Pizza Margherita

Probably the easiest and the most healthy kind of pizza ever invented. I'm not big on vegetables but i welcome this pie anytime on my table. 
A tip: best served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar dip (but it is optional if you want to savor your pizza the way it is). 


Here it goes:


Ingredients:
2 tbsps. extra virgin olive oil, additional for dough
1/4 kg. plum tomatoes, chopped in 1/2" pieces
1 clove garlic, crushed and finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 12" prepared pizza crust
6 oz. (or half cup) shredded mozzarella cheese
6 basil leaves cut into julienne strips
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese


Instructions:
Combine 2 tbsps. olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Allow to marinate.
Brush pizza crust lightly with olive oil. 
Top with shredded mozzarella cheese, then the marinated tomatoes.
Bake in preheated 500F oven for 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbly. 
Remove from oven and top with parmesan cheese, then basil.
Cool on a wire rack for 2-3 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving. 

Shrimp Toasts

Each Chinese restaurant has it's own version. I substituted mine with bacon to give out its smoky flavor and i think bacon marries well with shrimps. The kind that reminds me of my aunt's cooking at home however instead of using bread, she wraps the bacon on shrimps and secures it with won ton or spring roll wrapper then deep fries it. She however, serves it with a sweet and sour kind of sauce instead of lemon wedges. Different strokes for different folks. 

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

12 fresh uncooked large shrimp

1 egg

2 1/2 tbsps. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. salt

Pinch of Pepper

3 slices sandwich bread

1 hard-cooked egg yolk

5 slices of bacon (fried to a crisp)

1 green onion

2 cups vegetable oil

Instructions:

Remove shells from shrimp, leaving tails intact.

Remove black veins from shrimp.

Cut down back of shrimp with sharp knife.

Gently press shrimp with fingers to flatten.

Beat 1 egg, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a small bowl until blended.

Add shrimps to egg mixture and toss until shrimps are completely coated.

Remove crusts from bread.

Cut slice into quarters.

Place one shrimp, cut side down on each bread piece.

Gently press shrimp to adhere to the bread.

Brush or rub a small amount of egg mixture over each shrimp.

Cut egg yolk and bacon into 1/2 inch pieces.

Finely chop the onion.

Place one piece of egg yolk and bacon and a scant 1/4 teaspoon of onion on each shrimp.

Heat oil in wok over medium heat,

Fry 3 to 4 shrimp-bread pieces at a time in hot oil until golden, 1-2 minutes on each side.

Drain on absorbent paper.

Serve with lemon wedges while it's crisp and warm.

Chili Dinamitas

(Acknowledgement: Photos and instructions through the courtesy of Kusina Ni Ella http://kusinaniella.wordpress.com)

Dedicated to the Sitel HP IPG Wave 1 class of Ritch (specially to the following people who shared this snack with me in an evening at Banchetto: April "Princess Effrel" Gohel, Jaja Espiritu, A Constantino, Ji Young Bang, Tim Pulido, Jigz Cuizon, Theo Valeriano, Vicks Balucio and Dan (our guest from Sitel Madrid)     

Warning: Chili Dinamita is not for the faint of heart.

Ingredients:

20 pieces or more New Mexico cayenne pepper a.k.a siling pansigang

1 cup (or 1/4 kilogram) sauteed ground beef with burrito or taco seasoning

20 - 30 pieces of matchstick slices of cheddar (or mozzarella) cheese

1 20-piece pack of lumpia (spring roll) wrapper

2 - 3 1/2 cups of vegetable oil for deep frying

Instructions:

Soak chilis in salted water for 15 minutes. Slice lengthwise and remove the seeds. (If you want them spicy, leave the pith and some seeds but be warned, it will be spicy hot!)

Stuff chilis with cheese and ground beef.

Wrap stuffed chilis in spring roll wrapper.

The spring roll wrapped chilis should look like this. With stems sticking out so you can easily handle the chili dinamita at its stem.

Deep fry until wrapper turns golden brown and place cooked chili dinamitas on paper towels to absorb the oil. 

Great with thousand island dressing, ranch dressing, sour cream and chives or creamy cheese dip.  

Enjoy!

Arroz Valenciana

This dish was also a big hit when our family gathers on special occasions. I still remember the day when this dish was taught by my aunt to me. She said, "This very rich dish was only served to the wealthy during the Spanish era. Until now we still could not afford to buy a few strands of saffron to make it authentic. So the Filipinos decided to make a budget friendly version. And this was your grandfather's spinoff also taught to me when I was still young. Learn it well and make people smile." 

Hope this makes you smile.

Ingredients:

2 kg chicken, cut into serving pieces
3 teaspoons anatto seeds or 1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup red bell peppers sliced into 1/2-inch-wide strips
4 pieces Chorizo de Bilbao, sliced into 1/8-inch-thick pieces
3 cups rice, boiled in 3 cups water
1/4 kg pork loin, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1/2 teaspoon salt                                           
1/2 cup olive oil                                          
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic                                    
6 potatoes, peeled and quartered                                    
1/2 cup pimento-stuffed green olives                                

3 hard-boiled eggs, sliced crosswise                               

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup chopped onion
2 cups canned or prepared chick peas (garbanzos)
1 cup tomato sauce
4 cups water 
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Season chicken and pork with salt and pepper. Fry in olive oil in a stockpot until brown. Set aside the chicken and pork pieces. In the same stockpot, fry the anatto seeds in the remaining oil to give a golden-orange color, then discard seeds. Saute garlic onion and tomato sauce until mixture has taken on a sauce consistency. Add potatoes, bay leaves, cayenne pepper, sliced Chorizo de Bilbao and 4 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir and reduce heat to low. Add bell pepper and chick peas (garbanzos). When the bell pepper and peas lose their crispness, remove 1 cup of stock from the pot and set aside. Add cooked rice, fried pork and chicken to the stockpot. Mix thoroughly until well blended. Add reserved stock and cook uncovered over low heat until mixture becomes dry. Serve on a large platter and garnish with pimento-stuffed green olives and sliced hard-boiled eggs.

As an option, serve with lemon wedges.

Romesco Sauce

This sauce was greatly influenced by the Spanish when they colonized the Philippines. Good thing they left us with this lovely sauce. Like many Spanish sauces the texture comes from thickening with ground fresh nuts, bread crumbs and olive oil to promote a creamier texture. Romesco sauce can actually be served with any grilled seafood, fish or meat and if thinned down makes a great salad dressing.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of sweet paprika (dulce) 

Pinch of hot pimenton (pimenton caliente) or cayenne pepper
1 tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 garlic cloves
1/8 cup fresh almonds, blanched and skinned
24 hazelnuts, skinned
(as substitute for the hazelnuts and almonds, use either 1/3 cup fresh peeled pili nuts) 

1 slice of bread, toasted
1 tablespoon of parsley
3 mint leaves
150 ml or 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of vinegar
freshly ground black pepper

Combine the paprika (or romesco), cayenne (or pimenton caliente), tomato, garlic, almonds, hazelnuts or its substitutes, bread, parsley and mint in a blender or in a food processor. Blend until you have a smooth puree. Now blend in the olive oil a little at a time and then season with salt, pepper and the vinegar. The sauce should ideally be served at room temperature.