tilapia with lemon vinaigrette

In Manila, we buy fresh fish directly from fish vendors in public markets. The fish are usually all laid out on the counters in front of scrutinizing buyers, not behind glass cases like in most groceries around here. The freshest fish experience I had was in Marinduque, a small island in the Philippines where my sister-in-law and her family are from. Her brother (who sadly passed away a few years ago) owned some property on one of the big islands where we had a chance to stay for a few days. Every morning, a fisherman would dock his boat (loaded with just caught fish that were still jumping) right by her brother's home on the island and deliver his catch. They just simply fried them up for breakfast, served them with steamed rice, sliced tomatoes and some vinegary dip. I still remember the fish were extra tasty cooked this way, they were so fresh they had a tinge of sweetness to them. With fresh fish always available in the local markets, we never buy and cook frozen fish in the Philippines though many supermarkets there sell them frozen now. But here, frozen and individually packaged tilapia fillets are so convenient and are always a sure hit for our Friday fish dinners. Although it has been a challenge looking for different recipes for tilapia (I love the internet for this) I must admit, tilapia is such a versatile fish. I've cooked it many different ways and so far, we've never had anything we didn't enjoy. This delicate tilapia dish is just one of the many recipes I've tried from the Food Network. This one was from celebrity chef Giada's Everyday Italian cooking show. I was searching for recipes as well as new ideas and I was happy to have found this. I read the reviews with an almost 100% excellent rating so I guess there's no better way to find put if it's true or not than to try it right away. We definitely agree with the reviews! This was excellent, very easy, flavorful and healthy! The lemon vinaigrette was a fresh burst of summer flavors and complemented the light and flaky tilapia quite well. Giada's recipe called for a side of sauteed radicchio and cannelini beans, both of which I didn't have, so I substituted baby lima beans and served the pan-fried fish fillets on a bed of mixed colorful veggies instead. Any desired veggie side dish may be tried, I've also done a couscous and asparagus side dish for this. A little lemon vinaigrette was drizzled over the fish while the rest was served on the side for an extra helping. This fish dish sealed the deal, we're definitely tilapia fans forever.

PROCEDURE:
Prepare the fish fillets for pan-frying by seasoning them with a little salt & pepper on both sides and dredging them with flour. Shake off excess flour leaving only a very thin coating. Heat olive oil in non-stick pan and sautee fish until slightly browned but not overcooked.

LEMON VINAIGRETTE:
2 tsps. lemon zest
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley or fresh basil leaves
2-3 cloves garlic
salt & pepper to taste
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

In a food processor or blender, mix together lemon juice, lemon zest, basil leaves, garlic, salt & pepper. Process until smooth then slowly pour in olive oil until well blended. May be made a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Note: It was easier for me to use the food processor than a blender. The ingredients may also be very finely minced then mixed together. Then whisk in the olive oil until well blended.

backyard jalapeno harvest

Thanks to my father-in-law, after almost five years since he gave this jalapeno plant to us, we're still harvesting and enjoying these good looking hot peppers from the same plant. My father-in-law no doubt has a green thumb and it takes somebody who's good with plants to start if off really well. It's much easier to take care of an already established plant and this one is definitely still thriving out here. They're very handy to have, we just pick one or two whenever we need them. My husband has an extreme tolerance for hot sauces and hot chiles and some of these jalapenos live up to his level. Back in Manila, it's my sister-in-law who has the green thumb. She would grow orchids and other exotic plants and flowers along the limited space by the side of our house there. She would just pluck a twig or a sprig from a neighbor's plant, stick it to the ground and it would grow. It's just amazing, especially for me, with no success whatsoever growing plants that way. That's why, I really appreciate being able to just buy these ready to plant flowers, plants and herbs in these big garden stores every year. Growing flowers has been much more successful and enjoyable for me here.

pork tenderloin with mustard sauce

It was not too long ago when my cousin (she's still traveling around and enjoying her annual US trip before she leaves for Manila next month) introduced this new recipe to me. We liked it so much that I cooked it again for dinner tonight but I tried using pork tenderloins this time instead of chicken fillets. I also didn't grill it but roasted it in the oven and the result was equally good. The mustard and garlic combined with the rosemary leaves was a great flavor base for the pork. Two pieces of pork tenderloins were trimmed of extra fat, rinsed and patted dry with a papertowel. For the marinade, a mixture of yellow and dijon mustard were combined with minced fresh rosemary leaves, minced garlic (about 3 cloves), olive oil, salt & pepper to taste. Then the marinade was evenly brushed (I used a fresh rosemary sprig for the brush which worked well) all around the tenderloins and then allowed to sit in the fridge for about 3 hours. Then I transferred the tenderloins to a foil lined roasting pan and roasted them for about 50 minutes. We (my husband & I) both don't care for undercooked pork (which must be avoided) or cooked but still slightly pink in the center so a good hour of cooking the pork is ideal for us. The cooking time was just right to thoroughly cook the pork without drying it out. This was the result of a no fuss but quite tasty meal for a weeknight dinner.

six strand braided challah

One of my earliest posts was about this challah bread which my aunt in Chicago taught me to make. We just cut the dough in half, the other one slightly bigger, braided them separately placing the smaller one on top of the bigger one. I've also split the dough to make two loaves, simply braiding three strands for each loaf. Recently, while browsing some You Tube baking and cooking videos, I run across an interesting plaiting or braiding technique demonstrated by Tracey Haider-Sprague. I tried it out and this was the result.

gnocchi & pasta with two basic sauces

two kinds of basic sauces (above)

creamy with bacon & meaty bolognese

cooking the fresh pasta (above)


homemade fresh fettucine pasta (above)
store-bought gnocchi (below)


vacuum-packed fresh gnocchi from the Fresh Market (below)

Pasta supper happens once or twice a week in our household. There are so many possibilities and combinations which can be done with pasta. No wonder it's a favorite dish with a universal appeal which is accepted, loved and enjoyed by almost everyone. One of the items we got from Fresh Market store we visited was this ready to cook gnocchi. Neatly packaged and very convenient to use, it turned out pretty good with the creamy sauce I made. The other sauce I made was bolognese (recipe below), which went well with the fresh pasta I made from scratch. However, the nearby grocery no longer stock semolina flour which I was planning to use for the pasta so I just used all purpose flour. The drawbacks of making fresh pasta was that it was very time consuming, somewhat messy and I wasn't so happy with the clean-up as well. Store-bought fresh pasta are now always available in the grocery, which left me wondering and debating whether it's still practical to make it at home or not. Perhaps the best and only reward we got from the process was that the homemade pasta tasted so fresh and rich. So will I make pasta at home again? It will probably take sometime before I do so but I will do it again because nothing can beat its homemade goodness.

BOLOGNESE PASTA SAUCE

1 lb. ground beef, preferably lean
2 tsps. worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup each finely minced carrots, celery & onion
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1-2 tbsps. all purpose flour
1/2 cup fresh or 1 small can mushroom slices, optional
1/2 cup fresh diced tomatoes, optional
1/4 cup fresh basil, sliced and/ or
2 tsps. dried basil leaves
2 tsps. dried Italian seasoning
1 jar store-bought pasta sauce of your choice, any brand & flavor
1 small can tomato sauce
2 tbsps. tomato paste, optional but adds richness & color
salt, pepper & a little sugar to taste

Saute the minced carrots, celery & onions in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic. Add the ground beef & worcestershire sauce. Add the flour and mix in with the beef. Sometimes, I leave some of the beef lumpy when mixed with the flour like small chunks of meatballs. Cook until beef is lightly browned. Add the rest of the ingredients and let boil. Lower the heat immediately and simmer until rich and flavorful. Our preferred pasta sauce brands in a jar are Newman's Own & Barilla. Adjust seasonings, spoon sauce over fresh pasta and enjoy.

bacon-wrapped mushrooms

The new season of the Next Food Network Star is one of the shows I follow lately. Although there's another reality cooking competition (Top Chef) on another channel, I guess I can only concentrate on one reality show at a time. I have watched this interesting show since it started a couple of years ago. The first winners were the team of Dan & Steve (Hearty Boys) followed by last year's Guy Fieri (Diners, Drive-ins & Dives / Off the Hook) who stood out from all the other finalists. Watching this show has inspired me and introduced me to many new ideas and recipes. One of this season's finalists, Adrien Sharp, made this bacon-wrapped mushrooms in one recent episode. He won that challenge so I decided to try his easy recipe immediately which was a sure hit with my husband who loves both ingredients. Very quick, easy and uncomplicated with only two ingredients, I would say this great appetizer / finger food is perfect for parties which may be included on a cheese platter or served as an accompaniment to pasta or soups for everyday meals.

Ingredients:

bacon slices, cut in half crosswise
large button mushrooms, cleaned & stems removed

Wrap mushrooms with bacon slices. The bacon will stick to the mushrooms, so there's no need to secure it with toothpicks. In a skillet with a little olive oil, pan fry or saute the bacon-wrapped mushrooms until browned and crispy. Serve hot with any of your favorite dips or dressings such as barbecue, honey mustard, ranch, etc.

egg pie

Local bakeries which can be found in towns and neighborhoods all over the Philippines are called "panederia" and they usually sell traditional baked goods. This egg pie is just one of the many tasty treats they offer. I was very happy to find a recipe to try for this local favorite from one Filipina foodblogger. Other baked goods sold by these local bakeries are bellas (a sweet bread with red colored filling), macaroons, dark violet squares rolled in fresh grated coconut (made from ube, a local purple yam), basic cupcakes called kababayan, pianono (sliced jelly rolls with jam filling sprinkled with sugar) mamon (light sponge cakes), ensaymada (rich bread similar to brioche but of Spanish origin) an assortment of boat-shaped tarts, pan de coco (mini bun with sweet coconut filling), Spanish bread (a croissant shaped roll with sweet butter filling), monggo bread (loaf bread with sweetened mung bean paste swirls) and many more. These are the most common baked items sold in these local bakeries along with traditional bread favorites like pan de sal (rolls), monay or pan de racion (a very dense and crusty heavy roll), hopia (Chinese bread with sweet mung bean filling), etc. I found the website of Valerio's City Bakery, located in California, which I would say has a good selection of what a typical panederia would sell. The success of the business must be due to the huge population of Filipinos in California. A visit to the Philippines is incomplete without stopping by a panederia for a taste of their sweet baked goods, fresh bread and rolls. For this simple egg pie, which is not overly sweet, I used a store-bought ready pie crust and just made the custard filling for an easier approach. Any favorite homemade pie crust recipe may also be used. I prebaked the crust but this is optional. Combine the custard filling ingredients according to the recipe provided in the link above, bake and enjoy!

my cousin's favorite - sweet bread with red colored

filling from a local bakery - best when freshly baked