Cooked From the Heart » Archive
LP 10 – Childhood Memories – Bibingka
One of the first memories we probably all have as children are sweets. I am no different. Birthday cakes were a big hit, but charcoal baked bibingkas were in a class all their own and evoke their very own special moments. It is a treat borne out of necessity, for I doubt that conventional ovens as we know them now were readily available back then. The ingenuity of foodies should not be under estimated though for we will find a way of doing things to attain the taste that we want. Sort of like the original mission of Lasang Pinoy, literally translated ‘tastes like Pinoy’. When I was growing up in Baguio, birthday cakes and other western style treats were easier to find than real old fashioned bibingka. Sometimes you can … Read entire article »
Filed under: desserts, Filipino, Lasang Pinoy, Rice
Braised Pork
As a change from the usual adobo, and again borne out of necessity of wanting to cook something different but not having the right ingredient to follow any recipe on hand, this braised pork was created. INGREDIENTS: 2 lbs. boneless Country Style Ribs6 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped1 large onion, sliced1 tablespoon whole black peppers5-8 pieces of whole clovesSalt & Pepper to tastewater Put all ingredients in a pot with just enough water to cover the meat and simmer until tender and almost al the liquid has cooked out. About 1 hour and a half. Adjust seasonings and serve with rice and vegetables of your choice. Our vegetable of choice just happened to be lightly sauteed mustard greens. … Read entire article »
Filed under: pork
Scallopped Potatoes
Here’s another quick and easy side dish that pairs well with many entrees. Such as the Pastry Wrapped Tilapia below. YOU WILL NEED:6-8 Yukon gold potatoes2 cups milk2 tablespoons sour cream2 tablespoons flour3 tablespoons butterDash of Garlic PowderSalt & PepperGrated Romano or Parmesan Cheese topping Mix flour and sour cream into milk until well blended. Layer the peeled and sliced potatoes into a baking dish and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Dot surface with pieces of butter and pour the milk mixture over the potatoes. Sprinkle cheese lightly over the top and bake at 350 degrees F for 60-90 minutes. … Read entire article »
Filed under: side dishes, vegetables
Pastry Wrapped Tilapia
This was such a pleasant experiment that we have since cooked this dish with different meats and fillings. The puff pastry is just perfect for making surprise wraps. Here is how we did this pastry wrapped tilapia: STUFFING MIXTURE:1 lb. of mushrooms, sliced2 cloves of garlic, minced1/2 onion, chopped fine1/2 stick of butter1/2 cup pecans, chopped Saute’ mushrooms, garlic, and onions in butter until mushrooms are slightly browned and all juices have evaporated. Stir in pecans and set aside to cool. POACH TILAPIA FILLETS:4 Tilapia filletssalt & pepper6 tablespoons milk. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Season the fish with salt & pepper. Place about 1 tablespoon of the stuffing mix on top of the fish and roll up. Secure the roll with a toothpick so it doesn’t unroll during cooking. Place rolled fillets … Read entire article »
Filed under: seafood
Southern Style Potato Salad
I don’t know why this photo came out so funky, but I guess I’ll just have to replace it next time we make potato salad again. This time around, we are doing potato salad the Southern way, or at least this is how my husband’s family does potato salad. I know some people like mustard in their potato salad, but hubby’s family is not too crazy about it. I am not a big fan of mustardy potato salad either but I use it for color once in a while. This time around, I didn’t have to color it with mustard. That yellow color is from the yukon gold potatoes that I used for this batch. INGREDIENTS:Yucon Gold Potatoes, boiled and cubed (cook as much as you think you’ll need)3 hard-boiled eggs, … Read entire article »
Filed under: salads, Southern, vegetables
Crumbly Topped Apple Pie
A co-worker generously shared an apple harvest with us recently and I came home with a bagful of locally grown apples, but I wasn’t sure of their exact variety. They were just slightly tart and were not too sweet to eat on their own, so we decided to cook them. Again, to save some time, we used a store bought frozen pie crust. For the crumb topping, I had some Cheerios cereal in the cupboard that needed to be used up of disposed of, so I ground them up and put them in the topping. FILLING:6-7 apples peeled, cored and sliced2 tablespoons butter1/2 cup granulated sugar Place all ingredients above in a skillet and bring to a boil over medium/high heat until caramelized and apples are tender but not falling apart. Set … Read entire article »
Pork Loin and Fried Rice
Here’s another simple and fast weekday meal which is a step better than the usual pork chop. This recipe uses pork loin cut into cutlets. This cut has less fat and cooks much faster than the bone-in chop variety. This whole meal can be prepared in less than an hour. What I do to save time is to wash and cut up the pork loin prior to freezing so that it’s ready to just batter and fry up when dinner time comes. Paired with garlic fried rice made from left over rice and steamed broccoli and you have another quick, easy and nutritious meal. To make the fried pork loin, simply moisten the cutlets in beaten egg, dredge in bread crumbs seasoned with garlic powder, salt, pepper and dried basil; and … Read entire article »
Filed under: pork, Quick meals, Rice
One more thing about spooning
I just visited Jade’s site this morning after dropping her off to attend her friend’s bat mitzvah and found out that she too has joined the spooning brigade. Want to know what a 13 year thinks about the whole thing? Click read her new blog below. … Read entire article »
Filed under: miscellaneous
Paksiw na Bangus
In light of the spoon incident, I wanted to post this dish that cannot be eaten with a fork and knife (I’d like to see someone try), but begs to be eaten by hand. Milkfish or Bangus is the national fish of the Philippines. It is a delicious fish, but it makes you work for your pleasure. Is that a Filipino trait too? I don’t know After paying for the exorbitant price (with eyes wide-shut) they were selling this fish at the oriental market for (a bag of 4 pieces of frozen baby milkfish was $3.74!), I had Asi help me cook this dish, since she is also my only helper in eating it. We two are the only ones with patience to pick all the bones out … Read entire article »
Filed under: Filipino, seafood, secret pot
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