Monthly Archives: May 2007

strawberry syrup

i would love to just drown in it…

i’m going out on a limb to say that i hope i’ll have a few posts drenched, dripping, nay, drowning!!!….in strawberry syrup.

1 lb. strawberries, hulled, sliced

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/3 cup Lyle’s golden syrup

a pinch of salt

stir all the above ingredients together in a saucepan set over medium heat. bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. boil 10 minutes. remove from heat and add 2 tbsps. fresh lemon juice. use a stick blender to puree everything into a smooth pulp.

store in refrigerator. (based on a recipe from Bon Appetit, June 2007).

pineapple-ginger salsa

sometimes you just want to try something new.
though the kids have their usual favorites and though they remind me of certain dishes they crave for and want to eat like, right now, i do feel the need to try out new things, much like a singer wants to tackle a new song or refurbish an old one and lift it up to higher levels.
this pineapple ginger salsa as a side for breaded pork chops (method for breading is here but substitute panko for the plain bread crumbs) seemed so unusual at first but when #1son braved a sample, he exclaimed “IT’S GOOD! good combination with the pork chop Mom!”
this is Daisy Martinez’s recipe (Bon Appetit magazine, June 2007). i ratcheted up the salt factor just a bit more (salting the chops before adding seasoned flour). the boys were smacking their lips from the crispy-on-the-outside-juicy-on-the-inside goodness. our one and only daughter is off to her 7th grade class adventure in Cape Cod. mummy’s wringing her hands and fidgeting till her return….
pinya luya Continue reading →

chicken tagine

…except i don’t have a tagine. only a cute little miniature.

the word tagine or tajine refers to both the homey Moroccan fare cooked in them, and to the clay casserole dish with a steep conical cover. it has a vent-hole on the tip for releasing some steam, while the steep sides allows moisture to return to baste the dish. no matter, i just used a cast-iron Dutch oven with a tightly fitting lid that must be left slightly askew to vent it properly.
so the dish is chicken in the spirit of tagine. :fryingpan
i think the raw chicken getting its spice treatment looks prettier than the cooked stew.

the dish must have this ingredient which i found in the nearby halal meat and spice store tucked away next to our family dentist…preserved lemons (seems easy to make this at home, using this recipe). this one has saffron and black seeds (sesame? onion?) i’m just guessing because it is not on the label.

served with fried potato quarters…

with a taste just faintly similar to arroz con pollo but more tangy and deep, the kids loved it! when i interviewed them like the food critics that they are: what do you think? not too spicy huh? you like the sauce? ..only #2son said it needed salt (i think he was mainly playing with the shaker though…)

recipe from the Boston Globe, May 9 2007, developed by Sheryl Julian. Continue reading →

to every mother, for every child

mom you haven’t made cookies in a long time. said with puppy dog mournful eyes alternately by the three beloved children at different times, at the most heart-tugging moments in the busy days gone by.

so i hastily googled for something new, something different, with the vague idea that it should have dried cherries. not sure why, perhaps i was remembering a fondness i had for this ice cream flavor which i first hankered for when i was expecting my first child.

it’s been in the top ten most popular of this ice cream company way up north ever since it was introduced.

funny really how almost every mommy you encounter, no matter what the age, will remember in very vivid, sometimes graphic detail, their pregnancies and childbirth experiences. what food they craved (paglilihi or lihi in Tagalog) and what food they despised.

Continue reading →

pork belly cooked with kim chee

i saw many versions of this in the blogs that i regularly visit and it sure made my mouth water at the mere thought: pork belly! kim chee!

so on a day when my appetite seemed to be blah and in need of invigorating, and i couldn’t think of what to cook, this dish came to mind, a very simple dish with explosive flavors. just make sure you have a cold drink nearby.

cut pork belly into two inch strips. season with salt and pepper.

heat a flat bottomed skillet and add vegetable oil. brown the pork belly all over and set aside on a paper towel lined platter. skim off excess fat then add crushed garlic and scallions. add pork belly pieces, kim chee, a splash each of sesame oil and rice wine. i also added about a tablespoon of fermented fish paste (bagoong isda or padek). add enough water to cover, put on the lid, and let simmer until pork is tender.

pour over a huge mound of hot white rice and garnish with more kim chee, if you dare.

feed.us.now.

mug shots of my early morning hold-up-pers..  above: ice-blue-eyed 1 year old male Napoleon non-standard,  and below: green-eyed 15 year old female American longhair….if anyone finds me all bitten and scratched and unconscious on the kitchen floor, i’m telling you now…

shrimp Cantonese, or shrimp with lobster sauce

shrimp Cantonese
“hmmmm, where’s the lobster?” must be something lost in the translation.

so lobster sauce=sauce cooked for lobster. after many experiments we’ve decided to stick to this recipe, and it comes from a Filipino cookbook. the Chinese restaurant versions are usually very heavy on the soy sauce. this one doesn’t overwhelm the shrimp at all. substitute lobster or crab, or monkfish, just be careful not to overcook.

i like to pile this on top of freshly steamed rice.

based on a recipe from my worn-out-soy-splattered-badly-battered “Filipino Cooking Here and Abroad” (shrimp variation of “Crab Cantonese”)…

Continue reading →