Taverna Kyclades

I unfortunately don't go out to eat too much in my neighborhood of Astoria, but a few nights ago, I went to Taverna Kyclades, a Greek seafood restaurant in Astoria.

We were greeted by a very warm loaf of Italian sesame bread sitting on olive oil and topped with what was probably oregano or Italian seasoning. I don't know what it was, but that was one of the best complimentary breads I've had. My friend got stuffed clams (stuffed with crab meat) as an appetizer. It came with about 10 stuffed clams for $10.95. Not bad.

I decided to order the broiled scallops upon recommendation. I chose the rice as my side. The order came with 20-24 medium-large scallops. It was a very generous portion. Greek seafood is almost always just cooked in olive oil/butter, lemon, and salt. The scallops were so soft and tender. I was very pleased, and it wasn't a bad deal for $20. I'm not sure where else in NYC I can just get a huge plate for 20+ scallops for that much.

One of my friends got the grilled calamari ($12.95) as her entree. It seemed a bit chewy, but it had that charred grilled taste that I really like, so it wasn't bad. My other friend got the grilled salmon steak which came with two huge steaks. She didn't even finish the smaller steak (which was about half the size of the big one). Again, for $16.50, that's not a bad deal at all. It would probably last at least 3 meals, depending on if you eat it with some carbs or not. Clearly, we didn't realize that these entrees are meant to be shared. At least we all had leftovers for the next day.

Finally, dinner came with complimentary Greek pudding. It was a bit too sweet for my taste, but I was able to eat half of it. It was actually a rather large portion considering it was free.

It may be worth the trip to Astoria to go to Taverna Kyclades because I highly doubt you can get such good Greek-style seafood at this value in Manhattan.

Sushi Yasuda

I had been planning to take Gabe to Sushi Yasuda for his 24th birthday for awhile now. It's a REALLY big step up from our regular monthly dinner outings, pretty much in terms of cost. But after doing a lot of research on this place (by reading a ridiculous amount of reviews on Chowhound, blogs, etc), I honestly couldn't have imagined a better place to take him.

Sushi Yasuda is really in a class of its own. Of course, it's no Masa, and it's actually cheaper than some other high end sushi restaurants in the city, but not only is Sushi Yasuda claimed to have the freshest fish around, it has exceptional variety and provides such a unique culinary experience. Since neither of us have ever had quality sushi before, I not only wanted us to finally eat fresh, high quality sushi, but I wanted to give us the most traditional and unique experience possible. So finally, after much research and debate over whether or not I should make the jump to such high end dining, I made reservations to sit at the sushi bar in front of Chef Yasuda himself.

Here, you can either sit at the table and order a la carte or you can get the true experience by sitting at the sushi bar in front of a sushi chef, which is the most traditional way of eating at a sushi restaurant. There are actually very affordable sushi box sets you can order (as cheap as $20 for 5 sushi pieces and a roll), but I feel as though nothing comes close to doing omakase, which is when you allow the sushi to pick every piece of sushi you eat, in whatever progression he chooses. Not to mention, I have no doubts that the older fish goes towards those sushi boxes while the freshest fish possible is given to the hands of the sushi chefs at the bar.

We were greeted by a warm and friendly atmosphere. I was intimidated prior to arriving, thinking it would be an uptight place due to such a high reputation and expensive food, but the staff was so kind and welcoming, and the minimalist decor gave a warm and serene feeling in spite of the overall slightly fast-paced environment. After one of the staff took our coats, we were seated immediately in front of Chef Yasuda. We were given warm moist hand towels to clean our hands (something I haven't had at a Japanese restaurant in so long!) and of course the menus, though we knew right away that all we wanted to do was leave ourselves in the hands of Chef Yasuda-san. We were also given a complimentary amuse of some kind of cucumber salad which tasted good to me. I ordered a glass of plum wine, and Gabe ordered a cold, mild Kikusui sake which our waiter responded to by saying that he made a good choice and that that particular sake goes very well with sushi. He was even kind enough to offer me an extra stone cup so I could try the sake too.

Finally, Yasuda turned his attention towards us and probably assumed we wanted to do omakase since we weren't looking at the menu or fish list, so he told us that he would start by picking our nigiri. The first fish he gave us was the King Salmon. While allowing the nigiri to literally melt in our mouths, we couldn't help but just smile. It was that amazing. After swallowing that first piece, Gabe said, "I don't wanna go to work tomorrow," which essentially implies that he felt like he was on a vacation. It really did. Throughout the entire meal, it almost felt like we were in another world. Not only were we eating the most traditional and freshest sushi possible, but we really were experiencing something new.

I won't talk about every single piece of sushi we had. Between the two of us, we had 46 pieces of nigiri which probably sounds ridiculous, but Yasuda's nigiri is actually slightly smaller than all the average places. The size was perfect for me because I have a small mouth and can never fit nigiri from other places in my mouth without fearing I'm going to choke. Additionally, smaller pieces means we can try even more. Compared to other sushi places of equal (and even lower) caliber, the fish is priced appropriately.

You really can't leave Sushi Yasuda without at least one piece of O-Toro, the most expensive and fattiest toro. True, every nigiri we had melted in our mouths, but O-toro is just out of this world. Aside from toro, everyone must try the White King Salmon, Uni, and the Peace Passage Oyster. Gabe came in wanting to try the White King Salmon, but when we arrived, it had been crossed out of the menu meaning they ran out for the day. Luckily, Yasuda gave us White King Salmon without us even asking. It turned out to be the last pieces! Lucky for us, huh? Other standouts include Uni (best uni you'll ever have in your life) and the Peace Passage Oyster.

Yasuda also seemed to have given us an Unagi tasting throughout our meal. He gave us 3 different types of Unagi. He also gave us two types of sardines and literally instructed us to compare the two, as one is a bigger fish than the other. The bigger fish was certainly meatier in texture and taste, and we both liked that one more. Unfortunately, I don't know the name of it.

Some other things to note is that it's actually not normal to eat sushi with chopsticks, at least not at this place. It seems as though they want you to eat with your fingers. They even give a wet cloth to clean your fingers before each piece. Additionally, Yasuda, as with all the other sushi chefs there, put soy sauce and wasabi on everything for you. They don't want you to put any more than that because they put the right amount that's appropriate for that fish. From what I noticed, some pieces got wasabi, some got none. Just depends on what Yasuda feels is right.

Some may ask whether it's even worth it to sit at the bar because the cost will be considerably higher if you don't do the sushi boxes. It all really depends on what you want. If you want to save money and still eat great sushi, get the Sushi Matsu for $34 - 12 pieces of nigiri and half a roll. You have to choose from a limited list of fish, so it also depends on if this matters to you or not. If you order a la carte at a table, of course you can control how much you spend and what you eat, so it can cost the same as doing omakase at the bar depending on what you choose. But I feel as though sitting at the bar and doing omakase is a true experience. Do it at least once. The price will get pretty high, but it will be worth it if you value and appreciate such fresh sushi and a unique dining experience. I really enjoyed the fact that Chef Yasuda spoke to us and told us about a lot of the pieces of nigiri he was offering us. It seemed as though he engaged in more conversation with his other customers and joked around a bit with them, but I think he sort of just feeds off of them. He probably noticed that Gabe and I didn't have too many questions and were talking more to each other than anything else, so he just didn't talk to us as much as he did to other people, but that's fine. Bottom line is sitting at the bar in front of Yasuda and doing omakase is worth it at least once and/or if you have the ability to splurge a bit. I would more than gladly do it again and again...if only I had some extra cash.

Some photos:King Salmon and Toro

Toro #2 with a sprinkle of sea salt

Uni and scallops

White King Salmon

The final tally (click for clearer photo)

Thanks to Gabe for the photos!

Sushi Yasuda
43rd st. btwn 2nd and 3rd ave.

Alta

I went to Alta with Gabe and his family for his birthday last night. It was an enjoyable and festive meal over small plates and LETHAL sangrias. I don't know what they put in those sangrias (though obviously lots of extra liquor), but just one glass definitely gets you going for the night. Sadly, I have no pictures from last night, but two of my girl friends actually want to go there next Saturday, so maybe I'll get a chance to take some then.

It's easy to call this place a tapas restaurant since it's all small plates, but it's technically not since it's not centered around Spanish food. It's mostly Mediterranean foods with other stuff thrown in. Many of the plates were pretty small, and they certainly added up in price quickly, but I think most of the dishes were pretty interesting. Some of the ones I enjoyed a lot:

-Fried goat cheese with lavender-infused honey: This is by far my favorite fried goat cheese that I've ever tried, and actually the cheapest. (It's double the price for the same amount of goat cheese balls at Sala and a few dollars more for tiny cheese balls at Son Cubano, so in my eyes, this was a value) I love the lavender-infused honey. There also seemed to be some herbs inside the cheese.

-Bacon-wrapped dates: Another good example of bacon mixed with something sweet (Read previous post). Unfortunately, I think this only came with 5 or 6 pieces. I could've munched on plenty of these.

-Truffle Tagliatelle with foie gras emulsion, currants, and micro arugula: I liked the sweetness of this pasta from the currants. I could've eaten a normal size portion of this. My one complaint is that for small plates, I still think the pasta portion should've been bigger since it's meant to be shared.

-Crispy brussel sprouts with fuji apples, creme fraiche, and pistachio nuts: I normally would never eat brussel sprouts, but since it seemed like everyone talks about these in reviews, we wanted to try them, and wow they were really good. Very crispy and tasty.

-Skirt steak with chimmichurri sauce: The sauce gave it a nice touch.

We ordered a lot of other things, but those were the ones I personally enjoyed the most. I think this is a fun place to go to when you want a fun and festive atmosphere. Tapas/small plates are meant to be for big groups, so it's nice that this place is actually meant for groups and parties unlike many of the good tapas places in the city. Perhaps my one complaint is the inconsistency between portions and price. Some things were a fair value (i.e. lamb meatballs, fried goat cheese, crispy brussel sprouts). Other things were way too small for the price (i.e. pork empanadas, sea scallops).

However, since I plan on returning next week, that's obviously a good sign.

Vosges Haut Chocolat

Um, sorry for the stupidity of this picture. When I view it on my computer, it's upright, but then it ends up horizontal in the post.

Anyways, I first ventured into Vosges in Soho, and my friend insisted that I try the chocolate bar with bacon. It sounded disgusting to me, but WOW. It's interesting how the deep milk chocolate, applewood smoked bacon, and Alder smoked salt went together so well. I think it's the smokiness of the bacon that blends well with the chocolate. I believe this is their bestseller, and I can see why. It's definitely my favorite out of all the chocolate bars I've tried. If it sounds disgusting to you, give it a try. You'll be surprised. $7 is still expensive for a chocolate bar, but where else will you get one that has bacon in it?

For Christmas, Gabe got me a little box set with a sampling of 9 of their other exotic candy bars. Among my favorites is the Gianduja Bar - almonds, caramelized hazelnuts, and deep milk chocolate. So obviously not as intriguing as the bacon bar, but I really liked the creaminess and smoothness of this one. The most exotic bar would be the Naga Bar - sweet Indian curry powder, coconut flakes, and deep milk chocolate. Yup, I bet curry chocolate sounds disgusting, but again, you'll be surprised. My other favorite would be the Barcelona Bar - hickory smoked almonds, grey sea salt, and deep milk chocolate. There's something about salt that for some reason makes chocolate taste better.

I've also tried their hot white chocolate infused with lavender and lemon. I really liked the lavender and lemon taste - they went together really well. My big complaint with this drink is that it honestly seemed more like steamed milk to me rather than white chocolate.

Also, it turns out that Vosges originated from Chicago, where I'm from. The headquarters/kitchen is in Lincoln Park, and I got to go there when I was home for the holidays. Their store/interior decoration there is WAY nicer than the one in Soho. Not only is it ridiculously spacious, but they have nice displays, free samples, and overall better interior design. My mom bought 4 bacon bars after trying their free samples. She also got the Aztec Elixir hot chocolate - Ancho and Chipotle chilies, Ceylon cinnamon, and a few other ingredients. This drink was ridiculously good. The guy made it thick, but not too thick. This makes me think that the Soho location cheaps out on you a bit because my white hot chocolate was like nothing compared to the hot chocolate we got in Chicago. I really loved the incredibly light burn you get from the chilies after a sip of this Aztec Elixir. It definitely wasn't overpowering though. I'll have to try it here in NY, and if it's not as thick as the one in Chicago, then Soho is definitely cheaping out on its customers.

Anyways, these are my chocolate recommendations - perfect in time for Valentine's Day next month!

Aquagrill

For one of my graduation dinners in May 2007, my parents, Gabe, and I went to Aquagrill, a seafood restaurant bordering Tribeca and SoHo. It was a pretty solid place - not too casual, not too elegant, and overall, really great seafood and good service. It was a good place to celebrate a non-romantic special occasion and definitely a good place to take parents and/or out of towners.

I didn't take pictures of everything that was on the table. In fact, I just took pictures of what I ate. My dad got the Bouillabaisse, which looked really interesting and appetizing. My mom got grilled Australian Barramundi, which I believe was a special of the day. I'm sure both dishes were good and very fresh.

Both Gabe and I ordered the Truffle-Crusted Chatham Cod. I know it's not good for there to be duplicates of any dish on the table, but neither of us good resist this dish. It came with wild mushroom ravioli, roasted hen of the woods mushrooms, creamed spinach, and a truffle mushroom sauce. There was absolutely nothing faulty about this dish. Everything went together really well, and the cod was perfectly cooked.

For dessert, we got the Coconut Panna Cotta that came in a mango, papaya, and pineapple sauce - very refreshing. We also got an assortment of ice cream that came with cute star cookies.

I totally recommend this place for fresh seafood in a casual yet sophisticated atmosphere.

Aquagrill
210 Spring St
New York, NY 10012

chinese sausage fried rice

Since my dad (or my brother) always make chinese sausage fried rice, I figured it was time to make it for myself. Not to mention, the hole in the wall Chinese place next to Gabe's apt makes pretty decent Chinese sausage fried rice.

I started by cooking the garlic in sesame oil, then added 2 Chinese sausages (cut into pieces) after a few minutes. I next added some day old white rice and bean sprouts. Finally, I cracked an egg in there, let it cook until about halfway (sort of just on one side of the pan, away from the rest of the stuff). When it was about halfway cooked, I mixed it in with everything else, so there would be tiny pieces of egg mixed in, like how fried rice usually is.

Overall, it wasn't bad, but I should have used 2, maybe even 3, times the amount of garlic that I did.

Lupa

Gabe and I went to Lupa for our "Christmas Dinner." It's a Mario Batali restaurant, and Babbo (his most famed restaurant) is our favorite, so it was about time to try Lupa, which gets great reviews as well. It's much more casual than Babbo and is more of a trattoria specializing in Roman dishes. It is also much cheaper than Babbo, most likely due to the simpler food.

We settled on a bottle of medium-bodied red wine from Piemonte. I forgot to copy down the whole name, but I believe it's a 2004 Boroli Quattro Fratelli Barbera d'Alli. It was definitely a good recommendation by our waiter. The nice thing about Lupa is that they have a pretty good amount of wines under $40 which is considered relatively "cheap" in NYC restaurants. Our bottle was somewhere around $35. We were also given really tasty and moist foccacia bread with olive oil.

For our antipasti, we decided to have the Baccala with Potatoes&Lovage ($10). I'm assuming the lovage is the greens garnishing the baccala. Gabe and I love baccala, so that's why we picked this. This was a really enjoyable, tasty, and fresh antipasti served at room temperature. Lupa seems to have a great selection of antipasti. I think I'd be happy just sharing a few of them with someone as my whole meal.

I got the Ricotta Gnocchi with Sausage&Fennel ($15) for my primi. The serving is actually bigger than what many pictures indicate because it's served in such a huge bowl. I got this because it seems to be the favorite primi at Lupa, and it definitely lived up to its hype! The gnocchi was so soft and pillowy, not chewy or super heavy like other gnocchi. The sauce was perfect as well, though maybe I would have liked more sausage. This one was definitely a winner.


Gabe got the Bucatini All'Amatriciana ($15). Since we used Batali's recipe to make this dish ourselves for my birthday, it was interesting to compare our version to Lupa's. Lupa's was definitely better. The tomatoes were pureed, while ours were diced, but even so, somehow their tomato sauce was much tastier, most likely due to better/fresher/riper tomatoes rather than canned tomatoes haha. And of course the guanciale added a great flavor.


(Sorry, got a little excited and forgot to take a picture before we started eating it)
We shared the Saltimbocca ($17) for our secondi. According to the glossary, it's veal, prosciutto, and sage. This was such a flavorful dish, and the portion was really big. It shouldn't be for one person. It's definitely a unique dish - I recommend it for a secondi.

We were so full from our food that we didn't bother getting dessert. Overall, this is such a great restaurant with very simple Italian/Roman fare. I've read that their spaghetti al pomodoro is quite exceptional, and I think that's really saying a lot. That's the simplest dish ever, yet Lupa manages to make it stand out somehow with quality ingredients and cooking. Considering the quality of the food, really warm service/atmosphere, and even the reputation, the food really isn't expensive. You can spend the same amount on mediocre pasta at blah and even commercial/chain restaurants, so it's totally worth the trip to Lupa.

Please go to Lupa (as well as Babbo and Otto...I<3mario>

Nacional 27

My dad received a few Lettuce Entertain You gift certificates for Christmas, so while I was home in Chicago, we decided to use two of his gift certificates at Nacional 27, a modern/fusion Latin restaurant/ceviche bar/salsa club.

Atmosphere: Trendy, modern, very good and attentive service. Even though NY has more to offer in terms of fine dining, I sometimes prefer the atmosphere in Chicago restaurants because even the trendy and scene-y places like ths are laidback and never rushed.
Dinner started out with a complimentary amuse for the each of us. Unfortunately, all I remember is that it was some kind of Tasmanian fish ceviche served on a chip. It definitely got our taste buds going, and I knew that the rest of the dinner would be great.

Normally I wouldn't care to note the bread, but this was particularly interesting. They gave us both foccacia bread and flat breadsticks that tasted like Indian pappadum to dip into 3 sauces - one cumin-based, a red spicy one, and something else which I forgot. They all definitely had Indian influences though which was interesting for a Latin-fusion restaurant.

The meal started with the Large Ceviche Sampler which served all 5 of us. It had Shrimp and Scallop, Cold Smoked Tasmanian Salmon, Ahi Tuna and Watermelon, Sashimi Farmed Bass, Oyster Shooters. The platter was much bigger than what it looks like in the picture. All of these were SO good, especially the Shrimp and Scallop ceviche. I'm not much of a fan of oyster shooters, but these weren't bad. Everything tasted so fresh.
This was the Slow Braised Boneless Short Ribs cooked in a red wine reduction. The meat is sitting on mashed cuban sweet potatoes and topped with crispy onion strings. As far as I know, my brother loved his dish, and from what I tasted, the meat was incredibly tender.







This was my INCREDIBLE Truffle Crusted Filet Mignon served over a chorizo potato hash in a Malbec reduction. Considering this was a 9oz Filet Mignon covered with amazing shaved black truffle (I<3truffles),>definitely a winner. It was so tasty and so tender...mmmmm.....

This was a Slow Roasted Gunthormp Farms Pork "Cubano" served with black beans, sweet plantains, coconut rice, and orange mojo. My dad had this, and from what I could tell, he liked it. I, for whatever reason, didn't try it, so I can't say much.






Ok, so I honestly don't remember what this was except that it was the "catch of the day." I really don't remember what kind of fish it was, and I don't think my sister (who ordered it) would remember either...but it was good! I ate her shoestring onion fries because she doesn't like onions.



This is the Pan roasted Alaskan Halibut with melted tomatoes and spicy onion jam.









They gave us another complimentary amuse. This time it was an octopus ceviche. I preferred the Tasmanian one they gave prior to dinner, but this was good too, and hey, it was free haha. You can't really tell from the picture, but it was a pretty large spoonful on each spoon.








For dessert, we shared a tres leches cake with a scoop of coconut ice cream on top. I thought it was good, but my brother and dad said it didn't taste like real tres leches cake. I wouldn't know because I've actually only had tres leches cake at places like this.

And we also shared the "churros" with tres leches ice cream. This was really good too. There were Brazilian nuts sprinkled on top which I liked.

I don't feel like adding pictures of the drinks, but I had a mojito which was really big. It wasn't the best I've had, but it's definitely up there. My dad also had a caipirinha which WAS the best I've tried.

Overall, this was a really great restaurant in Chicago. I highly recommend to anyone who's in the area.

Photo credit goes to my photo whiz brother.

Nacional 27
325 West Huron
Chicago, IL 60610

My 22nd birthday dinner with Gabe

Instead of going out to eat for my 22nd birthday, Gabe and I decided to cook a nice dinner for two. Since it was almost MCAT time, I think I was really just in the mood to do something low key. We decided on Bucatini All'Amatriciana and Garlic and Herb Crusted Lamb Chops. This was probably one of the more complex dinners we've done, but everything turned out really well. I think this is also one of the times I actually followed a recipe completely. If I did anything different than what the recipes said, it was probably just slight measurement adjustments.

We used this recipe for the bucatini - another Batali recipe. It was really quite a challenge to find guanciale, but I finally found it at a tiny Italian deli in the west 30's. I'm glad we used that instead of pancetta or regular bacon because it definitely made a big difference and added a really unique flavor. Normally I hate really fatty meat, but this was the one exception. Gabe and I were really pleased with the way this turned out - perhaps the best thing we've made together thus far.


We also followed this for the lamb chops. I had never cooked with lamb before, so this was fun. It turned out better than I thought it would, and it was very tasty. The only thing is that one of my chops was extremely rare. Normally, I do like rare meat, but if I were to make this again, I would keep it in the oven for a few minutes longer. The flash was a bit bright, but I think you can tell from the picture that it was quite rare.

We had a great bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon (La Tour de By, Medoc, 2003, France) to accompany the food.

chocolate kahlua cake

I made this on Christmas Eve in order to bring to my aunt's house for our Christmas Day party, but since she said that they already had too many desserts, I saved it for our New Year's party. The great thing about cakes baked with liquor is the fact that it keeps it moist and preserves it for a very long time. Last year, I made coconut rum cake for New Year's, and it was a big hit, so since my house has like 5 bottles of Kahlua (coffee liquor), I decided to try chocolate Kahlua cake this year.

In a mixing bowl, I added one box of Pillsbury chocolate cake mix, one box of Jello chocolate pudding powder, 4 eggs, 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, 1 cup of Kahlua, 1/2 cup of water, and 1 cup of sour cream. Most recipes I saw called for 3/4cup or less of Kahlua, but like I've said, my Dad and I tend to put more alcohol than needed. The sour cream probably sounds gross, but you don't taste it at all. It's just there to make the cake really moist, so maybe you can substitute with plain yogurt.

For the glaze, we heated and mixed 1 cup of sugar, 4oz Kahlua, and some Amaretto (almond liquor). I decided to throw in Amaretto because people often use amaretto flavoring/syrup in their coffee. That was a nice addition, but I think I'll put even more of that next time and/or use that instead of Kahlua for the glaze.

This turned out to be a great bundt cake. My cousin, Odette, loved it a lot as did others. Personally, I think the cake tasted a little more alcoholic than what I wanted, so I'll put less Kahlua in the cake mix next time.

scialatielli ai gamberetti

This is perhaps one of my most successful attempts in the kitchen. Especially when I'm home in Chicago with my family, I never follow a recipe completely because sometimes I think it's annoying to measure everything and to keep looking at the recipe after every step. Plus, cooking is all about experimenting with what works for you and what doesn't!

I followed this recipe. Mario Batali is perhaps my favorite chef. I made some changes/modifications to this recipe. First of all, I didn't make my own pasta noodles because that's too much unnecessary work. I also didn't make basic marinara sauce prior.

1. Heated MORE than 6tbs of olive oil and 6 cloves of garlic (minced) in a wok. (My dad, who helped me cook this, likes to put a lot of olive oil in anything)
2. Added shallots (not in recipe, but we like shallots) and zucchini pieces. (I should've bought a bigger zucchini)
3. Added a lot of red chili flakes. (Recipe called for 1tsp, but we definitely added way more than that...pasta ended up being spicier than what Batali probably wanted, but it was spicy in a good way)
4. Added MORE than 1 cup of dry white wine (Recipe called for 1 cup, but my dad and I like to go overboard with alcohol when cooking haha)
5. Added 2 cans (28oz) of diced tomatoes. Added regular medium shrimp (about 1lb uncooked. I couldn't find rock shrimp at the grocery).

NOTE: So this is where I sort of messed up. Since I didn't make the basic tomato sauce prior to everything else, the sauce ended up being extremely soupy in the wok, so I had to keep it going on the stove for like half an hour until it reduced to about half of what it was upon adding the tomatoes.

6. During this reduction time, I added salt and pepper to taste, a tiny bit more red chili flakes, and probably a couple of tablespoons of SUGAR (Not in the recipe, but that was a good call by my Dad. It balanced the spiciness from the chili flakes).
7. When it reduced to a thicker and grainier texture, that's when it was time to finally add the spaghetti (used one box).
8. Chopped up a whole bunch of fresh parsley (i'm sure this ended up being at least a whole cup instead of 1/4cup) and mixed it in.

Using that much parsley really added a ton of GOOD flavor. I need to use more fresh parsley in my pasta from now on.

We made this when two of my cousins, aunt, and uncle came over for dinner a couple of days befor Christmas. Because of all the red and green in the pasta, it was good timing too haha. Everyone loved it, so I definitely have to make this pasta again.

I will be documenting my food experiences, both dining and cooking.