Spaghettini con la Bottarga (To Be Exact, Asian Karasumi)

Let it be bottarga or karasumi, these two are basically western and Asian variations of salted and cured fish roe, and mullet roe is the most common one. The cooking method is basically the same and doesn't matter if you are using bottarga or karasumi. Even the waxed version, simply remove the wax and prep the fish roe as this recipe instructs.

Spaghettini con la bottarga/Asian karasumi -

Ingredients (about 2 to 3 portions)?

• 250 grams spaghettini
• 250 grams colorful cherry tomatoes
• 2 garlic cloves
• half piece bottarga/karasumi 
• Some Chinese rice cooking wine
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Some salt
• Small bundle flat leaf parsley

How? 

If you're using waxed bottarga, remove the wax first. Wipe some Chinese rice cooking wine, or dry white wine on both sides of the cured fish roe.

Use a non-stick pan, drizzle about 3 tablespoons of olive oil and transfer bottarga/karasumi over. Note that the oil is still cold when we put in the fish roe. Turn to medium heat and slowly searing the fish roe till slightly darkened. Flip and do the same. Once ready, transfer the fish roe to a plate and set aside to cool down. Save the remaining oil, we'll continue to cook the aromatics shortly. 

Once bottarga/karasumi is cool enough to handle by hand, you can either remove the thin coat if preferred, but not necessarily since we're going to grate it. I found the crunchy coating actually provide more flavor to the pasta.

Grate the seared fish roe till you get about 3/4 cup of it. If there are some leftover bottarga/karasumi, well, bring out the wine and enjoy some while cooking it (drink responsibly).

Bring a big pot of water to a boil, generously salt the water. Cook the pasta till almost al dente. Towards the end, save some pasta water just in case we need to dilute the sauce later on. Once the pasta is ready, drain and set aside.

While the pasta is cooking, let's continue to work on other ingredients. Peel and finely chop the garlic cloves. Finely chop the flat leaf parsley. Halve the cherry tomatoes.

Still using the same non-stick pan used in searing fish roe. Any remaining oil now become the essence of the pasta. Add in garlic along with 1 teaspoon of salt. Sear till aromatic but not burnt.

Transfer halved cherry tomatoes over and cook till softened and the juice has been released. Usually the tomato juice should be enough, but if somehow the entire mixture appears too dry, add some pasta water to dilute it just a wee bit.

Mix in drained pasta along with grated bottarga/karasumi. Taste and adjust if needed.

Plate and garnish with chopped parsley. 

Not going to lie, this spaghettini recipe was really delicious, especially if you love that condensed savory touch from the bottarga to begin with. Grated bottarga overtook the role of salt, while providing even more depth of flavors to the pasta. 

The only regret is that I should have made more. Basically half piece of the fish roe can make enough pasta for two people. So I guess next time I'll just use up using the entire piece of bottarga/karasumi for a party of four to five. Or I can finish these portions within couple days, all for myself.

Other pasta recipes:

• Black truffle pasta with aged Parmigiano Reggiano 
• Garlic shrimp pasta bake (with mozzarella, cheddar, and provolone)
• Chicken and shrimp tagliatelle in creamy saffron sauce

Recipe that Brings Back Memories - Tater Tot Casserole

It was a great opportunity for me to experience American high school life back in the days. On top of that, my school was in Minnesota, the land of 10,000 lakes, instead of Asian overloaded states like CA or NY. It was a year well remembered, my wonderful host family, friends from school, and the amazing upper Midwest landscape that not many Asian foreign students ever truly ventured. 

So during my one senior year back in the states, I had plenty of school lunches and got quite a taste of what I thought as "American comfort food." Few things that came into my mind, also not easily found in Taiwan - pulled pork, chicken Kiev, and all kinds of baked goods and casseroles. Since I can't really find them in Taiwan (except pulled pork), I might as well recreate the dishes that I've missed myself. That's the spirit.

Tater tot casserole - 

Ingredients (about 8 by 11 inches baking dish)?

• 1 pack/about 75 frozen tater tots
• 1 can/400 grams cream of mushroom
• 1 can or about 300 grams string beans
• 250 grams lean ground beef
• 180 grams shredded Cheddar
• 1/2 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 
• Some salt
• Some black pepper
• Tiny amount olive oil (to grease the dish)

How?    

This recipe is not hard, especially when all the ingredients can be easily sourced back in America. Let me show you the difference here in Taiwan. First, I might need to go to a better market in order to find ground beef. Even for shredded Cheddar, most places only sell pack of shredded "mixed" cheese, not Cheddar alone. I've tried my luck here and there, finally gave up and decided to buy a whole chunk and shred the cheese myself.

Even canned beans cannot be found anywhere, but that part is easy since we get fresh string beans almost all year long. Use canned version if you can get a hold of it, otherwise trim the ends then slice into short sections for fresh string beans. Cook in boiling water for about 15 minutes to reach a softer bite. Once ready, drain well, perhaps pat dry with kitchen towel too, and set aside for later use. 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/190 degrees Celsius. Lightly grease an 8 by 11 inches baking dish with cooking spray or brush with olive oil.

Peel and dice the onion. Peel and chop the garlic.

Take a non-stick pan and turn to medium high heat. Add in lean ground beef and cook till it changes color. Drain away excess fat if any.

Add in onion and cook till slightly translucent. Add in garlic and continue to cook for about one minute.

Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Mix till blended.

Transfer this beef mixture to baking dish and spread out evenly as the very bottom layer. Pour the cream of mushroom on top as the second bottom layer. The third bottom layer will be prepped beans. Also sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper over the beans.

Top the beans with all the shredded cheese then spread out tater tots over.

Into the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, plus or minus couple minutes. Check once a while, bake till the tater tots turn golden browned. Mine might look darker because I used chili flavored tater tots instead.

When ready, take out the baking dish and let it set for couple minutes. Serve like cutting lasagna portions, even better with some Tabasco.

How long has it been? At least 10 years I think, I finally get a taste of what I've love to eat back in the states. Minnesota to be exact since I can't remember any other time that I had such casserole dish in CA. This dish brings back some homey memories, I'll count that as one extra fine seasoning to the casserole.