Apple Day: Huguenot Tort

Now-a-days I make meals that do not require to much preparation and is fairly quick to make, but is still quite delicious. Yes, I joined the American rat race when I moved back to San Francisco a month ago. Busy busy busy. This recipe for Huguenot Tort, made with Granny Smith apples and pecans, was shown on the Martha Stewart show and I've been wanting to make it since. I love the combination of the tart green apples with the nuts and sweet meringue-like tort. The whole thing takes a few minutes to mix up using one bowl. It's a perfect dessert to end a luncheon.

Recipe: Zucchini, Caper & Anchovy Salad

I found this recipe in an old cookbook given to me as a birthday gift by my youngest cousin a few years back. This salad is easy to make, refreshing and absolutely delicious! It's also a bit unusual for me because it uses raw zucchini which I've never had before.

Zucchini, Caper & Anchovy Salad
from Classic Italian Cuisine edited by Rosemary Moon

450 - 500 grams zucchini
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon capers
4-6 anchovies, chopped
1 tablespoon anchovy oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
juice of half a lemon
salt & pepper

Trim the zucchini and slice them very thinly (by hand or machine). Mix with the onion, capers and chopped anchovies. Make the dressing by mixing the oils, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Toss the dressing with the salad ingredients.

Salad Days

Who said dieting had to be a dreary undertaking? I need to lose 1o pounds to get back to my normal weight and I was well on my way to losing the weight I put on a couple of years ago, but visiting J in Bacolod last week for a week of pure gluttony was no help at all. The food in Bacolod is irresistible and hanging out with another foodie spelled disaster for my figure. So I'm back in the city, exercising and dieting. My diet consists of lots of fruits and vegetables from the organic market (using organic produce makes a huge difference in terms of flavor and when your dieting flavor counts a lot!) and absolutely no starch. In the mornings I have a bowl of pineapple and cottage cheese or granola with low-fat milk. For lunch I have a big salad and in the evenings, it varies, sometimes I have an omelet or fish or some more salad or cereal. The two salads I've made so far are really good and I'm not missing anything by being on this diet. This could be a habit...


Tuna & Green Bean Salad

1 can tuna in brine, drained
1 can anchovies, chopped, reserve oil
a handful of green beans
salad greens mix
a good extra-virgin olive oil
a good balsamic vinegar

Steam the green beans for 3 minutes. Cut into 1 inch pieces.

Toss the salad greens with some olive oil. Then toss everything else together with the greens.


Eggplant & Sardine Salad

3 Japanese eggplants (the long kind)
3 sardines in oil, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
extra-virgin olive oil
a good balsamic vinegar
seafood seasoning

Grill the eggplants until charred, peel and chop to 1-inch pieces. Toss everything in a bowl.

Delicious!

Recipe: Prawn with Chives & Fenugreek Leaves

Adapted from the cookbook 50 Great Curries of India by Camelia Panjabi. The book failed to say that the vegetables needed draining so I went ahead and added the whole bowl of soaking chives and methi (fenugreek leaves). I then added cream to the dish because I felt the dish needed it. If you want a dry dish, which would be the case if done correctly, drain the soaking chives and methi before adding it to the pan and omit the cream. Although I have to say, this version turned out pretty good.

1 1/2 cups chopped chives
2 tablespoons dried methi, crushed fine
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon calamansi or lemon or lime juice
400 grams shelled prawns
3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 - 2 jalapeno chilies
4 large cloves garlic
1 inch piece ginger
1/4 cup cream
*3/4 cup coriander leaves

Soak the chives, methi and salt in a bowl of water. In another bowl add the turmeric, chili powder and calamansi juice and marinate the prawns for about 30 minutes.

Chop jalapeno, garlic and ginger in food processor. Saute this mixture in oil. Add 1 tablespoon water. Add (drained) chives mixture and cook 5 minutes. Add the prawns, just before serving, and cook another 5 minutes. Mix in cream.

*the original recipe called for coriander and was added with the chives

Mixology Monday V: Lemon

Lemon is the main ingredient for this month's Mixology Monday hosted by Jiggle The Handle. At first I thought of making a Lemon Drop cocktail but that was too obvious. So I searched for something else, a drink that had some mystery. The name of this drink caught my attention. I even found a song that goes with it.


A Night In Old Mandalay
A very refreshing drink that would go perfectly with barbeque.

1 oz Tanduay rum
2 oz Añejo Tanduay rum
2 oz Orange juice
1 oz Lemon juice
6 oz Ginger ale
2 twists of Lemon peel

In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the light rum, añejo rum, orange juice, and lemon juice. Shake well. Strain into a highball glass almost filled with ice cubes. Top with the ginger ale. Garnish with the lemon twist.

Nelly The Elephant

To Bombay
A travelling circus came
They brought an intelligent elephant
and Nellie was her name

One dark night
she slipt her iron chain, and of she ran
to Hindustan and was never seen again

oooooooooooooooooo...
Nellie the elephant pack her trunk and
said goodbye to the circus
of she rode with a trumety trump
trump trump trump

Nellie the elephant packed her trunk
and trumbled of to the jungle
of she road with a thrumety trump
trump trump trump

Night by night she danced to the circus band
When Nellie was leading the big parade she looked
so proud and grand

No more tricks for Nellie to perform
They taught her how to take a bow and she took
to crowd by storm

oooooooooooooooooo...
Nellie the elephant pack her trunk and
said goodbye to the circus
of she rode with a trumety trump
trump trump trump

Nellie the elephant packed her trunk
and trumbled of to the jungle
of she rode with a thrumety trump
trump trump trump

The head of the heard was calling far far away
they met one night in silver light
on the road to Mandalay

oooooooooooooooooo...
Nellie the elephant pack her trunk and
said goodbye to the circus
of she road with a trumety trump
trump trump trump

Nellie the elephant packed her trunk
and trumbled of to the jungle
of she road with a thrumety trump
trump trump trump

Roundup 1 - lemon mixology

Roundup 2 - lemon mixology

Recipe: Apple & Walnut Cake

I adapted this recipe from Nigela Lawson's "How To Be A Domestic Goddess". The cake can be baked in a round cake pan as well. It is so good we've been having it everyday. This cake can keep for about 5 days without refrigeration. I suggest its eaten before then because the consistency of the cake changes when refrigerated, it becomes pasty and dense. The fresh cake is moist, airy and utterly delicious!


7 tablespoons raisins
75 ml water [or rum]
150 ml extra-virgin coconut oil [can use walnut oil or olive oil]
14 tablespoons muscovado sugar [can use white sugar]
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon AP flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 (450 grams) apples, peeled, cored and cut into small dice
7 tablespoons chopped walnuts

Bring the water and raisins to a boil, remove from heat and set it aside to macerate.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C. Butter and flour a loaf pan or 9" cake pan.

Beat sugar and oil in a bowl, add eggs one at a time and continue beating until lightly thickened. Fold in the dry ingredients, then the apples, drained raisins and walnuts. Pour the thick batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top and bake for 1 hour.

The Spice Is Right 4: Its Too Darn Hot: Chilis

July is both a hot and rainy month. The humidity sometimes feels like your wrapped in a hot wet blanket! I do love the rain though. The best thing about the sultry weather are days when it rains early in the morning and you wake up to a clear sunny day and everything looks fresh and clean.

For this months theme of The Spice Is Right, I made something hot and sticky to match the weather. I adapted this delicious jam from Lex Culinaria.




Spicy Onion Jam

2 lagre red onions chopped (about 5 cups)
1 + 1/4 cup golden sugar
2 teaspoons white peppercorns or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 + 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
1 cup water
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 +1/2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water

Place onions in a large saucepan and saute over medium heat for 5- 10 minutes, stirring constantly until onions begin to soften and sweat. Add remaining ingredients, except cornstarch/water mixture, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 - 15 minutes or until flavours are well blended and onions are fairly soft, but retain some crunch. Stir through cornstarch mixture and cook a couple of minutes more. Pour into clean hot jars. Loosely apply lids and set aside to cool. When cool, tighten lids and refrigerate. Jam should keep in the fridge for 4 to 6 weeks. Serve with cream cheese and crackers.

Makes 5 x 250ml jars.


Roundup Part 1
Roundup Part II
Roundup Part III

Recipe: Santol Preserves

I managed to get the last batch of santol for the season from my cousins trees in Bacolod in order to make these delicious preserves.

Blanch whole santols in boiling water for about 10 minutes. Drain and peel. Quarter peeled santols and remove seeds. Place in a large bowl and cover with filtered water. Let it soak for 12 hours in the refrigerator. Drain and repeat 2 more times.

about 6 cups seedless diced santol
12 cups water
3 cups muscovado sugar
3 cups white sugar


Bring sugars and water to a boil. Add santol and simmer for about 3-4 hours. Let it cool.


Place in clean bottles.

The preserves filled two bottles. Notice the syrup doesn't cover the santol? So I added rum to one bottle as an experiment...

Recipe: Amaranth and Portabello Fettucine

I didn't take any measurements but I suspect this is a very forgiving recipe. I used green amaranth leaves which taste more like spinach than the purple ones. I'm glad my farm is overrun with 7 foot stalks of amaranth! The leaves are tasty, I'll be trying them in more recipes.



Amaranth leaves, stems removed and cut in about 1-inch pieces
portabello mushrooms, diced
garlic, chopped
butter
flour
milk
Parmesan cheese
fettucine
salt

Saute mushrooms and garlic in butter. Add amaranth, stir until wilted. Set aside.

In the same pan, add flour and equal amount of butter to make a roux (approximately 1/2 tablespoon each for a sauce serving 2 persons). Slowly add some warmed milk and whisk until thickened. Add amaranth mixture.

Boil fettucine in salted water. Add pasta to creamy amaranth mixture and heat until very hot, mixing constantly. Stir in some cheese. At this point the sauce may get too thick, thin pasta sauce by adding some of the salted water.

*Cooked amaranth leaves contain about 8% protein, 4% carbohydrates and are rich in calcium, iron and vitamins B and C in higher concentrations that spinach. For example, only 47 g of cooked leaves contains 100% of the minimum daily requirement of Vitamin C.

Lasang Pinoy #11: Summertime Coolers & Memories of Summer

Cool drinks are what I love in the summer, especially coconut juice and drinks with coconut milk. A last hoorah for the end of summer...



Batida
I first had this drink when I was living in Boracay (yes, I was actually living on this beautiful island beach resort) about 10 years back. Gosh! Has it been that long? I lived in a cottage fronting the white sand beach for two sun-kissed years. I would have this drink in the late afternoons just before the sun begins to set. This is actually a Brazilian drink but uses ingredients easily and commonly used in the Philippines. If I didn't know better I'd think this was a Pinoy creation. I have an ex-boyfriend to thank for this one, he substituted Tanduay rum for cachaca in the original recipe . I think he's still lounging in Boracay...

1 13.5-0z can coconut cream
filtered water
approximately 2 shots Tanduay rum
6 tablespoons muscovado sugar
ice cubes

Shake coconut cream, rum, 1 can of water and sugar in a bottle until sugar dissolves.

Fill shaker with ice cubes and cream mixture.

Pour into glasses and add ice cubes.


This is my entry for Lasang Pinoy #11 which is being hosted by JMom at In My Kitchen.

Amaranth: From the Farm to the Frying Pan

Amaranth plants just sproated everywhere right after a few days of heavy rain, coming from plants I uprooted a few months ago. The variety I'm using has reddish purple and green leaves. I've never tried eating these so I wanted to try it in its simplest form. I adapted a recipe for Sichuan Stir-Fried Amaranth Leaves with Garlic.

Amaranth has a very interesting history and has many food uses as the entire plant is edible, including the stalk. It also has an impressive amount of nutritional value.


Steamed Amaranth Leaves with Garlic
It taste amazingly like alugbati, a native edible vine, whose leaves are also of the same color as the amaranth. It has an intense smoky sweet spinach flavor and can therefore be substituted for any spinach dish.

300 g bunch of fresh amaranth leaves
1 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
salt to tast

Place leaves in a steamer for 2 minutes or until leaves wilt and shrink to about a fourth of its original quantity.

Heat butter, salt and garlic in a saucepan on low heat, just until garlic starts to sizzle and salt dissolves. Garlic should not change color.

You may either remove garlic from the oil or leave it in (I leave it in), then add the steamed amaranth.

*The cooked leaves contain about 8% protein, 4% carbohydrates and are rich in calcium, iron and vitamins B and C in higher concentrations that spinach. For example, only 47 g of cooked leaves contains 100% of the minimum daily requirement of Vitamin C.

Recipe: Portugese Kale and Chorizo Soup

A very simple and satisfying soup to make.

2 medium potatoes, diced
1 chorizo, sliced in 1/4-inch thick rounds and halved
4-6 leaves giant kale, cut in 1-2 inch squares
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 vegetable bouillon cube

Cook chorizo in a hot pan until lightly browned. Add potatoes and stir to coat with the fat that has come out of the chorizo. Pour about 4 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until potatoes are done. Add the kale and boulion cube, continue to simmer for a minute or two.

The Spice Is Right 3: The Perfumed Garden: Rosewater

The day I read about the theme for this month’s The Spice Is Right I had drank a Singaporean beverage made with shaved ice, condensed milk and rosewater. I remember thinking that there has to be a better way to use rosewater syrup. The drink was sickeningly sweet but I could taste the floral essence of the rosewater and I wanted to try using it in another dish. Then here comes the announcement for the new theme of the The Spice Is Right and I new it was in the stars…




Fereni Starch Pudding

This is an adaptation of a recipe I found online and the author says that this may be eaten during Ramadan, a Muslim fast that lasts a month. It is eaten before the main meal of the night to "break the fast". Could this be where the English word and ritual "breakfast" comes from?

I found this lovely white pudding to stiff and would recommend using half the amount of cornstarch called for in the recipe. Otherwise I liked it and will make it again. The bites of cardamom seeds is the perfect addition to the subtle flavors of this dish. I used the clear colored rosewater in this recipe, which is probably why I could use the amount I did. If using the red colored rosewater syrup, adjust the amount keeping in mind that it is much sweeter than the colorless syrup.

2/3 cup cornstarch
2 cups carabao’s milk (or organic cow's milk)
6 whole green cardamom pods, slightly crushed to open the pods
1/2 cup ground almonds
½ cup rosewater or to taste
1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds (I used sliced almonds)
1/4 cup raw honey

Dissolve corn starch in 1 cup of cold milk. Bring remaining milk to boil with cardamom and ground almonds. Then add corn starch mixture and stir continuously with a whisk. Remove from heat when it starts to thicken and add honey and rosewater. Remove cardamom seeds from the mixture. Squeeze out the black seeds from the cardamom pods and mix seeds into pudding. Pour (I spooned mine into a bowl) it into serving dishes. Garnish with slivered almonds and serve warm or cold.

Recipe: Baingan ka Bharta (Indian Roasted Eggplant Spread)

Ok ok don’t panic. I have eggplants piling up in my kitchen and I don’t want any going to waste.

Here’s an adaptation of a recipe from a fellow blogger I’ve been meaning to try. I would serve this the day after it is made to allow the flavors to develop.



Baingan ka Bharta

3 large eggplant or 6 medium eggplant or 1 dozen small Japanese eggplant
3 onion, finely chopped
1 can plum tomatoes, chopped
3-inch chunk of ginger, finely chopped
1 tsp red chili paste
3/4 tsp turmeric powder
3/4 tsp garam masala
3 tsp cumin seeds
salt, to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
fresh chopped coriander leaves, for garnish


1. Make tiny slits all around the eggplant and roast in a 400 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, till eggplant gets a charred coating on all sides.
2. Remove the charred skin and chop eggplant meat. Place in a strainer over a bowl to allow liquid to drain. Set aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan and saute cumin seeds and ginger until they begin to sizzle.
4. Add in onions and fry till brown. Season with some salt, red chili paste and turmeric and fry spices till fragrant.
5. Add tomatoes and cook until reduced, about 10-15 minutes.
6. Add mashed drained eggplant and garam masala. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, stirring constantly to blend in well.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve with naan or pita bread.

The Spice Is Right 2: Sweet & Savory: Chili Pepper

Barbara of Tigers & Strawberries has come up with another great theme for the second round of the Spice Is Right. It didn’t take me long to think of a spice for this event - Chili Peppers! As bizaare as this may sound chilis can be used in a dessert, something I found out a year ago when I tried the Chili Chocolate Crème Brulee at M Café (I’m quite adventurous when it comes to food). To my surprise, the combination of chili and chocolate went really well together. It’s now one of my favorite desserts.

Chilis or Sili, as we call it in the Pilippines, is used sparingly in some native savory dishes especially in the provinces of Bicol and Mindanao. Bicol is in the northern part of the Philippines and Mindanao in the southern part. Although, most Philippine dishes do not use sili, many of our condiments do and usually come in either plain, sweet or spicy flavors. For example vinegar is either plain or spicy. Spicy vinegar is made by infusing vinegar with whole chilis and leaving it in the bottle giving it a decorative look. Bagoong (fermented shrimp paste) comes in plain, sweet and spicy flavors. Soy sauce is mixed with chopped chilis or chili oil and served on the side. The amount of heat depends more on the variety of chili being used. The spiciest being sili labuyo and the milder one just plain sili. Siling labuyo which was in the Guiness Book of World Records for being the hottest chili in the world with a heat scale rating of up to 100,000 Scoville Units, but that was corrected and Mexican habanero chilis are found to be the hottest with a heat scale range of 100,000 to 500,000 Scoville Units. Whatever the case, this gives you an idea of how hot silis are! The other variety, called sili, is a mild chili and is usually used in cooking spicy dishes. One thing I found out is that the longer you leave a dish that has chili in it the spicier it gets so don’t leave leftovers for too long.

My first experience with siling labuyo was not a pleasant one. When I was a child I was playing at a neighbors house and happened to see a chili pepper plant. Thinking my yaya (thats nanny in plain English) said “cherries” I quickly grabbed one and popped it in my mouth. The resulting explosion, and that’s what it felt like, left me in pain for a couple of hours. That’s one experience I will never forget. But, the past being the past I now enjoy spicy food to the extent of adding it to sweets. So here I bring you Chili Chocolate Truffles. Trust me, it really is good.



Chili-Chocolate Truffles
These are delicious, but the recipe can be improved. I will change the use of cayenne the next time around. The flavor of chili peppers just didn’t come through. It had a hint of spiciness but lacked flavor. The next time I make these truffles I’m infusing the cream with fresh whole chilis. I also added 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar to the cocoa powder, I find covering the chocolate balls with pure cocoa too bitter.

Makes 18 to 20 small truffles

10 oz (280 g) bittersweet chocolate
1/4 cup (50 mL) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (125 mL) whipping cream
1 tbsp (15 mL) liquid honey or maple syrup
1/2 tsp (2 mL) cayenne pepper
1/4 cup (50 mL) cocoa powder + 2 tsp. powdered sugar

1. Finely chop chocolate with a knife or in a food processor. Place in a large bowl with butter. Pour cream into a small saucepan and set over medium heat. As soon as cream boils, remove from heat. Then pour over chocolate and butter. Stir until melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in honey and cayenne. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.

2. To make truffles, scoop out a small amount of mixture with a melon baller. Use your hands to shape chocolate into 1- to 2-inch (2.5- to 5-cm) balls. Set each ball on plate or in a container. If your in a warm climate like I am, you will have to return the bowl of chocolate and the balls of chocolate to the fridge and continue when chocolate has hardened, about 15-20 minutes. I had to do this about 4 times.

3. Sift cocoa powder and powdered sugar into a small bowl, whisk well to combine. Place one truffle in bowl. Gently roll to completely coat. Shake off excess. Return to container. Repeat with remaining truffles. Separate truffles by layering between sheets of wax paper. Refrigerate. Truffles keep well up to 5 days.

Recipe: Tomato Parmesan Bread Pudding

I used french bread that was a couple of days old for this recipe. The bread was devoid of moisture, hard and crusty. The pudding turned out nice and chewy, the way I like it. I didn't measure anything so I'm guessing at the amounts I used.

1 cup chopped tomato
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
days-old demi-baguette, cubed
1/2 cup AP cream
1 egg
1/4 cup water
4 heaping tsp. Parmesan cheese

Beat cream, water and egg with a fork. Add bread cubes and leave it to soak. Mixing it several times to make sure all the cubes are evenly soaking up the liquid.

Briefly cook tomato and garlic in a pan with oil,season with salt (not to much because cheese is already salty). Sauce should be wet. Let cool for 10-15 minutes, then add to soaking bread. Add 3 tsp. cheese. Mix well. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top.

Bake in 350 degree F oven until golden brown and puffy, about 20 minutes.

Recipe: Steamed Fish Filet with Scallions & Ginger

4 tilapia filet
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine, dry white wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil + 1 tbsp
5 scallions, chopped, including green part

Mix ginger, soy sauce, rice wine and 1 tsp sesame oil in a small bowl. Place filets in a plate and pour sauce over. Top with scallions. Steam for 10 - 15 minutes.

Before serving drizzle 1 tbsp of remaining sesame oil over fish.

Recipe: Bamboo Shoot & Mushroom Stir-Fry

bamboo shoot, drained
garlic, chopped
oyster mushroom
camote tops (or any greens such as spinach)
Bragg's amino acid or soy sauce
vegetable oil (I use virgin coconut oil)

Cook garlic in hot oil, do not brown. Add mushroom, cook until most of the liquid evaporates. Add bamboo shoot, season with Bragg's, cover for 2 minutes on medium low heat. Add greens and remove from heat.

Recipe: Arugula Salad

arugula leaves, washed and dried
cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
extra-virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
parmesan cheese

Toss arugula with oil until leaves are lightly coated. Add tomatoes and drizzle with vinegar (oil to vinegar ratio 3:1), toss to combine. Top with shavings of parmesan cheese or toss in several teaspoons of grated parmesan cheese.

* To make parmesan shavings: Use a vegetable peeler and "shave" cheese like you would peel a vegetable.

Recipe: Mussel & Arugula Brown Rice Salad

I purchased a bottle of cooked mussels in oil from my supplier of natural and organic processed products. The mussels come in 3 flavors - garlic, hot & spicy, and plain. All the mussels have a sweetish flavor due to the sugar used in cooking it. I thought it went perfectly with the arugula and Kalinga rice mix which I had in hand to make a quick lunch. I've used brown rice and the rice mix in making this salad and they're both delicious. The nutty rice, sweet mussels and spicy arugula turned out to be a good combination of flavors.

Take equal amounts of torn arugula and cooked brown rice or Kalinga rice (or you may make your own combination of 3 different kinds of rice varieties to make a rice mix). Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and toss. Top with mussels.

A good substitute for the mussels would be a sweet chili or sweet garlic shrimp saute. Hmmm, I'll try that next time...