Cooked From the Heart » Archive
Lola’s Kamote Salad – LP Anniversary
For the first anniversary edition of Lasang Pinoy, hosted by stef of stefoodie.net and Noodles & Rice, the theme is to define what being Pinoy is all about. I think this may be the hardest topic of all. It is like having to choose which of your children is your favorite. You love them all, but they are all different and they all have something that makes them special, and you love them all for different reasons but you love them all the same, without one having more advantage over another. A recent post by Gigi about being Pinoy in California and the ensuing comments afterwards reminded me of this sometimes annoying and at the same time flattering habit of being asked, after someone finds out that you are Filipino, if … Read entire article »
Filed under: Filipino, Lasang Pinoy, salads, vegetables
Green Beans with Pinenuts
Although I did plant some green beans in our garden, I have to admit that these were not from mine, but from my fave warehouse store, Costco. These are French beans or haricot verts according to the packaging. I bought a pack a few weeks ago before our plants started bearing fruit. INGREDIENTS:1 Lb. Green Beans2 cloves of Garlic, chopped2 Tablespoons Butter3 Tablespoons WaterSalt to tasteToasted Pinenuts Heat/melt butter, add garlic and saute’ until fragrant. Add beans and roll in the butter & garlic mixture for about a minute. Add the water and sprinkle with salt. Cover and let cook until water evaporates. Take the pan off the heat as soon as it starts to dry up. Place on a serving dish and sprinkle with pinenuts. … Read entire article »
Filed under: side dishes, vegetables
Sour Ramen Soup
I know I’ve mentioned before how ramen noodles are a staple in our house. It is the Clone’s meal when we are serving fish or any other dish she does not care for or when I am feeling lazy and don’t feel much like cooking but still want something warm and comforting anyway, we turn to ramen noodles. Luckily, the Clone has developed a taste for sinigang or sour soup and I managed to slip in some vegetables in her by making her this bowl of soup during another one of our seafood inspired meals. For this version, I omitted the packet that comes with the noodles and instead flavored the soup with a couple of tablespoons of tamarind powder, a few slices of onion and seasoned with salt. Added the … Read entire article »
Filed under: soup, vegetables
Black Beans and Rice
As promised, here is another easy recipe to go with Cinco de Mayo Pork Roast or any other meat dish. It also stands well alone, if you are on a vegetarian diet like the Clone. I don’t know what it is, but she has been on a self-imposed vegetarian diet lately. She doesn’t eat any of the meat dishes we cook, just the starches and vegetables. However, she makes exception for chicken nuggets that come with a toy. Go figure! INGREDIENTS:2 Tbsp. Olive Oil2 cloves of Garlic, chopped2 cups of long-grain rice1 can … Read entire article »
Filed under: Rice, side dishes
Cinco de Mayo Pork Roast ala Asi
With me working, I like either quick and easy dishes or dishes that cook long but without a lot of fuss. This dish requires a long braising time in the oven, but it is easy to cook even by remote. All you need is a 14 year old girl and a phone. While at work, I told Asi what to throw in the baking dish, cover it, put it in the oven to bake and by the time I got home from work, dinner was ready! This was served with black beans & rice (recipe later), pico de gallo(my version is here), and fried tortillas. INGREDIENTS:2 lbs. Country Style Ribs1 10 oz. can of Enchilada Sauce1 onion, choppedBlack Pepper Put all the ingredients in an oven safe dish. Notice that I Asi … Read entire article »
Pico de Gallo
What do you do when tomatoes from your garden start filling up your kitchen counters and the freezer too? Canning would be a good answer, but I haven’t had much time to do that. What we do, we make salsa instead! These will keep in the refrigerator for a few days, so they come in handy to serve with just about any meal or to use as a dip for chips. The ingredients are your usual:TomatoesOnions, sweet vidalia preferredFresh jalapeno or serrano peppersCilantroLemon or limeSalt Chop the tomatoes, onions, peppers and cilantro finely or coarsely, depending on your preference. Squeeze the juice from half a lemon or whole lime and season with salt to your taste. Mix well.With this batch, we took about half of the mixture and blended it then … Read entire article »
Filed under: Mexican, vegetables
N.C. Barbeque a cousin to Sisig
Barbeque to me had always meant large chunks of meat, be it steaks, ribs, chops or whole chickens, cooked over coals. So when we first moved to NC and hubby said he had a hankering for some good old NC bbq, I was unprepared for the chopped bit of pork served up on my plate. Here, this chopped up concoction is simplly called barbeque. When North Carolinians say barbeque, they are do not refer to the sauce slathered chunks of meat, they refer to the pork shoulder (or whole pig) slow cooked over coals that is then pulled or chopped fine and dressed with either a peppery vinegar dressing or a similar vinegar based tomato sauce. North Carolinians are very particular about their barbeque and most families will have their … Read entire article »
WHB #44 – Gising Gising
This week, Weekend Herb Blogging is being hosted by Christa of Calendula & Concrete. Thanks to Kalyn, this event has been a constant source for me to find new recipes to try with the produce from our garden. This week, I’d like to feature a vegetable we call “sitaw” in the Philippines. This vegetable goes by many names and many faces as Karen’s post on it would tell you. Here in the U.S., it is simply called yard-long beans because its pods can grow up to a yard long. I had posted a recipe for yard long beans last year when I had an abundance, and as I look to my archives, I am surprised I didn’t post more recipes for it since I had so many! So here goes … Read entire article »
Filed under: Filipino, vegetables, WHB
Lemon Garlic Roasted Pork Loin
Here’s another simple dish, but very satisfying. When pork loins go on sale here they usually sell the whole length which is about two feet long and good for three meals at least. I usually cut them up according to the dish I will be using them for i.e. cutlets for chops, strips for stir-fry, and whole like this one if you plan on roasting it. This was prepared by Asi as she was my sous chef for the day. She mashed the tons of garlic that went into this and also prepped all the other ingredients for the marinade. 2-3 lb Pork Loin roast1 head of garlic, chopped1 tablespoon kosher salt1 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper2 teaspoons chopped rosemary2 lemons, juiced4 tablespoons olive oil Mix all the ingredients together and pour over … Read entire article »
Filed under: pork
Cooking Tip: What to do with hardened brown sugar?
With summer’s rising humidity, I’m sure I am not the only one who has encountered this problem. Upon opening this not too airtight container, I found this block of brown sugar that is so hard, I probably would have had to have a chisel to break it up. Luckily, I remembered this tip from one of the many cookbooks and/or magazines I’ve come across (sorry I can’t remember which one now). To ‘thaw’ it out, simply stick it in the microwave for 10 to 15 seconds and it is back to its soft stage again! No need to break out the chisel. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Cooking Tips
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