New Year's Pasta

Having made a successful Shrimp Salad combined with some other dishes, our Media Noche turned into a little feast. So me and my family decided we'd just have a simple dinner on the first day of the year, some Sliced ham and a loaf of bread maybe.

We went to Pink Sisters in Tagaytay cause my mom wanted to go to church, then eventually decided to drop by Starbucks Tagaytay for some coffee. Parking was hell so we decided to go to the other branch by Robinsons Tagaytay.

My mom's "mom instincts" kicked in and went inside the supermarket. There, I saw some asparagus (a lot cheaper there) and said "Pasta na lang tayo mamaya", So we grabbed a couple bundles and bought some bacon and the simple dinner turned into my New Year's Pasta.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

(kitchen stuff)

- Tooth Picks (the round ones)

(The Pasta)

- 1/2 kilo Spaghetti noodles

- 1/4 kilo Lean Ground Pork

- 1/2 block cheese(grated)

- 1/2 Garlic (minced)

-1 whole White Onion (diced)

- Medium sachet Spaghetti Sauce(Italian Style)

- Tomato catsup

- White Sugar

- Salt

- Pepper

- Oregano

- Cooking and Olive Oil

(Topping)

- Bacon 250g

- Asparagus 48-60 pieces

- 6 Crabsticks

-Sliced Fiesta Ham

Preparing the Pasta :

1. Cook Noodles in a pan of boiling water with about a 2-4 tbsp of a mixture of Olive and cooking oil and seasoned with some salt on medium heat

2. Cooking the Sauce

a. Sauté minced Garlic and diced Onion in a pan till the onion Carameliize

b. Add Ground Pork and sauté till cooked to a bit brownish pigment

c. Add Spaghetti Sauce

d. Add about 1/2 a cup of Tomato Catsup

e. Add about 4-5 tbsp of White Sugar

f. Season with Salt and Pepper

g. Add 1 tbsp of dried Oregano

h. Cook for about 15 min on medium heat stirring every now and then

Preparing the Topping:

1. Asparagus

a. Chop the Asparagus till about mid Point(this depends on your desired length)

b. Wash The Asparagus(this is so important)

2. Slice the Crabsticks into halves

3. Wrap together 5 stalks of Asparagus and 1/2 a Crabstick with bacon and seal with a tooth pick

4. After wrapping all 12 sets, we're ready to COOK

5. On a Stovetop Grille, cook the Wraps on medium heat. Cook each side for about 3 min or till bacon and Asparagus are cooked

6.Grille the Sliced Ham

Plating:

1. Put some noodles on a big Plate.

2. Top with the Spaghetti Sauce and Grated Cheese

3. Place the Asparagus Wrap on top forming a pyramid

4. Add the Grilled Ham beside the Asparagus Wrap Pyramid

Enjoy..this is nice and quite heavy, but really fun to make.

Hot Shrimp Salad

After an oily Christmas Eve Dinner ... I decided to prepare something light for Media Noche. A start the year right kind of thing. So here's what I Prepared.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

(kitchen stuff)

- Deep Pan, good for deep frying

- Big Bowl to mixing the salad

(Salad Mixture)

- 1 can Fruit Cocktail

- 1 can Condensed Milk

-2 big sachets/jars of mayonnaise

(Shrimp)

- 1/2 kilo Medium shrimps(tiger prawns won't work since the meat is too stiff also won't cook as well)

- 2 big eggs(beaten)

- Cornstarch

- Salt

(Garnish)

- lettuce

- 6 Crab Sticks

Preparing the Shrimp :

1. Wash, Peel and Devein the Shrimps

Deveining the Shrimp?

a. Slice the shrimps back till you reach a black part in the center of the shrimp, that's the vein

b. Remove the vein

2. Prepare the Batter

a. Beat 2 big eggs

b. Season with some salt

c. Add cornstarch till the batter gets a slightly thick texture

3. Cover the Shrimps with the Batter and Deep Fry in Medium heat until Golden Brown

Preparing the Salad:

1. Open the fruit cocktail and strain

2. Put the strained fruit cocktail to the mixing bowl and add the Condensed Milk and Mayonnaise

Note: Mayo to Condensed milk ratio is ideally 1tbsp Condensed Milk : 2 tbsp Mayonnaise

(this might differ since condensed milks differ in sweetness based on brand)

3. Add the Deep Fried Shrimps and Mix together

Garnish:

1. Crabsticks

a. Break the Crabsticks into strips

b. Cover with the left over Batter used on the Shrimp

c. Roll into patty like shapes and Deep Fry till Golden Brown

2. Lettuce

a. Break into plate like shapes

b. Wash and then strain

Plating:

1. Line a big Plate with Lettuce until covered Completely

2. Put 5 Crabstick Patties on the lettuce forming a star like shape

3. Carefully put the Salad on the center forming a small mountain

4. Top with the last Crab patty on top Vertically

Now you're Hot Shrimp Salad is done and ready to serve. This much is good for at least 6-8 people.

Ang Lugaw... Bow

A few months back...my girlfriend got braces, so obviously she can't eat solid food too much for a week. So i decided to make her LUGAW(porridge), that way we can enjoy a meal together.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

(Lugaw)
- 4 gatang/cup whole grain rice
- 1 1/2 gatang/cup malagkit(sticky rice)
- 3 chicken cubes for broth
- salt, pepper
- thumb sized ginger chopped finely
- 1 whole garlic minced
- 1/2 onion chopped finely
- 2 whole chicken ribs / thighs chopped (keep the bones intact, this will add flavor to the stock)
- hard boiled eggs
- Black Fungus (tengang daga)
- sausage sliced (for garnish)

(Herbed Chicken)
- 2 whole chicken breast fillets w/ skin
- salt, pepper and oregano

HOW TO PREPARE:

1. Lugaw

a. Without oil toast the garlic, onion and ginger on a pan
b. Add some oil and continue sautéing
c. Add chicken add salt and pepper sauté then leave it to toast a bit for about 5 min
d. Add rice and malagkit(sticky rice) then sauté
e. Add water bout 6-7 cups depending on how thick you want it
f. Add chicken cubes and leave on low fire for about 20 min or until cooked :D

2. Herbed Chicken

a. Apply a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper on both sides of the fillet
b. Put a dash of oregano on both sides
c. Cook on a skillet until golden brown(meat side)
d. Once the meat side's done, move the fillets on a flat pan skin side and press
e. Cook until crispy and golden brown
f. This will give the chicken great texture

PLATING:
- Put lugaw on a bowl
- Top with sliced hardboiled egg, black fungus, sliced grilled sausage\
- Slice the herbed chicken and set on top

This is great for the cold season, pretty fun to eat while watching a movie. ENJOY!

KIAM PNG

My lola used to cook this for us, so I thought I'd give it a shot. IT'S SO GOOD.

KIAM PNG(I THINK TRANSLATES TO SALTY RICE)

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

- 3 cups uncooked rice
- 1 1/2 cups malagkit(sticky rice)
- Oyster sauce
- Soy sauce
- 1 table spoon hoisin sauce(optional)
- 1 whole garlic
- 1/2 onion
- thumb sized ginger
- 8-10 shitake mushrooms(optional)
- 10-12 black fungus(tengang daga(optional)
- a cup of peanuts
- salt and pepper
- 1 broth cube(in this case chicken)
- 1 chicken breast deboned and sliced into strips
- 1/4 cabbage

PREPARATION:

- soak shitake mushrooms and black fungus in water till soft then slice
- mince onion and garlic
- wash the rice and malagkit(sticky rice)
- wash peanuts
- squeeze ginger on to the chicken

COOKING PROCESS:

- Toast garlic and onion on a pan, sauté until slightly brown
- add some oil
- add chicken strips
- add peanuts
- add shitake mushrooms and black fungus
- season with salt and pepper, sauté till the chicken's golden brown
- drizzle with oyster sauce ( should look like a coil w/ about 10 rotations)
- add about 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- mix, then add rice and malagkit(sticky rice)
- sauté for about 5 min
- add 4 1/2 cups of water
- add broth cube, boil for about 10 min then put everything on the rice cooker and cook

Happy Eating