I couldn't resist these when I saw them at the farmer's market on Sunday. So I took them home and stuffed them with all kinds of goodies :): fresh corn, ground veal and pork, onion, red bell pepper, pine nuts and ... shiso! Try to fatten them up I did :-)

They were a hit at dinner, especially since they were hidden in the All-Clad Petite Braiser... and when the lid was lifted off ... surprise! cute as buttons they sat with their hats on... :)


Ingredients:
Serve 2
- 4 baby squashes
- 1 corn
- 1/2 red bell pepper
- 1/2 small onion
- 1/4 lb veal and 1/4 pork
- 1 Tbsp pine nuts
- 1 tsp Mrs Dash seasoning
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 large shiso leaves minced

Preparation:
- Wash and cut the top of the squashes, scoop out the inside (pic 2)
- Cut the kennels off the corn, dice the onion and red bell pepper (pic 3)
- Pour a 1/2 T olive oil in a skillet set over Medium High. Add the onion and bell pepper for a minute or so, then the veal and pork, then the seasoning.  (pic 4)
- In the mean time, zap the corn in the microwave for 3-4 minutes then add to the skillet along with the pine nuts (pic5)
- Next add the tomato sauce, and continue to cook the mixture until the pork/veal is done (loose it's pink color), adjust the seasoning and sprinkle with the minced shiso leaves.
- Zap the baby squashes in the microwave for 6-7  minutes, remove let them cool a bit then stuff them with cooked mixture.(pic 7-8)
- Return the squashes to the skillet add a bit of water to the left over stuffing. Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes.

As promised here is a recipe with rosemary. There is a humongous bush of rosemary in the garden (pic 1 of the collage) and one of thyme (please correct me if am wrong ... in pic 2). So I decided to try my hands at making a roast beef ... without a meat thermometer (learned my lesson, won't do it again, without the meat thermometer that is :))


The rib roast was pretty good, better the second day I think, coz we kind of rush it a bit and didn't let it cool off long enough before we said ... it's dinner time! :)

Ingredients:
 4 pounds rib roast
Balsamic vinegar for brushing
Herb paste:
 - 2 tablespoons minced garlic
-  2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
-  1 1/2 tablespoons salt (+ some freshly ground black pepper)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Combine to make a paste (pic 4, I didn't have garlic so I used garlic powder, and added some minced onion. Next time gotta use fresh garlic :))

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Place roast fat side up on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Brush entire surface of roast with balsamic vinegar.

2. Prepare Herb Paste recipe. Coat top, ends and sides of roast with herb paste. (Euh... I only coated top and bottom)

3. Insert meat thermometer into centre of roast. Place beef in the oven and roast for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350ºF and continue roasting for 1 1/2 hours for a medium rare degree of doneness or use a meat thermometer (Rare--135F/ 57C Medium--155F/ 68C Well done--165F/ 72C)

4. Remove from oven and allow roast to stand 5 to 10 minutes; slice across the grain.

I haven't had traditional cha gio rolled in Vietnamese rice paper for a while, and these were just delicious, maybe it has something to do with Big T's 10 ngon' tay bup' ma(ng rolling them :P Look at the picture below, don't they look good? :)

INGREDIENTS:
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 lb Phillips crab meat
- 1/2 onion
- 1/2 medium size jacama (cu? dda^u.)
- 1 Medium carrot
- 1 handful of wood ears mushroom
- 1 small bundle of bean thread (mie^n')
- 1/2 tsp salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 egg
- Vietnamese rice paper - sm Rounds of rice paper (banh-trang), each about 6 inches-in diameter

PREPARATION:
- Filling:
1) Soak the mushroom in warm water until soft, drain and chop into small bits.
2) Also soak the bean thread in warm water until soft, drain and chop into small bits.
3) Peel and chop up the onion, jicama and carrot.
4)  In a large bowl, combine mushrooms with the ground pork, crab and chopped up mushroom, vegetables and bean thread. Mix with your hands to blend.
5) Break the egg over the mixture and mix well. Set aside.
- Assemble the rolls:
6) One at a time, immerse a sheet  bowl of hot-warm water to soften the sheets for handling. Work with only a couple of sheets of rice paper at a time. Quickly remove it and spread flat on a dry towel. Do not let the sheets touch each other.
7) Place a tablespoon of the mixture on the rice paper, fold one side of the paper over the mixture, then the other side. Roll from bottom to top to completely enclose the filling. Continue until all of the mixture is used.
- Fry the rolls:
8) Pour 1 to 1 1/2 inches of oil into skillet and heat to 325F. Working in batches, add rolls to skillet, but do not crowd or let them touch, or they will stick together.
9) Fry over moderate heat for 10 to 12 minutes, turning often, until golden and crisp. Remove the rolls with tongs and drain on paper towels. Keep warm in a low oven while frying the remaining rolls.

Serve hot with nuoc cha^m' and optional bib lettuce, mint and rice noodle. For our New Year dinner we serve them as appetiser followed by a soup and a mixed green salad so we left out the optional accompaniment.

INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cooked lobster,
- 1 cup milk,
- 30g(1oz)butter ,
- 2tbsp flour,
- 30g extra butter- 2 portions,
- 4 shallots,
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (otional),
- 1 cup cream,
- salt and pepper,
- 1 pack button mushrooms chopped  (optional),
- 1/2tsp mustard (optional),
- 125g (4oz) gruyere cheese.
Serve 2

PREPARATION:
- Boil lobster,remove flesh, cut into bite-sized pieces, reserve tail shells (pic 1-4)
- Melt butter in fry pan, add chopped mushrooms and cook for 10' or so until butter is all absorbed and set aside.
- Melt 1st portion of extra butter in fry pan, stir in flour and cook 1 minute (without browning), gradually stir in hot milk ,cook and stir till mixture boils and thickens, set the white sauce aside.
- Melt 2nd extra butter in pan , add chopped shallots,cook for a few minutes,add wine(reduce over high heat till half the quantity, add the white sauce and cream,season with salt,pepper and mustard, cook gently ,stirring for 5 minutes.
- Stir in 3/4's of the grated cheese,stir till cheese melts,add lobster meat and mushrooms, place mixture into lobster shells,sprinkle with remaing cheese,brown under hot griller(broiler)or in hot oven. (pic 5-9)
- Serve with Mr. Z's asparagus au Maggi. (pic 8,9)