Sunday, July 24, 2011

Saturday Nights

Yet another wonderful Saturday Dinner out without a camera!!!!

There are times when i wish I have a nanny. Mind you, not to completely take care of my son but rather to fetch and prepare the things I need for getting my son ready etc... Twice in a row now my husband, me, our son and some friends dined out and as usual; its either i forgot to take picture of the food or I wasn't able to bring the camera.

Anyway, let me tell you about the dinner. We went to Alor's and ordered a slab of their delectable roast beef!! I believe they're the only ones who serve a full slab here in Davao and you have to order it a day before cause they marinate it for about 10 to 12 hours plus the cooking time.

The result? melt in the mouth beef with just the right amount of marbling. That plus mashed potatoes smothered with gravy is to die for!!

No worries about the picture though, will go there again soon and I definitely will NOT forget the camera so I can take a picture.

Now, on to another recipe. Sunday Lunch was a modest affair of Country Friend Steak, Buttered Veggies and Soup.

The recipe for country fried steak I got from watching throw down with Bobby Flay against Paula Deen. I wanted to make a true blue country fried steak I followed Paula Deen's recipe (her being from the South and all), however with a few modifications of my own....

Here is a copy of her recipe.



Ingredients

Steak and Gravy:

  • 1 1/2 cups, plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 pcs beef thinly sliced ( like the ones you buy for beef steak tagalog/ pound with tenderizer)
  • 1 tsp House Seasoning (recipe at the bottom)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 quart whole milk
  • 1 large red onion, sliced

Directions

Steak and Gravy: Combine 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle 1 side of the meat with the House Seasoning and the other side with the seasoning salt, and then dredge the meat in buttermilk and then flour. Heat 1/2 cup oil in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 or 4 of the steaks to the hot oil and fry until browned, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. Remove each steak to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with the remaining steaks, adding up to 1/4 cup more oil, as needed.
Making  the gravy:
 Caramelized the chopped red onions and then  add the 2 tablespoons remaining flour to the pan drippings, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon. Stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the salt. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until the flour is medium brown and the mixture is bubbly. Slowly add the whole milk stirring constantly. Return the steaks to the skillet and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pan, and let simmer for 30 minutes.
Plate and serve. 
Buttered Vegetables: 

Simply Saute Vegetables in butter and then add salt and pepper. 
Food is not just nourishment but something to enjoy as well. It stimulates all of our senses... It is an adventure in the truest form... 

Sunday, July 17, 2011

DP Club Weekend

Just had a wonderful saturday evening with family. So anyway, we had our usual family "every other weekend" gathering, and this week it was our turn to host the weekend.  We had a "kinect"night. I'd launch into a diatribe of how kinect is such a great game and all, but most of you probably know about it, so i wont go into much detail; except that we had a blast.

For dinner I made kinilaw (filipino ceviche), balbacua, and grilled pork belly. My aunts and cousin brought dessert, and drinks!

I'd share with you the recipe for my balbacua but its  not perfect yet. The recipe needs tweeking, before its public ready :)

So I'm giving out the recipe of the dish i made last weekend. FAJITAS!!!




ingredients:


-New York Strip Steak (any steak will do but i prefer the new york stip you can find in SM Supermarket it  has great marbling)
- Home Made Salsa or bottled Salsa ( The salsa here is homemade, but you can buy salsas at the supermarket the tostitos brand is good. I also sell my own concoction of my bottled salsa)
- Guacamole (recipe follows)
- Onion
-Bell Pepper
- Lettuce
- Store Bought Soft Taco
-Sour Cream

Procedure:


-Grill Steak to your desired doneness. cover with foil and set aside
- Julienne onion and bell pepper.
-Saute onion until translucent, add bell pepper season with a bit of salt and pepper. When bell pepper goes limp turn off heat, transfer on a plate and set aside.
-tear lettuce. place in a separate plate and set aside.

GUACAMOLE

Mix together chopped ripe avocadoes (2 pcs), 1/4 cup lime juice and calamansi juice, 1 tsp cumin, salt pepper, 2 tomatoes chopped and 1 large red onion.

To assemble Fajita:

Warm Pita bread, Spread Guacamole


Add Lettuce and sliced steaks


Then Onions and bell pepper
\
Top with Salsa 

and sour cream

Wrap and enjoy!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Whats for dinner? Sambal Ulang!

More than a month since my last post! things have been hectic lately, so anyway: I went to the market this afternoon and found fresh shrimps at a really great price. I have always wanted to try this recipe ever since a family friend taught me how to cook it.

Its a Malaysian Dish called SAMBAL ULANG


Note: Unfortunately I dont measure things when i cook, but next time i make this ill try to measure it and post updates here.


Ingredients:


Coconut Milk
1 large red onion
1 clove garlic
Tons of fresh tomatoes (about 30 pcs or more)
1 kilo Shrimp
Salt and Pepper
Chili
1 tsp sugar

Procedure:

Place coconut milk in pan, allow to boil until it separates. It should look like this


It takes about 45 minutes to an hour for the coconut milk to look like this (this dish takes a lot of patience)
Then add the onion and garlic, saute just until limp (donot brown garlic) add chili depending on how hot you want the dish to be. Then add the tomatoes

Cover and allow to simmer until the consistency of chunky tomato sauce. Then allow to reduce to about 3/4 its volume. Then add the shrimp. Do not overcook shrimp or it will taste dry and a bit tough.



Hope you like this recipe and feel free to comment.

Thanks!




Sunday, May 8, 2011

Mother's Day

May 8, 2011.
Mother's Day.... Today is mother's day. It made me think of the mothers in my life.First my mom: gentle and caring, she has taught me patience and kindness. Then there's my mother in law: grace and elegance, she has showed me that diplomacy is the best social tool you can ever have. Then there's my grandmothers... My "Mama Lily" a woman of strength; Mama Loudette the epitome of intellect, and then there's my husband's grandmother, who although I only knew briefly was the soul of amiability and kindness.

These women of different ages and experiences in life left me with one singular yet similar legacy... That of the love of cooking... The amazing thing is that each and every woman i have mentioned above have given me written notes of their best epicurean creation, and i would like to honor them by cooking one recipe from each woman every single saturday of my life and every special occassion such as birthdays, holidays etc...

So cooking starts thursday May 12 my son's birthday!will keep you posted!