Daday’s Kitchen: Seafood Boil with Corn and Potatoes

For me, weekend is not just a respite from days of working or just lazing around, doing nothing. It’s also looking forward to food surprise prepared by our very own home-cooked chef…Daday Jonjie.

Today is one of those days. Daday prepared a very simple dish…Grilled Gindara (Cod Fish) and Seafood Boil with corn and potatoes…a home-cooked version of the famous Shabu-shabu with a twist.

 

Shabu-shabu is a Japanese dish featuring thinly sliced beef boiled in water. was introduced in Japan in the 20th century with the opening of the restaurant "Suehiro" in Osaka, where the name was invented. Its origins are traced back to the Chinese hot pot known as instant-boiled mutton Shabu-shabu is most similar to the original Chinese version when compared to other Japanese dishes (nabemono) such as sukiyaki. Suehiro registered the name as a trademark in 1955. Together with sukiyaki, shabu-shabu is a common dish in tourist hot-spots, especially in Tokyo, but also in local Japanese neighborhoods (colloquially called "Little Tokyos") in countries such as the United States and Canada.

The dish was originally made with thinly sliced beef, but some versions use pork, crab, chicken, lamb, duck, or lobster.

Wikipedia

 

SEAFOOD BOIL WITH CORN AND POTATOES RECIPE

Ingredients; (To serve 4~6 persons)

• 1/2 kgs shrimps, shell-on
• 1 pc big squid, sliced into desired sized
• 10 pcs squid balls
• 10 pcs prawn balls
• 10 pcs crab claws
• 1 small canned smoked mussels, drained
• 1 small canned smoked oyster, drained
• 15 pcs baby potatoes
• 3 ears corn-on-the-cob, medium, peeled, cut into three
• butter
• 1 pc small ginger, cut into strips
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 whole onion, sliced
• rock salt  and pepper to taste
• oyster sauce to taste
• young chili leaves

Directions:

1. Boil corn and potatoes in a pot with mixture of water and rock salt that cover at least 3/4 of the corns until cooked.
2. With a slotted spoon, remove corn and potatoes from the broth and set aside.
3. Sautee ginger, garlic and onion in a hot pan with butter.
4. Add oysters and mussels and sautee for at least 1 minute.
5. Add shrimps and squid, remove squid from the pan when cooked (overcooked squid becomes rubbery)
6. Pour broth into the pan with the mixtures of shrimps, mussels and oysters, bring to boil.
7. Add chili leaves, squid balls, prawn balls and crab claws (you can use other varieties as desired), bring to boil.
8. Add corn, potatoes and squid that were set aside earlier.
9. Add rock salt, pepper and oyster sauce to taste.
10. Serve while hot. Chili powder can be served on the side for those who like it spicy.

It can be served as is or with rice.

ENJOY!!! Have a happy tummy…

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Daday’s Kitchen: Simple Breakfast to Something Special

I always look forward to Saturdays. Almost always,it turned to something special…wonderfully unexpected. It could be a lazy morning in bed with Dada and Daniz. Or simply snoozing from early morning until whatever time I feel like waking up. Or a sudden plan for a weekend getaway. 

Whatever it is…it will surely erase all the tiredness, stress and tension of the week before it.

Today, it’s a simple breakfast turned into something special with just a tweak on the presentation. I will often heard Daday telling Ate Bevs (our home angel) to always put extra effort on the way she served our food. That she has to satisfy the three senses: sight, smell then taste.

Sweet & Spicy Pancit Canton garnished with thinly sliced Leeks. Scrambled Egg, Sausage, Liver Spread, Mayonnaise & Butter served in a Cutting Board from Las Casas Filipinas. Pandesal in a Bread Basket from Tiendesitas

Plated version

After breakfast…this is what happened to our dining table…

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Daday’s Kitchen: Bolognese Spaghetti Di Daniz

Most children like their spaghetti Filipino style…sweet, like that of Jollibee. But not our daughter, Daniz…no, no, no. She likes it Italian style…tomato based with mince beef or pork…sour with just a hint of sweetness.

It’s not that she does not love Jollibee…she does, especially Chicken Joy. She grew up eating Italian style spaghetti. And so, just now, Jonjie and i decided to call this recipe…Bolognese Spaghetti Di Daniz.

When you tried to follow the recipe, you can tweak it, put your own brand…and you can even change the name.

INGREDIENTS: (To serve at least 10 persons)

• 450g Spaghetti Noodles
• 1 pack (5 pcs) CDO Nutri-Burger Beef Patties
• 4 medium Fresh Tomatoes, diced
• 1 big Onion, finely diced
• 1 1/2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
• 1 small can Mushroom, diced (set aside the liquid)
• 3 small packs of Del Monte Italian-Style Spaghetti Sauce
• 2 tbsp All Purpose Cream
• 1 cup Cheddar Cheese, grated
• Oil (for this recipe, its Olive Oil)
• Salt and Black Pepper
• At least 15 Basil Leaves, hand-torn for best flavor
• 1/2 cup Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese, grated (for toppings, optional)
• Parsley leaves, chopped, (for toppings, optional)

DIRECTIONS:

Noodles

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, cover the pot with a lid to help bring the water to a boil faster.
2. Add oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together.
3. Add salt, at least 2 tbsp.  Salting the water makes pasta taste better by bringing out the natural flavor of the pasta, this does not increase the sodium level of the recipe. Note: Do not add the salt until the water has come to a full boil, plain water boils faster than salted water.
4. Add the pasta, all at once, to the boiling salted water, and keep the heat high to bring the water back to the boil as quickly as possible. Note: Fast boil is so important; the water temperature drops when you add the pasta, but if you have a fast boil, the water will still be hot enough for the pasta to cook properly.
5. Stir at the beginning. After you add the pasta to the boiling water, stir with a long wooden spoon (stirring prevents pasta from sticking to each other and from sticking to the bottom and the edge of pan). Frequent stirring with a long wooden spoon or fork while the pasta is cooking will help the pasta to cook.
6. Start timing when the water returns to a boil. Most pastas cook in 8 to 12 minutes. Note: Don't rely on the package to give you the correct cooking time (this is only a guideline). 
7. Test dry pasta for doneness after about 4 minutes of cooking by tasting it. It is difficult to give exact cooking times since different shapes and thickness of pasta will take less or more time to cook.
8. Watch the cooking process of the pasta carefully since it can overcook very quickly. Pasta should be tender but still firm when you eat it. To be sure, bite into the pasta. If it's too hard to bite or if you see white in the center, it needs to cook a little longer. When it's cooked all the way through but still firm, it's ready. This is referred to as al dente (“to the tooth”) in Italian. 
9. When cook, drain immediately and put it under running water to stop the noodles from cooking.

Sauce

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onions, stirring, until soft.
3. Add the garlic, stirring softly until it smell. Add tomatoes, and a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper, then mash.
4. Add beef patties and cook, stirring, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the liquid from the canned mushroom and simmer for another 5inutes.
6. Add spaghetti sauce until it boils. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, to keep the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the sauce is thickened and flavorful.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. Add all purpose cream and grated Cheddar cheese, then let it boil.
9. When it starts to boil, add mushroom, let it boil then turn off the heat.
10. Add basil leaves.

ASSEMBLE:

Put noodles on a plate, pour an appropriate amount of sauce, topped it with parmesan cheese and parsley.

It can be served with Garlic Bread and Baked Stuffed Green Bell Pepper for plated dinner or by itself for sharing. Or, as you desired.

ENJOY!!! Have a happy tummy…

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Daday’s Kitchen: Shepherd’s Pie

The first time Jonjie cooked Shepherd’s Pie, I was surprised because we have no oven. I was surprised even more when I tasted it…it was delicious!!!

It was a full meal on its own. But, it is also good with rice or as a side dish to a main course such as Baby Back Ribs or Salisbury Steak or any type of Steak.

Shepherd's Pie with Baby Back Ribs and Garden Salad

Shepherd's Pie with Salisbury Steak and Garden Salad

INGREDIENTS:

Mashed Potato

• 6 large Potatoes
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• 1 can Evaporated Milk
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Filling (same as the filling as that of Baked Stuff Green Bell Pepper)

• 1/2 kgs Beef, ground
• 1/3 cup Carrots, diced
• 1/3 cup Green Peas
• 1/3 cup Canned Corn, chopped
• 1 can Canned Button Mushroom, chopped
• 1/2 cup Onion, minced
• 6 cloves Garlic, minced
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Soy Sauce to taste
• Oil

For  assembling

• Cheese, sliced thinly into strips

DIRECTIONS:

Mashed Potatoes

• Do not peel the potatoes, instead clean it thoroughly by brushing to remove the dirt.
• Score around the potatoes across its length (for easy peeling after boiling). To score, run the knife around the potato, at least in two location, crossing each other.

• Boil in evaporated milk and water, making sure that the potatoes are submerged in 3/4 of the mixture. Check occasionally with a fork,
• Remove the potatoes from the mixture and peel.
• Dice and mashed adding butter and the milk and water mixture (used for boiling) until soft, moist and smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Set aside.

Filling (same as the filling as that of Baked Stuff Green Bell Pepper)

• Sauté garlic and onion.
• Add ground beef and cook until light brown, season with salt and pepper, stir to break the lumps.
• Add the broth (sabaw) of canned button mushroom, season with soy sauce.
• Cover and simmer until beef is half-tender.
• Add carrots, green peas and corn.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Cover until sauce is reduced.

Assemble and Bake using Oven Toaster (if oven is not available)

• Fill an oven safe cup with filling, halfway.
• Add mashed potato on top, until the rim.
• On top of the mashed potato, arranged stripped cheese in a basket weave pattern.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the cheese turned golden brown.

TRY THIS RECIPE AND HAVE A HAPPY TUMMY!!!

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Daday’s Kitchen: Baby Back Ribs

Jonjie and I are fond of watching food and cooking show in Lifestyle and TLC Channels. We specially like the  Man vs. Food by Adam Richman (but it ended already), MasterChef with Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, Take Home Chef by Curtis Stone, Curiosity Got the Chef by Sharwin Tee.

Every time we watched something that we really like, Jonjie will find a way to transform gourmet cooking into simple home cooking. And this Baby Back Ribs is one of those...

He cooked it three times already this year. The first time was exclusively for us and some close friends, unfortunately I was not able to take a photo. The second, with the plated photo below, was during one of my mini-birthday celebrations last July. And the third, served "to share", was just this month, when one of Jonjie's friend from Bulacan visited Pampanga.

INGREDIENTS:

2 kgs baby back ribs

Dry Rub:

1 tbsp paprika

1 1/2 tsps dark brown sugar (muscovado)

1 1/4 tsps salt

3/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste

Marinate:

1 1/2 cups Steak Sauce

1 1/2 cups Tomato Catsup

1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 tsp dark brown sugar (muscovado)

2 tbsp Cooking Oil

1/4 cup Water

DIRECTIONS:

• Mix all the dry rub ingredients together.
• Rub desired amount onto the baby back ribs. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
• Brush a generous amount of marinate mixture onto the baby back ribs.
• Wrap with aluminum foil ensuring all the edges are sealed. Refrigerate it for at least 12 hours (longer or until 24 hours is better to infuse the meat with the marinate).
• Steam for at least 2 hours using a steamer.
• After steaming, open the foil slowly and collect the accumulated juices from the rib and put it together with the remaining marinate mixture.
• Grill using charcoal and from time to time brush with the marinate / rib juice mixture to keep it moist. Cook until the meat is a little bit charred.
• Serve according to your preference. Please see below for some ideas.

We called this Flintstone Meal served with Shepherd's Pie, Garden Salad and Chili Con Carne Soup (not in the photo). To view related post on this, please visit A Look Back At July: My Birthday Month and scroll down to July 23

Served with Baked Stuffed Green Bell Pepper, Potato Salad, and Raisin Bread.
We prefer this combination over the Flintstone Meal as the side dishes enhances the taste of the Baby Back Ribs.

Hope you tried this Baby Back Ribs recipe at home and feel free to post your comments here.

ENJOY!!! HAVE A HAPPY TUMMY...

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Daday's Kitchen: Baked Stuffed Green Bell Pepper

One afternoon, I arrived from the office and greeted with a delicious smell of food. And when I checked the kitchen, I saw Daday, with the help of Ate Bev, cooking bell peppers. It was the first time, so I asked him his inspiration…he usually gets it from watching Lifestyle or TLC Channel. But he simply replied, “nothing, I just saw the large green bell pepper in the supermarket and thought of stuffing it”.

Daniz and I could not wait for dinnertime…we are so excited to try Daday’s new dish. And when we did…it’s so yummmmmmy. We waited for Daniz verdict and was not disappointed…”yum, yum, yum” she said, with her eyes close and her head moving from side to side.

The taste of the stuffing was simple and the bell pepper refreshing, because of its sweetness and crunchiness.

 

Ingredients:

• 5 large Green Bell Pepper
• 1 small Bar of Cheese, grated
• 1/2 kgs Beef, ground
• 1/3 cup Carrots, diced
• 1/3 cup Green Peas
• 1/3 cup Canned Corn, chopped
• 1 can Canned Button Mushroom, chopped
• 1/2 cup Onion, minced
• 6 cloves Garlic, minced
• Salt to taste
• Soy Sauce to taste
• Pepper
• Oil

Directions:

Green Bell Peppers

1. Cut tops from green bell peppers; discard seeds and membranes, then set aside.

Stuffing

1. Sauté garlic and onion.
2. Add ground beef and cook until light brown, season with salt and pepper, stir to break the lumps.
3. Add the broth (sabaw) of canned button mushroom, season with soy sauce.
4. Cover and simmer until beef is half-tender.
5. Add carrots, green peas and corn.
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Cover until sauce is reduced.

Baking (Daday used a Big Oven Toaster)

1. Stuff the bell pepper with the mixture, leave some space for the cheese.
2. Add cheese and cover with the bell pepper top.
3. Bake until the bell pepper is a little bit charred.

HAPPY COOKING :)

It could be eaten with rice or as is. According to Daday, it is also good with iced cold beer.

Please try this recipe...or share yours...and leave your comments!

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Daday's Kitchen: Half Pound Grilled Bacon Burger Melt

Delicious. Juicy. Pure goodness. Yum, yum, yum with her eyes close, her head moving from side to side and with two-thumbs up...that's how Daniz describe this burger.

For us...it's the best burger ever :).

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs Ground Beef
• Salt & Pepper
• 12 strips Bacon, fried
• 4 leaves Lettuce, torn
• 1pc Tomato big, sliced
• 1 pc Cucumber, sliced
• 1 pc Onion, sliced
• 8 Cheese, sliced
• 4 pcs Burger Buns

Patties:

1. In a bowl, season ground beef with salt and pepper.
2. Divide into 4 portions.
3. Get one portion, roll into a ball and press the center until it flattens.
4. Using  your thumb, press the center to make it thinner than the side.
5. Set aside in the freezer for at least 15 minutes to bind the meat.
6. Pre-heat the stove-top grill for high heat.
7. Lightly oil the grill grate.0
8. Grill the first side about 5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink.
9. Flip over the burger, and during the last minute or two of cooking put 1 slice of cheese on top until it melts.

Serve on buns with lettuce, tomato cucumber and onion, as desired.
Add slice of cheese and bacon on top.
Add dressing (mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, mustard) as preferred.

Serve with ice cold Coca Cola and potato chips.

Hope you can try this at home and let us know your comment...

Enjoy!!!

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