Kadyos

Kadyos is another one of my comfort foods. It's one of my father's favorite dishes and we grew up eating it every now and then.

Kadyos is pigeon peas or black-eyed beans and is cooked with pork and unripe jackfruit. At first I thought it's an Ilonggo dish, but I just learned that it's also served in Cabanatuan where aside from kadyos, baboy and langka or KBL it's also cooked with chicken and banana heart and is known KMU (kadyos, manok, ubod).

Frozen Avocado

One of my comfort foods is mushed avocado mixed with milk and sugar. I have to eat it frozen though to enjoy it and I had a serving of it - okay two - today after lunch. Yummy! Perfect for hot summer days like today. Too bad I don't have my camera. I should take a photo next time.

Easy Chicken Stir-Fry

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp tarragon
1 cup broccoli florets
1 cup cauliflower florets
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup zucchini, sliced
1 cup mushrooms. sliced
(I use a variety of frozen veggies)

Saute chicken and garlic in olive oil. Add soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, pepepr, and tarragon. Add chopped vegetables. Stir occasionally. Simmer covered until vegetables are tender. Serve with rice.

Steel-Cut Oats

I've always wondered how steel-cut oats or Irish oats tasted, and I finally bought a box the other week and gave it a try. I prefer it to rolled oats. It's chewier and creamier. It takes a longer time to cook, but the trick is to prepare it the night before by boiling water and dropping a cup of the oats and leaving it overnight. The next day, just heat it for about 10 minutes.

Shall we Shallots?

I sometimes try recipes that call for shallots, but since it's not readily available at the grocery, I either use onions or just ignore it. The other week when I was at Trader Joe's I came upon what they call a Saute Trio consisting of a garlic head, a sweet onion and two shallots! I had to quickly look for a recipe where I could use shallots and since I had some asparagus on hand, I made roasted asparagus with shallots.

Oven-Baked Cassoulet

I like this recipe from Better Homes and Gardens. I usually use the range-top method rather than baking it.

12 ounces lean boneless pork, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (or use chicken strips as I have done once)
1 teaspoon cooking oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots (or squash)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 15-ounce cans white kidney (cannellini) beans, rinsed and drained (another option: chickpeas)
4 plum tomatoes, chopped
2/3 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2/3 cup water
2 ounces cooked turkey kielbasa, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4-inch-thick
1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley

Spray a 4-qaurt Dutch oven with nonstick coating. Preheat over medium-high heat. Cook and stir pork in Dutch oven until pork is browned, about 4 minutes. Remove pork from pan. Reduce heat.

Carefully add cooking oil to hot Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrots, and garlic; cook until onion is tender. Stir in pork, beans, tomatoes, chicken broth, water, kielbasa, thyme, rosemary, and pepper.

Bake, covered, in a 325 degrees F oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until pork and carrots are tender. To serve, sprinkle each serving with parsley. Makes 5 servings.

Range-top Method:
Prepare as directed above, except instead of baking, cover and simmer about 15 minutes or until the pork and carrots are tender.

One 1-1/3-cup serving equals: Calories: 243, Total Fat: 7 g (Saturated Fat: 2 g), Cholesterol: 38 mg , Sodium: 497 mg , Carbohydrate: 32 g, Fiber: 10 g, Protein: 23 g ++++ Exhanges: 1 Starch, 2-1/2 Lean Meat, 2 Vegetable
Daily values: 26% vit C, 5% calcium, 21% iron

Barbecue Pepper Shrimp

Another simple, but flavorful shrimp recipe.

2 lbs large shrimps, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup crushed black peppercorns
2 sticks butter, cut into pieces
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons coarse salt

Preheat oven to 400F. Wash shrimps and peel, leaving tails on. Make a cut along the back of each shrimp and rinse under cold water to remove veins. Dry on paper towels.

Place shrimps in a single layer in a shallow casserole with peppercorns. Top with butter. Bake for 5 minutes. Toss shrimps then add Worcestershire sauce and salt. Bake 5 more minutes. Put under broiler for 1 minute. Remove and serve in soup plates with the pan juices immediately. Serves 5-6. (Recipe from Rozanne Gold.)

Shrimp Marinara

2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
4 cups tomatoes, cored and chopped (canned or fresh), with their liquid
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Salt
1 lb shrimp, peeled, rinsed and dried

Heat the oil over medium-low heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic an cook, stirring once or twice, until golden, 3 or 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes, raise the heat to medium-high, and let bubble, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add half the basil, the oregano, pepper and salt. Stir and taste for seasoning. Reduce the heat to medium and let simmer while you cook rice or pasta. When you're about ready to eat, add the shrimp to the sauce; cook until the shrimp are firm and pink, about 5 minutes. Remove 3 or 4 shrimps from the sauce and set aside. Toss the sauce with pasta, or spoon it over rice; top with the remaining basil and reserved shrimp, and serve.

Spicy Broiled Shrimp

Here's a simple, but delicious shrimp recipe from Mark Bittman.

1 large clove garlic
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1-1/2 to 2 lbs shrimp, peeled, rinsed and dried

Preheat the broiler and adjust the rack so that it is as close to the heat source as possible. Make the fire as hot as it will get.

Mince the garlic with the salt; mix it with the cayenne and paprika, then make it into a paste with the olive oil and lemon juice. Smear the paste all over the shrimp. Grill or broil the shrimp, 2-3 minutes per side, turning once. Serve immediately or at room temperature, with lemon wedges.

Pineapple in Brown Sugar with Ice cream

Here's a simple dessert.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2-3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-1/4 inch cubes (or use canned pineapples)
2 tablespoons rum (optional)
1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped, or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pint vanilla ice cream

Melt butter in a medium saute pan over low heat. Add sugar and stir until melted. Add pineapple, rum, if desired, and vanilla, and turn heat up to medium high.

Cook, stirring, until liquid is reduced and pineapple is glazed, about 15 minutes. Be careful not to burn. Serve in bowls with a scoop of ice cream.

Stir-Fried Vegetarian Pancit Sotanghon

1/4 c dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked; reserve liquid
1/4 c dried wood ears (tenga ng daga), soaked
1 carrot, julienned
8 ears baby corn
1/2 c snow peas
1 block soft tofu, diced

Seasoning:
2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 c water (or reserve liquid from mushrooms)
1/4 k sotanghon (bean thread) noodles (soak for 3-5 minutes)
onions, sliced
garlic, crushed

Soak the dried mushrooms for 20-30 minutes in hot water and reserve the liquid. Discard stems of mushrooms and wood ears, slice the shiitake mushrooms and chop the wood ears. Prepare vegetables and seasoning.

Soak noodles for 5 minutes, drain and cut into 3". Heat oil over high flame. Fry soaked dried veggies for 1/2 minute. Add other vegetables and stir after adding each item. Season with soy sauce, sugar and pepper. Add a little of the reserved liquid. Let it cook and set aside.

Heat another teaspoon of oil, put garlic then onions; put the season liquid and a little bit of the sesame oil, and stir until liquid boils. Stir in noodles. Serve hot.

Teriyaki Chicken Wings

Here's another version of teriyaki chicken. This recipe is good for 1 serving.

4 chicken wings (about 10 oz), separated at joint
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Heat broiler with rack 4 inches from heat. Arrange wings on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Season with salt and pepper. Broil, turning once, until lightly browned and tender, about 20 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, and vinegar. Reserve 2 tablespoons for dipping.

Remove wings from broiler; brush with remaining sauce. Return to broiler, turning and brushing with sauce twice, until browned and glazed, 2 to 4 minutes. Brush with pan juices before serving.

Baked Tilapia with Fresh Herbs

4 skinless tilapia fillets (6-8 oz each)
coarse salt and ground pepper
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill (othe options: cilantro, tarragon or chives)
lemon wedges, for serving

Preheat oven to 375F. Place fillets on a rimmed baking sheet, flat side down; season generously with salt and pepper. Divide mayonnaise evenly over top of fillets; using a butter knife, spread, coating evenly.

Sprinkle fish with parsley and dill. Bake until opaque throughout, about 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Asian-Style Pork Chops

This is a very simple, but delicious recipe. We always get compliments whenever we serve this.

Photo and recipe from Everyday Food.

Marinade:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

4 bone-in rib pork chops

In a liquid-measuring cup, whisk together the marinade ingredients. Reserve 1/4 cup for drizzling. Place pork chops in a shallow dish with the rest of the marinade; turn to coat. Set aside at room temperature turning occasionally, 15 minutes.

Heat broiler, with rack 4 inches from heat. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; set aside. Lift pork chops from dish, leaving some marinade clinging to meat; discard the rest. Arrange on prepared baking sheet. Broil, withouth turning, until well browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes.

To glaze, brush with pan juices and drizzle with reserved marinade. Serve.


Here's a better option I use to prepare these delicious pork chops:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place pork chops on the baking sheet and spoon remaining marinade over the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until pork chops are cooked through.
3. Remove from oven, allow to rest 5 minutes. Serve.

Butternut Squash

I like squash, but I don't enjoy preparing it because it's so hard to cut it. Nevertheless, I bought butternut squash because I've never had it before. The inside looks like a mango - and even smells like it! I've tried it pan-fried and roasted. I'll try to bake it next time.

Beef Tapa

My lola made the best tapa ever, which was nothing more than a tender cut of meat, salt and pepper and while this is not the same recipe, it is a good alternative for my family. The recipe is from Amy Besa and Romy Dorotan, a couple who own Cendrillon in New York.

2 pounds flank steak

Marinade:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1-1/2 cup Chinese rice wine
1/3 cup kalamansi or lime juice
1 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 cup sugar

Canola oil, for frying

Place the steak in the freezer for about an hour to firm it up and make slicing easier. Slice with a sharp knife 1/4-inch thick along the grain.

In a large nonreactive bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients. Add the meat and marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour or overnight, turning the meat occasionally.

Remove the meat from the marinade and lay slices across a wire rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet to catch the drips. Place under an electric fan for 1 hour to air dry.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm 2 tablespoons canola oil. Add some of the steak strips and pan-fry until nicely browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Add more oil to the pan as needed to fry the remaining steak.

Note: Since flank steak is expensive, I used boneless chuck. And since we don't have an electric fan, I removed the meat from the marinade and let it dry in the refrigerator for a day.

Chinese-Style Steamed Fish

1 scaled and cleaned whole fish (about 2 lbs), rinsed, and patted dry
Salt
3 tablespoons slivered fresh ginger
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 dried hot red chile (about 3 inches long)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar or wine vinegar
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
Cilantro sprigs

Make 3 diagonal slashes across fish on each side. Place on a rimmed plate that will fit on a steamer rack in a pan. (If fish is too long, cut in half crosswise and place halves side by side.)

Season to taste with salt. Place half the ginger and onions inside cavity; put chile and remaining ginger and onions on top. Pour vinegar and soy sauce over fish.

Loosely cover with foil and place plate on a rack in a pan above 1 inch boiling water. Cover and steam until fish looks just opaque but still moist in thickest part; cut to test (8-10 minutes per inch of thickness).

Arrange fish on a large platter. Garnish with cilantro.

Sweet & Sour Sauce

I've used this recipe with meatballs. It can also be used with chicken and fish.

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 can (13-1/4 oz) pineapple chunks
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/3 cup vinegar
1/2 cup coarsely chopped green pepper

Mix cornstarch and sugar in skillet. Stir in pineapple (with syrup), soy sauce, and vinegar. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and boils.

Add cooked meatballs (or chicken or fish), cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in green pepper; cover and simmer until pepper is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

Flounder with Asian Glaze

1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons grated, peeled fresh ginger
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
4 flounder fillets (6 ounces each)

Preheat broiler. Spray rack in broiling pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In small bowl, mix mayonnaise, soy sauce, ginger and jalapeno.

Place flounder fillets, flat side down, on rack in broiling pan. Spread mayonnaise mixture on top of fillets; broil 4 minutes or until mayonnaise mixture is lightly browned and bubbly, and fish flakes easily when tested with a fork (do not turn fish over).

Chicken Teriyaki

4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (2 breasts)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1/4 cup minced scallions
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon honey or sugar

Preheat the boiler. The fire should not be too hot, but the rack should be fairly close to the heat source, 4 inches or less.

Combine all ingredients and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour or more. Remove the chicken from the marinade and boil the marinade for 1 minute.

Broil the chicken very quickly; it should take no more than 3-4 minutes per side, brushing frequently with the marinade. Serve.

Lacquered Chicken Wings

12 large chicken wings
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Black pepper

Cut off wing tips with a sharp, heavy knife and discard. Cut wings into pieces, separating them at the joints. Place the wings in a shallow roasting pan.

Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, and a liberal grinding of black pepper. Pour the mixture over the chicken, coating it well. Marinate for 30 minutes.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and turn each piece with tongs. (For a more elegant look, transfer wings to a wire rack at this point.)

Bake an additional 30 minutes. Turn again and bake for 15 minutes longer. The wings will be a rich dark brown and very tender. Serve.

Sweet & Sour Fish

Tilapia fillets
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1-1/2 cups bean sprouts
100 grams green beans (about 14 pcs), sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips

Season fish with salt and pepper then bake in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until cooked.

Saute garlic, bean sprouts, green beans, and red bell peppers in oil. Add sauce: 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon salt (optional), 1/4 cup vinegar. Let boil uncovered for 5 minutes. Thicken with 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water (or 1 tablespoon flour dissolved in 2 tablespoons water). Pour over fish and serve.

Chicken or Tofu with Mushrooms & Sichuan Sauce

This Eating Well recipe originally used tofu, but since I didn't have tofu available, I used chicken strips. I usually buy a pack of boneless chicken breasts, slice them into bite-size pieces, store them in the freezer in small containers, and use them to make chicken noodle soup, kung pao chicken or recipes such as this.

Sichuan Sauce

3 tablespoons chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste (I used catsup)
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper (I used chili powder)

Mix all ingredients.

Heat a skillet over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1 to 2 seconds of contact. Swirl in 1 tablespoon canola oil; add garlic and scallions and stir-fry until fragrant, 10 seconds. Add sliced white mushrooms (I used porcini and added frozen mixe vegetables) and stir-fry until just beginning to soften, 1 minute. Transfer to a plate.

Swirl 1 tablespoon canola oil into the pan, reduce the heat to medium, add tofu cubes (or chicken strips) and pan-fry, turning midway through cooking, until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Swirl in Sichuan Sauce and the mushroom mixture; increase the heat to high and stir-fry until the tofu is just heated through and the sauce clings to it, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Discard the garlic. Serve immediately.

Cloverleaf Dinner Roll

My son is still on holiday break, so we decided to bake bread again today. A few weeks ago we had brunch at Au Bon Pain and he enjoyed the Cloverleaf roll with his Chicken Noodle Soup, so I looked up the recipe.

Here's the dough after kneading. I bought the red silicone baking mat originally for rolling dough for cookies, but I decided to use it for kneading dough instead.


Here's the bread after baking. It's not soft like the roll we had at Au Bon Pain, but it tastes good, especially soon after it comes out of the oven while it's still warm.

Here's the recipe from Betty Crocker's Breads:

1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup warm water (105 - 115)
3/4 cup lukewarm milk (scalded, then cooled)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup shortening or butter, softened
3-1/2 to 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water in large mixing bowl. Stir in milk, sugar, salt, egg, shortening and 2 cups of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to make dough easy to handle.

Turn dough onto slightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl; turn greased side up. Cover; let rise in warm place until double, 1-1/2 to 2 hours. (Dough is ready if an indentation remains when touched.)

Punch down dough and shape into 1-inch balls, tucking edges under to they resemble mushroom caps. Place 3 balls in each greased muffin cup. Brush rolls with butter. Let rise 20 minutes. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until rolls are golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.