Braised Beef Brisket

Description:
I got this recipe from "The New Best Recipe" book by America's Test Kitchen, and I'm posting this because this is really scrumptious! The beef was so flavorful and tender; this one is truly another no-fail recipe from ATK.

Ingredients:
Beef brisket, about 1.3 kilos, trimmed of excess fat and patted dry with paper towels
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1.3 kilos onions, sliced thin
2 tablespoons brown sugar
6 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
4 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon cider vinegar



Directions:
Preheat oven to 300F.
Sprinkle the brisket generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large oven-proof pan until smoking, then cook the brisket until well-browned on both sides. Transfer the brisket to a large plate; set aside.
Reduce heat to medium, then add in onions, brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. With a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to remove the browned bits. Cook until the onions are softened, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and tomato paste, and cook until fragrant.
Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute, then add in the wine to dissolve the flour. Cook until almost dry about 1 minute, then stir in the broth and herbs.
Bring the brisket back to the pan then bring everything to a simmer.
Cover the pot then transfer to the oven, and cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until meat is super tender that a fork slides easily.
Transfer brisket to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice the brisket across the grain.
Add the cider vinegar to the sauce and serve with the beef.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

These are really good cupcakes--- so moist and chocolaty. You wouldn't even think that these don't have any dairy in it. Love, love, love these cupcakes.

Hearty Lomi Soup

Description:
This is one of Brandon's favorite comfort foods. I just love seeing the happiness in his eyes whenever I cook this. For me, the secret to good lomi is the broth; I always use chicken broth which is made by boiling chicken breast/ bones. Sorry, but I'm not a fan of bouillon cubes--- it's just not the same. Lomi is very versatile, so you may add in other ingredients that you like such as liver, squid balls, celery, malunggay, etc.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo (500g) fresh lomi (I buy mine at Rustan's supermarket)

1/2 onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
250g lean ground pork
250g suahe or small white shrimps, shelled and deveined
1 whole carrot, cut into strips
8 cups chicken broth
1 bunch petchay
3 tablespoons cornstarch combined with 3 tablespoons water to make slurry
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste



Directions:
Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook lomi for about 2 minutes. Drain the noodles and set aside.

In a big sauce pot, saute onions and garlic. Add ground pork and suahe; cook until shrimps turn pink. Add the carrots and mix everything together. Add the broth and let boil. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the lomi, and continue cooking until the noodles become a little fat, around 10-15 minutes. Add in petchay and cook until vegetable wilts. Add in cornstarch slurry and mix until soup thickens. Finally, pour in beaten eggs while stirring the soup.

Serve piping hot!

Roast Chicken with Garlic and Herbs

Description:
After five attempts of roasting chicken, I now present you my tested roast chicken recipe which is perfect not just for the holidays, but it will be wonderful for noche buena! I'll be making variations of this roast chicken recipe, but for the time being, this one is wonderful. Take note though, that you have to consider the time in preparing for this chicken. But it will be worth it, I promise. I always use the chicken drippings to make a light gravy (I omit the butter). Please look for the gravy recipe in my site for the basic directions.

Ingredients:
1.4 kilos whole chicken, giblets removed

Brine solution:
1.8 liters cold water
3 tablespoons fine sea salt or table salt
4.5 tablespoons white sugar
1 head garlic, papery skins removed, cloves separated, unpeeled and crushed
3 bay leaves, crumbled

Herb rub:
Juice of one lemon (Put squeezed lemon in chicken’s cavity.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 whole garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons Italian seasoning dried herbs
*You may opt to add more fresh herbs like thyme and rosemary.
Salt and pepper



Directions:
Let chicken soak in brine solution in the refrigerator for at least two hours, but no longer than five or six hours. Pour off the brine, then pat the chicken dry with paper towels.

Combine all the ingredients for the herb rub. Rub the entire chicken with this mixture. Place chicken in the refrigerator for about 2 hours.

Place chicken in roasting rack/pan and roast at 350F for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, until thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165-170. I usually flip the chicken after one hour, to cook the other side. Pour 1 cup water in roasting pan to make sure drippings don’t burn. Add more water as needed.

Let chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Ube Biko

Description:
We brought home some ube or purple yam from our recent trip to Tagaytay, and after an afternoon of ginataan, I wanted to make an ube-based kakanin. This recipe is from pinoyrecipe.net. I found the ube biko to be sweet enough on its own so we didn't put any toppings, but I think macapuno would be great with this.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups ube, boiled and mashed (I used the water from boiling the ube in cooking the malagkit rice.)
3/4 cup condensed milk
1/2 cup fresh milk
1/4 kilo malagkit rice, cooked
Crushed panutsa and grated cheese for topping

(You may opt to put a teaspoon of ube flavoring to make the ube flavor more pronounced.)



Directions:
Combine ube, condensed milk, and fresh milk in a thick saucepan.
Cook, stirring constantly until slightly thick.
Add in malagkit and cook until thick.
Spread onto a banana leaf-lined bilao or tray.
Cut into squares when cool.

Kiddie Cakes

October is the busiest month of the year for me, having to prepare for my kids' birthdays (and others too!). I can't wait for next year hahaha!

Steamed Stuffed Tofu

Description:
Brandon makes it a habit to buy tofu whenever he goes to Banawe, and I'm happy that he does. This dish is easy to make and it is so comforting, especially now that we're having cooler nights. I have to acknowledge Trixie who did all the mixing and shaping of the balls for the stuffing. She is such a darling in the kitchen.

Ingredients:
4-6 large cubes of firm tofu (not tokwa), cut into smaller cubes
Light soy sauce

For the filling:
150 grams ground lean pork
1 small carrot, minced
1 Tbsp. hibe, rinsed, soaked and finely minced (Fresh minced shrimps can replace hibe too, for a more flavorful stuffing.)
1 dried shiitake mushroom, rinsed, soaked and finely minced
1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
2-3 Tbsp, camote starch



Directions:
Place cubed tofu in a heat-proof dish. Using a teaspoon, scoop out the top portion of the tofu to make an indention or a small hole. Be careful not to break the tofu apart. Set aside.

Combine all the ingredients for the filling, adding more camote starch if the mixture seems a little wet. Take note that the filling will be a little salty because of the hibe and oyster sauce, which is really my intention, to compliment the bland taste of the tofu. Make the filling mixture into small balls, then place on top of the tofu squares.

Pour about 2 teaspoons of light soy sauce at the base of the dish, to add more flavor to the tofu.

Steam for about 20-30 minutes, or until the filling is cooked.