Shortcut Crumbed Fish Wrap

During my uni days, a close mate introduced me to a brand of frozen fish fillets. Now, for an uni student, discovering yummy frozen food was quite a huge thing. Those last minute assignments required instant nutrition.

Now, I rarely buy those boxes of fish fillets anymore. Occasionally though, when I'm in the mood, I still put a box in the trolley just to taste back memories...

Herb Crumbed Fish Wrap
4 frozen crumbled fish fillets
corn wraps
salad leaves
mayo!

Bake fish per instructions. Wrap in corn wrap, salad leaves and mayo and toast it for a few minutes

Cheesy Baked Smoked Salmon Ravioli

and so silly me entered a rice dish in a pasta event! DOH DOH DOH! So here comes my real entry for Presto pasta!

As you are probably aware, I am a HUGE fan of smoked salmon! I think it adds flavour to everything... entree? Lunch? tea break? dinner? supper-we can probably have come up with lots of ideas with smoked salmon. It's our little luxury.

A quick yummy and easy to put together dish.


Cheesy Baked Smoked Salmon Ravioli
200 grams of smoked salmon
1 packaged ravioli (we had spinach and cheese)
2 cups of chopped buttom mushrooms
1 cup of baby spinach leaves (add more of these!)
2-3 cups of cheddar cheese
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese

White sauce
50 grams of low fat spread
2 tablespoons of flour
1 cup of milk

To make white sauce- melt spread. Add flour and stir till golden brown. Add milk and whisk till smooth and slightly thick. Season to taste.

Cook ravioli per package instructions. In a big bowl, mix cooked ravioli, spinach, mushrooms, smoked salmon and white sauce. Spoon onto baking dish and sprinkle cheeses on it. Bake in 200C preheated oven for 25 mins

Sharing this with the good friends at Presto Pasta founded by Ruth from Once Upon a Feast. This week, Presto pasta is hosted by Katerina from Daily Unadventures.

Smoked Salmon Risotto

After our 3 very beautiful weddings, we headed back to Perth and returned to our work positions (in wedded bliss of course). And so my husband asked oh so very nicely if I could cook him something that I don't do often...

On our plane ride back to Perth, he was reminiscing taking the first bite of the White Wine Creamy Salmon Pasta that I used to cooked for my housemates. To be real honest, I was actually quite surprised that he remembered that dish as we were not even dating then. Apparently it was the amount of button mushrooms that I put in there that caught him attention (Doh!).



Although I could have cooked up the same dish again, I thought that I could try going out of my comfort zone and try making a risotto again. After all, that was what we had on our first day.... 4 years after we met.

So I entered the kitchen, put on the apron and cooked my first meal as a wife....


Smoked Salmon Risotto (Serves 2)
150 grams of smoked salmon
3 cups of button mushrooms sliced
6 cups of hot stock
1 cup of aborio rice
1 cup of peas
1 cup of Amberly's Chenin Blanc
1 tablespoon of garlic
squeeze of lemon juice
Parmesan cheese

Heat stock till boiling hot and keep it simmering. Heat a deep pan with some olive oil and add some garlic.. stir in the rice. Slowly ladle in stock.. one ladle by ladle.. and keep stirring. After your fourth ladle, add in the cup of wine. Continue to stir! Dont leave the pot....
Stir in some peas and then finally tear the smoked salmon and stir it in. Season to taste. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Sharing this with the good friends at Presto Pasta founded by Ruth from Once Upon a Feast. This week, Presto pasta is hosted by Katerina from Daily Unadventures.

Buttermilk Waffles in many ways!

We have been really blessed with many gifts during at our wedding..and one of my favourite (after the gorgeous food processor that mum bought for us) would have to be our waffle iron. It is a very very special waffle maker because it clocked up many miles of travel brought in from Germany to Perth by our wonderful friends Haz and Hanno.

The first one I did was just plain drizzled with honey and topped with some banana...


Then I recalled the amazing smell from the streets of Singapore from Prima Deli...



So we had Waffle with Peanut Butter and Waffles with Jam!


Buttermilk Waffles(Serves 6 so made around 15 waffles!Needless to say, we had waffles for breakfast every day for nearly a week)

3 cups of flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
3/4 tsp of bajing soda
1tsp salt
3 1/4 cups of buttermilk
3/4 melted butter
3 eggs beaten

Preheat waffle iron.

Whisk flour, baking powder, soda and salt togeter. Stir in buttermilk, butter, eggs till smooth.

Spoon batter into waffle iron and cook till done! =)

I'm on the lookout for crispy waffle recipes so if you know any, please share!! =)

Cottage Pie

Have you ever had something to eat as a kid that you just cannot forget?

My first taste of cottage pie was at a friend's farewell party. I think we were 15 years old. She was one of my close mates in class and we had debates over Shakespeare's Macbeth. But her dad was relocating to the UK and subsequently to Sydney, hence the farewell party was held.

I took a bite of her mom's cottage pie and I was sooo sooo hooked on it. Seriously, I have NOT tasted such a well made cottage pie since then. I remembered being cautious.. not quite certain what I was eating (I was brought up in a Traditional soup, vege and meat meals home) but gave it a go anyway. It was in a aluminum tray...and it was huge.

And it was gone in minutes.

The worst thing was I was too stunned (and very unsure about my cookery skills!) to even ask for what her secret was. AND we lost touch soon after her re-location..

I can't get that image and taste out of my mind though.

Here is my version of cottage pie when the pangs hit.



Cottage Pie (serves at least 6)
3-4 medium sizes of potato (I used royal blue)
1/4 cup of milk
1 tablespoon of spread
seasoning

1 red onion chopped
1 tsp of garlic
olive oil
400 grams of lean beef mince
3-4 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce
1/4-1/2 cup of beef stock
1 cup of peas
1 cup of chopped mushrooms
1 can of tomatoes
1 tablespoon of spicy mango chutney
2-3 celery sticks chopped

Cheddar and Parmesan cheese (around 1 cup)

1) Chop and cook potatoes till done. Mash with milk and spread. Season.

2) Pre heat oven 180C. In a deep pan, fry garlic and onion till soft and done. Add beef mince. Break the mince up as you cook it. Add stock and simmer. Add chutney, sauce and seasoning. Stir in the veges. Cook for around 10-15 minutes till done.

3) Place beef mixture in an oven proof dish. Then top it with the mash potato. Sprinkle some cheese on too. Bake for around 45 minutes till it is bubbling hot and golden brown.

Baked Emperor's Chicken

Walking into my favorite oriental store one Saturday afternoon, I picked up a packet of spices that that have dangling on top of their freezers. Emperor's Chicken is a blend of Chinese spices and pepper which intrigued me. I think I ate this in a restaurant in Singapore before... but the memory was vague.

You can stuff your whole chicken with celery, carrots and potato but I chose to use chicken thighs in bone. The preparation was easy! Rub spices all over the chicken and baked it in an oven at around 200 C for 30-40 minutes.



Stir fry some broccoli and DaDuh! A meal is served!

Presto Pasta #118-The ROUND UP!

Hosting presto pasta provides me a chance to get to know more great foodie blogs and to learn more about noodles/pasta. This week, the dishes featured ranged from quick meals to more elaborate ones.

Grab a hot/cold (depending on which continent you are front) drink, sit back and relax on this journey of pasta.

A kid that I used to work with will say....
READY .....SET.....GO!!!!!!




First up, Parita's world shared the goodness of leeks with us. The creamy leek sauce on a bed of tomato sauced pasta looks delicious to me. Pasta in Tomato Leek Sauce is certainly one to try.

Kelvin's recipes from Closet Cooking never fails to inspire me. This Penne with Asparagus and Mushrooms in a Gorgonzola Sauce was a dish that he conjured up with left over ingredients in his fridge. I say bring on more recipes to make use of ingredients that we left at the end of the week-not only it is environmental friendly but it is good for the hip pocket too!


Who can resist a good noodle salad? I can't for sure. Judith from Think on it provided two variations of a sauce you can place on your salad. I don't know about you but I'm always on the look out for salad dressing recipes. Have a look at Judith's Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce.


Vegetarians! Here is a call out recipe for you! Dido Divya from Dido Lives Cooks did a wonderful Indian version of Spinach Cheese Ravioli. It even looked a crispy to me! Imagine popping one into your mouth... Love the way Divya used spices such as masala in this classic dish.

I have a weakness for cheeses.. So imagine my delight when Vinolia served up Four Cheese Sauce and Veal Scallop with Fettuccine. Hop onto Akai Saapadu for more quick and easy Indian style recipes.


Little Inbox from Makan King and Queen: Eating Pleasure did a fabulous job with her stir fry of Oriental Fried Udon. I am a BIG fan of one pot dish like this. Saves washing up too. Her use of Udon is especially appealing as the texture of the noodle makes it nice and juicy to bite on.

Let's welcome Kalaivani from Little Taste Buds- This is her first entry for Presto Pasta and what a lovely dish with pretty colours! Spaghetti with Peppers is not only visually appealing but certainly looks healthy too.


If you are looking for some comfort food- Lemon Chicken Pasta from Ya Salam Cooking is a dish you have to try. The use of chicken broth and lemon means this dish is full of flavor.


I'm drooling with the sight of Italian Sausage Spinach Stuffed Shells. Joelene even featured step by step instructions on how can we do it- very thoughtful of her! Hop onto Joelen's Culinary Adventures for a taste of her delicious cooking.


Fresh pasta always taste heaps better than dried ones. Sara from Cupcake Muffin had a go with using her brand new pasta making machine-and look at the fabulous job she has done. The sweetness of roasted squash and creaminess of Goats Cheese in Fresh Pasta with Roasted Squash and Goats Cheese is sure to be a hit.


This is also Toni's first entry! She made Pesto Pasta- from the pesto she made from scratch! I'm just imaginating the wonderful smells of basil in her kitchen! Do check out Daily Bread Journal for more information on how to make fresh pesto- AND how to win a giveaway too!


Georgia from Oh Kitchen, What won't you do made an awesome dish of Penne with Spinach Sauce. The use of goats cheese and cream cheese with Spinach makes this a high calcium dish! I'm also with Georgia on how easy and quick to do recipes are winners. This one is definitely one of them.


I'm so happy to be reciving this recipe from Ning's Heart and Hearth. Her Japanese Style Potato Noodles Soup with Crabsticks and Nori (Seaweed) looks really comforting. I have only stir fried sweet potato noodles but didn't know there is potato noodles in shops out there too.



There is abit of a theme here this week. We love our Goat's cheese! Ferdzy from Seasonal Ontario Food made Goat's Cheese, Spinach and Lentil Lasagna. Not only is it healthier than your traditional meaty lasagna but I am sure the Goat's cheese and lentil will provide a creamy texture as well.



Check out Graziana's Erbe in Cucina from Italy. The use of herbs in her Pasta with Asparagus and Fresh Herbs dish provide such an aromatic scent. Certainly fresh herbs enhances the cooking experience!! Not only that, it is healthy too.


Looking for something creamy? Marye did a fantastic job with her Southwestern Fettucine with Creame Fraiche. What I love most? that big juicy corn on the side! Do send your best wishes to her on Baking Delights.



Blogging has allowed me to meet lovely friends. SIG from Daily Affairs and I became great friends over blogging. We met in Singapore and never looked back since. She made two very classic pasta dishes- Pasta in Beef Sauce and Pasta in Cream Sauce that even her daughter says "Mummy, the pasta is yummy."


Soup or pasta? What if you can have both? Melissa from Alosha Kitchen blended the best of both worlds with Pasta ceci. A look in that bowl reveals lots of vege healthy goodness. Be sure to check it out!


Heard of a herb called Garlic Scape? I read it from Joanne's Eat Well with Others. She used the herb to make pesto and created an awesome Pasta with Chicken, Peppers and Tomatoes! That wonderful use of herbs and tomatoes would have created a wonderful aroma for sure!



Kitchenetta from Got No Milk created a fresh pasta dish for us this week. Her Gnooci salad made full used of vegetables such as asparagus, peas and spinach-exactly my sort of meal!''



Another Perth blogger, Christine from Eat First, Diet Later (I would love to use such a motto!) made a hearty Lamb Pasta Soup. It is PERFECT for a very cold and windy winter here. And with 13kg of lamb in her fridge- I hope we will be seeing more of her pasta recipes soon.



I adore the recipes that Ching from Little Corner of mine puts up on her blog. It's fuss free, simple and so full of motherly love. Her dish of Stir Fried Spaghetti with Spam brought me lots of childhood memories-especially with pan fried spam!


The founder of Presto Pasta, Ruth from Once Upon a Feast is back with her Grandma Hazel Spaghetti that was made with so much love! A visit from her gorgeous daughters also brought forward a feast of pasta- hey, what is a family gathering without food right?


I'm lost with words with Katie's Thyme for Cooking's Warm Turkey and Garlic Pasta. Fresh new garlic of the summer used in her dish, I can just smell the wonderful aroma from here.



A new comer to Presto Pasta- Zoe from Zoeblog sent her pasta greetings with Pasta with Caramalized leek and Feta Cream sauce. Any cream- look alike pasta that is nearly fat free will be a HIT in my kitchen for sure.


Fancy a cheap and tasty pasta dish? Nic from Lemon and Cheese adapted hers from Nigella Express. Her Mortadella Pasta salad features the use of mustard and thick slices of mortadella!


Food is never the same when eating with your close friends. The Food Hunter shared her passion with her co-workers and made an elegant Penne with Grilled Zuchinni Ricotta Salata and Mint to share with them. I bet they were a hit!


I adore spicy food. So when Served with Love enters her Spicy Marconi with Bell Pepper Sauce to PPN this week, I jumped on it straight away. I do have a packet of Marconi lying around so I might just give this a go soon!

Not forgetting my two dishes for the week:


Pesto Marinara Pasta

and

Stir Fried Chicken, Cabbage and Eggs with Mung Bean Noodles

So that's it for this week Presto Pasta. Next week's host will be Kiat from Pots and Plots. Do email your entry to potsandplots (at) gmail(dot) com and cc to ruth (at) 4everykitchen (dot) com.

Thank you so much for participating everyone! Hope you had as much fun as I did!!