Chopsuey

"

I am supposed to make seafood Chopsuey for dinner the other night but I don’t have all the necessary ingredients. I was too lazy to drive down to the store so I decided to use what I have available in the fridge and this is what I came up with. It’s not what I want it to be but it was delicious.

I didn’t do anything special for this recipe. I just sauté all the vegetable until tender , added the cooked shrimps and add some salt and pepper to taste.Bwallaa...instant dinner!

Coleslaw

We had pork barbecue dinner southern style the other night and I made this coleslaw to go with it. If you love creamy, tart and sweet -style coleslaw then you have to make this one sometimes. My mom-in law had taught me how to make real southern style coleslaw.

If you have food processor then you can use it to chop your vegetables. I have one but decided not to use it because I am only making for two persons. I did not add any green pepper too for some reason.


SOUTHERN STYLE COLESLAW


Ingredients:


Vegetables
1 large, cabbage, chopped fine
1 medium, carrot (you can slice it whatever you want)
1 medium, Vidalia onion, chopped ( any sweet onions)
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped


Dressing:
1/4 cup mayonnaise (or to taste)
½ cup vinegar
½ cup honey or sugar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


Preparation:

1. Mix chopped cabbage, carrot, bell pepper and onion in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. In another bowl, stir together all dressing ingredients until combined.
3. Taste your dressing to your likeness. You can always add honey/sugar if it’s too sour, or add vinegar if it’s too sweet.
4. Pour the dressing into the vegetable mixture and toss gently.

Enjoy!

Atchara

Atchara, atsara, achara or however you spelled it. It is a Filipino side dish made from pickled papaya. It’s a perfect condiment to grilled meats and fishes. I have made this atsara over six months ago and opened the last jar two days ago. My in-laws have enjoyed the jar of atsara I sent to them and they can’t wait for more.

I did a little researched of atsara recipes and found so many versions but my favorite is the recipe below. It reminds me of my favorite manokan restaurant back in Cagayan De Oro City, Philippines. I love the sweet and sour taste of pickled vegetables. This relish is perfect additions to your condiments.

Atsara (Pickled Papaya)

Ingredients:

1 medium papaya, grated
½ red peppers, julienned
½ green pepper, julienned
2 inch piece ginger, julienned
1 medium carrot, grated
1 small onion, julienned
2 cups apple cider vinegar
2 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons salt

Preparation

1. Wash papaya, peel, scoop seeds out, and grate.
2. Squeeze the juice out of it. If you have cheesecloth the better but if not then use your strong hands.
3. In medium sauce pan, mix the vinegar, sugar, and salt.
4. Stir to dissolve the sugar and bring mixture to a boil.
5. Add grated papaya, lower the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes.
6. Add the rest of the ingredients. Turn off the heat, cover and allow to cool.
7. If you want to can your atsara for a long shelf life then you may, but I was too lazy to do it so I just bottled it up, sealed and refrigerated.

Empanada

Please excuse the poor photo quality. I once again used my pocket camera in a low light. I really need to dig the boxes in the closet tomorrow and look for my canon rebel xti.

I was craving for the empanadas the other day and decided to make some. Empanada is also one of my favorite snacks. Every celebration (fiesta, birthday’s, Christmas and etc.) my mama and Lola always make this goodies to perfection. I like my empanadas without the raisins for some reasons. I am not crazy about the sweet taste very much.

Empanada

Filling:

1 cup small cube potato
1 cup small cube carrot
½ cup green peas
1 clove garlic, minced
½ onion, chopped
½ lb lean ground beef
½ cup water
Oil for frying
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Sauté` onion, garlic until tender. Add ground meat until brown. Add potato, carrot and water. Cook until tender. Add green peas and cook for another minute or two. Season to taste. Set filling aside and cool completely before using.


Dough

I have tried several dough recipes to make empanadas but this dough by Latin Caribbean Food at About.com is one of the my favorites. It’s very easy and it taste just right.


* 3 cups flour (plus a little more for kneading)
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup cold water
* 1 egg
* 1 egg white
* 1 teaspoon vinegar
* 3 tablespoons shortening


1. In a bowl, beat the water, egg, egg white and vinegar together. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together the 3 cups of flour and salt.

3. Cut the shortening into the flour mix with a pastry blender or two butter knives. Make a well in the center of the flour mix and pour the liquid ingredients from the first bowl into the center.

4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a fork until it becomes stiff.

5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead it just until all the flour is incorporated and the dough is smooth.

6. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, but never more than 24 hours.

Preparation:

1. Take your dough out from the fridge and place in a floured surface.
2. Roll the dough out into a 1/8 inch thick.
3. Cut the dough into circle with round cookie cutter or anything that you can think that you can use. (I used biscuit cutter, the biggest one).
4. Place filling in the center of the circle and carefully fold over the circle with filling to make a half circle.
5. Press the edges together to seal (you can either use your fingers or a fork).
6. Bake in preheated 375 degrees for about 15-20 minutes.

Enjoy!

Vegetable Stir-fry with Pork

Some green vegetable with pork I cooked not long time ago. I can't remember the exact name of the green leafy leaves. It was delicious and even the kids likes it. I wish I add a bit more soy sauce in it though and a drop of sesame oil too.