prawn cocktail.

Since I am not going home this summer, I am trying to recreate some of my favorites that I will be missing out on. First attempt: Mocambo's prawn cocktail.

Ingredients: Boiled and peeled shrimps. Ketchup. Mayonnaise. Lime juice. Tabasco. Worcestershire sauce. Pepper. Heavy cream.

Step 1: Layer a martini glass with a bunch of lettuce. Mix shrimp with equal amount of good-quality ketchup and mayonnaise. Add a dash of lime juice, sprinkle black and white pepper, a healthy dose of Tabasco, a light touch of Worcestershire sauce and mix well.

Top it off with a dot of heavy cream. Serve chilled. 

Not bad for a first try, if I say so myself.

beer-battered chicken.

What's better than Heineken? Why, Heneiken battered fried chicken, of course!

During our last Costco run we purchased 2 dozen bottles of Heineken. All for the ridiculous price of $24. This means that we have more beer than what we know what to do with it. Drink, for sure. But why not beer battered chicken?

Are you ready to take notes?

Heat oil in a pan.

In a large bowl mix together:
one cold bottle of beer, one cup of flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, dried parsley flakes and some paprika for an added kick. Be sure to season the batter adequately otherwise it might taste a little bland.

As I am obsessed with my recently purchased electric hand beater, I used it to whip the batter into a smooth, glossy, consistency but I am sure you could do the same amount of damage with a whisk and/or fork. Cut chicken thighs (or breasts) into thin (or thick) strips. Dip chicken fillets into the batter, coat carefully, and shake off excess batter.

Drop into the pan and cook for several minutes on each side. The aroma of the beer cooking will slowly begin to pervade through your kitchen and your mouth will begin to salivate long before the chicken is cooked through.

So yum.

You know what goes best with beer battered chicken. More beer!

corn au gratin.

I found a lone can of sweet corn languishing at the back of the pantry while trying to retrieve some chilly powder last night. What to do with it? This morning I decided upon corn au gratin. I figured I'd add some chopped red onions and baby spinach since I had only one can of corn. This dish is super easy and super delish -- I mean how could any one go wrong with oodles of cheese?

Ingredients:

Corn, onion, spinach, milk, flour, butter, salt, pepper, parsley.

Method:

Melt two tablespoons of butter on a hot skillet. Fry two table-spoons of flour in butter. Mix in the corn, spinach and onions. Pour half a cup of milk and half a cup of whipping cream. Bring to a boil. Season with salt, pepper and parsley. This is probably the only dish I have perfectly seasoned on the first go! Transfer to a baking dish and generously top with shredded cheese. Broil till the cheese melts, ten to twelve minutes. Yummy, oozing cheesy goodliness. I ate it as a side with a hot-dog for dinner. 

cajun spice barbecue ribs.

I love ribs. So freaking much. In fact, I think it is one of the best things this country can offer. That, and buffalo wild wings. Unlike Mr. Sachinky, I don't have high standards as far as ribs and steaks are concerned and enjoy ordering them frequently. We are novices, however, at rib-cooking but when I spotted a rack of pork loin baby ribs last Saturday on sale at Target we just had to pick them up. And a bottle of Jack Daniel's original barbecue sauce.

Saturday night I researched extensively on how best to cook them. Finally, I marinated them in a mixture of cajun spices and the sauce, wrapped them tightly in aluminum foil and left them overnight in the refrigerator. Next afternoon while revving up for the Superbowl, I stuck them in a preheated oven (450F) for forty minutes. And then broiled them for an additional ten. Boy, oh, boy. Juicy, tasty and so good. Give them a shot! All for less than $10.

cilantro chicken.

I love cilantro. However, I can't buy it too often as it doesn't keep very well for too long in the refrigerator. Before long, they get brown and soggy and I hate having to throw an entire unused bunch away. Anyway, Mr. Sachinky went to the Farmer's Market earlier this afternoon and returned with cilantro and other produce. I was determined to use most of it this weekend  before it could go bad on me. Something preferably with chicken. So after some research, I came up with this recipe, inspired from a Guy Fieri dish and it was, frankly, lip-smacking.

Pierce chicken pieces with a fork. 

Marinate chicken in a marinade of orange juice, soy sauce, honey, canola oil, salt, pepper, garlic, the juice of two limes, the zest of one lime, one fourth cup of cilantro and a hint of red chilli powder. The aroma is positively delicious and you will be tempted to lick the marinade off your fingers.

Let it sit for an hour.

Mr. Sachinky then heated up the grill and after three-four minutes in a pre-heated George Foreman, dinner was ready! Crunchy cilantro, ftw!

channa masala.

I wanted something spicy for a dreary afternoon lunch. So I looked around the pantry and found a can of garbanzo beans. I immediately thought of "channa masala." This stuff was so delicious and so quick to make that I just had to share it with you, lovely reader.

--Heat oil in a pan. Fry garlic, ginger, and onions till the onions turned translucent.

--Stir in the garbanzo beans and add chopped tomatoes and red chillies.

--Season with salt, pepper, a pinch of sugar, coriander powder and red chilly powder.

--I couldn't find the garam masala so I just threw in a spoon of chicken masala powder instead.

--Garnish with fresh cilantro. For an extra kick, squeeze lemon juice over the cooked beans. Serve with hot buttered paranthas.

tortellini in a basil pesto creamy sauce.

The delicious three-cheese tortellini in a creamy pesto sauce that we sampled at the Buffet at Bellagio left a lingering taste in both our mouths. So for dinner last night, we tried to recreate it with a few ingredients that we picked up on the way back from the grocery store. 

Follow the simple steps for a quick journey to a gourmet meal. Melt butter in a pan. Fry garlic, diced red onion, mushrooms and cubed bacon till cooked. I used several dollops of prepared basil pesto but you can always make your own. Mix in heavy cream till the sauce takes on green, creamy texture. Stir in cooked, drained tortellini. I know it looks weird but tastes out of this world. Even I, a non-lover-of-pasta, loved it. It wasn't quite the same as the one we had at the Bellagio which had a lot more sauce but it was still pretty damn good, nonetheless.