Beef Steak in Sherry Sauce

Ingredients:

750g fillet steaks

Salt & freshly ground pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup medium sherry wine

1 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup butter

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

Procedure:

1. Season steaks with salt and pepper
2. Over medium heat, heat oil in a frying pan & place the steaks. Flip every 20 seconds. Do it for 6-8 minutes. Set aside.
3. Using the same pan, quickly stir in garlic.
4. Reduce heat to low-medium. Add wine and chicken stock. Leave for a minute. Whisk in butter & butter.
5. Place the steaks and simmer for a couple of minutes.
6. Remove from heat and serve with steamed rice or potatoes.

Note: Sherry may be replaced with marsala wine.

Arroz Con Pollo

There are is a lot of different versions of the Spanish dish, Arroz con Pollo… and here’s mine.

Ingredients:

2 kg chicken legs, 2 tsp paprika powder, 1 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp magicsarap

3 cups uncooked long grain white rice, 5 cups chicken broth, 1 yellow onion chopped, 2 gloves garlic minced, 1 green bell pepper chopped, 1 red bell pepper chopped, 1 cup frozen green peas, 3 tbsp tomato sauce, chicken breast shredded, salt & pepper to taste.

Procedure:

1. Put all the first group of ingredients in a sealable plastic. Shake until the seasonings equally coat the chicken. Let it stand for at least an hour.

2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Put in the chicken and brown both sides. Set aside.

3. On the same pan, remove excess oil leaving about half tbsp.Saute onion & garlic. Add bell pepper & shredded chicken breast. Mix.

4. Wash rice and drain. Add in rice into the pan. Mix well.

5. Add green peas and mix. Put the browned chicken (skin up).

6. Mix chicken broth, tomato sauce, salt & pepper. Pour the mixture over the rice/chicken. Do not mix.

7. Cover the pan and wait until water is fully absorbed. Adjust heat accordingly. It will just be like cooking steamed rice.

Dutch Pancakes of Oudt Leyden

Before, when I thought of pancakes, it had to be the pancake breakfast meal at McDonald’s.  American-style pancake was all I knew… until I came to Holland.

Imagine bacon, ham, salmon, mushrooms, apples, pineapple, banana and a lot more! These make holland pancake truly special.

One of the oldest and most famous pancake house in Holland is the Oudt Leyden ”

Pannekoekenhuysje” which is located at the heart of Leiden. They have been serving traditional dutch pancakes since 1907.

Diners at Oudt Leyden

Today, my almost namesake, Lea & I, tried the pancake specials, Boeren & Cerise.

Photo from Oudt Leyden Menu:

Here are the actual photos of our pancakes. They’re about 12in in diameter served in a traditional dutch blue printed big plates.

Spicy Chicken Ramen

I want to avoid instant noodles so I prepared my own chicken ramen.

Ingredients:

1 pack fresh japanese ramen noodles

1/2 thumbsize ginger, cut into strips

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small onion, sliced

1 small carrots,cut into strips

1 cup button mushroom, sliced

1 bunch baby bokchoy

1 tsp olive oil (2x)

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp kikoman soy sauce

3 cups chicken broth

Chilli flakes

Fish sauce

1 skinless chicken breast marinated in 1 tsp kikoman soy sauce.& black pepper.

Procedure:

1. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a frying pan. Slightly brown marinated chicken and set aside.
2. Heat 1 tsp of olive oil in a small pot.
3. Saute ginger,  onion & garlic.
4. Pour chicken broth & bring to boil.
5. Add carrots, ramen &; mushroom. Simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Add sesame oil and kikoman. Sprinkle chilli flakes.
7. Season with fish sauce if required.
8. Top with bokchoy & chicken. Simmer for another 2 minutes.
9. Remove from heat & serve in a soup bowl.

Chicken Shanghai

It is commonly known as spring rolls but since I was a kid, we call “shanghai” at home. I’ve been craving for spring roll for days now but I can’t find pure ground pork. Here in Holland, ground pork & beef are usually mixed and I’m not sure how a beef spring roll would taste like. And since I’m in a “eat healthy” mood, I, instead, opted to chicken.

Ingredients:

1cup skinless chicken breast, minced

1/2 cup carrots,minced

1 small onion, minced

1 pc egg

1 tsp flour

Salt & pepper to taste

Cooking oil for deep frying

Lumpia wrapper, 12 pcs

Procedure:

1. Combine all ingredients and mixed throughly.
2. Arrange about a tbsp of meat mixture on top.of wrapper (diagonally).
3. Roll wrapper. Secure both ends of the roll making sure that meat will not.come out when frying. Seal the end of roll with water.
4. Preheat cooking oil in a deep pan. By the way, I used oilve oit for deep frying. You may use other cooking oil if you prefer.
5. Brown the roll. Remove from heat.
6. Serve with spring roll of your own choice.

Cafe de la Pedrera, Barcelona, Spain

 

Located in Casa Mila, ground floor. Cafe de la Pedrera is a cozy restaurant that serves authentic & undeniably mouthwatering catalana food.

We were served with toasted bread for appetizer. It sounded weird when the waiter taught us how it has to be eaten. Rub cherry tomato on the toast and drizzle with olive oil. It’s really yummy!

For main course, I had chicken catalana and custard catalana for dessert.

Beef Brocolli

Ingredients:

• 500g beef, cut into 1″strip
• 1 head brocolli
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup beef broth
• 3 tsp olive oil
• Black pepper, ground
• Marinade: 1/2 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1/2 tbsp cornstarch,  ground black pepper

Procedure:

1. Combine the ingredients for marinade. Toss sliced beef on the marinade and leave for 30 minutes.
2. Boil water. Put in brocolli and leave for 1 minute. Remove from heat and drain hot water. Put brocolli in a strainer and run cold water into it. Set aside.
3. Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a pan and brown the marinated beef.
4. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a wok and saute onion & garlic.
5. Add beef, soy sauce, oyster sauce, beef broth & dissolved cornstarch.
6. Simmer for 10 minutes or until beef is tender.
7. Season with black pepper.
8. Add blanched brocolli & mix.
9. Remove from heat and transfer on a serving platter.
10. Serve with steamed white rice.

Curlies in a Pack

Wherever I am, instant noodles have been my “comfort” & emergency food. It’s cheap & easy to prepare.

When I was a kid, chicken noodles was my favorite.  Add egg to that! And in college, Lucky Me instant pansit canton was added to my list. Then there was Korea days where I always craved for spicy noodles. Mild Jin Ramen was my favorite back then.

Luckily, I found these noodles from the asian store. And I’m just the happiest (my tummy said).

Arroz Caldo with Chicken Breast

Chicken arroz caldo is just perfect for rainy days! If you don’t wanna worry with the fat that you might get from chicken skin, why not replace chicken cuts with skinless chicken breast?

Ingredients:

1 cup rice
1 chicken breast, shredded
1 thumb-sized ginger, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
Fish sauce
1 chicken buillion
Salt
Pepper
Cooking Oil
1 egg, beaten

Procedure:
1. Boil chicken breast with half of the minced onion and some salt. Let it cool and shred
2. Put cooking oil in a cooking pot. Saute ginger, onion and 3. Put in rice and chicken breast. Add water and chicken buillion. Bring to boil.
4. Constantly stir until porridge has thicken.
5. Season with fish sauce.
6. Stir in beaten egg.
7. Remove from heat & serve with lemon and chopped scallion if desired and/or add ground black pepper & chopped scallions.

Suman Bulag

Ooops! Sorry but I don’t know why it’s called suman bulag. This, however, is the simplest suman. Suman is usually made of glutinous rice or ube or cassava and wrapped with banana leaf. While others are to be mixed with milk or coco milk et al, suman bulag (bulag means blind) is so plain.

Ingredients:

1kg glutinous rice
3 tbsp vanilla
Banana leaf, 8×8 in
Thread
Sugar
Grated coconut meat

Procedure:

1. Soak glutinous rice with 1 liter water mixed with vanilla for at least an hour.
2. Drain water off.
3. Scoop 3 tbsp of rice and put on the banana leaf.
4. Roll the banana leaf and fold both sides.
5. Take two rolls and tie together leaving enough room for the rice to swell.
6. Put the the suman rolls into a big pot. Pour water enough to cover all suman. Bring to boil.
7. Add water whenever required making sure that water level is higher than suman.
8. After one hour, open one roll and check if rice is already cook. Bring back to the pot if needed. Remove from pot if already done.
9. Let the suman cool. Serve with white sugar and grated coconut meat.