Cooking ~ Chili Anchovies Pasta & ABC Cream Soup

I cannot get enough of anchovies in olive oil. I like it in salad, on top of pizza and in pasta. Chili and anchovies also make very good combination. Since this ingredient is a luxury and I don't buy them very often, I will make sure I have enough of them whenever I go for any buffet treats. (yeah, I very kiasu!)

This is what I made today for dinner. And to go with it, I made ABC creamy soup. ABC is known as soup with carrot, potatoes and tomato, Chinese style. Today, I converted it to Western style.

Chili Anchovies Pasta

Ingredients:

1. Pasta (Cooked in lightly salted boiling water till al dente and set aside)

2. 1 big red onion (diced)

3. 4-5 cloves of garlic (chopped)

4. 1 red chili (sliced)

5. Approx 2 tsp of chili flakes *optional

6. 1 can of anchovy fillets in olive oil (I used John West's)

7. 5-6 pcs Swiss brown mushrooms (sliced)

*picture sourced from google*

This is the anchovy fillets I used today

Seasonings:

1. Salt and pepper (adjust to taste)

2. A pinch of sugar

3. 3-4 tsp of balsamic vinegar (if not available, replace with 1 tbsp of lemon juice)

Method:

1. Heat oil and saute onion & garlic till soft and fragrant.

2. Add in red chili and chili flakes. Stir for about 20 seconds.

3. Pour in the whole can of anchovy fillet. Stir and combine well.

4. Add in mushroom and stir.

5. Add in salt, pepper and sugar. Let the ingredients caramelise a little.

6. Now, add in the balsamic vinegar and let it simmer just a while, approx 20-30 seconds.

7. Now, in goes the cooked pasta. Mix to combine well.

8. Dish up and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. (what is pasta without the cheese eh?)

ABC Creamy Soup

Ingredients:

1. A bowl of stock (Today, I made stock using anchovies/ikan bilis) *optional. If not available, can be replaced with stock cubes or just plain water

2. 2 medium sized potatoes (diced)

3. 1 carrot (diced)

4. 1 tomato (diced)

5. 2-3 cloves garlic (coarsely chopped)

6. 1 big red onion (diced)

7. 2-3 tsp of evaporated milk or cream *optional

Seasonings

1. Salt and pepper (adjust to taste)

2. 2-3 tsp of tomato ketchup/paste

3. 2-3 tsp of balsamic vinegar (can be replaced with lemon juice)

Method:

1. Saute onion and garlic till fragrant.

2. Add in diced potatoes, carrots and tomatoes. Stir to combine well everything.

3. Add in water or stock. Simmer for approx 10-15 mins.

4. Depends on how creamy or chunky you prefer your soup. I like it half creamy and half chunky. So I remove half of the soup and let it cool before I blend them. Pour the blended portion back into the pot and simmer for another 5 mins.

5. Season well and add in cream. Stir well and ready to be served.

6. This is optional - Add a dollop of cream or yoghurt before serving.

Results:

DH - Love the soup!! But where is the anchovy in the pasta?

Me - I love them both because I love anchovy fillets (anytime at all) and tomatoes!

DS - Hao Ji!!! (She asked for the recipe - music to my ears!)