SPAGHETTI WITH ASPARAGUS AND MUSHROOMS

1/2 cup olive oil

8 cloves garlic, sliced

4 small tomatoes, seeded and chopped

4 shitake mushrooms, chopped (if dried, soak first)

1 bunch of asparagus, cut into cm-thick pcs and blanched

Peel from 1 lemon, chopped

1 big bunch of basil, chopped

1/2 cup cream cheese, cubed

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 handful of cilantro, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 450g spaghetti noodles

1. Cook the spaghetti according to package instructions until al dente. Once cooked, set aside atleast 1 cup of cokoing water.

2. In a saute pan, heat olive oil.  Add garlic and seat until soft and tender.  Add tomatoes and mushrooms and simmer for approximately 3-5 mins. Add asparagus, lemon peel and basil. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer.

3.  Add spaghetti and toss together. Remove from heat.

4.  Add cream cheese, lemon and cilantro. Toss through and serve immediately.

CHINESE-INSPIRED DINNER

Theme night, and we settled on chinese. 

Fried rice with salt and pepper squid

LEFT, starting bottom clockwise, chives, chili peppers,
peppercorns, five spice, salt; RIGHT, squid

SALT AND PEPPER SQUID

1 tbsp whole peppercorns

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp five spice powder

2 cups cornstarch

1 kg Squid, cut into strips

Oil for frying

2 banana chili peppers, sliced

Spring onion, chopped

Heat pan. Toast peppercorns, five spice powder and salt in pan with no oil until fragrant. Grind spices together and mix together with the cornstarch. Dry squid and coat in dry mixture. Heat oil for in pan. Fry chili peppers and half of spring onion until slightly crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels. Set aside. Drop in squid by batches and fry until golden brown.  Once done, garnish with fried peppers, spring onions and lemon wedges. May serve with sweet and sour sauce.  

Salt and Pepper Squid

FRIED RICE

BOTTOM LEFT, counterwise, corn and carrots,
chinese sausage, green and white chives;
Eggs; Chicken broth with kasuba; Rice;
not in picture, shrimp

5-6 cups day old cooked rice

2 eggs, scrambled

2 Chinese sausage, chopped

1/3 cup chopped shrimp, app 15 small shrimp

1/4 cup Spring onion, white and green part separated, chopped

2 tbsp Soy sauce

1 tbsp Kasuba

1 1/2 cup Frozen carrots and peas

1 Chicken cube dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water

1 tbsp Butter

Add kasuba to chicken cube in water. Set aside. Heat pan. Fry sausages, rendering out its fat. Add the white part of the spring onions and fry until fragrant. Add the butter, and once melted, pour in dissolved chicken cube and frozen vegetables and simmer until vegetables slightly cooked. Add shrimp and saute until cooked. Add rice and toss together. Season with soy sauce, salt and pepper as needed. Make a well in the center of the rice and pour in the egg. Let it slightly set then mix it all together. Add green onions, toss through, and serve immediately. 

Fried Rice

The big 3 - 0

I like having weekend birthdays because I get to somewhat celebrate it for almost 3 days. So the following is just the food adventures I had courtesy of this annual event.

Chili Cheese Logs of Offbeat Cafe

Friday night, my actual bday, my mum had class that was until 9pm and I usually wait for her.  On any other day, we would have gone straight home to have dinner, but this being my bday, we decided to eat out. We eventually ended up in The Collective, at the Offbeat Cafe.  Well, the interiors were fine with their steel chairs and sofas, a little dark but I guess that's what they were aiming for and it was night after all.  They had an open kitchen with good exhaust system because despite what we ordered I didn't feel like we were wearing our food.  There were a selection of games and books that patrons were free to use.  The menu was written on a  blackboard on top of the bar but there were also several laminated menu cards.  I did like one particular piece which was the green bottle light fixture.  The staff was accommodating enough and quick in serving us. Now to the food. I ordered the ribeye steak and my mum the t-bone steak, and the chili cheese logs as an appetizer.  The chili cheese logs were fast enough and good freshly cooked.  The chili seemed straight from a can and zapped in the microwave (actually saw it with my own eyes)  with processed cheese used as a stuffing for the logs.  I don't mind the use of processed cheese, but you really have to eat as soon as possible because it becomes cold fast and if at first it was just palatable, cold it becomes a chore to finish. But the real travesty was the steaks. I was so in shock that I wasn't even able to take a picture. The ribeye was 1/4 inch thick and the size of my palm, and the t-bone was just a little bigger in size but the same thickness. Funny that I even specified that I wanted it medium rare since not only did they cook it for a LONG time but its thinness made cooking preference irrelevant. They were both served with heavily buttered garlic rice and a tablespoon of vegetables consisting of jullienned carrots, chayote and green beans.  My mum and I couldn't get out fast enough. Oh well. They aren't known for the steaks in the first place, but for the donut burger. Lesson learned. 

Baja Querida Mia of Army Navy

So after dinner, my mum still wanted to nosh, good thing we had an Army Navy near us. She had the Tortilla soup and I had a new menu item - the querida mia, which is like their version of pizza but made with tortilla. There are 4 varieties, cheese, baja, baja chicken and meat. I had the baja which is the veggie option, consisting of green bell pepper, onion and jalapeno. I quite enjoyed it, but must also be eaten freshly cooked to savor the crispness of the tortilla bottom and the ooziness of the cheese. I asked for hot sauce but didn't have to add any because the jalapeno peppers added sufficient heat. I paired this with a chocolate milkshake, which was almost like slightly melted ice cream, yum yum. Thinking about it, and I want some more.

Aomori Cafe facade with its gold and
purple chairs and dry-goods products

The next day, we had dinner out to officially celebrate my birthday. We had dinner in Aomori Japanese Cafe in Greenhills. It slightly reminded me as an in-between of Ji-Pan and UCC.  It had Japanese dry goods such as chips, coffee, and china.  The tea cups were darling to look at, real English tea ware, but costing P1000 plus for a pair of cup and saucer.  There's also a bakery and patisserie, with a variety of french macarons. The seats were super comfortable and furbished in either gold or purple faux-velvet. Choose the purple because  of its arm rests and feel like royalty, haha. The menu isn't that extensive but they have the usual pasta, salad, rice dishes and sandwiches. Something that's not so common are their waffles. Unfortunately, the food takes a long time to come, with each dish literally being brought out one by one. The longest took around 30 minutes, and it just had to be my grandmother's waffles. She was almost ready to cancel her order, good thing it arrived in time. I guess that's why they serve complementary bread with (get this) coffee butter. 

Selection of bread with Coffee Butter

I think they're trying to go the healthy route because their selection of bread consisted of wheat and grains. The coffee butter wasn't particularly strong, bitter or sweet. You wouldn't really realize what you were eating if you weren't looking for it. 

Beef Yakiniku Sandwich

I ordered the Beef Yakiniku sandwich which was marinated beef strips in yakiniku sauce, served on a rye bread roll with scrambled eggs, sauteed onions, mayo, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce, with fries on the side. Its quite a substantial meal despite there not being that much meat, but each slice does have beef.  The scrambled eggs were wonderously creamy and the fries a tad salty and seemed pre-processed. Altogether, a filling sandwich and something I didn't regret ordering, but if given the chance to eat here again, I'd opt to order something else because there are other interesting options. 

Porkchop with Salsa and Multi-Grain Rice

My mother had the pork chop with salsa and multi-grain rice. The grilled pork chop was thick and served with a mango salsa which complemented it well. The multi-grain rice was distinctly nutty in flavor and extremely filling. My grandmother had the bacon and ham waffle set which consisted of 2 waffles, 1 pc of ham, 2 pcs of bacon, salad, and 2 eggs which she had scrambled. There was also the coffee butter, waffle syrup and chocolate syrup.  The waffle was cooked to order and very dense but crisp. Unfortunately, it cooled quickly. The salad had a pesto dressing and topped with nuts. In the menu, it mentioned option for the butter aside from the coffee, such as nutty butter, berry, etc, but we weren't given any option. If we go there next time, I'd like to try some of their other butters. Also, if this was really a set, it should have included a drink option.

Bacon and Ham Waffle Set

Bible Bread

From left to right, Sesame Macaron
and Oreo Macaron

To cap our meal, we tried 2 of their bestselling macarons - the sesame and oreo. I was prepared to like the latter over the former but I ended up liking the sesame more. Truth be told, this is my first time to try a macaron so I wasn't sure what to expect. The oreo had a very chewy interior, and the chocolate was intense but not sweet at all. The sesame reminded me of hopia, but the reason I enjoyed it was because of its crispier exterior and the whole sesame seeds that gave textural difference. The staff were very welcoming and were always at hand. They even have containers for the bags so that you don't have to put it on the chairs; however, if there were a lot of people in the little restaurant, it could prove to be crowded and difficult to maneuver around. There was also several promos ongoing for the bakery, and we availed of the buy-1-take-1 Bible Bread, so called because the wheat used to make the bread was gleamed from the bible. All in all, I enjoyed the food, except for the long wait for the food.

Deep Temptation for Cold Layers

Afterwards, we had dessert at Cold Layers which touts a healthier alternative to ice cream with just 1/3 of the calories. Its literally flavored shaved ice with your choice of toppings. We shared the Deep Temptation that consists of chocolate shaved ice, banana slices, chocolate pudding as a base, and topped with mini marshmallows and chocolate syrup. I wasn't sure how I was going to like this but I surprisingly enjoyed it. Since its just ice, its lighter but there was still a great chocolate taste and feel to it. Despite being made of ice, there wasn't a grainy texture. The only drawback was the marshmallows. I would have enjoyed it more if it had nuts. Still, enjoyable as a whole.

Baked Rigatoni with garlic bread

 Sunday night, my mum made individual baked rigatoni with garlic bread, after which we had the Ultimate Chocolate cake from Red RIbbon. It was a great way to end a birthday weekend. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME and until next year.

Ultimate Chocolate Cake from Red Ribbon

BEEF BOURGUIGNON AND SIDES

 (Adapted from Julia Child)

I finally decided to try this recipe after hearing so much about it and from watching Julie and Julia. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to follow the recipe to a T, because I didn’t have the necessary ingredients and I didn’t want to open the oven.  In the end, it turned out okay. Something I would try again, as long as I have 2-3 hours to spare. The main recipe here is the one I did, but I’ll include in parenthesis the method that  was originally done by Julia Child.)

top to bottom: beef shank, bacon

6oz bacon, cut into 1 cm strips (in the original recipe, an uncut piece of bacon was used. The rind was removed and both meat and skin was boiled in water.  Its cut into lardons, which are centimeter-sized pieces, and then the procedure continues as it is)

3 tbsp oil

500 gms beef (Julia Child used beef chunks, but I had shank on hand so that’s what I used.)

clockwise, from right: carrots, onions,
garlic, bay leaf, thyme, tomato paste

1 large carrot, cut into big chunks (I cut them into big chunks so that at the end, I can still serve them with the meat. In Julia’s recipe, I have the impression that they end up as mush and are discarded at the end).

1 medium onion, french cut

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tbsp flour

2 cups red wine (rule of thumb is - if you can drink it, cook with it)

2 cups beef stock (I used 4 beef cubes in 1 L water, which is more than enough to cover the amount needed for this recipe and its sides)

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves garlic mashed with 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp thyme

1 bay leaf

1. Saute bacon in oil for 2 to 3 mins until browned. Remove with slotted spoon. Set aside. Reheat oil.

2. Dry beef in paper towels. Brown. Remove and set aside with bacon.

3. In same pan, brown vegetables, app 10 mins. Pour out excess fat.

4. (If beef cubes are used, add beef in this step and coat with flour as well. Brown also.) Add salt, pepper and flour. Toss together until slightly browned. (In the original recipe, after the flour and seasoning is added to the beef and vegetables, the entire casserole was placed in a 400F oven for around 15 minutes or until the meat was browned even more.)

from left to right: red wine, beef stock

5. Add tomato paste, garlic and herbs. Stir in wine and stock. Scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. (Actually, in the original, the wine was stirred in first before the tomato paste, garlic and herbs).

6. Transfer to a slow cooker/crockpot and cook on moderate heat for 2 - 2 1/2 hrs or until meat is fork tender. (Here I deviated once again.  The dish is supposed to be cooked in a 350F oven for the said hours).

7. Once done, remove meat and pour rest of contents of casserole through a sieve set over a saucepan. Transfer meat, bacon and carrots to a serving platter and set aside. Garnish with braised onions and sauteed mushrooms (recipes follows).

8. Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce until approximately 2 1/2 cups of sauce remains, or until thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon. Taste for seasoning. Pour sauce over meat and vegetables.

beef bourguignon, carrots and sides

SAUTEED MUSHROOMS

left to right: sliced mushrooms, butter

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp oil

1-1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

Salt and pepper

Heat skillet over high heat with butter and oil. Be careful not to burn the butter. Once bubbles subside, add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Saute for 8-10 mins until lightly browned. Set aside to serve with beef.

sauteed mushrooms

BROWNED BRAISED ONIONS

browned braised onion ingredients
(clockwise, from top):
beef stock, onions, butter,
dried parsley, bay leaf, dried thyme

Pearl/small onions, 3-5 pcs per person (I couldn’t find any pearl onions in my supermarket, but luckily enough, there were some small onions of approximately 1 inch in diameter).

1 1/2 tbsp butter

½ - 1  cup beef stock

Pepper

Parsley sprigs (I didn't have any parsley but i did have dried parsley. Not the same, but I had to adapt)

1 small bay leaf

1/4 tsp thyme

1. In the same pan where mushrooms were cooked, add an additional 1 1/2 tbsp butter to the fat. Add onions and saute over moderate heat for approximately 10 mins until brown.

2. Pour in beef stock until I reached halfway up the onions, and add herbs. Cover and simmer slowly for 40-50 mins until onions are tender and liquid evaporates. Once done, remove herbs and serve onions with beef.

brown braised onions

GREEN BEANS WITH LEMON

250 gms green beans, topped and cut to 3 inches length

1 tbsp butter

Grated peel of 1 lemon

1 – 3 tbsp lemon juice (approximately ½ lemon)

Pepper

1. Steam green beans until cooked, around 3-5 mins.

2. Heat pan. Melt butter and toss in cooked beans.  Add 1/2 of lemon peel, juice (add tbsp by tbsp, to make sure it isn’t too sour) and season with pepper.  Mix together. Garnish with remaining lemon peel to serve.

green beans with lemon

CHEESY GARLIC MASHED POTATOES

mashed potato ingredients (clockwise from top right):
garlic cloves, melted butter, cheese spread,
parmesan cheese, cut potatoes

4 large potatoes, cut into chunks

4 large whole garlic cloves

1/2 cup cheese spread (there wasn’t a lot of choices in terms of cheese in the small supermarket I went to, so I decided to try this)

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup melted butter

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

1 tsp melted butter

Parmesan cheese to garnish

finished mashed potato

1. Boil potatoes and garlic together in salted water until potatoes are cooked, approximately 15 mins.

2. Heat cheese spread and milk together. Set aside.

3. Mash potatoes with melted butter and cheese spread. Add parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a serving platter and pour with 1 tsp butter. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Serve. 

finished dish of beef, carrots, mushrooms, onions,
green beans and mashed potato

MEATBALLS IN SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE

Even if I like lumpia shanghai with sweet and sour sauce, I don’t like sweet and sour meatballs or pork. I guess it’s because the meat is drenched in the sauce, and I would rather have control over the amount of sauce. Especially since many restaurants make their sauces sickeningly sweet. I rather enjoy this recipe, which I adapted from Nora Daza’s, because it has a hint of heat as a backnote.

For the meatballs:

500gms ground pork

1 slice of bread, cubed small and soaked in app 1tbsp milk (just enough to moisten)

3/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp onion powder

1 chicken cube (grind to a powder)

3 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp pepper

1 egg

Mix together and form into a golf-sized ball. Chill for at least 20 minutes before frying. Set aside. Reserve cooking oil for the sauce.

Makes approximately 14 balls

For sauce:

1 clove garlic, sliced

1/2 small onion, french cut

1"x1" piece of ginger, sliced

1 banana chili pepper, sliced

1 small carrot, cut into half moons

1 green pepper, cut into squares

1/2 cup pineapple, cut into chunks

1/2 cup pickle juice

1/2 cup white sugar (you can reduce by as much as half if you like, since the pickle juice will already be slightly sweet)

1/4 cup vinegar

1 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 cup water

3 tbsp catsup

1 tbsp hot sauce (use as much or as little as you want)

1 tbsp corn starch, dissolved in 1 tbsp water

In a bowl, stir together pickle juice, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, 1/2 cup water, catsup, and hot sauce. Set aside. In the same pan where meatballs were fried, drop in garlic, onion, chili pepper and ginger. Saute until soft and fragrant. Add carrots, saute until glistening, and pour in sauce. Let simmer until slightly thickened and carrots cooked. Add cornstarch dissolved in 1 tbsp water and stir until it boils again. Keep adding cornstarch mixed with water until desired consistency achieved, add the bell pepper and pineapple. Add cooked meatballs. Let simmer for at least 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Serve immediately. 

SPICY SHRIMP PASTA WITH BLACK OLIVES AND CAPERS

LEFT CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT, sliced garlic, chopped onion,
sliced black olives, chopped capers, basil; RIGHT, shelled and deveined shrimp

Remove the shell and devein shrimp. Set aside. Heat a large skillet and add approximately 1/2 cup olive oil. Add 1 small onion chopped and 6 large cloves of garlic thinly sliced. Heat over a medium flame until soft. Add 1/2 tsp chili flakes (heat intensity is up to you; add as little or as much as you want). Heat till fragrant and add 2 tbsp tomato paste. Saute for a few seconds and add 1/4 cup roughly chopped capers and 1/3 cup sliced black olives. Drop in shrimp and cook until pink. Flambe with 1/3 cup brandy. Season with salt and pepper. In the meantime, cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Once cooked, add to pasta sauce and toss together. Add pasta water if needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Add a handful of chiffonade basil. Finish with the juice of 1 lemon and a splash of extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.

DOUBLE BAKED POTATOES

It was just suppose to be a simple baked potato, but because we didn't have enough cheese, I thought of making a bechamel sauce.  And from that sprung the idea of making it a double baked potato, similar to what they have in Everything At Steak.  

Prepare the potatoes:
Wrap the medium-sized potatoes individually in aluminum foil.  Roast in 450F oven for 20-30 mins, or until soft (pierced easily by a fork).  Cut in half and remove flesh, leaving around a centimeter from the skin.  Set aside.

Chicken bechamel sauce:
In a saucepan, melt 2 tbsp butter.  Throw in 1 small onion, chopped.  Saute until soft and translucent.  Add 1/2 cup thinly sliced mushrooms and brown.  Add 2 tbsp flour and mix together until a roux is formed.  Stir around for approximately 1 minute.  Slowly add 2 cups of chicken broth.  Stir until smooth.  Let simmer.  Adjust consistency.  Add 1 cup cream.  Simmer until bubbles break surface.  Add 1 cup cheese.  Stir until cheese is completely melted.  Season with salt, pepper, 1/2 tsp paprika and 1/4 tsp nutmeg.  Remove from heat and stir in cooked shredded chicken.  Taste to adjust seasoning.

To assemble:
Dot butter in potato cases.  Fill with mashed potato mixture and form into a mound.  Sprinkle with additional cheese and dot with butter.  Return to oven for another 15 - 20 minutes.  Serve immediately with chopped chives and sour cream.

CHICKEN BIRYANI

it always begin with an ingredient, and in this case, it was basmati rice that was almost a year in the cupboard. And a craving for Indian food, particularly biryani.  And after about an hour of searching online for a beginner's version, my mum casually mentions she has one courtesy of Magnolia chickens.  And so the following is an adaptation of said recipe, as well as some tweaks that I learned after reading numerous versions.  It's actually been some time since I ate an authentic biryani, so I hope this had atleast some semblance.  If not, well I hope its atleast remotely tasty.

Spice mixture:
Dry roast 1 tsp coriander seeds and 2 bay leaves until fragrant.  Grind in mortar and pestle until powdery.  Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp finely chopped garlic, 1 tsp grated ginger, and 1 whole chili pepper chopped to the mortar and pestle.  Grind to a paste.  Add 1/4 tsp dried chili flakes, 1/4 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp cloves, and 2 tbsp ghee*.  Mix together.  Set aside.

For marinade:
Mix together 1 tbsp tomato paste to 1/2 cup plain yogurt.  Add 2/3 of spice mixture.  Stir together.  Pour over 1/2 kg chicken pieces and marinade for 3 to 4 hours.


To prepare:
First, prepare the rice by washing 3 cups of uncooked basmati rice and then soaking for atleast 10-15 minutes.  Set aside.  In a bowl, soak 1 tsp katsuba or saffron in 2 tbsp milk and soak for at least 10 minutes.  Set aside.


Heat pan with 1 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp ghee.  Saute 1 large chopped onion until lightly browned.  Add 1 tsp grated ginger, 1/2 tsp finely chopped garlic, and 1 whole chopped chili pepper.  Fry until fragrant.  Add 2 whole tomatoes, seeded and chopped.  Saute until tomatoes are soft.  Brown chicken pieces. Remove and set aside.  Add remaining spice mixture.   Drain rice and pour into pan.  Saute until translucent.  Add katsuba/saffron mixture and stir until liquid has evaporated.  At this point, the rice can be cooked in the pot or in a rice cooker.  I opted for the rice cooker so the rice mixture was transferred to one.  add in 4 1/2 to 5 cups chicken broth.  Cook.  Halfway through, add chicken to the rice mixture.  In remaining 5 minutes cooking time, add peas.  


Garnish with chopped cilantro, slivered almonds and hard boiled eggs.




*to make ghee:  melt 1/2 cup butter until it bubbes.  Watch butter carefully to make sure it does not burn.  Remove from heat.  Milk solids will settle on the bottom of the pan.  Carefully pour off clarified butter.


✔  1/3 cup raisins may be added to the rice with the peas.

MOTHER'S DAY DINNER

it began with one ingredient - asparagus. and i remembered that i've been craving for fish in a lemon butter sauce with capers.... so viola! it also helps that it's my sister's birthday the next day and fish, pasta, capers and olives are her favorites :)

Fish in lemon butter sauce with capers and asparagus

Drench fish fillets in seasoned flour (salt and pepper).  Heat pan with oil and butter and pan-fry fish until golden brown. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.  Transfer to a serving platter. Par-boil asparagus spears and arrange aound fish.  In same pan, de-glaze with 1/4 cup white wine and simmer until alcohol has evaporated.  Add 2 tbsp capers and 1 tbsp garlic. Saute for 1 minute, or until fragrant.  Add the juice of 1 whole lemon.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add 2-3 tbsp butter and swish around pan until sauce becomes creamy.  Pour over fish and asparagus.  Serve immediately.

Pasta with tomato oil and olives


In a pan, heat 1/2 cup olive oil.  Add 1 tbsp chopped garlic, 1 tbsp chili oil or 1/2 tsp chili flakes, and 2 tbsp chopped capers.  Saute for 2 minutes.  Add 2 tbsp tomato paste.  Saute for 1 minute.  Deglaze with red wine and evaporate alcohol.  Add olives.  Let simmer.  Meanwhile, cook pasta (spaghetti in this case) according to package instructions.  Once cooked, add noodles to sauce.  Add pasta water to loosen sauce if needed.  Add chopped basil.  Taste for seasoning.  Serve immediately!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, MUM!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LITTLE SISTER!!!