Ginseng Chicken Soup (삼계탕)

Ginseng Chicken Soup on the "hottest" day of the Summer*

* There are three of these days during the summer; first, middle and last**. And on these days, it's tradition to have a piping hot bowl of this special soup. Today is the middle day: "중복".

I had my usual morning phone call with my mom this morning. She had just gotten back to her office from the post office when she rang. She had sent some ramyun by post; which I have to look forward to in about a week. During our conversation, her cell phone rang. It was Dad, asking her when she'd be home and if she was going to go exercise after work. I could hear their whole conversation. Mom sounded a bit agitated because dad's line was a bit noisy. She asked dad to buy her the Chicken Soup because today was the day to eat it.

I stopped by Real near work to pick up some essentials; a whole chicken, smaller the better. My mom usually use Cornish hens. The main ingredients are ginseng, dried dates, garlic cloves, and sweet rice. I didn't have ginseng and dates, so I had to make do without.


Rinse thoroughly and soak the sweet rice in water overnight. Since I didn't have the time, I microwaved the rice for two minutes. Clean the chicken, inside and out. Stuff the cavity with the rice. I used half a cup for a three pound chicken. Place the chicken in the pot, fill with water to completely cover the chicken. Drop in several cloves of garlice, if you have ginsend and dates, add those too. Bring it to a slow boil and simmer for at least 1 hour. Serve with chopped scallions and season with salt and a generous amount of black pepper.


**The last day falls on August 13th, so why not give it a try.

glazed salmon with polenta and tomatoes

In an effort to update this blog on a more regular basis, I'll start by posting my dinner menus throughout the week. I've been cooking for myself more often now that I'm on my own so might as well write about it.

I had bought salmon a couple of days ago and thought I'd make it for dinner. I wasn't sure what I wanted as a side so I stood in my pantry staring at a box of quinoa, a can of garbonzo beans, when I spotted a bag of organic polenta tucked behind the box of brown sugar. Polenta is ground cornmeal, a traditional stable you'll find in maybe central european cuisines. The texture is gritty, of course depending on the coarseness of the grind, and can be served creamy, baked, or fried. I kept mine simple; I was hungry. Guten Appetit!

plum sauce glazed salmon with polenta and roasted tomatoes

glaze

1 tbsp plum sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp garlic chili sauce
4 tbsp mirin
salt and pepper

polenta

dab of butter
1 cup milk
1 cup water
3/4 cups polenta
salt

roasted tomatoes

tomatoes
oregano
salt and pepper
olive oil

Whisk the glaze ingredients together and marinate the salmon for at least 1 hour. Dice tomatoes into large chucks and toss it in extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper, and oregano (or whatever herb suits your fancy). Pre-heat oven to 375, bake the salmon on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Pop the tomatoes into the oven for the same amount of time. In a sauce pan, heat the butter, milk and water to a scald. Lower the heat, season with salt, and slowly add the polenta. Keep stirring until the cornmeal has thickened. You can add grated parmesan cheese, but I opted not to. Serve the tomatoes on top of the polenta.

kale and pea rice salad

It's a weekday, I don't feel like cooking, but desperately need to consume some greens and all I have on hand are frozen kale and peas, some scallions and one tomato. So what's a girl to do? Chop it up and throw it all together with some barley rice and season it with a little love. I think it ended up needing a bit more love, but it was a light, healthy meal. Maybe adding some protein like grilled chicken or a fried egg would have been a nice touch.

[frozen] kale and pea rice salad

1 1/2 cup of day old rice*
1/4 cup thawed out frozen kale
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
2 scallions, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp light oil
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
dash of ground cumin
salt & pepper to taste


Saute garlic in the oil on medium high heat in a non stick pan making sure not to burn the garlic. Toss in the diced tomatoes; season as you go. Add the kale and rice, giving it some good stirs. Add the frozen peas, cook until peas are heated through. Season with soy sauce, sesame oil, and cumin. Always taste as you go. And yes, it reads more like fried rice, but rice salad sounds much healthier, don't you think?

* Make your own two-minute ready-rice. Having to cook for myself most of the time and cooking just one serving of rice be foolish, here is a little trick I learned. When the cooked rice is still piping hot, I scoop one serving size into a sandwich size freezer bag. When it's still steaming, zip it up and pop it in the freezer. Whenever you need rice, peel open a bag, add a sprinkle of water if you choose, and nuke it in the microwave for 2 minutes and voila!

somen chicken salad with sweet soy sauce

Tuesday evening dinner. I had baked some chicken the other night and thought what I can make with it. With the weather being damp and dreary, I thought a nice crisp slightly spicy noodle would surely brighten up the evening. I had some lettuce and bell peppers in the fridge so that's what went in this dish, but any vegetable would work: snow peas, carrots, Chinese cabbage, fennel or celery would lend a good crunch.


Somen Chicken Salad
Serves 2

grilled chicken
somen
romaine lettuce
orange and yellow bell pepper
mint

Somen is a thin white noodle, made with wheat flour. You can find it at any Asian market. To measure one serving, make a ring with your thumb and index finger, about the size of a quarter and the amount of dried noodles that fits between your fingers should be enough for one person. Cook as directed on the package, usually 3-4 minutes. Rinse the cooked noodles in cold water and let all the water drain. Slice grilled chicken into strips. Thinly cut the vegetables, rinse in an ice bath, drain, and pat dry or run it through a salad spinner. Toss the noodles, chicken and vegetables in the sweet soy sauce (recipe below) and mix in several leaves of mint. Plate and serve with wooden chopsticks.

Sweet Soy Sauce

1/4 cup black soy sauce (syrupy sweet soy sauce)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp sriracha (optional)
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp sesame oil
fish sauce, few drops
black pepper

Whisk all the ingredients together until the sauce binds thick. Grating some ginger into the sauce would give a refreshing kick. Add more sriracha for more heat.

grilled vegetable sandwich with spicy mayo

For the last few weeks, this was my lunch for a couple days a week. I would stand in front of the toaster oven at work and watch the timer wind down for six minutes and twenty-one seconds to make sure I didn't burn the bread or melt the cheese off too quickly. A quick and easy way to put together a sandwich, sort of.

grilled vegetable sandwich

vegetables; I used zucchini and eggplant, but any vegetable you fancy grilling: peppers, squash, asparagus, and even some portobello mushrooms.
olive oil
salt & pepper
cheese; Havarti or Provolone but any cheese that melts well
bread, pumpernickel. I have used challah bread from Trader Joe's and that gives it a nice sweet balance to the spicy mayo

spicy mayo
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2-1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp paprika

Mix ingredients together. The cayenne adds heat and the paprika adds a bit of sweet and smokiness. You can adjust the amounts to suit your taste buds.

Slice vegetables, 1/4" thick for the eggplant and 1/8" thick for the zucchini, to fit your choice of bread. Brush olive oil and season with salt & pepper on both sides. Grill to cook. I had grilled off two zucchinis and one large eggplant which yields about 6 sandwiches. Grill or toast the bread. Place vegetables on one slice of bread with the cheese and pop it into the oven/broiler/toaster oven until the cheese melts. When making the sandwich at the office, I would toast the bread, then add the grilled vegetables to heat through, and top it off with the cheese. Once nice and toasty, slather on the mayo, as little or as much as you like, and eat.

Give it a try and I guarantee you'll enjoy it.

peach shortcakes

I had agreed to help Vickie, a co-worker at FM, to volunteer for Les Dames d'Escoffier with their Green Kids at the Market Day booth at the Arlington Farmer's Market. An annual event to introduce children to seasonal foods and local farmers. Ice cream and butter making activities were available for kids along with design-you-own toque to building bugs out of fruits and vegetables. I had the privilege of assisting Pastry Chef Kate Jansen of Willow in assembling the delectable mini peach shortcakes. My culinary expertise and keen knife skills were showcased as I sliced the shortcakes in half, plated, and scooped on the macerated peaches finishing them off with a swirl of whipped cream from a can. I enjoyed basking in the morning sun and chatting up with kids and adults alike at the market before I had to make my way down the interstate to FM for my weekly fix of BOH grunt work; which I find completely satisfying. This week's highlights: mutilated thumb from peeling 10lbs of potatoes, making 10 quarts of cocktail sauce, cleaning hanger steak, and assembling the world's most beautiful cheese plate; ok, maybe not, but I got to be on the line for about 2 hours during dinner service. Yeepee!

Peach Shortcake from Willow Restaurant
Serves 6

Shortcakes
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 stick of cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream

Pre-heat over to 425 degrees. In a food processor, pulse the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder just to combine. Place the cold butter pieces over and pulse until the mixture is mealy in texture. Transfer to a bowl. Mix the egg and heavy cream together. Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients. Combine with a spoon until large clumps form. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead until mixture comes together. Gently roll the dough with a rolling pin to an inch thickness. Cut with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter into 6 rounds. Place the shortcakes 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake the shortcakes until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool the cakes, split in half, and top bottom half with peaches. Serve with whipped cream.

Peach Topping

Wash, peel, and cut 4 large peaches into small pieces. Sweeten with 2-4 tbsp of sugar. Macerate slightly to release the juices. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving.

white chocolate cranberry cookies

Makes 36 cookies
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter (room temperature)
3/4 cup sugar (Natural Cane Sugar)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp rum
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda, and sal, in a medium size bowl. Using a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until light. Add the eggs, vanilla, and rum into the butter and mix until everything is incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture, beating on low speed. Once all of the flour is mixed in, stir in the white chocolate chips and cransberries until evenly distributed. Drop an ice cream scoop sized dough on an ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 9-11 minutes on upper third rack, until the edges are golden brown. The center of the cookie should still look a bit doughie when it comes out of the oven. Let it cool on the sheet for about 10 minutes and transfer onto a cooling rack.

brownies

Brownies

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, room temperature
8 oz good quality semi-sweet chocolate (I used dark chocolate)
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract

Melt the butter and chocolate in a bain-marie (double boiler), set aside. Mix the dry ingredients together in a small bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla. Add the chocolate mixture and combine. Mix in the dry ingredients a little at a time until all is incorporated. Grease a sheet pan and line with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper. Pour in the mixture and bake at a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes for soft fudge brownies. For a more cake-like brownie, leave in the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Let it cool in the pan and invert onto a cutting board and cut into squares, rectangles, triangles whatever your heart desires. Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce.

spaghetti alla carbonara and spring salad

A nice spring weather pasta with a fruit spinach salad tossed in a orange-sherry vinaigrette paired with Laurent Miquel's Nord Sud Viognier (2005).




Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Serves 2

2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 oz pancetta, cut into strips
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
1/4 cup pecorino romano, grated
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 egg
1/2 lb spaghetti, 5 tbsp pasta water reserved
salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Add crushed garlic and cook until golden. Remove and discard garlic. Add the pancetta and cook until the edges are crisp. Add the white wine and simmer for about 1-2 minutes. Set aside. In the meantime, cook the spaghetti in salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving some pasta water. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg, parsley, and grated cheeses together. While whisking, drizzle in the reserved pasta water slowly into the mixture. Toss in the spaghetti and pancetta mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.



Spinach Fruit Salad
Serves 2

10 seedless green or red grapes, halved
3 strawberries, halved and sliced
1 quarter of an apple (gala, granny smith), cubed
1 orange
1 blood orange
2 handfuls of baby spinach, rinsed and dried

Vinaigrette

1 tbsp mustard
2 tbsp orange marmalade
2 tbsp sherry vinegar
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

To prep the oranges, slice the ends off so it stands on the cutting board. Using a sharp knife, cut away the peel including the membrane to expose the flesh. You will see the membrane between each section of the orange; cut as close to the membrane as you can while only cutting out the flesh of the oranges.

Mix all the vinaigrette ingredients in a mixing bowl, except the olive oil. Drizzle in the olive oil slowly as you whisk constantly.

agnes's mom's fried rice

Agnes's Mom's Fried Rice
Serves 2

2 cups day-old rice
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup frozen green peas
salt and pepper
1 egg (optional)

Saute garlic in oil until slightly brown on medium-low heat in a wok. On high heat, add the rice and coat evenly with the garlic oil. Season with salt and pepper. Add the peas to the rice; stir fry until peas are hot. Make a well in the middle of the rice, coat bottom of the wok with a bit more oil, and scramble one egg. When eggs are done, stir everything together. Season once more with salt to taste. I just fried the egg separately and served it on top of the rice.

ravioli sauce # 1

Chocolate! Not really, although that might not be a bad idea.

Simple balsamic vinegar reduction with a splash of heavy cream. In a small pan, reduce about 1/4 cup of good quality balsamic vinegar on medium-low heat until the vinegar becomes thick. Add some heavy cream (3-4 tbsp) to loosen up the sauce and drizzle over ravioli. I used the butternut squash ravioli I had made earlier and froze. No need to thaw the ravioli, just pop them right into boiling water and when they float to the top, they're done.

valentine's day pasta

My roommate and I thought we would head out to Old Town to Mai Thai for dinner, but given the current road conditions, and just being absolutely, ridiculously, freakishly cold out there, we decided to stay home and I cook.

A pasta dish that I've made a couple times before, though it tasted better those other times; it wasn't that bad, was it Chutima?

Tagliatelle with Parsnip and Prosciutto
Serves 2

4 strips prosciutto, cut into thin strips
4 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp thyme
1 small parsnip, but into thin strips
2 cloves minced garlic
2 servings of tagliatelle
3 handfuls of grated Parmesan
salt and pepper
reserve a few ladles of pasta water

Begin cooking tagliatelle until al dente. Always add plenty of salt when cooking the pasta.

Crisp prosciutto and thyme in 1 tbsp of butter in a hot skillet. Add the parsnip strips, garlic, and 1 tbsp of butter and cook until parsnip becomes soft. Add the cooked pasta to the prosciutto. Ladle in a couple of spoons of pasta water. On low heat, add the remaining butter and parmesan cheese. Add more pasta water for a creamy consistency and season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

imperia, ravioli, and tortellini

I finally broke out my pasta maker yesterday after letting it sit in its box for about a year. So here is my first attempt at making homemade pasta.

Basic Pasta Dough Recipe

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs

oil

salt

Put the flour on a large, clean work surface. Make a well and crack the eggs in the middle. Add oil and season with salt. Incorporate the ingredients together with your fingers. The dough will be sticky. Knead into a ball and set aside until ready to roll out the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough to about 1/2" thickness. Crank through notch 1 several times, folding the dough in half before running through again. The dough will be gummy; flour if necessary. Run the dough through each remaining notch once. Don't have a pasta maker? I will rent mine out for a minimal fee.

I made two fillings the night before.

Butternut Squash

1 2lb butternut squash, halved, peeled, and cubed

1 cup ricotta cheese

1 tbsp herb de provence

olive oil

salt and pepper

Toss the cubed squash with herb de provence, olive oil, salt and pepper. Layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake @ 375 for 45 minutes. Combine the cheese and squash and blend in a food processor until smooth.

Spinach

1 cup frozen spinach

1 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano

salt and pepper

Thaw spinach and squeeze out as much water as you can. It should be about one handful. Combine cheeses, spinach, and season with salt and pepper. Make sure to taste; the parmigiano will add some saltiness.

I started to make raviolis but they didn't turn out as pretty as I wanted, so using a glass jar (add to shopping list: ring cutters), I cut out 3" round wraps to make tortellinis. Make sure to flour your dough so they won't stick together. For a less time consuming method, you can always use wonton wrappers.

To make tortellinis, place a small amount of filling in the middle. Dab some water or egg wash along the edge. Fold in half to form a half moon shape. Pinch the dough to secure the filling inside. Take the edges and fold, it should look like a fortune cookie, and pinch the corners together. Be creative and have fun!

The ravioli and tortellini can be kept frozen until ready to use. All I need now is to come up with recipes to serve my little cute dumplings. Any ideas?

penne italia

Penne Italia w/ prosciutto and broccoli
Serves 2

2 handfuls of penne (about 2 cups)
olive oil
4 strips of prosciutto, cut into 1-inch strips width-wise
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1 cup broccoli, cut into small florets
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
parmigiano reggiano

Put a pot of water on the burner and bring to a boil. Add a generous amount of salt, couple of big pinches, to the boiling water. Toss in the penne.

Slightly crisp the prosciutto in olive oil on medium heat in a pan; remove and set aside. On low heat, adding more oil to the pan, toss in the garlic; lightly brown. De-glaze the pan by adding the wine (make sure to crank up the heat a bit.) Reduce wine to half the amount. (When pasta is almost al dente, toss in the broccoli for a quick blanch.) With a slotted spoon, transfer the pasta and broccoli to the pan and toss to coat. Add the prosciutto. Take the pasta off the heat and add the butter. Adding some pasta water will help keep the pasta smooth and creamy. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with grated parmigiano reggiano on top.

sunday dinner

Everyone has a go-to recipe, whether it's the meanest bowl of ramyun noodles or eggs benedict with the silkiest hollandaise sauce. Even my little brother has one, spam and rice. One of my classics is a spring salad with cranberries and walnuts with an orange vinaigrette. I vary the salad ingredients depending on what I have on hand, but the vinaigrette is my signature dressing. I really never measure my ingredients, so if my recipe doesn't work for you, feel free to add, take out, whatever suits your fancy. It should taste good to you.

I also made baked clams (?) along with my salad. I had some leftover from the seafood tagliatelle I made a few days ago so this is what I came up with: Clam Crisp. Probably not your traditional way of doing a clam bake, but it didn't turn out too bad. I'm not too sure what it's supposed to taste like but my roommate seemed to enjoy it. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

My "Go-To" Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Serves 4 to 6

1/2lb salad mix (spring mix, leafy greens)

1/2 cup of dried cranberries

1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Vinaigrette

3 tsp dijon spicy mustard

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1 tbsp orange marmalade

3 tbsp orange juice (squeezed fresh)

2 tsp orange zest

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

orange slices for garnish

Give the salad greens a good wash, tumble dry in a spinner (If you don't have one, drain in colander or pat dry.) Set aside.

Now here comes the fun part. You will need a medium size mixing bowl and a whisk. (I guess you can "cheat" and use a food processor, but where's the fun in that?) Combine the mustard, vinegar, marmalade, orange juice, and zest in the bowl. For the next step, I either do it one of two ways: Sit on the floor, indian style, and secure the bowl with my legs (A bit funny-looking but it works.); or, using a kitchen towel, make a donut and place the bowl in the center. Begin whisking the mixture in the bowl as you slowly drizzle in the olive oil. You can use more or less depending on the viscosity you desire. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the greens in the bowl with the vinaigrette. Tosh gently with tongs or by hand. Plate the salad and sprinkle the cranberries and walnuts on top. Garnish with two orange slices and serve.

Clam Crisp

Serves 4 to 6

1-2 lbs of clam (About 30)

2 cups dry white wine

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, finely diced

Crumb Topping

3/4 stick of unsalted butter

4 garlic cloves. minced

1 cup bread crumbs

1 tbsp tarragon, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

First, give the clam shells a good scrub and rinse. Add the garlic, shallots, and wine to a pot and bring to a boil. Add the clams and bring back to a boil. Drain and set aside the clams once all of them open. )

Melt the butter in a small saucepan on medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and stir the mixture with a spoon. The bread crumbs will soak up all the butter. Toast for another 2-3 minutes and stir in the tarragon. Don't forget to salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Using kitchen gloves (or disposable plastic gloves), separate the shells and loosen the clam meat. Line up the half-shells (with the clam) on a sheet pan. Use 2-3 tsps of the crumb topping for each clam. In a 350 degree oven, bake the clam for 10 minutes. Plate and Serve.

happy birthday mom

Mom's birthday was today. She looks the same as she did when I was in elementary school, minus a few grey hairs, so it's hard to believe she's lived over half a century (sorry Mom!). It always takes me awhile to "calculate" how old my parents are these days. 19XX subtracted from 2007... But what was worse was when I turned 27 a couple of weeks ago and mom said to me, "you're getting old." "What? me? I'm not old," I said as I cried inside. Age is just a number, right? 30 is the new 20? So that would make me...17?

Anyway, back to the birthday. I cooked dinner for my parents last night; actually, this was the first time I really cooked for them. Let's just hope they don't get used to it. Only kidding. We started with steamed mussels: quite excellent if I do say so myself. Followed by asparagus wrapped in prosciutto: a bit salty even though I used just half a strip for each stalk. The main course was a seafood tagliatelle served in a tomato sauce: I must have been inspired by my New Year's Eve meal. We drank Bear's Lair Chardonnay from Trader Joe's, which I also used for steaming the mussels. The night ended with my solo of singing the Birthday Song and scarfing down the mocha cake (chorus et al.) with green tea. There I go again with the tea. Happy Birthday Mommy!

Mom's Birthday Dinner Menu

Asparagus wrapped with prosciutto
1 asparagus bunch
12 strips of prosciutto, cut in half, lengthwise

Trim the woody bottoms off the asparagus. Wrap prosciutto around asparagus and line them up on a baking sheet. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Roast in 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the stalk.

Steamed mussels in white wine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, finely chopped
1-1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lb mussels, washed
few springs of tarragon

Add the garlic and shallots to a pot. Pour the white wine and add the mussels (only the closed ones). Add the tarragon. Bring to a gentle boil until the mussels open up (discard any that did not open). Serve with bread.

Seafood tagliatelle in tomato sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 jar tomato sauce

1 bay leaf
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 lb clams, washed

1 lb shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/2 fillet red snapper, cut into bite-size cubes
reserved starch water
1/2 lb Tagliatelle

Sweat the garlic and shallot in olive oil in a large saute pan on low heat until opaque. Add the tomato sauce, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and cook the tagliatelle to al dente.

Add the clams to the tomato sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes covered. Once the first two clams start to open up, add the shrimp, and then then the fish. Once the shrimp and fish are cooked, add the pasta to the sauce. Ladle a couple of spoons of the pasta water to loosen the sauce. Stir to mix. Place and serve.

This menu should yield 4 servings aplenty.

snow pea and broccoli risotto

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 large finely chopped shallot

butter

olive oil

3 palmfuls of Arborio rice (I think that's about one cup)

1 glass white wine (I used La Ferme Julien, Blanc 2005. Probably wasn't a smart move with such a fruity wine. Drinking a glass (or two) of it while cooking might not have been a good idea either.)

Chicken stock

1 cup chopped broccoli

1 handful snow peas

Sweat garlic and shallots in butter and oil mixture. Add the rice and cook until the edges become opaque. Add wine and reduce. Start adding the stock one ladle at a time until rice is cooked al dente. Add the broccoli and snow peas and finish it off with parmigiano reggiano. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Mushrooms would have been a good addition to this recipe. And remember, don't drink and cook.