Pear and Saffron Chutney

"How am I going to feed 30 people on Christmas eve?" was my dilemna as I went about my rounds at work.  I thought,  with not much extra hands to help out in the kitchen?  These are the times I wish I was home in the Philippines where help was plenty. I recall a time when I used to do a lot of chutneys back then (read about it here). Every year, it is always my desire to make something home made to give away as christmas presents. But this idea about making chutney to give away came in too late.

I'll do them ONE by ONE.  So as soon as I walked in the front door, straight from the night shift did I start a cooking rampage as a prelude to the Christmas eve dinner preparations. My husband must have woken up from the loud clanging and thumping of the knife and the wooden board as I chop away a basket of cooking pears and apples, onions and tomatoes. I doubled Gordon Ramsay's recipe which yielded me about 5 medium jars. But as usual, I don't follow the recipe to the letter. I measure by the eye, I alter by the taste, and I feel by the heart whether the recipe calls for more or less of this or that.

In the middle of my cooking, my beloved hubby walked in the kitchen fresh from a deep sleep. I was so elated to tell him about why I recycle jars. And yes, I did have the "I-told-you-so" moment since he is one that chucks away everything in the bin which he considers rubbish but "treasure" to me.

As soon as the the onions, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger started to sizzle in the pan, my lethargic spirit and my broken down brain from the night shift began to vivify! The house smelt of spiced perfume, oh so full of life! I was dancing while mixing the ingredients in the pot, no music in the background... just the clanging of the pot and wooden spoon.... they're music to my ears.

Okay, I better share with you the recipe as I am just typing away.... and since it's almost lunchtime, I better get my butt out of here and buzz away to dreamland soon!

This recipe yields about 2-3 medium jars. I doubled mine so I came up with 5 jars.

Ingredients:

Olive oil

1 onion, peeled and chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

50g knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely grated

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg (or ground nutmeg will do)

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ –1 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste

250g light unrefined soft brown sugar

250ml white wine vinegar

4 firm pears (such as Williams), about 650g

1 small cooking apple, about 350g, peeled, cored and chopped

125g sultanas

2 pinches of saffron strands

Finely grated zest and juice of 2 small oranges

2 tomatoes, diced

Procedure:

Peel, core and chop the pears and apple.  Set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large pan, add the onion and sweat for a few minutes with a touch of seasoning - to soften but not colour. Add the grated ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and cayenne pepper. Sauté for another 1–2 minutes. Add the sugar and stir over a medium heat until it has dissolved, then add the wine vinegar. Stir in the pears and apple.  Add to the pan with the sultanas, saffron and orange zest and juice. Bring to the boil and boil steadily for about 15 minutes, until the liquid has reduced down to a syrupy consistency. Add the diced tomatoes and cook for a few minutes, by which time the chutney should be well reduced and thickened. Taste and adjust the seasoning with a little salt and pepper. While still hot, spoon the chutney into clean, sterilised jars and seal. Store in a cool, dark cupboard or the fridge and use within 6 months – the flavour will improve with time.
 

So rustle up as this chutney is a great accompaniment with Honey-Glazed Ham, salads, or steak or fish dishes.

Merry Christmas Everyone!    Enjoy! 

The finished product, tied with strings and with my personal label.

Beeferrific Bakarefic (aka Bakareta)

A Filipino favorite.  So simple to cook and fast.  You can also cook this in a slow cooker for 4-6 hours.  Just mix in all ingredients together and set to low heat and forget about it.  Do your laundry, go out for a jog, do some gardening.  Just as when you are ready for dinner, this delicious meal will bring the house to a storm!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 kg Beef cuts cut into large cubed chunks
 (preferably Beef gravy meat as it has a bit of the fat)

1 cup Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

1 cup Tomato Puree

3 Peeled Carrots, cut into big chunks

3 Peeled Potatoes cut into quarters

1 cup green peas

1 cup button mushrooms (halved)

1 large head onion, quarted

8 cloves garlic, chopped

1 big red bell pepper or capsicum, cut into squares

150 grams of bacon, cubed

1 link Spanish chorizo, sliced thinly

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:


Boil the beef cubes in at least 1 pitcher of water until tender then add in the potatoes and carrots.  Boil when soft.  Drain some water until there’s a bit of water at the bottom of the pan.  Set aside.

In a separate pan, sauté with a bit of oil the chopped garlic, onions until transparent.  Add in the chorizo, and bacon until golden brown.  Add in the peas, mushrooms and capsicum.  Pour in the tomato puree and tomato sauce and bring to a boil.  Combine this with the beef and stir slowly until well coated with the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste.

Best served with rice. Enjoy!

(Usually tastes savoroso when aged a day or two. Refrigerate left overs and heat up on stove top when needed)

Bread Pudding

Before you chuck away the almost expired bread, transform it into a mouthwatering dessert!   This is one that I like of a bread pudding.  Gina, my friend found the recipe  somewhere in cyberspace and when I first tried it, I thought it was amazing.  I have tweaked the ingredients and the technique a bit to present a much custardy-like base.  I tripled the recipe as I had 3 different kinds of bread.  However you can use whatever left-over bread you have in your pantry.

Ings.

- 6 slices of bread (you can use white.  I combined three kinds:  white, raisin and wheat-- it turned out just as yummy)
- 3 tbsps butter (originally, the recipe calls for 2 but to achieve the custard-like consistency, I have added a bit of butter)
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 4 large eggs, beaten
- 3/4 cups white sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon or all-spice
- 1 tsp vanilla

Procedure:

1. Slice bread into squares, set aside.
2. Melt the butter in a small sauce pot, set aside and let it cool.
3. In a large bowl, beat in the eggs and add in the rest of the ingredients.  Pour in the sliced bread and mix it well, coating each piece with the egg mixture.  Leave in a bowl covered with a towel for at least 30 minutes.
4.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C.
5.  Pour bread-egg mixture in baking dishes until 1/2 full.
6.  Bake in oven for 30-40 minutes until golden brown but turning the dish in between the baking process.

Serve with either prepared cream (condensed milk with cream) or prepared vanilla custard.

Enjoy!

Boeuf Bourguignon

T'was my good friends, Bong and Jard's birthday, an opportune time for me to cook the famous Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguignon from the book, The Art of French Cooking.

I followed it by the book and boy, oh boy!  It was heavenly!

As is the case with most famous dishes, there are more ways than one to arrive at a good boeuf bourguignon. Carefully done, and perfectly flavored, it is certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man, and can well be the main course for a buffet dinner. Fortunately you can prepare it completely ahead, even a day in advance, and it only gains in flavor when reheated. 

Vegetable and Wine Suggestions
Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. Serve with the beef a fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Côtes du Rhône, Bordeaux-St. Émilion, or Burgundy.

Servings: Serves 6

Ingredients

• 9- to 10-inch, fireproof casserole dish , 3 inches deep
• Slotted spoon
• 6 ounces bacon

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil or cooking oil
• 3 pounds lean stewing beef , cut into 2-inch cubes
• 1 sliced carrot
• 1 sliced onion
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 3 cups full-bodied, young red wine , such as a Chianti
• 2 to 3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillon
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 cloves mashed garlic
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• Crumbled bay leaf
• Blanched bacon rind
• 18 to 24 small white onions , brown-braised in stock
• 1 pound quartered fresh mushrooms , sautéed in butter
• Parsley sprigs

Directions

Remove rind from bacon, and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, 1/4 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 1/2 quarts of water. Drain and dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef.

Dry the stewing beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetables. Pour out the sautéing fat.

Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325 degrees.

Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers
very slowly for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed.

When the melt is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

Skim fat off the sauce. Simmer sauce for a minute or two, skimming off additional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 1/2 cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables. Recipe may be completed in advance to this point.

For immediate serving: Covet the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.

For later serving: When cold, cover and refrigerate. About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Copyright © 1961, 1983, 2001 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted by arrangement with the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc.

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this recipe is dedicated to my good 'ole friends, Bong and Jard!

 Dinner table set up for the special people!

 Three of my commissioned paintings by painter friends in my home country, depicting Philippine culture and practices:  (bottom up) 1. Harana    2.Blessing   3.Mano Po.

 Firstborn CJ with friends, Marco and Grace

 With the De Leon's : Gio, Gina and Jard

 Jard with hubby Bim and secondborn, Jed

 Little Peanut and Sweetie Pie pigging out on the hors dourves

 Just having a good time!

Me and hubby--- the blessed life!

Praise the good Lord!

Baked Green Mussels

This was a fantastic treat after a grueling past week at work.  Thank God for days off!  

-      * 2 kilos of green mussels, boiled cooked,  detach one shell and making the other as its bed.  Discard the ones that remain closed which indicates dead mussels.  Set the detached mussels on a lined baking tray ready for filling

-       *One head garlic, chopped

-       *¼ cup butter

-      * ¼ kl bacon, finely chopped

-       *about ½ cup of thick cream

-       *¼ cup of melting cheese (mozzarella or quick melt)

-       *salt and pepper

-       *dried herbs

-       *parmesan cheese

Melt the butter and sauté the garlic in a small pan, stirring constantly as not to burn the garlic.  Let it cool. 

Once cooled, add in the rest of the ingredients (except the last one)  and scoop the creamed mixture unto each  mussel, covering it well.  Bake at 180 degrees C for about 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with lemon or orange wedges.  You may add in some chili flakes if you want it a bit smothering hot!  


Makes about 60 to 70 mussels.  Fantastic as an appetizer or hors d'oeuvres.

Seafood Noodles

 -2 teaspoons peanut oil

-250g firm white fish fillets, cubed

-300g medium green prawns, deveined, peeled, tails intact

-a handful of mussels, taken out of shell

-250g sliced squid

-250g rice noodles

-250g egg noodles

-1 large brown onion, halved, thinly sliced

-3cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, grated

-2 garlic cloves, crushed

-200g shortcut rindless bacon, chopped

-1 large green capsicum, sliced

-1 large carrot, peeled, sliced

-1 celery stalk, trimmed, thinly sliced

-1 cup shredded cabbage

-1 tablespoon mild curry powder

-1 1/2 tablespoons salt-reduced soy sauc

-4 green onions, thinly sliced

      Heat half the oil in a wok over high heat. Cook mussels in 2 cups of water (do not discard the water), fish and prawns for 2 to 3 minutes or until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate. Cover to keep warm.

      Meanwhile, place rice noodles in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Stand for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Separate noodles with a fork. Drain. Rinse under cold water.

      Heat remaining oil in wok. Add brown onion, ginger and garlic. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes or until softened. Add bacon, capsicum, carrot, celery and cabbage. Stir-fry for 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add curry powder. Stir to coat. Add about 1 cup of the water from the mussels and let it reach boiling point.

      Add the rice noodles, egg noodles (the egg noodles will absorb the remaining liquid), soy sauce and half the green onion to wok. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Return mussels, fish and prawns to wok. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until heated through. Add in a tablespoon of corn flour if too liquidy.  Top with remaining green onion. Serve.

Keep warm this winter, folks!