Maja Blanca (Back to Basics)

Copyright 2013 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

This took about 25 years in the making. My vivid memory of this very humble dessert dates way back in the early 80s when my friend Norlyn made it for one of our parties. It is one of those times when as a bunch of high school kids, we would stay overnight at a friend's house and eat and drink punch and well, stay late. Nope, I'm not divulging any secrets. 

Anyway, her maja blanca was so simple but I could not stop eating it. We were eating so much food during this annual party and this was my choice of food to gorge on. I saw her prepare this dish and I think I commented that she is definitely ready to get married since she is one awesome cook. I was 13 then so I have no idea why I said that. Totally inappropriate definitely. 

Now, enough with the background story. The dish if you google it will show you several versions claiming that theirs is the best maja blanca. I've tried a few of them and they were either too sweet or just plain too fussy. I was looking for my simple and very basic but might I add very tasty maja blanca. 

It was only today that I took another stab at this dessert since my attempt last week resulted to a pudding-like dessert so that went down the drain. With a little help from a friend's recipe which frankly scared me a bit with the 1 kilogram sugar ingredient, I forged on ahead with it. Little did I know that my cousin's actually know how to make it the old school way. After combining both recipes, I finally had my dream maja blanca come to life right before my very eyes. Definitely a very good balm for a bruised heart.

Maja Blanca

3 cups corn starch
12 cups fresh coconut milk
1/2 fresh milk
2 cups white sugar
1 tsp vanilla

1. In a big pot, stir the corn starch with the coconut milk, fresh milk and 
    sugar. 

2. Turn on the heat to medium and keep stirring until the mixture thickens. 
    Check for taste and make sure the corn starch is cooked. 

3. Once it starts to thicken, lower the heat and continue stirring until very 
    thick. Add in the vanilla and stir to mix. 

4. Pour the thick mixture into a mold and allow to cool. Store in the fridge 
    before serving. Best served cold.

Danish Braised Chicken

Copyright 2013 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

It is a rare occasion when you are presented with a dish that requires only four ingredients and have it come out so finger-licking fantastically good. Such is the case with this braised chicken dish. Adapted from the cookbook gifted by my Danish friend, I was really skeptical at first but was totally convinced by the time I was done eating. I also served it to my two friends and short of devouring a whole chicken between the three of us, what was left was half a chicken breast which was packed to go by one of my friends and the neck part which I ate for lunch the next day. 

The dish was originally served with a cucumber salad but I'm not a big fan of pickled cucumbers so I paired it with a vegetable salad. However, I realized that boiled baby potatoes seasoned with olive oil and the usual salt and pepper was the best side dish since you get to eat them with the thick creamy gravy that is nothing really but melted butter and cooked cream. Need I say more? This is one awesome dish. Word of warning though: not for those with cholesterol problems. I'm not kidding. Stay away from this dish!

Danish Braised Chicken - Adapted*

1 2-3 lbs whole chicken, trimmed
1/2 cup butter, unsalted
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley 

1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on the outside and in the cavity. 
    Stuff with the parsley leaves and half the butter. Secure the legs with a 
    butcher's twine and set aside. 

2. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat. Once melted, 
    increase the heat to medium high and brown the whole chicken on all 
    sides. 

3. Add half the cream and decrease the heat to low and simmer the chicken 
    covered for about an hour or until the juices run clear when you pierce 
    the thigh. Turn the chicken occasionally during this time.

4. To complete the dish, add the remaining cream and simmer for another 
    10 minutes. 

5. To serve, cut the chicken into large pieces and drizzle the sauce over it. 
    Best served with boiled baby potatoes. 

* Forlag, N.N.; Busk, A., Dining With The Danes, Clemenstrykkeriet, Copenhagen: 2011.

Fettuccini Alfredo

Copyright 2013 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

What do you do with 2 lbs of fettuccini? Why, you make Fettuccini Alfredo of course! Here in my country, this pasta dish is also often bastardized and ends up in a sea of white sauce that may or may not contain condensed milk. I've tried one where I had to add a ton of Parmesan cheese just to neutralize the sweetness of the sauce. It was almost like a dessert pasta in its sweetness. Another offense is the addition of either bacon, mushroom, ground meat or a combination of two or three of the above mentioned items. Somehow for us Filipinos, more is usually better although sometimes, that is not the case. 

In my desire to go back to basics when it comes to Italian dishes, I am scaling back on the expectations of what a Pasta Alfredo is to those who claim to know all about it and honor the original recipe of Alfredo Di Lelio which traditionally is made with only butter and cheese. Well, I'm almost going to honor it. The addition of cream allowed the use of less butter when making the sauce and this is what I'm going to follow. I also used a little bit of milk to thin out the sauce. As much as I love butter, I'm on a low fat diet at the moment and even with just one serving of this dish, I may have already pushed my caloric intake to the brink. I'm eating this dish with one eye blind. Thus, with a nod to the original recipe and a bit of a twist by adding lemon juice and zest ala Giada de Laurentis, here is my version of Fettuccini Danilo. Ooops, I meant, Alfredo! 

Fettuccini Alfredo

1 lb dried fettuccini
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 lemon, juiced and zested
2 cups Parmesan cheese, grated
salt and white pepper

1. Cook fettuccini as per packet instructions. While the pasta is cooking, 
    prepare the sauce. 

2. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat. Keep an eye on it
    and make sure it does not burn. 

3. Slowly add the heavy cream while stirring and continue to stir until the 
    cream is fully incorporated. 

4. Season with salt and white pepper. Slowly add the lemon juice and stir 
    quickly to prevent the cream from curdling. 

5. When the pasta is almost ready, add the milk and nutmeg into the sauce. 
    Turn off the heat and add half the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted
    into the sauce and check for flavor and adjust accordingly. 

6. Toss the fettuccini into the skillet and coat with the sauce.  Add the rest 
    of the Parmesan cheese and lemon zest and serve immediately. 

Fettuccini with Sweet Red Peppers

Copyright 2013 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

Another healthy dish for the week is a product of my obsessive compulsive need to use an ingredient in my cupboard that stands like a sore thumb just because I bought it by mistake and have no use for it. The culprit, canned pimientos. I've searched for recipes that uses canned pimientos (sweet peppers) and what came up were recipes on how to can peppers. Well, that was not what I was looking for. Eventually, I tried searching for recipes that uses sweet red peppers in a pasta dish and a few good hits finally came through the web. 

One recipe that caught my attention was from Ree Drummond also known in television as the Pioneer Woman. I have seen her show a couple of times but I never really took to her recipes until now. Even so, my version is really rustic due to the fact that I have no blender in my kitchen (Hey, Santa! I'm being awfully good so a blender will come in handy for Christmas!). Come to think of it, maybe I should call myself the Mountain Man! Oh, and when I say rustic, I mean RUSTIC. Ree's version is short of nothing but decadent.

Anyway, this version is almost like a Spaghetti al Pomodoro Crudo except that I used half sweet pimientos and half ripe tomatoes. The dressing is definitely simple and very sparse but it really has a good balance in terms of flavor. I envisioned adding heavy cream to it but after tasting the dish sans cream, it was already delicious I dare not spoil it. This time, simple is definitely better. 

Fettuccini with Sweet Red Peppers

1/2 lb dried fettuccini
1 cup diced sweet pimientos
3 tomatoes, diced
1 small onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Basil leaves
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Cook the pasta as per packet directions. While the pasta is cooking, 
    prepare the sauce. 

2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt the butter with the olive oil 
    and saute the garlic and onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook 
    until softened. 

3. Add the sweet peppers and cook until heated through. Add the broth and 
    bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes. 

4. When the pasta is almost ready, add the tomatoes into the simmering 
    peppers. Toss the pasta into the skillet and coat with the sauce. Loosen 
    with some cooking water if a bit dry. 

5. Turn off the heat and sprinkle the cheese into the pasta. Serve with torn 
    basil leaves and a drizzling of olive oil.
 

Updated Waldorf Salad

Copyright 2013 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

Uric acid is my new nemesis. It has always been a family nemesis and now, it is my turn to fight the battle to defeat this villainous purine derivative. However, I am prepared to meet this foe head on with recipes that are not only delicious but are also good for the body. Thus, this recipe of an updated Waldorf salad as taken from a list of recipes designed to combat high uric acid levels in the body.

My initial plan was to actually combine two recipes to create a salad dish that will rival two of the most classic salad recipes: the Waldorf and the Cobb salads. However, upon further deliberation, I decided to recreate individual versions of both dishes starting with the Waldorf salad. Created at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City, it is a simple salad that over the years have changed very little but remains a favorite among many. Given the fact that I'm too far away from a decent grocery store, I'm creating my version of the famous salad with a bit of a twist on some of the ingredients. One big change is the omission of walnuts in my recipe. I've looked on the internet and there are conflicting reports regarding walnuts and how it affects people with gout so I left it out. I'm also not a big fan of celery so out it goes and in with diced cucumbers. I'm hoping the purists will take it easy on me. 

Updated Waldorf Salad

1 Gala apple, cored and diced
1 small pear, cored and diced
2 cups greens (Romaine, iceberg or any type of lettuce you prefer)
1/8 cup raisins
1 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup diced roasted chicken (optional)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
4 tbsp lemon vinaigrette (or red wine vinaigrette)
1/4 cup walnuts, optional
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Prepare the dressing by mixing the mayonnaise with 2 tablespoons of the 
    lemon vinaigrette until the vinaigrette is incorporated.

2. Toss the apples, pears, cucumber, raisins, and the roasted chicken if using 
    into the mayonnaise dressing. Season with half the grated cheese. 

3. In a large bowl, arrange the greens and drizzle the remaining vinaigrette. 
    Top with the salad mixture above and sprinkle with the remaining cheese 
    and walnuts if using. Serve immediately. 
 

Chicken Ragout

Copyright 2013 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

My first dish for this month is a healthy chicken dish due to my new dietary restriction to help lower my uric acid level. Frying is definitely out of the question for me right now so it is either roasted, steamed or poached meat. I'm also down to two meat choices, fish and chicken. Being careful to not choose a vegetable ingredient that is high in uric acid, I found this recipe in my Good Housekeeping cookbook and it seemed healthy enough and had the right ingredients that will be good for me and for anyone else for that matter. I'm glad my local store had zucchini at the moment and I did not have to substitute this rather hard to find vegetable in my neck of the woods.

Chicken Ragout - Adapted*

3 lbs chicken pieces
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 large zucchini, diced to 1-inch cube
2 medium carrots, diced to 1-inch cube
1 28-oz canned whole tomatoes
2 cups broth
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Heat the oil in a large deep pan over medium high heat. Add the onions 
    and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 2 minutes or 
    until softened. 

2. Add the chicken pieces and season with salt and pepper. Allow to brown 
    slightly on all sides. Sprinkle with the dried herbs. 

3. Crush the tomatoes with your hands and add to the chicken along with 
    the liquid in the can. Add the broth as well and bring to a boil. Once 
    boiling, lower the heat to low and simmer covered for 10 minutes. 

4. Add the carrots and zucchini and cook uncovered until the vegetables are 
    soft but not mushy and the sauce has thickened.

5. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Serve garnished with basil or 
    parsley  leaves. 

*Good Housekeeping Step by Step Main Dishes, Westmoreland, S.: Editor, Hearst Books, New York:1997.  
 

Salisbury Steak

Copyright 2013 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

Let me narrate the reason why I made this dish a few weeks ago. I teach a masteral course every Saturday in the city campus of the University that I work for. It is an hour away from the main campus and another hour away by ferry to my home in Bacolod. So I have to follow this schedule every Saturday where I wake up at 5am in the morning to haul my bags to teach at the city campus and then after my class, I go home for the weekend. Well, in one of those weekends, I sat in front of someone in the ferry boat who bought takeout food from a food chain and it was Salisbury Steak. It was torture for someone who had no lunch and was sleepy and tired from the travel and had to teach for four hours straight that very morning. 

It was then decided in my mind that I was going to make my version of the food that was now ingrained in my mind. I remember making this dish a long time ago using Rachel Ray's recipe but I wanted to try something different. Okay, I have to admit, she has been annoying me lately so whose recipe do I follow? It was none other than Martha Stewart, another person who annoys the hell out of me. Anyway, the need to make the steak was much stronger than my personal issues so I went ahead and used her recipe. Let me just say it now, it was delicious. 

Salisbury Steak - Adapted*

2 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup panko or white bread crumbs
1/2 cup while milk
1 large onion, grated
1 cup Shitake mushrooms, diced
2 cups beef broth
1 large egg
2 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp corn starch + extra for dusting
vegetable oil
salt and pepper

1. In a large bowl, combine the meat, half of the onions, bread crumbs, egg, 
    milk, parsley and Worcestershire sauce. Season with salt and pepper. 
    Combine well and divide into 10 patties. Set aside.

2. In a large pan over medium heat, add enough vegetable oil to fry the 
    patties. Dip each patty into the extra corn starch and tap off the excess. 
    Fry in the vegetable oil for about 5 minutes or until browned. Turn with a 
    spatula and cook for another 3 minutes or until browned. Fry all the 
    patties and set them aside.

3. In the same pan used to fry the patties, saute the onions and mushrooms 
    and cook for about 5 minutes or until slightly caramelized. Add the beef 
    broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to low and bring to 
    a simmer.

4. Dissolve the teaspoon of cornstarch in 1/4 cup water and add to the sauce.
    Season with a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce.

5. Return the cooked patties into the gravy and cook until just heated 
    through. Serve immediately with mashed potatoes or steamed rice. 

*Martha Stewart: Salisbury Steak with Onion Gravy