Rosemary-crusted Pork Tenderlon with Red Wine Reduction Sauce

My seasoning included one teaspoon each of salt and ground black pepper, half teaspoon each of paprika and chili powder. Mix together all these spices and rub thoroughly onto the meat. The pork is about 350 grams and about two inches thick. Then roll the pork on rosemary leaves. Make sure that most of it is covered by the herb. Leave in the fridge overnight.

You can prepare the sauce ahead of time. Simply sautee 8-10 pieces of shallots in two tablespoons of butter and one tablespoon of olive oil over low fire. Cook until the shallots are soft. Pour in 1.5 cup of red wine (I used Penfolds cabernet sauvignon, but definitely you can use any red wine your prefer) and 1.5 cup chicken stock. Simmer over very low fire until it is reduced into half. Season with a little salt and pepper.

Here's how we cook the meat. Remove the pork from the fridge and keep at room temperature. Once ready, coat a nonstick pan with olive oil, about two tablespoons. Once hot, fry one side of the pork over low-medium fire. Cover the pan. Cook each side for about three to four minutes. You can pinch the meat with your thumb to know if the center is still raw. If it feels very soft, it's still uncooked.

Once cooked, cover the meat with foil and let it rest for about 7-10 minutes before slicing. Slice the meat diagonally to make appear the pieces larger. Pour the warm wine sauce over it before serving.

Happy eating!

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Broccoli and Longganisa Pasta

Although longganisa originated in Spain (longaniza), it is perhaps the most famous sausage in the Philippines.  It is usually served during breakfast together with fried egg (sunny side-up) and garlic rice. There are different kinds of longganisa.  Among the most notable ones are Lucban longganisa from the province of Quezon and Vigan longganisa from Ilocos, both made from pork.  There is also longganisa made of ground chicken.

This recipe is very easy and can be done in minutes.

First, choose your pasta.  I preferred not using the ribbon family so the meal can be eaten easily.  Besides, this dish isn't saucy at all.  Cook your pasta according to the package instructions.

While waiting for your pasta, in a separate pan, saute one medium minced white onion in two tablespoons olive oil.  Once the onion becomes translucent, add two pieces of thinly sliced longganisa (that's about 1/2 cup).  The sausage I used here were brought from a local market. Saute for about a minute, then add one and a half cup of broccoli flower.  Pour 1/2 cup chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper. Add a few dashes of paprika, dried basil and chili powder. Let it simmer over low fire until the broccoli is tender.

Toss the pasta to your veggie and sausage and mix thoroughly.  Continue mixing for 30 seconds to one minute.  Add some parmesan cheese on top. Serve hot!

Happy eating!

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Meatballs in Chunky Tomato Sauce

I know most of you probably have cooked meatballs at least once in your lifetime. But lemme share with you the recipe I grew up with. Back when I was little, sweet and sour meatballs is all I knew. It's one of my faves from my father. When started to learn cooking, I imitated how he does it. But now, I thought maybe I could tweak it a bit to give the meat more oomph and flavor.

The process would start with my father having all the vegetables (one large skinned carrot, one large celery stalk, one large peeled red onion and 5-6 cloves of garlic) grinded with a kilo of lean beef. Well, that's him. My way? I grate the carrots, mince the onion, crush the garlic and finely chop the celery.

One they are mixed thoroughly, add three medium eggs and season with salt and pepper. As for me, I opted to include one tablespoon of paprika, half tablespoon of chili powder and a few dashes of nutmeg. Mix them well.

Before you mold the meat into balls (about the size of a golf ball), I suggest that you "test" the taste first. Simply, coat a pan with olive oil. Once hot, fry about a teaspoon of the meat. This way, you'd be able to adjust the taste.

Deep fry the meatballs over low-medium fire.

Let's do the sauce while waiting for the balls, shall we? In a sauce pan, sautee one medium diced white onion in olive oil over medium. Add 500-600 grams largely chopped tomatoes (deseeded), mix and cover for about two minutes. Add 2/3 cup stock and 500 grams tomato paste. Lower the fire and cover the pan. Let it simmer for about 5-7 minutes. Add salt and pepper. I would prefer to include a teaspoon of crushed basil. Cover again and let it simmer until the sauce thickens.

Once ready, just pour the sauce onto the meatballs. Serve hot.

Happy eating!

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Cod Fish with Mashed Strawberry

I had this pack of fillet cod fish and I didn't know what to do with it.  When I don't have the time to do some grocery, I have no choice but to content myself with what's available in our cupboard and fridge.

So I found some sweet strawberries, tomatoes and orange, and started working on this dish.

First, season 500 grams of cod and sprinkle some crushed tarragon. Pan-grill the fish until golden brown and set aside.

Next, coat a non-stick pan with olive oil. Sautee 1/4 cup minced white onion. Add one small diced tomato (deseeded). Pour in one cup of mashed sweet strawberries. Add one tablespoon of orange juice, a dash of cinnamon powder and nutmeg. Add 1/4 cup stock and simmer till the mixture thickens.

Now, that is sweet! And savory.

Happy eating!

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Not Your Ordinary Menudo

It's my first Filipino dish here on the blog!

I have cooked sinigang, tinola, kare-kare, adobo, afritada and pochero several times, and I can write about them with my eyes closed.  So I challenged myself and menudo is a first for me.  I know it's popular and common among  households so I put a little twist into it; adding unusual ingredients and making a few spins.

Start working on the dish by marinating 1kg of pork, cut into small bite-size pieces, with 1/2 cup of Sprite (oh, yes!) and 3 tablespoons of spanish paprika.  Add a few dashes of nutmeg and 1 tablespoon of dried thyme, mix well, and cover for at least 30 minutes.

In a large casserole, saute 4 cloves of crushed garlic and 1 large minced onion.  Add the pork (save the marinate) and cook until the meat turns brown.  Add the marinate and simmer until almost all the liquid has evaporated.  Pour in 3/4 cup red wine and simmer again over low fire, reducing the wine to about 1/4 cup.  Add 1/2kg of pork liver cut into small cubes and 1/4 kg of sliced hotdogs.  Keep mixing and simmer for another 2 minutes.

Pour 500 grams of tomato sauce, add 1.5 cups each of diced potato and carrot.  Continue simmering until the veggies are soft but not breakable.  Add 1/4 cup raisins, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 medium red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into short strips, and about 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese.  Mix and simmer for another 2 minutes.

Your menudo is now ready.  Serve with rice.

Happy eating!

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Pineapple Chicken Burger with Mango Barbecue Sauce

Pineapple and chicken go well together.

My love for this combination started when I was in pre-school. I remember my mama would often cook Pininyahang Manok (Chicken and Pineapple in milk sauce) for my packed lunch. I enjoyed the sweetness of the fruit with the tenderness of chicken and creaminess of milk. The slices of hotdog sauteed with the chicken added enough saltiness into it. *slurp*

I don't remember the last time I had that dish. But because I'm too familiar with it already, I went for something I haven't done before. And to make it even better, I made a special sauce for the star of the meal. I really do hope my palate will please you.

Prepare the following:

Burger patties
- 700 grams ground chicken (no skin)
- 1 pc red bell pepper, seeded and minced
- 3 pcs minced shallots
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 3 eggs slightly beaten
- 250 grams crushed pineapple (juice included)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper

Sauce
- 350 ml tomato catsup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin powder
- 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup minced (yes, I did that) ripe mango (should be sweet)
- salt and pepper

Here's how:

To prepare the burger patties, simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Using a molder (you may substitute any round container lid), arrange about four tablespoons of the mixture (about 1/2 inch thick) in a plastic sheet and keep in the freezer if you don't intend to cook it yet. (Yields about seven patties). When cooking, grease a non-stick pan with olive oil. Cook each side for 3-4 minutes over medium fire.

Mix together all the ingredients of the barbecue sauce except for the mango and simmer over very low fire for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mango and continue simmering for another 2 minutes.

Happy eating!

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Chicken Peri-Peri (Piri-Piri)

While reading this book about various ingredients that work really well when combined together, I came across with chicken and chili.  Quite frankly, I thought that was ordinary since most Filipinos use chili in sauces and dips for almost all proteins.  Oftentimes, we mix chilis with vinegar, soy sauce and fish sauce with calamansi (my personal preference). But my interest got tickled when peri-peri was mentioned in the book. I know I have not tasted it before. So that’s when I started checking Google.

With all the recipes I saw, the three most common ingredients are: oil, citrus juice (lemon) and, of course, chili. As usual, I put my personal spin into it.

Take two large chicken breasts, skin on and bone in. Place them in a large bowl then pour in 1/3 cup orange juice. Add two pieces minced shallots, two cloves of crushed garlic, one teaspoon each of cayenne powder, ginger powder (or two teaspoons crushed ginger), chili powder and paprika. Season with salt and black ground pepper, and add four tablespoons of olive oil. Lastly, toss in a handful of chopped red chilis. Mix thoroughly and marinate for no less than 24 hours.

After 24 hours…

Grease a grilling pan with olive oil. Make sure the pan is totally hot before placing the chicken (skin side first). Cook over medium fire. Brush the chicken with the marinade until it cooks. Serve with salad or any starch.

Happy eating.

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Beef in Red Wine with Black Olives

Thanks to the busy holidays, I wasn't able to put much on my site last month. But I promised to myself that I have to write something at the start of the new year. So here's a recipe which I've actually tried a couple of weeks before Christmas. (Did I say I was too busy to write?)

What I have here is a dish that can be done in any day. The fact of the matter is, I read it from Elizabeth David's cookbook. What really prompted me to do this is a bottle of unfinished red wine. As you may know,  a bottle of red wine has only a day or two to keep its richness once opened. So I maximized the remaining wine through this.

I got here about 500 grams of cheap beef cut into cubes (about an inch thick) browned in two tablespoons of unsalted butter.

I poured in 1.5 cups each of stock and wine and added one large piece of bay leaf, parsley and a teaspoon of dried thyme.

I then covered the casserole with foil and simmered it over low fire for about 1.5 hours. Then I added about a cup of whole pitted olives and simmered it for another 15-20 minutes.

Here is the end result. What better way to eat this than with rice!

Happy eating!

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Braised Beef Shank with Saffron Risotto

I wanted to cook beef. Most main recipes I posted here are either chicken or fish. So I searched through a couple of cookbooks and found out this braised veal shank recipe. I liked the simplicity of the dish, but the million dollar question was...Where do I get veal shank? Veal is not very common in most supermarkets or grocery stores here. I knew then that I had to tweak the recipe so I settled for cheap beef shanks. I added a few ingredients other than those mentioned in the cookbook and here is the product.

First you need to brown 4-5 pcs of beef shank (about 1.5 kg) in 2 tablespoons of butter in a large pan. Then arrange the meat in such a way that marrows will not fall off once cooked. Pour a cup of white wine then simmer for 10 minutes over medium fire.

Add 1.5 cups of chopped tomatoes (seeds removed), salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon each of thyme and paprika, and 1 cup of stock. Simmer over low fire for 1.5 to 2 hours, covering the pan during the first hour. Cook the shanks until tender but not breakable. (Should your stock dry up, add 1/4 cup more at a time until the meat is cooked)

Then we prepare the gremolata. All you need to do is crush 2 gloves of garlic, combine it with a handful of chopped parsley and lemon rind (about half of the lemon). Mix well together then place on top of the shank.

As for the saffron risotto, add 2/3 teaspoon of saffron powder to 1 liter of simmering stock (Should you like a bolder color like what I did, add more saffron about 1.5 teaspoon). Check my risotto recipe here. You may opt to add less parmesan cheese or none at all (But it's better with cheese).

Happy eating!

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Sweet Pork Loin with Beer Pineapple Sauce

I've tried using alcoholic beverage in some of my dishes. But I've always limited myself to wine. So now I thought of trying beer. And what better protein to pair it with than pork!

Filipinos love these two. When there's pork, there's beer. So then I decided to put them together in one simple dish.

First you have to soak two teaspoons of annatto (achuete) in 1/4 cup warm water. Let it stay there until the water cools. Once ready, pour it in a container, mixing two heaping tablespoons of brown sugar, one teaspoon whole black peppercorns, two small bay leaves, one teaspoon crushed garlic, tarragon and salt. Marinate two pork loins (about 400 grams, not thicker than half inch, skin removed) in this mixture for not less than 24 hours.

After 24 hours...

Drain the liquid from all the spices keeping the marinade aside. Coat a pan with two tablespoons of olive oil and heat over medium fire. Fry each side of the pork for about two minutes or until cook. Set aside and let rest.

Sauté 1/4 cup of minced white onion in two tablespoons butter. Cook the onion well. Pour in the marinade, increase the fire and quickly boil for three minutes. Pour in 1/2 cup each of pineapple juice and beer. Simmer for five more minutes. Then strain the mixture from solids. Once done, simmer the mixture again until thick.

Slice the pork into about half an inch and then pour the sauce.

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Mediterranean-Style Salad with Yogurt Dressing and Spicy Grilled Chicken

Eating out or calling a delivery hotline is always tempting especially for those who come home uber exhausted from work. We actually see this situation on TV every single day. But what many do not know is that there's pleasure in cooking your own food. It makes you creative. It allows you to spend some time with yourself or a loved one. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and pride.

Now here's something very quick for those who say they don't have time to cook. It'll take you not more than 10 minutes to create this healthy, simple and satisfying meal.

Cut some romaine lettuce (about 400 grams) into not more than 1 inch wide. Toss in black olives, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, capers and feta cheese.

In a separate bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of plain yogurt, add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the dressing into your veggies and toss thoroughly.

For the protein, rub 2 pcs of chicken breasts with 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon each of chili powder, paprika and cayenne powder. Add a few dash of salt, pepper and dried thyme.

Coat a pan with olive oil and heat over medium fire. Fry each side of the meat for about two minutes. Let it rest for about five minutes before slicing.

Happy eating!

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A Three-Course Dinner: Apple and Pear with Mint Cream Cheese (Dessert)

Light, refreshing and not too sweet. That's how I describe the last course of this meal. Here I made a very simple dessert using simple uncomplicated ingredients.

First step is to peel the apples and pears and remove the core. Then they are poached in 1 cup white wine and 1 cup water over low fire. Make sure not to boil them. Add 2-3 wedges of lemon and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Cook them until soft but not breakable.

You can poach the fruits together or separately.  If you want to cook them together watch out for the apples as they will certainly cook faster than the pears. Once the fruits are cooked, remove them from the mixture and heat up the fire. Reduce the liquid until thick like a syrup, then pour it over the fruits.

Now let's do the mint cream cheese. Simply mix together 5 tablespoons of cream cheese, 1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves, 1 teaspoon american cheese (or cheddar), 2 tablespoon of plain yogurt and dash of salt.

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A Three-Course Dinner: Grilled Salmon with Avocado Remoulade (Entreé)

This is probably the most tedious dish I've done so far. Aside from grilling the fish, I also made a remoulade and salad as side. I avoided adding more starch like potato or rice since I already served risotto on the first course.

To prepare the avocado remoulade, you'll need 1 large avocado (about 200g), 1 tablespoon each of lime juice (rind included), olive oil and crushed parsley, and salt to taste. Combine the avocado meat together with the other ingredients in a blender and blend well. Make sure that there are no lumps left.

For the salad, simply mix 1 cup of alfalfa with some chopped celery, sliced black olives, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and some cherry tomatoes. Toss well.

 Season the fish with sea salt, white pepper and crushed tarragon. Coat a non-stick pan with olive oil (about 3 tablespoons) then heat up over medium far. Place the salmon skin-side first and cook for about four minutes. Turn the fish and cook the other side for about 2-3 minutes. Once done, rest the salmon before plating.

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A Three-Course Dinner: Mushroom Risotto (Appetizer)

It was my sister's birthday and I wanted to make it special. Usually our family eats out on special occasions like this. But it's been a while since I cooked a salmon dish and my sister has asked me several times to cook one again.

To make things more challenging (and complicated), I thought why not prepare a three-course meal for that day? So I've gone through a lot of recipes to see what best appetizer and dessert will complement my salmon dish.

To start off the dinner on that evening, I decided to cook another risotto dish. That's easy and not really complicated (but requires proper timing). You can check my parmesan risotto recipe for the ingredients and procedures. The only difference is that instead of cheese, you add sliced shiitake mushrooms (about 3/4 cup) before the rice is fully cooked (together the last ladle of stock you added) and some crushed parsley .

I separated the entry of each course to spare you from reading a very long boring blog. Check on the next blogs for the entree and dessert.

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Pepper-crusted Chicken with Roasted Mushrooms and Pesto

I've tried this before. Not as a dish though, but as a sandwich. The one I tasted from a coffee shop in Manila (make a guess which one) was bland. Boom! So I thought of re-creating it into a dish that can be eaten with any starch.

So here's how you do this easy and satisfying meal.

1. Pound your chicken breasts to make it a wee bit thin. That way, it's quicker to cook.

2. Season it with the following: salt, thyme and paprika. Add chili powder if you prefer.

3. Heat about two and a half tablespoons of olive oil over medium fire. Coat the chicken with ground black pepper before frying. It should only take about 2-3 minutes to cook each side (that depends on how thin you pounded the poor breasts).

Tip: Make a small slice at the center of the chix. If the color is still pink, it's still raw. Remember, it's a major sin to serve raw poultry!

4. Once cooked, immediately toss some sliced shiitake mushrooms (use as many as you want) on the pan where you fried the chicken. Add some olive oil when needed.

5. Arrange on a plate with a tablespoon (or more) of pesto on the side.

Voila! Happy eating!

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Spicy Tuna Tocino

The idea of this dish came from Erwan's creation. His blog is one of the few sites I often visit. Aside from learning techniques and recipes in cook books, I also acquire a few tricks from his blog. And quite frankly, it actually inspired me to revive Craves and Tales.

Of course, I had to tweak his recipe a bit; I used a different protein and added different spices. I hope you'd love this one.

Firstly, we have to marinate the fish. In a large bowl, put two tuna loins (about 500 grams). Rub them with a one large crushed garlic and a teaspoon of salt.

Next, add paprika, chili powder, cayenne powder and saffron - one teaspoonful each (or more). Sprinkle with some ground pepper. Add 3/4 cup brown sugar. Mix well then marinate in the fridge for 48 hours.

Once ready, place the tuna together with the melted sugar (mixture) in a casserole. Pour 3/4 cup stock. Simmer the fish over low fire until cooked.

Remove the fish from the casserole. At this point, add two tablespoons of sugar then reduce the liquid until thick. Pour the sauce over the fish and top with some onion springs.

Happy eating!

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Pan-seared Scallops with Blueberry Chutney and Arugula Salad

It is without a doubt that scallop is my favorite shellfish. And my dream of cooking a scallop dish has come true (at a very expensive cost - literally)!

This recipe will take a lot of preparations compared to the usual dishes I posted here. But hey, it's all worth it.

Blueberry Chutney

Place about 100 grams of blueberries in a casserole. Add 1 small glove of crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon ginger powder, a dash of cayenne powder and 1/4 cup cider vinegar. Simmer for five minutes over medium fire. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup water. Continue simmering until thick over low fire. Do not dry up all the liquid. Set aside.

Arugula Salad

Sprinkle some salt on your arugula salad, then toss before washing on running water. Drain and let it dry. For the dressing, combine 2 tablespoons of cream cheese, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lime juice (rind optional), salt, white pepper and 1 egg yolk. Mix thoroughly.

Bed of veggies

Roast the bell peppers over low fire (yes, of your stove. that's legal. and acceptable) as shown in the picture. Make sure that all sides are roasted. If a grill is not available, use tongs to hold the bell over the fire. Once done, let it cool a little. Using a pairing knife, scrape the burnt skin. Remove the seeds and slice thinly.

Grab some sun-dried tomatoes and slice as thinly as the bell peppers. Sauté both ingredients in olive oil until the tomatoes are soft. Season with salt and pepper.

Searing the Scallops

Now here comes the star! Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan. Season the scallops with sea salt and a few dashes of white pepper. Make sure the oil is really hot before placing the scallops on the pan. Each side will take about 2-3 minutes to cook. (Cook it longer and you'll eat rubber).

Follow this: bell peppers and sun-dried tomatoes at the bottom, scallop on top, blueberry chutney above. Place some arugula leaves at the side and drizzle with the cream cheese dressing.

Happy eating!

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