Pasta With Pistachio Pesto

Ingredients:
For the pesto
200g pistachio (roasted and salted in shell)
2 stalks basil, take the leaves
6 stalks parsley, take the leaves
1 clove garlic, bruised
150 ml olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
Dash of sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

For the pasta
6 slices bacon
50g pistachio (roasted and salted in shell)
360g pasta (spaghetti is my favorite)
50g parmesan
Salt to taste

1. For the pesto: Peel the pistachio, in a food processor combine the peeled pistachio, basil, parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper (i use about 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of black pepper). Puree until smooth. Set aside.
2. Fry the bacon, lay them on paper towel to absorb the excess oil. Chop the bacon and set aside.
3. For the pasta: Peel the pistachio and chopped them coarsely, set aside. In a large cooking bowl, boil enough water and sprinkle some salt after its boiled. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Preserve about half cup of cooking water and then drain the pasta. Put the pasta back on the cooking bowl, mix in the pesto and half of cup cooking water, stir them quick, add the pistachio and the parmesan, mix them well. Sprinkle the chopped bacon on top of the pasta, ready to serve.

Almond Choco Caramel-Drizzled Brownies

Ingredients:
200g dark chocolate min 50% cacao, chopped
150g butter, cut in small pieces
3 eggs (size M)
125g granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
75g all purpose flour
30g cacao powder
1 tsp baking powder
80g whole almond, coarsely chopped
100g dark chocolate glaze
Caramel sauce

• In a bowl, combine all purpose flour, cacao powder, baking powder and mix it well.
• In a small cooking bowl, on a low heat melt the butter. After the butter completely melted add 150g dark chocolate (set the 50g aside), remove from heat and let the chocolate completely melted and mix them well, let it cool to room temperature.
• Prepare a baking form about 21x 21cm, line it with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 180 ºC.
• In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and a pinch of salt until light and creamy about 5 minutes. Pour in the chocolate mixture, with a spatula mix them until well combined. Fold in the flour mixture, do not fold it too long just until well combined. 
• Pour the batter on a prepared baking form, sprinkle the chopped almond evenly on top of the batter and bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool for about 15 minutes before cutting it. 
• Cut the brownies into about 12 squares, with a fork drizzle them with chocolate glaze and caramel sauce, now your brownies are ready to serve.

Homemade Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:
200g granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
200 ml heavy whipping cream
3/4 tsp sea salt
3 tbs butter

• In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add in the granulated sugar and water. Bring it to a boil over medium heat, do not stir!! Once its boiled turn the heat to medium low and cook until the color turn amber. Be careful not to burn, it could taste very bitter.
• Remove the sugar from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream as the mixture can bubble vigorously.  Stir in the unsalted butter, and salt. Mix them well. Transfer the caramel to a dish and cool. 
• Keep it in an air tight container, the caramel sauce can last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator. 
• Warm it up before serving.

My Favorite Cinnamon Rolls

These two recipes are gonna make you smitten, they both really complete each other. I personally think that Alton Brown's recipe of cinnamon rolls is perfect with the glaze from Paula Deen.

Alton Brown's Overnight Cinnamon Rolls
Click here for the recipe

Paula Deen's Glaze
Click here for the recipe

Bakso Goreng Babi (Fried Pork Meatballs)

Original recipe from my mom

Ingredients:
250g ground pork (preferably shoulder with sufficient fat)
250g peeled shrimps, coarsely chopped
1 tbs dried shrimps
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 eggs
1 tsp chicken stock powder
Salt and white pepper to taste (about 1 full tsp salt and 1/2 tsp white pepper)
250g tapioca flour
Cooking oil

• In a large mixing bowl, mix the ground pork, chopped shrimp, dried shrimps,  garlic, eggs, chicken stock powder, salt and pepper until well combined.
• Gradually mix in the tapioca flour, mix well with cleaned hand. Do not overmix the mixture!
• On medium heat preheat enough cooking oil to deep fry the meatballs. Shape a heaped tablespoon of mixture into a ball, fry them until crisp and golden brown. 

Note: You can substitute the ground pork with ground chicken, preferably with sufficient fat too.

Fish Tikka Curry

Recipe adapted from "Cook Clever mit Jamie"

Ingredients:

1 lemon, halved

3 tbs tikka-currypaste*

400g frozen fish fillets

1 onion, finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, sliced

A thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, finely sliced

1 fresh red chili, chopped

A bunch of coriander leaves (15g), chopped

Olive oil

300g potatoes, cleaned, peeled, cut into 2 cm cubes

2 tomatoes, quartered

300g cauliflower

600 ml water

4 tbs plain yoghurt

Coriander leaves for garnish

• On a large plate press the juice of half lemon, mix it well with 1 tbs of curry tikka paste.  Roll in and rub the frozen fish fillets until well covered, and let them thaw.
• In a cooking pot, on medium heat, preheat 1 tablespoon olive oil, add in the rest of tikka curry paste. Add in the onion, garlic, ginger, chili and coriander leaves. Cook until fragrant and then add in the potatoes, cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes, stir occasionally.
• Add in the tomatoes and cauliflower. Pour in 600 ml water, boil it and let it cook for about 45 minutes or until the sauce is thickened. 
• 15 minutes before the sauce is done, prepare the fish. In a non stick pan, without oil, cook the fish for about 3 to 5 minutes on each side until fully cooked, crisp and brown. 
• Add half of the yoghurt into the sauce, mix it well. Remove from heat. 
• On a serving plate, add basmati rice, break the fish into bite size pieces and add them on top of the rice, pour some of the sauce, potatoes, cauliflower and garnish with yoghurt and coriander leaves.

*You can use store bought tikka curry paste or make it by yourself. I made it by myself using Jamie Oliver's recipe. Click here for the complete recipe.

Glorious Schnitzel

Recipe adapted from "MUTTI KOCHT AM BESTEN"

Ingredients:
4 thin slices calf or pork meat (approximately 150g each)
Salt and pepper
100g heavy whipping cream
3 eggs (size M)
3 to 4 tbs all purpose flour
8 to 10 tbs breadcrumbs (Semmelbrösel)
6 tbs cooking oil + 4 tbs butter
Garnish: Sliced lemon

• Pat dry the meat with kitchen towel. Lay a large plastic wrap between the meat, using a cooking pan or a sauce pan beat the meat until 2 to 3 mm thick. Season the meat nicely with salt and pepper. 
• In a shallow bowl beat the cream and eggs with a fork until light and fluffy.
• In a large plate mix the flour and the breadcrumbs, dredge and flip the sliced meat until evenly coated, shake lightly any excess flour.
• Dip the meat in the egg mixture until evenly coated, shake off the excess. Dredge the meat back to the flour mixture and flip until evenly coated.
• Preheat oven to 50 ˚C and prepare a large ovenproof plate, line it with paper towel.
• Preheat oil and butter in a pan on medium high heat, lay one of the schnitzel, reduce heat to medium. Fry until golden brown on each side (about 4 minutes on each side). Place the schnitzel on the prepared ovenproof plate, put the plate on the preheated oven to keep it warm. Repeat process. NOTE: Do not forget to skim any scum on the oil surface to prevent schnitzel from burning.
• Enjoy the schnitzel with potato salad with bacon or Bavarian potato salad and cold beer!

Potato Salad with Bacon

Ingredients:
1 kg waxy potatoes such as Yukon Gold (Potatoes which stays firm when cooked)
2 small onions, chopped
100g smoked bacon, diced
2 tbs vegetable oil
100 ml apple vinegar
150 ml water
1 tsp chicken stock powder
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp mustard
A bunch of chives, chopped

• Clean the potatoes, put them in a cooking bowl, pour water enough to cover the potatoes and cook it for about 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and let them cool and peel them. 
• Slice the potatoes about 1/2 cm thick and place them in a large bowl.
• In a preheated pan, cook the bacon (without oil) until crisp and brown, set aside. Preheat 2 tablespoon oil ans then add in the onion, cook for about 2 minutes and then add the vinegar and water, let it cook for another 2 minutes. Add in the stock powder, mustard and season it with salt and pepper.
• Pour in the vinegar mixture to the potatoes, mix them well and set them aside for about 1 hours. 
• Garnish the potatoes with chives and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed.

Veggie Burger

For this recipe you need to prepare the patties a day before for a better texture and taste.

Recipe adapted from "Mutti kocht am besten" Cooking Magazine

Ingredients: 
1 can red beans (about 425 ml)
1 zucchini (about 200g)
50g whole wheat flour
1 tsp curry powder
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 to 1 tsp sambal oelek
1 tsp mustard
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp dried rosemary
6 tbs vegetable cooking oil
75 ml ketchup
2 tbs salad dressing (i'm using thousand island for this recipe)
1/2 tsp chilli powder
4 burger buns
Fried onions for garnish

• For the burger patties: A day before, rinse the red beans with cold water. Clean the zucchini and divide to 150g and 50g zucchini. Set the 50g zucchini aside to the fridge. Coarsely grate the zucchini. In a large bowl, mix the flour and curry powder. Add in the beans, onions, grated zucchini, sambal oelek, mustard. Mix them well, add salt and pepper to taste (about 1/2 to 1 tsp of salt). Cover the bowl and let it sit in the fridge for overnight.
• The next day: Thin slice the 50g zucchini, preheat 2 tablespoon of oil in a pan, add in the zucchini and dried rosemary. Fried for about 3 minutes on each sides. Set aside. Form the burger patties to 4 portions, on the medium heat preheat 4 tablespoon of oil and fried the patties on each sides for about 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp and brown. 
• For the sauce: Mix ketchup, salad dressing, chilli powder, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. 
• How to assembly the burger: Prepare the buns, add a little bit of sauce, a patty, some of the sliced zucchini, fried onions, a little bit of sauce on top. Enjoy!

Finest Marble Cake (Marmorkuchen)

After trying so many recipes out there for a perfect Marble cake my heart goes for this rich and luxurious recipe from Alfons Schuhbeck, in his book "Meine Bayerische Küche". Adding a bit more ingredients and time but seriously worth it.

Ingredients:

200g butter, room temperature

150g powdered sugar

1 tbs vanilla sugar 

1/2 tsp grated lemon zest

6 eggs, separated 

2 tbs rum (optional or you can add 1/2 to 1 tsp rum extract)

200g all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

100g blanched ground almond

1 1/2 tbs cocoa powder, sifted

70g dark chocolate, grated 

1/4 tsp salt

150g sugar 

Butter and flour for the form

Powdered sugar for garnish

• In a mixing bowl add the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla sugar, grated lemon zest. Beat them until light and creamy. Add in the egg yolk one at a time and mix well between addition, mix them well. Add in the rum and continue beat the mixture until light and fluffy.
• In a large bowl mix the flour with baking powder and sift it. After that, mix well the sifted flour with the ground almond. 
• In another large bowl mix the egg whites with salt and 1/3 of the sugar, beat them until creamy. Slowly add the rest of the sugar and beat them until stiff peak.
• Preheat oven to 175 ˚C.
• Add 1/3 of the egg whites mixture and 1/3 of the flour mixture to the egg yolk mixture, fold well and repeat the process.
• Butter and flour the bundt cake form evenly. Its important that the whole cake form is evenly covered with butter so later the cake will come out easily.
• Fill the form with half of the mixture, fold well the rest of the mixture with the sifted cocoa powder and grated dark chocolate. Pour the chocolate mixture to the half filled cake form, take a fork and run it through the batter in swirling motion to create a marble effect.
• Bake for about 70 minutes, let it cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Flip the form on a serving plate and the cake should come out easily. Garnish it with powdered sugar.

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes
1 tbs tomato paste
350 ml water
2 tsp chicken stock powder
1 tsp oregano
Salt and pepper
1 tsp sugar
2 tbs olive oil

• Preheat 2 tablespoon olive oil in a cooking bowl over medium heat, add onions and garlic, fry until fragrant. 
• Add the tomato paste, cook for about 3 minutes, add in the chopped tomatoes, water and stock powder. Once boiled, turn the heat to low and let it simmer for about 45 minutes until 1 hour.
•  Add in the oregano, sugar, salt and pepper. Serve it hot over some tasty meatballs or simply over some pasta.

Fanny´s Oven baked Meatballs

Ingredients: 

500g ground beef

1 tsp beef stock powder

75g fried onions (i´m using store bought)

1 egg

2 sliced white bread, tear into small pieces

1 1/2 tbs all purpose flour

Salt and pepper (about 1 tsp of salt and 3/4 tsp black pepper)

Olive oil

• In a large bowl combine all the ingredients except olive oil, the best way is using one of your hand to blend them well.
• Preheat oven to 190 ºC (umluft) or 375 ºF, prepare a large baking sheet or you can do batches. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper. 
• Take 1 tablespoon of the meat and shape them into balls,  lay them on the prepared baking sheets about 1/2 cm apart. Drizzle them with olive oil, remember to not excessively drizzle the oil because the meat itself contains oil (fat).
• Bake them for about 18 - 20 minutes. Remove and transfer them to a serving dish. Serve them with marinara sauce.

Indonesian Coconut Rice (Nasi Uduk)

Ingredients: 
2 cups of rice (preferably basmati), rinsed
2 cups of coconut milk
1 cup of water
3 stalks lemon grass (take the white parts only and bruise them)
1 large or 2 small bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coriander powder

Additional:
Fried shallots
Egg omelette, sliced
Fried anchovies (optional)

• In a rice cooker, add 2 cups of rice and the rest of the ingredients, mix it well. Cook rice and 3 to 5 minutes before your rice is done stir again until well mixed and to make sure that the bottom of the rice is not burned. Remove the stalks of lemon grass and bay leaves before serving. 
• Serve the rice with fried shallots, egg and dried anchovies (optional).

Stir-Fried Spicy Anchovies (Tumis Teri Pedas)

Ingredients:
100g anchovies (golden brown fried)
2 tbs cooking oil
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
2 garlic, thinly sliced
2 Thai red chillies, sliced (optional)
1 red chillies
1 or 2 kaffir lime leaves
1/2 tsp white pepper
3/4 tsp sugar
1 tbs or more fresh lime juice

• Preheat 2 tablespoon cooking oil over medium heat, add the shallots and garlic. Stir fry until they turn slightly brown, then add the chillies and the kaffir lime leaves, cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. 
• Add in the fried anchovies, stir until combine, add in the pepper and sugar. Stir shortly to combine, remove from heat. Pour evenly the fresh lime juice over the anchovies. Serve it with steamed rice or coconut rice.

Yummy Almond Cheesecake

Find the recipe in the link below:
http://www.laurainthekitchen.com/recipes/amaretti-cheesecake/

Ikan Cakalang Pedas khas Manado (with Canned Tuna)

Ingredients:
1 can of tuna in water (about 150g), drained
2 large shallots, peeled
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 red chillies
2 or more red Thai chillies (optional)
1 tbs tomato sauce
3 kaffir lime leaves
1 cm ginger, peeled and bruised
1 tsp chicken stock powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
Juice from half of lime

• In a food processor combine shallots, garlic, chillies, tomato sauce. Puree all the ingredients until smooth.
• Preheat 2 tablespoon cooking oil over medium heat, add the puree ingredients, ginger and the kaffir lime leaves, cook until fragrant (about 8 minutes), stir frequently. 
• Turn the heat to medium high, add the fish, stir to combine and cook until the fish dry, flaky and slightly charred.
• Turn the heat down, add the chicken stock powder, taste and adjust the seasoning with sugar, salt and pepper. 
• Turn off the heat, pour the lime juice and stir to combine. Serve it with steamed rice.

Julia Child's French Onion Soup

Recipe adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Ingredients:

680g yellow onions

3 tbs unsalted butter

3 tbs all purpose flour

1 tbs olive oil

1/4 tsp granulated sugar

4 cups (2 litre) beef stock

2/3 cup dry white wine

3 tbs brandy

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:

2 cups of mixed Swiss cheese (Schweizer hartkäse) and parmesan

2 tbs butter, melted

French bread, cut into 1 cm thick squares, toasted*

• In a large saucepan melt butter and oil over medium low heat, add in the onions, toss to evenly coated, cover the pan and reduce to low heat. Let it cook for about 15 minutes.
• Uncover the pan, put the heat back to medium low, add sugar and salt, cook the onions for about 30 minutes or until they are evenly caramelized. 
• Sprinkle the flour over onions and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, add in the wine and then half of the stocks, stir and scrape the bottom of the pan, add the rest of the stocks, season it with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 35 minutes, skimming if needed. Stir in the brandy, cook for another 5 minutes and adjust seasoning.
• Preheat oven to 180 ˚C (350 ˚F), place few (about 6 or as desired) ovenproof soup bowls on a baking sheet. Pour the soup to each bowl about 3/4 full, take 1 cup of cheese and sprinkle evenly over each bowl of soup, place the croutons as desired, sprinkle each top with the rest of the cheese (1 cup). Bake for about 25 minutes (oberunter hitze) and additional 3 minutes on the broiler (ober hitze/ api atas) or until they are golden brown and bubbly.

*Toasted French bread (croutons)

Preheat oven to 175 ˚C, bake bread for about 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly brown and crisp. Remove from oven and drizzle the croutons with melted butter.