September 27 - Paksiw na Pata Reinvented

Paksiw na Pata is a Filipino version of braised pork leg or pata. Years ago, I would not mind having a serving of Paksiw na Pata. But now that I have grown in age (and gray hairs) I am more cautious in eating such dish. I still love the sweet sauce that comes with the dish so I used boneless pork shoulder roast instead.


If you are more adventurous though, you could prepare this dish with pork leg, trotter or shank.


Braised Pork
Ingredients
5 lbs boneless pork shoulder roast (cut-up)
1 cup dark soy sauce
1 cup white wine vinegar
1 cup dark brown sugar
6 bay leaves
7 cloves garlic, peeled
4 stems fresh oregano
1 packet of dried banana blossoms (30 grams)
2 tbsp whole peppercorn









Cooking Time (1 hour)
Place the meat pieces in a large baking pan in a single layer.
Put the rest of the ingredients (soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, banana blossom and peppercorn).
Cover the pan.
Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour.

September 27 - Ossobuco - An Excellent Sunday Dish

Sunday afternoons are the best time to prepare slow-cooked dishes.

Ossobuco is one dish that needs a lot of time (at least 2 hours) of cooking hours to make the veal shanks fall off the bone tender.

Another technique that I have been using lately is baking the dish rather than using a slowcooker or stovetop.


Ossobuco (Braised Veal Shanks)
Ingredients:
3 lbs veal shanks (about 6 pieces)
6 tbsp olive oil for cooking
1 red onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup brandy
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar



4 tbsp tomato paste
4 sprigs of rosemary
4 sprigs of thyme
6 bay leaves
1.5 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp coarse sea salt
1 tsp ground pepper









Cooking Time (2.5 hours)
Season the veal shanks with salt and pepper.
Heat 3 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan.
Brown the meat on both sides.
In another large pan, heat 3 tbsp olive oil.
Saute the garlic, then the onions.
Add the green and red pepper, carrots and celery stalks.
Pour the sherry, brandy and tomato paste. Add the chicken broth.
Let the vegetables simmer for about 10 minutes.
In a deep baking dish, lay the veal shanks in a single layer.
Make a "bouquet garni" out of the rosemary, thyme and bay leaves and place in the pan.
Scoop the vegetable mixture on top of the veal shanks.
Pour the sauce. Cover the pan and bake at 350 degrees F. for 2 hours.

September 22 - Celebrating Oktoberfest with German Short Ribs

When I think of Oktoberfest, I imagine festive eating, dancing and barrels of beer.
I am not a beer drinker but I do enjoy German foods. We often visit Helmer's, an old German pub and restaurant here in Hoboken, for a good serving of bratwurst and knackwurst.
There are other good German dishes and one of them is the slow-cooked short ribs.

German Short Ribs

Ingredients

5 lbs beef short ribs (cut into 12 pieces)

8 tbsp flour

2 tbsp salt

2 tsp ground pepper

4 tbsp vegetable oil for cooking

1 big white onion, thinly sliced

1.5 cups red wine

6 tbsp dark brown sugar

6 tbsp white wine vinegar

6 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp yellow mustard

2 tbsp paprika

Cooking Time (2.5 hours)

Coat the ribs with a mixture of flour, salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a large pan and brown the ribs on all sides.

In a large baking pan, mix the red wine, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, yellow mustard, and paprika. Lay the ribs (bones side up) in the baking pan in a single layer.

Arrange the sliced onions between the ribs.

Cover the pan and bake the ribs for 2 hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

September 14 - Zesty Poulet Yassa

I have to leave the familiar world of European and Asian cuisine and surf the web for some African recipes. Interesting to see a lot of chicken recipes. I picked Poulet (Chicken) Yassa, acclaimed to be a famous Senegalese recipe.

The striking taste of this dish came from marinading the chicken and onions in lemon juice and vinegar (lots of it). I skipped the cayenne pepper, since I was serving this to my kids. But the overall taste was amusingly strong, even for me.

Poulet Yassa

Ingredients
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut-up
2 big sweet onions, thinly sliced
8 tbsp lemon juice
8 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper
1 bay leaf
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp mustard
small cabbage, cut-up
4 carrots. cut-up
2 chicken bullion cubes
4 tbsp vegetable oil for cooking

Preparation:
Mix the chicken, onions, garlic, bay leaf, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Marinade the chicken overnight.

Cooking Time: (30 minutes)
Drain the chicken and onions. Saute the chicken in a large pan until slightly browned. In another pan, saute the onions until caramelized. Add the marinade, mustard, chicken bullion, and carrots to the onions. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for another 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the chicken to the vegetables. Serve with rice or couscous.

September 13 - Siopao Asado for Home Lunch

Daniel and Cathelyn are back to school. Daniel is now in 5th grade and Cathelyn is in 3rd grade. As our CEO will always tell me, I should cherish these "golden" years. Indeed, these years are starting to be golden.

Last summer, the kids enjoyed going to the summer sports camps as well as going around Hoboken with their older cousin. They are more independent. They have more enthusiasm in trying out new things (which started this "Fine Dining at Home" project). And they have better appreciation of what they have and what they could do.

Another new thing that they initiated is bringing home lunch to school instead of getting the everyday hot school lunch. Besides making my morning time more hectic preparing their home lunches, it became more challenging for me to prepare a variety to encourage them to really eat their lunch.

This is the main reason why I tried to make siopao asado. Besides being a favorite of my kids (once in a while, I am able to pass by the Red Ribbon bakeshop to buy a dozen), it is also something that I could prepare in advance and then just reheat them in the morning. At this age, too, they are allowed to use the microwave in their classroom to warm their home lunch.

A little convenience, after all, does not hurt....

Siopao Asado

Meat Filling Ingredients

1 lb pork tenderloin, sliced along the grain
2 minced scallion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp cornstarch with 4 tbsp water

Dough Ingredients

6 cups flour

3 tsp salt

6 tsp bakling powder

2 package active dry yeast

1 cup white sugar

1.5 cup lukewarm water

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Cooking the Meat Filling:

Saute the onions and garlic. Add the meat and cook for 10 minutes. Add the brown sugar, soy sauce, oyster sauce and 1/4 cup water. Simmer for 45 minutes until the meat is tender. Take out some meat while still cooking. Shred the meat and put it back to the pan. Add the water with the cornstarch. Mix until all the meat is covered. Set aside.

Preparing and Cooking the Dough:

In a big bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together.

In another bowl, dissolve the yeast in 1.5 cup of lukewarm water. Add the white sugar. Add 1 cup of the flour mixture and set aside for 30 minutes. Add the rest of the flour mixture and knead the dough until it is smooth and not sticky. Grease the bowl. Cover the dough with the oil and set aside for 2 hours to let the dough rise.

Divide the dough into 12 balls. For each ball, flatten the dough into 5 inches in diameter. Using an ice cream scoop, place 2 scoops of the filling on the center of the dough. Close the seams. Place the filled dough on a wax parchment (1.5 inches in size) and set aside.

Place at least 3 pieces in a steamer. Leave an inch of space between the pieces. Steam for 20 minutes.

You may store the siopao in the freezer.

Reheat for 15 minutes in the steamer. You may also microwave the siopao for a little over 1 minute.

September 11 - Standing Up To The Challenge of Peking Duck

I would like to go beyond preparing the usual meat dish of beef, chicken, and pork, so I ask my husband if he would eat the dish if I decide to cook some duck. He was amenable to it and suggested that I try Peking duck (Beijing roast duck).


I ordered my whole Peking duck from a gourmet market in Hoboken, Sobsey Produce. That night, I surfed through the web to check how to prepare Peking duck. The process of air drying the duck for several hours intimidated me. It is meant to dry the duck skin like a taut parchment. And the idea of turning the duck every 30 minutes while roasting it looks messy to me.


Anyway, I gave it a try. I took my time. It was worth the wait.



Peking Duck

Ingredients
5 lbs whole Peking duck
4 tbsp lemon juice
6 tbsp honey
6 tbsp soy sauce
150 ml. rice wine (sake)
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground star anise
For serving:
Mandarin pancakes
hoisin sauce
thin, long strips of cucumber
strips of scallions, cut the white end lengthwise






Preparation

In a small pot, mix the lemon juice, honey, soy sauce, rice wine, ground cinnamon, and star anise.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
Set aside.

Fill up half of a big pot with water and bring it to a boil.




Wash the duck and pat it dry.
Place the duck in a big, deep pan and slowly pour the boiling water.
This procedure is meant to loosen the fat.
Let it stay in the hot water for about 5 minutes.
Once again, pat the duck dry.

Place the duck on a rack.
Brush the marinade on the duck until fully covered.
Place the remaining marinade inside the cavity.
Let the duck stand in a cool, airy place overnight.
On the next day, drain all excess marinade from the duck and let it stand for another 6 hours until the skin is dry and tight like a taut parchment.

Cooking Time (1 hour and 45 minutes)

Grease the middle rack. Place the duck on the greased rack, breast up. Place a big pan (with an inch of water) under the rack. This pan is used to catch the drippings from the duck. Roast the duck for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Carefully turn the duck on the other side. Roast for another 45 minutes.
Turn the duck again (breast up) and roast for another 30 minutes or until the skin is dark brown.
Set the duck aside for 10 minutes before carving.
Serve the roast duck with Mandarin pancakes, thin slices of cucumber, scallions, and hoisin sauce.

September 8 - A Handful of Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Any dish that you have to eat by hand could be messy. There's the sizzling fajitas, the Korean barbecue, and the Chinese chicken lettuce wraps. The lettuce leaf could easily break or the sauce could drip on your plate or placemat. It's the tasty meat with a rich sauce all wrapped up in the bland flour tortilla or lettuce wrap that makes the mess worthwhile.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps


Ingredients
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, diced
6 tbsp hoisin sauce
6 tbsp rice wine (sake)
dash of pepper
6 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp sesame oil
6 tbsp cornstarch
3 tbsp minced scallion
1 cup diced celery stalks
2 cups diced mushrooms
6 to 8 iceberg lettuce leaves
1 cup bean thread noodles





Preparation Time
Place the chicken in a large, baking pan.
Add the hoisin sauce, rice wine, pepper, brown sugar, salt, ginger, garlic and sesame oil.
Mix together.
Set aside in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.







Cooking Time (45 minutes)
Bake the chicken in the oven at 375 degrees.
After 20 minutes, take the pan out of the oven.
Mix 6 tbsp cornstarch.
Sprinkle the scallions, celery and mushroom on top of the chicken.
Bake for another 20 minutes.
Fry some bean thread noodles.
To serve, place a scoop of the chicken on a lettuce leaf.
Top it with fried noodles and serve immediately.