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Cooking Chicken Relleno

Rose — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 07:00:10 +0000

During special holidays, we often cook Chicken Relleno. Just this last Thanksgiving, we roasted a total of three of these deliciously stuffed chickens. With Christmas and New Year’s Day nearing, we’re expecting to cook even more.

Chicken Relleno is a roasted chicken that has been deboned and stuffed with a mixture of ground pork, Filipino hot dogs, and eggs. The pork stuffing is the key component to the dish. I first learned how to make the pork stuffing recipe from my Dad. With Chicken Relleno, the hardest part is to debone the chicken. Once you’re able to do that, this recipe is fairly simple to follow.

Ingredients
1 Whole Chicken (Deboned)
Soy Sauce
Lemon Juice
1 Bulb of Chopped Garlic
1 Can of Sprite
2 tbs. Sugar
1 1/2 Pounds of Ground Pork
2 Shredded Carrots
1 Large Diced Potato
1/2 Cup of Raisins
6 Beaten Raw Eggs
Salt
Pepper
2 Filipino Hot Dogs
2 Sliced Hard Boiled Eggs

Steps
You must start with a whole deboned chicken. It is easiest to start the deboning process by slicing the back skin portion of the chicken and detaching the meat from the bone. Work your way from the back, the wings, the thighs, and finally the breast. Later, you will sew back together the skin opening, after stuffing the chicken.

Next, in a large bowl, combine 1/2 Cup of soy sauce, 1/2 Cup of lemon juice, garlic, Sprite, sugar, and 1/2 tbsp. of pepper. Place the whole deboned chicken in the marinade for 2-3 hours. We prefer to marinade the chicken overnight in the refrigerator.

In another large bowl, mix together the ground pork, eggs, carrots, potato, raisins, 1-2 tbs. of salt, and 1 tbsp. of pepper. While mixing, begin to boil two eggs that will be sliced and placed into the stuffing later on.

When it comes to the stuffing part, following these step by step photos below might help. First take some of the pork stuffing to fill the chicken. Next, lay out the hot dogs and eggs inside. Take the remainder of pork stuffing to fill the chicken again. The whole chicken should be very plump by now. With a sewing needle and thread, stitch the skin of the chicken to enclose the stuffing.

Bake the chicken in a deep pan for 2-2 1/2 hours at 350°F.

With Chicken Relleno, you should be able to cut into the chicken and serve slices of it, similar to a meatloaf.

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Cooking My Aunty’s Coconut Macaroons

Rose — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:43:53 +0000

This recipe is from my Aunt who used to make coconut macaroons at home in the Philippines. She would make different sweets all the time. Everything from leche flan to pastilyas, she would do. I remember bringing her treats to school with me and selling them to my classmates. My favorite is still her coconut macaroons. I like making macaroons using her recipe because they come out of the oven nicely toasted on top, yet still remaining soft inside.

Ingredients
2 Cups Shredded Coconut
1 Beaten Egg
1/2 Cup Flour
1 tsp. Baking Powder
3 tbs. Sugar
1 Cup Condensed Milk

Steps
In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix together. All of the ingredients should form into a thick batter like mixture.

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Get a 24 cup mini muffin baking pan out and place muffin paper cups into each hole. The paper cups keep the macaroons moist inside and they make cleaning up much easier. If you don’t have a muffin baking pan at home, do what I did and just buy 2 or 3, 12 cup disposable muffin pans. They work fine. Take spoonfuls of the macaroon mixture and place them into the cups.

Bake the macaroons for 20-25 minutes. You will know they are done by the golden color that forms on the top of the muffin cups. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for about 10 minutes.

Making these macaroons always brings back good memories for me. I can look back at when I was younger, sharing these treats with my friends.

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Polvoron with Roasted Macadamia Nuts

Rose — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 17:51:34 +0000

One of my favorite treats is polvoron, a Filipino shortbread made from flour, sugar, milk, butter, and nuts. I have been making polvoron ever since I was a little girl growing up in the Philippines. I learned how to make polvoron from my sister, who learned how to make it from my mom. Back home, we would use peanuts to add flavor to these treats. When I decided to make polvoron, I noticed I was out of peanuts. I substituted the peanuts for some macadamia nuts and the flavor still reminded me of my original family recipe.

Its soft and powdery texture is sweet delight.

Ingredients
4 tbs. Butter
1 1/2 Cup Flour
1/2 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Powdered Milk
1/2 Cup Macadamia Nuts
Cookie Cutter Mold of Your Choice

Steps
In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Combine the flour, sugar, and powdered milk into the pan. Begin mixing everything together.

The ingredients should begin to clump into small grains. Now, the idea is to try to grind these grains into a fine powder. I just keep on mixing and crushing the grains at the same time.

Another way to grind the grains is to take a wire flour sifter and press the grains through the mesh. The fine powder should fall through. This will take some time, but be patient and keep working at it.

In another frying pan, place in the macadamia nuts over medium heat. Let them roast until they are golden brown. Let them cool off. After they’ve been cooled, place them in a ziplock bag. Find something to crush them into small chunks. Once you have the chunks, mix them into the polvoron.

After you add in the macadamia nuts you are essentially finished. You can serve the polvoron in small bowls, but if you have time, you can mold the “dough” into a circle cookie cutter to give it some shape. When using a cookie cutter, just be sure to pack in the polvoron very tightly because if you don’t, the shape won’t hold and you’ll be left with just unshaped polvoron powder. The last step is to carefully transfer the shaped polvoron onto a plate and you’re done.

I don’t usually shape my polvoron into molds because sometimes I have a hard time getting the polvoron to hold its shape. There are polvoron molds available to make things easier for you, but I haven’t found one in store nearby. Don’t worry, polvoron tastes great even if you don’t get a chance to shape them.

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Baked Cherry Crumble

Rose — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:07:02 +0000

Yesterday afternoon I went cherry picking at Chavez U-Pick Cherries in Brentwood. It was a warm sunny day and great to be outdoors. Being at the farm allowed you to pick out your own cherries. This way, you can try to look out for the more sweeter ones. The best part is, you’re supporting a local farm and having fun at the same time.

The cherries cost us $2.50 a pound. We bought about seven pounds. They are absolutely sweet, plump, and juicy. When we got home, I wanted to try to make a simple dessert with the cherries. Besides Egg Custard Pies, I don’t do much baked desserts. So, I went came up with a basic dough that is similar to Polvoron. Polvoron is a Filipino pastry treat that is made with flour, sugar, butter, and milk.

Ingredients
Cherries
1/2 Cup of Flour
4 Tbsp. Of Butter
1/2 Cup of Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp. of White Sugar
1 Tsp. of Cinnamon
A Pinch of Salt

Steps
Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Prepare the cherries by washing and pitting them. Cut the cherries in half and line them on a bottom of a 8×8″ baking dish or whatever sized baking dish you have on hand. Sprinkle the white sugar over the cherries.

Next, in a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients with the butter. Mix everything until it forms together. After the dough has formed, take pieces of it and layer them over the cherries. Place the baking dish into the oven for 20-25 minutes.

You can serve the Baked Cherry Crumble in small ramicans or a plate.

The flavors of sweet and tangy cherries with the aroma of cinnamon will remind you of a cherry pie.

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Sweet & Exotic Star Apples

Rose — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 06:17:13 +0000

While on my trip in the Philippines, I picked fresh ripened star apples from my back yard. This fruit has a texture of a very creamy mango.

Look at the sweet purple and white flesh.

You can eat the fruit plain, but I like making a quick refreshment out of it. Just take the flesh from the apple and mix it with ice, milk, and sugar. Simple!

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Spice it Up with Salt

Rose — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 06:27:32 +0000

Bayan ng Hinigaran, the town of Hinigaran’s local market, is where everyone buys their groceries, goes for food, and hangs out. Vendors from the area come here to showcase their goods to sell. I was able to find some sea salt from the Philippines to bring back home.

Local salt that was harvested in the nearby town of Pulupandan in the Philippines.

Those who want to harvest their own salt can purchase plots land. My Mom was able to buy a plot of land in Pulupandan, where the salt we photographed is from.

When the ocean is at high tide, salt water travels down a canal into ponds. You bring a pale to the pond and gather up sea water to bring back to your plot of land where you pour it over a layer of plastic tarp. Once you let the sun evaporate the water, you are left with beautiful white sea salt.

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Crema de Fruita – Filipino Fruit Cream Cake

Rose — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 05:05:37 +0000

To start the New Year off, we wanted to make Crema de Fruita. It is a Filipino cake that can be enjoyed throughout the year. What better way to start off a New Year with this…

Graham Crackers and Mangos

Back in the Philippines our family used graham crackers for this this. They were easier to use and more readily available. Sometimes we just didn’t have time to bake a layer of sponge cake. If you do, you can substitute sponge cake or even pound cake for this recipe.

Ingredients
1 Pack of Graham Crackers
1 Can of Fruit Cocktail
3 Whole Mangos
1 Can of Cream
1 Can of Condensed Milk
1 3 Inch Deep Aluminum Baking Dish

Steps
Let’s prepare the canned fruit first. Strain the syrup from the fruit and set the syrup aside. We will use it later on. Then, cut your mangos. Three cuts should do it. You can scoop out the meat from the mango and mix it with the canned fruit. Set the fruit aside too.

In a bowl, mix together the cream and condensed milk. Whisk the two together until you don’t see any little clumps of cream.

When you have the two mixed together, take the baking dish and begin to lay out the graham crackers out. Then pour enough of the cream mixture on the first layer of graham crackers.

Next, take some of the fruit and spread it evenly across the cream layer.

For the next layers of graham crackers, take the strained syrup and coat the crackers. You can do this by placing the syrup on a plate and dipping the crackers on both sides. Create another bed of soaked crackers and repeat the previous steps. Your cake should have 3 layers of graham crackers – the bottom, a middle, and the top. The last layer of cream can be left plain just like below.

This gives you an opportunity to decorate the cake a little bit. You can crumble a few graham crackers over the last layer or use fruits to add a little presentation to your cake.

The final step is to freeze your cake overnight. Crema de Fruita is best served chilled. Cut the cake into small squares and serve.

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Egg Custard Pie

Rose — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 04:22:22 +0000

You better get your oven mitts for this one. I’m about to show you my recipe for an Egg Custard Pie. Egg Custard Pie is very similar to the Filipino dessert, Leche Flan.

Ingredients
1 Dozen Medium Sized Eggs
1 Can of Condensed Milk
1 ½ Cup Heavy Cream
1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Steps
Let’s start by preheating your oven to 350°F.

Get the eggs out. You’ll need plenty.

Next, you want to seperate the egg whites from 9 egg yolks. Take your time to separate the yolk. It can get a little tricky. Place the 9 yolks into a large mixing bowl. You can discard the egg whites. Then, you take 3 whole eggs and add them to the bowl.

Finally, add the can of condensed milk and cream into the eggs. Mix everything together.

Get your crust ready because you are going to pour the egg mixture into the pie crust. If you have any leftovers, you can add it into an oven safe baking dish and bake it too.

Let the Egg Custard Pie bake for 30-40 minutes.

You can check if the pie is ready by taking a toothpick and poking the pie itself. Check to see if the pie is semi firm, like a thick omelet. If it’s ready, take it out of the oven and let it set for another 10 minutes. Once it’s cool, get ready to slice, serve, and enjoy.

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Filipino Style Spaghetti Recipe

Rose — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 05:36:11 +0000

We love cooking spaghetti for parties and gatherings. If there’s a potluck coming up, we almost always being spaghetti over. Filipino style spaghetti has a twist from traditional Italian spaghetti. It has a much sweeter taste because of one special ingredient that is used.

Ingredients
1 Pound of Ground Beef
6 Cloves of Chopped Garlic
1/2 Diced Onion Onion
26.5 Oz. Can of Tomato Sauce
1 Bottle Banana Sauce or Banana Ketchup
Shredded or Chopped Cheese of Your Choice
1 Cup of Cream
2 Sliced Hot Dogs
1 Package of Spaghetti Pasta

Steps
Boil your spaghetti in a large enough pot. Don’t forget to season the water with a little bit of salt.

In another large pot, take a little bit of oil to sauté the garlic and onions. Add in the ground beef and mix it into the onions and beef. Season it with some salt and pepper. Let it simmer.

You can add in the tomato sauce and hot dogs. Again, keep mixing. Keep your eye on the boiling spaghetti pasta. If you feel that the pasta is cooked thoroughly, strain it and set t aside for now.

Now, this is what sets Filipino spaghetti apart from the rest. It’s our secret ingredient to getting the sweet taste that our spaghetti sauce is known for.

Banana Sauce will bring out a sweet flavor to the spaghetti. You can find Banana Sauce at your local Asian market or Asian Foods section of your local grocery store. 1 whole bottle should do it. Add this into your sauce mixture along with the cream and cheese. Let everything cook over medium high heat for 10-15 minutes.

Once you have your sauce cooked and pasta strained, you are ready to serve. Just take some pasta and drizzle the spaghetti sauce over it.

If you aren’t too adventurous to try to make this dish yourself, you can try to find a local Jollibee. Jollibee is the Philippines’ largest fast food chain. They have several locations in the United States. One thing they are known for is their spaghetti that they serve Filipino style.

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Coconut Fruit Salad

Rose — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:02:00 +0000

This is a classic Filipino recipe that we make during celebrations or small gatherings. I want to share with you a way to make a Coconut Fruit Salad, better known as Buko Salad.

Ingredients
Young Coconut
Canned Fruit Cocktail
Nata de Coco
Sugar Palm
Condensed Milk
Cream

Steps
The Nata de Coco and Sugar Palm (Kaong) aren’t your typical pantry items. They are similar to gelatin and come ready to use in jars. If you’re trying to find these ingredients, try looking for them in the Asian foods section at your local grocery store. Still not there? You might have to try an Asian market to get them.

You first need a large enough bowl to mix all of the ingredients in. First take the large can of the fruit cocktail and strain out the syrup. After that, place the fruit into your large mixing bowl. Next, strain the Nata de Coco and Sugar Palm and place that with the fruits. Sugar Palm comes in a variety of colors. Just pick your favorite to use.

When you have that ready, it’s time to add in 1 can of condensed milk and 1 can of cream. Mix all of the ingredients together. If you feel that your salad is still thick from the condensed milk, you can add more cream.

Finally, it’s time to add the coconut. I like to use fresh young coconut. I’d take about 4-6 coconuts, crack them open, and scrape out the delicious coconut meat inside. Do the same for your salad. Just remember to mix in the coconut into the fruit so that all of the flavors can combine. If you can’t find fresh coconut, the frozen shredded kind can work as a substitute. About 2-3 packets will do. You can find them at your local Asian markets.

And there you have it. A sweet treat that’s great for dessert or just to start your party off. Be sure to place the Coconut Fruit Salad in the refrigerator and serve it chilled.

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