skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Labels:
bread
No, they're not burnt. They're brown bread to begin with!
Croutons are so easy to make, and so handy to have in the house. It's not just a salad and soup topper to me, it's also a very flavorful quick snack. And the best part is - I can season it with any herb or spice that I am in the mood for!
What you need:
- 5 slices of sliced bread (any kind)
- half a head of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon parsley
- 2 1/2 Tablespoon butter, melted
- 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
What to do:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut the bread into 1/2 inch cubes. Put in a large bowl and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients and pour on top of the bread. Toss to coat the bread evenly. Place on a baking pan and bake (middle rack) for 20-25 minutes or until lightly brown. Make sure that you turn it over halfway for even baking.
Remove from the oven, let cool and enjoy!
Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:
1. Use the convection setting if you have it. But if you do so, position your top rack one notch higher and place the baking pan there. You don't have to turn the croutons over halfway when using the convection setting.
2. Oregano has a very strong taste. You can reduce the amount and add more of the other spice that you like.
3. Add some Parmesan cheese for a hint of saltiness (and cheesiness!).
Labels:
vegetables
This is probably the only way I could eat a Jalapeno straight - with loads of cream cheese on top to wash away the heat of the pepper. Jalapeno Poppers is not an easy appetizer to make, but it sure is delicious! The bacon bits and lots of shredded cheese make it really good (who could go wrong with bacon?)
What you need:
- 8 oz Cream Cheese, softened; room temperature
- 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar
- 2 tablespoon bacon bits
- 6 - 8 pieces medium-sized Jalapeno peppers
- 1 cup Evaporated Milk
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
- Vegetable oil for frying
What to do:
Wash the jalapeno peppers and cut them lengthwise. Using a melon baller or a small spoon, scrape the seeds off the peppers. Set aside.
Mix the cream cheese, cheddar, and bacon bits in a medium-sized bowl. Spoon the mixture into the jalapeno halves. Try to pack in as much as you can. Use your fingers and pat the cream cheese mixture in the pepper. You can also put some extra on top of the jalapeno so it would be shaped like a whole pepper instead of halved. It would not fall off since the cream cheese and cheddar mixture is thick.
Prepare three bowls and put the milk, flour and breadcrumbs in separate bowls. Set the breadcrumbs bowl aside. Dip the stuffed jalapeno into the milk, then the flour, making sure that they are coated well and evenly. Put them on a cooling rack to dry for around 10 minutes.
When dry, dip the Jalapeno again in milk, then in breadcrumbs. Set on the cooling rack again to dry.
Put oil (enough to cover the whole jalapeno surface) in a skillet over medium-high heat and deep fry the stuffed jalapenos until golden brown. Remove and drain on cooling rack. Enjoy!
Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:
1. Wear gloves when washing and seeding the peppers. Avoid touching your eyes or face afterwards.
2. Don't cut the stem of the pepper as you can use it to handle the halved jalapenos when dipping or frying.
3. If making bacon bits from scratch, make sure to fry (or bake) until they are very crispy - makes it easier to break them to smaller pieces.
4. If you don't have Italian breadcrumbs, any dry breadcrumbs will do. Or better yet, try crushed corn flakes cereal for some crunch!
5. Want bigger poppers? After cooling from the milk-breadcrumbs dip, do the process again (dip in milk, then breadcrumbs, then let dry).
6. For more heat, add some of the pepper seeds in the cream cheese - cheddar mixture.
Labels:
chicken
I meant to make General Tso's Chicken which always stirs my senses everytime I see (and smell) it in our local grocery store deli. But for some reasons, I ended up making Kung Pao Chicken. No regrets, though, as both hubby and I loved the Kung Pao. I especially liked the crunch that the peanut gave to the dish, and the subtle heat with the savory. Best served with hot rice!
What you need:
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 to 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 teaspoons Sesame Oil
- 3 stalks (or more) green onions, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 to 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/3 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts
What to do:
In a small bowl, combine the chicken and corn starch. Toss to coat. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet or wok on medium-high heat. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the chicken pieces are no longer pink in the center. Add the green onions, garlic, red pepper, and ginger to the skillet. Stir fry for 15 seconds.
Meanwhile, combine vinegar, soy sauce and sugar in a small bowl. Stir well. Add it to the skillet and stir to coat the chicken evenly. Toss in the nuts. Heat thoroughly, stirring occasionally. Serve hot!
Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:
1. As we are dealing with chicken, cleanliness is of paramount importance. Wash your hands thoroughly, and use a separate cutting board that you use only for poultry to avoid cross contamination.
2. Put raw (sliced) chicken on a styrofoam plate. That way, after putting the chicken in the wok, you can just throw the plate away.
3. Adjust the heat by lessening or adding more red pepper flakes.
4. Don't put a lot of corn starch as it would form clumps in the wok making it harder for you to stir.
Labels:
seafood
I was taking an inventory of decluttering my pantry when I noticed a bottle of red cooking wine. After checking the contents of my freezer, I decided to make shrimp in wine (nilasing na hipon in our vernacular) and give the wine a go. It was delicious - the subtle hint of bitter of the wine and the sweetness of the Mirin made a perfect combination. More rice, please!
What you need:
1/2 pound of medium-sized shrimp (around 15 - 20 pieces), shelled and deveined
3/4 cup of red cooking wine
1/2 cup Mirin
6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
a thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and julienned
1/2 Vidalia onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
around 6 stalks of green onion, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
What to do:
In a bowl, combine the cooking wine, Mirin and shrimp. Marinate for at least an hour in the fridge.
Heat a wok in medium-high heat, then add the olive oil and saute the garlic, ginger and onions for a few minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
Drain the shrimp and add to the wok. Cook until shrimp turn pink/red. Add salt and pepper according to taste. Remove from heat and garnish with chopped green onions.
Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:
1. Olive oil adds a little bit of taste to the dish, but regular Canola or Vegetable Oil would do.
2. Cut the shrimp lengthwise at the back to get more from your shrimp.
3. If you want a bit of juice in your dish, add a little bit of the marinade when you put the shrimp in the wok.
4. You can also add the green onions to the wok before removing the dish from the heat if you don't want it as a garnish.
Labels:
pork
This dish is very similar to Beef Pares, only it is made pork and the sauce is thicker and a bit sweeter. Both are delicious, but I love the sauce of this recipe better.
What you need:
1.5 to 2 pounds pork shoulder
3/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon peppercorns
1 whole head of garlic, crushed and peeled
2 small onions, quartered
2 pieces star anise
2 - 3 pieces bay leaves
1/2 tablespoon black bean sauce
2 teaspoons corn starch
A splash of sesame seed oil
Water
Vegetable oil for frying
What to do:
Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the pork and brown it evenly on all sides, then set aside.
Put water in a pot enough to almost cover the pork (I used 4 cups). Add the rest of the ingredients (except the flour and sesame oil), and adjust by adding more soy sauce or sugar to achieve a balance between the tastes. Simmer the pork for an hour (longer if you have a bigger slab of meat).
After an hour, remove the pork out of the liquid and put in a serving tray. Strain the braising liquid and return it to the pot. Add the flour to thicken it and stir. Remove from the heat after 2 to 3 minutes and add a splash of sesame seed oil. Pour the liquid on top of the pork. Serve hot!
Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:
1. Skip the black bean sauce if you don't have it in your pantry. Try Hoisin sauce instead.
2. After removing the meat from the braising liquid, cut it in slices before pouring the sauce on top of it.
3. Avoid getting a cut of meat that has a bone in the middle. It might be more flavorful, but could be harder to slice.
4. Use the leftovers for making siopao!
Labels:
beef
"Tapas" is appetizers in Spanish. However, in Filipino food, it is meat that is cured using salt, similar to American beef jerky. This tapa recipe is more of rice-wine cured rather than salt, however it turned out better and more flavorful than I expected. I also served it with fried rice, egg and tomatoes, as this is how I loved eating it for breakfast.
What you need:- 0.75 to 1 pound beef, thinly sliced and cut into thin strips
- 6 tablespoons rice wine
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 1 medium-sized Vidalia onion, chopped
- 5 cloves of garlic, minced finely
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 cup of flour
- Vegetable oil for frying
What to do:
Combine the beef, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, salt, pepper and flour in a bowl. Cover and marinate for at least one hour, but overnight would be better.
Heat around 1/4 cup of vegetable oil (more or less, depending on the width and size of your wok). Stir the marinade for a bit (as it would have formed clumps due to the flour). When the oil is hot, add the beef strips. Stir often to avoid having the beef strips stick together. Fry until the meat is almost well-done, then add the chopped onions and cook for another 45 seconds, or till the onions are translucent. Scoop out and let the grease drain on a cooling rack. Serve with fried rice, sliced tomatoes and fried egg.
Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:
1. Reduce the amount of rice wine to half if you don't like a strong flavor.
2. Remember - the longer you let it marinate, the more time you are giving the flavors to meld together. So prepare ahead of time!
3. This is traditionally a breakfast meal, but we enjoy it for dinner as well.
4. For dipping sauce - just use vinegar with a little bit of crushed chili pepper.
Let's eat!
No, they're not burnt. They're brown bread to begin with!
