Cooking Day

I cooked up a storm today. I began the day by making Oatmeal Pudding for breakfast. Then I proceeded to cook the Beef Stew using the slow cooker; roasted the eggplants for the Shortcut Moussaka and  boiled the potatoes for the Vegetable Medallions and Moussaka. After lunch, which my partner graciously prepared, I baked Sour Cream Coffee Cake and cooked the Vegetable Medallions. We went for a run then after having the Beef Stew for dinner, I finished cooking the Moussaka and prepared the mushrooms for the Mushroom Lasagna I'm making tomorrow. Whew!

Slow-Cooker Provencal Beef Stew

A few months ago, my partner brought home a slow cooker. I used it twice and would like to use it more often, so I am going to try this recipe tomorrow.

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 medium onions, cut into quarters
• 8 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/4 cup dry red wine
• 1 cup fat free low-sodium beef broth
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 bay leaves
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
• 3 cups sliced zucchini ( 1-inch slices)
• 2 cups sliced carrots ( 1-inch slices)
  
  1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle beef with 1/2 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper; dredge in flour. Add beef to pan; saute 2 minutes, browning on all sides. Place beef in slow cooker or crock pot.
  2. Add onions and garlic to skillet; saute 5 minutes. Add wine to skillet, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Place onion mixture in slow cooker.
  3. Add broth, tomato paste, bay leaves, thyme, and tomatoes to cooker; top with zucchini and carrots.
  4. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or until beef is tender. Stir in remaining 1 t. salt and 1/4 t. pepper. Discard bay leaves and thyme sprigs.

Quinoa & Potato Croquettes

Here's another quinoa patty recipe from Cooking Light that's a little more tedious to make, but got rave reviews.

Serve this meatless main dish with coleslaw. Top with dollops of salsa and sour cream. If you can't find panko, use fresh breadcrumbs instead.

1 (10-ounce) baking potato

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 4 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided 
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced 
• 1/2 cup 1% low-fat cottage cheese, drained 
• 3 tablespoons grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese 
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten 
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

• Pierce potato with a fork; place on paper towels in microwave oven. Microwave at high 5 minutes or until fork pierces potato easily, turning potato after 3 minutes. Wrap in a towel; let stand 5 minutes. Peel and mash potato.
• Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan; add quinoa and salt. Cook 15 minutes; drain.
• Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, cilantro, and jalapeño; sauté 1 minute. Add cumin, oregano, black pepper, and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Combine potato, quinoa, onion mixture, cottage cheese, and cheddar cheese in a bowl, stirring well. Let stand 5 minutes; stir in egg.
• Shape potato mixture into 10 patties. Carefully dredge each patty in panko. Place on a baking sheet. Cover and chill 10 minutes.
• Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in skillet over medium heat. Add 5 patties to pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and patties.

Cooking Light
NOVEMBER 2002

Comment from reviewer:
These were time consuming, but oh so worth it! So delicious and easy to make. I topped them with drained (to thicken) non-fat yogurt (you could use greek yogurt too) and fresh diced tomato, perfect fresh and healthy topping to complement the starchy, crunchy flavor and texture. This would be a great make-ahead for company. Agree that you definitely need more oil. I will make these again and again.


Excellent! The potato/quinoa combination was lighter and fluffier than a normal potato pancake. I substituted Greek nonfat yogurt for the cottage cheese, and they held together well. Next time, I'm planning to include chopped green chile and Asadero cheese, for a slightly different flavor combo.

Little Quinoa Patties

I am trying to limit my intake of rice and eat more quinoa. I prefer to prepare just enough for my consumption so I don't have any leftovers to refrigerate. Next time I have leftovers, this will be a good recipe to try by Heidi Swanson.

Photo from Heidi Swanson.

Anytime I have leftover cooked quinoa, I make these little patties. They're good hot or cold and are well suited to fighting afternoon hunger pangs. It's a bit of a stretch, but they could be described as a (very) distant cousin of arancini, Italy's beloved deep-fried risotto balls. In contrast, these are pan-fried in a touch of oil, and smushed flat in the pan to get as much surface browning and crust as possible. I'm including my basic version, but often times I'll add a handful of very finely chopped this-or-that: broccoli, asparagus, or cauliflower, depending on the season. They're great on their own, slathered with ripe avocado or drizzled with hot sauce.


Makes 12 little patties.

2 1/2 cups/12 oz/340 g cooked quinoa, at room temperature

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt

1/3 cup/.5 oz /15 g finely chopped fresh chives

1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup/.5 oz/15 g freshly grated Parmesan or Gruyère cheese

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup/3.5 oz /100 g whole grain bread crumbs, plus more if needed

Water, if needed

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter

Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the chives, onion, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a mixture you can easily form into twelve 1-inch/2.5cm thick patties. I err on the very moist side because it makes for a not-overly-dry patty, but you can add more bread crumbs, a bit at a time, to firm up the mixture, if need be. Conversely, a bit more beaten egg or water can be used to moisten the mixture.

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat, add 6 patties, if they'll fit with some room between each, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply browned. Turn up the heat if there is no browning after 10 minutes and continue to cook until the patties are browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second sides for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Alternatively, the quinoa mixture keeps nicely in the refrigerator for a few days; you can cook patties to order, if you prefer.

To cook quinoa: Combine 2 cups/12 oz/340 g of well-rinsed uncooked quinoa with 3 cups / 700 ml water and 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, decrease the heat, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, until the quinoa is tender and you can see the little quinoa curlicues.

Comments from people who have tried this recipe:

• These are awesome. I started out making these to use up extra cooked quinoa; now I make huge batches so I have extra patties for easy lunches, snacks, and even breakfasts. An electric griddle helps, as does a food processor for very finely mincing all the ingredients, and an ice cream scoop for forming the patties. Once you make them a few times, the handling gets easier, and you can add all kinds of different herbs and veggies to change the flavor profile. One of my personal favorites...stir in cooked chopped (squeezed dry) spinach, gruyere and a little extra garlic. I also prefer using extra chives or scallions in place of the minced onion. So delicious.

• These are great. I added a whole cup of cheese (mine was milder than the types suggested) and used oats instead of bread crumbs. Just be sure to chop everything very fine. Served lemon-garlic aioli alongside from this site and it was a great pairing.

• These patties are wonderful! I made the mixture ahead of time and had it handy in the fridge. Made the patties when my husband had an old friend visiting and used my crumpet rings to make 6 large patties on the griddle. Then I sauteed mushrooms and garlic along with some leftover ratatouille in a pan on the side and served the patties over the veggie mixture. The guys raved about the meal and nobody missed meat. This one is a definite keeper!

• it is best with left-over quinoa that is slightly overcooked. the stickier- the better. I found that I didn't need the breadcrums when i used quinoa that I had cooked for about 30 minutes. Otherwise the flavors are really great for breakfast/brunch/lunch. I have and will make these again for the whole family.

• BTW, quinoa can be cooked ahead and frozen in plastic zipper bags to make this a really quick meal to prepare.

Soup and Stew

The temperature has dipped considerably the past few days and that calls for soup and stew for dinner.

Here are a few  recipes to try from Cooking Light.

1. Mixed-Bean Chili with Tofu
2. Beef Stew with Carrots and Mushrooms
3. Chicken Cassoulet with Acorn Squash
4. Manhattan-Style Fish Chowder
5. Tom Yum Gong (Spicy Thai Shrimp Soup)

More recipes here.

Roasted Potato Stacks

I'd like to try this recipe one lazy afternoon when I have enough time on my hands.

Coffee Bun

My partner and I tried this coffee bun at the quay and loved it the first time so we went back for more today. It's crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. While we were quaffing the coffee that went with it, I figured I could try making the roll myself so I went on the net and found this photo and recipe from Yummy.

I found two more versions of this bun, which is called Mexican coffee bun, but it originated in Malaysia: here and here.

Nothing beats enjoying this light and sweet roll (with a buttery sweet center and coffee icing) fresh out of the oven, but don’t forget to cool it slightly to get that delicate crunch.

Makes 8 pieces  Prep Time 2 to 3 hours   Baking Time 30 minutes

1 3/4 cups sifted bread flour
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
2 teaspoons full powdered cream milk
1/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cooled
1 egg
1/2 cup water

For the filling
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt

For the topping
1/2 cup unsalted butter
8 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
2 egg whites
1/2 cup plus 1/2 tablespoon sifted all-purpose flour

1  In a mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients and mix with a dough hook at low speed for 7 minutes.

2 Transfer mixture to an oiled bowl, cover, and allow to rise until it doubles in size.

3  Meanwhile, make the filling: Beat all ingredients together until light. Scoop tablespoonfuls of mixture into a sheet pan lined with baking paper; freeze until ready to use.

4  Punch down dough and scale into 60-gram portions; shape and set aside.

5  Take one piece and flatten the sides while maintaining a thicker center.

6  Place frozen filling in the center, gather side to enclose, and seal. Place the seam side down. Repeat with the rest of the portions.

7  Arrange the balls on a sheet pan and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rest in a warm, draft-free room (or unused oven) until they double in size.

8  Make the topping: Beat butter and sugar until light. Add coffee; mix until well incorporated. Add remaining ingredients. Beat at medium speed until thick. Refrigerate until ready to use. Transfer to a piping bag with a number 12 plain tip when ready to use.

9  Pipe topping in a spiral design, from the center going out.

10 Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.

Selling it? Try these ideas!
 •  Sprinkle topping with chocolate chips.

 •  Cut down coffee to 1 teaspoon and add 1/2 tablespoon cocoa powder to the topping mix. 

 •  Add peanut butter to the filling replacing half of the butter.


A comment from someone who's tried the recipe: our group tried this one on our baking class, we measured it right but we ended up in having a wet dough ( i think it's not really a dough because it's just like a thick mixture). we added 1 cup bread flour to make dough -like. what do you think went wrong when we did it?

Mushroom Lasagna

This lasagna tastes very rich, even though it really isn’t. It combines an olive oil béchamel with a simple mushroom ragout and Parmesan cheese. I prefer no-boil lasagna noodles because they’re lighter than regular lasagna noodles. But I still boil them because I think the results are better if they’re cooked until they’re flexible (a couple of minutes) first.

For the mushrooms:

1 ounce (about 1 cup) dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped

2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced

Salt

1/2 cup fruity red wine, such as a Côtes du Rhône or Syrah

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

Freshly ground pepper

For the béchamel:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons minced shallot or onion

2 tablespoons sifted all-purpose flour

2 cups milk (may use low-fat milk)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the lasagna:

1/2 pound no-boil lasagna noodles

4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (1 cup)

A few leaves of fresh sage (optional)

1. Place the dried mushrooms in a glass measuring cup and pour 2 cups boiling water over them. Let soak 30 minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients. Place a strainer over a bowl, line it with cheesecloth or paper towels, and drain the mushrooms. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer to extract all the flavorful juices. If using shiitakes, cut away and discard the stems. Then rinse the mushrooms, away from the bowl with the soaking liquid, until they are free of sand. Squeeze dry and set aside. Chop coarsely. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of the soaking liquid and set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat and add the shallots or onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir together for about 30 seconds, then add the fresh and reconstituted mushrooms and salt to taste. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms begin to soften and to sweat, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until the liquid boils down and glazes the mushrooms, 5 to 10 minutes. Add thyme and stir in the mushroom soaking liquid. Bring to a simmer, add salt, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the mushrooms are thoroughly tender and fragrant and the surrounding broth has reduced by a little more than half, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in some freshly ground pepper, taste and adjust salt.

3. Meanwhile, make the béchamel. Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy saucepan. Add the shallot or onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes, until smooth and bubbling, but not browned. It should have the texture of wet sand. Whisk in the milk all at once and bring to a simmer, whisking all the while, until the mixture begins to thicken. Turn the heat to very low and simmer, stirring often with a whisk and scraping the bottom and edges of the pan with a rubber spatula, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sauce is thick and has lost its raw-flour taste. Season with salt and pepper. Strain while hot into the pan with the mushrooms.

4. Assemble the lasagna. Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Oil or butter a 2-quart rectangular baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt generously and add 3 or 4 lasagna noodles, just the number you need for one layer. Cook only until flexible, and using tongs or a skimmer, remove from the pan and set on a kitchen towel to drain. Spoon a thin layer of béchamel and mushrooms over the bottom of the dish. Top with a layer of noodles. Spread a ladleful of the mushroom/béchamel mixture over the noodles and top with a layer of Parmesan. Cook the next layer of noodles and continue to repeat the layers (I get three layers in my pan), ending with a layer of the mushroom/béchamel mixture topped with Parmesan.  Cover with foil and place in the oven. Bake 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and if you want the edges of the noodles crispy and the top lightly browned, continue to bake uncovered for another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Advance preparation: The mushrooms can be cooked up to 4 days before the lasagna is assembled and baked. The béchamel can be made a day ahead. Whisk well and reheat gently before straining into the mushrooms and assembling the lasagna. The assembled lasagna can be tightly covered and refrigerated for a day before baking. Leftovers will keep for 3 or 4 days. Reheat in a low oven or in a microwave.

Nutritional information per serving (6 servings): 387 calories; 5 grams saturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 23 milligrams cholesterol; 44 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 336 milligrams sodium (does not include salt to taste); 19 grams protein

Martha Rose Shulman is the author of “The Very Best of Recipes for Health.”

Vegetarian Recipes for Entertaining

From New York Times

Shortcut Moussaka

From New York Times

Time: 2 hours

2 medium eggplant (about 2 pounds), cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

1/3 cup whole milk

1 large egg yolk

3/4 cup grated kefalotiri or Parmesan cheese

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 pound ground lamb (or beef)

1 very large onion, finely chopped

2 cinnamon sticks

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon ground clove

2 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped

1/2 teaspoon pepper

3 tablespoons bread crumbs.

1. In a colander, toss the eggplant and 1 teaspoon salt. Drain in the sink for 15 minutes.

2. Heat oven to 450 degrees Toss the eggplant with the oil and spread on a large baking sheet. Roast, turning occasionally, until golden and tender, about 40 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees.

2. Bring 6 cups water, the potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Lower heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes; drain and return potatoes to the warm pot. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and egg yolk. Mash potatoes with milk-egg mixture, 1/2 cup cheese, butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

3. In a very large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the lamb, breaking it up with a fork as it cooks. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Push the meat to one side of the skillet and spoon off all but a thin layer of fat from the skillet. Add the onions and cinnamon sticks to the skillet. Cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Stir the lamb back into the onions and add the garlic and ground clove. Cook 2 minutes more. Stir in the tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cook until tomatoes are soft and the mixture is thick, about 10 minutes. Stir in the eggplant.

4. Spoon into a 9-inch baking dish. Spread the mashed potatoes over the lamb. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and the remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake until top is golden brown and slightly crusty, about 30 minutes. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 6 servings.

Crispy Sardines

Excerpts from this article.

The most important step is to gut the fish the day you buy them. Take a small knife and make a slit along the belly parallel to the back one. Use your finger to pull out the guts (the murky black stuff), then rinse out the insides and pat dry. If this really isn't your thing, ask the fishmonger to do it. But it's not that hard. Just conjure up your inner high school biology geek.

I seasoned the fish with pepper, lemon zest, chile flakes, garlic and olive oil, and then refrigerated them until we were ready to eat (serving size = two fish per person).

Meanwhile, I made a bread crumb vinaigrette for the fish. (Take a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan and toast a small handful of bread crumbs until crispy. Mix in some chopped parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice and diced green olives. Add more olive oil if you want.) The vinaigrette needed more acid, so I mixed in a splash of verjus (the juice of underripe grapes - it works like a mild vinegar). I also grilled some small potatoes and onions to serve alongside the fish.

When time to grill the sardines, I hedged a bit by putting a sheet of aluminum foil on the hottest part of the grill. With the oil marinade, the fish tend to flair up. I put the fish on the foil and cooked it until nearly done, then at the last minute I pulled the fish directly onto the grill grates for extra crispiness. You really don't need to flip the fish over; they were fully cooked in a matter of a few minutes.

Before eating the sardines, remove the backbone by pulling the tail toward the head. Most of the bones should come out with the tail and the head. I spooned some of the toasted bread crumbs on top. Pure, crispy goodness.

Vegetable Medallions (Ikea)

2 pounds cauliflower, chopped

1/2 pound broccoli, chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 pound potato

5 ounces parmesan cheese

4 eggs

1/2 cup panko (Japanese) breadcrumbs

about ten chives, chopped

sea salt

pepper

dash paprika

dash celery seed

dash cumin

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375F. Steam cauliflower and broccoli in an extra large pot until soft and mashable. In the meantime, saute the onions in butter over medium heat until brown and caramelized.

2) Boil the potato until soft, about twenty minutes. Drain and mash together with onions and chives in an extra large mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3) Add broccoli and cauliflower to onion and potato mixture and mash as much as possible. Add the oil, eggs, bread crumbs, and seasonings. Stir well to combine.

4) Fill muffin tins to the top with the vegetable batter and press flat. Bake for thirty minutes, or until golden brown. Cool in tins. Run fork along the edges of the tin and pop out medallions carefully.

Kitchen Notes:

• for gluten free medallions, substitute half a cup of corn meal for the panko
• broccoli and cauliflower need to be mashed very well; a food processor would be very useful in this case
• use a non-stick pan and grease it very well to prevent medallions from sticking

Garden Vegetable Enchiladas

 I have some tortillas in the freezer, corn in the pantry and zucchini, salsa, and pasta sauce in the fridge. I will make some enchiladas tomorrow based on this recipe from Epicurious.
 

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• 3 cups coarsely chopped zucchini and/or yellow crookneck squash
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels or frozen, thawed
• 1 4-ounce can diced mild green chilies
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups (packed) grated Monterey Jack and/or sharp cheddar cheese (about 8 ounces)

• 8 8-inch warm flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and onion and sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 4 minutes. Mix in 1 cup corn, canned chilies and 1/4 cup cilantro; season filling with salt and pepper. 

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in chili powder, flour and cumin; stir 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook until sauce is thick and bubbling, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups cheese; whisk until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. 

Spread 1/4 cup sauce in bottom of 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Mix 3/4 cup sauce into filling. Place generous 1/3 cup filling in center of 1 tortilla; roll up to enclose filling. Place enchilada in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Cover enchiladas with remaining sauce, then sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup corn and 1/2 cup cheese.

Bake vegetable enchiladas until heated through, about 45 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cilantro and serve.

MIso Gravy

Tangy Miso Gravy
(adapted from Thimble)
4 tablespoons white miso paste (shiromiso)
2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons honey or agave syrup
2 teaspoons sriracha
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch or flour
2 tablespoons cold water

Combine everything except the cornstarch and water in a medium sized saucepan and cook over medium heat until it begins to boil, whisking occasionally. Turn the heat down to a simmer and combine the cornstarch and water in together in a small bowl. Add cornstarch mixture to the gravy and whisk to combine, stir until the gravy reaches your ideal thickness. Still not thick enough for your liking? Whip up more of the slurry - the cornstarch and water mixture until you get it right.

Crispy Chicken Adobo Flakes

Recipe from Glenda Barretto

1.2 k fresh chicken

125 ml vinegar

50 ml soy sauce

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 tbsp sea salt

2 pcs bay leaves

1 tsp crushed peppercorns

250 ml water

Oil for frying

To make adobo, cut the chicken into serving-size pieces and place in a casserole. Add remaining ingredients, apart from the oil, together with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40-50 minutes, then remove chicken and strain the stock.

In a frying pan, brown the chicken pieces in hot oil until crispy on all sides, then drain on absorbent paper and transfer to a platter. Reheat the stock and reduce to a thick, flowing consistency, then pour over the chicken and serve immediately.

To make Crispy Adobo Flakes, place adobo meat in a plastic bag and gently press the meat by hand. Then debone the chicken and flake its flesh. Drizzle with adobo sauce. Transfer to a baking tray and spread evenly, then let stand for at least one hour. Drain. Fry in a wok with very little oil over low heat, stirring continuously for 30-45 minutes or until chicken meat is dry, brown and crisp.

Serve with sauce on the side.