LtDan'sKitchen.com

Friday, June 21, 2013

Chicken Stew in Coconut Milk

Another spicy dish I cooked just the other night is a chicken stew with Thai basil leaves. I had an abundance of basil leaves so I made sure that cooking them in a stew made with coconut milk is not a too far-off idea. Turns out it was actually a good pairing. The creaminess of the coconut milk was the perfect vehicle for the aromatic scent of the fresh basil leaves. The only complaint I got was due to my laziness when I cut the chicken pieces like I was feeding a giant. In the same vein, I also cut the chayotes into large pieces to match the generous cuts of chicken. Very simple but delicious and most importantly, very east to prepare, the inspiration was again taken from the Panlasang Pinoy blog. As you might notice, we had a theme dinner the other night and the common thread was the use of coconut milk in the main dishes. I was not sure how well we can handle the spiciness of the combination of chili and coconut milk so I made sure there was a mild enough dish that will be at least palatable to those who have the least tolerance for heat in their food.

Chicken Stew in Coconut Milk - Adapted*

2 - 3 lbs chicken pieces
2 chayotes, peeled, cored and sliced
4 garlic cloves, minded
1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
1 large onion, diced
3 cups fresh coconut milk
1/2 cup Thai basil leaves
4 tbsp vegetable oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp fish sauce

1. In a large pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic, ginger
    and onions and saute until softened. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Add the chicken pieces and season with salt. Cook until slightly browned
    on all sides.

3. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Once boiling, decrease the heat
    to low and simmer covered for about 30 minutes.

4. Add the fish sauce and chayotes and cook covered until the chayotes are
    tender but still crispy.

5. Check for flavor and adjust accordingly with salt and pepper. Add the basil
    leaves and mix just until wilted. Serve hot.

*Panlasang Pinoy: Ginataang Manok.

Bicol Express

Bicol Express may sound like a train which is about to steamroll you into smithereens but is in reality a spicy pork dish from the Bicol region of the Philippines. The history of the dish is detailed in the blog Panlasang Pinoy and was the main inspiration as to why I dared to cook this spicy dish. Given my low tolerance for spicy food, I came up with a much milder version which might cause a few to complain but generated a round of thanks to those who came to dinner yesterday. As such, I adapted the recipe from this blog which uses deseeded chilis and no shrimp paste. This is my first foray into the dishes from this part of the country known for their spiciness but this is one trip that was worth repeating.

I'm not sure of the actual variety of chili peppers I used for this dish but jalapeno peppers will do quite nicely if they are available. We did away with using Thai chili knowing full well how potent they are. As such, the heat from the dish was almost like an aftertaste and hit the back of your throat a few seconds later but in a good way. The original dish called for shrimp paste too which we did away with because some of my friends are allergic to shellfish. Overall, the absence of this condiment was barely missed.

Bicol Express - Adapted*

2 lbs pork butt, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
2 stalks lemongrass, twisted into a knot
3 cups fresh coconut milk
1 tbsp fish sauce
12 finger chilis, deseeded and diced
salt and pepper
3 tbsp vegetable oil

1. In a large pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic, onions
    and ginger and saute until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Throw
    in the lemongrass and mix for one minute.

2. Add the pork into the pan and cook until it loses its pink color. Season with
    salt and pepper.

3. Pour the coconut milk and add the chilis and bring to a boil. Once boiling,
    lower the heat to a simmer and cook covered for about 30 minutes. Check
    and make sure that the pork does not stick to the pan.

4. Season with the fish sauce and continue to simmer until the pork is very
    tender. Check for flavor and adjust accordingly with salt and pepper.

5. Serve hot with steamed rice.

*Feast Asia: Bicol Express.

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Oyster Mushrooms and Italian Sausage Ravioli

I used to make ravioli when I still lived in the US. For one, Italian sausage is easy to find in the grocery stores be it in casings or just in bulk. Here where I live, they are only found in major supermarkets or gourmet shops so that they become too expensive to use in regular cooking. Thus, I decided to make my own version with the help of Emeril Lagasse's recipe. Now, I'm not a big fan of the BAM! guy but he does have some really good recipes every now and then and this is one of them. I made a ton of this mild Italian sausage only to drop my bowl so I basically used only about a pound of what should have been 6 pounds of homemade Italian sausage. My dog had a feast that very same day though!

I used a new recipe I found online for the dough since I did not want to use my pasta machine. Overall, it was a simple recipe which tasted great. The dough when cooked was soft and light and most importantly, held its shape. For the filling, I combined the Italian sausage I made with fresh mushrooms and for a final touch, bathed them in my homemade tomato ragu. In a word, delish!

Oyster Mushrooms and Italian - Adapted*

Filling:
1 lb of mild Italian sausage
2 cups fresh oyster mushroom, diced
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

1. In a small pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Saute the onions
    and garlic until softened. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Add the sausage and cook until it loses its pink color. Turn off the heat and
    let it cool.

3. Add the fresh mushrooms and mix well. Set aside.

To prepare the ravioli:

1. Prepare the tomato ragu (spaghetti sauce) as directed. Keep at a simmer
    when you are ready to cook the ravioli.

2. Prepare the ravioli dough as per instructions on the link provided. Use a
    teaspoon of the filling above for each ravioli. Store the extra filling in the
    freezer for later use. You cam make about 25-30 ravioli pieces for one
    batch of dough.

3. Boil a pot of water and season with a tablespoon of salt. Once boiling, drop
    4-5 ravioli pieces and allow them to cook in the boiling water. They will
    float when they are cooked. Fish them out and transfer them into the
    simmering tomato ragu. Cook the rest of the ravioli.

4. To serve, plate out about 6 ravioli pieces per person and garnish with
    chopped parsley leaves and a good sprinkling of parmesan cheese.

Zucchini and Potato Soup

Based on Lidia's recipe, I wanted something Italian to go with my light Italian lunch that I was preparing for my cousin and some friends. It started out with a spinach quiche until I found out fresh spinach were not available in the grocery stores that same week I was having friends over. It was only last week that I found out that they were actually found (albeit frozen) in the freezer section of the grocery stores I frequent but it was already too late. Porcini mushrooms are also a scarcity but fresh oyster mushrooms are definitely available everywhere and so are dried shitake mushrooms. I wanted a lighter flavor to the soup however so I just used the fresh oyster mushrooms instead. Zucchini was also not available so I used a chayote which was the closest thing I could think of in terms of texture.

The soup is a light fare even with potatoes and rice in it. That is I think the one thing I noticed about the Italian soups that I have made over the last couple of years. My memory of an Italian soup is usually associated with the Minestrone, a thick pasta soup that I once tried while still living in the US. That particular soup was delicious but very gloopy and heavy. I think I like the more authentic version of a lighter Italian soup which allows you to enjoy a more varied meal since it gives you enough room in your stomach to go for a second and even a third course.

Zucchini and Potato Soup - Adapted*

3-4 medium zucchini, diced
2 onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves, dried
1/2 lb fresh mushrooms, diced
2 carrots, diced
3-4 small potatoes, peeled and diced
1 cup short-grained rice
10 cups beef stock
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
Parmesan cheese to pass along

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the oil and saute
    the garlic and onions. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook
    until softened. Add the bay leaves and mix.

2. Add the broth into the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, drop the rice
    and mix well to prevent from clumping. Cook covered for about 10
    minutes while stirring occasionally.

3. Add the potatoes, zucchini (or chayotes) and the carrots and cook until the
    rice is al dente.

4. Stir in the mushrooms and check for flavor. Adjust accordingly.

5. To serve, drizzle with a good amount of extra virgin olive oil and top with
    the chopped parsley. Pass the cheese around the table if desired.

*Lidia's Italy: Zucchini and Potato Minestra.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Rum Cake

This cake is something that I have been baking for quite some time although not really the actual cake. I use the cake recipe as the base of my Black Forest Cake until I decided to change it using Dave Liebermann's simple chocolate cake recipe. I have been wanting to bake the actual cake the way it was written in my old cookbook but unfortunately, it has disappeared along with some of my old trusted cookbooks. However, I do remember enough about the cake to know that it gets soaked with a rum syrup and the frosting is made of whipped cream and finished off with chocolate curls. I'm glad that I saved the actual cake recipe but to make the rum syrup, I am using a basic syrup recipe and flavoring it with white rum. I decided to jazz it up a bit with the chocolate decorations since I have both dark and white chocolate bars in my pantry. The giraffe pattern is inspired by a cake in one of my cookbooks. The chocolate curls are a bit messy but working with chocolates in a tropical country in the middle of summer with no air conditioning around tends to be a bit of a challenge. I usually bake at night but I just did not have the time to do so for this cake. It tasted plenty yummy to make up for the not so clean decorations. This is an adapted recipe for sure but since I cannot give credit to the actual authors at this point, it will have to stay uncredited.

Rum Cake - Adapted*

Cake:
1 ½ cups flour
10 tbsp cocoa powder
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 ½ cup sugar
4 eggs separated
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup milk
½ tsp vanilla

1. Sift all solid ingredients and add the sugar. Mix well and make a well in
    the center.

2. Combine egg yolks, oil, milk and vanilla. Mix well with wire a whisk. Add
    into the flour mixture.

3. Beat the egg whites until stiff peak forms. Fold into the batter.

4. Divide the batter into two 9-inch greased round pans lined with wax paper.

5. Bake at 350°F in a preheated oven for about 30-45 minutes or until cake
    tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire
    rack and peel off the wax paper. Cool completely.

Frosting:
3 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp gelatin softened in 1/4 cup hot water.

In a large metal bowl, add the softened gelatin to the cream and whip until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and the vanilla extract and continue to beat until stiff peaks are formed. Do not overbeat. Keep cool and set aside.

Rum Syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup white sugar
2 tbsp white rum

In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and the water over medium low heat until the sugar dissolves. Continue to cook for 5 minutes and take off the heat. Add the rum and allow to cool.

To assemble, arrange one of the cakes on a cake platter and poke with a toothpick to create holes for the syrup to penetrate the cake. Spoon half the syrup over it to soak the cake. Spread with enough cream frosting and top with the second layer. Soak with the remaining syrup and cover the cake with the remaining cream frosting. Garnish with chocolate curls and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Arrange white and dark chocolate curls on top of the cake and store in the fridge until ready to serve.

* Good Housekeeping

Butterscotch Cake with Dates

One of my best friends gave me a box of dates dusted with sesame seeds given to her by one of her patients. She told me to try and make something with it. She was really hinting at my Foods for the Gods but I was skeptical since I'm not sure how sesame seeds will play into the final flavor of the bar. It was then maybe planned in this lifetime that my nephew came up to me this morning asking for a chocolate treat. Yep, I'm a grocery store of sorts to him. It was then that I decided to make my butterscotch bar which he loves and convert it into cake form although it is relatively different from the chocolate biscuit my nephew wanted. As I was about to add the final ingredient which was the vanilla, I had this epiphany of sorts and decided to add the dates that my friend gave me. So in went a cup of pitted dates and a prayer came along with it hoping the sesame seeds will not taste too weird after the baking period. As a side note, what makes a cake a cake and a bar a bar? Is it just the shape? Anyway, I'm classifying this dessert as a coffee cake of sorts. Very yummy by the way and the sesame seeds added a nutty flavor to the cake. You can serve it warm which means it is still a bit gooey or cooled to room temperature in which case, the cake has firmed up just like your regular favorite baked bar but in wedge form.

Butterscotch Cake with Dates

1 cup margarine, melted
2 cups dark brown sugar
2 extra large eggs
2 cups flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup pitted dates, diced

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
    Grease and line a 9-inch
    round baking pan with
    aluminum foil and set
    aside.

2. In a small saucepan over
    medium low heat, melt
    the margarine. Add the
    brown sugar and
    continue to cook until
    the sugar has melted.
    Remove from the heat
    and allow to cool.

3. Transfer the margarine and sugar mixture into a large metal bowl. Add the
    eggs one at a time mixing well after each addition.

4. Sift the flour and the baking powder into the egg mixture and combine
    with a wooden spatula until the flour is incorporated.

5. Stir in the vanilla and the pitted dates and pour the batter into the
    prepared pan.

6. Bake for about 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle
    of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly before cutting into
    wedges.

Ox Tongue in Mushroom Sauce with Risotto Alla Milanese

Hosted another dinner party at the request of one of my very best friends since her family will be in town to attend a family wedding. I usually cook dinner every time she is in town after informing me a few weeks earlier of course, that she is flying in (with my godson usually) and what it is they want to eat. That or we go out if I don't have the time to cook. For this dinner however, her husband requested ox tongue which is something I've done before as a dare to my American and European friends. My only concern is whether if I could find a meat shop that carries quality ox tongue and well, the amount of work it will take to cook the dish.

Ox tongue is usually cooked in a sweet peppery sauce flavored with pineapples as a sweetener. For me however, I prefer to cook it in a thick mushroom gravy served over risotto or a garlic-infused mashed potato. Both are equally good but the former is typical of a dish served during weddings or fiestas while my version is more suited for fine dining in my house as it invokes touches of the French style of cooking. Okay, I'm not being snooty, I'm just saying that I prefer to cook my ox tongue a bit differently. My friends loved it so I'm relieved that my efforts paid off. Anyway, I only took the before picture but spared you from the messy in-between takes of the preparation. Might have been a good idea but pictorially, it will be a bit of a mess. So, if you are really interested in making this dish, I can direct you to a few videos that go over this in detail.

Ox Tongue in Mushroom Sauce with Risotto Alla Milanese

8-10 lbs ox tongue (each tongue weighs about 4-5 lbs)
8 bay leaves
1 tbsp peppercorns
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 lb dried shitake mushrooms
1 tbsp salt (for parboiling)
1 large carrot
2 large onions, quartered
4 garlic cloves, mashed
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp black truffle oil
6 tbsp olive oil
2 beef stock bouillon
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper
Risotto Alla Milanese

Parboiling and Cleaning:

1. In a large pot, combine the ox tongue, 4 bay leaves, peppercorns, white
    vinegar and enough water to cover the tongue.

2. Bring to a boil and cook for at least 30 minutes or until the tongue has
    shrunk to about half its original size.

3. Remove from the cooking liquid and allow to cool. Discard the cooking
    liquid.

4. Once the tongue is cool enough to handle, clean it off by removing the skin
    using a knife. I sometimes use a vegetable peeler. Rinse and set aside for
    the next step.

Main Preparation:

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions, 4
    bay leaves and the garlic. Season with salt and pepper and saute until the
    onions are slightly browned.

2. Add the tongue and brown on both sides. Pour in enough water to cover
    the tongue and drop in the carrots and the beef bouillon. Bring to a boil.

3. Once the pot is boiling, cover and simmer for 3-4 hours or until a knife
    goes through the thickest part of the meat easily. Remove the tongue and
    allow it to rest. Save the cooking liquid.

4. To prepare the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
    Add the flour to make a roux.

5. Pour the cooking liquid onto the pan over a sieve. Mash the carrots and
    onions and force it through the sieve.

6. Stir and cook over medium heat until thickened. Add the truffle oil and
    Worcestershire sauce. Check for flavor and season with salt and pepper.
    If too salty, just add more water.

7. Slice the cooled meat into thin slices and add into the gravy. Simmer
    over low heat until ready to serve.

Sauteed Shitake Mushrooms:

1 lbs fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp black truffle oil
salt and pepper

1. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the garlic and
    saute until just softened.

2. Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook
    until the mushrooms have softened. Drizzle in the truffle oil and remove
    from the heat.

To assemble this dish, spoon out a good amount of Risotto Alla Milanese and top with 3-4 slices of the ox tongue. Top with a tablespoon of sauteed mushrooms. Drizzle with the gravy and garnish with a sprig of parsley.

Recipes

Friday, June 21, 2013

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Saturday, May 25, 2013