Honey Mustard Chicken Wings

Since I've started to join the corporate world again, I now have to embrace the idea of having less time in the kitchen.  But that goes without saying, I am not ready to compromise on flavor and quality for my young tongue.

All you have to do is marinate the chicken wings overnight in equal proportions of Dijon mustard (I used the grainy kind) and honey.  Then toss it in a baking dish, drizzle it with a tablespoon of olive oil and some lemon juice, toss in a knob of butter, and sprinkle it with sea salt and black pepper.  Roast at a pre-heated oven, 180 C, for 15 minutes or until golden.

I served this with corn sprinkled with paprika, mashed sweet potatoes, and a side of greens.  

Pandan Water

Insanely refreshing and tasty, this is a good alternative to cold caffeinated tea drinks.  All you need to do is tie the pandan leaves together into a knot.  Place in a pot with water.  Bring to a boil then simmer until the leaves and water change color.  Like so...

Then add coconut sugar to taste.  Strain and serve in a glass with ice cubes.  It was so good, I forgot to take a photo.

iPhone photos.  Bear with me please.

Chicken with Cashew Nuts

Thus far, the most unappetizing photo in my blog, don't be fooled.  I had to endure taking photos with my iPhone for a week.  Uncool I know.  But the flavors made up for it, big time.


You'll be needing:

Soya bean oil, for cooking
5 to 6 Garlic cloves, crushed and chopped with the skin on (yes, skin on!)
300 grams Chicken fillets, sliced into thin strips
2 tablespoons Oyster Sauce
1.5 Tablespoons Soya Sauce, the saltier, the better
1 teaspoon White Sugar, or add as needed
1 Onion, sliced
5 Spring Onions, cut into strips
3 large Sun-dried Thai Chilies, cut into strips
20 Cashew Nuts, roasted


In a hot wok with soya bean oil, saute the garlic.  Once fragrant, add the chicken pieces and once cooked, add all the ingredients except the cashew nuts, which will be added right before serving.  Season to taste.  Serve with Jasmine rice.

Pad Thai

Patience required, iPhone photography

Easy to prepare, and takes less than ten minutes in the wok, this dish is a must try even for the novice cook.  Try to use a wok when cooking this dish because it gives that nice smoky flavor.


You'll need:

Patience required, iPhone photography.

3 Tablespoons Vegetable oil (although they prefer to use Soya Bean Oil here in Thailand)
4 cloves Garlic, chopped
6 pieces Prawns, peeled and deveined
70 grams Tofu, diced or sliced
1 Egg
3 Tablespoons Fish Sauce
1-2 Tablespoons White Sugar
1 cup warm Water (or add more as needed)
140 grams Rice Noodles (soaked in warm water for 2 minutes then drained)
1-2 Tablespoons Peanuts, ground
1 cup Bean Sprouts
2 sweet Spring Onions
1/2 Lime


In a hot wok with vegetable oil, saute the garlic and fry until fragrant.  Thai garlic is by far, one of the most aromatic varieties I've come across in my cooking.  Add the prawns and the tofu.  Then add the egg, scrambling it.  Immediately add the fish sauce and sugar and crank the heat up and using your cooking spoon, put all the ingredients on the top part of the wok.    Pour the water at the bottom of the wok and cook the rice noodles until it becomes soft.  Add the nuts, bean sprouts, spring onions, and the rest of the ingredients.  Switch off the heat once the noodles are dry.  Squeeze with lime.

Patience required, iPhone photography.

This is usually served with Fish Sauce, Vinegar, Chili, and Sugar -- all to taste.  

Char Siu Pork Roast

I had to roast some pork for today's event with Glam-O-Mamas, so I decided to put together left-over ingredients. 

Marinate 1.5 Kilos of Pork Roast in a quarter bottle of Char Siu sauce, 1 tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning, 1 tablespoon soya sauce, 2 tablespoons crushed garlic, and 3 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil.  I usually put it in a ziploc or airtight bag, overnight.

Place the pork roast in a trivet and bake in the oven for 1 to 1.5 hours.  I like to add 1 cup of water in the baking tray so that the juices don't dry out.  How do you know if the pork is cooked to the core?  It's juices should be clear and not pink or bloody in nature.

I served this with butternut squash puree and sauteed spinach leaves.

Prime Rib La Carlota

My cousin Alex and I spent the weekend to visit my good friends, Tricia and Ceej, and Wagyu's siblings, Victoria and Albert.  We had a lazy Sunday roast in La Carlota with other friends, old and new.

Alex and I only had an hour in their kitchen to prepare so we marinated the prime rib in Texas Jack No. 2.  We immediately char-grilled the thick piece of meat when we arrived in La Carlota (hence the name of the dish), medium rare.  We let it rest for a few minutes then sliced it and enjoyed the roast over champagne, wine, and beer, along with Dutch cheese and chips.

While we were busy sipping our afternoon poison of choice, our other friend kept busy by grilling crabs.  They were so sweet, Alex and I ate 4-5 pieces each!

It was also served with locally grown aubergines that were roasted then peeled, thrown into a bowl of Sinamak (local vinegar made of sugar cane, chillies, garlic, and ginger), and sliced shallots.  This was the perfect accompaniment for the sweet crabs and grilled leg of lamb.

Alex and I also prepared pasta.  We slowly-cooked sliced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and green olives in extra virgin olive oil and tossed cooked linguine.  We seasoned with sea salt and black pepper (Tricia hand-carried some from Florence and they were so tasty!) and finished it off by adding basil leaves and cheese.

Some scenes from La Carlota...

 Albert enjoying some mud...

Victoria looking glum with the thought of leaving such a wonderful and restful place...

Prosciutto, Zucchini, Mushroom, and Mashed Potatoes

 

Mashed potatoes, when served with a motley crew of flavorsome friends, can be enjoyable and colorful!

Pan-sear the prosciutto slices in a hot pan with olive oil until crispy.  Set aside.  In the same pan, saute thinly sliced zucchini.  Set aside.  Then toss in portobello or Swiss mushrooms and saute to perfection.

Bring water to a boil, add a piece of peeled potato (per person), and allow to cook in a gentle simmer.  You can test doneness by placing a paring knife right smack in the center, and if the potato falls off the knife, it's cooked to the core.  Remove from the pot and place in a bowl along with a knob of butter per person.  If you're inclined on having a richer flavor and velvet-like consistency, you can go for an added dollop of cream.  Mash and season to taste with salt and pepper.  For this recipe, I chose to season with Sabatino & Co. Truffle Salt.  Then place in a serving bowl.

Assemble the prosciutto, zucchini, and mushrooms on top of the mashed potato and for unctuous goodness, drizzle liberal amounts of truffle oil.  Season with truffle salt.  Garnish with a sprig of fresh rosemary.

Sabatino & Co. truffle products are available locally albeit not in a mortar and brick store.  Email:  cecillec12@yahoo.com for orders.

This is NOT a paid advertisement.

Carrot Cake

I love carrots as is or as a cake.  Here's a no-fail recipe I learned from the Le Cordon Bleu.

3 pieces            Eggs

250 ml              Vegetable Oil

250 grams       Caster Sugar

250 grams       Plain Flour

2 teaspoons     Cinnamon, ground

2 teaspoons     Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon   Salt

300 grams       Carrots, grated

                           Icing Sugar, for dusting

1.  Pre-heat oven at 180 degrees Celcius.

 2.  Beat eggs then add the vegetable oil and sugar.

 3.  Sift all the dry ingredients and add into the mixture.

 4.  Fold the carrots into the dough.

 5.  Line the baking tin with parchment paper.

6.  Pour the mixture into the baking tin.  Bake for 50-60 minutes or until nothing sticks into the toothpick when you poke through the center.

7.  Remove the cake from the tin and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes on a wire rack.  Dust with icing sugar.  For variety, you can dust it with flavored sugar (as seen above) or add a cream cheese frosting.

Portobello Mushroom Risotto

My friend, Arlene, requested an easy risotto recipe.  And so, here it is. 

I used Ribe Risotto, but would prefer arborio.  You'll also need some truffle-infused oil to add an intensified mushroom taste in the end.  Both the risotto and oil are available in Santi's deli.

Saute chopped white onions and sliced portobello mushrooms in a pan with extra virgin olive oil.  You can add shell fish (in my case, I added Manila clams) or you can add other vegetables if you want to keep this entirely vegetarian.  Remove from the pan once cooked.

In a separate pan with boiling water and salt, plunge your baby asparagus.  Allow to soften for about a minute or two.  Then remove and set aside.

In the same pan where the vegetables were cooked, toss in the uncooked risotto.   I use half a cup of uncooked risotto for a hefty serving per person.  Allow the grains to get translucent.  This will take about a minute or two.  Then immediately...

...pour your stock, gradually.  If you're serving this to vegetarians, use vegetable stock.  If you added shell fish, you can use fish stock.  You can also use chicken stock or beef stock.  If you're cooking 400 grams of uncooked risotto, you'll need about 1.2 liters of stock.

Constant stirring and attention is required when cooking this dish.  Truly, a labor of love.

Once the risotto is al dente, add some cream and grated parmigiano-reggiano.  Season to taste.  Stir.  The consistency you're after is silky and a slightly runny.  You may also add a knob of butter.

Place the risotto on a deep plate and assemble the shellfish, mushrooms, and asparagus.  Then drizzle with truffle-infused oil, liberally.

Caviar Pie

When I get nervous, I stress eat.  I don't eat hefty portions, but I eat flavorful dishes.  I made this a few hours ago, to keep my mind off of the fact that my mom is being admitted to the hospital for a major spine surgery right about now.  It also doesn't help that gmail has temporarily (I hope) disabled me from being able to send any email.

I decided to make something with an ingredient my daughter dearly loves ... caviar.  This might sound too strange, a 21-month-old toddler eating caviar while two-thirds of our population is going hungry!  But, give me a minute to defend myself.  The first time she came across it was a few months back, while we were entertaining.  I had no idea she had already placed a small teaspoonful in her mouth until I saw some remnants on her chin.  At first, I didn't know how to react -- be amused or get angry!  She seemed to have enjoyed it because she kept signaling for more.  I sat her down and let her know that they're very precious tiny morsels and that they should be eaten slowly, savoring every bite.  And oh, I used affordable caviar (the ones that you can buy in Santi's for under Php500.00).  Really good caviar, in my opinion, should be eaten on it's own with just a squeeze of lemon.


This recipe calls for eggs, so clear with your pediatrician first or opt not to put any.  

 I use a 10-inch mold on a 12-inch plate.  You can always use a smaller mold.

Hard boil 3 pieces of egg.  Remove the shells and chop finely.  Add half a white onion, chopped the same size as the egg.  And mix with about 2-3 tablespoons of mayonnaise.  You just want the mayonnaise to hold it together, so no need to be generous.  Once it's mixed, place on top of the plate and ensure that it's all leveled.

Blend a pack of cream cheese and about 1/4 cup sour cream in a blender or kitchenaid.  Place on top of the egg mixture.  If you want a richer and taller version, use 2 boxes of cream cheese and about half a cup of sour cream (half the container of a nestle sour cream or a third of a bulla container).  Cover with cling film and allow to set in the fridge, overnight.

Remove the mold and top with caviar.  Don't worry, a little goes a long way.  Just spread evenly and gently.  Serve with thin multi-grain crackers and lemon wedges.

 I'll be praying for your safety mama.

Honey-glazed Pork Belly

(Honey-glazed Pork Belly, recipe 4 of 5 for First Officer Diaz's Dinner)

We rarely cook pork at home but when we do, we like it grilled.  I remember my lola using sugar cane juice along with lemongrass for her marinade.  I didn't have lemongrass and sugarcane juice in my kitchen, so I just used honey and dried organic thyme.

My other ingredient is Knorr Aromat.  I first came across this powerhouse of an ingredient in Switzerland with my siblings, Ricky and Liesl.  We saw this widely placed in tabletops across several cantons.  Though it wasn't until I worked with a Swiss chef named Kurt Pozzato, that I discovered it's powers.  It's perfect blend of spices and herbs help accentuate most flavors in any dish.  This goes without saying, that if  I were to choose only one ready-to-use commercially-produced cooking ingredient, it would have to be Aromat.  The European-made ones are available in Santi's, but at a fraction of the cost, you can buy a locally-made one in Landmark or Makro (and it's still produced by the same company, Unilever).

I used a kilo of pork belly and drizzled it with honey (I used Sicilian honey for it's perfect balance of sweetness, but any regular honey will do) and rubbed it with Knorr Aromat, in liberal amounts, along with some dried organic thyme.  I usually marinate my meat in an air-tight ziploc bag in the fridge.  Our room temperature, anywhere between 28 - 33 degrees celcius, is too tricky and bacteria can multiply in just seconds - so beware!

Once your charcoal is ready, just plop the pork (brushed with vegetable oil) and allow for it to cook until well-done.  How can you tell if it's properly cooked?  It's drippings (juices) should not be colored red or pink, and instead, should be translucent when it rests on your plate.  Pork, by the way, should never be eaten rare or medium-rare.

And for those who just followed/read this blog, I served it with Roast Capsicums in Rosemary Dressing (for recipe, click here) and buttered corn on the cob (sprinkled with paprika).

Crepes

 

Do you ever wake up and remember a friend from the other side of the world?  I had that feeling this morning and decided to make crepes reminiscent of Ida, my closest friend from culinary school who is now based in Texas, and whom I still touch base with through the years.   Crepes remind me of her because it was she who shared that Montparnasse was the "to-go-to" place for crepes in Paris.  And rightfully so!

The key to a good home-made crepe is to start of with a beurre noisette otherwise known as browned butter.  This gives off a nutty flavor, similar to hazelnuts, and is fairly easy to make.  In a hot crepe pan (teflon will do though), simply toss your cold butter and allow for it to turn brown in color.  Set aside once done because this will continue to cook and might get burned. 

In a bowl, beat an egg.  Add about 500 ml milk and continue to whisk.  Add about 2 to 4 tablespoons of flour (the amount usually depends with the humidity, so just experiment) and a pinch of salt.  Then add your beurre noisette.  Allow to chill in the fridge for about 20 minutes before cooking, this will help the batter rest.  

In the same pan where you browned your butter, ladle over a thin layer of the batter.  Allow the edges to turn golden then flip the crepe to the other side.  Once it's cooked, simply put on a plate and top with anything you like from nutella, bananas, strawberries, lemons, sugar, or savoury things like cheese, ham, or vegetables.