Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The October 2008 Challenge - Bake Your Pizzas Like A Real Pizzaiolo

The October Daring Bakers' Challenge is here again!! As always, I am very excited about it. And I'm especially happy about this month's challenge because it was pizza!! My dad always said the secret of a good pizza is in the dough, and I was very certain this dough will be excellent! But there was a slight catch in the challenge--even before I thought of the toppings, I was thinking about the "tossing" picture. I wasn't sure if I could toss it without the pizza sticking to the ceiling or worse, on the floor. Thankfully, none of those happened! Here is the evidence:

I made the pizza dough the day before and left them happily fermenting in the chiller while I went to work. I dropped by the supermarket and bought the topping ingredients that my family requested. I checked on the dough when I arrived home and they were looking very nice. The next day I woke up early and brought out the dough 2 hours before the intended baking time. When the 2 hours was up I excitedly tried my "tossing" technique and it worked!! Yey!!! I didn't have a pizza stone so I used the back of my jelly roll pan. The first pizza was my brother's: Tomato sauce, pepperoni, beef, anchovies, artichoke hearts, mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese:


The second pizza was mine (I didn't eat it all) I brushed the crust with olive oil, and then topped it with shrimps, anchovies, crushed garlic, feta cheese, mozzarella cheese, olives and capers.


The third one my baby sister topped with tomato sauce, pepperoni, anchovies, shrimps, feta, mozzarella, parmesan, olives and capers.


And the fourth and last one (whew!) I mashed salted eggs, spread it thinly on the crust, topped it with artichoke hearts, anchovies, mushrooms, crumbled feta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese.


I had so much fun doing this challenge, thank you Rosa (www.rosas-yummy-yums.blogspot.com)! She included the recipe for gluten free dough but I didn't write it down anymore: Be sure to check out all the daring baker's pizzas www.daringbakersblogroll.blogspot.com




~ BASIC PIZZA DOUGH ~


Original recipe taken from “The Bread Baker’s Apprentice”

by Peter Reinhart.

Makes 6 pizza crusts (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter).



Ingredients:

4 1/2 Cups (20 1/4 ounces/607.5 g) Unbleached high-gluten (%14) bread flour or all purpose flour, chilled


1 3/4 Tsp Salt


1 Tsp Instant yeast


1/4 Cup (2 ounces/60g) Olive oil or vegetable oil (both optional, but it’s better with)


1 3/4 Cups (14 ounces/420g or 420ml) Water, ice cold (40° F/4.5° C)


1 Tb sugar


Semolina/durum flour or cornmeal for dusting




DAY ONE Method:


1. Mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast in a big bowl (or in the bowl of your stand mixer).

2. Add the oil, sugar and cold water and mix well (with the help of a large wooden spoon or with the paddle attachment, on low speed) in order to form a sticky ball of dough. On a clean surface, knead for about 5-7 minutes, until the dough is smooth and the ingredients are homogeneously distributed. If it is too wet, add a little flour (not too much, though) and if it is too dry add 1 or 2 teaspoons extra water.

NOTE: If you are using an electric mixer, switch to the dough hook and mix on medium speed for the same amount of time.The dough should clear the sides of the bowl but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If the dough is too wet, sprinkle in a little more flour, so that it clears the sides. If, on the contrary, it clears the bottom of the bowl, dribble in a teaspoon or two of cold water.The finished dough should be springy, elastic, and sticky, not just tacky, and register 50°-55° F/10°-13° C.

3. Flour a work surface or counter. Line a jelly pan with baking paper/parchment. Lightly oil the paper.

4. With the help of a metal or plastic dough scraper, cut the dough into 6 equal pieces (or larger if you want to make larger pizzas).

NOTE: To avoid the dough from sticking to the scraper, dip the scraper into water between cuts.

5. Sprinkle some flour over the dough. Make sure your hands are dry and then flour them. Gently round each piece into a ball.

NOTE: If the dough sticks to your hands, then dip your hands into the flour again.

6. Transfer the dough balls to the lined jelly pan and mist them generously with spray oil. Slip the pan into plastic bag or enclose in plastic food wrap.

7. Put the pan into the refrigerator and let the dough rest overnight or for up to thee days.

NOTE: You can store the dough balls in a zippered freezer bag if you want to save some of the dough for any future baking. In that case, pour some oil(a few tablespooons only) in a medium bowl and dip each dough ball into the oil, so that it is completely covered in oil. Then put each ball into a separate bag. Store the bags in the freezer for no longer than 3 months. The day before you plan to make pizza, remember to transfer the dough balls from the freezer to the refrigerator.




DAY TWO


8. On the day you plan to eat pizza, exactly 2 hours before you make it, remove the desired number of dough balls from the refrigerator. Dust the counter with flour and spray lightly with oil. Place the dough balls on a floured surface and sprinkle them with flour. Dust your hands with flour and delicately press the dough into disks about 1/2 inch/1.3 cm thick and 5 inches/12.7 cm in diameter. Sprinkle with flour and mist with oil. Loosely cover the dough rounds with plastic wrap and then allow to rest for 2 hours.

9. At least 45 minutes before making the pizza, place a baking stone on the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven as hot as possible (500° F/260° C).

NOTE: If you do not have a baking stone, then use the back of a jelly pan. Do not preheat the pan.

10. Generously sprinkle the back of a jelly pan with semolina/durum flour or cornmeal. Flour your hands (palms, backs and knuckles). Take 1 piece of dough by lifting it with a pastry scraper. Lay the dough across your fists in a very delicate way and carefully stretch it by bouncing it in a circular motion on your hands, and by giving it a little stretch with each bounce. Once the dough has expanded outward, move to a full toss.

NOTE: Make only one pizza at a time.During the tossing process, if the dough tends to stick to your hands, lay it down on the floured counter and reflour your hands, then continue the tossing and shaping. In case you would be having trouble tossing the dough or if the dough never wants to expand and always springs back, let it rest for approximately 5-20 minutes in order for the gluten to relax fully,then try again.You can also resort to using a rolling pin, although it isn’t as effective as the toss method.

11. When the dough has the shape you want (about 9-12 inches/23-30 cm in diameter - for a 6 ounces/180g piece of dough), place it on the back of the jelly pan, making sure there is enough semolina/durum flour or cornmeal to allow it to slide and not stick to the pan.

12. Lightly top it with sweet or savory toppings of your choice.

NOTE: Remember that the best pizzas are topped not too generously. No more than 3 or 4 toppings (including sauce and cheese) are sufficient.

13. Slide the garnished pizza onto the stone in the oven or bake directly on the jelly pan. Close the door and bake for abour 5-8 minutes.

NOTE: After 2 minutes baking, take a peek. For an even baking, rotate 180°.If the top gets done before the bottom, you will need to move the stone or jelly pane to a lower shelf before the next round. On the contrary, if the bottom crisps before the cheese caramelizes, then you will need to raise the stone or jelly.

14. Take the pizza out of the oven and transfer it to a cutting board or your plate. In order to allow the cheese to set a little, wait 3-5 minutes before slicing or serving
NOTE ON SAUCE: Your sauce (any) should not be too thick as it will thicken in the hot oven. Less is more but make the less truly more by using quality ingredients.SUCE IDEAS: Pestos, white or brown sauce, tomato sauce, sour cream, thick cream, Bolognese sauce, etc…
































































Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Guilty Pleasure

I have completely fallen in love--it took me by surprise. Fallen in love with food, that is... I was walking at the Podium last Sunday and my sister and I decided to check out the Bakers' Fair at the Fourth Floor. We got sidetracked by Sebastian's Ice cream, a friend has been raving about it for months, but this is the first time I tried it, it was rich and sweet--just like how I was imagining it. After having our heaven in a scoop, we walked around looking at the confections. Everything was familiar, except the booth where they were just selling baklava (my sister whispered "Turkish delight") I did a double take because the smell was just enticing. And I couldn't for the life of me walk away without buying. I ended up buying a box, but since we've had our sugar fix for the day--care of Sebastian's we put it in the chiller when we got home. But before I went to bed, I saw my sister eating a piece and she said it was really good. I made a mental note to taste it the next day. Before I went to work the next day I ate a piece, it was sooooo good!!! I ate another one and another one!! I have eaten baklava before and in fact, tried making it too but this was different. Now, I always get a piece, my supply is running out. Im planning to order again...The sweet nutty centers are encased in thin crispy sheets of phyllo pastry, they're not so crispy anymore but the taste more than makes up for it...



Monday, October 27, 2008

The Stockmarket--Bonifacio High Street


The Roast Beef (straight from the Del Monte farms in Bukidnon)--picture above, medium rare and so yummy, the best I had for this year. This was good for sharing, first brother and I shared it.
It's been a while since I dined out in Bonifacio High Street because I get sidetracked somewhere else (Serendra etc) but last night for Sunday family day, my brother suggested we try The Stockmarket. The waiter told me it's owned by Del Monte and The Old Spaghetti House. I liked the interior at first glance, it had a country vibe but it was bright and fresh-looking. Our waiter was also very courteous and accomodating. I ordered the warm brie platter for appetizer which we was wiped out in a few minutes. Mom and second brother had Fork-tender Beef Shortribs with Corn RIsotto, it was very tender but too sweet for my taste. My sisters had Grilled Lamb Shoulder, which to me is a little bland. But when my order of Roast Beef came, everything just fell into place--no need for extra condiments, it was very tender and tasty and cooked just right.


This is the Warm Brie platter with nuts, apricots and grapes--the brie is oozing out, yummy!!

I will definitely eat here again, I love the fresh, uncluttered interiors, the cutlery, the colors, pretty much everything here is good. The pricing is not as high as my other favorite Chelsea at Serendra, and there were less people here (maybe because it just opened this month). I will come back and try the desserts next time, which I heard are also very good...









Sunday, October 26, 2008

Pizza and Salad for Sunday Brunch

I had a fun time yesterday preparing today's Sunday brunch. I found a recipe for pizza rustica on www.allrecipes.com and tweaked it a little. It was different from the usual pizza, because this had a double crust, and the recipe was more like an enriched pie dough. I followed the crust recipe exactly as it was on the website, but I substituted cottage cheese and cheddar cheese for the filling. For the meat, I used salami and cooked ham. It got me rave reviews, the sweetness of the crust countered the saltiness of the filling. The crust was also very tender (owing to the fact that it had 1/2 cup of sugar in it) and flaky.

I made a cold pasta salad to go along with it. I boiled macaroni, mixed it with olives, chopped celery, spring onions, cooked ham, green peas and dressed it with a mixture of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, equal parts sour cream and mayonnaise with a little milk, mixed them all together and chilled it overnight. The result was very good and complemented my pizza rustica. My sister said brunch was very yummy...





Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Rosemary and Olive Focaccia

I love making bread, aside from the fact that it's great therapy (all that kneading gets rid of pent-up emotions), the weather here in Manila is perfect for fermentation! I usually make my own focaccia for when I cook pasta. Here is the recipe I always use...also from Professional Baking by Wayne Gisslen.
WATER 375ml
YEAST 17.5 grams
BREAD FLOUR 625 grams
SALT 10 grams
SUGAR 3 grams
OLIVE OIL 30 ml
BLACK PITTED OLIVES 150 grams
ROSEMARY, dried 5 grams

Dissolve salt in water, set aside. In a stainless steel bowl, sift flour, yeast and sugar. Slowly pour in water (you may or may not need additional water--this is a plus or minus ingredient). When dough comes together, knead on counter top. Wipe a small amount of vegetable oil on the counter top. Knead for 10 minutes. At this time, part of the dried rosemary may be added to the dough. Roll into a ball and place in a greased bowl. Cover with a towel and place in a warm place to rise. Leave for an hour or until dough is double in volume. Punch down dough to distribute gases. Knead for a while and roll out using a rolling pin. Roll flat (about 1/4 of an inch) Grease a cookie sheet, lay flat dough, make indentions with your fingers and sprinkle dried rosemary and olives. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees farenheit oven for 40 minutes. Spray with water for first 10 minutes to develop crust. Enjoy!

Chocolate Overload!!


It's been a while since I've baked...so I whipped out my Professional Baking book and looked for the ultimate comfort cake--chocolate! I chose Devil's Food Cake (I used dutch-processed cocoa to make it darker) and Cocoa Fudge Icing to top it. After baking it, I cooled the cake for 10 minutes before unmolding it. Poured the icing and topped it with chocolate chips and crushed Snickers bars.

DEVIL'S FOOD CAKE
Adapted from Wayne Gisslen's Professional Baking
Cake Flour 500 grams
Cocoa Powder 84 grams
Salt 10 grams
Baking Powder 15 grams
Baking Soda 10 grams
Butter 290 grams
Granulated Sugar 667 grams
Skim milk 333 ml
Vanilla 7 ml
Eggs 6 pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit. Grease and line bottom of 9 inch cake pan. Set aside. Sift flour, baking powder, soda and salt into mixing bowl. Add butter, and with paddle attachement mix at low speed for 2 minutes. Stop, scrape bowl and mix 2 minutes. Sift sugar and cocoa powder together into bowl and part of the milk (with vanilla), blend at low speed 3-5 minutes. Scrape down sides to ensure even mixing. Combine remaining liquid with beaten eggs, add mixture to batter in 3 parts. Mixture will be liquidy. Bake for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean.


COCOA FUDGE ICING
Granulated Sugar 500 grams
Corn Syrup 150 ml
Water 125 ml
Salt 2.5 grams
Butter 125 grams
Confectioner's Sugar 250 grams
Cocoa Powder 90 grams
Vanilla 7.5 ml

Combine sugar, syrup, water and salt in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil mixture until it reaches 240 degrees farenheit. While sugar is cooking, mix butter, confectioners' sugar and cocoa until evenly combined, using the paddle attachment of the mixer. With machine running at low speed, very slowly pour in the hot syrup. Mix in the vanilla. Continue to beat until icing is smooth, creamy and spreadable. If necessary thin out with a little hot water. Use while still warm.







Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The Coffee Club Desserts

Met up with my friend Monique and her baby at the Coffee Club (Paragon--along Orchard Road) and had a really sinful ice cream cake
Choco Delice

Muddy Mudd Pie which I ate all by myself *burp*

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Coffee, Wasabi Milkshake etc...

After we had lunch at the hawker's center along Orchard Road, we were feeling a bit sluggish and because our friend L didn't want to go our Starbucks, we decided to look for another nice coffee place. We found The Coffee Connoisseur in the CenterPoint. L ordered a double shot of espresso, W ordered cafe mocha
I felt more adventurous and turned my attention to the chai lattes and milkshakes, one item caught my eye, it was the Wasabi Milkshake--I like wasabi on my sushi and sashimi and I like milkshake so I was wondering how it would taste like. I ordered one and to my pleasant surprise, it was actually very good. Cold and thick like how it should be with just an aftertaste of the wasabi.
On Wednesday, when we were in Vivo City, after we got tired walking around and shopping, we also needed a breather and walked into The Coffee Club. The place was very light and airy and they had other food aside from the usual cakes and sandwiches but we just tried their coffee. W tried their Macadamia Nut Latte
I had the usual Iced Mocha, I wasnt feeling very adventurous this time. It was a nice cold break from all the walking.
After we had lunch at Seah Im hawkers' center, M ordered the local Coffee Chino made right there locally. It looked very nice, almost comparable to the ones made at the big coffee places at one-third the price!


Thursday, October 9, 2008

More Hawkers' Center Food

We woke up late today...so we grabbed coffee and pastry at Spinelli Coffee and waited for our friend M who is a foodie himself to pick us up. He arrived at 11 am and we drove to Vivo City. Walked for a while and shopped a little. He asked us where we wanted to eat and our only request was to have authentic local cuisine. In the afternoon, when we were quite hungry he took us to Seah Im another famous hawkers' center at the back of Harbour Front. We couldn't find a parking space (at 3 in the afternoon!) because there are a lot of people eating. Finally we found a space and a table. M walked around to look for food to eat. We had a plain roti with curry sauce while waiting.
M came with carrot cake, he explained that carrot here actually means radish, he ordered a white white (see picture below) and a black one which was cooked with soy sauce--we preferred the white one. This was cooked with eggs
The next one was rojak which was a mixture of shrimp paste and apples, cucumbers, pineapples and a sweet sauce with the rojak which had the texture of fried tofu. It was very strong smelling and the taste takes a bit of getting used to.
We loved the bakut-teh, which was pork ribs soup. The ribs were tender and the soup was very flavorful. We also had the pork organs soup (with liver and kidney). We chased down all these with tall glasses of lime juice. We finished eating just in time to avoid getting rained down.



Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Singapore!

Singapore is truly a food-lover's paradise. Everywhere you look, you can see eating places of all persuasions--from the really high end to hawker's stalls that serve excellent food. I love visiting hawker's stalls because you know that the locals eat there, and to me means excellent food. On my first day, we walked almost half the length of Orchard Road looking for a particular hawker's stall, we were hungry and tired...finally we found what we were looking for. I controlled myself I didn't order chili crab (yet). But I tried their laksa, which is prawns and noodles with tofu in a spicy coconut broth.
My friend wasn't into spicy stuff so she ordered minced meat noodles, see picture below, which came with a bowl of hot broth that you took while eating the noodles and meat.
We also shared an order of carrot cake, believe it or not, it's not what you think, see for yourself (picture below) this was very savory and tasty but not spicy, a welcome relief from the laksa that gave me a temporary runny nose:
Can't wait to eat the local cuisine again tomorrow!!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Green Tea Cheesecake

I finally found green tea powder!! I've been steeping green tea leaves for my green tea cheesecake for the longest time, and somehow, the green tea taste I want to bring out doesn't really come out. That's why I'm so glad that I dont need to do that anymore because I can use powder instead, which is a whole lot easier, and the green tea taste is so much more pronounced. For the crust I use 1 cup of crushed graham crackers, 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/4 cup sugar. I just mix this all up and press onto the bottom of a foil-lined pan (the removal bottom pan works well with this). Chill for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, dissolve a packet of unflavored gelatine powder in 1/4 cup of water, set aside until it blooms. Then place over double boiler and melt. With the whip attachment of your Kitchenaid mixer, whip 1 box of all-purpose cream with 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Slowly pour melted gelatine mixture and continue whipping until sugar is dissolved and mixture has doubled in volume. Set aside. In another bowl, with the paddle attachment this time, mix 1 box (8 ounces) of softened cream cheese and 1/4 cup granulated sugar. Dissolve 2 teaspoons of powdered green tea in 1 tablespoon of water and pour in. Mix until well-combined. Add in whipped cream and continue whipping until ingredients are thoroughly mixed in. Pour mixture into prepared graham cracker pie crust. Smooth top and refrigerate overnight. Decorate with whipped cream.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Baked Enchiladas for Brunch

I found this enchilada sauce recipe from www.allrecipes.com I was intrigued because it had chocolate in it, and no tomato sauce.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons hot chili powder
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high high heat. Saute onion until tender. Stir in garlic, oregano, cumin and cinnamon; saute for a few minutes.
Stir in flour and chili powder, stirring until sauce thickens. Slowly whisk in chicken broth; reduce until sauce reaches desired consistency. Stir in chocolate until melted and well blended
I made my sauce one day ahead and kept it in an air-tight container in the chiller. The next day I made my filling:

1 tablespoon Canola Oil
1 kilo Ground Beef
2 pieces Onions, minced
1 pack Tomato Sauce
Salt
Pepper

Preheat pot with canola oil, saute onions until translucent. Add in ground beef and cook for 5 minutes or until beef is no longer pink. Add tomato sauce, season with salt and pepper. Cook until fairly dry. Drain oil. Set aside

Assembly:
Spread filling on center of tortilla, roll neatly and place on pyrex dish. Continue until dish is full (around 10 tortilla rolls). Top with remaining cooked beef. Pour enchilada sauce and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees farenheit oven for 20 minutes. Serve hot, yummy!

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Heaven and Eggs

Saturdays nights are usually reserved for self-pampering after a grueling work week. I went to Gloss Eastwood and had my favorite Gloss Pedicure (Foot massage and spa with pedicure) which left me feeling more like a person and less like a work mule. My cousin M and my sister L were with me, we wanted to have dinner right after. I didn't want to eat at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant yet again (it has become a ritual--vietnamese food after the spa) so we wandered around for a while. I wanted to try something new but settled on Heaven and Eggs which spelled comfort food for me. M ordered my favorite Manila Spareribs served with java rice and a siding of veggies. Really yummy and the ribs are so tender!
L and I were mulling over the new menu items, and being lamb lovers we chose lamb entrees. She had Lamb Shawarma Rice Platter, it looked appetizing at first but she complained that the lamb was very "fatty" so she didn't get to finish all of it which is so unlike her.
Meanwhile, I tried their Lamb Sausage Slammer (I wasn't in the mood for rice tonight). The lamb sausage (which looked more like burgers) came with a siding of herbed potatoes, vegetables and scrambled eggs. I liked my order, the burgers were juicy and tasty but I wasn't that hungry so I left maybe 1/8 on my plate.
The new items (or at least the ones we tried) were okay but next time I think I will stick to my old favorite Manila Spareribs!

Friday, October 3, 2008

Fresh Spring Rolls

Lumpiang Sariwa or Fresh Spring Rolls is a staple Filipino party food. There are usualy two variations of this, special and regular. What differentiates them is the wrapper. Regular meaning store bought wrapper and special meaning home-made egg crepes. For lunch today, I decided on making my fresh spring rolls with heart of palm (ubod in FIlipino) and home-made egg crepes. FIrst I made crepes by mixing 6 eggs, 2 cups cornstarch, 1/4 cup canola oil, and 2 1/2 cups of water. I whisked this until no lumps remained and passed it through a fine sieve to make sure it was completely smooth. Next I preheated my non-stick frying pan and poured 1/4 cup of this mixture on the lightly oiled pan. I swirled the mixture until it evenly coated the bottom of the pan, cooked it over low heat for about 2 minutes or until sides begin to pull away from the pan. I quickly flip it over with my fingers or spatula, cook the other side for about 30 seconds and slide it on a plate. Do this until the mixture is finished. This recipe will yield around 24 pieces of crepes. Set aside. For the filling, I sauteed minced garlic and onions, pork (slivered, this one I already boiled until soft) and minced shrimps, slivered carrots and match-stick sized heart of palm (also boiled until cooked but not soft). Pour in about 1/4 cup water, season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Grind peanuts on food processor. Assembly: Lay crepe on plate, line with mixed greens, top with cooked ubod mixture and ground peanuts. Roll carefully. See picture below of unrolled spring roll:

To make sauce: Combine brown sugar, soy sauce, 3 tablespoons cornsatrch dispersed in 2 cups water, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until thick. Drizzle over spring rolls, enjoy!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Kare-Kare From Scratch--almost...

I've always wanted to make Kare-Kare from scratch, meaning--no ready made mix packet. I had to grind my own rice (as thickener). But I bought peanut butter, I didn't want to make my own. I specified Lily's peanut butter (local). I boiled beef shanks for 2 hours and tripe for another hour separately. When the beef was tender (almost falling off the bones) I strained it and reserved the liquid. I discarded the water from boiling tripe, and cut them into smaller pieces. I sauteed minced garlic and sliced onions. Added the beef shanks and tripe and covered it in annatto water (annatto seeds in hot water--then strained). Boiled the whole mixture for 5 minutes and added in my dry roasted ground rice and peanut butter. The first vegetable I cooked with this mixture was the banana heart (puso ng saging), then the eggplants, green beans and finally pechay. Simmered the mixture for around 10 minutes, seasoning it with salt and pepper.
The Kare-kare wasn't as reddish in color as others but this was fine with me, it looked more natural. I served this with spicy bagoong alamang (shrimp paste) also store-bought, and hot brown rice.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Roasted Chicken for Lunch

I roasted chicken thighs for lunch today. I marinated the thighs in calamansi, soysauce, crushed garlic, ground black pepper, sugar and sprite overnight in the refrigerator. I was planning to grill it outside. But when I woke up, it was raining, not drizzling, but really raining...gone are my blue skies yet again. What to do? I had an idea to cook it using the turbo-broiler. Had them grill the chicken thighs 20 minutes on each side (total of 40 minutes) then i thickened the marinade with cornstarch dissolved in cold water, and cooked it. Drizzled it over the chicken thighs....hmmm not bad.



The thighs are still juicy and the 12-hour marinating time did its job efficiently. Yummy!!