Start Your Weekend on a Delicious Note!
Tuck into these great recipes by Anelia, an accomplished chef and restaurant consultant, who knows just how to tantalize your taste buds with a mouthwatering Broccoli and Bacon Pasta rounded off with a Heavenly Dessert.
At the moment, we all might be ordering in meals from restaurants and hotel kitchens with the pandemic keeping us at home quite often for long periods of time. While it’s fun and different at first, eating takeout food can become tedious and costly in the long run. Here are two of my favorite recipes to put a sparkle back into homemade meals on the weekend. How about rustling up this delicious pasta dish followed by a delectable dessert for the family this Friday?
One-wok Broccoli and Bacon Pasta
I love pasta, so for a special family dinner to celebrate the start of the weekend, cooking a delicious pasta dish is the obvious choice. "I will share it among my neighbors,'' I said to myself the last time I made this one-wok beauty. However, there wasn't even enough left for the bachelor living down the soi, and he does not look like a big eater! Bottom line, I enjoyed most of it myself. Without further ado, here is a wok dish that is sure to be popular with all members of the family. Remember to invite the neighbors (or not!).
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 15–20 mins
Serves: 5
Ingredients
- 400 g dry spaghetti
- 1 cup brown onions, finely chopped
- 1 cup bacon, cut into small pieces
- 10 ml olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 medium-sized head of broccoli, cut into small florets
- 2 chicken stock cubes
- 10 fresh Thai basil leaves, plus extra to serve
- 500 ml water
- 250 ml coconut milk (and another 250 ml water in the same cup)
- Pinch of salt, pepper, and paprika
- Parmesan to serve
Method
- Heat 5 ml olive oil in a wok over medium heat and add the bacon, onion, and garlic. Fry for about four minutes or until the onions are soft and browned.
- Now add 500 ml water, chicken stock cubes, and the basil leaves, and bring to the boil. Boil for three minutes.
- Remove the basil leaves with kitchen tongs, and add the rest of the olive oil, ½ tsp of salt, and pasta. Cook for ten minutes on high heat.
- Now add the broccoli, coconut milk, and 250 ml water. Reduce the temperature to medium heat, cover with a lid, and simmer for another 5 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Make sure the broccoli is cooked but still crunchy and bright green.
- Add a pinch of salt, pepper, and paprika powder, give it a quick mix, and . . . dinner is served!
- Serve with Parmesan shavings and fresh Thai basil.
Heavenly Dessert
If heaven was a dessert, this would be it. Rich, creamy, and sweet—this is the dessert that dreams are made of! I used the traditional South African Malva pudding as a base (this is the ‘sponge’) and then added some Thai flavors to it.
Preparation time: 20 mins
Baking time: 40–45 mins
Serves: 8
Making the sponge
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 370 g brown cane sugar
- 50 ml honey
- 30 ml melted butter
- 250 ml coconut milk
- 1 ripe mango, peeled
- 15 ml vanilla extract
- 15 ml ginger powder
- 15 ml white vinegar
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180℃, and grease a 20 cm square baking dish.
- To make the pudding, in a large bowl, mix the eggs, sugar, honey, and butter until light and creamy. Then add the coconut milk, vanilla, and vinegar and mix again until combined.
- In another bowl, mix together the flour, salt, ginger powder, baking powder, and baking soda.
- Blitz the mango on high speed in a blender for approximately 40 seconds.
- Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until thoroughly combined and then fold in the mango puree.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 40–45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Making the sauce
Ingredients
- 250 ml coconut milk
- 125 g butter
- 125 g sugar
- 5 ml ginger extract
- 5 ml vanilla essence
- Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream to serve
- Grilled mango and nuts to serve (optional)
Method
In a small pot, bring the butter, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla essence, and ginger extract to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Then remove from the stove. Finally, pour over the hot baked pudding. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Add some grilled mango or nuts and enjoy heaven.
Photos courtesy of the author.
About the Author
Anelia is a performing artist from South Africa. She has been living and working as a teacher in Thailand for eight years. She also writes educational children’s books, makes music, and loves to spend time in the kitchen. IG: aneliathegreat
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