Escabeche

Escabeche

Escabeche is a typical Mediterranean cuisine which refers to a dish of either poached or fried fish (escabeche of chicken, rabbit or pork is common in Spain) marinated in an acidic mixture before serving, and to the marinade itself. The dish is common in Spain and Latin America, and popular in Catalonia, Portugal, Provence and the Philippines. Influences of the dish appear as far as Asia-Pacific with adjustments to local food staples. It is usually served cold after marinating in a refrigerator overnight or longer. The acid in the marinade is usually vinegar, but can also include citrus juice. Escabeche is a popular presentation of canned or potted preserved fish, such as tuna, bonito or sardines.



Recipe Name: Escabeche

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Total Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Makes About/Servings: 4-5

Ingredients:

1 piece Grouper or (Lapu-lapu)

1/4 cup All-purpose flour, for dredging

salt and pepper, to season fish

½ cup vinegar

1 cup water

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 c water

2 tablespoons cooking oil, for sauteing

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, cut in strips

1 thumbsize ginger, grated

½ cup red and green pepper, sliced in strips

1 carrot, cut in strips

Procedure:

1. Season the fish with salt and pepper. Dredge it in flour and deep fry.

2. Mix together the vinegar, water, brown sugar and soy sauce. Set aside.

3. Heat up the pan with oil, saute the garlic and ginger.

4. Put in the onion, carrots and the red and green bell peppers. Cook for a minute.

5. Add the vinegar mixture from Step 2 and bring it to a boil. Do not stir until it comes to a boil.

6. Add the dissolved cornstarch, stir and cook until the sauce becomes thick.

7. Put the fried fish on a serving platter and pour the sauce on top.

8. Serve with rice.

Tips and Tricks:

You can use any type of fish that you like, or even ready-made battered fish fillets found frozen in supermarkets.

For a healthier alternative, poaching instead of frying the fish is more advisable.

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Dinuguan

Dinuguan

Dinuguan (in Visayan, also called dinardaraan in Ilocano, tid-tad in Pampanga, sinugaok in Batangas, rugodugo in Waray, and sampayna or champayna in Northern Mindanao) is a Filipino savory stew of meat and/or offal (typically lungs, kidneys, intestines, ears, heart and snout) simmered in a rich, spicy dark gravy of pig blood, garlic, chili (most often siling mahaba), and vinegar. The term dinuguan comes from the Filipino word dugo meaning "blood". Possible English translations include pork blood stew or blood pudding stew. It is also sometimes jokingly called chocolate meat.

It is frequently considered an unusual or alarming dish to foreigners though it is rather similar to European-style blood sausage, or British black pudding in a saucy stew form. It is perhaps closer in appearance and preparation to the Polish soup Czernina or an even more ancient Spartan dish known as melas zomos (black soup) whose primary ingredients were pork, vinegar and blood.



Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes

Total Cooking Time: 40-50 minutes

Makes About/Servings: 4-5

Ingredients:

1 Kg pork loin, cut into cubes
1 cup vinegar
2 pcs long green pepper (siling pang sigang)
1 medium sized onion, chopped finely
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 cup water
20 oz pork blood

Procedure:

1. Sauté the garlic and onion in a pan.
2. Add the pork and sauté for about 5 mins.
3. If you like it to be more tasty, you may add 1 pork or beef cube followed by a cup or two of water.
4. Simmer until the water is almost gone to tenderize the meat.
5. Add the pork blood and mix well. Let this simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Add the vinegar. Simmer for 15 minutes..
7. Put the long green pepper and simmer for 2 minutes.
8. Serve hot. Best with rice or putong puti.

Tips and Tricks:

For those who enjoy eating a little bit of fat (back fat). Instead of 1 Kg pork loin, a combination of ½ Kg pork loin and ½ Kg pork belly would be the best substitute.

If you feel like combining meat and vegetable in your Dinuguan - Add 2 cups green Papaya thinly sliced.

It is best to mix the pork blood with the vinegar before pouring into the sauteed  pork meat. Make sure the meat is soft and tender before adding the pork blood mixture.

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Kaldereta

Kaldereta

Kaldereta is a popular dish in the Philippines, especially on Luzon Island. The common ingredients is goat shoulders with tomato paste and liver spread.
Kaldereta is originally a goat stew made with tomato sauce, potatoes, spices, liver spread, olives, bell peppers and hot peppers. Originally adapted from the Spanish during their 300 year occupation of the Philippines.
Kaldereta is a favorite Filipino meal served during parties, festivities and other special occasions in the Philippines. It is a Spanish-influenced dish (the Spanish word "caldera" means cauldron) that became to be Filipinos' favorite and made their own versions. Originally, the main ingredients of this dish includes goat meat, tomato sauce, liver, pepper and cheese.
Variations of this dish is with beef, chicken and or pork. Beef Kaldereta is a common dish in the Philippines made with stewing cuts of beef simmered until tender. Another is with chicken or pork because of the price and availability.



Preparation Time: 20-25 minutes

Total Cooking Time: 40-45 minutes

Makes About/Servings: 6-8 

Ingredients:

1 Kg Beef, cubed

3 cloves Garlic, crushed and chopped

1 Onion, finely chopped

4 cups Water

1 cup Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips

1 cup Tomato Sauce

½ cup Liver Spread or Liver paste (processed using blender)

1 tsp. crushed Chili

3 large Bay Leaves

2 cups Potatoes, cubed

2 cups Carrots, cubed (small)

1 cup Cooking Oil

2/3 cup Green Olives (the salty and sour taste of green olives gives a very nice flavor for this dish)

salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Procedure:

1. Heat the cooking oil in the pan and fry the carrots and potatoes until color turns light brown.

2. Remove the fried carrots and potatoes from the pan and set aside.

3. In the same pan where the vegetables were fried, sauté the garlic and onions.

4. Add the beef and simmer for 5 minutes.

5. Add water and let the beef boil until tender (about 30 minutes using a pressure cooker).

6. Add the tomato sauce and liver spread and simmer for 10 minutes.

7. Add green olives, carrots, bay leaves, bell pepper,crushed chili,and potatoes and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes.

8. Add salt and pepper to taste.

9. Serve Hot. Excellent with white rice.

Tips and Tricks:

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Adobo

Adobo

Adobo is considered by many as the Philippine’s national dish because of its popularity, ease in preparation, and long storage life.

When the Spanish conquered the Philippines in the late 16th century and early 17th century, they encountered an indigenous cooking process which involved stewing with vinegar, which they then referred to as adobo, the Spanish word for seasoning or marinade.

Adobo recipe originally is a Spanish recipe, but during that era, Adobo is cook using just salt as a flavoring but it is believed that when Chinese introduces soy sauce Filipino started to use it instead of salt. Now a day’s Filipino still cook adobo in different ways, as different region has its own method for preparing adobo. Other use gata for adobo just like in Bicol as their region has a lot of coconut trees. Other region use natural vinegar such as sukang sasa as their place is an organic vinegar produces. In Batangas adobo is cooked with achuette (annatto), and adobo is also use as a filling for pandesal (Filipino traditional bun). Adobo is not only limited to pork and chicken meats, seafood and vegetables, such as squid (pusit), goat meat, veal, beef, shrimp (hipon), river spinach (kang-kong), string beans (sitaw) can also be cooked this way.

Preparation Time: 10-15 minutes

Total Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes

Makes About/Servings: 6 

Ingredients:

1 kg Meat cut into cubes (Chicken or Pork or combination of both)
1 cloves of Garlic, smashed
1 tbsp whole Pepper Corn
½ cup of Vinegar
1 cup of Soy Sauce
1 cup Water
5 pieces dried Bay Leaves

Cooking Procedure:

1. In a pot add the Meat, Garlic, Whole Peppercorns, Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Water  and  Bay leaves. 

2. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium low, and let it simmer for 30 minutes. 

3. At this point you need to increase the heat to high and keep checking in 2-minute increments until the liquid is almost or totally evaporated if you prefer a dry Adobo.

4. Serve hot. Excellent with white rice.

Tips and Tricks:

Add 1 Tbs. of cooking oil (optional) if you choose to cook Chicken only.

If you decide to use Pork, bring the liquid mixture just above the meat (not below) and let it cook for 1 ½-2 hours on medium low in order for the meat to be very tender.

If you feel like combining meat and vegetable in your Adobo - Add 2 Medium size potatoes peeled & quartered.

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