Nigella Lawson

Nigella Lawson -- the well known "Queen of Food Porn."  She is called as such because of the way she presents her food show in a flirtatious manner.  Although she is not a chef nor a trained cook, she is well respected in the culinary industry.  She has a very lucrative career in being a food critic and a book writer and has been awarded the British Author of the Year Award for his book, How to be a Domestic Godess.

She came from a very prominent family.  Her father was a former conservative MP and the Chancellor of Exchequer during the time of PM Margaret Thatcher and her mother was a socialite beauty whose family owns the J. Lyons and Co ( chains of restaurants and catering services etc). 

She had been a wild child following the divorce of her parents.  She never had a happy childhood although money was so easy for her.  She has proven though that despite of dark moments in one's life, one could  always bounce back.    She has created her niche in the culinary world and became one of the most sought after food critic and food show host.  She had her series of Nigella cooking show. 

Although she never had a formal training in cooking, you would really see the passion she has for food -- eating and cooking.   I have learned a lot from this great lady especially when it comes to chocolates. I would always watch her in her show "Nigella's Christmas Kitchen" which was aired in Australia just before Christmas.  I loved the way she would present her show, a way much different from ordinary food shows. I would surely try her churos with chocolate dips.

She has her own food website www.nigella.com
(source: wikipedia, nigella.com, nigella fresh, abc channel in Australia)

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Beef Stroganoff with Spinach Pasta

Beef Stroganoff is one favorite that my husband and I couldn't miss.  I have always loved the gravy like sauce of this dish.  We sometimes have this as our main dish with rice or pasta. 

Beef Stroganoff is a Russian dish which has its origin in Russia in the 19th century.  The name might have come from the famous, large and important family of Stroganov or  Alexander Grigorievich Stroganoff of Odessa or a diplomat, Count Pavel Stroganov. The first known recipe of this dish was published as early as 1861.  From then on, it has become popular throughout the world that many variations of this dish have been made. 

Ingredients.
1/2 k beef strips
1 c beef broth
2 cups button mushrooms, chopped
1 c onions, minced
1 tin of cream of mushroom soup (Campbells)
1 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp plain flour
1/2 c butter
1 c cream
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Marinate beef with soy sauce for 30 minutes.
Add the plain flour.  Make sure it is evenly distributed.
Heat a pan and melt butter.
Sear beef in the melted butter until brown.
Remove from pan.
Sautee onions and garlic until onions are transparent.  Put in the mushrooms. Stir.
Add in the beef.  Stir.
Pour in the broth and cream of mushroom soup.
Boil.
Pour in cream.  Simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove from fire.

Pasta
I've used the San Remo Spinach Fetuccine.
Cook according to package instruction.  I did it for 18 minutes to achieve the aldente texture of the pasta.

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Picadillo (My Version)

I am used to pork guisantes that we have in the Philippines and the karinderya style of ginisang baboy (minced pork)  with potatoes and carrots.  When I was in high school, we were only allowed to go out of the school at lunch time.  We would usually go to our favorite karinderya (eatery) across the Sun Theatre  then.  I cannot remember the name of the place nor the names of the cook and the food crew there but I know that they are related to one of my classmates, Monina from San Agustin.  Well anyway, this was the most saleable dish they had then. I think we paid Php2.50-3.50 per order and a little bit more if you want to have egg with it.

Mexicans have their own version of pork guisantes.  What I did with this recipe, I have married the two minced recipes from Mexico and Philippines.  The result was quite delicious.  It's worth to try this one friends.

Ingredients
1/2 beef, minced
2 medium onions, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 medium size, carrots, cubed (small)
2 medium size, potatoes, cubed (small)
1/2 c sultanas
1/2 c pitted green or black olives
1 medium size, capcicum, cubed (small)
1 c beef broth
30 g butter
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Melt the butter in a non stick pan
Fry the carrots and potatoes just until they're a bit cooked.  Remove from pan.
Cook the beef until they are brown in color.  Remove from pan.
Sautee onions, garlic and capcicum.
Put in the beef, sultanas and veggies.
Add in the soy sauce, chilli powder, oregano, salt and pepper.  Stir.
Put in the olives.
Pour in the beef broth.
Add a cup of water.
Put in the tomato paste. 
Simmer.

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Easy to Bake Food for the Gods

Moist, sweet and chewey ---a goodie that would really make you feel good!  Food for  the Gods ---my husband has been asking me why the name? I would only answer that he would feel like he's in heaven the moment he takes a bite. 

I had first a taste Food for the Gods the first year I started teaching. At Christmas time, the students would usually give us gifts and goodies. They were usually wrapped in colorful plastics. They do not only look pretty but yummy as well.
This is the goodie that I can proudly say I can make even without a copy of the recipe.

Ingredients
1 1/4 c plain flour, sifted
1 c butter, soften
1 c brown sugar
3/4 c white sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c chopped walnuts
1 c chopped pitted dates
3 eggs

Procedure
Mix the all the dry ingredients in a bowl (except walnuts and dates).

Cream the butter with the two types of sugar.
Add the eggs, one at a time.  Continue mixing until soft and fluffy.

Put in the mixed dry ingredients little by little while continuously mixing the buter-sugar-egg mixture.
Fold in the walnuts and dates.

Bake in a preheated oven at 175C for the first 10 minutes and pull down the temperature at 150C for the remaining 20 minutes or until done.  (Do the toothpick test)

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MKR Dumplings

This is a recipe from MKR Australia cooked by Carly and Emily from Victoria. 

This is a good recipe for anyone who would like to make their own pastry.  I tried doing it myself and it was really easy to make.

Ingredients

Dumpling pastry
300g plain flour, plus extra, to dust
165ml boiling water
80ml cold water

Filling
350g pork mince
1 1/2 tbs warm water
4 garlic chives, finely chopped
1 spring onion, finely chopped
1cm-piece fresh ginger, finely grated
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
*Chinese red vinegar is sometimes called red rice vinegar. You will find it at local Asian grocers

Procedure 

1. To make dumpling pastry, place flour in a large bowl. Slowly add enough combined boiling and cold water, stirring, until mixture just comes together. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently. Cover with a damp tea towel and stand for 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, to make filling, combine all ingredients in a large bowl.

3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half and cover 1 piece with a damp tea towel to prevent it from drying out. Roll the other piece into a 3cm-diameter log, cut off 2cm slices and roll into balls, then flatten into 7cm rounds. Repeat with covered dough.

4. Place 2 tsp of filling into the centre of each round. Brush edges with water, then fold in half and pinch edges to seal. Set dumplings aside on a well-floured work surface.

5. Heat oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook dumplings, in batches, in a single layer for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown underneath. Add enough water to come halfway up the side of the dumplings and cook, covered, for 4-5 minutes or until water has been absorbed and dumplings are cooked through. Repeat with remaining dumplings.

6. Serve dumplings with dipping sauces.

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Dumpling Dips (w/ red wine vinegar)

Ingredients
2cm-piece fresh ginger, cut into julienne
80ml Chinese red vinegar
1 long fresh red chilli, finely chopped
80ml soy sauce

Procedure

Divide ginger among 4 small dipping bowls and top with red vinegar.
Divide chilli among 4 separate dipping bowls and top with soy sauce.

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Our Fave Chicken Sopas

This is my own recipe of chicken sopas.  You might notice that like what I did with the chicken at the nilugawang manok recipe, I also marinated the chicken with fish sauce first before cooking the dish.  This would make the chicken more flavoursome so even if you add water or broth to the dish, the meat would not lose much of its flavour. 



Ingredients
500 g chicken wings, chopped
300 g shell pasta (or any pasta you want)
1 c cabbage, shredded
1/2 c carrots, sliced like matchsticks
1 c evaporated milk
3 pcs hotdogs, sliced diagonally
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 medium onion, minced
1 chicken broth cube
4 tbsp  fish sauce
7 c water

Procedure
Marinate chicken with 2 tbsp fish sauce for 30 minutes.
Cook pasta according to packet instruction.
Sautee onions and garlic. 
Put in the chicken and sear the meat.
Put in the hotdogs.
Add the carrots and cabbage.  Stir.
Add water, broth cube and fish sauce.
Boil.  I would usually boil it longer than usual until the chicken meat separates from the bones.
Add the pasta and simmer.
Pour in the milk.
Serve hot.

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Easy to Make Chocolate Ganache

Have you ever wondered how those yummy chocolatey explosion of the toppings or icing of chocolate cakes are made?  It is less much complicated than you think.  Here is a simple chocolate ganache that yo can make for your cakes.

Ingredients
140 g dark chocolates
1/2 c thickened cream
25 g unsalted butter

Procedure
Place the ingredients in heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water. 
Stir until melted and smooth.
Remove from heat.
Chill for 20 minutes or until it's spreadable.

Note: If you want the ganache to be a bit tangy, you can add 2 tbsp ginger wine.  If you want it to have an alcohol taste on it, add a tbsp of rum.

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Choco-Vanilla Marble Cake

Marble Cakes are just too yummy to resist.  When I first made my marble cake many months ago (This one is my 4th), I was a bit concern if I would be able to achieve such marble look cake that I used to buy when I was in the Philippines. 

I was really thinking that it could be so complicated which I have found not true after I saw the result of the one I baked.  It was really delish!  The second time I baked it, I added some chopped walnuts and the husband loved it. This time though, I would revert to the original marble cake that I have made before for the sake of the kids.  Nuts might give them problems and I do not want that to happen.

Today, I checked my pantry if I still have enough self raising flour to use for the cake.  Unfortunately I could only have a cup of it.  To solve the problem, I decided to add a cup of plain flour.  To make the cake rise,  I also added 1 tsp of baking soda and 1 tsp of baking powder.  The result is quite the same actually.  Best of all, the cake's center did not sink. 

I also topped it with chocolate ganace and sprinkles.  To make this type of icing just click this one --->chocolate ganache.

Ingredients
2 cups, self raising flour, sifted
3/4 caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla
125 g butter, melted
80 g chocolates, melted
2/3 fresh milk
2 eggs

Procedure

Cream the butter and sugar.
Pour in the vanilla.

Put in eggs, one at a time.  Continue mixing until it is light and fluffy.
Fold in the sifted flour alternately with milk until just mixed.
Divide the mixture into 2.
Put 1/2 of the mixture into another bowl.  Pour in the melted chocolates and stir until just mixed.
Grease a springform round cake pan.

Pour in the vanilla mixture alternately with the chocolate mixture. 
Use a metal spoon and stir the mixture in a dollop motion.

Bake for 45 minutes in a preheated oven at 160C.

Top with chocolate ganache and sprinkles.

Note:  If your marble cake appears to be like a plain chocolate cake on the outside, that's alright.  The surprise is when you slice the cake.  That's when you will see the marble - like look of the cake.

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Lime Glazed Chicken Wings (Racquel)

Another contribution of our wonderful and lovely contributor, Racquel Tolentino.  I am quite sure that this dish will treat your palates to heavenly taste.

I will also try this one this weekend.

If you have any recipe that you want to contribute pleas feel free the forms below.  Thank you.
Ingredients :
1kg chicken wings, tips removed
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oil
4 spring onions, diagonally sliced
2 limes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon white-wine vinegar

Procedure :
1 Place chicken wings in a flat non-metal container. In a bowl, combine lime juice,inegar,sugar and soy sauce. Pour over the wings and turn to coat.Marinate for 30 minutes or longer.

2 Heat the wok and add oil. Remove wings from marinade and stir-fry about 15 mins. until brown and tender. Add spring onions and stir-fry 1 minute. Pour in the marinade. Stir to coat and heat through. Remove to a platter and keep hot.

3 Add the lime and water to the wok and simmer 2 mins. Stir in the sugar and vinegar, and cook until slices are coated with a thick syrup. arrange slices over the wings. Pour over remaining syrup.

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Cristeta Comerford

Do you know that the first woman and first Asian ever appointed as the chief executive chef  at the US White House is a Filipina?  Her name is Cristeta Comerford and she has been in the White House since 2005.  This means that she has also served  both President Clinton administration and President Bush  administration and now the Obama administration.   

Her maiden name is Pasia, a native of Sampaloc, Manila and a graduate of Manila Science High School (which means that this lady is really a smart one).  He enrolled in Food Tech in UP (University of the Philippines) but she was not able to graduate since she has to move to the US.

Her not finishing her degree did not stop her from achieving her dreams of becoming a chef though.  She  worked with great chefs at famous restaurants and hotels.  This was the time when  Walter Scheib III, the then White House Executive Chef, recruited her to work with him during the Clinton Administration.

Apparently, she was appointed by  First Lady Laura Bush to become the first woman executive chef of the White House after Scheib resigned in 2005 due to her great handling of a large dinner made in honor of the Indian Prime Minister.  When the Obama took his office as the President of the US, Michelle Obama also made her hold her current position.

For further info about her please read her interview at Makati Shangrila.

Credits:  http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050814-1.html; The Washington Post August, 2005; 
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