Saluyot Delightful Cooking

Laing is humble, day-to-day food, which can flame with chili-hotness, or be enhanced into festive food. Its flexibility and down-to-reach origins make it downhome, comforting for Filipinos, yet with room for innovation and daring.

Laing

½ kilo gabi leaves and stalks
2 large coconuts
5 cups lukewarm water, divided
1 tbsp. corn oil
1 tbsp. crushed garlic
1 tbsp. minced ginger
½ cup chopped onions
1 cup diced pork, boiled till tender
1 cup shrimp, shelled and deveined
¼ cup bagoong alamang
3 siling labuyo, diced

Wilt gabi leaves by hanging upside down in a shaded area. This will take 2 to 3 days. Gabi leaves are ready to cook when they are dry and crisp.

Cut up the gabi leaves, including the stems, into 1-inch pieces. Wash and set aside.

Drain juice from the coconuts and grate the coconut meat.

Add 1 cup of the water t grated coconut and squeeze to extract gata. Strain liquid and set aside. This is the first extraction.

Pour another two cups of water to grated coconut and squeeze again for second extraction. Set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat oil and sauté garlic, ginger onions.

Add pork and shrimp. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add bagoong alamang and blend well.

Pour in the second and third extractions of coconut. Bring to a boil and lower heat.

Add gabi leaves and simmer for 30 minutes or until gabi leaves and stems are soft and tender. Add the first extraction of coconut and simmer again for 10 minutes or until oil comes out from the cream. Laing is cooked when coconut cream forms white lumps.

Manila Bulletin

Food writer, cookbook and children’s book writer, Vicky Veloso-Barrera’s newest cookbook and entertaining guide dubbed “A Worldwide Feast,” features almost a hundred recipes that were inspired by a very large collection of cookbooks, travels around country and abroad.

Published by Anvil, Vicky Veloso-Berrera’s book is supported by Fly Ace Corporation and Mediterranean Gateway Dining Club. Fly Ace Mediterranean food line features best selling brands like Pietro Coricelli extra virgin olive oils and Federicipasta, exclusively imported from Italy.

“Worldwide Feast” is now available at National bookstore, Powerbooks and other leading bookstore.

CHICKEN WITH MUSTARD AND HERBS

8 pcs. chicken thighs
¼ cup butter, softened
2 tbsps. Pietro Coricelli organic Extra Virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. Mustard (preferably Dijon)
1 tbsp. Chopped fresh herbs (thyme, tarragon, oregano or marjoram)
salt and pepper to taste
Place the chicken pieces in a single layer in a baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the butter, Pietro Coricelli Organic Extra Virgin olive oil, mustard and herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Brush the mustard and herb mixture evenly over the chicken thighs. Bake in a 350° oven for 45 minutes or until golden brown and tender

GNOCCHI WITH SMOKED TANGUINGUE AND DILL

500 grams dried gnocchi or other Federici Pasta shape
2/3 cup smoked tanguingue (or substitute another smoked dish, such as salmon)
2 tbsps. Dona Maria capers, drained
2 tbsps. Fresh dill, snipped into smaller pieces, plus additional for garnish
½ cup butter, softened
1 ¼ cup whipping cream
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
pepper to taste

Cook the gnocchi in boiling water until just tender. In the meantime, cut the smoked tanguingue into small strips and combine in a bowl with Dona Maria capers and fresh dill. Stir together the butter, whipping cream and parmesan cheese; toss gently with the smoked tanguingue mixture and season to taste with black pepper. When pasta is done, add the tanguingue mixture and toss gently together. Serve garnish with additional dill.

ROAST LED OF LAMB WITH ROSEMARY

1 small leg of lamb (about 2 kilos)
1 or 2 whole heads garlic, peeled
¼ cup Pietro Coricelli Extra Virgin olive oil
¼ cup Franzia California White Wine
1 tbsp. Rosemary
ground pepper

Gravy:

2 tbsps. Butter
1 tbsps. Flour
1 cup beef flour
salt and pepper to taste

Pierce the leg of lamb all over with the tip of a small sharp knife and insert a clove of garlic into each slit. Drizzle the lamb with Pietro Coricelli Extra Virgin olive oil and Franzia California White wine, sprinkle all over with the rosemary and pepper. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator several hours. Roast in a 400° over for 1 ½ to 2½ hours, depending on the size of the lamb. Meanwhile, prepare the base for the gravy: melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour. Cook until the flour is bubbly. Add the beef broth and cook until thickened. When the lamb is done, transfer the lamb to a serving dish. Scrape all the browned bits in the baking pan and pour everything, bits and juices, into the gravy base. (You may want to skim off some of the melted fat first). Stir well together over medium heat and season with salt and pepper.

Manila Bulletin

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Who says health conscious can’t have the most appetizing and sumptuous meals? Why limit yourselves and settle for bland or the not-so-tasty foods when you can always cook-up the most tempting treats without forgetting the nutritional needs of your bodies.

San Miguel Pure Foods Culinary Center shares with you the recipes to satisfy your palates and provides nutrients we need.

STEAMED CHICKEN WITH ASPARAGUS

500 grams Magnolia chicken breast fillet
½ cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup sherry
3 tbsps. sugar
2 tbsps. ginger
200 grams asparagus
½ cup cornstarch

Slice chicken breast fillet butterfly style.

Combine soy sauce, sherry, sugar and ginger in a bowl. Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes.

To prepare asparagus: Use a vegetable peeler to strip the outer skin from the lower portions of the asparagus. Cut into two.

To assemble: Put asparagus in the middle of the chicken fillet and roll. Dredge in cornstarch and place in a heat proof serving dish. Spoon some marinate mixture on the chicken and steam for 10-12 minutes until chicken is cooked.

FRAGRANT NOODLE SOUP

½ kg. Monterey beef sirloin, sliced thinly

Marinade:

3 tbsps. fish (patis)
3 tbsps. fresh lemon or lime juice
1/1/2 tbsp. minced ginger
1 tbsp. Sugar
1 large garlic clove, minced
½ kilo Monterey Beef Sirloin, sliced thinly
t tbsp. Corn oil

Soup:

200 grams flat rice noodles
6 cups beef stock
3-5 tbsps. fish sauce (patis)
1 tbsp. garlic clove, crushed
6 pcs. spring onions, cut into 1/1/2 inch lengths
3 cups fresh beans sprouts, rinsed and drained
1 cup fresh Chinese cabbage (white pechay) fnely shredded
¼ cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
¼ cup roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped lemon or lime, cut into 6 wedges mint and cilantro for garnish

Chili sauce:
1/3 cup fish sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
1 large Taiwan garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp. Red pepper flakes
1 tbsp. Sugar
1 tbsp. Fresh lime or lemon juice
1 pc. Small carrot, thinly sliced

In a glass or stainless steel bowl, marinate the beef for 1-2 hours inside the refrigerator.

Take the beef from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels.

Discard the marinade. To prepare the soup, drop the rice noodles into a large pot boiling water over high heat. Cook for 1 minute in boiling water. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water. In a saucepot, combine the chicken stock, ½ cup of fish sauce, ginger and garlic. Bring to a boil over moderate heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and keep warm.

To prepare chili sauce, combine all ingredients together. Mix well.

Upon serving, bring the soup to a boil. Remove ginger slices and add the spring onions. Season with fish sauce if desired. Arrange the cooked rice noodles, top with some beef, bean sprouts, and Chinese cabbage. Pour in boiling broth, putting some of the spring onions in each. Serve hot, garnished with mint, cilantro, peanuts and lemon wedges. Spoon a little of the chili sauce to taste.

Manila Bulletin

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(ARA) - When it gets chilly outside, my wife Jools goes mad for this stew and the kids love it, too. A side of braised spinach with chocolate clafoutis with caramelized oranges for dessert are the perfect comfort food companions for this delicious meal.

The beef stew is pretty straightforward, but I've added squash and Jerusalem artichokes, which partly cook into the sauce, making it really sumptuous with an unusual and wonderful flavor. Don't worry if you can't get hold of either of these ingredients. You can add various root vegetables and swap the potatoes for pearl barley or butter beans. And if wine doesn't happen to be that close to home then a little stock, water or even a mild beer or Guinness can be really good substitutes.

The other great thing about this stew is that it gets put together very quickly. This is partly to do with the fact that I don't spend any time browning off the meat. Even though this goes against all of my training, I experimented with two batches of meat and I browned one first before putting it in the stew and just used the other batch straight in the pot. The latter turned out to be the better stew, so I've stopped browning off the meat for all my stews these days.

A lovely thing to add when serving the stew up is a sprinkling of gremolata. This is a mixture of lemon zest, garlic and rosemary, and as soon as it hits the warm stew it really brings the flavors to life, so do try it.

Beef Stew
Serves 4

Olive oil

Knob of butter

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 handful of fresh sage leaves

1.75 pounds stewing steak or beef skirt

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Flour

2 parsnips, peeled and quartered

4 carrots, peeled and halved

Optional: 1/2 butternut squash, halved, deseeded and diced into 2-inch chunks

Optional: 1 handful of Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and halved

1 pound new potatoes

Optional: 2 to 3 artichokes, peeled and quartered

2 tablespoons tomato puree

1/2 bottle red wine

1 cup beef or vegetable stock

For the Gremolata

Zest of 1 lemon, finely grated

Small handful of rosemary, leaves picked and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

To an appropriately sized pot or casserole pan, add a little oil and your knob of butter and slowly fry off your onion and all of the sage leaves for 3 or 4 minutes. Toss the meat in a little seasoned flour, then add it to the pan with all the vegetables, the tomato puree, wine and stock and gently stir together. Season generously with black pepper and just a little salt. Bring to a boil, place a lid on top, then put into the oven at 320 degrees until the meat is tender. Sometimes this takes 3 hours, sometimes 4. This can depend on what cut of meat you're using and how fresh it is. The only way to test it is to mash up the meat, and if it falls apart easily then it's ready.

Many times when I haven't got time to make dinner in the evening, I just put this in the oven after breakfast, then clean up and go out for the day knowing that I'll be coming home to a lovely dinner. Or, I just program the cook time and temperature for the beef stew on the "Favorites Cycle" on my Amana range. That way, Jools can get dinner started with the push of a button.

Once it's cooked, you can turn the oven down to about 200 degrees and just hold it there until you're ready to eat. With my Amana range, I just put the meat in the separate warming oven and it keeps it at just the right temperature while I prepare the rest of my meal.

The best way to serve this is by ladling big spoonfuls into bowls, accompanied by a glass of French red wine and some really fresh, warmed bread. It's lovely when torn up and shared. Sprinkle some of the gremolata mix over the stew before eating. Just the smallest amount will make a world of difference -- and remember, you can always go back for more so don't go over the top.

Perfect Braised Spinach

The simplest way to cook spinach is in a pan with a little olive oil, butter, a grating of nutmeg and a tiny squeeze of lemon juice with a lid on to let it steam. This will taste great, and it goes with just about anything -- pasta, fish or meat. If there is any excess moisture when the spinach is cooked, just tilt the pan so it runs to the other side and pour it away. Let the spinach sit for a minute and then serve.

Chocolate Clafoutis with Caramelized Oranges
Serves 6 to 8

The nice thing about this recipe is that the fruit accompanying it can be varied -- certain things work really well with chocolate, like oranges, clementines, apricots or cherries, so give them a try.

5 oranges

7 1/2 tablespoons best-quality dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa solids)

5 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup self-raising flour

1/2 cup sugar

A pinch of salt

2 large eggs

3 egg yolks

3/4 cup full cream milk

1/2 cup best-quality white chocolate, broken up

2 cups of crème fraiche

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. First zest 3 of your oranges, then carefully remove the outer peel and slice them across into wheel-shaped pieces just under 1/2-inch thick. Break the dark chocolate up, place in a small bowl and slowly melt it over some simmering water, giving it a stir once in a while with a spatula.

You will need a deep 8-inch metal tin or earthenware dish to cook the clafoutis in. Rub the inside of it with a little of the butter. To make the clafoutis, sift the flour into a separate bowl and add the almonds, half the sugar, the salt, eggs, yolks, orange zest and milk. Whisk up until smooth and then add the rest of the butter to the melting chocolate. Scrape all the melted chocolate and butter into the batter mix and put into your tin. Poke little pieces of white chocolate into the batter, then place the tin in the oven and bake for around 16 to 20 minutes. It will rise and should be firm around the edges but sticky and gooey in the middle. This doesn't mean it's undercooked . . . it means it's perfect! So be careful not to overcook it or it will just be like a boring sponge. It's so easy to check on this cake when it's baking in my Amana range -- the EasyRack oven rack is shaped like a "U," so I never have to worry about touching it.

While the cake is cooking, bring the other half of your sugar to a boil with about 6 tablespoons of water on a medium heat until you have a golden caramel. Remove from the heat, add the juice from your remaining oranges and stir it in to loosen the caramel syrup slightly. Arrange your oranges nicely on a plate, pour over the caramel and serve with your chocolate clafoutis and a bowl of crème fraiche.

Courtesy of ARA Content, Jamie Oliver

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