Wok Root Veggies with Seafood and Coconut Milk

Hello February! A magic month when you already hope that spring will come very soon, yet spend your time enjoying your favourite winter attractions like skating, skiing, drinking hot wine.

Some time ago we visited Italian supermarket and apart from ricotta, mascarpone and variety of italian cheese we discovered there a wide range of different pasta types, shapes, colours and forms. And when I saw black spaghetti I knew I can make a special dish out of it. In combination with some seafood that both of us love...mmm... 

And here I was in the kitchen... checking my veggie supply in the fridge. And I thought why not make it really simple yet very interesting flavour-combinationwise. And I chose root vegetables for it. Simple and easy. Yet veeeery special!

Ingredients:

yields 4 portions

1 big white onion

100 g red beets (1 big or 2 middle sized)

100 g carrots (2 middle sized)

100 g parsnips (2 middle sized)

250 g seafood mix (I had prawns and mussels)

100 ml coconut milk

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp curry powder

1 lemon

salt and pepper

oil

spaghetti al nero di seppia

First of all wash and peel the veggies. Then vut them into pieces. The size is up to you. But remember that for smaller ones the cooking time has to be cut down. I chose medium.

Cook spaghetti as per instructions on the package al dente.

Meanwhile prepare the sauce: pour some oil and grated ginger into a big wok, in a minute add and fry onions until they soften a bit. Then put vegetables into the pan. You will notice how red beet colours the rest of the veggies. And that is absolutely fine. Adds some nice bright colour. Stir for about 5-7 minutes and then pour coconut milk. Season with salt and pepper. In the end add curry powder and mix well. In another preheated pan in a little amount of oil lightly fry the seafood mix. Do not overcook because prawns might get chewy.

Before serving directly on a plate mix spaghetti with root veggies and seafood. Sprinkle of pepper on top will make it even more spicy. A fresh side salad goes along incredibly good.

Voila! Enjoy a nice evening or lunch in a good company with good food.

Because good food is always a good idea.

 

King prawns with mango-avocado salsa on a carrot pillow

Once upon a time we were looking for a special occasion restaurant. Of course, when you have a really special occasion you would prefer to find a place with a perfect combination of atmosphere, food, interior and service. Once you love the interior and feel yourself free, two things like food and service still have to be tested and tasted. On one of those testing-tasting evenings I was lucky to try a dish I couldn't wait to cook at home. A little bit changed...My own interpretation :) Imagine: sweet-creamy mango-avocado salsa on a juicy pillow from fresh carrots with spicy prawns on top. I think you shouldn't be a crazy seafood-lover to have a try. Such an attractive offer comes very rarely. So don't miss it.

Tip!
If you want to reach the best taste of this dish make sure the prawns are fresh. It's better when they are with heads, perfectly when fresh cooled. Mango and avocado should be very ripe as well. The ripeness of avocado can be checked by pressing a little bit. A ripe fruit is firm, yet a bit soft when pressing on it. When we're talking about mango try to smell it first. You will understand at once. Then use your experience with avocados, mangoes also become softer as they ripen.

Ingredients:
500g king prawns
2 carrots
3/4 avocado
1/2 mango
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1tsp lemon juice
salt, pepper, herbs

First of all, prepare salsa. Wash mango and avocado, peel them and cut into little cute-form pieces. Mix the needed amounts together and add a sprinkle of salt, lemon juice, some pepper and dried herbs. Put aside, allow the flavors become friends.

Wash the prawns, de-shell them when needed. Heat the pan with some vegetable oil of your choice. Fry the prawns for 2-3 minutes. Add soy sauce and let them soak it. Spice them with some pepper and dried herbs. Take them out of the hot pan to prevent rubber-texture.

Now let us put it all together. Wash the carrots, peel them and grate. Place them as the bottom layer. Put avocado-mango salsa as a middle layer. And finally add the prawns. A tiny sprinkle of dried herbs can be a finishing touch.

Enjoy! A taste of summer is here. Even though it's getting far-far-far away...