Chicken Relleno

One of the must-have dishes for Noche Buena, the feast served at Christmas midnight in the Philippines is Chicken Relleno, a whole boneless chicken stuffed with ground pork and seasonings and baked until golden brown. The dish is usually cooked-to-order from stores or the household cooks prepare them. Whether it's homemade or store-bought the Chicken Relleno is always at the center of the Filipino Christmas dinner table celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

Chicken Relleno
adapted from FLAVORS OF THE PHILIPPINES
by Glenda Rosales-Barretto

chicken
2½ pounds whole chicken
2 teaspoons sea salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon soft butter for brushing

stuffing
4 pieces Vienna sausage, chopped
2 pieces Spanish chorizo, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pound ground pork
¼ cup roasted red bell pepper, diced
¼ cup sliced stuffed olives
3 tablespoons raisins
3 tablespoons grated Edam cheese
2 teaspoons sea salt, or to taste
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 hard boiled eggs

• Debone the chicken then season inside and out with salt and pepper.
• In a large bowl, mix all the stuffing ingredients except hard boiled eggs. Fry a teaspoon of the filling and adjust seasoning if needed. Stuff the chicken with the mixture and arrange the hard boiled eggs by pushing the meat filling along the sides of the cavity. Sew the opening securely with kitchen thread.
• Brush the chicken all over with the soft butter. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 1½ hours or until the skin is golden brown.

Read more international Christmas recipes here or click on the banner above starting December 1, 2010. Enjoy.

Stuffed Prawns

The theme for November 2010 Kulinarya Cooking Club is Relleno or Stuffed meat, seafood, or vegetables which is great because I love making and eating rellenos. The rellenos I have made are boneless chicken, squid, crabs, and our favorite, eggplants and green bell peppers and I have also stuffed mushrooms, vegetable marrows, tomatoes, and potatoes. I guess I'm just relleno-happy. ^__^

The only other ingredients left that I haven't made into Philippine-style relleno are prawns, and I would love to stuff whole frogs too if only they were readily available. For the prawn stuffing, I used a combination of smoked ham [instead of the usual ground pork], scallions, chives, and Italian parsley and wrapped them in lumpia (spring roll) wrapper before deep frying until crispy. They are crunchilicious and are the perfect appetizers for the coming holiday meals. I love them served with sweet chilli sauce or spicy banana ketchup.

Stuffed Prawns
12 large prawns, shelled but leave tails intact
¾ cup finely chopped smoked honey ham
1 tablespoon each finely chopped scallions, chives, and Italian parsley
6 sheets lumpia (spring roll) wrapper, cut in half
light olive oil for frying

• Slit the back of the prawns. Combine ham, scallions, chives, and parsley. Fill each prawn with one tablespoon of the mixture and wrap with spring roll wrapper. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately with sweet chilli sauce on the side.

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine. Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.

Thank you Anna and Dahlia for choosing Relleno and for hosting this month's Kulinarya Cooking Club edition.

Uraro (Arrowroot) Cookies

Uraro cookies are a childhood favorite of mine, and of many Filipinos I know. These are dry crunchy cookies that have very simple clean flavor, not too sweet, and slightly buttery and milky. My preferred drink with these cookies is iced whole milk. Makes me feel like a kid again.

Although these cookies are occasionally available at the Philippine grocery stores, most of them have more tapioca flour than arrowroot. Since arrowroot flour is now available at most grocery stores, I made them..twice. The first batch was plain, and delicious BTW, and I added chopped dried fruits into the second [half] batch which didn't turn out great. Plain is better IMHO but I'm thinking of adding puffed pinipig or rice crispies next time.

Uraro Cookies
8 ounces sugar
3 large eggs
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
12 ounces arrowroot flour
4 ounces tapioca flour
2 ounces very fine dry milk powder

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Place the sugar in a blender and blend to a powder.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs until thick and light yellow in color. Transfer into a small bowl.
• Place the butter in the same bowl and beat on medium-high until light and fluffy.
• Blend in the beaten eggs and vanilla extract on low until thoroughly combined.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, and milk, and slowly add into the butter mixture, beating on low until well incorporated. Sprinkle more arrowroot flour if the dough appears too soft; or refrigerate the dough for 10 minutes until firm enough for the cookie press.
• Fill cookie press. With flower or snowflake design plate, form cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 15 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Transfer cookies on wire racks to cool completely. Store in airtight jars. Yield: about 120 1½ inch cookies.

Baked Root and Leaf Vegetable Crisps

taro, sweet potato, and beet crisps

kale crisps

One of the leafy green vegetables I love is kale. It's so good simply sauteed in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, onion, and sea salt, and is an excellent addition to soups. My favorite preparation of kale is baking them until crispy. The kale crisps are nutty and have an appealing slight bitterness. Absolutely delicious and addicting. Baked root vegetable crisps such as sweet potatoes, beets, taro, and parsnips are also very good for snacking.

• To make root vegetable crisps: Sweet potatoes, parsnips, and beets: scrub well, leave unpeeled; peel taro. Slice thinly using a mandoline slicer or by hand. In separate bowls, drizzle each root with olive oil, lightly toss, and sprinkle with sea salt. Place a single layer on baking sheets and bake in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes. Flip the pieces and bake for another 10 minutes or until the edges are curly and browned. The beets will take longer to bake, about 10 minute more.
• To make kale crisps: Remove the leaves from the stem and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and spin dry thoroughly. Drizzle olive oil, lightly massaging it on the leaf surface. Sprinkle with sea salt and place a single layer on baking sheets. Bake in a 325°F oven for 10 minutes. Flip the leaves and bake for another 6 to 10 minutes.