Monday, March 20
Lunch
Hubby: Bistek Rice
Sauteed Mixed Mushrooms and Beansprouts
Little boy: Beef Nilaga
Dieter ragamuffin girl: Mixed Greens with Grilled Capsicum, Marinated Artichokes, Honey Tomatoes
Dinner
Grilled Whole Chicken Smothered with Garlic, Crusted with Rosemary-Pepper-Paprika, Marinated in Chorizo de Bilbao Oil on a Bed of Portobello Mushroom and Chorizo
New Potatoes and Asparagus Gratin
Tuesday, March 21
Lunch
Pan-fried Roulade of Chicken Galantina Stuffing, Mushroom Gravy
Dinner
Mixed Vegetables and Sweet Potato Lumpia
Shrimp Gambas
Wednesday, March 22
Lunch
Smorgasbord of Leftovers
Dinner
Inihaw na Baboy, Talong at Kamatis
Garlic-Parsley Infused Mussels in Wine Broth
Thursday, March 23
Lunch
The Thursday Group
Dinner
Tacos
Creamy Shrimp Pasta
Friday, March 24
Lunch
Grilled Salmon with Lemon-Butter Sauce
Cream of Pumpkin and Carrot
Dinner
Shrimp Monggo
Fried Fish
Saturday, March 25
Lunch
Bicol Express
Chicken and Pork Adobado
Dinner (having guests over)
Lumpiang Shanghai with Sweet Chili Sauce
Catfish Salad, Roast Duck Curry with Grapes, Stir-Fried Prawns with Chili Oil and Eggyolk Sauce, Sauteed Cabbage Sprouts (from Cafe Siam)
Mango Taho
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Home Cooking
grocery shopping at Great is my one true indulgence, and today i bought 2 rib-eye steaks, foie-gras, baby asparagus, oyster mushroom, cream, cut melons, paper-thin san daniele ham (so expensive!), tomatoes and an apple. for dinner i served: pan-fried foie-gras on a bed of poached apples and balsamico with toasted whole wheat bread, followed by broiled rib-eye (marinated in red wine, rosemary and crushed black pepper) with creamed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, blanched asparagus and a red wine shallot sauce. tomorrow for a snack i'll eat the san daniele with the melons. i realized both meals, for two, costs a mere HKD375! had i been lazy and decided to go to SOHO, we would've spent more than double. so my indulgent Great shopping turned out to be tipid (budget-friendly), after all. restos make so much money, no? but then, we had dinner in a brightly-lit dining area with Lion King on the TV and the dining table resembling a home office. so sometimes ambience (with matching price tag) does count.
Kitchen Sorcery (have ingredients, will cook)
My top 30 ingredients in no particular order - excluding the obvious meat, seafood, veggies, salt, pepper, soy sauce, vinegar, patis, oil, butter, egg, flour and pang-gisa (sauteeing) trio of tomatoes, onions and garlic
1. wholegrain/dijon mustard: adds zing to everything from salad dressings, savory crusts, marinades, sandwiches...
2. hoisin sauce: for an instant Chinese meal, just stir-fry with chicken or pork; use as sauce for diced leftover roast duck wrapped in lettuce leaves; brush on grilled chicken wings
3. shallots: great for wine-based sauces for steaks and grilled items, fry 'em until aromatic and sprinkle on traditional Chinese soups, use them to flavor ground pork mixtures for spring rolls
4. pesto sauce: pasta...dressings...marinades...you name it, pesto makes it remarkably distinct
5. sun-dried tomatoes: fantastic in salads, chili con carne, pasta and sundried tomato oil
6. cottage cheese/feta/mozzarella/fontina/bleu cheese/all kinds of cheese: vegetable gratin, dips galore, with fruits and honey, salad garnish, pinaputok na kesong puti (little firecracker- sized appetizers filled with a secret cheese mixture), sublime appetizers -- think crostini with roasted garlic, adobo flakes and feta, paired with an excellent bottle of wine and some crusty bread
7. peanut butter: licked from a spoon, coating a banana, on bread with jam or a sprinkling of sugar, Oriental dressings, kare-kare, desserts, cookies
8. tuna in brine: a dieter's dream! Nicoise salad, tunamelt sandwich, pasta, quesadilla filling , pizza topping
9. red wine/white wine: lends a deep flavor when reduced for sauces, perfect for marinating, flambeing, seafood dishes
10. fresh black mushroom: the buttery taste and sensual texture is perfect for salads, mushroom sauces, Chinese cooking and hubby's favorite- mushroom tempura! And in HK, it's abundant and affordable
11. Chinese cooking wine: Unbeatable for Chinese stir-fry and braised dishes, steamed fish
12. balsamic vinegar: I cannot get enough of this. I use it for dressings, as a marinade, and make balsamic reduction for drizzling over foie gras, grilled fish, salad
13. lemon: want zing? zest? flavors to come alive? lemon does the trick
14. extra-virgin olive oil: no explanations needed
15. fresh basil: salads, bruschetta, piadina, panini
16. tempura flour/breadcrumbs/panko/cornstarch: for the crispiest, crunchiest deep-fried dishes
17. Lea and Perrins/Knorr seasoning: salpicao, roast chicken, beef steak taste exceptionally marvellous with these enhancers
18. chicken powder: better than salt; use it to flavor sauces, pasta boiling water, as a spice rub, marinade (lots of msg though)
19. chicken stock, beef stock, veal stock, fish stock: made from the real thing, i.e. chicken, veal, fish bones. With these on hand, sauces and soups are done in a snap!
20. capsicum: grilled, stuffed and baked, sauteed; crunchy sweet goodness in three luscious colors
21. butternut squash: good as side dish for practically everything; lovely as a mash, grilled, tempura-fried or with native Pinoy vegetables and coconut milk; best for Cream of Apple Butternut Squash Soup
22. bagoong balayan (fermented fish sauce): pinakbet, monggo, Pinoy Caesar dressing, grilled eggplant, boiled okra, dinengdeng, veggies in coconut milk, all the Ilocano dishes hubby grew up eating
23. sesame oil: a drop here and there makes a big difference; divine, divine aroma
24. Meditteranean trio of capers, olives and anchovies: varying degrees of saltiness captured in each piece, slice, sliver
25. Mexican spices like cumin and chili powder: hubby has to have tacos, chili con carne, fajitas and nachos with the works at least once a month
26. chocolate: food for the gods; of the gods
27. paprika: color, flavor and aroma packed in small bottle, this is my "secret" ingredient for a lot of my recipes
28. Indian spices like coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, masala: Indian food is best eaten at an authentic resto with a genuine Indian chef, but hubby likes to baon (packed lunch) Indian viands with pullao rice so I have to stock up
29. Yogurt or Sour Cream: like paprika, a "secret" ingredient, also the star of my favorite tsatziki, cucumber raita, Hungarian goulash
30. Rum: crepes, chicken wings, drinking while cooking, pineapple glazed with rum syrup, bananas with rum, roast fruits, rum butter cake (can you imagine a more delectable, sinful dessert?)
1. wholegrain/dijon mustard: adds zing to everything from salad dressings, savory crusts, marinades, sandwiches...
2. hoisin sauce: for an instant Chinese meal, just stir-fry with chicken or pork; use as sauce for diced leftover roast duck wrapped in lettuce leaves; brush on grilled chicken wings
3. shallots: great for wine-based sauces for steaks and grilled items, fry 'em until aromatic and sprinkle on traditional Chinese soups, use them to flavor ground pork mixtures for spring rolls
4. pesto sauce: pasta...dressings...marinades...you name it, pesto makes it remarkably distinct
5. sun-dried tomatoes: fantastic in salads, chili con carne, pasta and sundried tomato oil
6. cottage cheese/feta/mozzarella/fontina/bleu cheese/all kinds of cheese: vegetable gratin, dips galore, with fruits and honey, salad garnish, pinaputok na kesong puti (little firecracker- sized appetizers filled with a secret cheese mixture), sublime appetizers -- think crostini with roasted garlic, adobo flakes and feta, paired with an excellent bottle of wine and some crusty bread
7. peanut butter: licked from a spoon, coating a banana, on bread with jam or a sprinkling of sugar, Oriental dressings, kare-kare, desserts, cookies
8. tuna in brine: a dieter's dream! Nicoise salad, tunamelt sandwich, pasta, quesadilla filling , pizza topping
9. red wine/white wine: lends a deep flavor when reduced for sauces, perfect for marinating, flambeing, seafood dishes
10. fresh black mushroom: the buttery taste and sensual texture is perfect for salads, mushroom sauces, Chinese cooking and hubby's favorite- mushroom tempura! And in HK, it's abundant and affordable
11. Chinese cooking wine: Unbeatable for Chinese stir-fry and braised dishes, steamed fish
12. balsamic vinegar: I cannot get enough of this. I use it for dressings, as a marinade, and make balsamic reduction for drizzling over foie gras, grilled fish, salad
13. lemon: want zing? zest? flavors to come alive? lemon does the trick
14. extra-virgin olive oil: no explanations needed
15. fresh basil: salads, bruschetta, piadina, panini
16. tempura flour/breadcrumbs/panko/cornstarch: for the crispiest, crunchiest deep-fried dishes
17. Lea and Perrins/Knorr seasoning: salpicao, roast chicken, beef steak taste exceptionally marvellous with these enhancers
18. chicken powder: better than salt; use it to flavor sauces, pasta boiling water, as a spice rub, marinade (lots of msg though)
19. chicken stock, beef stock, veal stock, fish stock: made from the real thing, i.e. chicken, veal, fish bones. With these on hand, sauces and soups are done in a snap!
20. capsicum: grilled, stuffed and baked, sauteed; crunchy sweet goodness in three luscious colors
21. butternut squash: good as side dish for practically everything; lovely as a mash, grilled, tempura-fried or with native Pinoy vegetables and coconut milk; best for Cream of Apple Butternut Squash Soup
22. bagoong balayan (fermented fish sauce): pinakbet, monggo, Pinoy Caesar dressing, grilled eggplant, boiled okra, dinengdeng, veggies in coconut milk, all the Ilocano dishes hubby grew up eating
23. sesame oil: a drop here and there makes a big difference; divine, divine aroma
24. Meditteranean trio of capers, olives and anchovies: varying degrees of saltiness captured in each piece, slice, sliver
25. Mexican spices like cumin and chili powder: hubby has to have tacos, chili con carne, fajitas and nachos with the works at least once a month
26. chocolate: food for the gods; of the gods
27. paprika: color, flavor and aroma packed in small bottle, this is my "secret" ingredient for a lot of my recipes
28. Indian spices like coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, masala: Indian food is best eaten at an authentic resto with a genuine Indian chef, but hubby likes to baon (packed lunch) Indian viands with pullao rice so I have to stock up
29. Yogurt or Sour Cream: like paprika, a "secret" ingredient, also the star of my favorite tsatziki, cucumber raita, Hungarian goulash
30. Rum: crepes, chicken wings, drinking while cooking, pineapple glazed with rum syrup, bananas with rum, roast fruits, rum butter cake (can you imagine a more delectable, sinful dessert?)
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