Last Night's Dinner #131: Filipino Spaghetti

Lifeflix reader Aileen emailed me last week to say hello and to let me know that she was going to give the Sopas recipe a shot. I asked her to take some pics and to let me know how it goes...

She kindly sent in pictures of her sopas + pics of her Filipino Spaghetti (she cooked for her friend's daughter) which totally inspired last night's dinner.

I'm sure it wasn't as good as hers, but you can hardly go wrong when hot dogs, vienna sausages and ketchup are involved. Locavores please shut your eyes.

Thanks Aileen!!

Last Night's Dinner #86: Mac-Mac (Adobo Mac & Cheese)

My brother Tom once asked me why Filipino food always has to be served with rice. He wanted to see a more inventive approach. Well Tom, today is your lucky day. Thanks to a very inventive Brit (believe it or not, it was his idea to try this crazy mix), I now present the ultimate fusion - MAC MAC, an American classic with a Filipino twist.

MAC MAC takes the home-style comfort goodness of macaroni and cheese, and throws in some Adobo attitude for good measure. The dish sounds bizarre, but it actually works and is my first attempt at Filipino-American fusion.

For those of you not familiar with the Filipino culture, we have a tendency to double-up words. We do it for everything: Jon-Jon (my cousin) sari-sari (corner store) halo-halo (a crushed ice dessert), so I'm calling this one MAC-MAC.

You'll need:



A small pot of your favorite Chicken Adobo recipe. Reserve 1/4 of the juice and 2 cups of cooked meat. Remove the meat from the bone and cut into bite-size pieces.

Macaroni & Cheese
2/3 of a box of elbow macaroni
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 1/4 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tablespoon unsalted butter
8 ounces of shredded cheddar or Mexican blend
3/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
salt

Take out the milk to bring it to room temperature.

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat and cook the pasta until al dente, 5 minutes. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold water. Transfer back into the pot and toss in some olive oil to prevent it from sticking. Set aside.



In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the flour, cooking for 3-4 minutes. Be careful not to brown the mixture.

Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly to avoid clumps. Slowly add the cheese little by little until fully melted. Taste and season with salt and pepper.





Slowly pour the cheese mix into the pasta pot and mix well. Mix in the Adobo juice and chicken. Taste for seasoning.

Transfer to a baking dish or a cast iron skillet.

Combine the shredded Parmesan and breadcrumbs. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the macaroni.



Bake for approximately 10 - 15 minutes at 400° F. Then broil for a couple of minutes to brown the cheese.

Last Night's Dinner #81: Sinigang (Tamarind Soup)

Sinigang [sin-eh-gung] is another Filipino classic. This sour tangy soup stew is traditionally made with pork, shrimp or fish but the leading star is inside this little packet...



Tamarind soup base - I remember fresh tamarinds back in the Philippines but I guess these days it's a lot easier to use powder or tamarind paste.



This recipe is pretty easy and flexible. You'll need:
4 pieces of pork ribs
1 packet of Knorr tamarind soup base (or can be found in any Asian food market)
1 small eggplant (sliced into 1/2" rounds)
1 tomato
a handful of string beans
bakchoy (use Nappa Cabbage if you can't find bakchoy)
1/2 large onion or 1 small onion (cut into quarters)
fish sauce to taste

step 1. Rub salt on the ribs set aside.



step 2. Boil 2 quarts of water, once boiling add 1/2 packet of tamarid soup base, a pinch of salt, 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce (taste it, you may need to add more salt and fish sauce) and mix.

step 3. Add ribs, 1/2 of the tomatoes and 1/2 of the onions to broth and simmer for about one hour (the longer the more tender it will be) with the lid on - maybe a crack of air so it doesn't overflow.



step 4. In the meantime, boil water in a separate pot (enough to cover the eggplant). Boil eggplants until tender. Drain and set aside.



step 5. Once the meat looks like it can easily be ripped off of the bones, add the rest of your veggies (including eggplant) and bring to a boil. Taste it and make sure that it's sour enough. I prefer mine really really sour so I almost finished the entire packet. You can also add a little more fish sauce if the flavor isn't "deep" enough. Turn off the heat once all of the veggies are tender.



Serve with rice.

Last Night's Dinner #71: Chicken Pastel

My sister sent me the recipe to try but I'm a little confused because when I google "Chicken Pastel", most of the recipes incorporate a pastry crust on top - sort of like chicken pot pie. Anyone have any insights on this?



Regardless of what it's called, it was good . Although I feel like something was missing, all of the flavors were muted and blended into one nondescript flavor. It was definitely missing some sort of acid or punch, so tried to add a bit of lemon (tested it out by taking a small amount of the sauce in a cup and mixed in some lemon juice) - good thing I tested it first because I didn't like the way it tasted. So I left it as is.



It was a pretty easy recipe to follow. Chicken thighs (cut up into pieces), onion, garlic, carrots, potatoes and evaporated milk. You basically brown the chicken in oil, butter, onions and garlic. Season with fish sauce, salt and pepper. Then you add the chopped potatoes and allow them to brown a bit. (brown a little). Then add the chopped carots (cook for 5 mins or so) then pour in evaporated milk and allow to simmer until potatoes are fork tender and the chicken is cooked.

I'll have to play with this recipe a little more... maybe I'll turn it into something totally different!

Good friends, good food, good times...

I'm so pooped! I was out by 9am this morning and I just got back from a very very very long day of Christmas shopping. I was having tons of fun, until the crowds got bigger and the bags got heavier. It's so good to be home. I just finished a slice of Dulce de Leche Pecan Tart and I'm sippin' on a nice hot cup of tea - the world is right again.

Dinner went really well last night. It was so nice to catch up with old friends. One of them moved far far away last year and is in New York visiting for just two weeks. The other - well he lives in NYC but we just haven't been able to sync up for various reasons.






I didn't go easy on my non-Filipino guests. I didn't serve them the proven "western-friendly" Filipino dishes like Pancit (noodle dish) or fried Lumpia. Instead, I opted for Kare-Kare, which is an Ox-tail peanut butter based stew and a vegetable dish with Calabaza, Okra and shrimp. Of course these dishes don't even come close to something like Dinuguan (a really delicious dish made out of pig's blood. I know, I know - but it really is good!!), but the flavors in the two dishes I chose were pretty bold and did a good job of representing the cuisine (at least I thought so).



Luis, is a pretty picky eater and after he went for seconds I knew I hit a homerun. Or it could've been Fabienne's infamous French-tardiness (I love you Fab!) which caused him to work up his appetite. As for Fabienne, I wasn't too worried about her. She's always up for anything. So, I think overall it went well.



I served a Dulce de Leche Pecan Tart for dessert - I thought they deserved it, after putting up with all that fish sauce!

Prepping for tonight

I love throwing dinner parties. I wish we had more room in our apartment to host them more often. We currently have a 4-person maximum capacity, so we can only invite two people at a time - if we want a proper sit-down.

Snaps from prepping. I've already warned our two guests to have a light lunch today and to expect lots of good (fingers crossed) food!


I'm making two main dishes tonight, one with shrimps and vegetables (which I'm calling the "side" dish) and the other with meat.


Can't have a proper Filipino dinner without something super sweet at the end.


This is the best pie crust making technique in the world!


I had to place an emergency call (thanks Karen) last night. I haven't pre-baked crust in a long time and I was going way over the 13-15 minute rule and started to worry. I guess it was the pie weight (rice) that caused the alarm. No worries - it took about 20 mins to get it at this state.

Last Night's Dinner #67: Arroz Caldo

Arroz Caldo is a cross between a savory porridge and risotto. You basically boil chicken and rice in chicken stock until the rice gets mushy and creamy. The flavor comes from a generous amount of fresh ginger, onions, garlic and fish sauce.

My mom used to make this during the colder months and when anyone was feeling under the weather. So it was just natural for me to crave this since I've been hit with a major sore throat. So I IM'ed Karen for some tips.

3 tbs vegetable or canola oil
3 thumb-size fresh ginger, peeled and cut into fairly big slices
1/4 onion chopped or 1 shallot (optional)
4 cloves of garlic thinly sliced
4-5 chicken thighs, skinless
1 cup of rice (I used Jasmine)
1-32oz carton of chicken stock
2 cups of tap water
fish sauce, salt and pepper to taste



Heat up oil and fry garlic slices - don't burn. Remove from oil and set aside.
Add ginger and onion/shallot (if using) to the same oil and constantly stir to prevent burning. Season with salt & pepper.



Add well seasoned chicken and brown both sides. Remove and set aside. Don't worry if the chicken isn't fully cooked, it will finish cooking in the broth. Add rice to oil and stir for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper.



Add broth and mix (deglaze bottom of pan). Add back chicken and allow to boil. Add 1/2 tbs of fish sauce. You might need more, depending on your taste bud. Add 1 cup of water and stir - allow to be re-absorbed by the rice. Lower heat. You may need to add more water - you want the rice to thicken up, almost mushy. The broth should also thicken and less "soupy". Add the rest of the water and again allow to boil and be absorbed. Total "simmer time" - about 30-40 mins

Serve with a couple of slices of lemon and top with garlic flakes. I love lemon juice in my arroz caldo, I think it creates a good balance with the ginger, garlic, fish sauce and chicken.

Last Night's Dinner #64: A Traditional Filipino Breakfast

Leftover ham is the best and boy do we have plenty left from Thanksgiving night!

Bone-in ham immediately takes me back to my childhood years. I remember my father bringing home a huge ham wrapped in paper for the holidays. The best part for me was knowing exactly what we would be having for breakfast the next day - sugared ham, fried eggs and garlic fried rice.

As you can see, I didn't grow up eating Cheerios for breakfast or pouring milk out of a carton. I grew up eating rice for breakfast and milk was delivered daily in glass bottles. And it was goat's milk, not cow's milk.


This dish is traditionally eaten for breakfast!


Just coat the ham slices with sugar and pan fry with a little bit of vegetable oil. Cook until both sides are nice and dark (caramelized).

Sinangag (Garlic fried rice) is very simple to make. Day old rice works better than freshly cooked rice. If you don't have day old rice - make sure you cool the rice completely then put it it the fridge for at least an hour. You don't want to make this with sticky rice.


Smash three to five cloves of garlic (leave skin on). Heat up a tablespoon of vegetable oil and start cooking garlic. You don't want to burn the garlic. Add the rice and stir frequently. You want drizzle in oil a teaspoon at a time. I find that doing it this way requires less oil and I don't feel so guilty =). I probably end up using 2 tablespoons of oil in total. I also season the rice with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

As for the egg, just fry up an egg until sides are golden brown.

I guess this combination falls into what some would refer to as "Tosilog". Filipinos love making up words and I think there are about 3 types of "-silog" dishes. The term is made up of the three main ingredients. The first syllable stands for the type of meat. The second syllable "si" stands or sinangag (filipino style garlic fried rice) and the "log" stands for itlog (egg).
The three -silog dishes that I'm familiar with are tapsilog (tapa+sinangag+itlog), tosilog (tocino+sinangag+itlog) and longsilog (longganisa +sinangag+itlog).

Last Night's Dinner #55: Sopas (Chicken Noodle Soup)

Ooops I lied, one more for the road...



It sounds like the weather is about to dip down to winter levels by this weekend. So what can be better than a nice hot bowl of chicken noodle soup?

This recipe is pretty flexible and the quantities can be adjusted according to your taste. Elbow pasta is traditionally used but I prefer to use small pasta shells. You can also use whole milk, half and half, evaporated milk or heavy cream - I just don't recommend 2% or skim. Again, you can adjust how much cream to add - obviously, the more the better!!

Serves 2
You'll need:
1/4 onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1/4 head cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/4" rounds
1/2 stick of celery, chopped
1/4 whole red bell pepper, chopped
1 pint of half and half
2 to 3 cups of small pasta shells
1 tbs of oil
salt, patis and black pepper to taste

Homemade Broth:
1 chicken breast (skinless, bone-in)
4 to 5 cups chicken broth, low sodium
1 carrot cut in half
1/2 stick of celery
1/2 onion
3 cloves of garlic (whole and skin on)
1 tsp of kosher salt (more or less to taste)
dash of pepper



step 1. Add all of the ingredients under "Home-made Broth" in a large pot and cook on high until it boils. Once it boils, lower the heat and simmer for approx 30-40 mins. Just make sure your heat is low enough or keep the lid slightly off the pot so it doesn't boil over. Remove chicken and allow to cool. Set aside. You can get rid of the boiled veggies. Save the broth. If the broth is cloudy, go ahead and strain it through a sieve. My broth was still cloudy after I strained it, so I strained it again using a coffee filter + sieve, which did the trick. It should be nice and clear. Set aside.

step 2. Once the chicken has cooled, shred and set aside.

step 3. Heat up a tablespoon of oil and sautée onion, garlic, carrots, celery, cabbage and peppers. Add a dash of patis. Cook until onions are translucent. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Add broth. Taste and season accordingly - add patis, salt, pepper as needed. Boil until carrots are just about tender.

step 4. Add 2 to 3 cups of shell pasta (depending on how much pasta you want). It should take 6 to 8 minutes to cook, follow box instructions.

step 5. At this point, you can add the half and half. If you mix it in, make sure that you stir as you add the milk. You don't want it to clot up. I prefer to put the milk in the serving bowls so each person can control how much they want. I use a 50/50 milk to broth ratio. So I pour the milk in each bowl, top it with chicken and a mixture of veggies (this quickly brings the temperature of the milk up) then I scoop in some broth and mix.

I love this stuff, it reminds me of my childhood - specifically having to stay indoors during the rainy season and visiting my aunt Ruth (back in the Philippines).

Last Night's Dinner #56: Adobong Manok Sa Gata (Chicken Adobo with Coconut Milk)

Adobong Manok Sa Gata (Chicken Adobo in Coconut Milk)
This dish is a variation of a Filipino classic - Adobong Manok (Chicken Adobo). It's basically adding coconut milk to the traditional Adobo recipe.

Prep: 10 mins
Total: 40 mins

The addition of coconut milk makes a milder and less acidic base. The soy sauce and vinegar take a backseat in this version, but linger in the background as a gentle reminder that you are in fact still eating Adobo. The addition of fish sauce, salt and the dash of brown or palm sugar at the very end bind all of the different elements into one inexplicable balanced roller-coaster ride of flavors. It starts out sweet then hits a high note as the vinegar shines and quickly descends into a rich, perfectly rounded saltiness - oh and that's just the broth!

You'll need:
2 split chicken breasts (skinless), cut into large cubes
3 cloves of garlic, smacked and coarsely chopped
1 potato or 2 chayote or green papaya, peeled and cut into large cubes
1/4 cup soysauce
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon brown or palm sugar
2 cups of coconut milk (1 can)
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
salt and patis to taste
1 tbs of canola or vegetable oil

step 1. Boil potato or chayote until tender.



step 2. Clean chicken and cut into large cubes (leaving bones on). Add pepper and a pinch of salt to chicken and set aside.



step 3. Heat up oil and add chicken, bayleaf and garlic. Mix well to make sure garlic doesn't burn. Add a dash of patis. Cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is browned on both sides.
step 4. Add soysauce and wait until it starts to boil. Once you see it boiling add vinegar (don't mix). Once you see it boiling then mix. Mix in sugar.



step 5. Add coconut milk, wait until it boils before mixing.
step 6. At this point, you want to lower the heat and allow to simmer until the chicken is fully cooked.
step 7. Once the chicken is cooked, taste the broth to make sure that the seasoning is right. You may need to add more salt, patis or sugar. You can adjust the acidity by adding more coconut milk or by adding chicken broth (you can also add a little water if you don't have chicken broth - just adjust your seasoning). Add in potato or chayote, allow to simmer so it can absorb some of the flavors. Serve over rice.

Last Night's Dinner #54: Pochero

Filipino week has been extended because there are a few more recipes I'd like to test out and share.



Last night's dish was a first for me. I don't remember ever eating it, let alone cooking it. I'm also starting to realize that most Filipino dishes are orange in color and have a tendency to all look alike, even though each one has a very distinct flavor.

The use of plantain and anatto seed powder really sets this dish apart. I love how the sweetness of the plantains cuts right through the tomato base giving it a really round and robust flavor. I also love the potatoes and cabbage, making it unnecessary to whip up a side dish. Like most Filipino dishes, this one throws in a whole bunch ingredients so when you get bored with the chicken, you can dive right into the cabbage, or the plantain or the potato. However, the best way to eat this dish is to take a little bit of everything with every bite.

After cooking Filipino food for over a week now, I can finally understand why my sister has a hard time translating the recipes into precise measurements. It's a very forgiving cuisine, that really allows the cook to sense and taste their way to perfection. Of course I'll provide detailed instructions, but the best way is to really just provide you with a list of ingredients, some basic guidelines and then allow you to explore your taste buds. Which to me, is the true joy of cooking!



You'll need:
5 chicken thighs (preferably with skin/bone on)
1/2 teaspoon anatto powder
1 tbs of patis (fish sauce), more or less according to taste
1/2 tomato or a handful of grape tomatoes cut into chunks
2 tbs of tomato paste
4 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1/2 head of cabbage, cut into quarters
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 riped plantains, boiled with skin on then skinned and cut into 3" pieces then cut lengthwise
1 potato, peeled and cut into big chunks
freshly ground black pepper to taste
kosher salt to taste

Basic Guidelines:
Boil chicken, bacon and vegetables separately in chicken stock until tender. Set aside. Brown chicken in oil and set aside. Sauté onion, garlic, tomatoes, anatto powder, tomato paste and add broth. Add chicken and vegetables back in. Season well with patis and salt. Serve over rice.



Detailed instructions:
step 1. Boil water and add plantains with skin on. Boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from water and set aside. Once cooled, peel and cut.

Add broth, chicken and bacon to a pot. Once the broth boils, lower heat to a simmer and continue to boil for 30 minutes or so. Remove chicken and bacon and place in a strainer to drain. Cut bacon into 1/2" pieces. Add potatoes and increase heat to medium. Boil for 10 minutes then add cabbage and boil until potatoes are fork tender. Remove vegetables and set broth aside.

step 2. In a separate large pot, heat up a tablespoon of canola, grapeseed or vegetable oil. Add chicken skin down and brown both sides. Remove and set aside.



step 3. [image "1"] Add onions and garlic. Add anatto powder and stir. Cook for 2 minutes then add bacon pieces. If you notice that the garlic is burning, immediately add tomatoes. Cook for a couple of seconds then add about 1 cup of the reserved broth. Scrape bottom of pan and mix well. Once it starts to dry up, mix in tomato paste.

step 4. [image "2"] Once that starts to dry up, add remaining broth and mix well. Add chicken pieces back in. At this point, you want to season with both salt and fish sauce. I say start with 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and about 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce. You'll more than likely need to adjust according to taste. Don't be shy with the seasoning since you will be serving this over rice. I thought that I had gone over the salty threshold but once served, I realized that I could've seasoned it better (oh well!) - so don't be afraid to season your food. The perfect amount of saltiness can make or break your cooking. Turn the pepper grinder a couple of times (the coarser the better).

step 5. [image "3"] Add plantains and potatoes - cook for 5 minutes then add cabbage. Serve over rice.

Last Night's Dinner #53: Shrimp in Coconut Milk with Calabaza and Okra

Here's my take on another Filipino classic Ginataang Kalabasa.
Ginataang [ghee-nah-tah-ahng] Kalabasa is traditionally made with calabaza (kalabasa in Tagalog - one of the major languages spoken in the Philippines), sitaw (longbeans), pork belly, shrimp, shrimp paste and coconut milk. There are plenty of recipes out there if you're interested in cooking the more traditional version.



I wouldn't say I went too far off from the classic, but I did add my own twist. I love this dish and will definitely be cooking it again and perhaps trying it with other types of meat. I think the sauce would make an excellent base for a fish stew.

Shrimp in Coconut Milk with Calabaza and Okra
Prep: 20 mins
Total: 35 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Serves 2



You'll need:
1/4 of an onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, peeled and sliced lengthwise. You want it big enough so you can remove the pieces before serving
2 strips of thick bacon or 1/4 lb of pork belly, cut into 1" pieces
1/2 tomato, cut into cubes
2 tsp THAI KITCHEN roasted red chili paste*
12 shrimps in shell, peeled, cleaned and deveined (save shells)
10 okras, cut into 1" pieces
1 1/2 lbs. of Calabaza, cut into 1" cubes
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup coconut milk
1 tsp canola or vegetable oil
Patis (fish sauce), salt and pepper to taste

*If you can't find roasted red chili paste, you can attempt to make your own but it requires a lot of additional ingredients. I was able to find it at Whole Foods.





step 1. Clean shrimps and save shells for broth. I wrote a separate post on how to clean and prepare shrimp.
step 2. Make broth. Take shrimp shells and boil with 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth with 1 tsp of kosher salt and a dash of black pepper. Set aside.



step 3. Heat up oil in a medium size pot. Add onions, garlic, ginger and a dash of salt. Cook for a couple of minutes until translucent. Add the thick bacon/pork belly. Add the tomatoes once you notice that the garlic is starting to brown. Add the grilled chili paste and mix well.
step 4. Add in shrimp and a dash of patis/fish-sauce. Cook for a couple of minutes, don't fully cook the shrimps. You just want the flavors in the pot to be quickly absorbed by the shrimps. Fish out the shrimps and set aside.
step 5. Add calabaza and okra and add another dash of patis and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5 minutes.
step 6. Pour in broth and scrape the bottom of the pan and loosen browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
step 7. Add 3/4 cup of coconut milk (reserve 1/4 c for later) and mix well. Lower the heat and allow to simmer for 15 minutes or until the calabaza is fork tender. **Some folks probably boil the calabaza separately prior to adding it.



step 8. Add shrimps back and pour the remaining coconut milk over the shrimps and carefully mix. Cook for three or four minutes or until the shrimps are fully cooked. Taste and check the seasoning. You may want to add another dash of fish sauce or more chili paste for more heat - depends on your taste buds!
step 9. Fish out ginger pieces and serve with rice.