Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Crabby!

Spicy Crab And Coconut SpaghettiDSC_4730

Days are getting short...I wish I could hang on to Summer a bit longer. I miss being in Japan..but the reality of that,  I have to tackle my lengthy ‘to do’ lists …no moping is allowed…one on the list - up the blog post, I must! IMG_1915
Relic of Summer…Spontaneous sun flower still blooming in our back yard.

When I came across this crab and coconut spaghetti recipe which is now a crumpled newspaper clipping, no way they go together. The deciding factor is that this is not a complicated dish, also coincidentally I only have to get coconut milk, everything else is in my p-o-w-e-r! (pantry)! And I love new challenges (recipes).

Ingredients and Instruction for 4-6 servings (Print Recipe Here)DSC_4719

  • 1 pound spaghetti.
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or chopped
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes, less or more depending on your heat tolerance.
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 pound crabmeat
  • 1/3 cup coconut milk  Note: I add closer to 1/2 cup
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh basil
  • 1/3 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
  • Freshly ground back pepper
  • Grated Parmesan cheese
  1. Cook pasta until almost al dente in a large pot of salted boiling water. How to cook pasta fast – break pasta to fit in a large frying pan (see the photo above), add cold water to cover the pasta, cook uncovered. 
  2. Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a large frying pan over medium heat, combine olive oil, garlic, chili flakes and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is soft but not browned.
    DSC_4721
  3. Pour wine in and cook until reduced by half at medium–high heat.
  4. Drain pasta reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Add pasta to sauce, crab, coconut milk and 1/4 cup reserved pasta water. Simmer gently, stirring for 1-2 minutes. Note: Add more reserved water if you feel pasta is dry.DSC_4723
  5. Remove pan from heat and stir in the lemon juice, basil and parsley. Seasoned with pepper and sprinkle with the cheese.DSC_4733

Other good eats -

Food tastes better in bento form…and it’s fun!DSC_4890Today’s menu – chicken and tofu croquets, kimpira gobo, Japanese style omelet. On top of rice balls, I put Midas touch with gold bits I bought at Kanazawa city - 98% of gold production in Japan.

My husband’s B-day last week – I made a strawberry shortcake. DSC_4886

One of his ‘honey-do’ list - harvesting the last of the crop – Asian pears- small but tasty!IMG_1900IMG_1903

This was a very interesting experience (in Karuizawa)…Those tiny fishes exfoliate your legs…ticklish…strange… and a bit gross.

25 comments:

  1. The crabby spaghetti looks simple enough for me to copy...I must try that one of these days. Thank you:) The bento in the wappo box seems a bit more complicated....but definitely a superb posh meal huh?! Meal in a wappo box with edible gold?? You have definitely been pampered:) Belated birthday greetings to your husband...he's pampered too with a cute sweet birthday cake:) Enjoy all the blessings and stay blessed.

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    1. Thank you Annie. My husband loves Japanese style strawberry short cake...I don't want to brag but I did great job on it. Ha ha ha.

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  2. A divine combination! Your spaghetti must taste amazing.

    Oh, luck you ti have such a tree in your garden.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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    1. Thank you Rosa. Do you like Asian pear? They are ripe in mid August, and you're always welcome!

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  3. That photo of the spaghetti strands lifted by the ladle . . . the back lighting is brilliant! And your pear tree is so adorable.

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    1. Thank you so much. Thank you for the information about Yajima-ya. I must try the place.

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  4. Your asian pears looks lovely, you are so lucky to have that fruit tree. I hope to see many desserts recipes with this fruit-)))

    Hugs,

    Yelena

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    1. Thank you so much! I have to get some apples to try one of your amazing collection of apple recipes.

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  5. I bet you your husband is one of the happiest man to have such a lovely wife who is an affectionate good cook. I wonder how my husband is? I like to strawberry short cake, but didn’t have an idea for heart-shaped strawberry. I’ll borrow the idea.

    Yoko

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    1. Thank you very much! I think enjoyed too much of the cake ...I gained a few pounds already.
      It's a heart shaped cookie cutter that did that trick.

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  6. You visited many places in Japan,didn't you.
    Golden powder of Kanazawa on the umeboshi is interesting.
    Thank you for appetizing posts. Have a nice day!

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    1. Thank you Sarah. I hope to re- visit Nara next year...such a beautiful city.

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  7. Love sweet and juicy Asian pears! You are making me hungry with that bowl of delicious pasta.
    Look forward to your pear recipes!
    Angie

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    1. Thank you so much Angie. You post great foods every week and my 'must make' list is getting longer. You're amazing cook!

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  8. こんばんは。とても不思議なビデオですね。初めて見ました。 夏の名残の向日葵も素敵です。 そういえば、トロントで泊まった家の主婦が言ってました。柿や梨は食べた事が無いと。 イギリスから移住したらしいのですが、日本の梨を食べさせてあげたかったです。 いつもながら、美味しそうなお料理ですね。 ハート型の苺、甘過ぎて、御主人の、ほっぺが落ちるのではと心配しました。

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    1. ははは、落ちてません。 自分で言うのはおこがましいですけど、ケーキは大変美味しかったです。近所の人にもおすそ分けして、ほめていただきました。

      北海道の写真、きれいでした。 紅葉を見たくなりました。

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  9. どれも美味しそうな料理で!!!パスタ作ってみます!ココナッツミルク入りなんて、とっても美味しそう。お弁当も最高。確かに綺麗に入ってると、食欲アップしますよね。日本人だなぁーと思います。こういう見た目で洗脳されるのって。でもいい事だと思います。やっぱり目からじゃないとね!でもってショートケーキ!明美さんのショートケーキのレシピってありましたっけ。以前見たような・・・。作ってみたいです。

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    1. ありがとう! 意外や意外、美味しかったです。 簡単だし。 いちょごのショートケーキは3年前ほどポストしましたが、あれからかなり上達しました、えへん!

      なみちゃんのがんばりよう、エライ!すごい!

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  10. What an unusual combination, but I'm sure it tastes great. I envy you so much the Asian pears... We see those very rarely here and they are imported from China, so I cannot even imagine how much chemicals they contain (I bought only once to taste; loved them but try to avoid).

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    1. Thank you Sissi for your comment.
      Our Asian pear trees are never insecticide so some year, fruits have lots of warms in it but luckily this year, only few that were affected. We encourage our neighbors and friends to come pick pears anytime, as many as they want but we still had plenty left on the trees.

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    2. Haha! I wish I were your neighbour ;-)

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  11. Simply delicious and comforting pasta my friend!!!

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    1. Thank you Chef! And Happy Birthday to you! I hope you had a wonderful day!

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  12. Replies
    1. Than you Rebecca. I enjoyed your apple orchard post. From our place, the nearest apple farm is in Food River, Oregon. I think it will be nice idea us to go there and pick some fresh apples. And the town is truly charming.

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