April 12, 2011

Fluffy Egg White Omelet with Feta and Kale

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Fluffy Egg White Omelet

I have lots and lots of egg whites, I'm practically swimming in them. I already used up some for meringues but didn't want to make any more sweet things that would probably add inches to my expanding waistline. Then I remembered the fluffy egg white omelet I made 2 years ago, so for early dinner I whipped up a light airy protein-rich omelet that is nowhere near boredom city because it's filled with farmer's white cheese, salty tangy herbed (basil, rosemary, dried tomato) feta cheese, and my current favorite green leaf vegetable, kale. I love the combination of the salty cheese and the nutty vegetable and will definitely have this for dinner again.

Fluffy Egg White Omelet
serves one

3 egg whites
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or butter
½ cup chopped kale
2 tablespoons crumbled feta
2 tablespoons crumbled farmer's white cheese
  • In the bowl of standing mixer with wire whisk on medium speed, beat egg whites, lemon juice, and salt to soft peaks. In a large skillet, heat half tablespoon oil over medium heat and saute kale for 2 minutes or until soft. Transfer into a small plate. Add the rest of olive oil, then add beaten egg whites. Cook for 2 minutes. Flip the egg white and cook for 1½ minutes. Flip once more then sprinkle the cooked kale and cheeses evenly on top. Fold and transfer on a plate. Serve immediately.
Fluffy Egg White Omelet

April 8, 2011

Machang, Machang, Machang...

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Machang
Machang
seasoned sticky rice filled with pork belly, chestnuts, shiitake,
Chinese sausage, and crispy-fried shallots and garli
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After posting the semi-authentic recipe for Machang 3 ½ years ago, I never visited my page again until I was told of the plagiarist. I admit the shaping is wrong and maybe the procedure is too which I pointed out on the first sentence. Machang suddenly became a mini obssession for me. I searched for a Filipino recipe online, still no luck, but recipes for Chinese sticky rice dimsum called zongzi are aplenty. And there are several shapes, seasonings, and fillings, including desserts, depending on the region and country; Malaysia has its own Nyonya Chang; take note of the name. Well, if there are many versions, then I guess I can create my own seasonings, shape it the traditional way, cook and wrap them in banana leaves just like the ones in Binondo, Manila. I love this machang; they came pretty close in flavor and texture to the ones I had in the Philippines.

Machang
recipe adapted from here

2 cups glutinous rice, soaked in water overnight and drained
1 tablespoon light olive oil
12 fresh shiitake, sliced into 4 pieces
1 pound roast pork belly, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon 5-spice powder
2 tablespoons crispy fried shallots
2 tablespoons crispy fried shaved garlic
2 tablespoons sesame seed oil
4 Chinese sausages, cut into ¼-inch slices
1 100gm packet roasted chestnuts, whole or halved
5-inch wide banana leaves
kitchen twine cut into 24-inch lengths
  • In a large pan or wok, heat oil and saute mushrooms. Add pork belly and saute for 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sugar, and 5 spice powder. Cook for 2 minutes, add the sesame seed oil. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pork and mushrooms into a large bowl; leave the liquid in the pan.
  • To the pork belly, mix in the shallots, garlic, chestnuts, and sausages, set aside.
  • Add the rice to the pan and stir cook until rice is partially cooked.
  • Take 2 leaves and overlap the soft sides by 4 inches. Make a cone with the leaves and support the bottom with your palm. Spoon 2 tablespoons of rice, tamp gently, then add the meat mixture; top with more rice, tamp to even the top. Fold the upper leaf down, bring together and fold, or trim excess if preferred. Tie with strings. Steam in rapidly boiling water for 1 hour.

Machang


Or watch this video from the same site on how to fill and shape machang/zongzi




April 7, 2011

Pinaputok na Pompano

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Pinaputok na Pompano
deep fried banana leaf-wrapped pompano

Green Mango Relish
green mango mixed with spicy shrimp paste


Food Friday


Sometimes Filipino cuisine confuses me or maybe just the names of the dishes like pinaputok na isda (exploded or popped deep-fried fish). I've made this fish dish twice already following the recipe from KULINARYA guidebook. The fish is simply seasoned, wrapped in banana leaves, and deep fried. The fish does not pop nor make a popping sound while being cooked although the leaves make a few crackling sound. The fried fish doesn't become brown or crispy and almost looks like it was steamed. It's not greasy at all and has a nice flavor from the leaves; I like it specially with a relish of green mango mixed with spicy shrimp paste.

April 5, 2011

Pain à l'Ancienne Focaccia

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Focaccia

My favorite focaccia recipe is Peter Reinhart's Pain à l'Ancienne Focaccia from
Artisan Breads Every Day. The recipe is simple to prepare; the dough is mixed the day before with minimal handling and baked the next day or whenever it's convenient. The focaccia has large irregular air pockets, is chewy and very flavorful. I prefer focaccia with very little topping, sometimes with just Parmesan cheese and sea salt.

Focaccia
topped with cherry tomato halves, Parmesan and Romano cheese, sea salt, and Italian parsley

Pain à l'Ancienne Focaccia
adapted from Artisan Breads Every Day by Peter Reinhart

4 ½ cups bread flour
2 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
2 cups chilled water (55°F)
extra virgin olive oil
four 8-inch round pans lined with parchment paper
herb oil (extra virgin olive oil with herbs and spices of your choice)
toppings of your choice
  • In a standing mixer with paddle attachment, combine flour, salt, yeast, and water. Mix on lowest speed for 1 minute. Let the coarse wet dough rest for 5 minutes.
  • Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on the dough, then resume mixing on medium-low for 1 minute. The dough should be smoother but will still be very soft, sticky, and wet. Use a wet spatula to transfer the dough to a lightly oiled container. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
  • Transfer the dough to a lightly oiled surface. With wet or oiled hands stretch out the dough from all sides, one at a time and fold over to the center. Flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball. The dough should be firmer but still very soft and fragile. Place the dough back into the bowl, cover with plastic, and leave at room temperature for 10 minutes. Repeat the stretch and fold process 3 more times.
  • Divide the dough into four 8-ounce pieces. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil on the parchment-lined baking pans. Place one dough on each pan; drizzle 1 teaspoon or more olive oil on the dough ball. Using your fingertips, dimple the dough all over and spread it as much as it will allow. When the dough starts to spring back, cover the pans tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate immediately. The dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • On baking day, remove pans from refrigerator. Drizzle all over with 1 teaspoon olive oil and dimple the surface until the dough has completely covered the pan. If the dough springs back, let it rest for 20 minutes and resume dimpling.
  • Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in turned-off oven with the light on, for 1 and a half hours.
  • Preheat oven to 500°F. Brush with herb oil, add toppings, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Focaccia
topped with rosemary, sauteed red onions, cured olives, and feta and Romano cheese

 
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