Ginataang Sitaw at Kalabasa

Napakakumon na potahe sa araw araw ang gulay n aito dahil masagana ang kalabasa at sitaw sa mga palengke kaya di ka na mahirapang maghana pa ng mga sangkap, bukod sa masarap na masustansya pa. Di ko na lalagyan ng sukat at mga sangkap dahil depende na lang sa iyo kung gaano karami ang lulutuin mo.

Mga Sangkap:
kalabasa
sitaw
Hipon
hindi purong gata ( ikalawang piga)
purong gata ( unang piga)
luya
sibuyas
asin

kalabasa at sitaw

Paraan ng Pagluto:
1. Pagsamahin ang gata, luya, sibuyas, hipon at asin, pakuluin ito sa katamtamang init ng apoy.
2. Kapag kumulo na ilagay ang kalaba at pakuluan ng 2 minutos, saka ilagay ang sitaw, haluin at pakuluin hanggang sa maluto, maaring dagdagan ang asin ayon ssa iyong panlasa, ilagay ang  purong gata at hayaang kumulo ng isang minuto saka patayin ang appoy.
3. Ihain ng may ngiti sa inyong mga labi :-).

Sinukmani

Well known as biko throughout the country, but if you go to Batangas they called it Sinukmani, a delicious sticky rice cooked with coconut milk and sugar. I want to share this recipe from my friend, Miss Flora Tejada, after tasting this,  I was impressed, so delicious and the texture is just perfect!

Ingredients:
1 kilo sticky rice
8 cups thick coconut milk
3/4 kilo sugar ( either brown or white)

Procedure:
1. In  a cooking pot combine all the ingredients then then bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly, once boiling lower the heat and continue to stir until sticky in texture, when it is already dry reduce the heat to low and cover then simmer until fully cooked stirring occasionally.
2. When it's cooked, put in a baking pan then set aside, because we will put toppings on it. ( for the topping mixture, see the instruction at the botoom of this post)
3. Pour in the topping mixture and bake in a pre heated oven at 180C for and hour or until the topping is brownish.
4. Let cool before serving.

For the topping we need the following:
1 cup coconut milk
1 big can condensed milk
1 tablespoon corn starch

Procedure:
Combine everything and mix well until corn starch is fully dissolved, then  cooked over medium heat until it boils then turn off the heat after a minute.


Contributed by Miss Flora Tejada

Kilawin na Puso ng Saging

Madalas gawin ng kasambahay namin noong bata pa ako, dahin napapaligiran ng saging na saba ang aming bahay sa bukid, kaya masagana ang puso ng saging, at dahil wala pang kuryente noong mga araw na yon, wala ring refrigerator, kaya madalas ang isda ay pinipirito para tumagal ng mga ilang araw, at mula nang matikman ko itong kilawin na puso ng saging lagi na akong nagpapahanda sa kasambahay namin para partner ng prito, talagang busog sarap. :-).

Mga sangkap
1 Puso ng saging
1 kutsarang Luya ( dinikdik)
 1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 onion
1/2 cup kakang gata
asin

Paraan ng pagluto:
1. Linisin ang puso ng saging sa pamamagitan ng pag alis ng matigas na bahagi nito, hiwain at pakuluan hanggang sa lumambot.

2.Kapag malambot na alisin sa tubig at hiwain ng maliliit. Pagkatapos mahiwa ay pigain hanggang maalis ang katas at isama sa iba pang mga sangkap at timplahan ng asin, paghaluing mabuti saka ihain.

Ensaladang Pipino at Camatis

Simple salad to go with your main dish, I made this to partner with my fried fish and fried rice, satisfying and a very good appetizer.

Ingredients:

1 cucumber (cubed)

2 tomatoes (cubed)

1/2 onion ( sliced thinly)

1 tablespoon olive oil ( optional)

2 tablespoons calamansi or lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Combine all the ingredients and mix well.

2. Serve and enjoy.

Note: You can add a little sugar and vinegar to neutralize the taste.

Classic Polvoron

This is the polvoron that I will never forget. Popular during the late President Marcos's regime in the Philippines where he gave a regular supply of skim milk, every time we received our share from the barangay health office, my Nana will toast some flour and she will add the skim milk and sugar, bingo! what a lovely taste, yummy polvoron in a cone shaped paper.

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup skim milk

Procedure:
1. Put the flour in a pan and stir until toasted, it take around 10-15 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat then add the sugar and milk then mix well.
3. Form a paper into a cone shape then put some polvoron, tear the tip to make a hole, then serve, I am sure the kids will enjoy this.

Peach Melba

Peach Melba was invented in 1892 by French chef Auguste Escoffier at the Savoy Hotel, London, to honour the Australian soprano, Nellie Melba. The sauce neutralizes the sweetness of the ice cream, making it tastes just right .

Ingredients:
vanilla Ice cream
peach slices
peach sauce ( blend some syrup and peach from the can)

Procedure:
1. Scoop an ice cream put some peach slices and peach sauce.

2. Serve and enjoy!

Baked Mussels

Make this baked mussels the center of attraction  at your dining table, easy to prepare but looked special and delicious, that will surely capture the eyes of the diners. Try it.

Ingredients for 3 servings:
12 pieces green  mussels ( tahong) Cleaned and boiled ready in half shell
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup thick cream or all purpose cream
1 teaspoon minced carrots
1 teaspoon minced red bell pepper
1/2 cup grated quick melting cheese
ground pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Combine the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, all purpose cream, carrots, bell pepper and ground pepper,mix very well, then put the mixture on top of every mussel meat in a shell.

2. Preheat the oven at 180C, sprinkle grated quick melt cheese on top of each mussels then bake for 15 minutes or until done.

3. Serve it hot.

Singkamas na may Bagoong

A succulent turnip or jicama partnered with shrimp paste is a nice treat for me, this is also sold as street food in some cities in the Philippines together with green mangoes. The vendors put the slices of turnips (singkamas) on the skewer and spread a shrimp paste on it.

 This is easy to prepare, just wash the turnips properly then remove the skin and slice to your desired size put some shrimp paste then serve and enjoy. :-)

Tapioca Corn Salad

I was invited for a restaurant opening, so I prepared this for a dessert, feedbacks from the people were overwhelming, thanks be to God. This salad is creamy and just right to satisfy your sweets craving after a good meal. Try this recipe and you will not regret :-).

Ingredients for 12 servings:
1/2 kilo tapioca pearl
2 cups corn kernel
2 cups Nestle cream or all purpose cream
1 1/2 cup condensed milk



Procedure:
1. Cook the tapioca pearl then drain and wash it with running water then set aside for few minutes allowing the water to be drained fully.

2. Combine all the ingredients then refrigerate.

3. Serve with a smile :-).

Rellenong Talong

Relleno means stuffed, and in the Philippines there are different kinds of relleno and here is one kind of relleno that I liked. The rellenong talong ( stuffed eggplant).

Ingredients:
2 big eggplants
2 hot dog ( I used vegetarian hotdog for this) optional
2 eggs beaten
1/4 cup ground beef or pork
1/2 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Boil the eggplants until soft, then let cool and remove the skin then flatten and set aside.
2. Combine the eggs, flour, salt and pepper then mix well until the batter is fine, soak the eggplant in the batter, press to absorb the flavor.Make a space in the middle of the eggplant then put the hot dog, ground meat and onion, then flip both sides to cover the stuffs.

3. Fry until done then serve it hot.