Cream of Mushroom Soup

Cream of mushroom soup (serves 2 to 3)

Ingredients:

1.5 tbsp of butter

300g of button mushrooms, chopped roughly

200g shiitake mushrooms, chopped roughly

1 tsp minced garlic

400ml chicken stock or vegetable stock

50ml heavy cream

Salt

Black pepper

Olive oil

Instructions:

1) Heat up some olive oil in a skillet and fry the garlic for a short while. 

2) Add the butter. Once it has melted, add the mushrooms in and stir it evenly for around 7 to 10 minutes.

3) Add around 0.5 tsp of salt and the vegetable/chicken stock, then let it simmer (uncovered) for around 7 to 10 minutes.

4) Let the mixture cool, then blend it until it is smooth.

5) Add it back into the pot, whisk the cream in, and add some salt and black pepper to taste.

Spicy Carrot Salad

Spicy carrot salad (serves 2 to 3)

Ingredients:

2 large carrots, chopped to thin slices

2 tsps of minced garlic

1 tsp of paprika

0.5 tsp of cayenne pepper

Parsley

0.5 tsp of salt

Black pepper

Olive oil

Instructions:

1) Heat up some olive oil in a skillet, then add the garlic in. Fry it until it is fragrant, then add the carrots, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper in.

2) After a while, add some water such that most of the carrots are immersed. Let it simmer at low heat for 20 minutes. If the water dries up halfway, just add more.

3) Remove the carrots (there should be very little water left), garnish with parsley, and serve.

Oven-roasted Lamb Rack #1

Oven-roasted lamb rack (serves 2 to 3)

Quite an easy dish to prepare, especially since it can be marinated beforehand, and the rest is handled entirely by the oven. Taken from Simply Recipes. 

Ingredients:

1 lamb rack (typically around 7 to 8 ribs)

2 tsps of rosemary

2 tsps of thyme

3 tsps of minced garlic

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Instructions:

1) Mix the rosemary, thyme, garlic and 0.5 tsp of salt. Rub the rack all over with it, and add some black pepper. 

2) Place the rack into a ziploc bag, and pour some olive oil into the bag. Leave it in the refrigerator overnight or for around 4 hours.

3) Leave the lamb rack at room temperature for around 20 minutes. Score the fat with criss-cross cuts, then add a bit more salt. 

4) Switch the oven to fan/grill mode, then preheat it to 230 degrees Celsius.

5) Place the lamb rack into the oven for 10 minutes. This first stage helps to char and sear the fat, making it crisp and delicious. 

6) Turn the temperature down to 150 degrees Celsius for around 18 to 20 more minutes.

7) Remove the rack from the oven, cover with aluminum foil and let it rest for 15 minutes, then serve.

Slow-cooked Lamb Shanks

Slow-cooked lamb shanks (serves 3 to 4)

Modified slightly from recipetineats. It used celery too, but being a big hater of celery I didn't use it. Also, remember to get the cheapest red wine you can for this. Mine was some obscure brand purchased from NTUC Fairprice for around $15 or so.

Ingredients:

2 lamb shanks

1 whole white onion, finely chopped

3 tsps of minced garlic

2 whole carrots, chopped into small pieces

0.5 bottle of red wine

1 can of crushed tomatoes

3 sprigs of thyme

2 dried bay leaves

250ml of chicken stock

Olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

Instructions:

1) Dry the lamb shanks as much as possible, then sprinkle it with salt and pepper.

2) Heat up some olive oil on a skillet, then sear the lamb shanks all over. It should take 5 minutes or so.

3) Remove the lamb shanks from the skillet, add a bit more olive oil, and fry the garlic and onion for around 2 minutes.

4) Add the carrots and cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how large your carrot pieces are.

5) Add the red wine, crushed tomatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Mix well and let it simmer for a while.

6) Now place the lamb shanks in the slow cooker and add the mixture from step 5). Put it on low mode for 8 hours.

7) Now remove the shanks and carrots, and place them on a large tray. Transfer the sauce to a pot and reduce it over the stove until your desired thickness preference. 

8) Pour the sauce over the tray, and serve.

Oven-baked whole sea bass

Oven-baked whole sea bass (serves 2)

Sea bass is a great fish - cheap, and yet it tastes wonderful. 

Ingredients:

Whole sea bass

4 to 6 sprigs of thyme

0.25 lemon

Olive oil

1 tbsp of parsley

Salt

Black pepper

Instructions:

1) After the fish is cleaned, make two to three diagonal cuts across it. Rub the fish with some olive oil, and season with salt. 

2) Separate the thyme leaves from the stalks. Stuff the stalks into the fish's cavity, and the leaves into the cuts made on the body. Squeeze some lemon over the fish. You can leave the remaining lemon pieces inside the fish cavity.

3) Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celcius, and bake the fish for 25 to 30 minutes. 

4) Sprinkle some parsley on the fish, and serve.