Involtini di Melanzane (Rolled Eggplant Bundles)

I had some eggplant left over from making Eggplant Parmesan the other day, so I went online to look for some new eggplant recipes to try out. I found a rather interesting recipe called Involtini di Melanzane. It's basically rolled eggplant with pasta stuffing. I've never heard of this dish before, let alone tried it. So, I was pretty psyched to try it out. It turned out to be really good and I'll definitely make this for dinner again in the very near future. I'm not sure if it's authentic or not, but here's my take on how to make Involtini di Melanzane.

Start off by slicing the eggplants lengthwise into thin slices. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the eggplant slices and place them into a colander. Allow the eggplant slices to sit for about an hour or so. This is done so that we can get as much water out of the eggplants as possible. After about an hour, rinse off the excess salt and pat it dry with a paper towel.
Heat up some oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, place a couple of eggplant slices into the pan. Be really careful when you do this, cos it will splatter! Also remember not to overcrowd the pan. Fry until the eggplant slices becomes soft and golden brown on both sides.
Remove the eggplant slices from the pan and place them onto some paper towels. This is done so that we can get as much oil out of the eggplant slices as possible. You can put more paper towels on top of the eggplant slices and lightly pat it down too. That will help in removing as much oil as possible. Once you have done that, set the fried eggplant slices aside.
Next, cook up your favorite long pasta. It can be spaghetti, fettuccine, linguine or even angel hair pasta. I used spaghetti and it worked out pretty well. Once your pasta is al dente, drain it and set it aside.
Now it's time to make some pasta sauce. You can just reheat some from a jar or make from scratch using your grandma's favorite pasta sauce recipe. It doesn't really matter. I just reheated some tomato and basil pasta sauce that came in a jar. Once you are done with the pasta sauce, split it into three portions.
Pour the first portion of your pasta sauce into a deep baking dish.
Toss your pasta in the second portion of that pasta sauce and set the third portion of sauce aside. We will use it later on.
Here's when we assemble everything together. Place a slice of eggplant on a flat surface. Scoop up some pasta and place it in the middle of the eggplant slice (just like the photo).
Then, sprinkle on some feta cheese (you could also use mozzarella cheese if you like) onto the pasta. Top if off with a slice of cooked bacon. I used turkey bacon but you can pretty much use any type of bacon that you like. Just make sure that it's not greasy.
Roll up the eggplant and place it on top of the pasta sauce that we placed earlier in the deep baking dish. Make sure that you place the eggplant rolls seam side down, so that it doesn't unravel during cooking.
Once you have finish rolling up all your eggplants, scoop on some pasta sauce (the 3rd portion that we saved earlier) on top of the eggplant rolls. Sprinkle on some Italian herbs, black pepper and it's ready to go into the oven.
Place the baking dish into a 375F preheated oven, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. After 40 minutes or so, remove the baking dish from the oven and sprinkle on some Parmesan cheese before serving. I'm glad I found this recipe cos it was totally delicious. Go ahead, try it and tell me what you think!

Spinach Stuffed Cod with Mushroom and Feta Cheese

I had some really thick cod fillets sitting in my freezer the other day. So, I decided to try out this new recipe that I downloaded off the Internet. The recipe was actually for spinach stuffed flounder, so I made a few changes to it and made it my own. It turned out to be really yummy, so I have decided to share it with all of you.

Start off by heating some olive oil in a pan. Then, add in some minced garlic and saute until it turns to a light shade of brown. As soon as it starts to change color, add in some sliced Crimini mushrooms (also known as baby bella mushrooms). Mix the mushrooms with the minced garlic and allow it to cook.
Once the mushrooms have soften, add in a few big bunches of spinach. Be very careful when you do this. As soon as the wet spinach hits the very hot oil, it's bound to splatter! Stir fry the spinach with the mushrooms and garlic until it's wilted.
Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle some crumbled feta cheese onto the spinach mixture. Gently stir in the feta cheese and your stuffing mixture is done!
Now, it's time to prep the fish. I premarinated my cod fillets with some of Chef Paul Prudhomme's Magic Seafood Seasoning Blend a few hours before. You can pretty much use any seafood seasoning that you like or just some old fashioned salt and pepper. It is important that you use a thick fillet, so that you can butterfly the fillet in the middle. Then, place it onto a lightly greased baking pan.
Then, stuff your cod fillet with the spinach stuffing that we made earlier. Cover the stuffing with the top half of the fillet. Gently poke a few toothpicks all the way through the fillets. This is to prevent the top part of the fillet from popping up while it's in the oven. Then, squeeze some fresh lemon juice onto your fillets and it's ready to go into the oven.
Pop it into a preheated 375F oven and allow it to bake for about 25-30 mins (depending on your oven). Remember not to over cook your fillets. After 25 minutes, use a fork to check and see if it's done. If it flakes, it's done. Allow it to rest for a few minutes before serving. I served my stuffed cod with some dirty rice and steamed vegetables. Mmmm mmm mmmm, a healthy (not to mention yummy) dinner that is so easy to make!

Simple Salisbury Steak

Both Kevin and I have always liked eating Salisbury Steak. In fact, it's one of my favorite dishes to order whenever we go to a diner. However, I have never gotten around to making it at home (should have tried it a long time ago!). I had some minced meat sitting around in my fridge a while ago, so I decided to search for it's recipe online. To my surprise, it turned out to be so easy to make! I changed the recipe around a bit (based on what I had in my pantry at that moment) and it turned out to be awesome! Here's how I make my version of the Salisbury Steak.

Start off by adding one extra large egg to a lbs of ground beef. Stir in the egg with the meat until it's evenly mixed.
Then, add in about 1/4 cups of milk. You can add in a little bit more, depending on how wet/dry the mixture is. I would usually just eyeball, when it comes to stuff like that.
After that, add in some Worcestershire sauce. I just love the taste of Worcestershire sauce. I pretty much use it for everything...burgers, steaks, chicken....etc :P Mix all the ingredients together.
Now, it's time to add in the dry ingredients. Mix in a packet of onion soup mix followed by some Italian breadcrumbs. If you do not have Italian breadcrumbs, regular ones will work too.
Once you have mixed all the ingredients together, it's time to get your hands dirty. Using your hands, just make sure that all the ingredients are nicely and evenly mixed. Then, separate the minced meat into 6 portions and form 6 large patties (there are only 4 patties in the picture cos I can't fit 6 into a plate :P). Remember to compact the meat together tightly, so that it doesn't break apart during cooking. You can sprinkle some breadcrumbs at the bottom of the plate to prevent the meat from sticking, if you like. Cover it with some plastic wrap and allow it to sit in the fridge for about an hour.
Now it's time to give our Salisbury Steak some color. Heat some oil in a pan on high heat. Then, add in the patties. I only cooked two (since it's only the two of us) patties and saved the other 4 patties for another day. I just had to put them between some wax paper, place them into a freezer bag and pop them into the freezer. So, you can pretty much make a large batch and keep the patties in the freezer for quite a long time. The purpose of pan frying the patties is just to give it color. You do not have to cook the meat all the way through. Once it's nicely browned on both sides, remove it from the pan and set it aside.
Using the same pan, we shall now make the sauce. Add in some chopped portobello mushrooms into the pan. Mix it around and make sure that you scrap off all the nice leftover brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
Once the mushrooms have soften a little, add in some brown gravy. I made the gravy by mixing some water with a packet of instant brown gravy mix. You can also use brown gravy that comes in a bottle or if you really really want to, you can make it from scratch. Mix it all together and all ow it to simmer.
Once the sauce have reduced a little, it is done. Arrange the meat patties on a lightly greased baking pan and then pour the sauce over. Cover it with aluminium foil and it's ready for baking.
Pop the baking pan into a preheated 375F oven and allow it to cook for about 35-45 minutes (depending on your oven). As you can see, I also had some baked potatoes in the oven. I placed the potatoes in the oven when I started making the sauce earlier. This way, both the Salisbury Steak and Baked Potatoes will be done at almost the same time. After about 40 minutes or so, the Salisbury Steak is done! I then sprinkled some fried onions on top and served it with a side of baked potato and some sweet corn. Another simple and uber yummy dinner!! :D

Baked Cod with Italian Crumb Topping

I managed to pick up a couple of lbs of really fresh cod fillets from our local grocery store the other day. I love cod (simply love the texture and taste!) but I do not get to eat much of it back home in Malaysia, cos it's usually really really expensive. So yeah, I was pretty stoked to find some really fresh cod fillets on sale. I looked up a few recipes online and was torn between the Stuffed Cod Fillets and this recipe. I chose to go with this and boy, I'm glad I did. It turned out to be really yummy! Let me share this really simple but yummy baked cod recipe with you.

Let's start off by making the Italian Crumb topping. It's really simple actually. Just mix in some corn meal into a bowl of Italian breadcrumbs.
Then, add in some freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder and some grated Parmesan cheese. Mix everything together and set it aside. The topping is done! Wasn't that easy?
Alright, next! Scoop some low fat/light mayo into a small bowl. Then, squeeze in some lemon juice. Combine both of the ingredients together and make sure that everything is mixed in well. Once everything is nicely mixed, set it aside.
Now it's time to prep the cod. The cod fillets that I bought were pretty large. So, I cut the fillets into half and saved the fleshy part for another day. I am going to use the tail/back portion of the cod fillet for this recipe. Place the cod fillets in a lightly greased baking dish. Remember to tuck in the end of the fillets. This is to prevent it from overcooking (since it's way thinner compared to the other parts of the fillet).
Then, spread the mayo mixture evenly on top of the cod fillets.
Once you have evenly spread the mayo onto the cod fillets, sprinkle on the Italian Crumb topping. Make sure that you coat the entire top of the fillets. Then, spray on some olive oil cooking spray. Place the baking dish into a 450F preheated oven and allow it to bake for approx 15 mins or so (depending on how thick your fillets are).
After 15 - 20 mins, remove the baking dish from the oven and allow it to sit for another 5 mins. Then, it's ready to be served! Boy, this recipe is so yummy! Our whole apartment smelled so good while it was baking in the oven...mmm mmm mmmmmmm. I served the baked cod with some pasta salad and some stir fried spinach with garlic (my current favorite side dish :P). I'm starting to get all hungry now that I am thinking of those cod fillets. Yes, they are that good! You should try this recipe. Not only is it easy and quick to make, but really yummy to eat!

Marmalade Glazed Pork Chops

I found some nice looking pork chops on sale at our local grocery store the other day. Instead of cooking up those pork chops the way that I usually would, I thought that I would search the Internet for something new to try. I came upon quite a few "Marmalade Glazed Pork Chops" recipes, so I decided to combine all of them together and came up with this. It turned out to be really yummy, so I figured I should share it with all of you.

Start off by marinating the pork chops. I just sprinkled on some Lawry's Seasoned Salt on the chops and placed them in a Ziploc bag to marinade overnight. If you don't really have time, you can just marinade them for about an hour or two. It should work too. The next step is to brown the chops. All you need to do is pan fry the chops on high heat in a frying pan for a bit. You do not need to cook through, we just need to give them some color.

While the pork chops are browning in the frying pan, line a baking dish with some orange slices.

Once the pork chops are nicely browned, place them in the baking dish, on top of the orange slices. At this point, the pork chops should look nice and brown on the outside but is still raw/semi raw in the inside. Set it aside and return to the frying pan.

Now it's time to deglaze the pan. We want to save all the caramelized yummy stuff that is stuck on the pan when we were browning the pork chops. Just pour in some orange juice into the pan. I can't really tell you how much OJ I used cause I just eyeballed it. Just enough to deglaze the pan.

Stir the orange juice with a spatula, making sure that you get all the caramelized stuff off the pan.

Then, add in a few big tablespoons of marmalade. Stir in the marmalade and allow it to cook for a little. Once it starts to get bubbly, turn off the heat and your glaze is done.

Once the glaze is done, it's time to put everything together. Just spread on the glaze onto pork chops that is already in the baking dish. If you like, you can pour in some orange juice into the bottom of the pan. This is to help give moisture when it's baking in the oven, so that the pork chops will remain nice and juicy.

Cover the baking dish with aluminium foil and pop it into a 350F preheated oven for about 40 minutes. Certain ovens might take longer while some might take shorter. You would just have to check every once in a while, after it has been in the oven for over half an hour.

There you go! The piping hot and juicy Marmalade Glazed Pork Chops, freshly out from the oven. Since orange and pork goes pretty well with Oriental side dishes, I served the pork chops with some flavored rice and some stir fried baby bok choi. Another yummy, quick and hassle free dinner for the Podanys!

Roti Canai Ham & Cheese Roll

Remember my post about the Roti Canai Hot Dog Roll and Roti Canai Chicken Puff? Well today, I am going to make another really simple and quick recipe using frozen roti canai. This time around, I'm making Roti Canai Ham & Cheese Rolls.

Start off by taking out a piece of frozen roti canai from the freezer and allowing it to thaw on the kitchen counter for about 5-10 mins. Remember not to over thaw. We just need it to be pliable. If you overthaw the frozen roti canai, it will be very sticky, thus making it really hard to work with.

Next, brush on some egg wash onto the roti canai. If you notice, the first few steps in this recipe is exactly the same as the roti canai hot dog recipe.

Then, place a large piece of ham (you can use two or three pieces if your ham is really small) and one stick of mozzarella string cheese onto the roti canai.

Roll the roti canai up and tuck in the sides. Make sure that everything is nicely tucked in. If not, the cheese will ooze out when it melts. Once you have rolled it up nicely, you can then place it onto a greased baking tray. Remember to cut some slits on the top of the rolls. This is to allow steam to escape while baking.

After cutting the slits on the top of the rolls, brush on some egg wash. The egg wash will give the rolls a nice golden brown color when it's done baking.

Pop it in a 350F preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Once it's done, allow it to cool down for a while before serving.

There you go! A yummy looking piece of roti canai ham and cheese roll. You can cut it to half before serving. It's just perfect for an afternoon snack or something to munch on while watching TV. Not only are they really simple to make, but they are really yummy to eat!