Dining - ARIA @ Circular Quay

Complementary Chickpea crisp Appetizer

Special of the Day - Shaved calamari on custard 

Petunia ocean trout with Earl Grey tea, pickled sea lettuce and cucumber

Truffle potato mash

Dry aged Jack's Creek sirloin with sautéed mushrooms and watercress

Special swordfish steak

Cervena venison loin and sausage with Fargo, parsnip and Rosemary

Strawberry and champagne with macerated berries and watermelon

Pink lady Apple sorbet with coconut parfait, rhubarb, raspberries and toasted granola

Blood orange soufflé with Caramelised miche and marmalade ice cream

Cooking Lab - Edible Christmas Tree Salad

Cooking Lab - Potato Parcel with Bacon and Shallot

Cooking Lab - Potato Gnocchi with Aubergine & Tomato Ricotta Sauce (義大利馬鈴薯麵疙瘩)

When we dined out at Red Zucchini Italian Restaurant, I really liked a comfort food dish called Gnocchi al Norma. 

It was a simple vegetarian classic potato gnocchi served with baked ricotta, basil, Napolitana sauce and topped with eggplants. 

在外吃到這種像麻糬的義大利麵。今晚就來試試吧! 原來還滿簡單煮的。吃起來很Q軟彈牙。加入茄子，蕃茄醬，很快就可以上桌吃飯囉~


(c) GMV - Got My Vote!

Tonight, I am recreating something similar and I've also topped my gnoochi with some shaved ham :) 

This is an ultimate comfort food dish. 

Ingredients:

- 1 packet of potato gnocchi 
- 200g fresh baby rocket salad 
-150g shaved ham 
-1 large eggplant 
-1 brown onion 
-1 jar of ricotta sauce 
-1 clove of garlic 
-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 
-2 tablespoon fresh Parmesan cheese 
-3 tomato 
-Salt and black pepper to season

Instructions:

1. Cook potato gnocchi in boiling salt water according to packet instruction.

2. Lightly spray with olive oil to prevent stickiness.

3. Cut eggplant into large bite-size chunks.

4. Heat oil in a small skillet over medium high heat.

5. Deep fry until the eggplant turn golden on all sides.

6. Remove and blot off the excessive oil on paper towel.

7. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a frypan over medium heat and crisp up the shaved ham. Remove.

8. In the same frypan, fry the garlic and onion until fragrant.

9. Add in the fried eggplant and tomato.

10. Pour in the ricotta sauce (or tomato puree paste) and stir to evenly cover all ingredients.

11. Add the gnocchi into the pan.

12. Reduce heat to medium.

13. Evenly coat the gnocchi in the rich tomato sauce.

14. Add in the rocket leave (basil would work as well).

15. Let the sauce simmer to intensify the flavour and colour.

16. Divide the gnocchi into 6 equal servings.

(Gnocchi are very filling, so reduce the serving portion)  

17. Top with shaved ham and fresh parmesan cheese shaves.

18. Season with black pepper.

19. Garnish with baby rocket and herbs.

A really good hearty pasta dish and it tastes even better when reheated the next day.

Cooking Lab - Mentaiko Baked Potato

Never heard of Mentaiko? 

It is delicious and very moreish. 

It is one of the top 5 Jspanese staple ingredients.

Adding Mentaiko will jazz everything up. 

Today, I am turning ordinary potatoes into something extraordinary!

(c) GMV - Got My Vote!

This morning's breakfast concoction is a moreish dish filled with spicy salty caviar hash & roasted tomatoes with baked egg. Potato lovers will fall head over heels with this dish. 

This is the perfect weekend brunch with friends. 

The flavours are amazing. 

Ingredients:

- 4  potato hash browns 
- 2 stripe sac of Mentaiko 
- 4 tablespoons Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise 
- 6 cherry tomato 
- 2 tablespoon seaweed flakes 
- 2 cherry radish 
- 40g baby snow pea sprouts 
- 20g shave parmesan cheese 
- 20g fresh parsley 
- 2 egg 
- 4 slices of sourdough bread (because 1 is not enough with this moreish dish

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Remove Mentaiko from the sac-skin.

    3. Mix Mentaiko, mayonnaise and parsley together.

    4. Bake the hash browns and cherry tomatoes in the oven.

5. Arrange the hash potato and roasted cherry tomato in a terracotta dish. Add a drizzle of olive oil.

6. Lightly sprinkle some cheese.

7. Crack the egg at the center of the dish.

8. Bake for 3 minutes.

9. Add the Mentaiko mayonnaise around the egg and bake for a further 2 minutes.

10. Remove from the oven.

11. Garnish with fresh baby snow pea sprouts and grated cherry radish on top.

Note: Mentaiko is quite salty by itself, so I've omitted salt in this recipe.

12. Toast the breads with a drizzle of olive oil on top.

13. Grill the sourdough breads and top with some parmesan cheese.

14. Garnish the golden toasty sourdough parsley.

15. Serve the sourdough breads with the mentaiko baked potato.

Sprinkle seaweed flakes on top before serving.

Volia! This just looks so delicious.

Spread ample baked Mentai on the sourdough slice.

It is too good, 2 slices of sourdough are not enough. 

Reaching out for another sandwich slice .... 

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