Zebulon Pike

I bought a new cd recommended by The Bad Plus. Zebulon Pike is a metal band with a difference, their music has the dramatic opera sound of the German composer Wagner. There are only 5 tracks on this cd, 2 of them are 22 and 20 minutes long, I love that there are no vocals, yay! I'm loving this band already and I just got their cd, Zebulon Pike II: The Deafening Twilight, this afternoon! I'm not really into metal (considering I'm ancient and I should maybe get a license to listen to them ;D) but I listen to Tool and Jimi Hendrix.



I can't believe I missed this concert in Baltimore, MD!

Paella

Paella is one dish I make regularly and I'm sorry I can't post the recipe because I don't have one. I developed my own recipe from a variety of Filipino and Spanish cookbooks to suit our taste which may not appeal to others. I don't measure some of the ingredients, I add them as I cook, and I eyeball and taste it if it needs more liquid, salt, etc. The following recipe is not the one I use but it's close enough. This recipe from FAVORITE FILIPINO RECIPES by Pat Limjuco Dayrit is rich and elaborate with lots of seafood.

Paella2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into 1½ inch pieces
2 lbs chicken, cut into 1½ inch pieces
1 lb large prawns, shelled with tails intact and deveined
½ cups extra virgin olive oil plus extra for browning the chicken, pork and prawns
3 large crabs
2 cups clams

½ teaspoons Spanish pimenton (paprika)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Spanish chorizos, thinly sliced
3 cups rice
½ cup tomato sauce
6 cups clam broth
1 small bay leaf
salt and pepper
¼ teaspoon saffron mixed with 1 tablespoon water
1 cup frozen peas
2 pieces pimento, cut into 1-inch squares
2 hard boiled eggs

• In a skillet, heat some oil and brown the chicken and pork pieces, set aside.
• Salt the prawns and brown in oil, set aside. Boil crabs and quarter. Boil clams and remove the empty top shells. Set both aside.
• In a paellera, heat olive oil, add chicken, pork, garlic, onion, paprika, green pepper and chorizo. Toss for a few minutes and add unwashed rice and stir until rice is slightly brown. Add tomato sauce, broth, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Stir a few times then add prawns. Bring to a boil. Add saffron and water. Cover and bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes.
• Uncover and arrange clams, crabs, frozen peas and pimento on top. Cover and bake another 5 minutes. Serve with sliced boiled eggs.

I prefer to have my paella with wedges of boiled eggs and lemon

I also made mango ice cream, so creamy, so good and refreshing after working in the garden for 3 hours

Coconut Leche Flan With Caramelized Macapuno Strings Topping

I was browsing the Filipino cookbook Memories of Philippine Kitchens and the leche flan with caramelized macapuno preserves caught my eye. I didn't follow the recipe because there's too much sugar in it. I used my own recipe and used both coconut milk and low fat milk. I also baked the leche flan with the macapuno already at the bottom of the molds. I think Romy Dorotan's idea of adding the macapuno topping after the leche flan has been unmolded is the better method, mainly for presentation.

Coconut Leche Flan
flan
1 can coconut milk
1½ cups milk
½ cup + 2 tablespoons sugar (more if you like the flan sweeter)
4 egg yolks
4 whole eggs
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

caramel
1 cup sugar for the caramel
Kayumanggi brand macapuno string preserves

• In a large bowl with a handle, heat the coconut milk in the microwave until lukewarm, about 40 seconds . Add the rest of ingredients except the 1 cup sugar for caramel and macapuno. Whisk until thoroughly combined, set aside.
• Prepare the pans.

• I used 4 ramekins and 1 oval leche flan mold. Spoon a layer of macapuno evenly on the bottom of the mold and ramekins.
• In a small skillet, heat ½ cup sugar until it caramelizes and color is golden brown. Pour into the four ramekins covering the macapuno completely. Wash the skillet and caramelize the other ½ cup of sugar and pour into the oval mold.
• Pour the egg mixture through a fine mesh strainer into the four ramekins, pour the rest in the oval mold. Arrange the ramekins in a square baking pan and the mold in another square baking pan. Pour hot water halfway up the sides of the ramekins and mold. Bake in a 325°F oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Cool completely in the refrigerator before unmolding.

Grilled Chicken

Grilled chicken with inasal seasoning is so delicious. The combination of spices and the addition of Star margarine give this dish a very tasty and distinct Filipino flavor. The slightly charred skin is to die for. Forget about dieting, this dish will make you eat like a Pinoy construction worker, with tons of garlic rice. :D

Grilled Chicken Inasal Style
1 whole chicken or chicken thigh/drumstick pieces
kosher salt water
3 stalks lemongrass, sliced into ½ inch pieces
¼ cup ginger, sliced
6 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons calamansi or lemon juice
1 tablespoon coconut vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
¼ cup annatto seeds
¼ cup olive oil
Star margarine

• The day before, brine the chicken in 3 tablespoons kosher salt and enough water to cover, refrigerate overnight. The next day, rinse chicken slightly then butterfly, if whole or cut into serving pieces, set aside. In a small pan heat olive oil and annatto seeds. Turn off heat, set aside to color the oil. Combine lemongrass, ginger and garlic in a food processor and process until finely minced. Add calamansi, vinegar and salt. Transfer mixture into a glass container. Strain the annatto-infused oil, discard seeds. Add to the lemongrass mixture and mix thoroughly. Marinate chicken in the mixture for 1 - 2 hours. Charcoal grill (or bake in 400°F oven) until skin is slightly charred, basting often with Star margarine. Serve with plenty of garlic rice and chili & vinegar dipping sauce.

malted milk ice cream with crushed malted milk balls for dessert, yummmm