What's been cooking in my kitchen

Cooking for me is a not only a passion but also a great stress relief.  In this world of turbulent economy, one inevitably will get stressed out from time to time, and I am no exception to that rule.  Lately I have been cooking a lot, creating new recipes and making some of my favorites from cookbooks.  These are samples of what's been cooking in my kitchen this past week.  Enjoy, and I will be glad to supply the recipe for each dish.

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Chicken in Fresh Tomato Sauce

Summer is here, many of us are trying to watch our waistlines and get ready for the summer pool parties. This low calorie recipe of lean chicken breasts, whole wheat pasta and fresh tomatoes will definitely satisfy your taste buds AND help you stay trimmed in the waistline. You can follow the recipe and make 2 servings for a nice candlelight dinner, or just simply multiply the ingredients and make it for the whole party. If you are cooking for one, the leftover is even better the next day!


Cook time: 25 Minutes
Level: Easy
Yield: 2 Servings

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts （2块鸡胸）
8 oz dried whole wheat spaghetti （227g全麦意大利干面）
2 large tomatoes, at least 3 ½ inches in diameter （2个大西红柿，直径至少9cm）
½ medium onion （1/2 个中型洋葱）
5 cloves of garlic （5瓣蒜）
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) （45ml橄榄油）
Salt & ground black pepper （盐&黑胡椒面）
Crushed red pepper （碎的干红辣椒）


Directions

Wash and dry the chicken breasts. Place the chicken pieces inside of a large plastic zipper bag, and tenderize the chicken using a meat tenderizer or by hitting it with the back of a kitchen knife until the pieces are somewhat flat. Mince the garlic and dice the onion and tomatoes.

Add 1 tablespoon of EVOO to a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle small amount of salt and black pepper to both sides of the chicken breasts before placing them into the skillet. Sear both sides of the chicken until fully cooked. While the chicken is cooking, make spaghetti in a medium sauce pan according to directions on the package.

Add 2 tablespoons of EVOO to a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sauté minced garlic and onion until fragrant. Add diced tomatoes and a dash of salt, black pepper and a couple of shakes of crushed red pepper to taste. Cover and simmer the tomatoes for 3 minutes or until the juice comes out and becoming a chunky sauce consistence. Place the cooked chicken breast into the large skillet with the tomato sauce. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 2 minutes, turn the chicken over and simmer for another 2 minutes while covered. Add cooked and drained spaghetti to the chicken and tomato sauce mix. Stir all the ingredients well, then cover and simmer on low heat for 2 minutes.

Serve the chicken on a bed of spaghetti and spoon the tomato sauce onto the chicken and pasta. Enjoy it with a glass of Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay or Riesling. For the non-drinkers, I suggest sparkling water with lemon.

Boxing Cat Brewery in Shanghai

Shanghai is a modern, vivacious metropolitan that rivals New York, London, Tokyo and Paris. Just like other great metropolitans in the world, Shanghai is also a great place for finding delicious cuisines, cocktails, and microbrews. Yes, you heard it right, tasty beers freshly brewed in Shanghai!
On one of the sleepless nights, Karen and I stumbled into this award winning brewery and restaurant on Fuxing Xi Lu, near YongFu Lu in the French Concession – Boxing Cat Brewery (BCB).

BCB resides in a 3-story modernized old European style house. It has a large patio and a small dinning room on the ground floor. Two large dinning rooms and a balcony occupy the 2nd floor. In between the 2nd and 3rd floor, there is a private dinning room that can fit around 10 people. This little nook and cranny of a place could be very cozy for a gathering of close friends. The 3rd floor is complete with a pool table, dart board and a full service bar to help the game players quench their thirst.

BCB brews its own microbrews, so everyday they will have 4 special beers on tap for you to taste. For 1/2 a pint (13oz), the price is 35RMB, and for a full pint (20 oz), the damage is 45 RMB. Besides their own microbrews, BCB also serves a variety of wine, champagne, cocktails and hard liquor. BCB also has an extensive food menu. You can choose from burgers, pasta, BBQ ribs, Halibut & Oyster fish & chips and many other mouth watering items on the menu. The average price is around 100 RMB, and the portions are huge, definitely American style. If you find it hard to get to BCB on a weekday, then you must not miss their “Weekend Brunch”. They have everything from pancakes, omelet to southern biscuit & gravy and the “Big Daddy’s Steak & Eggs”. Brunch comes with choice of coffee, tea or juice, and prices range from 38 - 105 RMB.

OK, now get away from your computer, call a few friends and go check it out. You might just have found your new home there….

Enjoy, and happy eating, drinking and exploring in Shanghai!





82 Fuxing Xi Lu (French Concession)

Near Yongfu Lu, Metro Line 1 Changshu Lu Station

上海市徐汇区复兴西路82号

近永福路，地铁1号线常熟路站

Tel: 021-6431-2091

http://www.boxingcatbrewery.com/
Hours: Mon-Fri 5pm - 2am, Sat-Sun 11am-2am

Price: 100-199 RMB per couple

Taste around the world

I have been cooking since I was 13. I cooked for my family growing up, and I've worked in restaurants during high school and college making chow mein, egg rolls, pot stickers and waiting tables. Recently I started to cook for myself. What I mean is to create my own recipes based on the food I've tasted during my travels around the world.

This blog is going to be filled with travel food finds and my recipe creations. Some of these might also be published in the online magazine Mozimogo, where I write a column named "Taste and The City". I hope you will enjoy the read, and I would love to get feedback and comments about the recipes!