Baked Oregano Fries

Ingredients:
3 large potatoes, scrubbed clean and cut into 1 cm cube sticks
3 frankfurters, cut into 0.5 cm diagonal slices
1 large onions, cut into thick slices
½ bulb garlic, cut into thick slices
2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp dried basil
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
5 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp extra salt

Directions:
Place the potatoes into a large pot and fill with enough water to cover over the potatoes. Add the extra salt and place the pot over high heat to bring it to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring once half way through. Remove from heat and strain. Preheat the oven to 400F. On a large baking tray, mix well the strained potatoes with the rest of the ingredients, except the frankfurters. Bake for 10 minutes. Add the frankfurters and mix well before returning it to the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.

* Frankfurters: a.k.a. sausages (to Malaysians), and a.k.a. hotdogs (to Americans)

* For a vegetarian fare, just leave out the franks, but still remember to toss the potatoes 5 minutes before it's done.

* Alternatively, use 1 tbsp of grounded dried rosemary instead of the oregano and basil

* Serve with roast chicken, roast turkey, grilled fish... etc. etc. etc.

Cheese Baked Lobster

for yoon chun...

Ingredients
2 lobster (1.5 pounds each)
1 cup milk
½ cup grated cheddar cheese
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp basil, finely chopped
2 tbsp soft butter
½ large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp rice wine
½ tbsp basil, finely chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
Serve with lemon wedges
Chili powder/paprika powder/finely chopped chili

Directions

1. To steam the lobster, bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil, add 1 tbsp of salt to the water. Place the lobsters in a pan, and place the pan (above the boiling water) within the pot. Cover and let boil. Steam for 10-12 minutes. Remove the pan from the steamer. Save the liquids left in the pan.

2. While the lobster is steaming, heat the milk in a small nonstick pot and bring it to boil. Once boiling, quickly reduce it to a simmer and stir in the cheddar and parmesan cheese until melted. Add the lemon juice and 1 tsp basil. Stir well and remove the pan from heat.

3. Place the steamed lobster on its back and firmly grasp its head. Using a chef’s knife (with a sharp tip), cut the lobster lengthwise from the abdomen (where the head and body connects) to the tail. Then rotate the lobster around and this time hold on to the tail and cut it lengthwise from the abdomen towards the head. You may want to remove the claws and legs ahead of cutting if you wish to serve it without them. You may also choose to discard the stomach sac and feather gills from the head, and the intestinal thread. (Some people enjoy the flavors of the stomach sacs). Please refer to this website for further pictorial instructions on how to cut and clean lobsters.

4. In a sauce pan, heat the butter and stir fry the onion and garlic until fragrant but not browned. Add in the reserved lobster liquids and rice wine. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and bring it to boil. Add ½ tbsp basil and removed from heat.

5. Arrange the lobsters shell side down on two oven-prove serving dishes. Spoon some of the lobster sauce on the flesh of each lobster. Then spoon generous amounts of the cheese sauce over the lobster. Sprinkle the top with some paprika powder/chili powder/chopped chili. Place in a preheated oven and bake on moderate heat for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with lemon wedges. Serves 2.