October 21 - Zesty Roasted Chicken for Dinner

Injecting the marinade beneath the skin is a technique I use when preparing my turkey for Thanksgiving. This helps the turkey to remain moist and tender after roasting.

I prepared the chicken the same way and we nearly didn't have leftover for the next meal. Even the chicken breast was tasty and moist.

Roasted Chicken

Ingredients
1 fresh whole chicken (4lbs)
1 sweet onion
ginger root
Marinade:
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
6 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp molasses
4 lemons, freshly squeezed
2 tbsp hoisin sauce






Preparation Time (at least an hour)
Prepare the marinade.
Loosen the chicken skin from the meat
Inject the marinade under the chicken skin.
Marinade for one hour or overnight.








Cooking Time (1 hour and 45 minutes)
Place the onion and ginger root inside the chicken cavity.
Tie the chicken legs to keep them in place.
Use the oven broiler pan to roast the chicken.
Add water on the bottom pan.
Bake the chicken at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
Lower the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for another 75 minutes.

October 19 - Basic Ingredients of a Good Corn Chowder

My favorite chowder would be New England Clam Chowder. Even if my kids like it, they still do not believe that it has "clams". So corn chowder became a good compromise for me to cook at home.

From all the chowders I have tasted, I think the good combination of butter, bacon, potatoes, onions and cream make the chowder.

I used a thick slab of bacon that I got from the butcher shop. It is more meat the fat.

Cooking the bacon until it's browned, cooking the onion until it's caramelized and then lightly browning the potatoes, gave the chowder its unique, comforting taste...

Corn Chowder

Ingredients

3 tbsp butter

3 thick slabs of bacon, minced

1 medium sweet onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups of diced celery stalks

2 cups of diced carrots

4 fingerling potatoes, diced

fresh corn kernels from 3 corn ears

1 cup of cream

4 cups of water

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp thyme leaves

Cooking Time (45 minutes)

Heat the butter in a big pot.

Brown the bacon.

Add the onions and cook until caramelized.

Add the carrots and celery and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the potatoes and garlic and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the corn and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the water, bay leaves and thyme leaves and

let it boil.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add the cream and simmer until all the vegetables are tender.

October 15 - Vegetable Soup for the Cold Autumn

The first days of October are the toughest time of Autumn. It is getting colder and our bodies are starting to acclimate to the changing weather. It is even tougher when it becomes windy and kids have to play soccer in the freezing rain.

Dutch Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
3 tbsp butter
1 cauliflower head, cut in small pieces
2 cup diced carrots
2 cups diced celery stalks
15 pieces of Brussels sprouts, cut in halves
2 tbsp minced scallions
8 cups of chicken broth
2 cups cooked white rice
2 tbsp minced parsley







Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Using a large pot, saute the vegetables (except parsley) in butter for 15 minutes.
Add the chicken broth and the cooked white rice.
Simmer for the next 30 minutes.
Mix in the parsley in the last minute.
Serve with some sausages and bread.

October 7 - A Real Dutch Steak

Potatoes is a Dutch staple as rice is to a Filipino.

I appreciate the way the potatoes are "fried" the Dutch way. They are cooked in butter and taste really sweet and creamy.

As for Dutch steaks, they are simply seasoned with salt and pepper and also fried in butter.

Dutch Steak

Ingredients:

4 boneless ribeye steaks, .4 lb each

3 tbsp butter

salt and pepper

1/2 cup cream

Preparation Time:

Pat the steaks dry.

Season them with salt and pepper.

Let them stand in the refrigerator for a couple of hours or overnight.

Cooking Time: 25 minutes

Heat the butter in a Dutch oven pan or fry pan.

Fry the steaks on high heat, for 10 minutes on each side, for medium well.

Set the steaks aside.

Pour the cream on the pan.

Stir it gently for 5 minutes to make the gravy.

Pour a tablespoon of the gravy on the steak.

Serve the steaks with home fried potatoes and sweet peas.

Home Fried Potatoes

Ingredients:

15 small gold creamer potatoes, thinly sliced

3 tbsp butter

1 cup water

salt

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Melt the butter in a large frying pan.

Put the potatoes and water.

Season with salt.

When the water is all dried, fry the potatoes gently until they are lightly browned. Serve warm.

October 6 - Kid Friendly Spanish Paella

Growing up, Spanish paella for me would normally refer to seafood paella, filled with mussels, squid, clams and shrimps.

My family is not used to eating seafood yet, besides fish fillet and shrimp. Even if I would have enjoyed the paella with mussels and clams, I stayed away from it.

Besides trimming the meat to just chicken, chorizo and shrimps, I also limited the vegetables to green bell pepper, peas and onions. I made sure that I used enough saffron and paprika to give the dish that authentic taste.

The rice came out fluffy and tasty. The taste is subtle yet very satisfying to my kids.

Spanish Paella

Ingredients:
1 lb jumbo shrimps, peeled
2 chicken legs, boneless, cut-up
3 links of Spanish sausage (chorizo), thinly sliced
1 medium Spanish onion, minced
.4 grams saffron
1 tbsp paprika
1 green bell pepper, long strips
2 cups sweet peas
4 cups Jasmine rice
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup clam broth
coarse sea salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil for cooking






Cooking Time (1 hour)
Using a large frying pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil and cook the shrimp for 5 minutes, turning the shrimp once.
Add salt and pepper.
Set the shrimp aside.
Season the chicken with salt. Heat another 2 tbsp olive oil.
Saute the chicken and chorizo for 10 minutes, mixing once
Set the chicken mixture aside.
Heat 3 tbsp olive oil and saute the onion for 5 minutes until it is caramelized.
Add the green bell pepper, peas and 4 cups of Jasmine rice.
Add 1 cup of clam broth and 4 cups of chicken broth.
Add the saffron and paprika.
Bring the rice to a boil until the broth is almost dried up.
Cover the pan and cook the rice for 20 minutes in low heat.
Mix and fluff the rice, once in a while.
Mix in the chicken, chorizo and shrimp to the rice.

October 5 - Spicing up Your Breakfast with Spanish Omelet

My kids love omelets for breakfast. But going beyond ham and cheese, I decided to introduce them to Spanish omelets.

Although potato and onion omelet (or torta) is a more popular dish, I added some chorizo (Spanish sausage) and spiced it up with diced tomatoes.


I do not flip omelets. Simply because it is difficult to do it and my kids enjoy the omelette looking like pizza. They call it the vegetable pizza!



Spanish Omelet

Ingredients

3 links chorizo (Spanish sausages)
2 tbsp minced shallots
2 tbsp minced tomatoes
6 small golden potatoes, diced
1 tbsp salt
dash of freshly ground pepper
6 farm eggs, whisked
4 tbsp olive oil








Cooking Time (20 minutes)
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan(preferably non-stick).
Saute the onions, tomatoes, chorizo, and potatoes for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.
Season with salt and pepper.
Take out the potato mixture from the pan and set aside.
In the same pan, heat 2 tbsp olive oil.
Pour the eggs.

Put back the potato mixture on the eggs.
Cover the pan and cook for 10 minutes (until the eggs are cooked) in medium heat.
Serve immediately.

October 3 - Finally Serving Chicken Afritada

It is not easy to label a dish to a specific country. The more I try dishes from other countries, the more I realized that many countries (and continents) share the same dishes.

Chicken Afritada is a favorite dish in the Philippines but the name itself is very Spanish.

I was not able to check how the Spanish cuisine is cooked differently from the Filipino style of afritada. But most likely, it will be as warm and comforting like this one.


Chicken Afritada



Ingredients
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large red onion, minced
2 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
6 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
freshly ground pepper
1 28 oz can of ground tomato
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1 10 oz can of baby sweet peas
8 red potatoes, cut-up
1 red bell pepper, cut in strips




Cooking Time (1.5 hours)

Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, ginger, and garlic for 5 minutes.
Place the chicken in a single layer and lightly brown both sides for 15 minutes.
In a large baking pan, mix the tomato sauce, soy sauce and oyster sauce.
Lay the chicken pieces in a single layer.
Put the potatoes, peas, and red bell pepper.
Cover the pan and bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Uncover the pan and bake for another 15 minutes.