Penne with chicken sausage and bacon

This is another children’s favourite dish. It is very easy and quick to fix and wonderful for parties and picnics. It makes a nice change if you are tired of eating rice during confinement.











Boil the penne according to the instructions on the packet. When the pasta is almost cooked, add some salt so that it will not be so bland.





Boil and cut the chicken sausage into bite size pieces







Heat a frying pan and put in the bacon pieces. When the bacon is slightly brown, add in some chopped garlic. Stir until the garlic is brownish and fragrant. Add the chicken sausage and mix thoroughly.





Once the pasta is cooked, strain and quickly rinse with warm water to remove the starchiness of the pasta. Add the sausage, bacon, mixed herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper. mix thoroughly and leave to stand for about half an hour before serving.

Pan fried chicken chops

Tired of eating rice and chicken in wine? Then try this recipe for a change.





















Two pieces of chicken whole leg (de-boned)









Use a meat hammer to break down the connective tissues and make the meat tender. Marinate with ginger juice and a spoonful of Shaoxing wine. Leave for an hour and then pan fry the chicken chops. If cooking for children, season with salt and pepper and a dash of sesame oil.





Slice the chops and serve with baked or fried potatoes and any vegetables of your choice.

Steamed salmon

Salmon are born in fresh water; spend a large portion of their lives navigating the open sea only to swim back to their birthplace in order to spawn. This extraordinary homing mechanism is said to be attributed to their memory of smell. This is probably why these intelligent, intuitive fish are considered a 'brain food'. Classified as an oily fish, salmon is considered to be healthy due to the fish's high protein, high omega-3 fatty acids which is healthy unsaturated fat and high vitamin D, B-12, B6 content. Salmon is also a source of cholesterol, magnesium, niacin and selenium. Salmon can be purchased as either steaks or fillets, fresh, frozen, canned or smoked. Salmon is a great alternative to red meat. The breast-feeding mother should eat salmon, as the breast milk will have significant amounts of the omega 3 and DHA for the baby’s brain. However, like all good things, over eating of the fish can make it toxic instead of beneficial, therefore it is better to eat it once a week only.

Ingredients

A block of salmon

1 tomato

A knob of ginger which helps to remove the fishy smell

For confinement
Do not use tomatoes

Top with finely sliced Chinese mushrooms and ginger

Season the salmon with a little salt and pepper
Place on a heatproof plate

Top with ginger and tomato slices

Place in the steamer

Cover and steam for 20 minutes

Enjoy!!!

Macaroni cauliflower cheese

Cut the cauliflower into florets and lightly blanched in salted boiling water. Strain and leave aside. Keep 2 mugs of the water to use in the sauce.
Add more hot water and 1 tsp oil to cook the macaroni.







To make the sauce

Melt a knob of butter with a little cooking oil in the saucepan over a very low fire.






When the butter has melted add in 3 dessert spoonful of plain flour and mix thoroughly with the butter, stirring constantly










Slowly add in 2 mugs of milk a little at a time whilst stirring constantly to dissolve the lumps






Alternate pouring in the milk with the water used for blanching the cauliflower.
I use the water to reduce the creaminess of the milk so that it is not so fattening plus the water contains Vitamin C from the cauliflower







Keep on stirring until the sauce is smooth and not too thick. Add salt, black and white pepper, mixed herbs and 3-4 bay leaves








Grate a block of cheddar cheese









Add the cheese to the sauce, stirring until the cheese has completely melted. Add sliced ham or bacon if you like to give it a nicer taste.







Most recipes say to pour the sauce over the macaroni but I prefer to put the cauliflower and macaroni into the sauce so that they are thoroughly coated with the sauce.







Spoon the mixture into baking dishes










Sprinkle some grated cheese on top. I like to use a different flavoured cheese like mozzarella to give it a varied cheese taste and flavour






Sprinkle some red chilli powder on the top to give it a nice colour










Bake in an oven for 10 minutes or place under a grill to brown the cheese topping.




Eat on its own or with a light salad.