Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Ham

Serves 2
Ingredients
200gms Spaghetti
4-5 Garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1 slice of Ham, diced into small squares
2 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped
2 tbsp Fresh Coriander stems, chopped
4-5 Sage Leaves, finely chopped
2 Red Chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Palm Sugar
Salt and Freshly ground pepper according to taste

Method

In two litres of salted boiling water, add 1/2 tsp oil and the dry spaghetti. Let it simmer for 7-8 minutes while you stir occasionally. Drain the spaghetti out.

In the mean while, in a flat pan, add the oil, chillies and garlic. Let the flavours infuse into the oil for 1 minute. The garlic should slightly caramelized (not burnt). You could add 1/2 tsp of butter if u want to give some more flavour and body to the spaghetti. Add the ham, sugar and sage leaves too. Saute for a minute and then add the spaghetti to the oil. Add the parsley and the coriander stems along with salt and pepper. Turn the Spaghetti on the pan till its coated with the oil mixture and the parsley. Take it off the pan, drizzle some more olive on top and serve hot :)

The simplest Aglio Olio ingredients are Oil, Garlic, Chillies, Parsley and Spaghetti. You can use just these and the dish will still be absolutely smashing.


Food Marriage tip
1) Spaghetti should always be cooked in salted water
2) Use Extra Virgin Olive Oil for dressings. In this case we are making a hot dressing, hence while adding Extra Virgin Olive Oil on the pan, make sure the pan is not too hot. The goodness of this oil goes away at high temperatures.
3) For this dish, its critical that the Spaghetti is generously coated with the oil mixture, else it will be very dry to eat
 

Papaya in Coconut Curry

Roasted Bell Pepper and Chicken Salad with Stir fried Pak Choii

Serves 2-3
Ingredients
200g Boneless Chicken Breasts, sliced in cubes
1 Pak Choi
2 Red Bell Peppers
1 Tomato
1 small Onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup Basil Leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp Coriander stems, finely chopped
1/2 tsp Palm Sugar
1 tsp Vinegar
1/2 tsp Ginger, finely chopped or grated
1/2 tsp Garlic, finely chopped
2 Green Chillies, finely chopped
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt 
1/2 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground

For the Marinate
1 tsp Salt
1 tbsp Green Chilly Sauce
1 whole lemon, squeezed

Method

Marinate the chicken with salt, green chilly sauce and lemon, for an hour

Roast the Bell Peppers and Tomato low flame until the skin is charred.I normally make sure that the bell pepper has softened a bit too. Sometimes only the skin chars without roasted them well. Once its done, put them in a bowl of water. It will help you to peel off the charred skin easily. Chop the bell peppers after removing the seeds. Same with the tomatoes.

Heat the wok in a low flame and add the oil. Add the ginger, garlic and chillies and stir for a minute. Add the onions and wet them until pink. Add the bell peppers and the tomato along with the salt. Add 1/2 a cup of water and put a lid on. Let it cook for 20 minutes and stir it occasionally. You will see that the bell pepper has started to soften. You should be able to mash it up easily. You can leave it to be chunky for an added texture. Add the marinated chicken. Mix well and put the lid on for 10 mins. Stir it a couple of times in between. Now you can add the coriander, pepper, palm sugar and basil leaves at this point and stir the chicken for 7-10 minutes more till its cooked. Keep tasting after taking the lid off. My mother hates me digging into fresh food but then it just helps me to figure if the chicken is cooked through or not. Over cooked breast pieces become very dry. No fun then. Add some vinegar, mix and take it off the stove.

In a flat pan, or a grill pan, stirr fry the pak choi leaves. Add salt to taste.

Now you place the chicken salad on the leaf, roll it up and bite in :)

Food Marriage Tips
1) Chicken marinate should always have salt and something acidic. You can use lemon or vinegar.
2) Roasted Bell peppers go really well with Basil. Its true for tomatoes too
3) Chicken breast on flame should not go beyond 15 minutes. The chicken will become dry and chewy. Lot of us Indians have the habit of cooking the whole chicken together for 45 mins or more. Separate the breast pieces. Use it for something else, or add them in the last 15 minutes of your cooking

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