Tuesday, December 4, 2007

CHICKEN ADOBO and PORK ADOBO



Adobo is a popularly common dish found in the Philippines, thus a national dish among the Filipinos. Typically made from pork or chicken or a combination of both, it is slowly cooked in soy sauce, vinegar, crushed garlic, bay leaf, and black peppercorns, and often browned in the oven or pan-fried afterwards to get the desirable crisped edges. This dish originates from the northern region of the Philippines. It is commonly packed for Filipino mountaineers and travelers. Its relatively long shelf-life is due to one of its primary ingredients, vinegar, which inhibits the growth of bacteriaThe standard accompaniments to adobo — and ultimate comfort meal for many Filipinos — are mung bean stew (monggo guisado) and lots of white rice. Unless adobo is eaten for breakfast, in which case fried or scrambled eggs, garlic-fried rice, chopped tomato & onion salad, and atchara (green papaya pickle) are the tradition.
Outside the dish, the essential flavoring of the food has been acquired and adapted to other foods. A number of successful local Philippine snack products usually mark their items "Adobo-flavored." This assortment includes, but is not limited to nuts, chips, noodle soups, and corn crackers.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobo

Reminds me of our beach picnics in Cebu. Adobo is one of Mama's menu w/ the "puso" hanging rice, grilled seafoods and fruits.

Ingredients:
4-5 lbs. chicken thighs cut into serving pieces or 2 lbs. Pork butt or porkbelly- cubed
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce for marinade
Pinch of salt and pepper
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns or freshly ground black pepper
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup dried lily blossoms if available..soaked in water *OPTIONAL
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon oil for searing
Water if necessary
 
Cover and marinate the meat with 1/4 cup soy sauce, pinch of S&P for 1 hr. On a large pot, sear the meat until brown, set aside. Remove excess oil, and combine all ingredients in the pot. Bring to a boil, then lower heat. Cover and let simmer for 35- 45 minutes for chicken, longer for pork. Add water if liquid has reduced and it's not tender enough. Make sure to taste and adjust the seasonings. Uncover and simmer until sauce is reduced and thickened, and meat is tender, about 30 more minutes. I usually cook mine until very tender especially with pork. Serve with steamed rice.
Serves 6-8
PABORITO NI NAKO- THIS IS MY FAVORITE

SPAGHETTI ALA JOLLIBEE (FILIPINO SPAGHETTI)







If you like bbq sauce spaghetti, you will like this as well. We love, love this

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 15 minutes

Yield: 6 SERVINGS

* Filipino Hotdog (Substitute regular hotdog) and the Banana Sauce Ketchup are available at any Asian Stores(UFC or Jufran are the Brandnames).

* We sometimes omit ground meat.

* Shredded cheddar cheese can be substituted with shredded parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup of ground meat (beef or pork)*
1 pack of Filipino hotdog or regular hotdog.(Sliced on a bias about an inch size)*
1 medium chopped sweet onions
2 cloves minced garlic
2 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 big bottles banana sauce ketchup*
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoon oil

Procedure:
Sauté' the garlic and onions on a large pan. Cook until translucent.
Add the sliced hotdogs, stir until cooked.
Stir in tomato paste and add the banana sauce (ketchup).
Stir and mix well until it starts to boil.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
Set aside.
Cook pasta according to package instructions.
Drain and add into the sauce and mix well.
Serve on a big platter and garnish with shredded cheddar cheese.
ENJOY!!!! Come on give it a try=:)

TILAWI' SIGURADO KO MA GUSTUHAN NINYO = TRY IT, AND I'M SURE YOU'LL LIKE IT

Monday, December 3, 2007

ENSAYMADA





Okay, a little confession=:) I don't really bake...it's just not my cup of tea. Too scientific and precise for me. If you mess up that's it for you, unlike cooking you can add and modifiy. But, i take on the challenge from time to time, especially if i like a recipe that calls for baking. So...this week i had the craving for ensaymada. Yes, i can buy some ensaymada but expensive , buying a few will not satisfy my craving. HHHmmm what to do? I went through my recipe box and got my ensaymada recipe w/c i have made by the way, a long time ago. Went to work and hoped that it'll come out as good as i remembered the last time i made some. It did, but this time i made it smaller so it'll last a looonnnggg time=:) and savor my ensaymada.


Oh, by the way for those readers who has no idea what an ensaymada is....it's a Filipino version of brioche or perhaps croissant (French sweet bread). Correct me if i'm wrong or pls. let me know.


***The red dots in the picture means that ensaymada has no filling. My daughter likes hers plain.=:)


Ingredients:

1st bowl: 3 1/2 t yeast
1 1/2 t white sugar
1/3 c lukewarm H2O
*****Mix, set aside until bubbly


2nd bowl: 1/2 c diluted milk (1/4 H2O and 1/4 evaporated milk)
or 1/2 c whole milk
1/4 c melted butter
1/2 c white sugar
3 egg yolks (large)
******Low, heat, then cool

3rd bowl: 2 1/2 c all purpose flour (sifted)
1/2 c all purpose flour (allowance) for board dusting

Procedure:
1. Mix everything in a bowl until well blended.(Until not sticky)
2. Tansfer in a greased bowl, let it rise for an hour or 30 min. then cut into 12 pcs., double it if you want smaller sizes.
3. Knead dough then put filling (optional) and roll.
***Roll like a snake and coil like a cobra" Don't laugh..does it make sense? Haha!
*****okay, roll into logs and coil or make a knot.
4. Put the coiled dough in a greased muffin tins. Let rise for another hour.
5. Brush with butter and bake in a preheated 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until light brown.
6. Slather with butter, and sprinkle with sugar and top with grated cheddar cheese.
FILLING CHOICES: CHEESE, BACON, HAM, UBE JAM, MACAPUNO
LAMI KAAYO!!! - VERY DELICIOUS