The morning after - how to make turkey magic with leftovers

What do you do the morning after? Nothing to do with what your think it is. I am referring to left over Thanksgiving turkey. If you were like me, we had almost half a turkey untouched, so this noon I was contemplating on how to turn this huge mass of meat into another feast. I checked the fridge - some red bell peppers were in the crisper, half a quart of half-half which I use for my coffee, and about half a chorizo - which was left over from the paella I made yesterday. Spotted in the freezer were some peas as well. Next destination was the pantry - aha - a can of cream of mushroom soup. When I turned I glanced over and saw a bottle of white wine. So put them all together and you have the makings of a pastel style dish.

So far this is what I had:
chorizo de bilbao
red bell pepper
onions
garlic
peas
white wine
half and half
cream of mushroom soup
leftover turkey of course

In a hot skillet use some good virgin oil olive, saute the garlic, onions and red bell pepper. When the vegetables were soft add the chorizo,some white wine and simmer for a few minutes to evaporate the alcohol.  Slowly add the half and half along with the cream of mushroom soup. 

Add enough water so the sauce is not thick. Simmer over low heat until the turkey is tender - about 12 minutes. Add more water if the sauce becomes too thick. A minute or so before the end of cooking add the peas - stir until incorporated into the dish.








Serve over a nice cup of hot rice or toast

Enjoy!!

Turducken - what is it

This the season when most turkeys fear most - the day of Thanksgiving. I am speaking of the two legged feathered kind and not who you might be thinking of. Most Americans will have the bird as the main feature of attraction in their Thanksgiving table. Some offer suggestions on various ways of cooking the bird - most prefer the roasting and basting method, others have taken the more perilous route of deep frying while some have used the stuffing method. No not the bread stuffing chestnut and celery type of stuffing but one of Turducken.

What is a Turducken? It is a linguistic blend as Wikipedia would describe the word. It is a chicken stuffed inside a duck which is stuffed inside a turkey. Both chicken and duck are totally deboned while the turkey is prepared partially deboned - maybe to hold the two other birds without falling apart.

While unverified, Paul Prudhomme the creole chef claims to have originated this dish. One can tell from the ingredients commonly used that it could have its humble beginnings in the South. Quite similar to the Filipino's embutido but to proportions of the American way of food consumption.

Imagine stuffing a small hen inside a duck while sausage is the stuffing of the chicken. Quick tasty but beware should the dish be presented to you. Its high in caloric content and so is its fat/cholesterol.

One can order the bird already cooked ready to be served from various online stores. The average is roughly $85 for a 15 lb bird some served with sides that come as a welcome accompaniment to the dish.

As this Thanksgiving day approaches, I wish one and all a blessed holiday and Happy Thanksgiving to all

Spinach Banana Blossom Cheese Dip

This recipe is a deviation from the more popular Spinach Artichoke Dip - made from artichoke hearts and spinach leaves blanched before it is used.
One day, I was enjoying a nice bowl of Kare-kare - a Filipino dish made of several types of meat in a sauce of peanut butter base. It is served with native vegetables like eggplant, string beans and banana blossom. While partaking of kare-kare one day, I took bite of banana blossom, then recognized a familiar texture and taste.
It didnt come to me immediately where I had experienced this flavor until I had an afternoon pika-pika in a resto one day after work. One of my buddies ordered a spinach artichoke dip to go with our favorite beer - Stella Artois- that it hit me. This was the texture!
So what I have done is replace the expensive and sometimes difficult to find (in Manila) ingredient - artichoke hearts. Instead, what I used is the canned variety of banana blossoms which come plentiful here in San Francisco and costs about a third of what it might cost ($0.99)if using artichoke. Canned banana blossoms come soaked in brine which seem to remove the bitter taste of the fresh variety and without the sap.
The vegetable also is very tender and the same (not almost but the same) texture as artichoke when chopped. If one is using the fresh vegetable, i suggest boiling it in acidulated water by adding a tablespoon of white vinegar. Replace the water at least twice to ensure that the blossoms come clean without the bitter taste.
I have used bechamel sauce to extend the recipe - using less of the cheese but still providing that great creamy sauce.
Ingredients:
Banana blossoms - cooked until tender and chopped
Bunch of spinach - cooked until wilted and chopped
1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese
1/2 block of cream cheese (room temperature) beaten
1/4 cup of sour cream
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Bechamel sauce (recipe follows)
5 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
dash nutmeg - (optional)

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until melted. Add the flour and stir until smooth. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture turns a light, golden sandy color, about 6 to 7 minutes. Taste the sauce, it should have a nice nutty flavor

Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pan until just about to boil. Add the hot milk to the butter mixture 1 cup at a time, whisking continuously until very smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg if using, and set aside until ready to use.

Combine the vegetables, sour cream, with half of the parmesan cheese, then layer into a heat proof dish. Alternate the vegetables, cheese and bechamel ending with a layer of bechamel topped with parmesan. I would add a sparse spoonful of breadcrumbs and knobs of butter to give it a nice crust.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes but check at around 20 minutes. When a nice brown crust forms on top, the dish is done
Serve with crusty bread!
I guarantee that no one will know the difference if you used banana blossom in place of artichokes. In fact I found folks were delighted that banana blossoms were prepared in such a gourmet way.
Let me know how it goes by emailing me or adding a comment to the thread.

Chicken, Corn and Crab soup with Quail Eggs

On cold rainy days, one looks to their favorite comfort foods. One of mine is the classic Chinese soup which can easily be prepared quite quickly. Start with a few slices of ginger, three or four green onions and one chicken thigh. Boil in water until the meat is tender - approximately 15-20 minutes. Then add cream style corn - preferably the unsweetened one. If one is not available, what I use are frozen whole kernels and chop the kernels finely while still frozen. I add this to the chicken while boiling it, giving the corn time to impart its flavor to the stock. When the chicken is tender, take off the bone and pull the meat into shreds. Add another half cup of corn, about two tablespoons of wanton soup powder,crab meat - I use the canned ones which have been picked of shells and comparable in quality, beaten egg,and quail eggs. To thicken the soup, I use 1/2 tsp corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup of water. I add this to the boiling soup until slightly thickened. Splash with sesame oil before serving.
Total Cost to feed 5 adults with second servings - $5.00
Canned crab - Caravelle brand from Thailand - $0.99 which one can purchase from any Asian store

Great buys from Trader Joes

Excellent salad dressing from Trader Joes - and Merlot from Sonoma Valley - both are great bargains but quality products. Champagne Pear Vinaigrette $2.50 and the Merlot $3.99

Intramuros - a new dining destination in South San Francisco

I decided to give Intramuros a try for dinner. After learning that Barry Picazo is now part of this establishment, a couple of friends and I was curious what new creations he has on the menu.We met at the I Bar – which,coincidentally was being launched the same evening. My buddy and I had a glass of Stella - one of our favorite brews. A nice serving portion for $5 -not a bad deal. Served by a young, friendly bartender ably assisted by another bartender who seems to be taking the lead in the bar. Off to the front we went to inform Dinnie, the very friendly and accommodating hostess that we would start dinner and our other buddy will catch up later. He was just getting dressed coming from a golf game. Dinnie checked our reservations and left for a brief moment to spot a table for us. We spotted Barry who, in spite of his busy kitchen that night, kept that boyish smile on his face to give a warm welcome. Very touched and impressed. Then Dinnie comes back to lead us to our table. Our server - Bianca I think her name was, came -bubbly and enthusiastic and handed us menus.
My last visit the other Friday was for a surprise party for a friend and one appetizer served tha evening was the kuhol (snails) I suggested to my friend that we order one. The other appetizer we decided on was the sisig tofu - since we both are fond of sisig. The original dish made of pork cheeks grilled over hot coals, chopped and served mixed with some grilled liver and grilled onions with a splash of calamansi. This is the original Pampanga way of serving sisig.
So we were curious what this version of the original dish would taste.
Off to the kitchen our server went to plug in our appetizers and asked her to return in a few, since we were still deciding which main course to order.
Scoping the menu - we decided to go with one that we knew from another dining establishment - crispy binagoongan and the pinaputok na tilapia. Then told the server we wanted toast with it. She took it as a joke and thought our request was hilarious and knew right away these two fools were trying to crack a joke. Two bowls of steamed rice it was!
We got the kuhol appetizer which came in a four segment dish - two sections had the kuhols, one had cherry tomato halves, the last fried mung bean threads (vermicelli noodles or sotanghon). The kuhol was in a coconut cream reduction with a hint of curry along with toasted thai bird chilies. The half slices of cherry tomatoes came in a balsamic vinagrette dressing. The idea is to spoon a few pieces of snail into your plate and use the tomato slices as a palette cleanser - to balance the heavy coconut cream sauce. The sauce was great compliment to the meat but not overwhelming the characteristic flavor of the kuhol. Then follow it up with a tomato portion - yumm. What I am lost on is the purpose of the fried vermicelli noodle. If one is to use all three ingredients together, maybe include some neutral tasting vegetable leaves like lettuce to wrap the whole thing. Other than that this dish is great!
Then immediately after, the crispy binagoongan came- whoa what happened to the other appetizer? Anyway, we continued to enjoy the kuhol with which was already our second glass of Stella. We just love how the Stella compliments the kuhol and its coconut cream.
The crispy binagoongan had chopped mango - yellow - meaning its close to ripe but not quite yet but past its green state. This was mixed with chopped red roma tomatoes and a few green onions! The dish of course was made with good quality bagoong. This was not salty as one would expect if using this shrimp paste but each ingredient kept its flavor component and combined together to create that complex sensation on the palate. The tart sweet mango, combined with the sweet tomatoes, the distinct flavor of grilled eggplant - which was the base of the dish, along with the bagoong is one flavor explosion!
Cant have this without steamed rice - no way!
Immediately right after came the tilapia - steamed unpapillote style but in aluminum foil instead. The tilapia was topped with a rich cream and topped with crisp garlic slivers. They used fresh fillet, the meat was flaky and easily pulled apart with a fork. No lasang lupa as we Filipinos would describe a lesser quality tilapia. The dish was excellent, the only disappointing thing is that the size as a bit too small for its price. But it was another flavor experience for the way the fish was served.
But where was the sisig? Well, it came almost as soon as we were wondering where it was. As they say - it was well worth the wait. The taste was so divine, tasted like the original meat dish.
I rate the service 5 stars, overall food experience would be 4 - miscues on the sisig and the serving portion of the tilapia. But these are growing pains, nothing bad - just a few adjustments to make it perfect - its only been a few weeks - 5 to be exact that this fine.
My wandering eye keep scanning the scenery of the dining area, with a glimpse of the dining hall across the room. It just so happened that our table looked directly into that area. There were diners from every generation, some were foreigners but seemed to know which dish to order. Tables to the left and right of me, the family of 10 to my immediate right sampled quite a few dishes. They had the fried calamari appetizer, then the crispy binagoongan, another meat dish which I couldn’t tell and ended up with the famous bibingka soufflé. Yum was their favorite expression. The table directly in front of me were four Filipinos who seem to be critiquing the food since they would first photograph the dish, then take a sample spoonful while trying to decipher what the ingredients were. Sounds familiar, since my buddy and I were doing the exact same thing. Another long table was having a birthday party I presumed because they brought out a cake with candles on top. Then another long table had the same thing. No sound of displeasure just a whole lot of families and some romantic couples enjoying a night of fine dining.
The place was busy – but never did the staff waver with their smiles and service. Including Dinnie who tried her best to attend to everyone while balancing the front. Barry, Dinnie, Jamil, Zita and Mark kudos to your establishment, I was pleased with the service and the food.

Marinated Shrimp Barbecue/Asian Style Barbecued Shrimp

Here is one great grilling marinate for shrimp on the shell. By cooking it this way, it ensures an even cooking while keeping the flesh moist. I love to combine all the fragrant herbs found in Asian groceries balancing it with other condiments to come up with that final product. The individual ingredients by themselves don't create that zing but if you combine them it magically creates that layer of flavor but not overpowering the taste of the shrimp or prawns.

Marinade
Coconut milk/cream
cilantro - leaves and stalk - chopped
Green onions - white and green parts chopped
Lemongrass - white part only - chopped
Paprika -
juice of 1 lime, then add the fruit into the marinade
Garlic - minced
Fish Sauce - the one I use is Thai brand - Tiparos
If using Philippine style fish sauce add a spoonful of brown sugar
Olive oil for basting
Put all the ingredients together with the exception of the olive oil. Then marinade the shrimp/prawns for no less than 30 minutes or longer than an hour

Before grilling - remove all the marinade and brush each prawn with olive oil.
Continue basting the shellfish with the marinade until the shells turn pink. Be careful not to overcook them or they will turn tough.
Use barbecue sticks if desired but I prefer to barbecue them individually to keep them intact when serving.
Serve with Coconut rice ( Recipe follows)

Rice
coconut milk
fish sauce
fried shallots

Cook the rice the regular way, but substitute one third of the liquid with coconut milk. Season with fish sauce. When tasting the liquid, ensure that enough seasoning is added. Right before serving top with crispy fried shallots.