My Personal History of Cooking: Chicken Pastel

By the time I was 8, I already knew how to cook. No, I haven't had formal lessons to this day but I learned in 2 memorable ways:

The first time was borne of survival. It happened after my mom and I fought when I refused to pick some required shoes for a school event. We were in Fair Mart in the 80's for last-minute shopping and I always remembered that they had only plainly designed rubber-soled shoes. Out of frustration, mom said "You can forget dinner!" (It was spaghetti night so that was devastating!).

That very evening, I went to the kitchen and saw that the maids had pre-chopped everything and the ingredients were abandoned on the table. Quickly, I took out the pan I saw my mom use all the time and copied exactly as I remembered her doing. I was careful not to get too close as I was only pretty much eye-level with the stove. Dinner time came and my mom was stunned to see me walking in with my plate filled with spaghetti. I asked, "You want?". She eyed me warily and spent the rest of dinner time quietly. When she tasted it out of curiousity, I remember her saying, "Hmm. You need salt."

I spent a lot of time with my spinster grand aunt who slaved over a stove all day. Her daily perfume consisted of sauteed garlic that to this day I associate the smell of golden garlic with Lola Na. She comes from the generation that children are a nuisance in the kitchen so that each time I poked my head in the kitchen, I was immediately marched out. However, I always stood as close as I could to the kitchen door and watched my lola move with her trembling hands (that's due to washing hands after 5 hours of piano playing, she said).

Chicken Pastel was one of the dishes I always asked her to make, and a dish that reminds me of Christmas or a warm Sunday lunch.
This is also a dish my mom learned from Lola Na which she taught me later on. One treasure I inherited from my lola is a small wooden box full of yellowed index cards filled with recipes written half a century ago in graceful German-nun inspired script. Today, that box has newer cards filled with recipes written in messier strokes --- mine.

 
Chicken Pastel (Casserole Style)

1. Wash the chicken with salt. Brown the pieces in butter.

2. Pour some milk and let simmer.

3. In a separate pan, sautee garlic chips til golden brown then set aside.

4. In that same pan, fry diced potatoes in olive oil then throw in the pot with the simmering chicken. I don't peel my potatoes because I think that keeping it adds flavor. Maybe it's my imagination, I dunno.

5. Then, fry diced carrots then do the same as the potatoes.

6. Add chopped red and green pimientos to the simmering dish.

7. Add sliced spanish chorizo, mushrooms and sausages.

8. Add lots of green olives and pour in the juice from the jar as well.

9. Adjust with rice water (hugas bigas) to thicken.

10. Add the garlic chips.

11. Incorporate extra virgin olive oil and white wine. Adjust with salt and pepper.

12. Leave to simmer until the mixture becomes heavier and darker.

13. I never learned how to put a crust to this one so I do as my lola did and simply serve it as is with a steaming bowl of rice.

Cooking the Pastel is my way of keeping the presence of my lola alive, and it shall always be the comfort food closest to my heart.

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Light and Easy: Wasabi Soba Salad

One of my favorite Japanese meals is Zaru Soba --- cold buckwheat noodles garnished with a bit of nori strips and leeks that you dip into a sauce. It usually costs around P180-200 per order in many Japanese restaurants. A few years ago I started making this in my own kitchen and was very happy with the money the money saved and the convenience of a quick meal. Each pack of five bundles of soba is only around P60-80, fyi.

Deciding to be more creative, I experimented in turning this meal into a cold noodle salad which my husband has requested to put in his lunch box for the second time this week.

WASABI SOBA SALAD

Noodles:

Place one bundle of soba in a pot of boiling water. After 3-5 minutes, rinse in cold water, strain and place in a bowl.

Dressing:

In a separate bowl, I combine approximate portions of the following ingredients:

-2 tsp sunflower oil
-2 tsp sesame oil
-3 tsp vinegar
-4 tsp Kikkoman soy sauce
-2-3 tsp plum sauce
-1 sheet of nori
-1 long stem of leek
-wasabi
-1 clove minced garlic

Just throw in everything and mix thoroughly. Adjust with freshly cracked pepper. It's up to you to adjust the taste depending on the flavor you desire. I enjoy the fragrance of sesame with the sweet-sour taste and subtle kick of wasabi.

Cut the nori and leek into thin strips and mix in the bowl of noodles. Then, pour the dressing and coat the noodles and vegetables evenly.

Cover the bowl and leave in the fridge for at least two hours. Serve cold, and enjoy!

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Today's Bento Box: Mongolian Barbecue and Gamja Jorim

One of the things I enjoy is cooking, even if it means waking up early to arrange my husband's lunch box. Today's meal took less than fifteen minutes to fix, granted that everything else has been prepared at least the night before.

 I always loved that potato dish that comes with the sidings in Korean restaurants. Inspired by this, I decided to arrange something that blends delectable Asian flavors for the bento meal of the day:

MONGOLIAN BARBECUE

-sirloin steak, sliced thinly

-soy sauce (Kikkoman)

-mirin

-grated ginger

-minced garlic

-brown sugar

-pepper

-sesame oil

-sesame seeds

Again I apologize for the lacking portions. I mixed together all the ingredients until sugar has been dissolved. I do like a good gingery taste, but I'm careful not to make it too overpowering. Marinade the meat in the sauce overnight. When the meat is set, preheat the grill and cook until grill-marks form on the meat. Once it has lost its raw and red texture, then you know your meal is almost ready. When done, snip into strips using sharp kitchen shears.

GAMJA JORIM

-marble potatoes
-red onions
-garlic
-soy sauce (Kikkoman)
-brown sugar
-pepper
-sesame oil
-sesame seeds

-Wash potatoes (I don't usually bother peeling them). Slice onions into bite-size. Mince 4 large garlic cloves. In a pan, sautee garlic. Way before it even turns brown, add the potatoes and coat evenly. Then, throw in the onions and mix together. Pour around 2-3 tbsps soy sauce and blend well. Combine with 3 tbsps sugar and dissolve with water. Let simmer until potato softens. These are just estimates and the portion will depend on the amount of potatoes used. Note that the dish is meant to be sweet-salty and should produce a bit of a syrupy texture. A bit of sentido comon will help in adjusting to your preferred taste. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Turn off heat and incorporate 1 tsp of sesame oil and a generous sprinkling of sesame seeds. This can be prepared the night before and can be serve hot or cold the next day.

ASIAN SALAD

-romaine lettuce
-roasted tomatoes and onions, sliced

Dressing:
-sunflower oil
-sesame oil
-cane vinegar
-soy sauce
-mirin
-sugar
-minced garlic
-ground pepper
-plum sauce

I use 1 part vinegar to 2 parts sunflower oil, approximately. Put in lots of garlic. Add sesame oil enough to give it a strong taste. Adding 1 tsp at a time, blend in enough soy sauce only to give it body but not too much that it'll look like soy sauce dressing. Appearance should still be pale. Add sugar, mirin, ground pepper and plum sauce to give it that fragrance. Adjust portions to your preferred taste. Blend and mix well. Store in a separate container when preparing the bento box and drizzle only shortly before eating

Arrange everything in a container. Serve and enjoy :)

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Marinated Salmon And Brown Rice

Last Friday, I decided to experiment with something I've never used in the kitchen before: salmon.

For dinner, I prepared something fuss-free and made use of whatever spices were in the cupboard.

Salmon With Dill and Yoghurt Sauce


Marinade the salmon with the following:
-1tsp rock salt
-1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
-1 1/2 tsp sugar
-1 1/2 tsp dried dill
-1tsp cracked pepper

Set aside for an hour.

For the sauce, I just mixed the following:
-2 tbsp Dijon mustard
-2 tbsp sunflower oil
-1 tbsp sugar
-1 tsp vinegar
-2 tbsp yoghurt
-dash of salt and pepper

Pre-heat grill for 3 minutes on high heat. Reduce heat to medium and place salmon on the grill and cook each side for 2 minutes (just my estimate, I can't remember, really). Just look at the fish and use your sentido comon to see if the fish is actually less translucent with the natural oil oozing out.

Serve with Egg-less Caesar's Salad:

-romaine lettuce
-walnuts
-grapes

The dressing is a yoghurt-based Caesar's dressing which I concocted many years ago.

I like to use different grains at home. Friday's meal was served with steaming brown rice and fresh spinach soup, which I will talk about in a later post. Serve the fish with the sauce on the side or drizzle a thin layer so as not to overpower the natural flavor of the salmon.

Enjoy one tasty meal without the guilt. :-)

Cheers.

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Artist Defined

I am not privy to the nitty-gritty that goes behind the selection of our National Artists. Whether this year's selection is supposedly preferential, or perhaps just a result of a confused definition of what/who an artist is, it brings to mind something I heard escape the lips of the renowned and venerable artist Juvenal Sanso.

One Sunday afternoon, he shared with us his early years in the Philippines, his travails during WWII, and his evolution as an artist as he ventured in different parts of the globe. Then, pensively, he singled out the word "artist". He said humbly, "There is a big difference between being an artist and a painter, the same way that there is a difference between being a mystic and a magician".

"I am merely a painter, not an artist", he said matter-of-factly and smiled.

.

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Throwing Together Odds and Ends: Chinese Fried Rice

Something in the air is making our bread moldy sooner than the stamped date. Mossy-looking stuff caked the entire bottom. Chucked that instantly into the waste bin. I was hungry. Really hungry. And I needed something quick. After opening the fridge, I poked around and rummaged through until I found odds and ends of still-okay vegetables.

2 eggs, scrambled and shredded
2 leek stems, sliced
1 small carrot, diced
1/2 red onion, minced
1/2 large garlic, minced
1 1/2 c. rice, cooked
1 chinese sausage (macau), diced/sliced thin

In a pan, sautee garlic until a light golden brown and then throw in onions. Wait until transparent but make sure the garlic doesn't burn. Add carrots and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Add chinese sausage until fat melts and blends into the vegetable mixture. Fluff rice then toss into the pan and mix until grains are not clumped and ingredients are spread evenly. To add a subtle flavor, mix 1 tablespoon of mirin and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. Mix the scrambled eggs and leeks. Add a pinch of rock salt and freshly cracked pepper. I like to put lots, but not overpowering. Serve and enjoy a meal in itself. :-)

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Cooking With Dog: How To Make A Bento Box

Albeit I love dogs, having that gray (talking) poodle sitting right beside a counter of chopped food and a pot of boiling oil
bothered me.

What a great step-by-step video anyway!

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Farewell To A Great Scholastican

...But the young are resilient and Cory came to her own during the Japanese occupation. She determined to do better in school. “Suddenly it hit me that, yes, this might be the end of something,” she says. “I decided I’d really put my heart and soul into [my studies]. So you might say I react well in a crisis.” Saint Scholastica’s College, the Roman Catholic private school the four Cojuangco girls attended, was bombed in the dying days of the war so Cory transferred to Assumption College for her first year of high school. The German nuns at Saint Scholastica stressed religion and reading. The more relaxed French nuns at Assumption focused on raising the social consciousness of their charges and teaching them how to think and act like ladies. “St. Scholastica’s was a very strict school,” Cory recounts. “But we, who were studying there, felt that we were really learning more than other girls in other schools.”...

---An excerpt from "Essential Cory Aquino"

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