April 24, 2008

Dale's Ribs

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The winner of last week's Top Chef elimination challenge was Dale Talde, a Filipino sous chef in a New York City restaurant. The challenge was to prepare barbecue for the Chicago Bears tailgaters. Dale's winning recipe is a tandoori style pork ribs. He originally wanted chicken wings but another cheftestant bought all the chicken wings so he chose pork ribs but kept his original idea of tandoori. Many party goers including former players and all the judges loved the ribs. I was almost drooling while watching them eat.

I adapted his recipe for 12 racks of pork ribs which is for a huge crowd. I did some calculations for the amount of ribs I have and I was so happy the seasonings came out perfect. I also marinated the ribs overnight and broiled them in the oven because I was too lazy to light the charcoal, which didn't matter because the ribs are yummy to the max. Dale deserves the win. His ribs are superb, we all love it. I like that he poached the ribs in seasoned water before marinating, resulting in very tender and flavorful ribs.

April 22, 2008

Peanut Panocha (Penuche)

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Peanut Panocha
Peanut Panocha

Over the past two weeks I have been acting like a mad scientist trying to make peanut panocha, those peanut studded raw sugar flat discs you can buy anywhere in the Philippines. They are sort of grainy, not chewy, and soft enough not to break your teeth. I searched and searched and searched online for a store that sells them, no such luck. And the more I searched for the candies or the recipe the more I got the munchies like a crazed pregnant woman. I guess the candies won't pass the FDA's approval probably due to germs, packaging, etc . Or maybe there isn't any demand for these treats and nobody but me and my family love them.

April 20, 2008

Ostrich Meatloaf

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I have read a few years ago in newpaper articles that raising ostrich is becoming popular in several farms in my area. Ostrich meat is believed to be much healthier than beef or chicken because it contains more protein and has less fat and cholesterol. I went to our local farmer's market yesterday morning and got a pound of ground ostrich. The vendor also sells ostrich byproducts such as feather dusters, soaps, lip balms, and skin lotion. The farmer's market is open year round but only a few vendors are doing business selling locally roasted Honduran arabica coffee, dairy products, cheeses, artisan breads, assorted meats, and sausages. The produce vendors will sell their stuff starting in May. I'll write about our farmer's market another day.


The look and taste of ostrich meatloaf closely resemble beef meatloaf. I altered my usual recipe using TVP (soy textured vegetable protein) as added protein, filler, and binder in place of bread crumbs, milk, and egg. I honestly can't tell any difference flavorwise and the meatloaf is moist. I love ostrich meatloaf and don't mind that it is slightly pricier than beef. We had the meatloaf with Parsleyed Potatoes With Saffron and Sauteed Green Beans With Shallots And Garlic.

Ostrich Meatloaf
1 pound ground ostrich
1 C hydrated TVP
¼ C red wine
1 medium onion, finely chopped
½ C chili sauce or ketchup
1 C finely chopped green bell pepper
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp mustard powder
¼ tsp ground black pepper
2 T ketchup for topping
  • Mix all the ingredients except the ketchup for topping. Transfer into a 9 x 4-inch loaf pan or form into loaf on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes, spread ketchup on top of meatloaf and bake for another 15 minutes.
Parsleyed Potatoes With Saffron


1½ pounds small red potatoes, peeled
2 T extra virgin olive oil
small pinch of saffron, crumbled
1 T finely chopped parsley
¼ tsp salt
  • Steam potatoes for 20 minutes. In a skillet heat olive oil over medium heat. Add cooked potatoes, saffron, salt, and parsley. Stir for 1 minute to coat potaoes well.
Sauteed Green Beans



½ pound green beans
2 T water
½ tsp salt
2 T extra virgin olive oil
2 T fried shallots
1 T crumbled fried sliced garlic
  • In a skillet heat water over medium heat and add beans and salt. Cover and cook until half of the water has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Uncover, add the shallots, garlic, and the remaining olive oil and stir fry for 2 minutes or until beans are tender but still crisp.

April 16, 2008

Puto (Steamed Rice Muffins): White, Purple Yam, And Pandan

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Puto Puto

Several of my readers emailed me or left comments requesting for puto recipes. The last time I made white puto was either a year ago (or maybe 4 months ago?). I made pandan flavored puto just once two years ago. Nobody including me liked the pandan and never made them again.

 
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