Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

In our home, we consider everyday a special day, and so we don't wait for special occasions to eat something special. Siguro na din because we are all foodies and I really like being in the kitchen, each chance we get, we gun for something out of the ordinary.

This plate is our own version of Shakey's Bunch of Lunch.  Instead of having spaghetti with meat sauce, I made Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Spaghetti with Garlic in Olive Oil) since the tomato sauce would be redundant, as pizza already had tomato sauce.

SPAGHETTI AGLIO E OLIO

What's In It?

300 g spaghetti
1 liter water
1 T salt

1/2 c extra virgin olive oil
1 head garlic, peeled and sliced crosswise
1 c Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1/2 t salt

1/2 t ground black pepper

1 t crushed red pepper flakes

Kitchen Conjugations:

Boil water in a large pot over high heat. When water gets to a rolling boil, add salt and slowly add in spaghetti.  Stir to ensure the pasta doesn't clump together.  Cook covered for 8-10 minutes, until spaghetti is al dente.

Collect a cup of water from the pot, set aside, and drain the pasta.  Set aside.

In a deep pan or wok, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Saute garlic for about 2 minutes. Add in the pasta water and increase heat, bringing the mix to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat.  Add in the pasta, parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, black pepper and chopped parsley. Toss well to distribute the sauce evenly. 

Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese if desired.  Serve hot.

Chicken Parmigiana

I did a lot of driving back and forth today, and barely had time for lunch. Caught up in traffic I looked up to see a McDonald's billboard, which showed their newest offering, which they called Chicken Italianna. 'Our signature chicken fillet with meaty tomato sauce,' it said. I decided to make a quick drive-through to give their new dish a try.

It was good. Or baka gutom lang ako. :)

Anyhow, that inspired me to make Chicken Parmigiana for dinner.  My mom wanted Afritada, but all I had in my freezer were chicken fillets, and I was really gunning for Parmigiana. :)

CHICKEN PARMIGIANA

What's In It?

1 kg chicken thigh fillets, pounded to 1/4" thick
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper


Breading:
2 eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup Panko bread crumbs
1 pack Aji Crispy Fry breading mix
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1 can Del Monte Diced Tomatoes
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs (parsley, thyme, basil and oregano)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar (optional)

Topping:
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Others:
2 cups + 3T cooking oil, for deep frying and sauteing
a few stalks of parsley, chopped, for garnish

Kitchen Conjugations:

In a small wok, heat oil over medium heat.

In a bowl, marinate chicken fillets in salt and pepper.  Set aside and assemble the ingredients for breading:
In a shallow plate, pour flour.  In another bowl,  beat eggs.  In a third bowl, mix bread crumbs, breading mix and parmesan cheese.

When the cooking oil is hot and ready, start breading the chicken fillets-- coat them with flour, dip them in the beaten egg, then coat with the bread crumb mixture. Drop 3-4 pieces at a time into the hot oil and deep fry until golden brown.  Do the same for all the chicken fillets.

As the chicken cooks, prepare sauce-- in a wok or shallow sauce pan, melt butter, then saute onions and garlic. Stir fry for about two minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent.  Pour in the diced tomatoes and press the tomatoes to the sides of the pan to release the juice. Stir in salt and pepper, and allow the sauce to simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.  Add in sugar if using, then allow to simmer for 1 or 2 minutes more. Stir in herbs, check seasonings, simmer for 30 seconds more.  Remove from fire and set aside.

In a baking dish, pour some of the sauce to line the bottom of the pan. Arrange chicken pieces on the pan, top them with some of the sauce and the shredded mozzarella.  Bake for 15 minutes at 200C or until cheese melts.  Garnish with chopped parsley or other Italian herbs and serve.

Great with any pasta, baked potatoes, even steamed rice. :)


Notes: 

1. The baking gives the dish a new dimension in terms of flavor and texture, but if you do not have an oven, you can skip the baking part and serve the Chicken Parmigiana after topping it with sauce, cheese and herbs. 

2. Quickmelt cheese can be substituted for the mozzarella.

3. Clara Ole Three Cheese Spaghetti Sauce is a good alternative for the diced tomato sauce I used here.  I just like my sauce to be a bit chunky kasi.  I think the 250 g pack will do.

4. Vegetarians can use sliced eggplants in place of the chicken.  

5. Pork cutlets and fish fillets can also be used in place of the chicken. 

6.  In place of the Crispy Fry breading mix, you may use 1/4 cup all purpose flour + 1/4 cup cornstarch + 1/4 teaspoon salt + 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper + 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder + 1/2 teaspoon onion powder + 1/4 teaspoon paprika + 1/2 teaspoon sugar

Angel Hair with Sea Bass Mediterraneo

Given the chance, my husband will always eat fish. Even when eating out and presented with various entrees, he will choose fish, or that which has fish in it.

At Italianni's, his staple fare is Sea Bass Mediterraneo, pan-seared Sea Bass put on top of pasta, usually angel hair.  He was saddened to find then, when we lunched at the restaurant over the weekend that the dish has been taken out of the menu.*

To cure his hang-up and to assure him that it isn't the end of the world yet, I tried replicating Sea Bass Mediterraneo at home. Judging from his grin I think I've guessed the ingredients and procedure pretty
well. :)

ANGEL HAIR WITH SEA BASS MEDITERRANEO

What's In It?

For the pasta:
500 grams Angel Hair pasta, cooked according to package directions
1/2 cup olive oil
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 large red onion, peeled and sliced
3 ripe tomatoes, seeded then diced
1/8 cup capers (in vinegar)
1/4 cup green olives, pitted then sliced into rounds
3/4 cup white wine


For the fish:
1-2 slices Sea Bass, halved
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder (optional)
1/2 cup olive oil

Kitchen Conjugations:

Season the fish with salt, black pepper and garlic powder (if using).  Set aside.

In a non-stick skillet heat olive oil over high heat. Add seasoned bass slices and sear for 1 minute per side or until edges turn light brown.  Remove from pan and transfer onto a plate.  Repeat until all fish slices have been seared.

Lower heat then add olive oil to start the saute.  When oil is hot enough, saute the onions until soft, then add in the garlic.  Stir fry for 30 seconds, and add in the diced tomatoes, olives and capers. Stir fry for about half a minute before adding white wine. Let boil then reduce heat to simmer for a minute or two.

Adjust seasonings by adding salt and pepper if needed. Then toss in the cooked angel hair and continue to toss to distribute the sauce for another 30 seconds.

Remove from fire, transfer angel hair onto a serving plate and top with the seared Sea Bass.
Mangia Bene!

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*We asked the manager why they took the dish out of the menu. She said it was because "Sea Bass is an endangered species." Really? We wager that the real reason was that the dish wasn't as popular as the other items and was costlier to produce/keep in the menu.