Chicken Kamameshi

Writing about rice and finding out there are several to choose from American grown got me busy for a while. I inventoried my rice stash and was not really that surprised at the number of rice bags in my pantry: Thai jasmine and black glutinous, US (Koda Farms) short grain, glutinous and brown, and Italian arborio, 6 kinds of rice! We are Filipinos and we eat rice every night, we also love sushi, onigiri, risotto, paella, and various Filipino rice snacks. I opened the newly bought bag of short grain and suddenly I thought of kamameshi. We used to eat this Japanese rice dish at a restaurant in Makati called Kamameshi House or something. They serve very good Japanese food and the most delicious Chicken And Vegetables Kamameshi. This rice dish is unheard of in Japanese restaurants where I live *yes I live in the boondocks*. One or two authentic Japanese restaurants in Washington D.C have kamameshi in their menus but we rarely drive to D.C. The place is teeming with tourists on weekends and the streets are chaotic during weekdays, and I'm a little scared of getting lost and it's very possible that with one wrong turn we will end up in the notorious part of the District. I don't want to be mugged for a bowl of kamameshi.:DAnyways, I am happy with my homecooked kamameshi but will still try to look for Japanese restaurants that make them.

Chicken Kamameshi
2 tablespoonssoy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons mirin
2 tablespoons sake
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup sliced onion
¼ teaspoon finely minced garlic
¼ cup sliced asparagus or carrots
¼ cup green peas
2 cups Japanese short grain rice
¼ cup sliced shiitake
2 cups bite-size pieces boneless chicken breasts or thighs

• Wash and drain rice on a fine sieve, leave for 30 minutes. Mix first 6 ingredients until sugar and salt are dissolved, taste and adjust seasoning. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and cook in a rice cooker, earthen pot, or non-stick saucepan for 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Serve kamameshi with warm sake or cold green tea.

Mother's Day Brunch

Happy Mother's Day!

For Mother's Day brunch we had Roasted Asparagus with slightly sweetened and reduced balsamic vinegar, poached egg, and shaved Parmesan cheese. I got the asparagus and eggs from the farmer's market yesterday morning (I went despite the rain and chilly wind) and yes, they taste better than store bought.

Roasted Asparagus And Poached Eggs
adapted from recipe at Martha Stewart.com
1 bunch asparagus, preferably thin ones
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon raw sugar
eggs
shaved Parmesan cheese

• Wash and trim asparagus. Place in a small roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle salt evenly. Bake in a 400 degree oven until wilted and beginning to brown. While asparagus is roasting, heat the vinegar and sugar in a small skillet until reduced by half. Poach eggs in a medium pan of simmering water mixed with a tsp of cider vinegar. Divide roasted asparagus into 2 individual plates. Drizzle balsamic vinegar all over. Arrange a poached egg on top. Shave Parmesan cheese over the asparagus and egg. Serve immediately with crusty bread or brioche.

Fiesta Beef Pot Pie

I baked another pie, a savory pie. I'm into pie lately because I looove flaky crusts. We still have a few pieces of beef empanadas I made last week but that did not stop me from making a beef pie for lunch today. This is my favorite beef pie recipe adapted from a 1990 Good Housekeeping magazine issue which I have clipped, saved, and filed in a binder with all the other magazine/newspaper recipes. (I should probably organize and put them in my computer already.) The ingredients that make this pie so delicious are the corn meal, toasted wheat germ, and grated cheese in its crust. I love its flavors and textures paired with the slightly spicy Tex-Mex seasoning of the beef and vegetables filling.

*This pie recipe by Mary King was the Grand-Prize Winner of Crisco's 1990 American Pie Celebration.

Fiesta Beef Pot Pie

beef and vegetable filling
1 tablespoon light olive oil
1½ pounds very lean stew beef, cut into ¼-inch cubes
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
4 fresh jalapeño pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 16-ounce can tomatoes, or 2 C chopped fresh tomatoes
1½ cups sweet corn kernels
1 cup sliced mushrooms
½ cup water
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tsp chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander seeds
½ cup sliced ripe olives

flaky Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow corn meal
2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup very cold diced butter
1/3 cup very cold diced butter flavor Crisco
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8 - 10 tablespoon ice water
1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons water

• In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat oil and saute beef until well browned. Add garlic, onions, and pepper and saute for 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except olives. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring mixture occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in olives, set aside to cool slightly.
• Prepare the crust: In a bowl combine flour, cornmeal, wheat germ, and salt. With your fingertips cut in butter, Crisco, and cheese until it resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in ice water 1 T at a time until it forms a ball. Divide dough in half. Roll one ball into an 11-inch circle. Ease into a pie plate. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spoon filling into pie crust. Roll the other dough into an 11-inch circle. Lift top crust onto filled pie. Cut slits on top crust to allow steam to escape while baking. Fold top edge under bottom crust, flute or pinch. Glaze with egg wash or heavy cream. Bake fro 35 minutes or until meat filling begins to bubble and crust is golden brown. Sprinkle top with more shredded cheese, if desired.

spicy juicy beef filling in crunchy cheese-y flaky crust

Buco (Young Coconut) Custard Pie

There are three baked treats in the Filipino magazine called FOOD that have been in my to-bake list: Buco Custard Pie, Ube Roll Cake, and 7-Layer Toffee Crunch Cake. Up first is Buco Custard Pie, a rather rich version of the buco pie with the addition of a layer of custard. The pie is yummy, the crust is flaky, the filling is very creamy and not overly sweet. I don't know why I added the custard layer because I am not a fan of egg pie, I guess I was just curious. It came out very yummy, we finished the pie in 2 days! For the buco filling I used the meat and water of 2 fresh young coconuts. I was lucky both have thick but still soft meat. Hacking the bucos open was a real chore. This is the first time in my life I ever opened a coconut. I had to use a hammer after draining the water into a bowl, I was so scared of shards flying...I tell you, it is hard work. In the Philippines when we bought them in the markets or by the roadsides going to the provinces the sellers opened them after draining the water into a separate plastic bag. In restaurants they are served very cold with a straw in it and a spoon to scrape the meat. At home, the housemaids did all the hacking, I never bothered watching how it's done. I'm thinking of buying a machete which is the right tool to open a coconut but where will I cut it?*sigh*. Or I'll use frozen young coconut next time.

Buco Custard Pie

crust
2½ cups pastry flour
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoonp salt
¾ cup very cold diced butter
½ cup ice water
2 egg whites

• In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in butter, I prefer using my fingertips, until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle water slowly, toss with a fork until the dough comes together. Divide dough into 2 equal parts, shape into balls, flatten and wrap individually in plastic film, and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out one dough into an 11-inch circle. Ease into a 9-inch pie pan. Smooth the dough into the bottom and sides of pan. Trim off excess to about 1 inch wider than pan. Prick bottom and sides all over with a fork. Blind bake for 15 minutes. Let cool. Brush with egg whites, set aside.

buco layer
4 cups young coconut meat cut into 1-inch strips
2 cups young coconut water, divided
1 cup evaporated milk
½ cup sugar
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup cornstarch

• In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut meat, 1 cup coconut water, evaporated milk, sugar, and condensed milk. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring often for 8 minutes. Stir cornstarch into the remaining coconut water. When the coconut meat mixture begins to boil, add cornstarch mixture, stirring quickly until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

custard layer
1/3 cup sugar
¼ cup flour
1 cup milk
2 eggs, slightly beaten in a small bowl
1 teaspoon vanilla

• In a small saucepan, combine sugar, flour, salt, and milk. Cook over low heat, stirring often until the mixture begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from heat. Slowly stir in half of the mixture into the egg yolks. Beat until smooth and return to the saucepan with the remaining mixture. Cook until thick, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Cool slightly.

to assemble the pie:
1 egg yolk mixed with 2 tablespoons water

• Pour the buco meat filling into the crust, smooth top. Add custard on top of buco, smooth top. Roll out the second dough round into an 11-inch circle. Ease on top of the custard. Pinch edges of crust together and crimp or press with a fork. Brush top of pie with egg wash. Bake in the preheated 400°F oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.