Linguine. nero di seppia

Went to the market today and saw there were a lot of cuttlefish! Must be harvest season. Unfortunately most were alout of our price range (the ones we saw were huge; probably for 6-8 people). Instead we found this small one that has passed already, decent size for 2 people (even 3!). Sadly, it was cut open already and ink sac was harvested. As a result, it went for HKD30 only, which is probably half its usual price. Good thing we had backup ink at home (the store-bought kind). This way of cooking this dish is from the South, where plenty of tomato is added, rather than just the ink. The result is less “pitch black”, but more tasty in our opinion.

Serves 2

Time: 🕰🕰
Effort: 💪💪

Ingredients:

160g pasta
1 small cuttlefish
1 ink sac (either together with the cuttlefish, or separately bought)
2 small shallots
1/2 garlic clove
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 cherry tomatoes
1 bay leaf
100g tomato passata
1 teaspoon tomato concentrate
1/2 glass white wine
Bunch of parsley

Method:

1. Peel and slice shallots
2. Peel garlic but do not slice
3. Combine shallots and garlic in pan with plenty of olive oil, and infuse on low heat while you clean the cuttlefish
4. Give the cuttlefish a good rinse
5. Feel the side the bone is in, and break the skin covering the bone, then remove the bone
6. Detach the body from the innards
7. Tear off skin to reveal the two halves of the body
8. Tear off the fins, de-skin
9. Extract the ink sac (if still attached); set aside in a bowl
10. Extract the yellow innards and set aside in another bowl
11. Separate and reserve the remaining meat surrounding the roe
12. Separate off tentacles (short + long)
13. Trim the middle section with eyes and beak intact
14. If feeling extra-brave, cut open the eye membrane and pop out the eye, as well push out the beak, so that the meat around the eyes can also be used; otherwise, just discard this whole middle section
15. Scrape away any skin that remains on the body or fins
16. You should be left with the piece as pictured
17. Slice into small pieces and add to the pan
18. Turn up the heat and roast the cuttlefish meat with a bit of extra salt
19. Remove garlic if starting to burn; otherwise, leave in
20. Deglaze bottom of pan with white wine
21. Mix the ink, the tomato passata, tomato concentrate, and some water together with the roe, and add to the pan
22. Add bay leaf, parsley stalks (chopped) and cherry tomatoes (halved) and simmer for 20 mins to soften the cuttlefish and thicken the sauce
23. Meanwhile, boil pasta in salted water
24. Once almost al dente, but still a touch raw in the centre, add pasta to the pan
25. Add several ladles of pasta water, and cook on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes until liquids are absorbed and pasta is well coated with ink
26. Garnish with chopped parsley leaves and serve

Fegato alla Veneziana (beef liver, Venetian style)

A bittersweet and humble meal of beef liver and cornmeal for Good Friday

Serves 3

Time: 🕰🕰
Effort: 💪💪

Ingredients:

Section of beef liver from your butcher (a bit larger than the size of your hand)
2 onions
60g butter
Water
Salt
Pepper
3 sage leaves (or sprig of rosemary)
1 bay leaf
Rosemary for garnish

Method:

1. Peel and chop onions into strips
2. Add onions, half the butter, and some salt to a pan
3. Stir to coat
4. Cook on medium heat, covered, until bottom starts to burn
5. Add water (around 1/4 glass) and stir to release bits that may be sticking to the bottom
6. Continue to cooked covered until onions completely caramelised, around 25 minutes, while you do the next steps
7. Add the remaining half of the butter to a pan and melt on look heat
8. Remove top foam and any other milk solids, so that you are left with clarified butter, which has a much higher smoking point
9. With your fingers, poke a hole in the liver to release the skin
10. Continue to peel off the skin, which should feel like taking skin off a chicken
11. Once peeled, chop liver up into several narrow lobes, then into slices
12. Add liver to the hot clarified butter and cook on high heat
13. Add sage, bay leaf, plenty of salt, and pepper, to the liver
14. While liver cooks, check seasoning of onions, which ahold be soft and sweet by now
15. Once liver is browned and fragrant, check seasoning, then pour everything in the pan into the onions
16. Remove sage and bay leaves
17. Stir to combine the two elements
18. Add more water and simmer on medium-low until the sauce thickens
19. Check seasoning one last time
20. Serve with polenta and a sprig of rosemary on top

Porchetta Sandwich with caramelised endives

If you have good porchetta and good bread, that’s all you need. You don’t need anything else. Sadly, we had neither this time (closest bakery was Park and Shop). So we had to spice this up a bit. We experimented with a herb butter version, but found this tomato mayonnaise a better mouthful. 

Serves 2

Time: 🕰🕰
Effort: 💪💪

Ingredients:

Good crusty bread
Porchetta for 2 people

Condiments:

2 cavalo nero leaves
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon tomato concentrate
Provolone cheese
1/2 endive
1 teaspoon sugar
3 tablespoons water
5g butter
Salt
Pepper

Method:

1. Boil cavalo nero leaves in salted water with 1 garlic clove, skin-on, until soft; set aside
2. Chop endive diagonally and add to pan with water, butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook on medium heat, stirring from time to time, until water is gone, and endive is softened and caramelised
3. Mix mayonnaise and tomato concentrate
4. Pre-heat oven to 240’C
5. If using sub-par bread, brush olive oil on top and bottom; if using decent bread, no need
6. To assemble, cut bread in half
7. Brush both insides with the tomato mayonnaise
8. Add salt and pepper
9. On one side, add cavalo nero and caremlised endive
10. On the other, add provolone and porchetta
11. Combine
12. Bake in oven until warmed on the outside, while still room temperature on the inside: this makes the best sandwich

Lemongrass Pork

Recreating a HK-style Vietnamese classic. Many of us grew up on this dish. Perfect if you have leftover oil from previous deep-frying. This recipe uses a salty green onion condiment to elevate the pork chop. If not using, then add more fish sauce and salt to the marinade.

Serves 2

Time: 🕰🕰
Effort: 💪💪

Ingredients:

Rice for two people
4 frozen pork collar chops from good farms
2 eggs
Good lettuce
3 green onions
Vegetable oil
Salt

For MARINADE:

1 stalk lemongrass
1 small chunk ginger
2 garlic clove
1 egg
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoon flour
1 teaspoon corn starch

Method:

1. Defrost pork collar chops and pat dry
2. Cut lemongrass, ginger, garlic into a fine mince, or blend in food processor
3. Combine with rest of the marinade and mix well
4. Marinate pork chops for at least one hour
5. Boil rice
6. Add oil to pan, until it is around 1cm high (not too much, so that it doesn’t actually cover the pork during frying
7. Bring oil to medium temperature, around 160’c
8. Fry pork chops in oil until cooked through and starting to colour
9. Turn heat up to finish frying at a high temperature, until golden brown⠀
10. Set aside to drain on kitchen towel
11. Divide spring onion into white part and green part
12. For the white part, slice diagonally and slowly fry in oil in a separate, clean plan until crispy; set aside but retain the hot oil
13. With the greens, chop finely and mix with the fragrant hot oil from the previous step, and half teaspoon of salt, to form the condiment
14. Fry egg in pan, adding a bit of the pork deep frying oil for extra colour and ‘evil’ factor
15. Slice pork chop and present on slices of lettuce
16. Place egg on rice
17. Spoon spring onion condiment over pork chops

Barramundi with Cavalo Nero and Marinated Red Peppers

Similar story: we came across a beautiful piece of fish over the weekend that’s cheap and from a good source, just begging to be used! Dishes like these follow the trinity of protein, condiments, sauce. We‘ll be stepping up our sauce game more and more – stay tuned! 

Serves 2

Time: 🕰🕰
Effort: 💪💪

Ingredients:

1 piece barramundi skin-on (here, 52 HKD for 2 people from Market Place)
1/2 red pepper
4 leaves cavalo nero
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
Vegetable oil
Salt
Pepper
Lemon juice
Small knob of butter

Method:

1. Finely slice red pepper flesh to produce small strips
2. Put in a pan with some oil, a splash of water, salt, and lemon juice
3. Cover and leave to sweat for 30 minutes on low fire, skin side down
4. Bring barramundi to room temperature
5. Pat as dry as possible, especially skin side
6. Curl fillet up to stretch the skin
7. Make shallow incisions on the skin to aid cooking and crisping
8. Salt the skin
9. Cover with paper towel to absorb further moisture
10. Chop cavalo nero and soften gently with water, oil, salt, and cumin, until soft
11. Get pan smoking hot
12. Reduce to medium heat
13. Add olive oil, followed quickly by barramundi, skin side down
14. Leave to crisp for around 4 minutes
15. Check that skin is crisp by peeking on the underside
16. Flip to cook for another 3 minutes, until the sides of the flesh suggest even temperature on both sides
17. Flip to crisp the skin one last time, on high heat
18. Plate cavalo nero, followed by fish, and slices of red pepper
19. Add butter to remaining cooking juice to thicken; spoon sauce around the fish but not on the skin
20. Garnish with a few pieces of chickpeas

Chicken Parm

We had guests over with kids, immediately this dish came to mind. There isn’t a single kid who does not like tomato pasta. For the adults, the breaded and cheesy chicken adds a layer of enjoyment. Use tomato passata for the marinara sauce, or replace with your own slow-cooked sugo if available. Be sure to wash your hands after handling the chicken.

Serves 5

Time: 🕰🕰
Effort: 💪💪

Ingredients:

350g pasta (70g per person)
2 chicken breast
1 jar tomato passata
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper
Flour, egg wash, bread crumbs
Dried oregano
Provolone cheese
Vegetable oil for shallow-frying

Method:

1. Butterfly chicken breasts and pat dry
2. Place between two pieces of kitchen towel, and roll flat with a rolling pin
3. Heat oil to around 160’c (medium sizzle when chicken placed within)
4. Set up flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs station
5. Salt the flour and breadcrumbs
6. Add black pepper to the breadcrumbs
7. Dip chicken in flour, egg, flour, shaking any excess before each subsequent step
8. Shallow-fry in 2cm oil until golden
9. Preheat oven to 220’c
10 Prepare marinara sauce by mixing passata with sugar oregano, season to taste
11. Once chicken is crispy, bake with a few spoonfuls of the marinara sauce and the cheese on top for 10 minutes until cheese is melted
12. Meanwhile, boil pasta in salted water, then mix with marinara sauce until well coated and stained in red
13. Serve by sliding baked chicken pieces on top of pasta
14. Garnish with more dried oregano, or finely chopped parsley