The new man at the helm of The Bay Italian Restaurant Mr. Claudio Mendini hails from Trento, Italy and brings more than 20 years of expertise to one of Pattaya’s most prestigious restaurants.  His past experience includes serving as Executive Sous Chef in different hotels in Austria, Morocco and Costa Rica in Central America before making his way to Asia.  Mr. Mendini had a short culinary stint in Myanmar before he decided to join Dusit Thani Laguna Phuket, where he served as Italian Executive Sous Chef before heading up the coast to Pattaya.
You may not be able to recreate The Bay’s majestic views of Pattaya bay at home but you can try to mimic the outstanding cuisine of Chef Claudio with these two recipes. We’ve already given them a go and as the chef has been kind and kept things relatively simple even us buffoons managed to conjure up an outstanding feed.

Chicken Breast Stuffed with Porcini Mushrooms and Prosciutto di Parma in Balsamic sauce with Sautéed vegetables and rosemary potatoes 

Chicken breast stuffed with porcini mushrooms and prosciutto di Parma
Ingredients:
Mushrooms stuffing:
50 g.                                            porcini mushrooms diced
20 g.                                            leek, finely diced
10 g.                                            minced garlic
 5 g.                                             thyme
      50 ml.                                    chicken stock
      1 tablespoon                    roux (½ butter, ½ flour )
20 ml                                           olive oil
30 g.                                            prosciutto di Parma

Balsamic Sauce:
50 ml                                           balsamic vinegar
50 ml                                           chicken stock
2 tablespoon                    roux
2 leaves                                    fresh sage
1 sprig                       thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Chicken Breasts:
1                                           chicken   breast
30 ml                                     olive oil
10 g.                                      salt

5 g                                      ground black pepper

Method:
Mushroom and Prosciutto di Parma stuffing:
Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add leek and garlic and fry until leek is transparent, then add Parma Ham, mushrooms, thyme and chicken stock and sauté, once it is cooked add roux and stir constantly until it thickens.
Balsamic Sauce:
Reduce vinegar by ½. In a separate pot, thicken stock with roux and add sage and thyme. Reduce stock slowly by 30%. Strain herbs from stock. Add balsamic reduction and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Chicken breast:
Using a small sharp knife cut in half horizontally through the centre of the chicken breast, creating a pocket. Fill pocket with the mushroom stuffing and close with a toothpick.
Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add filled chicken breast to skillet and sauté until golden brown cooking about 10 minutes each side. Remove from pan, drain on paper towels and serve with balsamic sauce.

Risotto all’ aragosta con pomodori secchi
Risotto with Lobster and Sun-dried Tomato

Ingredients:
20 g. butter
240g. lobster
20 g. sundried tomato  
30 ml brandy
4 tbsp. olive oil
10 g. onion, chopped
10 g. shallot, chopped
10 g. leek, washed well and thinly sliced
50 g.  arborio rice
20 ml white wine
100 ml simmering chicken stock
10 g. chopped parsley

 

 Method:
In a large pan melt butter over medium high heat. Add lobster pieces and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring constantly but gently so as not to break up the lobster. Add brandy and flambé minding the resulting flame. When flames cease, remove from heat and set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan, over medium-high heat. Add onion, shallot and leek, and sauté until it is translucent but colourless.  Add rice and sun-dried tomato stirring well to coat the flavour of the vegetables. Add wine, stirring constantly until entirely absorbed. Add stock and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Check rice and add stock if necessary until nearly al dente. You need to keep tasting the rice because, depending on the rice, you may or may not need all of the stock.
When last addition of stock is added, add lobster with contents of the skillet. Stir constantly until it is creamy and stock is absorbed. Remove from heat, add parsley, and season with salt and pepper.
Voila! That’s Risottto all’ aragosta con pomodori secchi or in English, Risotto with Lobster and Sun-dried Tomato

Risotto all' araqosta con pomodori secchi
Chicken Breast Stuffed with Porcini Mushrooms

Giovanni Carannante
This month we borrow the chef from Gian’s one of Pattaya’s best and most respected Italian restaurants so he can share a couple of his recipes with our readers.
Chef Giovanni has been working in the kitchen for 16 years starting off in various restaurants in his native home Napoli before moving on to London where he also got qualified in English at Cambridge.
He then moved to Bangkok in 1999 where he worked at the very respected Gianni’s before moving back to Italy then again to Bangkok in 2002 and finally to Pattaya and Gian’s in March 2006. With so many restaurants under his belt he has picked up invaluable experience and the following two recipes sound great, and thankfully the chef has been kind with easy to find ingredients and easy to follow instructions.

Garganelli Pasta Tossed with Mushroom Sliced Beef Fillet and Rocket (Serves 1 person)

Ingredients:
100 gr.                         Garganelli
80   gr.                         Beef Tenderloin
20   gr.                         Shallots finely diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
60   gr.                         Mushrooms thinly sliced
30   gr.                         Rocket Salad
20   ml.                        Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
50   ml.                        Beef Stock
20   gr.                         Ground parmesan Cheese

Method:

Bring a large sauce pan of salted water to the boil and cook the garganelli until almost al dente about 9 – 10 minutes.
In large sauce pan over a low heat add extra virgin olive oil, mushrooms and garlic, then sauté for a few minutes before adding the sliced beef tenderloin and one tablespoon of beef stock.
Drain the pasta and toss it together with the sauce mix, sliced rocket leaves and ground parmesan cheese.
Serve on a plate and sprinkle on top some parmesan flakes and drizzle over a little olive oil.

Avocado and Fresh Tuna Salad in Lemon dressing                      (Serves 1 person)

Ingredients:
80 gr.                          Fresh Tuna
1                                 Large Avocado
                                   Salt
                                   Freshly ground black pepper
1                                 Yellow lemon
3 tbs                            Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4                                 Mint Leaves

Method:

For this dish the Tuna loin needs to be very fresh, chop the tuna with a knife and then season it with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper add a little lemon zest and fresh mint leaves.
Leave to cool in the refrigerator for ½ hour. Meanwhile halve, peel and dice the avocado in a bowl then season with lemon juice, salt, fresh ground black pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
To serve arrange the avocado and tuna in layers.

Executive Sous Chef at Pattaya’s Amari Orchid Hotel where the much celebrated Mantra Restaurant is housed along with other fine eateries including Essence and one of our old favourites Henry J.Beans.
Before joining the Amari, Bangkok born Chef Somkid has collected a wealth of experience during his 20 years in the kitchen including stints over seas and placings at some of Thailand’s premier 5 star outlets including The Peninsula Bangkok, Landmark Hotel, The British Club and the terrace on high, Sirocco.

The recipes probably rate in the medium to difficult range so if you’re not up to the task then why not head to Mantra where a multitude of outstanding dishes like these awaits.

Mozzarella Cheese and Tomato Salad

Ingredients
100 g                             Fresh Mozzarella
50  g                              Ripe Pomodoro tomatoes
50  g                              Avocado
20  g                              Lemon Juice
10  g                              Fresh Basil
10  g                              Balsamic
10  g                              Vinegar
20  g                              Mesclun (mixed salad leaves)
10  g                              Bell Pepper Pesto
25  g                              Garlic Croutons
5     g                             Chives
10  g                              Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Black Pepper to taste

Method

  1. Blanch half the tomatoes and peel off the skin then cut into wedges.
  2. Reduce Balsamic Vinegar
  3. Cut Mozzarella and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Blend basil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper.
  5. Squeeze lemon juice over diced avocado and season.
  6. Chop Mesclun.
  7. Stack Avocado and sliced tomatoes on the Mozzarella. Then place the tomato wedges followed by the salad leaves on top.
  8. Finally decorate the plate with toasted white bread, chives,

       blended dressing and Balsamic reduction.

Snow Fish Fillet

Ingredients
160 g                                            Snow Fish Fillet
100 g                                            Risotto Rice
5       g                                         Saffron
20    g                                           Green Asparagus
10    g                                           Parmesan Cheese
10    g                                           Bell Peppers (3 Colours)
5       g                                          Micro Greens
10    g*                                         Semi Dried Tomatoes Crust Parmesan
30    g**                                       Basil Cream Sauce
30    g                                           White Wine
10    g                                           Onion
10    g                                           Garlic
10   g                                            Butter
Seasoning

*Semi Dried Tomato Crust Parmesan
Fry a slice of Parmesan on a hot non stick pan and roll then crust with semi dried tomatoes.

**Basil Cream Sauce Reduce whipping cream (100g) with white wine (30g) and blended shallots (10g), then at the end add blended basil (10g).

Method

Duangjai Chaisena and Rungsak Jomtarak
Our two recipes this month come from the very fine Thai seafood restaurant Moom Talay which is situated on Beach Road alongside Toscana Trattoria. In fact Moom Talay also serves snippets of Toscana’s fine Italian menu while offering Thai food that is some of the best to be found in Pattaya.

Moom Talay has two head chefs both of whom have a wealth of cooking knowledge and the two recipes they share with us are some of Moom Talay’s most popular dishes, both of which I have tried and both of which are absolutely delicious.

Pu Pad Pong Galee (Crab fried with Curry Paste)
Ingredients
1 Large Crab
1 Tbsp Curry Powder     
2 Tbsp Oyster Sauce      
2 Tbsp Fish Sauce           
1 ½ Tbsp Sugar                   
½ Cup Fresh Milk          
¼ Cup Chilli Paste          
2 Eggs                     
200 gr. Onions chopped   
100 gr. Chinese Celery    
100 gr. Spring Onion      
1 Large Red Chilli  
1 Tbsp Butter                  
½ Cup Stock                     

  1. Clean crab and remove meat from the body, then break the shell of the legs and claws with a mallet or back of a heavy knife.
  2. Fry the crabmeat, legs and claws in hot oil adding curry powder just before it is cooked. Set aside.
  3. Heat another pan and melt the butter, then add onion, chilli paste, soup, oyster sauce and fish sauce, sugar, and finally the crab meat and cook for a few minutes.
  4. Beat the eggs and milk and add to the pan with Chinese celery, spring onion and red chilli. Stir through and serve.

Pla Kapong rad Nam Pla (Seabass cooked in fish sauce with Spicy Mango Salad)

Ingredients
1 Whole Seabass

Sauce
4 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
4 Tbsp   Fish Sauce
4 Tbsp   Soup
4 Tbsp   Sugar

Salad
½ Cup   Green Shredded Mango
4 Tbsp    Fish Sauce
2 Tbsp Sugar
3 Tbsp  Lime Juice
2  Shallots sliced
1  Tsp  Chopped Chilli
10   Cashew Nuts

  1. Clean and gut the fish, then remove the bone so the fish is open up but the fillets still attached at the top. Deep fry until crisp and golden.
  2. Heat all the sauce ingredients in a pan until sticky then pour over the fish.
  3. Mix all the salad ingredients together except for the cashews, place in a bowl and top with the cashews.