipalities. The biggest city within Aveyron is Rodez, with a tiny population of ~25,000 (the employee size of one of the major banks I worked for).

Now what is Aveyron famous for? Probably one of what the world considers – not me – to be one of the most delicious comfort foods of all time: the Aligot. The Aligot is originated in the Midi-Pyrenees in the South of France and simply put, it is when mash meets cheese – and by cheese, I mean a lot of cheese. Typically Cantal or Tomme is used to blend in with the whipped potatoes to deliver a gooey consistency that just sticks to your tongue a bit as you devour the mash. Luckily, for the sake of my waistline, I myself am not a fan and prefer the buttery mash perfected by the late Robuchon. So I even passed by this dish at the world renowned Bras restaurant, Le Suquet.

Aveyron is also famous for the most picturesque villages and of course, the Gorges du Tarn (which I canoed in). For me, the biggest delight in spending almost two weeks here was the quality of the fresh produce and the amazing cheese.  I spent hours in the markets at Rodez screening for the most amazing produce ever.

It is here during my stay that I was inspired to make my first oeufs en cocotte, arguably one of the most quintessential southern France breakfast staples. I added chorizo for the extra salty kick but this morning, I decided to go healthier and opted for cherry tomato instead :). Feel free to make your own variation.

 

Oeufs en Cocotte

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Serves: 1 Prep Time: Cooking Time:
Nutrition facts: 250 calories 22 fat
Rating: 5.0/5
( 1 voted )

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoon creme fraiche
  • 1 cherry tomato
  • 1/2 teaspoon bottarga
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh, chopped parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika (if desired)
  • Pinch of salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 180C.
  2. Chop the cherry tomato in half and place at the bottom of the mini cocotte.
  3. Crack an egg and add the creme fraiche on top. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Place cocotte in a baking tray or baking tin and fill the tin so that the water reaches halfway of the cocotte.
  5. Play the tray inside the oven and bake for 15-18 minutes depending how well done you like your eggs.
  6. Once time is up, remove tray from oven and take the cocotte out. Garnish with the sprinkling of bottarga, diced fresh parsley and hint of smoke paprika (if desired). Serve while warm with freshly toasted sourdough (or rustic bread of your choosing).
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ItalianPastaseafood

Bottarga Spaghetti with Clams

by michelletang118
written by michelletang118

Mamma mia! When it comes to spaghetti, my favourite ingredients to add are two things: bottarga and clams. Just like a recently married husband and wife, these two super key ingredients are a mighty couple who bring out the best of each other.

For those of you who are unaware, bottarga the Italian name for a delicacy of salted, cured fish roe. It has been enjoyed for hundred of years in Mediterranean cuisine and is typically from the grey mullet or the bluefin tuna (bottarga di tonno), frequently found near coastlines throughout the world. Note that when cooking with bottarga, one not need to add salt as it imparts a salty taste already. More information about bottarga and how to incorporate it into your cooking can be found here.

I have opted to add a small amount of butter in addition to the olive oil to impart a velvety texture to the pasta. When selecting clams, use the smallest ones possible and do choose very fresh clams for the best flavor. To remove sand from clams, soak in a pot of salted water.

Bottarga Spaghetti with Clams

PREP TIME: 15 min | COOK TIME: 15 min | TOTAL TIME: 30 min | YIELDS: 2 servings

INGREDIENTS:

  • 200 grams of dried spaghetti
  • 2 tablespoons of bottarga
  • 250g of small, fresh clams
  • Squeeze of fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon of dried red chilli flakes
  • 1 tablespoons of high quality extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves, sliced or minced
  • 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
  • Pepper to taste
  • 1/3 cup of fresh chopped parsley leaves
  • 1/3 cup of dry white wine

METHOD:

  1. Bring water to boil in a pot and add salt. Throw in the spaghetti and cook 1 minute short of ‘well done’ time on packet instructions.
  2. In a separate pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and half the butter on medium heat. Add the sliced/minced garlic and red chilli flakes. Throw in some parsley stems too if you wish.
  3. Once garlic flakes take on a golden hue colour add the fresh clams to the pan and pour in the white wine. Turn up the heat to high. Add some freshly ground black pepper to the pan. The clams should take about 6-7 minutes to pop open. Add a tablespoon of the bottarga and the parsley leaves.
  4. The pasta should be now cooked al dente. Drain, reserving a small cup of pasta liquid. Add to the frying pan along with the remaining butter and a dash of fresh lemon juice (optional). Stir together till the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce.
  5. If the pasta seems a little dry, add some pasta water.
  6. Serve the pasta in bowls and add more freshly diced parsley, red chilli flakes and bottarga as garnish on top. Feel free to drizzle some high quality extra virgin olive oil on top too.
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