Friday, 31 January 2014

Happy Chinese New Year!! - Anchovies & Capers Pasta

Disclaimer: This will be short :D 'I just came home, after eating my belly full of yummy chinese dishes, I'm exhausted but I just have to write this before the night ends.  So please disregard any grammatical errors.... 

This is probably the most nontraditional post considering the event :D  Its Chinese New Year, celebrating the year of the Horse, so you would expect to read all the traditional delicious food we consume at mass during the next few days!  Sorry peeps! All you are getting with this post is ..... yup!!!

Anchovies & Capers Pasta.  :D Sounds disgusting right?! Anchovies for some reason has left a negative image on the general population.  Truthfully, it is not at all disgusting.  Many chefs uses anchovies as part of their "secret" ingredient.  The flavour of anchovies robustly wonderful and when you buy the quality jars, in olive oil, there is no fishy flavour AT ALL.  Have you ever ate a dish where you just can't pin point that one ingredient but taste wonderfully delicious?  yup! its anchovies :) You'll find many Italian & Korean dishes uses anchovies. ;)

For this recipe, purchase a nice jar of anchovies for any specialty stores.This is superbly simple.  The key to this dish to to have good quality anchovies, capers & olive oil.  With homemade pasta :D  but if you don't have it, no worries :D box pasta is just fine.  :D

Makes 1 serving:
Ingredients:
3-4 slices of anchovies, chopped
2 -3 tbsp capers
butter
olive oil
1/2 clove garlic (optional)
1/4 cup onion, chopped
some parsley if you have
half a lemon

Directions:
1.  Prepare your pasta accordingly to instructions of package and set aside.  Save 1/4 cup of pasta water.

2.  Chop your garlic, onion and anchovies.


3,  In a heavy pan, bring heat to medium high.  Coat pan with olive oil and approx 1tbsp (or less!) of butter.  Once sizzling, throw in your onion and garlic. Cook until semi-translucent.


4.  Throw in your capers and cook for a min.  mushing the capers in the back of your spatula to release more flavour. 


5.  Throw in your chopped anchovies.  Toss and cook for another minute. 



6.  Throw in your pasta and coat thoroughly. Add in your 1/4 cup of pasta water. Toss and cook for another minute or so.




7.  Turn off heat.  Tadaa! it is THAT simple.  and sooo flavourful :) on I forgot, drizzle lemon juice right before turning off the heat and toss. 


May this new year bring you health & happiness! :)  Whether you are born in the year of Horse or not, make every year count.  You are the driver of your life. :D 

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