MIGHTY MEATY MALUNGGAY PESTO

Have you met the MIGHT MEATY PESTO? If you haven't, let me introduce you! Usually, when we have pesto in pasta, you almost never see anything else in it but the pesto sauce (basil leaves, garlic, parmigiano, pine nuts, olive oil, salt and pepper). But in my home of meat eaters, that usually doesn't cut it. As requested by The King, there has to be other components in the pesto sauce like the way his Mom makes it. So here is my first attempt at making the pesto sauce more fit for royalty.

1 cup of pesto sauce (fresh or bottled)

Olive oil, for sautéing

1/2 cup finely chopped onions

2 Tbsp finely chopped garlic

1/2 cup finely chopped green olives

1/2 cup finely chopped ham

1/2 cup finely chopped mushrooms

1/4 cup dried malunggay/moringa flakes

salt and pepper to season

Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil until translucent. 

Add the olives, ham, and mushrooms.

After a couple of minutes, add the pesto sauce and the malunggay flakes. Simmer for 5 minutes and season.

Top on pasta.

Simple, beautiful, delicious. Enjoy!

YOGURT CHICKEN

Chicken Thigh Fillets
Greek Yogurt
Garlic powder
Za'atar spice blend
Chicken powder
Cream of Mushroom powder
Chili flakes
Rosemary
Olive Oil
Salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients together and Marinate the chicken for 1 hour.
Pan fry,  until thoroughly cooked then add some more yogurt to make a sauce. Season the sauce with more garlic powder, salt and pepper.

Top with chopped parsley and enjoy!!!

Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

• For the cake:
  2 cups All Purpose Flour
  2 tsp Baking Powder
  1 tsp Baking Soda
  1/2 tsp Salt
  1 tsp Cinnamon
  1/2 tsp Nutmeg
  1/2 tsp Allspice
  4 Eggs
  2 cups Brown Sugar
  2 tsp vanilla extract
  1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
  2 cups grated Carrots
  1 can (20 oz) Crushed Pineapple drained
  1/2 cup dried Dessicated Coconut
  1 cup chopped Walnuts
  1 cup Raisins
  Preheat oven to 350F/170C/Gas Mark4.
  Coat a large loaf pan, 10x15x2 baking dish or bundt pan with oil or cooking spray.
  In a medium mixing bowl stir together using a wooden spoon the FLOUR, BAKING POWDER, BAKING SODA, SALT, CINNAMON, NUTMEG and ALLSPICE. Set aside.
  In another larger bowl mix together using a wooden spoon the EGGS, SUGAR and VANILLA.
  Stir in the OIL until the mixture is thick.
  Gently stir in the DRY ingredients.
  Fold in the CARROTS, WALNUTS (optional), PINEAPPLE, COCONUT, and RAISINS.
  Pour slowly into prepared pan and spread evenly.
  Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean.
  Let cool for 15 minutes, then turn out on to plate or platter.
  For the Frosting:
  8 oz of cream cheese, very soft
  4 oz of butter, very soft
  1/8 tsp salt
  4 cups of powdered sugar, sifted
  1 tsp of vanilla extract
  
  Beat the cream cheese and butter with the salt until light and fluffy. Gradually add the powdered sugar, and the vanilla - beat until smooth and creamy. Ice the cooled carrot cake. Top the cake with some coconut.

Truffled Poached Egg on Greens

I am not really a fan of Philippine eggs...mainly because they don't taste as fresh as they should be. But lately, I have been getting organic eggs that are always fresh with very orange yolks. So this morning, I had an idea. I just arrived from the U.S. and I got silicone egg poachers, and thought, why not make some poached eggs today...plus, I also had black truffle oil and himalayan salt...already sounds good right? 

So here is what I made for breakfast.

A poached egg seasoned with truffle oil, salt and pepper on a bed of mixed lettuce and arugula with a sweet vinaigrette. Absolutely delicious!

POTATO GRATIN

"That is the best Potato gratin I have ever tasted!" said Kevin. 

I couldn't help but smile. He loves to eat! And potatoes are NOT on his top 20 food that he eats. He is also very picky, so he is my biggest critic! So every time I hear a compliment from him, I know I did well! He might as well give him a score sheet after every meal and see how he grades each dish I make. Hmmm, that is not such a bad idea...

Anyway, back to the potato...I made this dish about 2 weeks ago, and as usual, I didn't write the recipe down. So now, for the love of me, I can't remember the proportions.

Potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

Garlic, finely chopped

• Rosemary
• Cream 
• Salt and black pepper
• Mozzarella cheese, grated
Nutmeg, a few dashes

Preheat to 350°. In a large saucepan, put the cream, garlic, potatoes, rosemary,nutmeg, salt and black pepper  and bring to a boil.Add the mozzarella and mix in.
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Add salt if needed and adjust seasoning.Transfer the mixture to a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Bake until golden-brown. Let stand for 15 minutes.

ARROZ CALDO

I always associate arroz caldo/lugaw/pospas/congee with being sick. Every time I was sick as a child, this is what I was always fed. When I had a fever, arroz caldo was what i ate. When I had a cough and cold, arroz caldo was there again. When I had a bad tummy, arroz caldo would be present again. When I had my own child and family, arroz caldo was and still is a staple when they are sick. but more than just a meal that is easily digestible and warming to the stomach when one is ill, it has become comfort food, not just to me but to many of us.

I have cooked arroz caldo many, many times but each time is always different. I always have different toppings that I serve alongside the arroz caldo.

I have made arroz caldo twice this week, requested by the hubby. Of course, since he doesn't eat leftovers and he doesn't know how to eat chicken with bones without wasting the meat (I always use chicken fillets), both versions of the arroz caldo had to be different.

This one has century eggs and cilantro on top. And of course, crispy patis scented garlic and ginger!!!

For the Arroz caldo:

Rice, uncooked
Chicken fillets, cut in strips
Ginger, julienned
Garlic, chopped
Leeks, chopped
Olive oil
Chicken Bouillion cubes
Kasubha, crushed
Water
Cilantro
Century eggs, quartered

Saute the ginger, garlic and leeks in olive oil until fragrant and slightly caramelized.
Add the chicken strips until browned.
Add the rice and the kasubha and saute for a minute or so.
Add the water and the chicken cubes.
Cook until the rice is soft and the soup is thick. Adjust seasoning.

For the Patis Scented Crispy Garlic-Ginger :

Garlic, chopped
Ginger, chopped
Olive oil
Patis

Fry the Garlic and ginger in olive oil. When almost crispy, add the patis/fish sauce. When crispy, set aside and let it cool.


Put arroz caldo in a bowl. Top with cilantro, garlic-ginger and century egg. Guaranteed satisfaction!!!

Chorizo Bread Stuffed Boneless Roasted Chicken

Yesterday, I saw that my local butcher was selling deboned whole chicken, and that gave me a brilliant idea! I was going to make a roasted stuffed chicken. But what flavor profile did I want to go with? Would i use a meat stuffing, a rice stuffing or a bread stuffing? So many ideas were running in my head but yet, no decision had been made...and I had to decide so that I could get the ingredients while I was still at the grocery...Spanish, Asian, Filipino, Chinese.....Ok, ok, Spanish it is!!! 

I grabbed some Olives stuffed with cheese and a pack of chorizo. I had ground meat, rice and bread at home...so I could decide later on what the base of my stuffing would be.

My final decision was a bread based stuffing with a chorizo profile. My boys enjoyed it immensely. please let me know how you like it once you get to try the recipe. Enjoy!

Chorizo Bread Stuffed Boneless Roasted Chicken

1 whole deboned chicken

2 teaspoons Chicken powder

Fresh cracked Pepper

3 Cups cubed stale bread

1/2 Cup Spanish Chorizo, sliced

Olive oil

1 White Onion, chopped

1/4 Cup Garlic, chopped

1 Cup Milk

2 eggs

Salt and Pepper

Chorizo Lard (Where the chorizo comes in when in the can)

20 Cloves Garlic

20 Green Olives

Garlic powder

Pimenton powder (Spanish Paprika)

1 cup water

For the stuffing:

Saute the onions and garlic in olive oil. When cooked, add the chorizo slices. When all the oil from the chorizo has been extracted, add the bread cubes.When bread has absorbed the chorizo oil (it turns orange), add the milk and season with salt and pepper.

Let it cool, then mix in the 2 eggs.

Season the chicken with chicken powder and pepper, inside and out. Stuff with the previously cooled stuffing.

Sew up the skin of the chicken where it is open, usually by the breast and the back, to keep the stuffing in. Season with garlic powder and paprika and sear on both sides using the chorizo lard. 

Add the water, olives and garlic and bake until fully cooked and crisp.

This is one of the most delicious roasted chickens I have ever made and eaten. Enjoy!!!