Lacto Fermented Vegetables

Supercrispilicious!

Fermenting with sea salt brine called buro in Tagalog language has been a Philippine method of preserving vegetables for as long as I can remember. I specially like the spicy mustard greens bought from the wet market. My mother added them to sour soups. I really love burong mustasa with the Chinese-Filipino steamed bun sandwich, cua pao. Another favorite of mine is green mango. I have made both several times but with a shorter period of fermentation and never used the airlock system.

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Dinuguan (Blood) Sausage

Pork blood stew (dinuguan), is a Filipino dish I rarely eat. I cooked it once and I actually liked it. It's made with pork blood and meat, and stewed in vinegar and spices. It's usually eaten in the Philippines together with steamed white rice cakes. Recently, I've read about dinuguan made into sausages and smoked, kinda like the Spanish morcilla. What a brilliant idea!

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Limoncello Lemonade

I don't know why I make Limoncello and other fruit flavored liqueur. I hardly drink alcohol and forget I have them to enjoy once in a while. This batch is almost 3 years old and it's time to check if it has aged enough. I ended up diluting it with mint-infused sugar syrup and freshly squeezed lemon juice. I like it. Sweet, tart, and refreshing with a hint of mint.  

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Rice Krispies Ice Cream Bars

It's ice cream season! Actually I make all year round but I make more frequently during late Spring and all Summer long. 

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Salt Cod Croquettes

For those who still have fish for Fridays during Lent season, here is a recipe for salt cod croquettes. Although I've had croquettes before in restaurants, I've never tried making them at home. If you can't find salt cod in grocery stores you can salt and dry your own. They are good specially with Tartar sauce mixed with sriracha or Frank's hot sauce for a little kick.

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Strawberry Ice Scramble

1 more day and it's officially Spring. Everyday, temperature has been rising and the last patches of snow have finally melted over the weekend. I'll miss the white stuff...not really, but it's time to try the Filipino icy street snack or drink. It's called Ice Scramble which is shaved ice mixed with evaporated milk, sugar, and flavoring, usually banana, and red food color, then topped with milk solids and chocolate syrup.

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Flour Tortillas

I cookedPuerco Pibil for the umpteenth time which I always have with white rice. I suddenly wanted the pork dish wrapped in flour tortillas. I made a small batch of tortillas using a recipe that doesn't have baking powder (not recommended). Rolling the dough into thin rounds was time consuming and the dough tends to shrink when transferring to the skillet. Then I remembered I have an electric tortilla maker I bought from eBay many years ago. It was for baking something else, not for making tortillas, but I have forgotten about it after storing it. Story of my life: Buy it, store it, and forget it!

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Portuguese Muffins and Korean Walnut Bread

King Arthur Flour catalog sells Portuguese muffins mix. I've never heard of these flat bread before. They are similar to English muffins but a bit sweeter and don't have "nooks and crannies". The Portuguese call them Bolo Lêvedo. They are cooked just like English muffins, in a griddle or cast iron skillet on a stove top, not in the oven. KAF recipe bakes them in the oven.

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Sriracha Caramel Corn Puffs

Sriracha sauce, caramel, corn puffs together. The best combination. Sweet, slightly spicy, buttery. You can't eat just one bowl. Why didn't I think of making this earlier?

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White Chili Spaghetti Bake

The current chilly temperature isn't likely to leave us any time soon. Times like these make me hope global warming is real because we could use some "climate change" right now. *Where the heck is algore BTW?*

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