Oatmeal Cookies

I've been itching to blog this and I just got my go ahead when Anne emailed me that she finally received my package as part of this month's EBBP event. Woohoo! I genuinely thought it got lost since the postman told me it will be in Sweden in 3 days, well she got it in 1 week! Serious slip in delivery time that is. I'm just glad it finally reached Anne and hope she liked it.

The mother and daughter team of Alisha delos Reyes and Susan Middleton made these oatmeal cookies at a US state fair and won the top prize. Problem is, I don't know which state or what year or what magazine I clipped the recipe from. A big thanks to them in coming up with these lovely cookies filled with morsels of apricot and chocolate chunks. And since I'm a nut lover the hazelnuts further endeared it to me.

I adjusted the recipe according to the preference of the main cookie customers in my family (meaning my kids). Originally they had white chocolates (Mec would love that!) but I subtituted milk chocs and reduced the salt plus altered the method a little bit. The dough was too soft to my liking after the final stir. Problem is, when it's too soft it melts easily once inside the oven resulting in flatter cookies. So I did what I usually do with my cookie dough - stuck it in the fridge (in the freezer actually since I'm in a hurry) for about 20-30 minutes until it's firm enough to handle. Sometimes I even put it back to the fridge after I formed them into balls - which I think results in even better cookie heights. With this extra step I sometimes use melted butter in the batter since I'll be chilling it anyway. If you forgot to take the butter out of the fridge way ahead of time it can be patience-trying waiting for it to soften. But thankfully I've solved that and I don't think the melting and chilling part is not detrimental to the taste of the cookie.

OT: All these talk of butter and batter reminded me of a tongue twister I learned in Grade 5. Yeah that long ago and I still remember it something along these lines:

Betty Botter bought a bit of butter.
But she said, "This butter is bitter."
"If I put it in my batter it will make my batter bitter."
"But a bit of better butter will make my batter better."
So she bought a bit of butter
Better than her bitter butter
To make her batter better


Oatmeal Cookies

250 g  [1 cup] unsalted butter - softened at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour - sifted
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour (for dredging)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups porridge oats
1 cup finely chopped hazelnuts
1 cup finely chopped apricots
1 cup coarsely chopped white or milk chocolates

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F.
2. In a bowl combine 1 1/2 cup flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda until well mixed. Set aside.
3. Toss the apricots with the 1 Tbsp flour in another container. Set aside.
4. Beat together in a big bowl the butter, sugar, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla at medium speed until well combined.
5. Add in the flour mixture to the beaten butter mixture with a wooden spoon.
6. Stir in oats and hazelnuts.
7. Add in apricots and chopped chocolates. Mix well.
8. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and flatten slightly. Place them about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
9. Bake for 11 - 13 minutes or until slightly moist in the centre and browned at the edges.
10. Remove from oven and let cool for a couple of minutes before carefully removing from the baking sheets onto a cooling rack. Cool completely.

Note: If the dough is too soft, the baked result tends to be too spread out or flat. You can put the dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes before shaping them into balls. Or you can shape them into balls first then put in the fridge for the same amount of time or you can do both (chill before and after shaping into balls).

Millionaire's Shortbread

This is one homemade cookie that I was supposed to send to somewhere in the European continent as part of the EBBP#1 event. I baked it, sliced, packed and almost sent by post. Just so happened I forgot to include something in the box so I opened it again and saw that these delicate babies' topping and filling melted and smeared all over its plastic container. Not a very appetising sight. So I reluctantly removed it from my package. :sigh: Don't get me wrong this is a very nice cookie with your afternoon tea. I love it! If you use dark chocolate the more it will contrast with the sweetness of the dulce de leche and the relative blandness of the shortbread. Though if the temperature is too warm, it's best to put these in the fridge a few minutes before serving to avoid the choc and dulce from getting too runny. The only problem I can think of with chilling is that the 'bloom' of the chocolate might rise. These are light coloured spots on the chocolate which is actually the chocolate butter that separates when it's stored in a too warm place or if there is an extreme change in temperature. If yours has got this don't worry 'coz it's still edible and does not detract that much in the taste although it can feel grainy if there's too much.

As for the dulce de leche, you can substitute any caramel or toffee thick enough but spreadable. You can also make your own by cooking a whole can of condensed milk (not opened) in a simmering pot of water for about 2 hours. I don't know about you but I'm scared of trying (maybe if I'm desperate) for fear of explosions. I adapted this from Sue Lawrence's excellent Book of Baking - my favourite at the moment. Not sure why this is called "millionaire's". Maybe it makes you feel like a million bucks with the indulgent bites of the rich ingredients. ;)


Millionaire's Shortbread

450 g  [3 1/2 cups] plain flour - sifted
115 g  [2/3 cups] golden caster sugar (superfine sugar)
250 g  [1 cup] butter - softened

*For the filling and topping:
1 x 450 g  jar of dulce de leche
250 g  good quality milk or dark chocolate

1. Butter a 13 x 9 inch baking pan. Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F.
2. Mix the flour and sugar in a bowl.
3. Add in butter, kneading it in the flour mixture to form a dough. (This can be also done in a food processor.)
4. Press the dough into the baking pan making sure to level it. Prick all over with fork.
5. Bake in oven for 30 - 35 minutes or until pale golden brown.
6. Remove pan from oven and cool for about 30 minutes.
7. While it's cooling off, warm the dulce de leche either by: microwaving/steaming in the jar with the lid off *or* spoon into a saucepan and heat very gently.
8. Once the pan (with shortbread) has cooled off, spread the warm dulce de leche evenly on top. Cool for about 30 minutes.
9. Put a heatproof bowl on a saucepan of simmering water and let the chocolate melt in it.
10. Spread it on top of the dulce de leche, gently spreading it to cover completely.
11. Leave to cool completely before cutting into squares and removing from the pan.

*Note: You may substitute any thick caramel or toffee for the dulce de leche or make one yourself by cooking an unopened can of condensed milk in simmering water for about 2 hours.

Pinakbet

After what seems like a hundred years, I finally was able to cook and document a recipe of pinakbet as I promised Roh Mih. :) Pinakbet or pakbet is a melange of vegetables braised under cover traditionally in a clay pot. The northern region of Ilocos is acknowledged as its origin which is quite appropriate since a large part of the diet there is made up of veggies. As with any popular dish, there are numerous variations. One of which is that in our family we use fresh salted alamang (tiny shrimps) instead of the usual bagoong. Due to the fact that our hometown is by the seaside so there is usually an abundance of fresh seafood. Only when alamang is nowhere to be found do we use the cooked bagoong. I do have a jar of homemade bagoong sitting in my kitchen but since I found this Cincalok (fermented alamang) in our local Chinese supermarket it's but natural that I use it. I believe the Baby Rambutan has blogged about this ingredient before. Cincalok has this pungent aroma that really complemented the vegetables. Although like the bagoong it's not for everybody.


As for the veggies, any number of combination can be tipped in the pot. I banned okra since I'm not too fond of the slimy sticky texture of it. Also I did not bother to rid the amplaya with its bitterness since my husband likes them as they are. In case you want to, marinate the ampalaya in salt for 30 minutes, squeeze out juice, then rinse well with water. I almost did not include ampalaya and sitaw because of the atrocious prices. But I can't call it pinakbet with just squash and aubergine so I have to buy them with my eyes closed. :)




Pinakbet

1 cup diced pork belly (or any fatty piece of pork) [optional]
1 Tbsp oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 medium onion - sliced
3 medium tomatoes - sliced
2-3 Tbsp salted alamang (tiny shrimps) or bagoong
250 g  squash/pumpkin - sliced roughly into 1-inch pieces
1 medium aubergine - sliced and quarted
125 g  sitaw (yard long beans, snake beans) - cut into 2-inch pieces
250 g  ampalaya (bitter gourd/melon)
1 cup water
salt and pepper

1. Slice ampalaya lengthwise, remove inner white membrane with a spoon and discard. Slice each half diagonally into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Set aside.
2. Put pork in a clay pot or medium size pot. Pour about 1/2 cup of water on it. Bring to boil then simmer until tender adding more hot water a little at a time if needed.
3. Once almost all the water has evaporated, drizzle the oil on it. Bring up heat to medium - by this time the pork will be rendering fat. Fry the pork until crispy and golden brown.
4. Put to one side of the pot and spoon off excess oil. You should only have about 1-2 Tbsp oil left in the pot.
5. Saute garlic and onion for a few minutes. Add in tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Mix in the pork and cook until tomatoes are a bit soft.
6. Stir in the alamang or bagoong. Cook for a few minutes.
7. Add 1/2 cup water, bring to boil.
8. Add the squash, aubergine, and sitaw. Simmer under cover for 3 minutes.
9. Tip in the ampalaya and cook for a further 3 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked.
10. Remove from heat and serve.

Note: If you're not going to serve immediately after cooking, leave the cover slightly ajar to let the steam out and prevent the vegs from getting overcooked or else it will lose its bite and vivid colour.

Kilawing Puso Ng Saging

As a direct aftermath of our trip to the London Thai Food Festival, I cooked the puso ng saging or banana heart (blossom) that we bought into a kilawin. Kilawin is what we call, in the Tagalog region of the Philippines, a method of cooking with vinegar - lots of it actually.

When I was still living in the Phils. I noticed that this dish is not common in the Metro Manila area unlike in our place in Cavite where you can find it in most carinderia (eateries). Anyhow, I have to call my aunt and my Nanay because it's been more than a decade since I cooked one of these and I badly need directions. My main pet peeve was the amount of dagta (plant sap) that you have to deal with and the banana plant have a lot of it which I think it got concentrated in the heart. The soaking in water and squeezing out before putting it in the pan can only help so much. It can get really sticky. Much of it thankfully sticks on the side of the pan as you cook so you just have to spoon it off. I have to admit this recipe is still on update mode since I'm not perfectly satisfied with the result (probably because I didn't use shrimp juice) but good enough for your everyday meals.

Kilawing Puso Ng Saging

1 Tbsp oil
2 tsp minced garlic
1 small onion - sliced
1 puso ng saging (banana heart) - about 500 gm
125 g  cooked shelled clams/mussels - roughly chopped or flaked canned tuna
3/4 cup vinegar
1 1/2 cup water or shrimp juice*
salt and pepper to taste

1. Unwrap the banana heart (see above left) until you get to the mainly white part (see above right). Cut off the stem part and discard together with the skin that you unwrapped.
2. Put 8 cups of water in a large bowl and add around 3 Tbsp salt. Make sure salt is dissolved in the water.
3. Slice the banana heart into 1/2 inch thick pieces. As you slice, immediately put them in the bowl of salted water. This is to prevent them from turning black. Set aside.
4. Heat oil in a saucepan. Saute garlic and onion.
5. Add in the clams or mussels meat. Season with salt and pepper according to taste. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on medium heat.
6. Add in vinegar and water, bring to boil.
7. Drain the banana heart and squeeze out excess water.
8. Stir in the the banana heart into the saucepan. Simmer until fully cooked - about 5-10 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and serve.

Note: For the shrimp juice - mash heads and shells of fresh shrimps with mortar and pestle; mix well in water then strain. Discard shrimp shells.

London Thai Food Festival

The threat of terrorist bombings did not deter my husband and I in going to this year's London Thai Food Festival last 24th of July. I was determined to explore more of Thai food and no bomb threat can discourage me from it. Battersea park was the venue where I've always loved coming to, admiring its attractive gardens, well maintained lawns, to its towering old trees. Though we only get to see it when we pass by on the way to central London, this time (which is probably only our third) we purposely set off to imbibe its refreshing atmosphere. I think the organisers picked an excellent venue.

By the way, prior to this I called on a fellow blogger's Thai food knowledge to point me in the right direction on sampling the food. A big thanks is in order to ever helpful Thess of Eet Smakelijk. Cheers mah dear!


Unfortunately, our food orgy was rudely interrupted by a bomb scare and we only managed ogling around and sampling food for about 1 hour before police came to escort everybody out of the park. As you can see from the above picture (click on it for a bigger view) there were quite a number of things and stalls to nose around. They have lovely smelling barbecues, lots of spicy looking dishes with offal and seafood - two things that my husband is very interested in. Also stalls with handicrafts, mobile phones, freight companies, even ones doing Thai massage, plus Thai dancers in native costumes. Almost all of the food stalls were serving the popular fresh papaya salad where ladies prepare it right on the spot only when somebody ordered it which makes it ultra fresh. The lady who did it for us asked me if I want it spicy and I made the mistake of nodding my head. All I can say is I only managed one spoonful before throwing my hands up in spicy defeat. It was really really spicy hot - phwoarr! While my husband happily finished it noting that it would be good with barbecued or fried meats or fish. Next time I'll make sure not to overestimate my wimpy self and order it mild only. But I did notice its lovely crunchy texture and from watching the lady do it I think I can make it at home I just have to find green papayas around here which is like trying to find fresh peaches in a tropical country - nearly impossible.

We also tried their longganisa or sausage which has noodles in it! Quite yummy. And of course my day wouldn't be complete without my favourite Pad Thai. I need to gripe with what I got - though the prawns were excellent, the flavouring itself was so-so. It seriously need more patis/nam pla and lots of lime juice.


One of the more attractive stalls there was the Blue Elephant restaurant's. They even have chefs who demonstrated the making of desserts cooked in a cast iron pan with lots of 2-inch holes where they first poured some kind of galapong or rice flour batter. They let this cook for about 15 minutes then topped with sweet coconut cream - cooked again for about 5 minutes. Then finally topped alternately with sliced green onions and sweet corn. Delicious!

They also had lots of Thai veggies and fruits on display which are familiar to us Pinoys, too. Since it was closing time they were selling these off. The only thing that prevented me from buying them all is the steep London style price. It was like £2 for 1 piece of atis (apple custard)! So we just contented ourselves with 1 atis, 1 slice of pumpkin, and 1 banana heart. We cooled ourselves from the heat of the haggling with fresh buko (young coconut) - you sip the coconut water then spoon the meat from the shell. Nice ...

Despite having limited time there, we did enjoy getting a food adventure that day. In the words of the Terminator - I'll be back!

EBBP 1: from The Thorngrove Table

What a lovely surprise first thing in the morning! I just received my package for the first Euro Blogging By Post (incited by Andrew of Spitoon) last Tuesday. The lovely Christina of Thorngrove Table gifted me with such delectables as - homemade Lemon Curd and Gelee de Shiraz plus Gentlemen's Relish and our family's old favourite almond and chocolate covered pretzels (brand name: Peppero). Yum!


As for the lemon curd and gentlemen's relish, I've seen these countless of times in supermarkets and delis but I've never tried them. First off the relish, I must admit I was overwhelmed by the strength of flavour on my first bite. It was only then that I saw the sign on the lid that says - "spread sparingly" - or something like that. 'Well,' my husband said, 'that's not the first time you've tried out something before reading the manual !' Okay okay, stop the lecture I get it now - the procedure is similar to eating Marmite. Spread verrrry thinly over toast then munch. Hmmm ... very nice I quite like it. Me and the husband was having it over breakfast and tried out having both the relish *and* the lemon curd in one toast. The strange combination was actually good! I certainly am gonna have more of these. We now are in a running debate on what to do with the lemon curd. Husband insists on having it in his toast every morning while I want to make a pastry or dessert with it. Let's see who can use it up the fastest. ;)

The gelee de shiraz is still jelling in my fridge - Christina said this is good as a condiment to meats. I'll keep that in mind next time we have roasts. I love trying these food for the first time they're such an adventure and revelation. And don't ask about the choc pretzels, the kids found it so they were long gone before I came home from work. :(

A big big thank you to Christina for these delectables. I really appreciate it. I wouldn't have tried these if she hadn't sent them. It was so nice to answer the door first thing in the morning and be handed a package of goodies. Now I just have to pack up *my* box and send it off somewhere in the continent. This is such fun!

Carpaccio of Courgette

We were having longganisa with rice for lunch that day. Husband checked in the cupboard for atchara (pickled papaya) and realised we just ran out. I had to think fast on what to serve with these sausages - I need veggies that is a bit tart, refreshing and would be a foil to the sticky salty-sweet flavour of the longganisa. Immediately I remembered the carpaccio that Jeanne of Cook Sister brought to our first London blogger's EB (her original recipe is here). Fortunately, I had a couple of courgettes (zucchinis) in the fridge. It was perfect! I think this is good to serve with any grilled or barbecued meat just like what Jeanne did. Anyhow, I took the liberty of renaming the latter part of the recipe name to 'courgette' instead of the original 'zucchini' since that is how it is known around here. A very big thanks to Jeanne for sharing the recipe and I hope she doesn't mind the change in name.


Carpaccio of Courgette

500 g  courgettes (zucchini)
parmesan or pecorino shavings
parsley - finely chopped

*For the dressing:
1/3 cup of olive oil
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic - crushed or finely minced
1 Tbsp capers (optional)
1 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 tsp honey
salt & milled black pepper to taste

1. Wash and dry the courgettes. Using a sharp vegetable peeler, slice/shave the courgette lengthwise into ribbons.
2. Mix all ingredients for the dressing together by whisking in a bowl or shaking in a jar. Pour over the courgette ribbons. Stir and mix carefully. Arrange on a platter.
3. Refrigerate for an hour or two to allow the flavours to develop.
4. When ready to serve, top with shavings of parmesan and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.
5. Serve with good bread to mop up the dressing.

Euro Blogging By Mail

Calling all Europe based food bloggers!! Wouldn't it be nice to exchange food goodies with your fellow bloggers all over Europe? If you would like to join the Blogging By Mail event European edition please point your internet compasses to Andrew's blog at Spitoon for the lowdown on the rules and details.

Nic of Bakingsheet originated this idea (I think it was mostly bloggers from US and Canada who joined) and Andrew decided to have our very own food swapping circle here. Please do join us as you know the more people we have the better.

Paella Mixta

I've been wanting to post this for the longest time but I had to wait until I get a chance to cook it (not very often) and take a picture. Admittedly, even if in the Phils. this is a 'fiesta' quality dish, I've never really eaten this back home or maybe I did but did not like our first meeting. However, once I set foot here in Europe and had access to the ingredients needed for it, I set about hunting for a good recipe to religiously follow the directions. I got more fuel for it when I visited Valencia, the traditional home of paella, where I got to taste the authentic the real thing. As in my previous Valencia post, the original Paella Valenciana DO NOT have any seafood in it. Traditional ingredients for it include rabbit meat, chicken, broad beans, snails, other vegetables besides of course the rice. If the paella has seafood exclusively then it's called Paella Mariscos. While the one with mixed meats - red, white, seafood, et al - is called Paella Mixta, hence the name of this recipe.

This time around my paella was a bit on the 'wet' side since I put in a whole tin of chopped tomatoes (400gm). I didn't want to put in half and waste the other half however I forgot to reduce the amount of stock accordingly. Also, I think I have to be braver and not be constantly scared that the rice is undercooked. It's cooked alright but it's got more sauce than desired. Like any popular dish, there are hundreds of variations. You can put almost any combination of meat, seafood and/or veggies. Some even grill the top a little, some involves cooking the meat entirely separate from the rice and only combining them together at the end. I rather prefer Delia Smith's technique of cooking the chicken with the rice so that the flavour from the chicken is well infused in the rice. I have loosely adapted this from her How To Cook Book 2. Her instructions and most other recipes says not to stir it much after the rice has boiled. But I can't help it because the pan is so much bigger than the hob consequently the heat is not evenly distributed. Besides the meat will not be cooked well if I don't stir it. Another note, if you're going to cook this please use only paella rice such as Calasparra, Bomba, and Granza. The rice in it is supposed to be creamy and clinging a bit to each other but not exactly sticky - very similar to risotto. You wouldn't want to use long grain or Jasmine rice in your risotto, would you?



Paella Mixta

350 g  paella rice (calasparra, bomba, granza, etc.)
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
750 g  chicken - cut into serving pieces
1 large onion - chopped roughly
1 red bell pepper - diced into 1/2-inch pieces
110 g  chorizo - skinned and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1/4 tsp saffron strands
225 g  tomatoes - skinned and chopped
5 cups stock or water
10-12 raw tiger prawns, shell-on
1/2 cup frozen or fresh peas
salt and pepper

1. In a 13-inch paella pan, heat oil then lightly brown chicken in batches. Set aside.
2. Saute onion, bell pepper and chorizo for about 5 minutes in medium heat.
3. Stir in garlic, paprika, cayenne (if using), saffron and cook for about 1 minute.
4. Bring back the chicken to the pan, stir a little; then tomatoes.
5. Add plenty of seasonings (salt and pepper) and pour in the stock.
6. Bring to boil then simmer for 10 minutes uncovered.
7. With a slotted spoon, remove chicken and set aside.
8. Pour rice in the pan and stir.
9. Bring back to boil, stir once or twice making sure rice is not sticking at the bottom. Lower down heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. As you simmer, move pan occasionally to distribute heat evenly since your pan is more likely to be a lot bigger than your cooking hob.
10. Return chicken to the pan, cook for another 10 minutes while stirring occasionally (and *carefully* so as not to turn the rice into mush) and adding more liquid if necessary.
11. Add prawns and peas and cook for another 5-10 minutes turning prawns half way through.
12. Check rice if cooked especially ones at the outer edges. If not yet fully cooked, simmer for a few minutes more while keeping a close eye to make sure the bottom is not browning too much. Add more liquid if necessary.
13. Remove from heat. Cover with a tea towel for about 5 minutes to absorb moisture. Serve with wedges of lemon.

Pinaputok na Isda

The husband wanted something 'simple' and uncomplicated for dinner. No rich sauces or dozens of ingredients to purchase. So we thought of this, never mind that the name is quite appropriate in the current climate here in London. Pinaputok in English means fired, popped, or exploded (thank goodness all we're 'exploding' is a fish). I'm not quite sure why this is called as such since it does not really 'pop' though I have an inkling it might have originated in another region where the name means something else. Traditionally, this is wrapped in banana leaves and fried. But I don't have any banana leaves so I used a foil plus we wanted something not oily so we baked it. I imagine this would even be better in a barbecue.


Pinaputok na Isda
(Baked Fish)

1 piece fresh fleshy fish (sea bass, pomfret, grouper, tilapia, sea bream, etc.)
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 medium onion - chopped
green onion or coriander - chopped (optional)
salt to taste

1. Scale, gut, clean, and wipe dry the fish. Score with several slits (tari-an) on each side.
2. Sprinkle salt on both sides of the fish and in the stomach cavity, making sure the salt gets in the slits that you made. Set aside for about 10 minutes.
3. Mix the chopped tomatoes, onions and coriander (if using) in a bowl.
4. Lay the fish on a piece of aluminum foil big enough to wrap it. Put the tomatoes and onions in the stomach cavity, under and on top of the fish.
5. Wrap the fish tightly crimping the ends of the foil.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 200C/fan 180C/400F for 40 minutes or on a barbecue.

Cookbook Meme

Charlie of What's Cooking? and Stel of Baby Rambutan both tagged me in another meme. Just in time to have some break from all the baking and cooking. This gotta be my favourite of all the memes passed to me. I'm the type who has cookbooks for bedtime reading ...

1. Total number of cookbooks I own.

54 (not including the food magazines and hundreds of clippings)

2. Last cookbook I bought.

Brian Turner's Favourite British Recipes

3. Last food/cook book I read.

Book of Baking by Sue Lawrence

4. Five (cook)books that mean a lot to me.

Why only five? Most of the cookbooks I list here are ones that taught me the basics of cooking mostly from the time I went away and got married. You can easily tell due to the state they're in that they're favourites - dog eared, worn out, food splattered, no cover, etc. I wanted to put in my old beloved Betty Crocker's as well but I lost it when my sister's friend borrowed it then said it 'burned' in an office fire. Yeah right. Hmmmp!

Let's Cook with Nora Daza - when I first set up house with my husband, I only know how to cook the standard Filipino fare of adobo, nilaga, sinigang, and the odd fried fish (or fried anything for that matter). So this was indispensable to me in jogging my memory on how to cook other Filipino dishes.

Maya Cookfest series - my friend Nanette gifted me with the first 2 of this and I bought the last 2. It gives me joy just reading the recipes, always imagining and salivating on cooking the great dishes there.

Chinese Cuisine & Chinese Cooking for Beginners by Huang Su-Huei - this pair guided me a lot in creating and imitating tasty Chinese dishes we had while living in Hong Kong. They are one of my most cherished cookbooks.

How to Cook series by Delia Smith - again another one of my reference books (this time for Western cuisine) whom I consult whenever I want to find out how to cook certain basic ingredients or dishes. Her recipes always work.

The Food of the Philippines by Reynaldo Alejandro - a very good source of information about Filipino food and the recipes work, too.

5. Which five people would you like to see fill this out in their blog?

Most of the people I know has been tagged already so I hope these five haven't been yet:

Thess of Eets Makelijk
Annalyn of Ajay's Writings On The Wall
Ling of Little Gingko Nut
Dilek of Dilek'ce
Riana of For The Love of Baking

Ayam Tempra

The moment I saw this dish in Stel's blog, adapted from the cookbook Shiok! by Terry Tan and Christopher Tan, I was enamored. I felt I had to try it since we often have chicken at home, much more than any other meat and had to find other ways of serving it from the usual. Both me and my husband love the salty-sweet taste plus the subtle flavour of the blachan which is very similar to the Pinoy's bagoong. Stel was right, hot steaming rice is the perfect accompaniment with this dish plus any salad or stir fried vegetables.

The blachan or shrimp paste that I got from our local Chinese grocery is from Thailand branded as 'Tranchang'. Malaysia and Indonesia also have this pungent ingredient. It's drier, finer and more concentrated than our bagoong but imparts similar taste and aroma. If you can't find it, I think you can substitute bagoong. The only complain my husband had was he got pricked with the lemon grass while eating because what I did was to chop it into small pieces and mash with mortar and pestle. After conferring with the chef Stel, next time I'll cut them into bigger pieces, just slightly bruise them so it can be easily fished out before serving. So here's my take on this tasty dish and thanks to Stel for sharing it.


Ayam Tempra
(Spicy-Sour Stir-fried Chicken)

750 g  chicken - cut into serving pieces
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 medium onion - quartered
1 stalk lemongrass - cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces, pounded slightly
1 long green chilli pepper - sliced (optional)
1 bird chilli - sliced (optional)
1/2 cup chicken stock/broth
3 Tbsp lime juice
3-4 Kaffir lime leaves - midrib removed and leaves finely sliced

*Marinade:
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 stalk lemongrass - cut diagonally into 1 inch pieces, pounded slightly
1 tsp shrimp paste (blachan)
3 Tbsp ketjap manis (thick sweet soy sauce), or dark soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp water
1 1/2 Tbsp crushed palm sugar

1. In a mortar and pestle mix and mash all marinade ingredients and pour over chicken. Set aside and let sit for at least an hour. Drain and reserve marinade.
2. In a wok, heat the oil over medium high heat. Saute the garlic, onion, lemongrass, and chili, until fragrant.
3. Add chicken pieces and stir fry until chicken is well browned.
4. Pour in the marinade and chicken broth. Bring to boil then lower heat to a simmer.
5. Stir from time to time, adding more broth or water a little at a time if it gets too dry. Cook until chicken is tender, about 25-30 minutes.
6. [optional] Remove lemongrass.
7. Add in lime juice, Kaffir lime leaves, and salt to taste. Stir well and remove from heat. Serve.

Note: If using boneless chicken meat, cooking time is cut drastically and you may not need to add more broth or water.

SHF 10: Honey Cake

As you may have noticed by now, I'm partial to recipes that has few ingredients and/or easy and simple to make. The recent announcement of the current Sugar High Friday theme of honey, which by the way is hosted by Nic of Bakingsheet, got me scouring my cookbooks. Luckily the BBC GoodFood Magazine's 101 Cakes and Bakes yielded this one-saucepan simple and easy cake. But don't let its simplicity fool you for it resulted in a very moist and moreish cake perfect for afternoon tea. The nice thing about it is you can change the taste by using different flavoured honey instead of the usual clear one. You can have flavour as mild or as strong as you like depending on the honey you use. My work colleagues whom I gave a generous part of this cake gave it a resounding thumbs up. This is a definite keeper of a recipe.


Devonshire Honey Cake

225 g  unsalted butter
250 g  honey
100 g  dark muscovado sugar
3 large eggs - beaten
300 g  [2 1/4 cups] self-raising flour
2 Tbsp honey for glazing

1. Preheat oven to 160°C/fan 140°C/300°F/gas mark 4. Grease and line a 20 cm/8-in round loose-bottomed baking pan.
2. Melt butter, honey, and sugar slowly in a saucepan. Boil for one minute. Leave to cool.
3. Beat in eggs one at a time in the saucepan.
4. Add in the flour; mix well.
5. Pour into the pan and bake for 50 minutes or until cake is golden brown and spring back when pressed.
6. Turn out the cake onto a wire rack. Warm 2 Tbsp honey in a small saucepan and brush over the top of the cake to glaze. Leave to cool.

Prosciutto Quail Egg Rolls

One of the finger foods that I prepared for my aborted participation in the last London Food Blogger's picnic at the Henley Regatta is this scrumptious quail eggs wrapped in prosciutto. Lovely melding of flavours with the spiky tang of the lime zest contrasting with the creamy and a bit salty cream/smoked cheese mixture serving a nice foil to the blandness of the quail eggs while the chewy-citrusy prosciutto completes the melange of flavour. This was a lovely surprise and one that I will definitely make again. Next time I will try it without the smoked cheese or probably choose one that's not too salty.

I love air dried hams such as the Prociutto di Parma or the Spanish Jamon Iberico or Jamon Serrano. They are just so yummy to have very thinly sliced on sandwiches, cheese or just eaten on their own. Steep prices of these is the only thing stopping me from having them all the time.


Prosciutto Quail Egg Rolls

12 quail eggs
40 g  cream cheese
2 Tbsp finely grated smoked cheese
1/4 tsp grated lime zest
1 tsp chopped fresh basil
6 slices prosciutto di parma (parma ham)

1. Hard boil quail eggs by lowering in a gently simmering pan of water. Cook for 4 minutes. Drain and cool immediately by plunging into cold tap water. Peel and cut in half lengthwise.
2. Combine cream cheese, smoked cheese, lime zest, chopped basil in a bowl. Mix well.
3. Cut prosciutto in half lengthwise then cut in half again crosswise making 24 pieces.
4. Spread cream cheese mixture in each strip then wrap each of the quail egg halves in it. This can be made about 6 hours in advance.

Biscocho

A favourite childhood snack of mine is 'biscocho' - toasted left-over bread smeared with butter (or Star margarine) and sprinkled with sugar. Biscocho in Spanish means sponge cake while the Filipino version is a crunchy piece of bread toasted with butter and sugar all around. This is certainly one of my most treasured comfort food from my growing up period in the Phils. The crunchy bite on the bread (usually pandesal) with the salty-sweet taste of the caramelised butter-sugar mixture is simply a great way to fill you up. You could just imagine how this came about - mothers who wanted to use up their supply of stale pandesals and serve as snacks to their brood. What a nice invention.


Biscocho

slices of bread
butter or margarine
sugar

1. Spread butter or margarine on the bread and sprinkle sugar on top. Spread the butter a bit on the thick side to have enough for caramelising with the sugar also to make the sugar stick on the bread. If you prefer you can do this on both sides of the bread.
2. Grill in a hot oven (about 400F/200C) until butter and sugar bubbles up and turn golden. Serve warm or cold.

Insalata Caprese

Whenever my husband wanted to have a simple uncomplicated healthy light food, the first thing that comes to his mind is this Italian salad. It is quite simply his favourite. And why not? It's one of the very few that he can make without anybody's assistance ;-). Named 'caprese' in honor of the Italian island of Capri where this supposedly originated.

There are only two main ingredients in this one - tomatoes and mozzarella cheese. As for the dressing, some people (like him) like to drizzle just olive oil and balsamic vinegar on it. Others (like me) want something with more flavour like a vinaigrette - any type will do for me. I included a vinaigrette recipe below which I adapted from Delia Smith's The Delia Collection Italian. Make sure to drizzle the olive oil or dressing right before serving because soaking in oil/dressing will just make the tomatoes soggy.

We're having a lot of this lately because of the hot weather and the abundance of tomatoes in season. Beef tomatoes or large vine-ripened tomatoes can be used (though the latter has more flavour, IMO). With the cheese, get the mozzarella that's shaped like a ball and packed with some water. I heartily recommend the mozzarella made from buffalo milk (mozzarella di bufala) due it being more creamy (according to the husband) than the ones made from cow's milk.


Insalata Caprese

fresh ripe tomatoes - sliced 1/4-inch thick
mozzarella cheese - sliced 1/4-inch thick
fresh basil leaves - torn into pieces
salt and pepper (optional)
olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar (optional)


*Vinaigrette Dressing

1 garlic
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp whole grain mustard
1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp chopped herbs (basil, tarragon, thyme, etc.)
freshly ground pepper

1. Arrange overlapping layers of tomatoes and mozzarella in a plate.
2. Scatter the basil leaves on top and crush some salt and pepper on it, if using.
3. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar or vinaigrette dressing. Serve immediately.

*For the Vinaigrette Dressing

1. Mash the garlic and salt with a mortar and pestle. Add the mustard and mash until creamy.
2. Transfer to a small bowl and add the vinegar, olive oil, and pepper. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
3. Add the chopped herbs.
4. Drizzle on salads just before serving.

Muscovado Brownies

For industrial strength brownie lovers, I dedicate this one. (Am I not sounding like Master Yoda?) I found Sue Lawrence's Book of Baking at our local library and just wanted to try *everything* in that cookbook, forgetting that my ancient oven is not really up to scratch. But since the peculiar characteristic of burnt edges and undercooked middle is perfect for brownies so I gladly made this one. It is indeed intensely chocolately and if that's what you fancy then welcome to this post. Maybe next time I'll try to play around with the chocolate and sugar proportions to tame the chocolate a little bit. My previous brownie recipe of Banana Nut Brownies is not far off from this. I imagine this would be great with milk, ice cream, strong tea or even stronger coffee.


Muscovado Brownies

350 g  dark chocolate (60-70 per cent cocoa solids)
200 g  unsalted butter
250 g  [1 1/4 cups] dark muscovado sugar
3 large eggs
70 g  [2/3 cup] plain flour - sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

1. Preheat oven to 170°C/fan 150°C/325°F. Butter bottom and sides of a deep 9-inch square baking pan.
2. Melt chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over simmering water in a saucepan. Stir and mix until smooth.
3. In a container or bowl, combine well the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, put in the sugar, making sure to break up lumps if there are any.
5. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add this to the melted chocolate; combine well.
6. Add in the flour mixture, gently folding together.
7. Pour into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out with moist crumbs. DO NOT OVERBAKE.
8. Remove from oven and let cool for about 30 minutes. Cut into squares or desired serving sizes in the pan before allowing to cool completely. Remove from pan.

Column Feature and Cooking Meme

What a hectic weekend that was. And it seems everyone else including here in blogosphere is making the most out of the good summer weather and the holidays. Everybody's busy ... partying and relaxing. It's only now that I got to blog. First things first, just want everyone to know that I was included by Ajay in her Blog-o-Rama column in the Manila Bulletin. I was one of four food bloggers in a roundtable discussion about what else - food. Thanks Ajay for featuring us!

Now let's have some fun. I was tagged by the cooking queen of Boston, Stel of Baby Rambutan for this cooking meme, here it goes ...


What is your first memory of baking/cooking on your own?

I clearly remembered being left for about an hour with my 2 younger sisters at home. I was probably 7 or 8 years old at the time. To amuse them, I decided to treat my sisters to popcorns. My mother used to cook popcorns in our a banged up old aluminum pot and I distinctly remembered how she did it. I thought, 'I can do that with no problem at all.' So I turned on the electric stove, put the pot on, poured ridiculous amount of oil then added a fistful of popcorns, covered the pot and waited until it popped. Once we heard the tell-tale popping sounds I dutifully shook the pot just like my nanay did. It was fine until I opened the lid and out came this big black puff of smoke! We thought we had to call the bumberos (firemen). My sisters have to make do with the popcorns on top because all of the ones at the bottom where burned black. Nevertheless, from then on one of the strict instructions from my mother was - no more cooking. Hehehe!


Who had the most influence on your cooking?

That would be my nanay (mother) and my Lolo Apeng (maternal grandfather). Nanay was the one who first taught me how to cook - all the Pinoy basics from anything fried, sinigang, adobo, nilaga, etc. although it was my Lola Ebia (maternal grandmother) who taught me the nuances of cooking rice in a pot. I'd like to think I inherited my cooking genes from Lolo Apeng. He's a great cook and a stickler for details. He's the type who won't cook at all if he can't do it the right way with the right ingredients prepared in the way that he deemed correct.


Do you have an old photo as "evidence" of an early exposure to the culinary world and would you like to share it?

Since my childhood photos are few and far in-between, I don't think I have this. Though my family will surely attest that I'm a very enthusiastic eater. :)


Mageiricophobia - do you suffer from any cooking phobia, a dish that makes your palms sweat?

I didn't have any before but just recently I get nervous when blind baking tarts or pie bases because of repeated disasters I was in. :(


What would be your most valued or used kitchen gadgets and/or what was the biggest letdown?

Well, I don't know if you consider it a 'gadget' but my cleaver is indispensable to me. I use it for most kitchen jobs from slicing, mincing, tenderising, whacking garlics open, etc. Letdown? Hmmm … I think it would be the mini chopper. After only 1 month, the blades were already blunt.


Name some funny or weird food combinations/dishes you really like and probably no one else.

I'm pretty boring in this regard, most of the combinations I like are 'orthodox' such as crispy fried anything with rice and sinigang or singkamas (jicama) sliced thinly and marinated in vinegar and salt and chilled well then I eat it and slurp up the vinegar as well. Yum!


What are the three eatables or dishes you simply don't want to live without?

Rice, dimsums, patis (fish sauce), adobo.


3 quickies:
favorite ice cream ... Rocky Road, Coffee Mangosteen
you will probably never eat ... Like Stel - 'pet food', horse meat, escargot
signature dish ... I really don't have any signature dish to speak of but my cassava cake always get requested.

Tag 3 people ... I think most people has been tagged already but hopefully these three haven't been yet - April Lassy, Ting Aling, and Jmom.

Bruschetta

Everytime we have a dimsum lunch we tend to order too much - not that I'm complaining. So we usually have a very light dinner afterwards or none at all. Last Saturday was one like this, me and my husband were still partially full and we couldn't possibly have our usual dinner. I decided to fix something light with the ciabatta I picked up from the supermarket earlier.

Bruschetta is a favourite starter in Italian restaurants. In essence, it's garlic bread with toppings like tomatoes or anchovies or aubergines, etc. Although this garlic bread uses olive oil instead of butter. The one I made that night is the standard bruschetta you find in restos with tomatoes and basil leaves on top. Very easy to make though quite refreshing to have. Biting on the combination of crusty garlicky bread soaked in olive oil with fresh tomatoes and basil on top is simply divine.


Bruschetta

slices of crusty bread (ciabatta, baguette, etc.)
olive oil
ripe tomatoes
fresh basil leaves
garlic clove - peeled and sliced in the middle
salt and pepper

1. Halve tomatoes crosswise. Scoop out the seeds, discard. Chop roughly.
2. In a bowl, put the tomatoes and season well with salt and pepper.
3. Tear basil leaves and mix with the tomatoes.
4. Toast, grill, or broil the bread until well browned on both sides.
5. While still hot, rub the cut side of the garlic on the toasted bread.
6. Drizzle or brush olive oil on top.
7. Spoon mounds of tomatoes on top of the toasted bread. Serve immediately.

Chicken Caldereta

I've done several recipes for caldereta with different takes on this spicy dish. But I always comeback to this version which is the simplified amalgamation of most of the calderetas I have tasted. Goat's meat is traditionally used in the Filipino caldereta. The spiciness lends well and sort of masks the 'gamey' taste of the goat's meat and since it's quite tough the dish benefits from the long simmering making the sauce quite rich. Like any popular dish, it's got lots of variations and mine here uses chicken instead of red meat. I tone down the spiciness if I know my children are having it otherwise I add the full gamut of fresh chillies and Tabasco sauce. Also for everyday use I often skip the chorizo and olives. This recipe can be adapted for red meats as well such as goat's meat, mutton, beef, lamb, etc. The only difference that I could think of is that you have to marinate the red meat longer and obviously simmer/cook it for a longer time.


Chicken Caldereta

1 kg  chicken - cut into serving sizes
1/3 cup vinegar
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black peppercorns - lightly cracked with mortar and pestle
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 medium onion - chopped
oil for frying
500 g  passata (tomato sauce)
1/4 cup coarse grained liver pate (or mashed cooked liver or 85gm can of liver spread)
125 g  chorizo - chopped into 1/2-inch slices [optional]
1/2 bell pepper - seeded and sliced
1 green or red fresh chilli [optional]
hot chilli sauce (or Tabasco)
1/3 cup bottled olives - drained [optional]
1/3 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
250 g  potatoes - peeled and quartered
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1. Mix vinegar, salt, garlic, and peppercorns in a bowl. Add chicken pieces, mix well. Marinate chicken for at least 2 hours.
2. In a big pot, heat oil for frying. Drain chicken from marinade and brown briefly in the oil in batches. Set aside.
3. Remove oil from the pot but leave about 2 Tbsp. Heat up again and saute the onion on medium heat until soft and translucent (about 4-5 minutes).
4. Scoop out the garlic and peppercorns from the marinade and add to the onion. Saute for a few minutes.
5. Add in the browned chicken, stir for a minute.
6. Add the rest of the marinade, stir and cook for about 30 seconds.
7. Stir in the passata and bell pepper. Bring to boil then turn down the heat.
8. Add the chorizo and fresh chilli (if using). Simmer until meat is almost done.
9. Stir in the liver pate and mix well to combine.
10. Add potatoes and peas. Simmer until potatoes are cooked.
11. Add grated cheese, mix well until cheese has melted.
12. Taste sauce and correct seasonings adding hot chilli sauce if preferred.
13. Add olives just before removing from heat. Serve warm.

Honeydew Sago

If you want a sweet dessert for the current hot summer days why not try this staple of Chinese dimsum restaurants. It's basically cold ginatan with sago and fruits. You can vary the fruit, instead of honeydew melon you can use watermelon or rock melon or other fruits you fancy. We had this when we had a barbecue at a friend's house. It was so refreshing to have a very cold bowl of coconut soup dotted with floating pearls of sago and the fresh crunchy bite of the honeydew.

I got sago cooking tips from Wendy's Eupho Cafe and indeed the sago I made was well cooked through (no white thing in the middle) , soft but a bit chewy and not at all mushy. So thanks Wendy for that tip. This is so easy to make even kids can do it.


Honeydew Sago

1 x 400 g  can coconut milk
3/4 - 1 cup water
3 Tbsp sugar
pinch of salt (about 1/8 tsp)
1/3 cup small sago pearls
honeydew melon - peeled and chopped into small pieces

*To cook sago:

1. Boil about 3 cups of water in a saucepan. Add in sago pearls and bring to boil.
2. Once it boils, cover saucepan and turn off heat. Leave for 20 minutes.
3. Remove the lid, stir the mixture, turn on the heat and bring it to boil again.
4. Once it boils the second time, cover again, turn off the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes. The sago should be cooked by now.
5. Drain the sago from the hot water and rinse. Soak in cold water (to stop it cooking further). When completely cool drain again and set aside.

*To cook coconut milk soup:

1. Put coconut milk in a saucepan. Add in enough water to dilute it. This will depend on the brand of coconut milk you got. If it's very thick then you add up to 1 cup water. If a bit thin then you reduce the water accordingly.
2. Add sugar and a pinch of salt.
3. Stir to mix and bring to boil for a few minutes until sugar is completely dissolved. Taste the mixture to see if the sweetness is acceptable, if not, add more sugar.
4. Remove from heat and cool completely. Chill in fridge. This should be served very cold.

*To assemble:

1. Put in desired amount of sago and chilled coconut soup in a bowl. (The coconut soup might separate when left standing. So stir it first before ladling into bowls.)
2. Top with some honeydew melon. Serve.

Variation: Add in pandan leaves in the coconut soup mixture before boiling. Remove the pandan after taking coconut soup from heat.

IMBB 16: Braised Quail Eggs with Mushrooms

Originally, my entry would have been Leche Flan - the creme caramel version of the Philippines. But decided not to, since I mixed up my aunt's instructions on the recipe with me putting in 2 cans of condensed milk and 1 can evaporated milk instead of the otherway around. Result was a very sweet dense flan, almost like a dulce de leche. Well scrap that, I just have to find a way to use it up. Enter this savoury dish of quail eggs which is quite easy to make. The recipe I adapted from Huang Su-Huei's Chinese Cuisine cookbook was a bit on the salty side so had to reduce the soy sauce and eliminate the salt. Other than that it was quite nice and I love the way the baby button mushrooms and the eggs mimic each other's shape and colour. Can you guess what I forgot in the presentation? I should have put this in a bed of steamed green veggies. But in my haste and excitement I forgot and only remembered when me and my husband began eating it. Being mostly eggs, it was quite rich so it needed the foil of something bland. Also I think it would benefit from being only one of a group of dishes on a lunch/dinner spread. It seems quite rich just on its own.

I'm sure this version of the IMBB would have a lot of participants due to the universality of the theme (which in case you didn't notice is *eggs*). Thanks is in order to Viv of Seattle Bon Vivant who thought up the theme and is hosting this edition.


Braised Quail Eggs with Mushrooms

24 quail eggs
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 cups oil for deep frying
1 green onion - cut into 1 1/2 inches length
2 cups canned or precooked fresh baby button mushrooms*

*Sauce:
1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 Tbsp cooking wine
1/2 tsp sugar
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup stock

*Thickener:
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp water

1. Hard boil the quail eggs by lowering them in a saucepan with gently simmering water. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Remove hot water from saucepan and then fill up with cool tap water. Replace water again once it gets warm again. This is to stop the eggs from cooking. Drain eggs from water and cool completely.
2. Peel eggs, mix and marinate with the soy sauce for about 15 minutes. Drain.
3. Combine all ingredients for sauce and thickener in separate bowls.
4. Heat 2 cups oil in a wok or saucepan and deep fry the marinated quail eggs for a few minutes or until golden brown. (Some of the quail eggs may balloon and burst at this point) Remove from oil and drain. Set aside.
5. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in the wok and saute green onions until aromatic.
6. Add mushrooms and sauce; stir fry for about 2 minutes.
7. Stir in quail eggs. Then the thickener. Stir to mix.
8. Best to serve on top of steamed or blanched vegetables like broccoli, pak choi, cabbage, etc.

*Note: You can precook mushrooms by cooking or steaming it in simmering water.

Buddha's Delight

For me, after work dinner at home usually consists of some meat stew and steamed vegetables with the occassional rice. Sometimes I hanker for a more 'sophisticated' veg dish and try to whip up something quick. I almost always end up doing a Chinese stir fry because it's so easy to cook in the shortest time possible. But this dish involves braising under cover not just plain stir frying. I love the combination of the ingredients with the simplicity of the sauce it uses.

This dish is also known as 'Buddha's Delight' or Lo Han Zhai that normally uses 18 different items which I'm not sure if it represent the 18 arahats or 18 disciples. Whichever it symbolises, this Chinese dish definitely has Buddhist connections. Nowadays the use of six to eight vegetables is the more usual practice. I adapted this from the Chinese Cookery Secrets cookbook of Deh Ta Hsiung. I adore the succulent straw mushrooms but still hated the stink of bamboo shoots. Despite washing and draining it several times it still have that smell that I abhor. So probably next time I'll replace it with something else. Also the original recipe tells you to stir fry in a wok first then transfer to a casserole. I decided to do away with the wok and stir fry right in my cast iron pot which I think is okay. Also, if you have ready made seasoned oil in your cupboard you can eliminate the ginger. It's just for spicing up the oil which is entirely optional. So this is my take on the Buddha's Delight ...


Buddha's Delight
(Vegetarian Casserole)

1 cake tokwa (beancurd) - diced into 1/2-inch cubes
cooking oil for frying
2 small ginger slices (optional)
5 g  [about 1 big piece] dried black fungus (wood ears)
85 g  [3/4 cups] bean sprouts
115 g  [about 3-4 stems] Chinese cabbage - cut into small pieces
1 small carrot - cut diagonally into thin pieces
50 g  [1/2 cup] sitcharo (mangetout or snow peas) - topped and tailed
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soft brown sugar
85 g  [1/2 cup] sliced bamboo shoots - rinsed and drained
85 g  [1/2 cup] straw mushrooms - drained
1 Tbsp light soy sauce or oyster sauce
3 Tbsp stock
few drops of sesame oil

1. Soak black fungus in warm water for 20 minutes, rinse and drain well. Cut into bite size pieces discarding any hard bits.
2. Mix stock, soy sauce or oyster sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. Heat about 2-3 Tbsp oil in a non-stick pan and fry one small slice of ginger (if using) until it turns brown. Discard ginger then fry bean curds in the same oil in pan until light brown. Drain and set aside.
4. Heat about 2 Tbsp oil in a casserole or medium sized pot. Again fry one small slice of ginger (if using) in the oil until the ginger turns brown. Discard ginger.
5. Stir fry the Chinese leaves in the pot for about 1 minute then add the carrot, mangetout and bean sprouts with the salt and sugar. Cook for about 1 minute.
6. Add the black fungus, bamboo shoots, straw mushrooms, and stock mixture. Blend well and bring to boil. Then reduce heat and cook under cover for 5 minutes.
7. Lift cover and add sesame oil. Stir for a few seconds more and then serve.

Note: If you must wait for quite sometime before serving it, do not put the lid tightly on the pot. Keep it slightly ajar to prevent the vegetables from overcooking and discoloring.

SHF 9: Fresh Fruit Tart

This is probably the worst food blogging event I've done. Not the theme of course (which by the way is tart), but my entry. I just can't hack this tart making more specifically the tart base. Why my first attempt was a resounding disaster because my tart almost burnt to cinders. The second one almost met the same fate. :sigh: My ancient oven seems to have a lot of hot spots.

The biscuit-like base was actually good which should be crunchy and on the brittle side but it got sooo hard when I made the mistake of chilling the whole thing. I was already contemplating on borrowing my neighbor's chainsaw to give myself a slice. Then there's the case of the pastry cream (creme patisserie) which tasted sort of ... ah ... 'cheap'. It must be the vanilla or maybe I should have used single/light cream instead of milk. I don't know, it just doesn't taste right. The only consolation I have is the sight of the fresh fruits arranged glistening on top. Really nice.

It only proves that I really learn a lot from these food blogging events. Lesson for today is - buy a new oven ! :lol:

[TV announcer lilting voice] This edition is brought to you by Red Beard at Life in Flow, A French Kitchen in Burgundy by Anne Willan for the tart base and French Cooking Made Easy (it's not bloody easy!!) by the Australian Women's Weekly. If you're masochistic enough to want to torture yourself, here's the recipe:


Fresh Fruit Tart

*For the sweet pastry (pate sucree):
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla
100 gm chilled butter

*For the pastry cream (creme patisserie):
1 1/4 cups milk
3 egg yolks
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cornflour
1/4 cup caster sugar (superfine)
1 tsp vanilla [optional]

*Topping:
sliced fresh fruits
3 Tbsp apricot jam
1 Tbsp water

*To make the base:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°C/gas mark 6.
2. Mix flour and sugar in a bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two butter knives until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs.
3. In another bowl, gently mix egg yolks and vanilla. Add little by little into the flour mixture while tossing and mixing with a fork.
4. Press and squeeze the mixture into a ball (if needed sprinkle a few tablespoon of water). Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
5. Take the dough from the fridge and roll out into a 13-14 inch circle. Lay out on a 10-inch tart pan and trim the edges. Prick the base all over with fork.
6. Bake blind for 10 minutes. [To bake blind: cut parchment paper on tart base. Place baking beans or ceramic beans on top.]
7. Remove beans and parchment paper and bake again for about 7 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

*To make the pastry cream:

1. Boil milk in a saucepan. While waiting for it to froth over, mix egg yolks, flours, sugar, and vanilla in a heatproof bowl.
2. Once the milk boils, pour into the flour mixture in a thin stream while whisking constantly.
3. Transfer back into the saucepan and let simmer until thick while stirring all the time.
4. Remove from heat, put a moistened parchment paper on the surface (to prevent a film/crust from forming on top). Cool completely.

*To assemble:

1. Heat apricot jam and water in a saucepan. Strain and cool.
2. Spread the pastry cream evenly on the tart base. Arrange sliced fresh fruits on top.
3. Brush the apricot jam mixture on the fruits using a pastry brush. Serve.

Thai Sweet Chilli Crisps

A comment in one of my snack posts last month reminded me of my most favourite crisps (that's potato chips for Pinoys and 'Merkins) and dip combination. It's been about 6 months since I last had these so I don't think anyone would mind if I have one now, would you? ;)

Thai Sweet Chilli crisps from Walkers was already my favourite when it first came out a few years ago. But I discovered that when you paired with a sour cream and chives dip it was out of this world. Labeeeett!! It had the right blend of sweetish very mild spicy hot flavour with the usual excellent crunch of crisps that Walkers does well. Once you dip it in that sour cream concoction the spiciness of the crisps is countered by the bland coolness of the dip that gives an ever so slight sweetness to the combination. Oh, so heavenly ... hmmm, hmmmm, hmmm!

I could finish one whole big bag of this in one sitting but only with the sour cream dip. I've always loved contrasts in food. Something about the balancing of flavours and textures appeals to me. How about you? What's your favourite crisps or potato chips combo?

Spaghetti Amatriciana

That night my son wanted a pasta dish. He suggested something cooking something else because we were quite tired of spag bol, baked pasta, or pesto. Flicking thru my cookbooks, I spied a familiar title that I have tried several times in restaurants before but have not attempted to replicate. Upon seeing it, I was quite impressed for I remembered this to be a quite tasty one but the ingredients were few and uncomplicated that can be found in any kitchen larder. I've seen most types of pasta used for this ranging from bucatini, rigatoni, penne, to even farfalle. This is quite versatile so, unless you're an Italian pasta purist, use whatever pasta you have. The Food of Italy cookbook provided the recipe that I adapted. It was a fast, tasty and easy dish to make though I had a hitch with the parsley. At the end it should have been stirred in. But I forgot! So as you can see it makes a nice garnish as well. ;)


Spaghetti Amatriciana

1 x 400 g  can of chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp double-concentrated tomato puree (tomato paste)
150 g  chopped pancetta or smoked bacon
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp minced garlic
1 small onion - chopped
1/8 tsp dried chilli flakes (or to taste)
2 Tbsp finely minced fresh parsley or 2 tsp dried parsley
salt and pepper
grated parmesan cheese
300 g   dried spaghetti

1. Heat olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Fry pancetta in medium heat until brown.
2. Add onion and cook until soft.
3. Tip in the garlic and chilli flakes. Stir and cook for about 1 - 2 minutes.
4. Add in chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, and season well with salt and pepper.
5. Bring to boil and simmer for about 15 minutes.
6. Stir in parsley in the sauce and cook for another minute. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.
7. While the sauce is simmering, cook spaghetti in boiling water until 'al dente' (about 11-12 minutes). Drain and set aside.
8. Add cooked spaghetti to the pan and mix until well covered evenly by the sauce. Serve onto serving bowls and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Note: You may also serve it with the sauce on top of the pasta as seen in the photo above.

Chocolate Chip Muffins

Most of my recipes here are 'basic', you know ones that are basis of endless variations depending on availability of ingredients, cook's mood, or customer's (ones who will eat it) preference. That's always been my intention, to record all my basic recipes first then do the variations afterwards. I have a running list in my head of basic recipes I will post here. One of them is this chocolate chip muffin. I waited sometime because I was looking for a recipe that would do better than what we sampled over the years.

Most of the recipes we tried tasted good but the consistency of the batter is not thick enough thus, making the chocolate chips to sink to the bottom. More often the muffin would result in some kind of a layered cupcake. All chocolates at the bottom with all the cake batter on top. This is the first one we had where the choc chips were more or less evenly distributed throughout. I adapted this from Peter Shaffer's The Genuine American Cookie & Muffin Book. Try it, you'll love it. :)


Chocolate Chip Muffins

350 g  [2 2/3 cups] plain flour
200 g  chocolate chips (plain or milk)
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs - beaten
200 ml [heaping 3/4 cup] plain natural yoghurt
215 g  [1 cup] soft Demerara sugar
115 g  [1/2 cup less 2 tsp] butter - melted
2 tsp vanilla flavouring

1. Preheat oven to 190°C/fan 170°C/375°F/gas mark 5. Grease or line a 12-hole muffin pan.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt in a bowl. Mix well.
3. Add in chocolate chips and mix.
4. Combine melted butter and sugar in another bowl. Beat until well combined.
5. Add yoghurt, eggs, and vanilla.
6. Fold butter mixture into the flour mixture. Do not overmix.
7. Put in 10 of 12 muffin pans. Half-fill the remaining 2 with hot water to avoid burning the pan and give moisture while baking.
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until metal skewer poked in the middle comes out clean. Do not overbake!
9. Let stand for a few minutes in the pan, turn out and cool on a rack.

Pork Chilli Noodles

Here's one noodle dish that's so easy to make and with few ingredients. You just need some sotanghon (aka bean thread noodles or glass noodles), a little minced pork, some chilli bean sauce, soy sauce, garlic, green onion and you're done! My blogging friend Stel rightly pointed our to me that this is actually the Szechuan dish called Ants Climbing A Tree. Gosh, I didn't know that. :facepalm:

I adapted this from the Chinese Cuisine cookbook by Huang Su-Huei. Adjustments were made to the soy sauce (it was originally quite salty) and the chilli bean sauce (too hot for me) and eliminated the salt. Other than that it was easy peasy to make. Previously, I soak the sotanghon but I stopped doing that to keep it from getting overcooked since I simmer it in the stock anyway for a few minutes.


Pork Chilli Noodles

100 g  sotanghon (bean thread or glass noodles)
125 g  [1/2 cup] minced pork
2 Tbsp chopped green onions
1/2 Tbsp chopped ginger
1/2 Tbsp chilli bean sauce
1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 cups stock
2 Tbsp cooking oil

1. Soak the sotanghon in water until soft (about 20-30 minutes). Drain. Cut to desired lengths.
2. Mix stock, soy sauce, and sugar in a bowl or container. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in wok. Stir-fry pork for about 3-4 minutes. (Optional) Add about 1/3 cup hot water or stock and simmer pork until water evaporates. This is in case you want the minced pork to be tender.
4. Turn up heat and add green onions, ginger, and chilli bean sauce. Stir fry for about 1 minute or until green onion and ginger becomes aromatic.
5. Add stock mixture and sotanghon. Bring to boil then turn heat to low and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the liquid has almost completely evaporated. (Optional) While cooking, cut sotanghon to desired length once soft enough.
6. Dish up and serve.

Menudo

I haven't cooked menudo for a long time, actually it was years ago when I last did. This is all to do with pork liver which is a required ingredient here (if it doesn't have liver I don't consider it menudo). Pork liver in the UK really are stinky (most of the time). No matter how much I washed it before cooking, right after I stir it in the pot it starts to stink. So much so that more than half the time I have to throw away the whole lot. What a waste! I don't know why they stink here. In the Phils and in Hong Kong I never had this problem. Could it be the way pigs are raised here? Or the handling at the abbatoir? I really am clueless.

Anyway, I had some chicken liver to use up and thought of using it in menudo. It was a great addition. The taste wasn't as strong as pork liver but it will do. This recipe is how menudo is cooked in my mother's family, rich and a bit sweetish with the addition of the cheese and raisins. They are actually optional but you should at least try it with them.


Menudo

500 g  pork - cut into 1/2-inch cubes
125 g  chicken or pork liver - cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 Tbsp oil
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 medium onion - chopped
500 g  passata (tomato sauce)
1 small red bell pepper - deseeded and cubed
2 Tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 1/2 cup diced potatoes
1/2 cup diced carrots (optional)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)

1. Heat oil in a saucepan or pot. Saute garlic and onion in low-medium heat until onion is soft and translucent.
2. Stir in pork, cook for a minute. Add soy sauce, stir and cook for another minute.
3. Add the passata, bell pepper, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Bring to boil and then bring down the heat to low. Simmer until pork is almost cooked - about 40 minutes. If it's drying up too much add hot water a little at a time.
5. Mix in the liver, potatoes, and carrots (if using). Turn up heat and cook until potatoes are almost cooked about 5 minutes.
6. Add peas and raisins, cook for 2-3 minutes or until peas and potatoes are thoroughly cooked.
7. [Optional] Add cheese, stir and remove from heat. Serve warm.

Swiss Food

It's been a while since I blogged. Me and my family were on a driving holiday to Switzerland last week and it's only now that I got to sit down and type up something for this food blog. I will be posting our travel iteneraries in my other blog - soon. But on the food front it was not quite as exciting.

We just passed by France, stopping at Reims to sleep and tour around for a few hours. I didn't get a chance to visit a local market or eat a restaurant. Three kids were with us who were turning up their noses on things like pig's trotters, sausages or anything that looked different. Ay ya yay!!

I did notice that roadside food in France is so much better than in the UK. They're expensive as well but we had one of the best quiche, egg flan, and mash potatoes at a roadside cafe in the Jura region.

High prices in Switzerland kept me from eating at proper sitdown restaurants which is a shame 'coz Shatzli suggested lots of food to try. I even printed out all the emails she sent me as a guide but I only tried a few. Oh well, all's not lost because my sister lives there now so there would definitely be more chances for me in the coming months/years when I come back to visit.

One of the highlights of our trip was a visit at the Nestle Cailler chocolate factory in Broc. We were shown a 'romantic' documentary on how the company was formed. Then led by a guide on sections of the factory while explaining the intricancies of chocolate making. Did you know that Cailler made the first milk chocolate? The lady guide said they only use fresh milk from the Gruyere area and are used in the factory within 24 hours of milking from cows. Unlike some chocolate makers who use powdered milk. It is the only Nestle Cailler factory and they only export 40% of their output which explains why their products are not very common outside of Switz. After the short tour we were led to the tasting room where an array of the complete range of Cailler chocolates were laid out for us to sample. Yes you can eat as much as you like!! I got really excited over seeing chocolates everywhere. Yum! See picture above of what we had.

Most of the time we ate in fastfoods and Migros supermarket - they're the most affordable. Occassionally we indulge in some really rich snacks and desserts. Above are meringues (or what's left of it) and heavy cream from the small cute village of Gruyere. Shoplady said to eat it by dipping the meringues in the cream and scoffing it down. Double cholesterolic calorific expialidocious !! But they were divine! Haha. I just forgot all about diet or high sugar level that day.

Above are fondue pots and cooker for sale in the same shop. No fondue or raclette for me. :(

The one time we went to a proper restaurant was at the Restaurant du Lac de Bret. Setting of the place was beautiful. We sat by a picture window overlooking the small picturesque lake of Lac de Bret. Seafood was their specialty so it was just natural to order that. It was so fresh that we didn't realise the lobster in the aquarium that greeted us was our dinner! Poor chap but he was delectable. I couldn't remember the name of the dish we had but as you can see above it was served in a cast iron wok. The seafood (lobster, giant prawns, mussels, and langoustine) was steamed/cooked over long grained rice which was in turn cooked in stock and spices. The flavouring was simple and subtle which was meant to bring out the delicious freshness of the seafood. It was very very good ! Don't ask about the price though I don't want to spoil the memory.

We visited the small delightful village of Kandersteg and had a happy 'accident' of being in a small brasserie-like restaurant (Aux Chalet View) where we had nice soups, delish strawberry tart (above), and the traditional Swiss rosti with bratwurst (below). First daughter liked the latter. She said rosti was like hash brown while the sausage (bratwurst) was excellent. It's probably their proximity to Germany why all the sausages we had in Switz, whether from a street stall or a supermarket or a restaurant, were all superb.

I didn't fare well foodie wise, why I didn't even get the chance to taste Swiss wine. A friend said they have excellent 'young' wines which are best to have within a year of bottling as they don't keep well through the years. Never mind I'll make sure my next time will be better.