Thursday, April 28, 2011
my beef caldereta
1 kilo beef cubed
1/2 cup chicken liver, boiled and mashed
2 medium size red bell pepper, cut into 1” square
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese or feta cheese
1/2 tsp. ground peppercorns
2 medium size onion, chopped
1/2 head garlic, chopped
1 cup green olives
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 tsp hot sauce
3 bay leaf
salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup raisins
2 large potatoes cubed
1 carrot, sliced
1/2 cup water.
all i do is put them all together in the slow cooker and cook high for 4-5 hours or until tender. mix from time to time and add water as needed.
the other way of doing it is saute the garlic, onions and beef (in that order) in olive oil. then add all the liquid and seasoning. when meat is already cooked, add the potatoes, olives, carrots, liver paste, cheese and raisins, etc. cook until meat is tender. add water as needed.
Friday, April 22, 2011
doughnuts ~ donuts ~ whatever
According to Wikipedia, a doughnut or donut ( /ˈdoʊnət/ or /ˈdoʊnʌt/) is a fried dough food and is popular in many countries and prepared in various forms as a sweet (or occasionally savory) snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franchised specialty outlets. They are usually sweet, deep-fried from a flour dough, and shaped in rings or flattened spheres that sometimes contain fillings. Other types of dough such as potato can also be used as well as other batters, and various toppings and flavorings are used for different types.
Donuts (yes, i prefer this spelling) have been a long time comfort food for me..it all started when i was in college. ....but as a kid, i hated them...i remember walking by dunkin donuts on mabini st near Malate Catholic School (my high school alma mater) and not a single time didn't i feel nauseated by the smell of the donuts... there were even times that i couldnt stand the thought of smelling THAT smell so i would choose to go around and walk an extra block to avoid the store. ...but things changed (i dont recall how and why) and i had a sudden change of heart toward this thing that, during college, i frequented this ordinary bakery in Baclaran (Phils) which sold the deep- fried, sugar-coated type ones....oh well, i didnt care if i had to walk half a kilometer more just to get those "ordinary" donuts... and now, after 20 + years, i still crave for and find comfort in this sweet...now, i'm so thankful that we have Krispy Kreme, Winchell's donuts and even those that are freshly sold in supermarket bakeries. ...at least twice a week, i would drop by Ralph's or Von's to get some for breakfast... and at least once a month, i would drop by Krispy Kreme or Winchell's to get a dozen or two for my family....oh and yes, the yummiest ones i've recently tasted were those that my co-worker, Tetet, would get on her way to work... she started getting me some (sugar-coated at 3 for $2 according to her) upon learning that i loved donuts.....thanks Tetet! ...now, stop wondering how i got this size haha!.....
Here is a recipe for donuts which i downloaded from the internet..nope, i haven't tried doing it but im posting one just for the sake of having a recipe in this write-up :
Doughnuts
1 cup granulated sugar
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour (about)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter
Fat (for deep-fat frying)
Sift together sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and flour.
Beat eggs thoroughly, then stir into dry ingredients. Add the milk and melted butter. Roll about 1/2 inch thick on a floured board and cut with a doughnut cutter. Fry several at a time in 375 degrees F fat until nicely browned. Drain on paper towels. Dust with granulated or confectioners' sugar.
Makes 24.
Ready to try making some? Let us, together!! :)
Thursday, April 21, 2011
tarcs' kenji talong (eggplant)
1/2 lb meat cut into small pcs (pork, beef or chicken)
2 tsps minced garlic
1 onion - sliced thinly
dash of black pepper
pancit sotanghon (a borrowed recipe)
im not really into pansit although i cook different varietes for my family... they love all kinds of noodles....
here is another "borrowed" recipe....(accuse me of plagiarism...jk) :D
pancit sotanghon
ingredients:
1 kilo of sotanghon
1 kilo pork liempo
fish balls –cut into quarters
3 gloves of garlic – crushed
2 white onions – finely chopped
1 carrot – sliced into small sticks
green beans – cut into 1 ½ inches
coriander or cilantro
soy sauce
ground pepper
chicken stock or chicken powder
1. Cut pork liempo into small pieces. Boil in the pot until they fry in own oil, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking/burning, until crisp. Scoop out from oil. Set aside. (This takes the longest time as you should keep the heat in control to evenly crisp the pork)
2. Remove excess oil from the pot. Fry in the fish balls. Scoop out and set aside.
3. On the pot with oil, put crushed garlic until golden brown.
4. Add onions until tender.
5. Add soy sauce (about 6 full ladles)
6. Add coriander/cilantro (about 10 stalks)
7. Add chicken stock (or water and about 6 heaving tablespoons of chicken powder).
8. Add ground pepper (about half a teaspoon).
9. Continue boiling.
10. Wash sotanghon. Cut them with scissors (at least a foot long). Set aside.
11. Add the crisp pork and fried fish balls into the soup.
12. Add carrots.
13. Add green beans.
14. With a strainer, scoop out the pork, fishballs and vegetables. Set aside.
15. Add the sotanghon and stir to evenly absorb the soup stock.
16. Add back the pork, fishballs and vegetable. Stir.
17. Garnish with coriander/cilantro and serve.
embutido
here is another requested recipe from my cousin in Utah, Mhai. (note: the picture is not my own..i just "borrowed" it from somewhere so you can see how it should look like)
as with lumpiang shanghai, i never liked embutido as a kid hehe...but now, i love preparing it simply because it is so easy to make and my kids like it (what's new? haha)
ingredients:
2 lbs ground pork (or you may combine with beef)
1 luncheon meat cut in small cubes
6 pcs hotdogs, cut in half lengthwise (optional)
3 pcs hard boiled eggs, sliced lengthwise in quarters
1/2 cup green or black olives, sliced thinly
1/3 cup tomato sauce or catsup
2 raw eggs
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated (optional)
2 cup red and green bell pepper, minced
2 cups raisins
1 cup carrots, minced
1 cup onion, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients except for the hotdog and hard boiled eggs very well. Wrap in cut foil (cylindrical shape) depending on the size you prefer putting the hard boiled egg slices and hotdog strips in the center. Lock the edges of the aluminum foil. The wider the diameter, the more time you need to cook it. Steam for 1 hour or bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 30 mins. (steaming is better but i prefer baking it for convenience) Check one piece if already cooked before turning off the oven. In both cases, let it cool before slicing. You may store in the refrigerator for later or the freezer if you intend to consume the embutido after more than 3 days. Serve with banana catsup.
lumpiang shanghai
Per my cousin, Mhai's request, I am posting my own lumpiang shanghai recipe.
As with other kids, mine love lumpiang shanghai a lot...however, i grew up not liking the dish. i preferred (and still do) lumpia vegetables especially toge (bean sprouts). My lumpiang shanghai can have anything and everything in it...it could be ground pork, ground beef, ground chicken or even turkey...i also grind and add any vegetable that is available in my refrigerator. but most of the time i use carrots and/or potatoes and celery.
ingredients:
2 lbs ground pork/beef/chicken/turkey or combination
½ cup green onions
1 cup carrots - ground or minced
i cup potatoes - ground or minced (optional)
1/2 cup celery - ground or minced
minced or chopped kintsay or cilantro (optional)
1 cup onion - chopped finely
1 egg as binder
1 tbs salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
Lumpia wrapper (Spring roll skin)
Mix all ingredients very well. Wrap in lumpia wrapper folding the edges. If you are not cooking the lumpia right away, line them up in a sealed container placing wax paper in between layers then freeze. You don't have to thaw the lumpia before cooking it. Deep fry making sure that all sides are cooked. I use low to medium heat to avoid burning and to make sure that the inside is well cooked. Drain in paper towels before cutting them into 3- inch pieces. Serve with sweet and sour sauce or spiced vinegar.
If you are making your own sweet and sour sauce, combine 1 cup of water, 1/2 cup vinegar, 3 tsps cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 tsp catsup, 3 tsps sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Make sure that the cornstarch is melted with no lumps before simmering. Boil/simmer stirring the mixture until you've reached the right consistency.
Enjoy.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Taho (tofu)
taho is one of my favorite street foods....as kids, my sisters and i would wait for the taho vendor every morning during summer . one time, we fought over a cup of taho so as punishment, my mom bought us a "bucket" each and made us consume it in one sitting...grabe, nahilo ata ako dun haha....then when i was already working at ssi in legaspi village, makati, that became my favorite breakfast.
nothing beats the taho sold on the streets but since we dont have that here in LA, i just try to duplicate it using soft tofu sold in supermarkets...i dont remember where or who i learned it from but thanks whoever you are..(was it you Lenie?)...here is how i do it:
- soft tofu sliced thinly
- put in boiling brown sugar melted in water. use the amount of brown sugar depending on how sweet you want it.
- dont cook the tofu too long as it will harden.
- add sago...i buy the ones in can because i simply don't know how to cook sago. i tried at least twice but they came out bad.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
longanisa -my own blend
longanisa recado y hamonado
ground pork,
lots of minced garlic,
black pepper,
finely chopped onions,
and sugar if you want it sweet
....mix all of the ingredients..then mold in the shape and size you prefer. i like them flat because they cook easier that way...keep in freezer-safe sealed container arranged in between wax sheets...thaw first before you fry. serve with spiced vinegar. enjoy!!!!
crispy chicken wings
sa broil mo i-set hindi sa bake para nasa itaas ang heat (kaya ko nga binabaligtad baligtad) silip silipin mo lang para hindi ma-burn ng maaga (depende kasi sa mga oven yung heat)
pata tim (using pork belly instead of pata)
My Nanay Belen's Paella Recipe
simple lang ang paella ko, pinoy style:
Chicken – cut into small pieces (boneless is fine but I prefer bone ins)
Shrimps - as many pcs as you want
Crabs (alimasag) – cut into 4
Tahong in shell
Hotdogs – cut into 1-inch pcs (others use chorizo)
3 tomatoes – chopped finely
2 tsps minced garlic black pepper and salt bell peppers – strips or squares 2 small or 1 large onion – chopped finely
minced siling labuyo or dried crushed pepper if you want it spicy
3 cups tomato sauce (or more)
1 can tomato paste cooked rice (buhaghag rice is better vs sticky, use less water because of the sauce)
Cook all the meat and seafoods first. What I do is - in a pan, I cook the shrimps first (no water) then the crabs. Set aside. Then in the same pan (walang hugasan), boil the chiken until almost done then add the tahong and hotdogs. Cook until all are done/cooked.
In a large kawa, heat 1/2 cup of oil (olive, better). Sauté the onions, garlic, tomatoes. Add the bell peppers and minced sili. Add 3 cups broth from the tahong/chicken/hotdogs mix. Add in the tomato sauce and paste. Bring to a boil while stirring then add all the meat and seafoods mixing them for 5 mins to blend all flavors.
Set aside in a large bowl leaving only the sauce in the kawa. Then add to the sauce your cooked rice (you may do this in portions para hindi mahirap maghalo). Blend very well until the rice has a uniform color (red orange). Then add back all the other ingredients. Mix mix mix.
Taste then adjust as needed by adding salt / garlic salt and pepper.
Warning: sasakit ang kilikili ninyo the following day sa kakahalo hehehe. But it's worth it..feel free to omit any or add other ingredients as you wish..
Enjoy your paella!
bonus: a friend who supposedly cooks equally yummy paella (but which i havent tasted yet) added:
1. wala akong minced sili at hotdog (i used chorizo sa pinas pero wala kasi dito sa toronto)
2. i use as plenty of white onion as i can (kasi it thickens the sauce)
3. i put baby clams (canned but should be washed) to add texture (pag humalo sa rice).
4. i try to put all colors of pepper (red, green, orange and yellow) para masayang tingnan :)
5. i try to add other seafoods (aside from the required shrimps and tahong) esp.kung walang crab such as baby cuttlefish, scallops, calamari.
totoo, mahirap maghalo but the guests are always happy :) and the paella taste better the day after (kung merong matira)
and I said: "my lola used to put lots of onions din...at super grated din para daw mas masarap. sabi ko na mas matiyaga ka sa akin....ang daming sahog at detalye..gotta taste your paella in the future. i wonder how..:)"
try doing this recipe, folks, then let me know how it turns out...:)
Why does Carla Millet cook?
Things to remember:
- -Mostly, I cook simple, everyday Filipino food. No offense. :)
- -These foods are prepared in the easiest ways possible because I'm lazy, easily bored and kulang sa time (aren't most of us?).
- -My entries will mostly depend on your requests. I'm a lazy writer, too. (Coming up with new content is exhausting for a non-writer material like me. haha)