4. Spiced Draised Pork Belly With Pickled Turnip Salad

4.   Spiced braised pork belly with pickled turnip salad(Php.22.00)

I almost feel obliged to break out into a round of applause when the veal tongue arrives, an exquisitely plated dish that marries colour with elegance. A slick of vivid green salsa verde carries a tide of veal tongue, pickled carrot, and baby turnips in candy pink. The veal tongue, seared to a gentle crisp on one side, is soft and tender. This is easily my favourite dish of the day. Pound Two brings us pork belly, two thick slabs of fat-ribboned pork that melts in the mouth, topped with a tile of crisp pork crackling. A mound of kimchee provides a Korean touch to this dish, lengths of chilli pickled Chinese cabbage that pack some punch and offset the richness of the pork.

Ingredient:
500 gm pork belly marinade with
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp 5-spice powder
1 tbs oyster sauce
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbs sugar or to taste

Other ingredients:
4 whole garlic pods with skin on

1 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves

1 tbsp dark caramel sauce (I use Cheong Chan brand)

2 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp sugar or to taste

Salt to taste

1 cup water

1 tsp of cooking oil

Direction:

1. Marinate pork for several hours or overnight.
2. Heat a heavy based cast iron pot on medium heat, add in vegetable oil, I use Le Cruset pot to good use again.
3. Put in marinated pork to brown.
4. Add garlic pods, cinnamon stick, star anise and cloves.
5. Pour in half cup of water and cook covered and bring to boil.
6. Add in dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sugar and salt to taste.
7. Turn to low heat. Add half cup of water and simmer till gravy is thick and meat is tender. This roughly takes about 1.5hrs-2hrs.
8. If gravy is drying out, just add more water. Likewise if meat is not tender enough, just add water and simmer for a longer time.
9. To serve, cut pork into slices and add gravy to the dish. Garnish with spring onion. Served hot with rice.

5. Bourbon Glaze Sticky Ribs with Coleslaws and Baked Potatoes

5.  Bourbon glaze sticky Ribs with coleslaws and baked potatoes(Php.30.00)

Thats a sweet and tangy flavor and I usually over do it when it is in the house.  For how many meals can one eat chili and still go back for more?  I don't know what it is about this recipe that makes music with my taste buds as well as my ears but this one does...  Maybe it is the wonderful, savory, tender chunks of pork...or the addition of honey...honey in chili?  Yep, and it is mighty good!  Whichever it is, it works for me!

The original recipe serves 16 but I cut it back...the family does not want chili for a month! Ingredients:

For the ribs

1.5kg/3lb 5oz beef fore ribs,1 tsp whole black peppercorns,3 bay leaves,1 small bunch fresh flatleaf parsley, leaves only,1 onion, roughly chopped,1 carrot, chopped

For the bourbon sauce

175g/6oz tomato ketchup,150g/5oz chipotle chilli ketchup,110ml/4fl oz dark soy sauce,175g/6oz clear honey,4 tbsp ready-made teriyaki sauce,4 tbsp bourbon whiskey

For the coleslaw

2         free-range egg yolks, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar,1  tbsp Dijon mustard, pinch salt, 200ml/7fl oz rapeseed oil, 90ml/3½fl oz olive oil, 2 tbsp cold water, ½ lemon, juice only, salt and freshly ground black pepper, 250g/9oz carrots, finely shredded on a mandolin, 300g/11oz white cabbage, finely shredded on a mandoline, 1 sweet white onion, finely sliced

For the baked potatoes

4        large baking potatoes, washed and pricked all over with a fork, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp Maldon sea salt

Preparation method:

1.        For the ribs, place the beef fore ribs, peppercorns, bay leaves, flatleaf parsley, onion and carrot into a large pan. Cover with water and bring to the boil.

2.       Once the mixture is boiling, reduce the heat until the mixture is simmering.

3.      Simmer for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

4.       Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

5.       Meanwhile, for the bourbon sauce, place the tomato ketchup, chilli ketchup, soy sauce, honey, teriyaki sauce and bourbon into a separate pan, stir well and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer for 1-2 minutes, then remove from the heat.

6.       When the ribs have simmered for 1½ hours, dip them into the bourbon sauce, then place them onto a roasting tray, reserving the remaining sauce. Roast in the oven for 10-12 minutes, then spoon over more of the bourbon sauce. Continue to roast for a further 10-12 minutes, then remove from the oven and set aside on a warm plate.

7.       For the coleslaw, blend the egg yolks, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and salt in a food processor until smooth and well combined.

8.       With the food processor motor still running, gradually pour in the rapeseed oil and the olive oil in a thin stream until the mixture thickens to the consistency of thick mayonnaise. (You may not need all of both oils.)

9.       Transfer the mayonnaise mixture to a clean bowl. Gradually add the cold water and lemon juice in a thin stream, whisking continuously. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

10.   Place the carrots, cabbage and onion into a large mixing bowl and add enough mayonnaise to coat the vegetables. Stir until well combined and set aside.

11.     For the baked potatoes, rub the baking potatoes with olive oil and sprinkle over the salt.

12.    Place the potatoes onto the top shelf of the oven and bake for one hour, or until tender (allow more time for larger potatoes).

13.   To serve, divide the sticky ribs among four serving plates and spoon a portion of coleslaw alongside. Split the potatoes in half and place one onto each plate. Top with a spoonful of soured cream and garnish with the chopped curly parsley.

C.DESSERT

1.Queen Bee Apple Pie

1.  Queen Bee Apple Pie(Php.12.00)

I don't know what got into me. Last week I bought about 10 pounds of apples wanting to make pies. I baked two. And I still have a lot of apples left. The first pie I made was apple streusel pie.

Ingredients

         2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

         2 sticks chilled butter - cut into chunks

         1/2 teaspoon salt

         6 tablespoon cold water

         8 Granny Smith apples

         1/3 cup honey

         3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

         2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

         1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

         1 egg

Directions

1.        Pulse 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, butter, salt and water with a food processor until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Gather into 2 balls. Wrap with Seran wrap. Flatten a bit and refrigerate for about 30 minutes to an hour.

2.       Roll out a ball of the prepared dough big enough to cover a 9-inch pie dish on a floured surface. Line a pie dish with the dough. Cover and refrigerate.

3.      Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

4.       Peel, core and slice the apples into 1/4 inch slices. Toss with honey, flour, and spices. Transfer onto the prepared pie dish. Press down the filling a bit with your palms.

5.       Roll out the other half of pie crust. Cover the pie and crimp the edges. Lightly beat an egg and brush the pie.

6.       Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake for 30 more minutes.

2. Bee Nutty Choco-chips Cookies

2.       Bee Nutty Choco-chips  Cookies(Php.15.00)

The saying "Away from sight, away from mind" holds so true! Though I wrote a note in my kitchen whiteboard, I didn't get time to make anything from it and 2-3 weeks passed. Then the "Flour fairy" thought enough is enough and plotted a scheme to make me open up that forlorn packet. An acquaintance of ours called and we planned to meet at my place for evening tea. She was telling me about how she was avoiding wheat and wheat products for health reasons - basically gluten free. I am yet to try my hands for gluten free baking - so I panicked.

Ingredients:

2 Cups Boiling Water

1 Cup Rolled Oats

2 T. Butter

2 1/2 t. Salt

1/2 Cup of Honey

1/4 Cup Warm Water

2 T. Yeast

6 Cups of Flour

Direction:

Combine boiling water, oats, butter, salt and honey. Cool until warm. Dissolve yeast in warm water and add to oat mixture. Gradually mix in 4 cups of flour. Knead in the remaining 2 cups of flour. Let dough rise in warm place until doubled.. Place in greased bread pans. Let rise again in pans until doubled. Bake at 325*F for 50-60 minutes.

3. Ricotta and Honey Pudding

3.       Ricotta And Honey Pudding(Php.15.00)

We've given ingredient quantities but you should adjust the amounts to your particular taste. We strongly suggest using Calabro Part-Skim ricotta and it seems to be pretty widely available in San Francisco. It's important to use a good quality or fresh ricotta that isn't too salty.

You can use unsalted pecans, pistachios or almonds, and any dried fruit. We had dried cranberries on hand, but thinly sliced dried apricots would add a perfumey hint of summer to the creamy ricotta and crunchy nuts.

Ingredient:

2 cups good quality ricotta cheese
1 ounce unsalted walnuts, toasted
1 ounce dried fruit, sliced or chopped in to small pieces
4 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Direction :

1. In four shallow bowls or plates, spoon 1/2 cup of ricotta in each. Spread the ricotta around a bit to evenly distribute.

2. Sprinkle ricotta with nuts, fruit and cinnamon. Drizzle with honey and serve.

4. Honey Grain Carrot Cupcake

4.       Honey Grain carrot Cupcake(Php.12.00)

These cupcakes make for great muffins in the morning sans the frosting. You can also substitute the cream cheese with mascarpone cheese. Also, if you are on the GAPS diet, omit the baking powder - the cupcakes won’t rise quite as high, but they will still be moist and delicious.

 Ingredients:

  2 cups blanched almond flour and coconut flour

  1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

  1 tsp baking soda

  1 pound carrots (scraped and grated)

  4 large eggs (at room temperature)

  1 cup honey (divided)

  3/4 pound mascarapone or cream cheese

  2 teaspoons vanilla extract

  1 cup heavy cream (whipped until soft peaks form)

Directions:

1.        Preheat oven to 375ºF and adjust rack to middle position. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with muffin liners.

2.       Place almond and coconut flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer. Using the beater attachment, combine the ingredients on low for about 20 seconds. Add grated carrots and beat on low for about 30 seconds until incorporated.

3.      Pour eggs and 3/4 cup honey in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Process for 20 seconds. Add melted coconut oil and yogurt and process for an additional 20 seconds until smooth.

4.       Whisk mascarapone or cream cheese, remaining 1/4 cup honey and vanilla in the bowl of a standing mixer until smooth. Using a spatula, fold in whipped cream. Frost cooled cupcakes with frosting.