LaPiS: Noche Buena

Christmas Dinner was untradtional for us. It was just my mom and me and she prepared a dish called Stracoto with Porcini Mushrooms, a recipe from Giada de Laurentiis. It was uber delish!

Ingredients
1 (4-pound) boneless beef chuck roast
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, sliced
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 cup dry red wine
1 3/4 cups canned beef broth
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 large sprig fresh rosemary, plus extra for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Pat the beef dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the beef generously with salt and pepper.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy 6-quart roasting pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add the beef and cook until brown on all sides, about 15 minutes. Transfer the beef to bowl.
5. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil to the pan, add the onions and saute until tender, scraping up the brown bits at the bottom of the pot, about 5 minutes.
6. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute.
7. Add the wine and boil for 1 minute. Stir in the broth and mushrooms.
8. Return the beef to the pan. Bring the liquids to a boil. Cover and transfer to the oven.
9. Braise until the beef is fork-tender, turning the beef over halfway through cooking, about 3 hours.
10. Transfer the beef to a cutting board. Tent the beef with foil and let stand 15 minutes.
11. Meanwhile, spoon any excess fat off the top of the pan juices. Transfer the pan juices and vegetables to a blender and puree until smooth.
12. Combine the sauce and rosemary sprig in high heavy medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Season the sauce to taste, with salt and pepper.
13. Cut the beef across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Arrange the sliced beef on a platter and garnish with rosemary.
14. Spoon the sauce over and serve, passing the remaining sauce in a sauce boat.

Serves 6-8
I give it five stars.

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La.Pi.S: Rice

Almost every Asian who is worth their salt has rice every meal. Yes, it's full of carbs but a lot of us Asians don't consider it a full meal unless we have rice!

Unfortunately, rice has its drawbacks. It is not healthy at all! Well, white rice, that is. And what's more, most of us still cannot comprehend that something as ordinary as white rice is unhealthy when eaten in large amounts.

I am trying to break free from my white rice habit. I seem to accomplish this one but I am not as dedicated with this as I would have liked.

This was my breakfast last Sunday. Unfortunately, it's fried rice with all the trimmings and honey cured bacon! Put on the pounds, people! I know I should try to eat something healthier next time.

I didn't have lunch this time because I had already indulged in my fair share of rice but after our visit to the Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades, California [post and photos later], we decided to head to Hop Li a Chinese Restaurant.

Lucky for us it wasn't packed so we chose a spot by the window so that I can get enough light to take photos! We had Crispy Fried Noodles, Mongolian Beef, and Honey Walnut Shrimp [my favorite]. Mmmm mmmm [read YUMMY!]. We also had white rice but to my credit, I passed on the soda and had tea instead! Yay me!

Location:
Hop Li Seafood Restaurant
10974 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90064
(310) 441-3708

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Weekly Questions #17: Weird Culinary Delights?

This is the sequel to WQ #16: Ugh where a friend of Miss Julie ate pig's brain. This weeks question is about the weird culinary delights that you have tasted. Hmmm, I admit, I was one to snub my nose up at them but...I've tried to give them a go, even for just a bite! I'm not one for joining Fear Factor but I can manage to blend in with my hubby's friends and his...eclectic tastes.

What were the worst or weird food (for you) that you have ever eaten? What were your reactions?

Let's back track a bit to ohhhh 19-20 years ago, my dad actually gave me dog meat for lunch. Hello! I was such an innocent kid way back when and I remember that I loved the taste but I can't remember how it actually tastes like. My grandfather, Lolo Basiong went through the roof though and cursed my dad (well, not really cursed) and that was the last I ever tasted dog. Now that I had my baby Dalmatians, I swear that I will never eat any dog meat and will curse the person who will let me eat it without my knowledge. I'm serious people. At this point, I'd like to say a few words to my departed puppy Sly. He died last Sunday and I am so heartbroken that I couldn't be with him in his last few days. I know he missed me and I miss him, too. Me and Sly where very close and hubby's fave is Shine (the mommy) who is hale and hearty.

Next, I've already mentioned eating Balut or duck's embryo. No, I do not eat the embryo just sip the liquid and a little of the yellow stuff. I'm not a huge fan of this weird but common delicacy but I can manage to swallow a few bites just to blend in.

I've also tasted Goat's head soup or something. I don't even know what it's called but my hubby forced it on me. It actually tastes like beef stew and it's cooked well, so it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. Of course, I didn't see the head in the pot so my stomach was fine the whole time. On this note, I've also tasted a few strips of kilawin which is raw similar to goat skin similar to kinilaw. Surprisingly, it tasted okay but I'm not a huge fan of it.

Pig intestines or shia-i was also a common food when we went to the beach when I was still a kid. They usually buy it with chicharon and it is actually similar to chicharon in that it is crispy. Shia-i is okay when the intestines are cleaned really well because if not, you could taste the bile in it. Unfortunately, my hubby forced me, AGAIN, to take a bite of a not so clean intestine and it tasted AWFUL! I am never going to do that again!

Another variation of shia-i is isaw which is chicken intestines. This one is usually grilled and is a staple in places where you can buy tocino. I admit that I love isaw when it is split in half before grilling. Basically, isaw tastes bitter when it is not cleaned or cut in half and that is a no, no for me.

I draw the line in eating dinuguan or cooked pig's blood, though. It's also a staple during parties when there is the famed lechon but I don't eat lechon so I can justify not eating dinuguan at all.

I've seen and heard quite a few weird delicacies for real and on TV. I know most of you have seen chicken head and chicken feet (addidas) being served in the local markets. *Shiver* I don't think I can take that though.

I'm actually quite game in trying anything and sometimes, I do enjoy eating the weird stuff being served in the Philippines. I guess you can blame it on the fact that my hubby is always forcing me to try some and sometimes I don't mind - much.

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La.Pi.S.: Golden Brown

The other week, we we went to the Mooncake Festival in Chinatown and I had my first taste of the Mooncake! I didn't love the salted egg yolk as much as I hoped I would but nonetheless, I enjoyed its...interesting taste.

A few days ago, I tried out a new Baked Macaroni recipe and it was delish, if I say so myself. I finally got a dish that wasn't runny at all. My previous attempts with Lasagna didn't fare as well as I hoped. It was delish even though it was a little runny.

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Weekly Questions #16: Pig Brains in My Lasagna

Teacher Julie had a really interesting question for this week and a story behind it. You see her friend had a second helping of lasagna only to find out that it wasn't beef but PIG BRAINS! If you want to read the whole story, visit Greenbucks.info for the article. Okay, so now that you have read the story behind it, here is the question:

If it were you in that situation, what would you do?

Now, this is a toughie! As Filipinos we are raised to polite to a fault wherein it would be a faux pas to be downright rude to our host or hostess. Yes, we all just have to "grin and bear it" or simply "suck it in". Although I am all for trying out new things, feasting on pig brains would not be at the top of my list.

However, since I had survived eating the first helping without nothing drastic happening to me and it tasted good, I would probably eat a third helping of it! I see nothing wrong with pigs and brains in my favorite lasagna, but hey, they said Filipinos eat the whole pig but the oink!

There are other dishes that are borderline gross, if you ask me. Take the infamous Dinuguan (Cooked pig's blood with intestines), now that is something that I draw the line to eating. I know Pinoys love their Dinuguan to death (pardon my pun) but I'm not one of them.

Eating pig's intestines is also yummy, well if it's cleaned and cooked well, I would love to munch on one! I've also tasted goat's head stew or something but I forgot what it was called. I didn't see the goat's head though so I could stomach it as well as everyone. It tasted like beef, actually. I've got to admit that my hubby is a fan of letting me try some of the things that I don't normally eat but as long as they're cooked and deemed safe, I would have some!

Kinilaw (the Pinoy version of seviche) is also yummy especially if it's prepared by my hubby. It's not cooked but it's wallowing in acid that I think most, if not all bacteria have been eliminated. Balut is another story though. I absolutely do not want to eat the whole duck embryo! I can take eating the yellow thingy and sipping the liquid in it but I absolutely abhor munching on the poor little ducky.

Come to think of it, Pinoy food does sound like an episode of Fear Factor!

Image: Google Images


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La.Pi.S: Baon/ To Go

I didn't bring lunch or snacks with me to school when I was in grade school. I guess it's because I grew up without a mother and my father didn't want to be bothered with anything as trivial as preparing food for his only child.

Sad memories aside, I haven't had a packed lunch since I was working back in 2005. In Dumaguete, my school was just a few minutes away, blame it on the fact that Dumaguete is a small city, I just went home at noon to have lunch. Plus, with the myriad of restaurants, fast foods and carinderia's dotting the city, no one really wants to bring their own lunch.

During my once-a-week review, I bring lunch with me. This time, I packed Beef Steak with Onions (yum!) and Brown Rice. Most people don't like the taste of brown rice and prefer white rice but I love brown rice.

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La.Pi.S: Creamy

Potato Cream Soup with Leeks

This was the first time that I ever tasted potato cream soup with leeks and surprisingly, I loved it! I know it just came from the box, but I know that cooking is not my forte at all. I'll just leave that to Pyertubes who promised to pamper me with all his cooking when I get home.

What I loved about this soup is that its lightness despite its creamy texture. I thought it would be overly creamy for my taste but it was perfect!

Click Lasang Pinoy Sundays for more La.Pi.S entries.

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La.Pi.S: Breakfast

Sugar Rush

Yep, I'm loading up on calories and sugar...again.

I so love iced caramel...

To check out other La.Pi.S (Lasang Pinoy Sundays) entries, click here.

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Lasang Pinoy Sundays: Crunchy

Once you pop, you can't stop.

That's Pringles for you! I love Sour Cream and Onion and seriously, Jack and Jill's Piattos of the same flavor have similar tastes so when you can't afford to have your Pringles fix, you can have Piattos instead. Secretly, I love Piattos more than Pringles. So there!

I am also posting another crunchy photo that I previously posted: nachos and salsa. For more yummy pixies click Fresh Mex.



Lasang Pinoy Sundays is hosted by spiCes.
Click Lasang Pinoy Sundays: Crunchy for other entries.

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Lasang Pinoy Sundays: #7: Birthday

This is my first entry for LaPis and I apologize for my really late entry. I thought this weeks theme was about soups (but that was last week)! I had to scour my lappy and find birthday themed pics that I managed to save before said lappy went bonkers a few months ago. Unfortunately, I could only find this picture which I snapped a few months ago when I was prepping spaghetti for my hubby.

We know that when there is a birthday, there is always cake. But haven't you noticed that along with the cake, you also have spaghetti? Here's my LaPis contribution. I'll do better next week, I promise!

After doing the LaPis rounds, I remembered that I had taken a pic of these Phad Thai noodles when we ate at Thai BBQ. This time, I took a pretty good photo before we gobbled it all up. Yummy!


Lasang Pinoy Sundays is hosted by spiCes.
Click Lasang Pinoy Sundays: Birthday for other entries.

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Fast Food Freestyle

Hey guys! I visited Fast Food Freestyle and I had fun! Hahahaha it was such a laugh! Here's a sample of the videos :) Neat!


The Rap

I need a double cheeseburger and hold the lettuce
Don't be frontin' son no seeds on a bun
We be up in this drive thru
Order for two
I gots a craving for a number nine like my shoe
We need some chicken up in here
In this dizzle
For rizzle my mizzle
Extra salt on the frizzle
Dr. Pepper my brother
Another for your mother
Double double super size
And don't forget the FRIES...

Oi people from Dumaguete?! Care to try it in Jollibee?

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Ispageti ala Mayang

Our house help wasn't in yesterday so I decided to dazzle my hubby with my culinary skills...or lack thereof. Fortunately, I do have a few recipes up my sleeve that I can make by scratch and spaghetti is one of them. I am really fond of experimenting on recipes, however, and sometimes, they end up...let's just say that no one has been rushed to the ER or worse, died, yet so I'm continuing my experiments.

This entry is also for PMC's Weekly Fest. PMC is giving away 20 EC credits for all members who will join the weekly fest. Check it out!

Food Herstory
Wikipedia says that:

Spaghetti is a long, thin form of pasta. It is versatile, popular, and available throughout the Western world. Spaghetti is the plural form of the Italian word spaghetto, which is a diminutive of spago, meaning "thin string" or "twine". The word spaghetti can be literally translated as "little strings."

I started learning how to cook spaghetti back when my grandma was still alive. She used to ask me to taste her spaghetti sauce because she doesn't eat spaghetti (she just cooks it, not eat it!). And so, under her guidance, I started making spaghetti during parties and other special occasions. Fortunately for her, I was a quick study and so started my life as the designated spaghetti cook! Having a flair of the dramatic, I started, secretly, experimenting with the dish. I added other ingredients here and there and voila - Ispageti ala Mayang was born! (I made the name up!)

Ingredients
1/2 kilo of ground pork/beef or 1/4 pork & 1/4 beef (yes I tried it!)
1 kilo pasta (could be spaghetti or fettuccine or any pasta that you prefer...I've tried them all, too!)
350 ml Spaghetti sauce (your preference)
1 can Spaghetti meat sauce (optional)
garlic & onions finely chopped (you can use a food processor for this)
cooking oil (vegetable oil, olive oil, EVOO, take your pick!)
ground bell pepper flakes
cheese
hotdog, sliced (optional)
sugar, salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Boil the pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Set aside.
2. In a sauce pan with oil, sauté onions, garlic, and ground bell pepper flakes over medium - low heat. (the bell pepper flakes add a little heat to the sauce but can be optional if kids are your main monsters errr...consumers)
3. Add the meat.
4. Cook until meat is brown. You can drain excess fat if you want. Add sliced hotdogs if you want.
   
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
   
6. Add spaghetti sauce and spaghetti meat sauce.
7. Let simmer for a few minutes.
8. Add sugar to taste. This can be optional, this just depends on your taste.
9. Let simmer for about 6-10 minutes.
10. Ladle sauce over pasta.
11. Garnish with cheese (I use quickmelt cheese but I place it in the freezer before grating. It makes it pretty easy to grate)
12. Serve with a big smile!
13. Watch the monsters errr family enjoy the meal.

There you have it! My Ispageti ala Mayang. I was contemplating adding canned tuna to the sauce but decided against it. I didn't want to freak my hubby out!

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