The Philippines Are For (Food) Lovers

Those of you who don't personally know me probably do not know that my boyfriend, Noe, is Filipino. Noe was born in the Philippines and came here with his family when he was a kid. He has been back once to visit since then. I've met some of his relatives, including his cousin Hazel when she was here visiting from Cebu. We have a sort of vague plan to go there, maybe in 2010.


So, needless to say, when we saw that Anthony Bourdain was going to the Philippines on last night's episode of his show, No Reservations, we decided to tune in (we would have tuned in anyway - we're Bizarre Foods and No Reservations junkies, but you get the point). Then Noe decided that not only should we watch the episode, but we should make a night of it by cooking a Filipino meal. And by "we" I mean me, who is not the least bit Filipino at all. However, I'm game for anything in the kitchen, so I agreed.

Noe picked pork adobo as his dish of choice. Adobo basically means that the meat of your choosing - most cookbooks have it with chicken, pork, or a combination of both and we saw Bourdain eat shrimp adobo on the show - is simmered in a mixture mostly consisting of vinegar, soy sauce, and TONS of garlic. The dish is simple in the fact that it does not have an overwhelming amount of ingredients (below is a picture of everything I used) or a complicated cooking technique, but it is difficult for an outsider to make and serve to a native Filipino because every part of the Philippines - and probably every family in those parts - has a slightly different variation on how to make it.

Eight ingredients...endless variations!

Noe and I came up with the recipe we decided to use by studying two Filipino cookbooks and then adjusting some of the quantities. In the end, I used about two lbs. of pork (cubed pieces of a roast); maybe a cup of finely chopped onion; a bulb and a half (I told you it was a lot) of peeled, crushed garlic; one cup of soy sauce; two cups of white vinegar; a couple bay leaves, some fresh pepper, and about a tablespoon of salt.

Cubing the meat and chopping the onion.

The way we did this was basically putting the cubed pieces of meat into a large pot (NOT aluminum - you don't want alumninun with all that vinegar), putting the onions and garlic in over the meat, adding the liquid ingredients, then topping off with the bayleaf and the pepper. One cookbook said to stir it at this point; one said not to. Noe and I decided to give it a quick stir just to make sure all the meat and onions/garlic were covered by the liquid and then left it alone while we brought it to a boil. After the liquid reached a boil, we turned down the heat, added the salt, and simmered it for about 30 minutes.

Simmering on the stove for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, I heated some oil in a skillet, fished the cubes of pork out of the saucepan with a slotted spoon, and browned them slightly in the oil - just for a few seconds each batch. One of the cookbooks had this listed as an optional step (the other did not include it at all) and Noe said his mom used to do this, so we decided to keep it. We actually browned half the meat and left the other half just simmered so we could compare the two.

Meat after browning.

Noe participated more or less the same way he participates in every meal - plugging in the rice cooker. Noe eats rice with everything, but tonight rice was actually an integral part to the meal. Once the rice was done and the meat was browned, we served it up: rice, topped with meat, drizzled with the cooking liquid. It looked something like this:

Finished product.

This was my first time eating adobo and I really enjoyed it. You wouldn't necessarily think putting three incredibly strong flavors - vinegar, soy sauce, more than an entire bulb of garlic - would result in a harmonious mixture, but it was fantastic. Simmering the meat in the liquid infuses it with flavor, and I love the slightly pickle-y taste the vinegar gives it. And I have never said "no" to garlic.

We sort of cheated - because the new episode of No Reservations featuring the Philippines was not on until 10:00 PM, we watched the rerun of the Spain episode while we ate the adobo (since seeing Vicky Cristina Barcelona on Saturday, I'm a little obsessed with Spain, so this was fine by me). We were rewarded for our wait when the episode finally came on, because Anthony Bourdain focused on Manila and Cebu, which were the two places Noe lived in the Philippines. His family that is still there is in Cebu.

So...pork adobo + good show = very happy Noe. Go me! I can't wait to see what he'll pick for me to try to make next...

Noe gives my first attempt at Filipino cooking a thumbs-up.

Dessert Oasis

You'd think I'd be sick of desserts after all the work I did getting ready for and helping at Reel Love on Saturday night. But last night I made homemade fettuccine alfredo for dinner (so bad for you yet so worth it) and I wanted to finish off the meal with an impressive dessert. Two things were working against me: A) Time - I didn't even start making dinner until 7:30 because Noe was at tennis and we were not going to eat until 9:00; and B) Lack of Ingredients - since I hadn't planned to make a fancy dessert I certainly didn't shop for anything.

Impressive looking but so easy to make.

Luckily, there is an impressive-looking yet super-easy dessert to pull out in this situation that I just happened to have ingredients on hand for: Chocolate Lava Cakes. Amanda also uses this as a go-to dessert, as does Gwyneth Paltrow, apparently. If you visit those two links, you will find two different but equally simple recipe for this dessert. However, if you want the easiest version possible - and the one that you might actually be able to make with stuff on hand (unless you keep raspberry liqueur and creme fraiche on hand) - try this version, an adaptation of the Jean-Georges Vongerichten version recently re-printed by Bitten, the food blog of the New York Times. I have cut this in half to make two rather than four cakes - it is easily halved or doubled:

Ingredients for Two

• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, plus more to butter the molds
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate (I used a Ghirardelli baking bar I had in the cupboard)
  
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoons flour, plus more for dusting

Instructions

• Pour glass of delicious red wine with big fruity flavors, perhaps Don David Tanat. Sip while making cakes. *
  

*This step is optional.

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. Butter and flour two ramekins or cake molds (instead of flour, I use cocoa powder - no difference taste-wise but keeps there from being flour dust on the finished cakes). Tap out excess.
• Beat the egg, egg yolk, and sugar together with a whisk or electric hand mixer until it is yellow and thick (not very long at all).
• Using the double boiler method (see image below) heat the butter and chocolate together until melted. Stir together to fully combine.
  

Double boiling: melting butter and chocolate
in a bowl set over a pan of water.

• Pour the chocolate/butter combination into the egg mixture. Add the teaspoon of flour. Beat until combined.
• Divide the batter among the ramekins or molds and bake for 6 or 7 minutes (sides should be set but center should be very soft. Let sit ten or twenty seconds.
• Carefully invert the molds or ramekins to remove cakes. Serve immediately with whatever accompaniments you choose (I used strawberries and vanilla ice cream last night, but creme fraiche could be good, dust with powdered sugar, drizzle them with liqueur and more fruit...lots of possibilities!)
• Serve immediately (these can be mixed up ahead of time and baked right before serving). When guests cut in to the cake, the warm chocolate center will ooze out.

The finished product!

See how easy that was? The cakes cook so fast that you could do this dessert made-to-order at a dinner party. Does anyone else have any good impressive-looking but easy-to-make food suggestions?

Reel Love This Weekend

I've mentioned New London Main Street in this blog before - mainly in relation to the Food Stroll. I've actually become involved with them since then and have been part of the committee putting together the "Reel Love: Sweets, Savories, and the Silver Screen" event. This event takes place on Saturday night - Valentine's Day - and is in conjunction with the Garde Arts Center's Winter Film Festival showing of Woody Allen's "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". The movie will be followed by a wine reception featuring desserts and finger foods from New London downtown restaurants, including Dev's on Bank Street, Hot Rod's, Lucca, and more. The event also features a silent auction with items such as a Eurospeed scooter, Yankees tickets, mountain bikes and a week at Loon Mountain Ski Resort.

It's $25 to attend (ticket includes movie admission) and all proceeds go to New London Main Street. If you're in or around New London on Saturday, check it out!


Read more in the New London Day.

Five Things I Love This Week: The Picture Edition

5. Homemade Bolognese Sauce
Mine it is a cross between "real" Bolognese (simmered for three hours and containing milk) and Giada (as in DeLaurentis) Bolognese (simmered for half an hour and no milk) but the end result is pretty delicious: thick, meaty, and rustic with small pieces of celery, carrots and onion served over some good quality organic pasta with a green salad and garlic bread. Food that will stick to your ribs.


2. Pre-dinner cocktails while making said Bolognese sauce.
OK, it was a cocktail, not cocktails, plural. But after a long, frustrating day at work, a little vodka and club soda with a lot of fresh lemon or lime juice really hits the spot. Maybe I should have made vodka sauce instead of bolognese and stuck with a theme. Another thing I love this week: my red wooden chicken behind the cocktail. I bought it a Brazilian import store here in New London. It is not Noe's favorite thing in our kitchen.


3. Wine Parties at John and Katie's
Not only did we sample numerous types of French wine and eat John's AMAZING homemade fried wantons, we got to play Guitar Hero, sing songs, and get yet another portrait of the Trifecta.


2. Cantaloupe wrapped in prosciutto
This is my new favorite snack. I used to think it sounded disgusting but have since discovered that it is indeed glorious. In fact, it's the only way I really love to eat cantaloupe, which has never been my favorite fruit (or even my favorite melon, for that matter). The fact that it's extra-good Murray's prosciutto makes it even more delicious.


1. Bibliocat (AKA Ralph + library books)
Ralph has always had an appetite for books - literally. He has punctured the covers of several paperbacks with numerous little fang marks. However, as much as Ralph likes to sink his teeth into a shiny new paperback, he really loves library books and used books from the Book Barn - probably for that unique library book/used book smell they seem to acquire. (I'm sure the fact that numerous cats roam the Book Barn shelves and sleep amongst the tomes has something to do with it as well.) He has also developed an affinity for dust jackets, seen below.

Inspecting Gadgets

On Saturday mornings that I don't go to the aquarium, I can be a bit lazy. I tend to sit around putting off drying my hair while drinking coffee and reading the online edition of the New York Times. Then I sit in front of the computer a little while longer, killing time on Facebook while hoping Chet and Lorraine show up on Skype so I can call them. The one moment of activity in this hour and a half or so of laziness involves going down to the kitchen to actually make said coffee.

My kitchen: my favorite room in our house.

I don't buy coffee that has already been ground, so I am always jolted awake by the sound of my little electric coffee grinder. This morning, I happened to start thinking about how much I love that grinder, and by association other little odds and ends in my kitchen. So...here it is, a list of my favorite everyday kitchen gadgets. This is mainly little stuff - although I love the KitchenAide mixer, it doesn't make this list. These are things I use almost every day. (Ignore the sub par photography - as I said, this was a lazy Saturday morning. I made these black and white in hopes that they'd look a little better.)

#1: Coffee Grinder and French Press


You can have one without the other, but why bother? Freshly ground coffee is always more flavorful, and coffee made in a French press is to die for. I actually asked my mom to buy me a French press as a gift about six or seven years ago after seeing an episode of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy where Ted Allen informed that week's makeover that after-dinner coffee made in a French press was not only super-tasty but looks sophisticated and impresses people. I don't often pull the press out for entertaining, but it is perfect for making one or two cups of morning coffee. And when I have to use my drip coffee maker and make a whole pot, I still grind the beans with my trusty grinder, purchased at the same time as the press.

#2: Kitchen Shears

My kitchen shears came with my first set of knives (a Chicago Cutlery set in a wooden block - thanks, mom!) which I think I got when I moved into my first apartment. Those knives went by the wayside over the years (I moved on to Henkels and am hoping to drastically increase my income so I can continue to advance along the cutlery ladder) but I kept the brown plastic kitchen shears. Until I got these - and for a year or two after - I cut everything with a knife. It wasn't until later that I discovered how much easier it is to snip fresh herbs with a pair of shears. I aslo use them sometimes to cut - rather than chop - bacon if I need small pieces for a pizza topping, etc. I use them all the time. Hopefully whoeve bought my old knife set at Goodwill doesn't notice the empty whole in the front of the block where these used to reside.

#3: Zester

This little and inconspicuous-looking tool is a lifesaver. It wasn't until I graduated from cooking receipes out of the Betty Crocker Cookbook that I realized how many recipes called for lemon zest. This zester, picked up as an impulse purchase either at IKEA or at Cost Plus World Market in A2, allows me to make fine little ribbons of lemon peel to brighten the flavor of any dish.

#4: Mini-Chopper

My little, tiny 1980's Back & Decker mini-chopper might be my all-time favorite kitchen gadget. First of all, it came from one of Aunt Susan's ladies weekend giveaways. It was the first real kitchen gadget I actually owned. Aunt Missy is the one who put the idea of a mini-chopper into my head by introducing me to pesto (I can not believe there was ever a time I did not eat pesto) and telling me you could make it yourself. So when this little guy appeared in Aunt Susan's giveaway pile, a lightbulb went off in my head. I snapped it up and made my first batch of homemade pesto later that summer with a whole bunch of store-bought basil. Now I make pesto with basil I grow myself, along with herb pastes to rub under the skins of chickens, small batches of salad dressing, and more. The blades still chop as well as they ever did. I will use this mini-chopper until it chops no more, and I will be incredibly sad the day I am forced to buy a shiny new one.

#5: Wine Key

I can not open wine with anything other than a waiter's corkscrew, or wine key. I have tried using those fancy openers that are supposed to be easier and end up getting very confused. I started opening wine when I got my first fine-dining job at the Gandy Dancer in Ann Arbor. We did not employ a sommolier and opened our own wine tableside, which was slightly nerve-wracking the first few times. We all had our own wine keys - you could never find one when you neeeded one if you didn't because they kept getting stolen. I had a habit of keeping mine in my purse, which was bad news the first time I took a post-911 flight (confiscated AND had to do the whole search process thing). At the Earle we didn't open our own wine at the table, but we opened many bottles after. I have never bought a fancy wine opener because I think the waiter's corkscrew is the easiest and most direct way to open a bottle, and if it ain't broke, why fix it?

What kitchen implements can you not live without?

Multi-Purpose Meal

A very simple - yet very satisfying - meal is a roast chicken. Although the roasting itself takes time, the technique and hands-on preparation is fast and simple. Roast meat is incredibly tender, and you can make a full dinner by simply chopping up some potatoes, carrots, and onions and throwing them in the pot with the the bird. One 4-5 lb. chicken usually provides enough meat for me and Noe to have a decent-sized dinner with some leftover for sandwiches, salads, etc.

The finished product ready for carving...
something I am not very good at.

I like the Martha Stewart method of roasting, which calls for about 55 minutes in the oven at around 450 degrees. This lets the skin get nice and crisp without drying out the meat underneath.

I start the process by removing the innards from the cavity, trimming any excess fat, and patting the chicken dry. Once I'm done with that, it's sort of a free-for-all. I usually salt and pepper the cavity and stuff it with some aromatics - whole springs of rosemary or thyme, some chopped garlic - along with some lemon slices. Sometimes I rub Herbes de Provence under the skin, or slide thinly-sliced lemons between the skin and the meat. Sometimes I just liberally apply salt and pepper. Then I usually rub the skin with butter, truss up the legs, and throw it in the pan along with my potatoes and carrots (which seem to lend themselves well to roasting).

In the oven, about halfway through the process.

Anytime you embark on roasting a whole chicken, you get a bonus after you've carved it: a chicken carcass. This may not seem like a great bonus (after all, most people do choose to buy just the cuts of meat they want to eat at the time with the bones already removed) but if you have a chicken carcass, you can make homemade chicken stock. I use chicken stock excessively, not just in soups and sauces but also often as a substitute for water when making couscous or certain types of rice. By boiling my couscous in chicken stock (and throwing in some finely chopped garlic) it gets infused with a subtle and slightly more rich flavor.

I digress. The point is, chicken stock has a ton of useful applications in any kitchen.

Stockpot.

I usually make a very simple, standard stock that I sort of adapted from an old Sarah Moulton recipe. I hack my carcasses into a couple big pieces, throw them in a stock pot, and cover them with water (usually an inch or two over the meat/bones). I bring it to a boil, turn down the heat and let is simmer for about 25 minutes, after which I skim off any fat that has risen to the top. Then I throw in some halved carrots and celery sticks, some quartered onions, a couple thyme sprigs, maybe a bay leaf, whole peppercorns if I have them, and simmer it for about three hours, occasionally skimming the top. Then I strain it into containers, put it in the fridge or freezer, and viola! Chicken stock any time I need it.

I used about four cups of this particular batch of chicken stock in one of my favorite winter recipes, cauliflower chowder. I never would have made cauliflower chowder if I had not eaten at Amanda's - she made it one night for Kevin and I took a bowl as well. Glorious. My chowder is a combination of Amanda's recipe, another Sarah Moulton recipe, and whatever I feel like throwing in at the time. Amanda's version is meatless, but because Noe thinks a lack of meat is a lack of meal, I sometimes throw in chopped ham, bacon, or even chorizo. I serve it with a green salad and garlic baguette. Yum!

Cauliflower chowder simmering on the stove.

If you would like any of these recipes, please email or comment. I am glad to share!

Popularity Contest

I realized this morning that I have been blogging for three days short of a year. In that time I have managed to put up 154 posts (counting this one). At the beginning, sometimes those posts were simply links to news items I found interesting or recaps of hockey games (which have now been moved to the blog I share with Amanda, Double A Hockey) - you could say this blog lacked consistency and focus. However, some prevalent themes of this blog have revealed themselves as I look over old posts: lists (particularly lists of five things that I decide I like); reviews of east coast tourist attractions, and, of course, restaurants. There have also been a few random musings (mix tapes, high school memories) that have turned out to be some of the more greatly read posts.

In honor of my one year - or rather, my 362 day - anniversary, here are recaps and links to some of the more popular posts:

• "Board" To Tears (March 3, 2008): I hate board games. For some reason people see this as a personality defect. This post is me outlining and defending my hatred.
• I Was a Lonely Teenage Bronckin' Buck (April 17, 2008): People liked hearing about how weird Rose and I used to be...or at least enjoyed being relieved that we never rollerbladed past their houses. See also IDK, My BFF Rose.
• Raiders of the Lost Art (April 21, 2008): One of my personal favorites. I really miss mix tapes. I still maintain that a mix tape took way more effort (and was therefore more meaningful) than a mix CD.
• My Ever-Dwindling Bank Account (August 12, 2008): People enjoyed weighing in on their finances and solving the age-old mystery, "Where does my money go?"
• Things I Like That I Used to Dislike (September 6, 2008):For whatever reason, this one rated high on the comment scale.
• An Unwelcome Guest (November 3, 2008) and The Long Goodbye (November 5, 2008): The story of my cat Ralph catching a snake in our house and Noe's refusal to get rid of it were the two most-read posts on this blog other than RIP Nike and High School High (below). I'm still not that amused, by the way.
• High School High (December 9, 2008): Fun facts about my weird high school seemed to resonate with my readers - or at least with the Ypsi High alumns who saw the link on Facebook and checked it out. If you are reading this post for the first time, I swear that every single thing in it is true.

In addition to these posts, some of the more widely-read items have been my numerous postings on restaurants. I love restaurants and have been trying to make the most of my fairly limited selection. While I have not written a piece on every restaurant I've eaten at out here, here are links to the posts on the ones that I covered in any detail:

• Rice Spice Noodles (Mystic, CT)
• Daniel Packer Inne (Mystic, CT)
• South Side Bistro (New London, CT)
• Dev's On Bank Street (New London, CT) - dinner
• Dev's On Bank Street (New London, CT) - brunch
• Brie and Bleu (New London, CT)
• Alta Strada (MGM Grand at Foxwoods, Mashantucket, CT)
• The Broken Yolk (New London, CT)

Thank you so much for continuing to read this blog. I hope I am able to keep it interesting. I promise to have a new post - not a cheating recap post - up soon!