THE DARING COOKS’ SEPTEMBER, 2011 CHALLENGE: STOCK TO SOUP

Peta, of the blog Peta Eats, was our lovely hostess for the Daring Cooks September 2011 challenge, "Stock to Soup to Consomme". We were taught the meaning between the three dishes, how to make a crystal clear Consomme if we chose to do so, and encouraged to share our own delicious soup recipes!

This month's challenge has brought back sooo many memories from culinary school! I remember stressing and memorizing terms and staying up late in school waiting for the beef stock which we were cooling after cooking it for 8 hours and then properly storing it for the next day's class. Oh and how can I forget when my raft broke and I thought for sure my consomme won't clarify, but wonders of all wonders it did! Ah...those were the days! Wait...am I making sense here? Stock? Raft? Consomme?

What am I talking about? According to Peta's definition "Consomme is usually and traditionally made by adding eggwhites with ground meats or fish (no bones) and/or vegetables for flavor to a base of good quality stock. These solids form a floating mass called a 'raft' which is caused by the proteins in the egg whites adhering to each other forming a fine matrix with many cavities..." Hmm but I didn't make consomme, I skipped that part of the challenge because it was optional. But you get the point...

The mandatory parts of this challenge was to make a stock which you have to make into a soup and an accompaniment for that, which could be crackers, dumplings or in my case...bread. Here in the Philippines, we don't usually eat bread with our local soups but I wanted to make a FIlipino bread to go with it so I made Pan de Sal which is THE bread here. All the bakeries sell it and almost everyone here likes it with their morning coffee slathered with butter or jam.

PAN DE SAL

ALL PURPOSE FLOUR 2 cups

INSTANT YEAST 1/2 teaspoon

SUGAR 1 Tablespoon

SALT 3/4 teaspoon

VEGETABLE OIL 1 Tablespoon

WATER, room temp 3/4 cup (this is variable, you could add more or not use everything)

BREAD CRUMBS

In a bowl combine flour, instant yeast, sugar and vegetable oil. Stir the salt into the water to dissolve. And pour it slowly into the flour mixture. Like what I said beforehand, water is plus or minus depending on the appearance or feel of the dough. Use about half of the water first and then knead your dough, if it looks dry add the rest. Sometimes you might need to add more water but you have to it carefully or you might end up with a gooey mess and start all over again. Knead the dough for about 8-10 minutes until it's smooth. Place the dough in a greased bowl, cover with a towel and let it rise until double in volume about 1 hour in a warm place. Punch down the dough to release the gases, and knead it, shaping it into a log. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and cut the log into even sized pieces with a bench scraper or a sharp knife. Place cut dough pieces on a lightly greased baking sheet cut side up and sprinkle with more bread crumbs. Let it rest for another 15 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 375 degrees farenheit oven for 20 minutes until golden brown. Best enjoyed when hot!

I chose to make a soup which in our house we call Sotanghon because of the noodles used, but when I looked it up, apparently it's actually called Almondigas. I used this recipe from The Filipino-American Kitchen cookbook written by Jennifer M. Aranas.

ALMONDIGAS

Meatballs

Shrimp, peeled and deveined 1/2 cup

Ground Pork 1/4 kilo

*I used ground beef

Garlic, minced 2 cloves

Japanese panko breadcrumbs 2 Tablespoons

Spring Onions, finely chopped 1

Chop the shrimp into small pieces, combine all ingredients thoroughly. Form into balls, place on a tray. This can be done a day ahead. I put the meatballs in a covered plastic container and froze it. In the morning I thawed them in the refrigerator before using them for the soup.

Soup

Olive Oil 1 Tablespoon

Shallot or Red Onion, chooped 1 piece

Red Bellpepper, sliced 1 piece

Tomato Paste 2 Tablespoons

Beef Stock 5 cups

Soy Sauce 2 tablespoons

*I also added a little bit of Salt and Pepper to taste

Bean Thread Noodles 1 bundle (soaked in warm water)

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the shallots/onions and red pepper. Cook until onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stir it well. Pour in the beef stock and soy sauce. Bring soup to a simmer. Carefully drop meatballs into the pot. Simmer for another 10 minutes, the meatballs will float to the surface. Remove bean thread noodles from soaking liquid, and add to pot. Discard soaking liquid. Season soup with salt and pepper. Cook for another 5 minutes. Ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with Spring Onions.

That was a long post wasn't it? But it was worth it. The meatball soup and the pan de sal went well together. Perfect for the rainy season we are now experiencing.

Thank you Peta for this wonderful challenge! For Peta's recipes click here. Oh and please do drop by the other Daring Cooks blogs, who've made all sorts of delicious soups and accompaniments.

Breakfast by the Beach and Dinner on the Roofdeck

Davao is both familiar and unfamiliar to me, I've been going there (work-related) since 2009 and I think I've sampled some of the more popular eating places there. But on a recent trip (last week, actually) I was reminded of how much I really like going there because it's a city, hey Ayala's Abreeza Mall just opened with TGIF (Fridays), Italiannis, and finally a Starbucks outlet but at the same time, it has retained a laid-back vibe, breakfast by the beach anyone? Which was what we did...the drive was about 5 minutes from the hotel to a small port where boats awaited (PhP 120.00 for a group of 8) for a 10 minute ride to Paradise Island. Well...it's not exactly paradise (not like Pearl Farm) but after a toxic workload, it was very relaxing.

We ordered Fried Bangus, Daing with Salted Egg and Tomatoes and this Beef Tapa (above) that was so delicious!

This was my friend's little girl's haul from the sea. Sea shells!

Oh and of course we had dinner at the Polo Bistro of Marco Polo Hotel. It was almost 9:30 P.M. when we got there and I wasn't too hungry so instead of a US Angus Tendeloin steak I ordered Grilled Atlantic Salmon...yum!

I forgot to take pictures of my other favorite restaurant Marina where they serve the freshest seafood and where we had our Durian fix...which I think deserves a separate post!

Pastillas de Leche

I've always liked eating pastillas de leche(milk bars) , it's a Filipino candy made from 2 kinds of milk (condensed and powdered) and rolled in sugar. I've always wanted to make my own but somehow I always forget about it...until last month's Daring Bakers' Challenge which was all about candies when I suddenly remembered about it. I added chopped walnuts and almonds to my recipe to give added crunch and flavor and I used it as filling for my chocolate bonbons--it was really delicious!
The basic recipe is easy enough just combine the 2 types of milk until dough like in consistency, cut into desired shapes and roll in refined sugar.

PASTILLAS DE LECHE
2 cups powdered milk
300 ml condensed milk
1/4 cup almonds, chopped finely
1/4 cup cashew, chopped finely
refined sugar, for rolling
Combine chopped walnuts and cashew and set aside. In a bowl, mix together powdered milk and condensed milk until well blended. Knead together with the chopped nuts. Shape into a flat disk, you can rest this in the chiller for about 10 minutes. Cut into desired shapes and roll in refined sugar.

So there you have it, easy peasy! I wrapped the pastillas individually in parchement paper and stored them in the chiller but this can also be stored at room temperature.

August 2011 Daring Bakers' Challenge: Candylicious!

The August 2011 Daring Bakers' Challenge was hosted by Lisa of Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drive and Mandy of What the Fruitcake?!. These two sugar mavens challenged us to make sinfully delicious candies! This was a special challenge for the Daring Bakers because the good folks at http://www.chocoley.com offered an amazing prize for the winner of the most creative and delicious candy!

I'd have to say I was really excited to start this month's Daring Bakers' challenge because it was co-hosted by one of my favorite bloggers, Lisa! Aside from that, I'm a certified chocoholic so the theme was definitely close to my heart...chocolate, yum! Well actually it was candymaking, but I was going to make chocolate candies that's for sure. We were only required to make two types of candies, one of them a filled chocolate and the other one, whatever we wanted...then I guess I can make 2 chocolate candies!

Did I mention I live in the tropics? Aside from really beautiful beaches, coconut trees and the bluest blue skies,we also have really high humidity...now what does that have to do with this challenge? Everything!! I tempered my bittersweet couverture chocolate, but the humidity was terrible...it ruined my hard work, I tried working at night and also early morning to avoid the really humid hours of the day, but it still got me. I wanted to throw in the towel and not paticipate this month, but then that wouldn't speak well of me...a so-called DARING baker, so I persevered. And these are the products of my sweat and tears (no blood, thank goodness!)

The mandatory part of the challenge: Filled Chocolate Bonbons, I made mine with pastillas de leche (sugar candies) filling. This tasted so good, I had to stop myself from eating them all! I will make a separate post for the recipe of this yummy Filipino candy.
Chocolate Bark which I made with tempered Bittersweet Couverture Chocolate, chopped walnuts, golden raisins and dried cranberries. It looked very nice, but the chocolate was so nervous it was sweating...blame humidity!

Violet Crumble and Crunchie are two of the yummiest chocolate bars when I was a kid. Sadly, I don't see them in the supermarkets anymore, so I had to make it because I missed the taste so much. This was the thin version, I made a thicker version but it didn't turn out as well.

Thank you Lisa and Mandy for this very delicious challenge. So what did I learn from this? I should have an air-conditioned kitchen! Just kidding, but yes--I think if I really want to work with chocolates in this humidity I'd have to do that. Oh and do drop by the other Daring Bakers' blogs for more yumminess!

The Daring Cooks’ August, 2011 Challenge: Appam and Curry

Mary, who writes the delicious blog Mary Mary Culinary was our August Daring Cooks' host. Mary chose to show us how delicious South Indian cuisine is! She challenged us to make Appam and another South Indian/Sri Linkan dish to go with the warm flat bread.

Time does really fly fast, not only when you're having fun but also when you are terribly busy! Hmm...4 more months or is it 3, and it's going to be Christmas again! Ooops...sorry...focus...

Like Mary I also love Indian food, I eat in an Indian restaurant at least every month but I always order my favorites Rogan Josh (Lamb Curry) and/or Biryani. So when I read this month's challenge I was really excited, Indian cuisine at last!

When I lived in Singapore I remember coming home every night from work and passing by the Hawker Center near our flat to order our Roti Paratha, *sigh* how I miss those days! Nowadays, I just content myself with the Naan (also an Indian flat bread) that I also order whenever I eat in an Indian restaurant...but I've never come across Appam until this month's DC challenge.

What exactly is an Appam? According to Mary they are South Indian yeasted breads made from rice, yeast and coconut milk...a cross between a crepe and a crumpet, with a thin, lacy, crisp edge and a thicker spongy middle.

We only have brown rice at home so that's what I used. My appams were not perfect like what I saw on the forums, I was a bit disappointed with myself at first because making crepes is not new to me and yet my appams were not cooperative at all. I had to throw a few appam fails before I finally produced decent looking ones for picture-taking. I was wondering if it was the type of rice I used because I noticed how everyone was raving how easy it was to make contrary to what I experienced. They tasted great though, I liked munching on some of the fails I didn't throw and I have to say I liked the flavor...tasted like a cross between rice and bread (because of the yeast, I think).

I followed the Appam recipe except that I substituted brown rice. And this is how my appams turned out...well the ones that escaped the trash can at least.

Mary also said we had to cook a South Indian/Sri Lankan dish to go with the Appams. My favorite Indian dish is Lamb Curry (Rogan Josh) and I know I was meant to cook it because there was a buy-one-take-one offer for lamb at the supermarket near my house. I just don't know if it's South Indian/Sri Lankan so that's what I cooked, except that I didn't have garam masala so I omitted it...tsk tsk! Here is the recipe I based it on. I added potatoes just because the marble potatoes were so cute...

Thank you Mary for a wonderful challenge...not only did I learn to make Appams (which I will continue to experiment on until I get it right!) but I also enjoyed eating them and mopping up the sauce of my Rogan Josh with it. Excuse me while I wipe the drool...looking at these pictures has just reminded me how delicious they were. Please visit the other Daring Cooks versions of their Appam and Curry.

Farmville for Real

Going organic is the "in" thing in the Philippines nowadays with the relatively new interest on wellness. The opportunity came for me to visit a real organic farm and I didn't think twice about going, working in the food industry has made me interested in farming and agriculture and being aware of where the food that we prepare comes from (from farm to table). We drove for about 4 hours (EDSA was really heavy with traffic at 9 in the morning) and arrived tired and hungry at the Costales Nature Farms , located in Majayjay, Laguna. I didn't mind the drive because the view going there was amazing with all the lush green vegetation that dotted the roads especially when it was already near the farm.

We were met by Ronald and Josie Costales who are the owners/farmers. I noticed how the place didn't smell like a farm (sort of animal poop) at all even with the pigs, chickens, ducks, goats and rabbits they had on the property. Ronald explained that this was because of the EM (effective microorganisms) which they use to inoculate their soil, clean the animal enclosures and also mixed in with the food that the animals they are raising are fed. They also use Vermiculture which is defined as management of worms, or raising them for waste reduction and fertilizer production.

A view of the farm from the lettuce beds, on the upper left side are the greenhouses for the young seedlings and some of the more delicate produce. On the lower left side are some of the lettuce beds, and in the middle are the basil plants.

Everywhere I looked it was green and productive, they started out with 1000 square meters and is now about 6 hectares! They also supply salad greens to Italianni's, TGI Fridays and Cibo aside from their stall in Mercato Centrale, a weekend organic market in Makati.

So what else is in the farm? I will let these pictures do the talking (some of it anyway)...but let's just say, it was an eye-opener for me listening and walking through this integrated natural farm.

Free-range, organic chicken that were not intimidated easily, we even caught one without much effort. The owner said one drawback to them is that they were easy to steal because they don't shy away from people.

I usually don't eat Tinolang Manok because I find it too oily which comes from the fat of the chicken which floats to the surface of the soup, but this Tinola was really delicious and not oily at all.

These duckies who were running away from me in formation (I noticed they were getting in line before running) are called Pekin Duck.
Probably the reason why they were running away was because some of their friends were caught and cooked for our lunch.

The "wild" pigs looking defensively from their pen which was amazingly not odor offensive because of their food (organic veggies) and EM (effective micro-organisms) used to clean their pens and also mixed with their food.

One of the yummiest Longganisa Lucban I've tasted, very lean and relatively "guilt-free" because it's made from organic pigs.

This was grilled pork also from organic pigs, it's much leaner than the usual pork because of the thinner layer of fat. It was good, but I'd have to say that it wasn't as good as the non-organic pork I buy from the supermarket/market.
Costales Nature Farms offers tours around their farm where you can have a real "farmville" experience, harvesting vegetables and herbs. You can also fish for Tilapia and then have a refreshing "Salad-All-U-Can" with organic vegetables after all that hard work.

Costales Nature Farms

Brgy. Gagalot, Majayjay, Laguna

Philippines

A Little Bit of Sun

I love my job...I really do but from time to time I have this urge to get away, it's the wanderlust in me. So last month, I took a short break and flew to Puerto Princesa in Palawan which is a little over an hour from Manila hoping for a little fun in the sun and this was what greeted me on the first morning:

(Cloudy skies and low tide on the beachfront of Microtel)

Thankfully the weather improved as the day went on and I had to admit I was even excited at the prospect of going to the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Caves aren't really my thing but the view going there was beautiful.

(Some local boys were playing basketball completely oblivious to the beautiful scenery around them)

(I couldn't resist taking a picture of the boat next to ours, with its reflection on the water)

(I just love looking at this picture with the boat in the middle surrounded by white sand and limestone cliffs)

Of course the trip also included lots of eating, including Tamilok (Shipworm) which is not actually a worm even if it looks like one but are actually long saltwater clams. We ate them pickled in vinegar (kilawin). There were Chicken Inasal places everywhere and I liked the one from Balinsasayaw Restaurant the best.

Badjao Seafront Restaurant which is a restaurant built directly among mangroves for which Palawan is known for serves delicious seafood...

(Grilled Blue Marlin with Lato also called Ar-Arosep, or Sea Grapes that bursts in your mouth with salty brine)

(Grilled Stuffed Squid, really delicious!)

So even if I didn't get the experience (no tan, no massage by the beach) I was looking for I enjoyed the sights and tastes of Puerto Princesa. The locals were very gracious and accomodating and the food was yummy!