Food articles posted in Sep 2008

Budget cooking part 3 (twice-cooked chicken and tofu)

Probably the most valuable lesson I learned in Chinese cooking is that by cutting meat in smaller pieces and adding vegetables and sauce to them, one comes up with a whole lot more. Meat is expensive, vegetables much less so. Tofu is healthy and has this fantastic ability to absorb flavors. By putting them together in one dish, not only is it economical, it is healthier too.

Tri-level brownies

After three consecutive baking disasters, I finally came up with a winner. These tri-level brownies are exactly what the name says they are — brownies with three distinct layers.

The crust is made of oatmeal, flour, sugar and butter. The middle layer is a fudgy cookie, achieved by underbaking. The top layer consists of coarsely chopped walnuts over which a simple chocolate frosting is poured.

Speedy’s winter melon soup

If the term winter melon does not sound familiar, it is none other than “kundol” — yes, the sugar-coated candied delicacy. Contrary to popular belief, “kundol” is not a fruit but a vegetable. The texture is similar to “upo”, or bottle grourd, but more watery and more translucent.

I used one winter melon for a soup dish several days ago and reserved the last one because my husband said he had a very good recipe for it.

Budget cooking part 2 (fish and vegetables frittata)

We know it as torta; it is called omelet in the West. I simmer the fish, flake the flesh, mix it with vegetables and eggs, then cook the mixture in a little oil. The 800 grams of fish, mixed with two potatoes, a carrot, an onion, a few cloves of garlic and six eggs resulted in two large frittatas. We ate one for dinner a few nights ago; we ate the second one for lunch the following day. How’s that for cooking on a budget?

Budget cooking, part 1 (macaroni soup)

I really need to take a break from the editing job. In fact, I should take a break from it every few days to refresh my head. And what better way than to write some more about food but from a totally different perspective. While I finish the TasteBook, I’m starting a “budget cooking” series in Pinoy Cook… To kick off the series, let me tell you about this macaroni soup made from scrap bones.

Tastebook coming out in October

The lull in posting is justified, believe me. First, there are still lingering technical problems screwing up the categories and category pages. Second, my TasteBook is coming out in October. TasteBook? I wanted a cookbook, right? Then, my external hard drive died on me, I lost most of the files and I had to start from scratch. Meanwhile, TasteBook came along.

So, there is going to be a Pinoy Cook TasteBook that will be available to Pinoy Cook readers all over the world because it can be ordered online.

Shrimp and shiitake fried rice

I added grated ginger to my fried rice. Why grated ginger? My kids hate biting into pieces of ginger although they do enjoy the flavor of ginger itself. By grating the ginger, they get only the wonderful flavors and aromas — pungent, piquant and spicy. I sampled a small spoonful of the shrimp and shiitake mushroom fried rice — just a small spoonful because I am allergic to shrimps — and it tasted great.

Low-fat, down-sized burgers

I like burgers. I love burgers. But I don’t like soggy burgers. I dislike even more those with too much extenders, a trick becoming so popular among restaurants. So, I prefer making burgers at home. I use ground sirloin so that I get meat instead of fat. And I grill my burgers instead of frying them. And in a world obsessed with up-sizing everything, I down-size my burgers… instead of the usual hamburger buns, I use the smaller pan de sal which I toast before assembling my sandwich.

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House On A Hill

Fish & seafood

• Budget cooking part 2 (fish and vegetables frittata)
• No meat during Lent?
• Fried lapu-lapu with pineapple sauce
• Baked fish and spinach
• Sardines frittata in tortilla
• Baked mussels (tahong), the simple way
• Fish fillets in white wine
• Baked pompano and red cabbage
• Talakitok (trevally) steaks with homemade pesto
• Bangus (milkfish) fritters, v. 2

Healthy veggies

• Fried chicken, garlic-mayo sauce & pineapple cole slaw
• Baked eggplants with bacon and cheese
• Baked stuffed potatoes
• Boiled vegetables with butter and thyme
• Baked fish and spinach
• Salmon salad with mango-lemon dressing
• Chicken livers and string beans
• Comfort food and home cooked meals
• A side dish: buttered corn and carrots
• Smoked salmon, lettuce and kesong puti (white cheese) salad