The Bubble Chef

If there is one thing I like in the US that I hate to compare in my native homeland is the weather. There are only two seasons in the Philippines -- the wet and the dry. Dry season usually occur between October until June and the wet season during the rest of the year. Normally, the wet season is different depending on where you are. Typically, the north-western part of the country is visited by the monsoon while the climate on the south-eastern part is practically the same during the entire year. Although the rain can be quite massive during this hour, many people still go travelling in the country during the wet season. Temperatures in Manila are quite steady around 86 F all year with a slight peak in May.

When the rain accompanies the howling wind, people tend to look for a favourite one-pot meal-- Arroz Caldo. Since some recipes are better at certain times of the year, the wintery evenings in the US reminds us to warm ourselves with steaming rice stew mostly known as Arroz Caldo. Rice in the Philippines takes in many form and essentially a must at every filipino meal. Probably, you'd hear different types of dishes cooked thru simple and plain rice. Some of these recipes take their names from the places where they originated. For instance is Arroz a la Cubana. This recipe is from Cuba in which the rice is served in individual cups, ringed with cooked meat and topped with fried bananas and fried eggs. How about Arroz Valenciana made from chicken, pork, shrimp and sausages cooked with tomatoes and saffron. There are really various ways to cook rice and it acts generally to counterpart the sharp flavors of other dishes. In this recipe, I used sweet rice mostly known as malagkit and can be found in most Oriental grocery stores in the US. Rainy days is fast approaching in Manila, I believe this is one good comfort food which is easy to do and especially good for wet season.

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons vegetable or corn oil
4 tablespoons minced garlic
1 piece of ginger(2 "), cut crosswise into 1/2" thick slices
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 cup sweet rice(malagkit)
1/2 cup long or short grain rice
10 cups chicken broth or water
2 lbs chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
1 1/2 tsp fish sauce (patis)
1/4 cup finely chopped spring onion
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Hard-boiled eggs


Methods:
In a stockpot, heat 3 tablespoons oil and saute 2 tablespoons of garlic, let it brown then add the onion and ginger until onion is transparent. Add rice and saute for 5 minutes. Add the broth, or if you are using ordinary water, add chicken cubes to taste. Bring the mixture to the boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to a simmer, add chicken and continue to cook for another 30 minutes or until rice is done.

While waiting for the rice to cook, heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and add the remaining garlic until golden brown. Set aside.

When the rice is finally cooked, add fish sauce and continue cooking over low heat for another 5 minutes. You can add the chopped scallion or sprinkle when ready to be served together with fried garlic, pepper and egg on top. Add kalamansi or lemon wedges on the side. Serve hot.

Filipinos often cook vegetables with meat and other ingredients. In fact, you can rarely find plain vegetable dish. Normally, vegetable dishes are simmered with beef, pork, chicken, fish or shrimp with soy sauce, lemon juice, patis(fish sauce), garlic, onions, vinegar and tomatoes. But how could you tell if a vegetable dish should become a main dish when their together? I say it depends on the proportion of meat to vegetable.

The Philippine version of egg roll consists of a lumpia wrapper (a thin "skin" made of flour or cornstarch, eggs and water) wrapped around a filling of minced vegetables and bits of meat, then deep-fried. It is also called Spring roll. Today, I'll show you how to cook an easy, timeless and yet delicious Fried Lumpia to be served at anytime.


Ingredients:

1 16 oz. (1 lb) Mixed Frozen Vegetables
1/2 lb ground pork
1 cup cabbage, finely shredded
1 tbsp finely minced garlic
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 package Lumpia wrapper(sold in Asian food stores)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp flour
Oil for deep frying



Methods:
In a big pan, pour 3 tablespoons of cooking oil. Saute minced garlic then onion until it turns transparent. Add ground pork, stir and mix for 10 minutes. Pour the thawed frozen mixed vegetables onto the pan. Add ground pepper, soy sauce and salt. Stir and mix for another 10 minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture into a colander and let it drain. Meanwhile, separate the egg roll wraps individually.

When the hot fillings cool down, mix the flour and egg onto the mixture. Heat oil in another bigger pan.

On a flat surface, spread out wrappers and place a level tablespoon of filling on each egg roll wrapper. Roll tightly and seal with a few drops of hot water. Continue until filling is all used or you can save some for other days. Deep-fry in hot oil and drain on paper towels. Serve hot with soy sauce and vinegar, sprinkled with garlic, onion and pepper.

The Filipino way of cooking and its recipes are greatly influenced by American, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and European cooking. The versatility and difference in tastes makes it unique. Stir frying for instance came from Chinese who have ways of manipulationg food in its simplest form thru ancient techniques. In fact, if you'll check out the meaning of stir-fry in the dictionary, you can come up with a simple meal at no time using a small amount of oil, a wok or large skillet over high heat with the prepared ingredients usually vegetables, together with shrimp, chicken or beef. While it is important to preserve the flavor, color and texture of the food, it is necessary to constantly stir the ingredients to keep the vegetables crisp.



In stir-frying, it is important to have all the ingredients ready. In fact preparing the ingredients will take longer than the actual cooking. To add flavor and aroma to stir-fry, use typical aromatics like garlic, scallions, red pepper flakes, shallot or chilli peppers to name a few. I'll be using frozen stir fry vegetable blend I bought in our local grocery store but if you will use fresh vegetables, cut them into small pieces separating them according to their cooking times. Green beans for example should be added before faster cooking vegetables like pea pods and tomatoes. When everything is ready, add the cooking oil to a wok or large skillet. A wok is a large deep bowl made of thin metal with gentle curved sides. Typically one uses wok so that heat concentrates at the bottom of the pan and the curved sides allow you to push the ingredients to cooler areas. However, you can still use typical frying pan but it won’t cook as fast thus keeping your vegetables as crisp as you would want. Normally, you’ll be cooking at very high heat when stir-frying, you may want to use a high smoking point oil like peanut, corn, or canola.

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. (1 lb) Frozen Vegetable Stir-fry Blend
1 tbsp. of Peanut Oil
1 15 oz.(1 can) Quail eggs, cooked
1/2 lb Shrimp

Sauce:

2 tbsp. cold Water
2 tsp. Corn starch
2 tbsp. Soy sauce
2 tbsp. Oyster sauce
1 tbsp. Dry sherry
1 tsp. sugar
1 dash of pepper


Methods:
Combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and let sit for at least one hour.

Heat oil in wok or large skillet over medium heat. Lift and tilt the wok to evenly distribute the oil over the bottom. To test the hotness of the oil, add a single piece of vegetable to the hot wok. If it sizzles, proceed with the next step.

Season the oil to give distinctive flavor by stir-frying the garlic and or/grated gingerroot for 15 seconds.

Now add the frozen vegetables and cook on medium heat 5 to 10 minutes stirring constantly to prevent scorching. When done, remove the vegetables from the wok. Then stir-fry the shrimp. As soon as the shrimp turned orange, put back the stir-fried vegetables, add the eggs and continue cooking until heated through. Lastly, add the sauce, stir everything together just to coat. Serve immediately.

A common notion of a pie would be a special meat, fish, fowl, fruit, or vegetables that is baked with a crust of pastry, or pastry shells filled with custard or pudding. It could be sweet and generally served as dessert like they do in the US and has remained popular since then. There are savory pies on the other hand, that are served as a main course or appetizer. In Italy, pie or pizza consists in its most basic form of a spread dough covered with tomatoes and mozzarella cheese and baked in an oven. Today we see pies crusted at the bottom, or top only, some both on top and bottom and, as with deep-dish pies, only a top crust. Crusts can be made of a variety of mixtures including short crust pastry, puff pastry, cookie crumbs, meringue and even, as with shepherd's pie, mashed potatoes. On this pie, I'll be using mashed potatoes on top and spinach, egg and salmon fillet at the bottom filled with creamy vegetables and cheese.


There are plenty of options to try on this pie, it varies by the type of fishes you will use. Obviously, I prefer salmon than any other fishes mainly because of its taste, texture and nutrients. All salmon are high in protein as well as a rich source of vitamin A, the B-group vitamins and Omega-3 oils. The first time I tried this dish was during the time that Den has to bring something for potluck. After a couple of days, his officemate emailed me asking for the recipe. I submitted this one for our community cookbook fundraising campaign and I am very happy to see it printed with my name at the bottom as seen in the picture. Its very healthy dish and my guests love it. Its very easy, just dont forget to pin-boned your salmon before baking or else you'll get into trouble.

Ingredients

6 large potatoes, peeled and diced into 1" squares
4 free-range eggs
2 large handfuls fresh spinach, trimmed and washed
1 cup onion, finely chopped
1 cup carrot, finely chopped
2 tbsp. Extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup heavy cream
2 good handfuls grated Cheddar or Parmesan
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp. English mustard
1 large handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 pound Salmon fillet, skin removed, pin-boned and sliced into strips
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. Nutmeg, optional


Methods

Preheat the oven to 450° F.

Drop the potatoes into salted boiling water and bring back to a boil for 2 minutes. Carefully add the eggs to the pan and cook for further 8 minutes until hard boiled, by which time the potatoes should also be cooked. At the same time, you can steam the spinach in a colander above the pan and it will only take a minute. When done, remove spinach from the colander and gently squeeze any excess moisture away. Then drain the potatoes , remove the eggs, cool under cold water, then peel and cut in half. Set aside.

In a separate pan slowly fry the onion and carrot in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes, then add the heavy cream, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the cheese, lemon juice, mustard and parsley.

Put the spinach, fish and eggs into an appropriately sized baking dish and mix together, pouring over the creamy vegetable sauce. The cooked potatoes should be drained and mashed. Add a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and a touch of nutmeg if you like. Spread on top of fish. Place in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes until the potatoes are golden.

"Yes we know the muffin de men, muffin de men, muffin de men" That's how Denyse sings Barney's song--The Muffin Man. At an early age of 2, I have seen her interest in cooking. That's why we never have second thought of buying her that kitchen with matching apron and accessories. I've always assured myself that she will be able to discover how to prepare foods at no time and will never experienced my self-taught knowledge in cooking. I could still remember the day I found out that I'm gettting married that I hurriedly shopped for cookbooks and brought them all the way to the US. Its not that I am not interested in cooking while I was still single but we were never had hands on experience on making a dish. All I ever did then was watching my mom and some helper do the dishes in preparation for special occassion and gatherings in the house. That's why on our first day together under one roof, Den thought me how to cook Nilagang Baboy and the rest was history.


Now at 4, Denyse attempted to bake her own Sweet Corn Muffins-- sweet, moist and delicious addition to your everyday meal.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup Yellow Corn Meal
1 tbsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 1/4 cups Milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 tbsp. butter or margarine, melted



Method:


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or paper-line 18 to 20 muffin caps. Combine the dry ingredients such as flour, sugar, corn meal, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Combine milk, eggs, vegetable oil and butter in small bowl; mix well. Add the flour mixture; stir just until blended. Pour into prepared muffin cups filling 2/3 full. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 5 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool slightly and serve warm.

The origin of the expression “Cordon Bleu” [kordon 'bleu] comes from the 1578 foundation of the Order of Knights of the Holy Spirit. The members of the order wore a medal suspended on a blue ribbon and their spectacular feasts became legendary. The expression “Cordon Bleu” was then later applied to mean an outstanding Chef. Cordon, derived from french word corde means a cord, example is a line of troops or of military posts enclosing an area to prevent passage, an idea that prevent bleu(something containing a blue mold like blue cheese or any cheeses) from escape.
This type of dish is very simple and yet could be done in variety of ways using the key ingredients-- any meat, ham and cheese. I have succeeded in cooking this dish twice using two different cheeses-- one is mozarella and the other one using Cheddar cheese. Normally, mozzarella, a moist white unsalted unripened cheese is of mild flavor and has a smooth rubbery texture. To add flavour, I added some slices of Cheddar to bring out the goodness and texture of both cheeses.

Ingredients:
8 slices bread sandwich
2/3 cups water
1 tbsp. garlic
4 cups extra-lean ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
10 slices cooked ham
10 slices mozzarella cheese
5 slices cheddar cheese


Method:


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, combine bread, water and garlic. Let stand for 10 minutes until water is absorbed.
Add onions, ground beef, salt, pepper and eggs and Mix well. Shape into patties.
Scoop 1 1/4 cup of meat mixture out onto a piece of waxed paper, flatten it to 1/2 inch thick. Lay slices of ham onto the flattened meat, and top with slices of cheese. Pick up the edge of the waxed paper to roll the flattened meat up into a log. Remove waxed paper, seal the ends.
Place the loaf into a 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the loaf is no longer pink inside. You can also fry it in a little bit of oil to add crust in outer part of the roll.

This dish is so quick and easy, I'll guarantee you'll love it. I remember baking this for our breakfast one morning when my friends sleepover in our house and one asked if I bought it frozen because it really taste good you won't believe its very easy to make and its better than the frozen pot pie. Moreover, this is a healthy treat to anyone, even a lifesaver at the end of a long workday. Stew beef and golden mushroom soup can be substituted in this recipe, as well as turkey left over. If you don't like to use bisquick all-purpose baking mix, you can substitute it by using frozen pie shells but be sure to thaw it for at least 10 minutes.


Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
1 cup chicken, cubed
1 can (10 3/4 oz)condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup Bisquick all-purpose baking mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg



Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix vegetables, chicken and soup and pour over ungreased 9" pie plate.
Combine the egg, milk and all-purpose baking mix, stir it well until blended. Pour into pie plate.
Bake about 30 min or until golden brown.