Oxtail Kare Kare

This version of Kare Kare is what is often served in Kapampangan kitchens. I've seen a variation of this recipe with okra and other vegetables but at home we use eggplants, long beans, pechay and banana heart.

Ingredients

 2 lbs oxtail (cut into 2-inch pieces)
oil for sauteeing
3-4 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 small onion (chopped)
3 tbsp creamy peanut butter (or 1/3 ground peanuts and 1/3 ground toasted rice)
1 small banana heart (optional)
About 10-15 long beans (cut into 2-inch pieces)
2 small eggplants (cut into 2-inch pieces)
2 tbsp achuete seeds (soaked in 1/4 cup water)

The Meat

Wash the Ox tails and place them in a large sauce pan and cover with water. Place over high heat and boil then reduce the heat to simmer until tender and the meat is falling off the bone.

The Sauce

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, add oil and achuete seeds and stir until oil is red. Take out the seeds and discard. Then, saute garlic and onions. Add the peanut butter (or ground peanuts) and stir for about 2 minutes. Add the reserved broth and cook for 10-15 minutes to blend. To thicken the sauce, you may use  ground rice (browned) or corn starch. Make sure the sauce is not too thick or too soupy.

Add the oxtail and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes. Add the blanched vegetables and cook for another 2 minutes. Serve with white (steamed) rice and bagoong.

The Vegetables

If using banana heart: fill a bowl with about 3 cups water and 1 tbsp salt. Peel the outer layers of the banana heart and cut into 8 sections and place in the salted water and soak for about 3-5 minutes.

In a pan, add water and bring to a boil. Blanch the eggplants, pechay, beans and banana heart. Make sure to place the blanched vegetables in ice water to avoid overcooking.

Banana Heart Kilayin

For this recipe, make sure you soak the heart in salted water to remove some of the bitter aftertaste.

Ingredients

4 fresh banana hearts
2 medium sized shallots (thinly sliced)
2 tbsp coconut oil
Juice from 2 calamansi to taste (you may also use lime juice)

1 red chili pepper (sliced)

Directions

Fill a bowl with about 5-6 bowls of cold water and 2 tbsp salt. Peel the outer layer of the banana hearts until you reach the light colored part of the heart. Finely chop the banana heart and soak in the salted water. Massage for 3 minutes to get rid of the bitter sap and drain.

Fill a large bowl with water and ice. Bring a medium pot to a boil over high heat and blanch the banana heart for about 10 seconds. Strain and place in the ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain and pat dry with paper towel and place in a bowl. Add shallots, coconut milk, lime juice, chili and salt to taste.

Adobo (Kapampangan Version)

Ingredients

1 lb pork (or chicken)
1.5 cup white vinegar
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp. whole peppercorns
1/4 c soy sauce
1.5 c water (chicken stock)
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 pieces of bay leaves

Directions

Place meat in the pot, add vinegar, bay leaves, peppercorns, soy sauce and garlic. Stir and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes. Add stock and simmer until meat is tender. In pan, heat oil and brown meat and garlic. Add the liquid and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Chicken Afritada

I can never perfect this recipe...the taste is just not the same as my father used to make it. But after much trial and error, I've finally achieved the taste I was looking for. This recipe is also made simple and easier for those who do not like to spend too much time in the kitchen. I hope you enjoy it.


Ingredients
1 lb chicken or pork cut into small pieces
2 large potatoes quartered
1 red bell pepper sliced into strips
2 cups pork or chicken broth (or water)
1 cup tomato sauce (or 3-4 fresh (Roma) tomatoes with the seeds removed)
1 tbs of achiote or annatto seeds (for color)
2 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs cooking oil
1 bay leaf
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 small onion (thinly sliced)
1/2 cup green peas (frozen or fresh)

Note: To reduce acidity of tomatoes in either tomato sauce or tomatoes, add a couple of carrots (quartered).

Cooking Instructions
In a casserole pot, heat oil and add annatto seeds. Saute until the oil is "red" in color and then removed the seeds.
Saute garlic and onions and then add chicken or pork. Add the fish sauce and saute until meat is slightly brown.
Add the tomato sauce and stock. Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes.
Add potatoes, bay leaf, and green peas and continue to cook until the potatoes are done.
Add the red pepper and salt and pepper to taste.

Authentic Valencian Paella

For authentic Paella recipe, one must use authentic ingredients. Authentic ingredients are more expensive but for special occasions, you can splurge a little. Most of the ingredients such as the Chorizo and Spanish Rice can be purchased at World Market (Cost Plus). Not to advertise the store here, but it's the only place I could find authentic ingredients. Some of the ingredients such as Rabbit meat, white butter beans, and Rosemary has also been deleted, but you are welcome to add them in if you like. This recipe makes 10 servings and it takes about 30 minutes to prepare the ingredients and about 1 hour to cook.

Ingredients

4 cups Spanish short grain rice, such as Bomba or Calasparra (any medium or short grain rice that is not sticky will do).
1/4 c olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
4 garlic cloves (crushed)
Bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves (chopped, reserved some for garnish)
1 (3 lb) frying chichen (cut in small pieces)
2 Spanish chorizo sausages (sliced in small pieces)
3 ripe tomatoes, skinned and crushed or 1 (15-ounce) can whole tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed

1 c sweet peas 
6 cups warm water

Saffron (generous pinch)
1 dozen mussels (scrubbed)
1 lb jumbo shrimp (peeled and de-veined)
2 lobster tails (optional)
Sliced (in rings) calamari (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Lemon wedges for serving

Spice Mix
1 tbs sweet paprika
2 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper

Combine ingredients in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the chicken; marinate for 1 hour, covered.

Preparation

Heat oil in paella pan over medium high-heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and set aside. Add chicken and brown on all sides and set aside. In the same pan, make the sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then add the tomatoes and cook until mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the mussels and shrimps tucking them into the rice. Let simmer without stirring until the rice is almost done (about 15 minutes). During the last 5 minutes of cooking, add the lobster tails (optional) and the shrimps.Remove from heat and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges.

Note: The last 5 minutes of cooking, turn the heat up to toast the bottom (socarrat). If you don't like seafood or are allergic to them, you can also make this recipe with just the chicken.

Sour Cream Chicken and Mushroom Pasta

Ingredients

3/4 lb chicken tenders
1/4 c all purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbs butter
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 c sour cream
1 c chicken broth
1 1/2 c sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 lb dried fettuccine (or other pasta of your choice)

Method

Put chicken, flour and salt and pepper into a large bowl and toss to combine. Set aside. Melt butter in a skillet with olive oil. Add chicken and brown on all sides. Stir in sour cream, broth, mushrooms and paprika. Cover and simmer on low heat for 25-30 minutes. Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Drain well, then transfer to bowls and spoon chicken and its sauce over the top. Serve hot.

Nutritional Information per serving:

600 calories (220 from fat)
fat - 25 grams
saturated fat - 11 grams
cholesterol - 75 mg
sodium - 990 mg
protein - 28 grams
carbohydrate - 65 grams

German Potato Salad

Ingredients


2 lbs Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes, unpeeled
1/2 lb bacon
1 large white onion, chopped
2 tbs safflower or canola oil
3 tbs whole-grain mustard
6 tbs apple cider vinegar, or to taste
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbs chopped parsley

Method

Boil potatoes in a large pot until tender, 15-20 minutes. Don't let them get too soft--fork should go in but potatoes should not fall apart. Drain and cool slightly, then peel if desired and slice.

Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp; transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to let drain. When cool enough to handle, crumble into small pieces. Drain off all but 1 tbsp fat from the skillet, then return to medium heat. Add white onion and cook until lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes.

In a large bowl, gently toss together warm bacon, potatoes and white onion with oil, mustard, vinegar, green onions, salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley and serve warm.

Pinangat na Pompano

I've seen this recipe prepared in many variations from using kamias, calamansi and sinigang mix and pepper, but I still prefer the simple way my father used to cook it.

Ingredients

2 pompano (whole)
3 medium tomatoes (sliced thinly)
1 small onion, 
1/4 cup calamansi or lime (or lemon) juice
3/4 cup water
1 tbs olive oil
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 spring onions (cut diagonally, about 1")

Method

Clean the fish and cut two diagonal slashes on both sides. Slice tomatoes and onion into round slices thinly. Place half of the onions and tomatoes on the bottom of a deep pan. Add fish, the rest of the onion and tomatoes, lemon or lime juice, water, olive oil, spring onion, and salt and crushed pepper to taste. Let boil on medium-high heat, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until the fish is done.

Variations

This recipe can also be baked by following the instructions here and using a baking dish instead of a pan, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until fish is done in a 375 degree F oven. Another method is to prepare it placing individual fish atop a sheet of foil. Add the ingredients over the fish. Fold the foil onto itself, crimping the edges tightly to keep the juices from dripping out. Put the packages in the baking pan and bake for about 15-20 minutes.