Cherry and Chocolate Semifreddo

I have read a lot about semifreddo which is supposed to be much lighter than ice cream but most of the recipes are custard based. I didn't want adding egg yolks which will make the semifreddo richer than the ice cream I usually make. I found a recipe for strawberry semifreddo that uses egg whites and heavy cream. I substituted chopped bing cherries and added shaved bittersweet chocolates similar to Cherry Garcia ice cream but much lighter, sort of in between ice cream and ice pop. I also poured the mixture in a loaf pan and sliced them for a simpler and easier method of serving. Enjoy the slices with chocolate or cherry sauce or almond cookies, if desired.

Cherry And Chocolate Semifreddo
1 cup fresh bing cherries, pitted and snipped or coarsely chopped
½ cup shaved chocolate candy bar (milk, semi-sweet or bittersweet)
4 egg whites (powder)
2½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup sugar (add more to taste)
1½ cup heavy cream, whipped
chocolate sauce, cherry coulis, or amaretti cookies (optional)

• Place chopped cherries in one layer on a plate and leave in the freezer. Chill chocolate in the refrigerator.
• In a stand mixer, whip egg whites and vanilla extract until frothy. Gradually beat in sugar. Beat until stiff but not dry. Fold in whipped cream. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Line an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with plastic film allowing 6 inch overhang on each side. Put some of the cherries and chocolate evenly on the bottom of the pan then ladle about a third of the chilled cream and egg whites. Freeze for 15 minutes. Repeat layering procedure with the remaining cherries/chocolate and cream/egg whites. Cover top with the plastic film overhang. Freeze for 3 hours or overnight.
• Slice and serve with chocolate or cherry sauce. Or allow to soften for 5 minutes and use ice cream scoop and spoon into dessert glasses.

Longa-Burger

Longa as in longaniza, the Filipino sausage that's garlicky and sweetish. Yesterday I made 2 styles of Philippine longanizas after reading so much about them in several food blogs, Vigan from the north and from Lucban, just south of Manila. Both are very very garlicky and are not sweet. I've never had them before so I can't really tell if the recipes I found online are authentic. The Vigan style have very little vinegar and the Lucban style are closer in texture and flavor to the Spanish chorizo. They are both so delicious. I added a little sugar into half of the Vigan style and formed them into small patties which is the perfect size for the small hamburger buns I baked almost 2 months ago. These longa-burgers are very yummy with tomato slices and shaved mini cucumbers. For breakfast tomorrow I'll fry an egg to top the patty, my version of sausage McMuffin with egg. Yum yum.

Vigan Style Longaniza
2 pounds chilled pork shoulder, ground using medium die
½ chilled pound pork fat, coarsely chopped by hand
¼ cup finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon finely minced onions
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup soy sauce
2¼ tablespoon vinegar
sausage casings, soaked in warm water for 1 hour, then rinsed and flushed

• In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except casings until well blended. Stuff the mixture into casings and tie every 2 inches long with a string. Prick all over with sausage pricker or sterilized needle. Hang to dry for about 4 hours.
• To cook: Put ¼ cup water and 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet and turn the heat to medium-high. Add longanizas, cover, turn heat to low and cook until all of the water evaporates.
• Uncover and pan fry sausages until nicely browned. Serve hot with fried rice and tomatoes.

Lucban Style Longaniza
2 pounds chilled pork belly, medium ground
½ pound chilled pork fat, cut into small cubes
1 tablespoon sea salt
2½ tablespoons paprika
1½ tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoons dark cane sugar vinegar or cider vinegar
sausage casings, soaked in warm water for 1 hour, then rinsed and flushed

• In a bowl mix salt and pork belly. Roast the paprika, garlic powder, and oregano in a hot pan until smoky. Add to the mixture together with the sugar and vinegar. Mix to combine. Add pork fat and mix thoroughly. Let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes.
• Stuff the casings with the meat mixture and form into 5-inch links. Place in refrigerator, covered for at least 8 hours. To cook, shallow fry in hot oil.

Lucban and Vigan longaniza

Mark Bittman's Chicken Adobo

I love lots of adobo sauce on my rice

A reader emailed me last week asking for Mark Bittman's Chicken Adobo recipe. I didn't know he has one and thought it might be the Mexican adobo version. I got curious and borrowed from the library his 1998 cookbook HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING and there it is on page 377: Filipino Chicken Adobo. He writes: "The Philippine classic has been called the best chicken dish in the world by a number of friends of mine." He uses the basic Filipino adobo ingredients and finishes the dish in the grill (or broiler) after boiling in the vinegar mixture for 30 minutes. The grilled flavor and the crispy skin and meat make the chicken adobo really special. I altered his recipe a little bit by using only half a cup of soy sauce and adding 1½ tsp of sea salt and half a cup more of water. I also used the dark (cane sugar) vinegar from the Philippine Ilocos province which gives the dish a hint of sweetness and a fruity flavor. I will definitely add this recipe to my growing Adobo recipe collection for my ADOBO COOKBOOK. The dish also gave me an idea to adobo-marinate other meats such as baby back ribs or thin sliced pork belly, then grill directly without boiling them first.

Mark Bittman's Chicken Adobo
1 cup soy sauce
½ cup white or rice vinegar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 whole (3 - 4 pounds) chicken, cut up, trimmed of excess fat, then rinsed and patted dry with paper towels, or use 2 pounds bone-in thighs

1. Combine the first six ingredients in a covered pot large enough to hold the chicken in one layer. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add the chicken pieces, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, covered, for about 30 minutes, turning once or twice. (You may prepare the chicken in advance up to this point; refrigerate the chicken, in the liquid, for up to a day before proceeding.)
2. Start a charcoal or wood fire or preheat a gas grill or broiler. The fire need not be too hot, but place the rack just 3 or 4 inches from the heat source.
3. Remove the chicken and dry it gently with paper towels. (My note: Remove excess fat before boiling sauce.) Boil the sauce over high heat until it is reduced to about 1 cup; discard bay leaves and keep the sauce warm. Meanwhile, grill or broil the chicken until brown and crisp, about 5 minutes per side. Serve the chicken with the sauce and white rice.

The aroma of very hot rice and chicken on the banana leaf I lined the serving platter and my plate with evoked memories of my elementary and high school days. The very few times I bought baon (packed lunch) were on school field trips. My mom used to put hot rice in the middle of several layers of large banana leaves then place the hot meat, usually chicken and pork adobo with plenty of sauce, on top of the rice soaking the rice with the sauce, then fold the corners together, tuck them in to make a neat leak-proof bundle. Believe me when you open the package and get a whiff of the fragrant banana leaves, rice, and adobo combination you'll want to dig right in even if you're not very hungry. Banana leaves as a food wrapper or container is way better than plastic boxes or aluminum foil, good for the environment too.:-)

Eggplants Cooked Two Ways

"The Chin", small graffiti, Asian, and Mr. Eggplant Head

Last week I purchased too many eggplants. First, because two of them were shaped funny I just had to get them. One had a weird growth that looked like a nose (Mr. Eggplant Head?) and the other was bent and reminded me of Jay Leno's chin. Second, because I've always loved the sweet and smoky flavor of eggplants simply fried with beaten eggs (tortang talong) or charred over the stove then seasoned with salt and ginger juice served with chopped tomatoes as a cold appetizer or salad. Recently I have been cooking and loving Middle Eastern-style food and used half of the eggplants in a chickpeas stew, the other half I made into ratatouille. This is the first time I made both dishes which are similar to each other, and I equally love them. They're both healthy vegetarian dishes which can be served hot, at room temperature, or cold.

Arabian Eggplant And Chickpea Stew

1 cup chickpeas, soaked overnight
2 large eggplants, about 2 pounds
sea salt
½ cup olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
2 large onions, sliced thin
10 unpeeled garlic cloves
1 cup seeded and chopped fresh tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
½ teaspoon hot Hungarian paprika
3 cloves garlic, finely minced
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon ground allspice or cinnamon
fresh lemon juice, optional
fresh mint sprigs for garnish

• Peel and halve the chickpeas; set aside.
• Cut the whole unpeeled eggplant into 2½-inch chunks. Salt the pieces and leave to drain in a colander for at least 1 hour.
• Rinse the eggplant, squeeze gently, and pat dry with paper towels. Working in batches, lightly fry the chunks in 5 tablespoons hot oil until golden brown; drain. Sprinkle the eggplant with pepper and set aside.
• In a 3-quart casserole with a tight-fitting lid, warm the remaining olive oil and add the onions. Saute them over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until limp and golden. Add the chickpeas and fry 2 minutes. Stir in the drained eggplant, unpeeled garlic, tomatoes, tomato paste, and paprika.
• Cover tightly and cook over low-medium heat without stirring 40 minutes. Carefully fold in the crushed garlic, parsley, vinegar, sugar, and allspice.
• Cook 10 minutes longer, or until thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Serve hot or at room temperature. Sprinkle with a few drops of lemon juice, if desired. Garnish with the mint.

For the ratatouille I followed the easier one-pot version of this recipe, it is really delicious. I simmered the dish for almost 2 hours on low heat and the vegetables surprisingly retained their shape.

ratatouille - the French pinakbet (minus the salted fish and pork):-)