CHICKEN AFRITADA

The question of why Philippine cuisine is not as popular as the other Southeast Asian cuisines still remain. There are funny, sometimes insulting answers. I choose not like to delve deep into the matter but I have a few ideas of my own.

IMPOSSIBLE CAKE (CHOCOFLAN)

I am a doubting Thomas when it comes to trying new recipes. Not that I doubt the recipe. I doubt my skills at following recipes. Sometimes though, there are recipes that I just have to try to make because they look so delicious. 

I love pouring custard rather than cream on chocolate cake so when I saw this recipe I knew this was something I'd like. Not only did it have chocolate cake and custard, it also had caramel. Just by the looks of it, I could tell how delicious it was. 

ARROZ ALA CUBANA

Rice is so important to the Asian culture so much so that the Chinese greeting "Chifanle meiyou?" directly translates as "Have you eaten (rice) yet?". The concept of food revolves around rice and what can be eaten with it. In the Philippines, it is not uncommon to ask or be asked "Ano ang ulam ninyo?" which means "What  is your viand?" or "What are you eating with rice?". It is not a poking question but, since it is one of the most important daily concerns, people tend to talk about it, much like talking about the weather.

PORK AND CHORIZO EMPANADA

I am so sorry for not having posted in a while. I have been in the Philippines for the past month to visit my ailing father who passed away peacefully on May 12. Despite my love and loyalty to my blog, I had to deal with this event without any distraction from anything else. I thank the Lord for giving me, my siblings ( three of us had to fly from different parts of the globe), my daughter and my niece a few but immensely happy days bonding for the last time with Tatay (father). A lot of friends and family members were with us throughout it all, and we are all extremely thankful. 

CHORIZO AND ROASTED PEPPER TORTILLA

Tortilla is a Spanish staple dish eaten at any time of the day. Not to be mistaken for the Mexican tortilla used as a wrap, this tortilla is a thick, hefty omelette made with potatoes, onions and eggs. It is served in tapas bars as small cubes skewered with cocktail sticks. It is a quick and easy dish that can be whipped up with only a few ingredients and can be served as a snack, appetizer or side dish.

The classic recipe is potatoes and onions mixed with a good amount of egg. The potatoes are usually fried first before incorporating with the rest of the ingredients. I parboiled the potato slices before drizzling with oil and baking for a lower fat version. Chorizos and roasted red pepper strips adds an interesting twist. It definitely gave it a spike in flavour. 

Ingredients:

2 c. peeled and sliced potatoes
6 tbsps. olive oil
1 clove of garlic, chopped
1 onion, halved and sliced
3 cooked medium chorizos, sliced into thin rounds
1/4 c. of roast red pepper strips (ready bought)
1 c. grated cheese
6 eggs

Drizzle the potatoes with about 2 tbsps. of olive oil and bake in a single layer  for 20 minutes or until tender.


Sauté  the garlic and onions in 2 tbsps. of olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the chorizos, roasted red pepper, potatoes and paprika. Fry for 2 minutes or until the chorizo starts to exude oil. 


Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl and add the salt and pepper. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir with a spatula. 


Heat up the grill. Heat up a non-stick frying pan and add 2 tbsps. of olive oil. Add the egg mixture and cover with a lid. Fry on medium heat for about 8 minutes, or until the bottom is browned and the edges soft set. Transfer the pan to the grill and cook until the top is set (about 8 minutes). To test for doneness, insert the tip of a knife in the middle. If it comes out clean, it's done. Invert on a plate, let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges or cubes.

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Pork and Chorizo Empanada

Calamares Fritos

Spinach and Potato Torta

Patatas Bravas

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SEAFOOD PAELLA

Paella has a wow factor in its presentation.  All the seafood arranged nicely on top of the rice never fails to impress and evoke anticipation of the tastes soon to be savoured. A well cooked paella never disappoints. Both the richly flavoured rice and the assortment of seafood provides well over the expected gustatory delights.

This is an easy and fool proof recipe that will give you a perfect paella each time. All the ingredients contribute to the success of the dish, so choose them well. You can vary the assortment and quantity of the toppings depending on what you like or what you have on hand. It is like a pizza with rice as the base. 

You can throw in anything you like. The only thing you have to measure exactly is the rice and the liquid. The ratio is 1 cup of rice to  1 1/4 cup of stock. This will result to a perfectly cooked rice. A good quality stock is vital to this dish as it provides the flavour for the rice. 

I used a good homemade fish stock using fish bones and all the trimmings from the squid plus bouquet garni, onions and carrots. You can also add prawn shells, if you have any. I always save the shells from my prawns when I peel them and stash them in the freezer. I used long grain rice instead of paella rice because I find that it absorbs all the flavours better and cooks more evenly. I pre-cooked the dish on the stove top and finished it in the oven. 

This recipe will happily serve 6-8 people. 

Ingredients:


olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 onion, cubed
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 c. uncooked long grain rice
2 1/2 c. rich fish stock
1 pinch of saffron or 1 tsp. kasubha (wild saffron)
1/2 sweet red pepper, cut into squares
12-20 whole shell on prawns
5 whole squids cut into 1" wide pieces
20 mussels
1/2 c. frozen green peas, blanched


Method:


Pre-heat the oven to 350º F/ 180º C. 

Boil some of the stock and use to parboil the mussels just until it opens. Drain. Add the mussel liquid back to the stock. This is the exact amount (2 1/2 c.) you'll need to cook the rice. 

Wash the rice and drain. 

In a clean paella pan or ordinary pan, fry the prawns in 3 tbsps. of olive oil on medium high heat until the shells become a bright orange colour. Transfer to a dish and set aside. 

Fry the squid in the same pan briefly just until it turns opaque. Transfer to a dish. 

In the same pan, saute the garlic for 2 minutes. Add the rice, tomato paste and the saffron and stir well until the grains are coated with oil. 

Add the sweet pepper and the 2 1/2 c. of stock. Stir, then bring to a boil. Taste and adjust the seasonings. The liquid should be a little over salted as it will be absorbed by the rice. Cover tightly with foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. 

After 15 minutes, uncover, add the green peas, stir and fluff up the rice. Arrange the prawns, squid and mussels decoratively on top. If there are juices from the seafood, drizzle them over the rice. Cover with the foil again and bake for another 5 minutes. 

Take out of the oven, keeping the cover on, and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with lemon wedges.

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Arroz con Pollo y Chorizo

Catalan Fideua

Steamed Prawns on Egg Fried Fried Rice

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PATATAS BRAVAS

Potatoes although eaten as a staple to bulk up meals, can also be a astand alone dish. In itself, it already has a lot of taste. 

Patatas bravas is a staple tapas dish which consists of fried potato wedges served with a spicy (hence the name) tomato based dip. The name literally means fierce potatoes. It is also sometimes served with a mayonnaise type dip similar to a seafood dressing but spiked with paprika and cayenne.

CALAMARES FRITOS (FRIED SQUID)

Squid is a firm favourite in Southeast Asian and Mediterranean countries. In the Western countries, it is classified with the exotica and is still not very popular in restaurant menus.

CATALAN FIDEUA

Legend has it that this recipe was born out of necessity, when a fisherman wanted to cook paella with the fish he had just caught. Unfortunately, he discovered that he ran out of rice grains. Finding fideua (generic word for pasta) in the cupboard, decided to use that instead. The new found accidental recipe was embraced by all and now occupies a prominent place in the Catalan culinary repertoire. 

The dish fideua is actually the same as paella except for the main ingredient which is fine pasta instead of rice. I had my first taste of fideua on a recent trip to Spain. We had it at a busy seaside restaurant in Port Vell in Barcelona. 
My family enjoyed this dish so much that my son suggested that I post it here on the blog.

It is not at all hard to make, I discovered. The most work done is in making the fish stock _ time consuming but not laborious. As with paella, the taste of the dish depends on the quality of the fish stock used.  I used prawn shells and fish heads to make the stock. I fried the prawn shells and heads in a bit of oil first before putting it in with the rest of the stock ingredients. Onions, carrots, celery, parsley all lead to a very tasty stock. Simmer for a few hours if you can and you will be rewarded with the best tasting flavour base for your fideua. Any combination of shell fish and fish can be used. I used squid and prawns but you can add mussels and clams (reduce the amount of squid and prawns if you do).

Ingredients:

300 gms. of fine uncooked dry pasta, cut into 1 1/2" lengths
250 gms. raw squid, cleaned and cut into rings
250 gms. prawns, shelled and deveined (use the heads and shells for stock)
1 cup chopped tomatoes (I used tinned tomatoes)
3 c. very good quality fish stock
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 c. chopped parsley
4 tbsps. olive oil
1/2 each of sweet red and green pepper, cut into 1"x1" squares
1/2 tsp. saffron threads

Instructions:

Heat up 1 tbsp. of olive oil and stir fry the prawns and squid until nearly done and transfer to a dish with a slotted spoon. They will still cook on after you take them out of the pan.

There will be some juices left in the pan and that can be added to the stock. 

Heat up 3 tbsps. of olive oil, and saute the garlic for 1 minute. Add the pasta, saffron and parsley and stir fry for 2 minutes. 

Add all the rest of the ingredients, except for the prawns and squid. Stir until well mixed. Check the seasonings at this stage and make sure it is right as this will be the last time you'll stir it. 

Cover the pan with a lid or with foil and simmer on very low heat for 10-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of your pasta. I used angel hair pasta and it was done in 10 minutes. Have a little peek after ten minutes. You may have to add more stock if your pasta is not done yet and the pan is nearly dry. 

When the pasta is done, turn the heat off, arrange the cooked squid and prawns on top of the fideua and cover with the lid or foil. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving, by which time the squid and prawns would have been heated and their flavours infused into the pasta. Serve with pride.

All rights reserved ©Adora's Box Copyright 2011. 

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Calamares Fritos

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Arroz con Pollo y Chorizo

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ARROZ CON POLLO Y CHORIZO

A lot of countries have their rice-and-something recipes. Of course, everyone knows the Spanish paella which is rice, a variety of seafood, and mixed meats. The Jamaicans have their simple rice and peas (which is actually beans) and we Filipinos have the Filipinized version of the Arroz Valenciana and the bringhe, both of which have chicken among other things. It usually has a long list of ingredients and is reserved for special occasions. 

This dish has the key components that most people like: chicken and rice. Better yet, it is a one dish meal and it is quick and easy to cook. Sounds perfect right? But it gets better. There are only a few ingredients which includes chorizo and olives. I used ordinary Milagrosa rice but you can also use whatever rice you normally use, such as Thai jasmine or long grain. The rice absorbs all the flavours of the ingredients resulting in the best shortcut meal ever. 

Ingredients:

6-8 chicken thighs
2 1/2 tsps. salt
6 pieces of small or 3 medium chorizo (about 100gms.), sliced
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes, sliced (I used the ones in oil; dried ones may be used)
12 pimiento stuffed olives
2 c. uncooked rice (I used Thai Jasmine rice)
2 1/2 c. chicken stock or water
1/4 c. dry sherry
1 tbsp. paprika
2 tsps. sugar
ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsps. olive oil

Method:

Pre-heat the oven to 300° F/150° C. 

Season the chicken thighs with the salt. 

Heat up a paella pan or ordinary frying pan and drizzle the 2 tbsps. of olive oil. Fry the chicken thighs on medium high heat until browned. 

Add the chorizo slices and stir fry until the oil turns red. Add the garlic, onions and sun dried tomatoes and fry until the onions are translucent. Add the rest of the ingredients (including the browned chicken), stir very well and bring to a boil. Simmer for two minutes. Check the seasonings. 

The dish can continue to cook in the paella pan or if a frying pan was used, may be transferred to an oven proof dish. Arrange the chicken on top of the rice, scraping off the grains of rice from the surface of the chicken and cover with foil. 

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, stirring the rice after at half time (move the chicken aside before stirring, and arrange them on top of the rice again) and re-cover with foil. When its done, take out of the oven, keeping the foil lid on, and let rest for 10 minutes. It is then ready to enjoy

All rights reserved ©Adora's Box Copyright 2011. 

Please support Adora's Box by making your Amazon.com and mymemories.com (use the code STMMMS55174) purchases from this site. Click on their respective banners to proceed to their websites. It will not cost you a single cent more but will help sustain this blog. Thank you.

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Catalan Fideua

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Devilled Roast Chicken

Thanks for dropping by. It would be nice if we could meet up on FACEBOOK or TWITTER.