Reich's Kitchen

Spaghetti with Meatballs

2015-03-24T19:39:00.000+08:00

This is the second pasta recipe I prepared for my Dad's birthday lunch. I was aiming it to be a bestseller for kids. Lo and behold, kids at heart loved it too! Delight everyone with this SPAGHETTI WITH MEATBALLS.

Serves 5
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cooking Time 30 minutes

Ingredients:
Meatballs

1/2 kilo ground beef
1 tbsp rock salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 cup prepared breadcrumbs (soak in scant 1/2 cup fresh milk)
1 egg, lightly beaten
oil for frying

Sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
3 tbsps tomato paste
1 bay leaf, torn
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Optional: to make it sweet-style spaghetti

1/2 cup white sugar

To Serve

250g spaghetti
grated Parmesan cheese

Cooking Procedure:

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. Pasta should be al dente and not overcooked.
Drain pasta. Set aside.
Combine all ingredients for the meatballs in a large bowl.
Wet your hands to prepare them for folding the mixture.
Fold the ingredients until thouroughly mixed.
Using a measuring spoon (1 tbsp), scoop twice of the mixture to your palm, roll in your hands, and form 2-inch sized meatballs. Continue until all the mixture is formed into meatballs. That's about 8-10 pieces.
Heat a pan or skillet on medium-high flame. Pour vegetable oil until about 1/4-inch deep.
Fry the meatballs in batches until all sides are browned. Drain the oil by placing them on a paper towel-lined plate.
Discard the used oil but do not clean the pan.
In the same pan, pour olive oil.
When the oil is already hot, fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the onions and bell pepper and cook until softened.
Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, water, bay leaf, Italian seasoning, and sugar. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes.
Add the meatballs, cover, and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.
Season to taste.
Serve on spaghetti, and top with parmesan cheese.

Scant means barely. A scant cup therefore is barely a cup, or a little less than a cup. It is the opposite of heaping, which means rounded or over the top.
Al dente literally means to the tooth. No better way to check if the pasta is cooked than to bite it. If the pasta is firm but doesn't stick to your teeth, it's cooked. If it sticks to your teeth, cook for another minute and check again. DO NOT OVERCOOK.
Folding is a gentler manner of mixing ingredients than "stirring", or "mixing". It also means mixing a lighter ingredient with a heavier ingredient.

I hope this becomes a bestseller for you too! Enjoy!

Here is the other pasta recipe I prepared for my Dad's birthday lunch: TUNA AGLIO OLIO.

This recipe is lifted from the February 2015 issue of Appetite magazine (PH).

Tuna Aglio Olio

2015-03-24T13:26:00.003+08:00

My Papa requested that I cook two pasta meals for his birthday lunch. How can I say no? :-) For recipe number 1, I decided to go with this simple pasta recipe to complement all the other flavor-packed food that will be served. Aglio Olio too simple? Then make it a TUNA AGLIO OLIO.

Serves 4
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cooking Time 15 minutes

Ingredients:

10 whole garlic cloves, peeled
4 garlic cloves, sliced thinly or minced
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 (180g) cans tuna in brine, drained
2 tbsps capers
5 pcs black olives, sliced
3 tbsps grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
extra virgin olive oil
250g fusilli (twist/corkscrew pasta)
salt and pepper to taste

Optional:

flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Cooking Procedure:

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Pasta should be al dente, and not overcooked.
Drain pasta.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on the pasta, and stir to coat. Set aside.
Put a large pot over medium heat. Pour in the olive oil until about 1/4-inch depth.
Once hot, add the whole garlic cloves. Cook until lightly browned.
Add the sliced/minced garlic, and cook until lightly browned.
Add the onion, and cook until softened.
Add the tuna, capers, black olives, and cheese.
Season with salt and pepper. Cook until heated through.
Turn off heat.
Place the cooked noodles in the pot and stir carefully to combine with the sauce.
Serve hot with more parmesan cheese, and parsley.

Chunky recipes like this work best with fusilli pasta or any kind of big/thick pasta because the pasta can "catch" all the goodness in the recipe. Yummm!

Read the other Aglio Olio tips here.

Here is the other pasta recipe I prepared for my Dad's birthday lunch: SPAGHETTI WITH MEATBALLS.

Enjoy!

This recipe is lifted from the March 2015 issue of Appetite Magazine (PH).

Manong-Style Fishball Sauce

2015-03-15T11:05:00.000+08:00

When I was younger, there was this Manong who goes around our village to sell fishballs. My brothers were fond of buying from him that later on, I found myself frequently buying from him too. Now, almost everywhere I go, usually near offices and schools, there is this Manong fishball who is our suki. With our daily craving for fried streetfood in a cart-wielded store, comes our love for the sauces and dips these stick picks come with. Want to whip it up at home? Try this fishball, squidball, chicken ball, and kikiam sauce -- Manong-style.

Serves 5
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 15 minutes

Ingredients:

4 tbsps soy sauce (regular, not light)
1 tsp of white vinegar
2 tbsps all-purpose flour
3 tbsps cornstarch
3/4 cups brown sugar
4 cups water
1 small white onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 siling labuyo
salt
pepper
1 pack of fishballs, squidballs, chicken balls, or kikiam, or a combination of these
short bbq sticks
oil for frying

Cooking Procedure:

In a cool saucepan, mix the soy sauce, white vinegar, flour, cornstarch, brown sugar, and water. Mix well until it is free of lumps and granules.
Place the saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally to not burn the sugar.
Once the mixture boils, lower the heat, and add the onion, garlic, and sili.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Continue stirring and heating over low flame until its consistency is near to what is desired. Residual heat will thicken it a bit more.
Pour it in a serving bowl or deep sauce dish. You may directly put it in a jar for easy dipping and storing.
Fry the fishballs, squidballs, chicken balls, or kikiam to your desired crispiness.
Skewer them from the pan and drain. (Consistent to our manong-style vibe!)
Dip in the sauce and enjoy.

Do not use any other type of vinegar. Spiced vinegars are overpowering. You may eliminate the vinegar if you do not want to add sourness to your sauce.
White onion may be replaced with shallots, or any sweet onion variety. We want it with just a hint of onion flavor that will not overpower the sweet-salty mix we want to achieve. But of course, you may adjust this to your liking. If you want stronger flavor, use red onion.
You may use more than 1 siling labuyo, depending on the hotness you want to achieve. Siling labuyo may be replaced with Bird's Eye Chili, but this has lesser hotness than the labuyo variety. Adjust as desired.

Dip and re-dip all you want! :-) Enjoy!

The initial recipe was shared by the Manong near the church I go to. He was unsure of the measurements (or perhaps does not want to divulge haha!). I just tried and retried combinations based on recipes I saw online, and finally settled with this. :-)

Sticky Sausages

2015-01-01T11:30:00.000+08:00

Every New Year's Eve, everyone in our family prepares a dish to be served during Media Noche (the Midnight feast). This year, I wanted something easy, yet flavorful; special, yet simple. This recipe for STICKY SAUSAGES became an instant crowd-pleaser. Try it!

Serves 8
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 20 minutes

Ingredients:

12 pcs 5/6-inch sausages, thawed
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 cup raw honey
4 medium onions, quartered
10 cloves garlic, halved
thyme
sage
marjoram
black pepper
1 bunch spring onions, minced

Optional:

red or green peppers,
dried chili flakes

Cooking Procedure:

Pre-heat the oven 200C for 10 minutes while preparing the ingredients.
Put the onions and garlic in a roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and season well with thyme, sage, and marjoram. Roast for 5 minutes.
Toss in the sausages to the oil mixture. Line them up evenly on the roasting tin for even cooking.
Drizzle honey on the sausages, and cook for 15 minutes. Turn the sausages halfway every 5 minutes until everything is cooked, evenly browned, and sticky.
Garnish with spring onions.
Serve with mashed potato, or crusty bread.

You may add black pepper, red and green peppers, and chili flakes in Step 2 to make it spicy/hot.
You may use a variety of sausages (garlic, smoked, cheddar, etc.) for better palatability. Remember though to use same-branded, or similar-sized sausages for even cooking.
Remember that sausages need to be cooked through to the center. If links are thicker or larger, they may need more time to cook.
Do not cook sausages too long, nor cook them in too high temperature, their skin will burst.
You may opt to slice or cut the sausages. This will make the flavors seep to the oil mixture. When serving, do not remove the oil mixture to keep it soaked in flavor.
This is definitely best served with ice-cold beer too. :-)

Cheers to the new year, friends! Enjoy! :-)

Recipe is based on a combination of sausage recipes found on BBC Good Food.

Aglio Olio

2013-09-20T21:33:00.000+08:00

Never did I think that this simple pasta recipe can be so flavorful. I was proven wrong. This garlic and oil pasta wins my heart. From now on, I'm an AGLIO OLIO fan. :-)

Serves 2
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cooking Time 15 minutes

Ingredients:

250g liguine or spaghetti
3 tbsp good-quality olive oil
15 pcs fresh garlic cloves, sliced
8 pcs fresh garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp dried chili flakes
40g fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
50g butter
sea salt to taste
freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Optional:

1/2 cup homemade breadcrumbs

Cooking Procedure:

Bring a pot of water with 3-4 tbsp sea salt to a boil.
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Pasta should be al dente and not overcooked.
Drain and set aside the pasta, and reserve a small cup of pasta water.
Heat olive oil in a sauce pan.
Add sliced and crushed garlic, and chili flakes. Saute the garlic until it turns light golden brown.
Turn off the stove.
Melt the butter in the still-hot garlic and oil.
Add this mixture to the cooked pasta.
Add 1-2 tbsp (reserved) pasta water, chopped parsley and butter. Stir well to coat the pasta evenly.
If using breadcrumbs, sprinkle it on the pasta, then stir to coat. The breadcrumbs add texture. Repeat as desired.
Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

Aglio Olio is very versatile that you can make variations -- mixed it with mushrooms, or seafood, etc. But I recommend that you try it as it is first. Experiment with other flavors the next time you cook it. :-)
The quality of ingredients you use matters A LOT in a dish with minimal requirements. Use good-quality olive oil (I cannot emphasize this enough), fresh garlic instead of bottled ones, and fresh parsley.
Did you notice the amount of salt you boil the pasta with? I suggest you boil it with that much salt to make the water as salty as sea water. This reduces, if not eliminates, the need to salt the dish later.
Fond of putting oil in your pasta boil? DO NOT add oil when cooking the pasta for Aglio Olio. Doing so will prevent the pasta from absorbing the salt and the overall flavor of the dish.
No better way to check if the pasta is cooked than to bite it. If the pasta is firm but doesn't stick to your teeth, it's cooked. If it sticks to your teeth, cook for another minute and check again. DO NOT OVERCOOK.
In cooking the garlic, make sure your pan is heated just right. You want your garlic to gently sizzle when you put it in the pan. It shouldn't heat up with the garlic (your oil is under-heated). It shouldn't splatter as well (your oil is overheated).
To make the garlic a perfect golden brown, observe its color-change as it cooks. Turn off the stove when it turns light golden brown. Don't worry, it will continue to sizzle and cook in the hot oil until it reaches the desired color. If you turn off the stove when the garlic is already golden brown, you will end up with burnt garlic.
If the garlic, after self-cooking, does not reach your expected color, heat the pan up again for another 10 seconds and turn of the stove. Have it self-cook again for a while. Repeat as needed.
Why reserve pasta water? The pasta water acts as a binder for the ingredients. It gives it a smoother finish too. (Unless you have breadcrumbs of course, which adds texture.) :-)
You can top it with grated Parmesan cheese if you want.
I find that it greatly pairs with grilled herbed chicken and sauteed asparagus or green beans.

This recipe is requested by my sister-in-law, Ivory, for my nephew, Ice, who is a big Aglio Oilo fan.

Enjoy! :-)

Recipe and tips from Food, Food Network and Noob Cook.

Mister Donut's Do-ssant

2013-09-14T02:12:00.000+08:00

DO-SSANT IT LOOK SO GOOD?

What’s all the ongoing hype about this curious combination of the croissant and donut, commonly known as a cronut? There must be something to this latest baked goods innovation that has everyone abuzz. Thankfully, Mister Donut has come up with its own version through the delectable Do-ssant.

That flaky texture coupled with a delicious Bavarian cream filling is just so desirable. With various flavors to choose from such as Sugar-raised, Cinnamon, Glazed, or Dark Chocolate, anyone can fulfill their dream of being a pastry gourmand. And priced at only P65 each, you don’t have to spend so much in order to thoroughly enjoy this foodie treat. Pair it with a cup of Mister Donut’s world-renowned coffee and you’ve just taken café culture to another level.

These freshly baked donut croissants are only available at Mister Donut Greenhills for the meantime. So, go ahead right now and grab a box of 6 to share with your family and friends. With everyone wanting to get a hold of such a creative pastry, discover why this Do-ssant definitely tastes as good as it looks.

There are also other items offered at this 24-hour branch such as Japan’s no. 1 chewey donut, the original Pon de Ring. Donut burgers, all-day breakfast meals, premium croissant sandwiches, milkshakes and desserts can be sampled from the present menu for everyone to enjoy as well.

====================================

Oh my my my, happy heart, happy tummy! Finally, Mister Donut jumped in the doughnut-croissant pastry bandwagon! I was able to sample 3 out of the 4 flavors they offer. They look better in person than in the poster! No kidding. :-)

I love that the new Mister Donut Do-ssant is Bavarian-filled. Wait, you have to know that I am NOT into donut fillings especially Bavarian, BUT this changed the game. I love how the creamy filling goes with the flaky-chewy texture of the do-ssant. Perfect match!

CINNAMON DO-SSANT

Cinnamon is my default order in pastries. I found this a tad sweet than normal but the cinnamon's aromatic taste rides the sweetness just right.

SUGAR-RAISED DOSSANT

The sugar-raised variety is a bit too much for me. It's overly sweet. You might wanna try to tame the sweetness down with coffee. I'm sure it'll be a good pair.

GLAZED DO-SSANT

This is my favorite! Sweetness is just right and you don't have to worry about sugar granules spreading all over your shirt. :-)

This croissant-doughnut pastry was invented by Chef Dominique Ansel for the Dominique Ansel Bakery located in New York City, USA. When it was launched in May 10, 2013, it took the world by storm. Instantly an explosive craze, Cronut (a patented name) fans spanned from America to Europe to Asia.

According to Chef Dominique it took 2 months and more than 10 recipes to perfect the Cronut, which is not to be mistaken as simply fried croissant dough. Cronuts are made with a laminated dough likened to a croissant (but uses a proprietary recipe). It is first proofed and then fried in grapeseed oil at a specific temperature.

Many versions of this pastry are now popping out the market. Mister Donut's Do-ssant is definitely a must-try. Flaky goodness with such a low price. Definitely more bang for your buck.

Don't wait any longer. Go grab these goodies!!! Greenhills Branch is open 24/7. I know you want it.

Yes, I'm BI like that. :-P

Text in italics and Do-ssant poster were provided by Mister Donut.
Mister Donut also provided Reich's Kitchen with the actual Do-ssants for sampling.
Cronut history was taken from Dominique Ansel Bakery.

Tuna Tortilla

2013-09-11T15:44:00.000+08:00

I just whipped up this no-brainer snack for a quick tummy fix. I call it the TUNA TORTILLA.

Serves 1-2
Prep Time 3 minutes
Cooking Time 5 minutes

Ingredients:

180g of canned tuna, drained
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 pcs flour or corn tortilla
a tube of McCormick Pesto Bread Spread

Cooking Procedure:

Saute garlic, onion, and tuna.
Heat the tortilla in a pan or toaster.
Take out the tortilla from the pan or toaster
Fill half the tortilla with the sauteed tuna.
Squeeze bread spread on top of the tuna.
Fold-over the other half of the tortilla to create a half-moon.
Eat like a sandwich or quesadilla.

A super quick, easy-to-do recipe that is yummy and filling. You should try it!

This has become my go-to snack when I'm lazy to cook. Yes, there are days like that. :-P

Philippines Wins 2013 Pyronale Fireworks World Championships

2013-09-11T07:50:00.001+08:00

Watch this video of the champion Philippine Team, Dragon Fireworks, in the 2013 Pyronale Fireworks World Championships held in Berlin, Germany last September 6 to 7, 2013.

Goosebumps!

Proud to be Pinoy!

Video from PyroWorld.

SM Hypermarket's Master Chefs 2013: Barangay Cooking Challenge

2013-09-05T19:00:00.000+08:00

SM Hypermarket's MASTER CHEFS 2013:

Barangay Cooking Challenge

Hosted by Chef Hasset Go, Papa Dan of Barangay LS 97.1 and Monica Verallo of Unang Hirit

This Master Chefs competition started in 2006 with each year having a different theme. This year's theme is Barangay Cooking Challenge which invites the unsung cooking heroes in our own barangays -- the Nanays (mothers), Tatays (fathers), Magka-karinderia (owner of eateries) and the like to showcase their cooking talent.

SPONSORS:
Purefoods Funstuff
Purefoods
Purefoods Crisp 'N Juicy Drummets
Bounty Fresh Chicken
Maggi
Nestle Cream
Unilever Food Solutions
Knorr
CDO Funtastyk Young Pork Tocino
CDO Bibbo! Cheesedog
CDO Ulam Burger

CONTEST MECHANICS:

Interested participants must present an SM Hypermart receipt of at least P500 worth of purchase, inclusive of any of the sponsor products (Unilever, Purefoods, Nestle, Bounty Fresh and CDO). Important that you use your SM Advantage Card in purchasing.
Create a master recipe using any of the featured sponsor items as the main ingredient (Nestle-Maggi, CDO, Purefoods, Unilever-Knorr, Bountry Fresh).
Participants must bring a copy of the recipe and proof of purchase to the SM Hypermarkets as scheduled. They must incorporate corresponding Master Brand in their recipes.
Participants should prepare their cooking skills, as well as other talents (e.g. singing, dancing, etc.).
Top 10 entries will advance to the Final Cook-Offs. Non-winning entries will receive gift packs as consolation prizes.
Final Cook-offs will also happen in SM Hypermarkets as scheduled.
Prizes in the Finals are Php10,000 + Plaque for the Barangay Master Chef 2013, Php5,000+Certificate for the First Runner-up, and Php3,000+Certificate for the Second Runner-up.

SCHEDULE OF ELIMINATIONS:

1. ADOBO CHALLENGE ON SEPTEMBER 16 (Unilever/Purefoods)

Rosales

North EDSA

Mall of Asia

Las Piñas

Cebu

2. SINIGANG CHALLENGE ON SEPTEMBER 18 (Nestle/Bounty Fresh)

Novaliches

Sucat

Antipolo

J-Mall

Clark

3. SISIG CHALLENGE ON SEPTEMBER 20 (CDO/Purefoods)

Pampanga

Pasig

Imus

4. POCHERO CHALLENGE ON SEPTEMBER 23 (Unilever/Bounty Fresh)

Baliwag

Eton Centris

Bicutan

Batangas

5. KARE-KARE CHALLENGE ON SEPTEMBER 25 (Nestle/Purefoods)

Marilao

Cubao

Muntinlupa

Marketmall

6. CHOPSUEY CHALLENGE ON SEPTEMBER 27 (Purefoods/CDO)

Valenzuela

Fairview

Lopez

Laoag

7. CALDERETA CHALLENGE ON SEPTEMBER 30 (Unilever/Nestle)

Makati

Molino

Alabang Zapote Road

Iloilo

8. MENUDO CHALLENGE ON OCTOBER 2 (CDO/Bounty Fresh)

Monumento

Mandaluyong

Taytay

East Service Road

9. PINAKBET CHALLENGE ON OCTOBER 4 (CDO/Unilever/Bounty Fresh/Nestle)

North Harbour

Adriatico

Cainta

Cadiz

SCHEDULE OF FINAL COOK-OFFS:

1. OCTOBER 15

Rosales

North EDSA

Mall of Asia

Las Piñas

Cebu

2. OCTOBER 17

Novaliches

Sucat

Antipolo

J-Mall

Clark

3. OCTOBER 22

Pampanga

Pasig

Imus

4. OCTOBER 24

Baliwag

Eton Centris

Bicutan

Batangas

5. NOVEMBER 5

Marilao

Cubao

Muntinlupa

Marketmall

6. NOVEMBER 7

Valenzuela

Fairview

Lopez

Laoag

7. NOVEMBER 12

Makati

Molino

Alabang Zapote Road

Iloilo

8. NOVEMBER 14

Monumento

Mandaluyong

Taytay

East Service Road

9. NOVEMBER 19

North Harbour

Adriatico

Cainta

Cadiz

Watch the Official Barangay Cooking Challenge Video:

During the launch of Master Chefs 2013: Barangay Cooking Challenge, three chefs showcased their cooking prowess!

CHEF PAULO SIA of Unilever Food Solutions prepared FIRECRACKER BEEF, a spiced-up version of the Bistek.

CHEF JANINE SALCEDO of Purefoods prepared CHICKEN NUGGETS CHEEZEE AND BARBECUE RUMAKI, a japanese appetizer that will surely appeal to both kids and adults.

CHEF HASSET GO, the face of Master Chefs 2013, prepared BANH XEO, a Vietnamese crepe with a Pinoy twist.

Will share the recipes soon! :-)

Master Chefs 2013 Launch photos:

Barangay Attendance

Reich and Chef Hasset Go

Reich and Chef Janine Salcedo

Reich with Monica Verallo and Papa Dan

REICH'S KITCHEN INVITES YOU TO JOIN
MASTER CHEFS 2013.

BE THE FIRST BARANGAY COOKING IDOL!!!

Thank you SM Hypermarket and Chef Hasset Go for inviting Reich's Kitchen to the launch of Master Chefs 2013: Barangay Cooking Challenge. The energy of the people was so high, mapa-barangay, mapa-blogger! I had so much fun! Congratulations and more power!

PS. Master Chefs 2013 posters and video provided by SM Hypermarket.

Quezon City: Max's Chicken All-You-Can

2013-09-02T16:24:00.000+08:00

Ready you tummies for this Anniversary promo of Max's Restaurant in Robinson's Magnolia.

CHICKEN ALL-YOU-CAN for only P239!!!

Mechanics/Fine print:

Chicken All-You-Can is valid for dine-in transactions only from 6:00pm - 9:00pm, at Max's Robinson's Magnolia, Quezon City, Philippines.
Chicken will be served in quarter pieces with single-served drink (Pepsi/Iced Tea) then next chicken will be served after each piece is consumed.
Strictly no sharing or leftovers.
Not valid with other promos and/or discounts.
Promo Period is September 2 – 4, 2013

DON'T BE CHICKEN, BE CHALLENGED! :-)

Photo from Max's Restaurant.

Happy Wife = Happy Life

2013-09-02T15:45:00.000+08:00

I saw Fawn Weaver, the founder of the Happy Wives Club, re-post an article. It's about the Happy Wife = Happy Life: 21-Day Challenge. I invite you to look at it, whether you be single, in a relationship, or married. I believe this will help us grow. It says that it will impact three things that are essential to our overall happiness:

Relationship with Self
Relationship with Others
Relationship with God.

I have been a member of the Happy Wives Club since mid this year. (I know, I know, I am not a wife. Yet. :-) But hey, they approved my membership! Haha!) I found out about HWC when one of my friends shared a photo from their Facebook page. I have always loved the content they publish. In these times that couples are splitting up left and right, it is nice to see that love still abounds and many are still happy in their marriages/relationships.

Being happy within make us happy about our circumstances, whether in or out the Kitchen.

Today is my Day 1. Join me. Check the challenge HERE.

Goodluck to us! And big, big cheers to a happier us!

Photo from Happy Wives Club.

Additional Changes in the Kitchen

2013-09-02T13:00:00.000+08:00

Since I owe a lot of the success of Reich's Kitchen to all of you, let me take you through another improvement. We're done (for now) improving how it looks. Now, let's tweak content. :-)

I am planning to implement these changes. I'll also explain why.

I will take out the labels REVIEW - RECIPES and WEEKLY RECIPE LINEUP. I don't think it benefits you much. I actually just did that to compile notes about my cooking schedule, which I can do on the recipe print itself and just share them with you when I put up the dish here. :-)
I will start compiling the tips I have shared with you and make a separate page for them. It will be like a glossary of hints and tips for all the recipes here -- how-to's, must-have's, not-to's, etc. Don't worry, I will put links on the recipes for easy reference.

Please continue to expect recipes, food and resto reviews, travels, cooking tips and hints, food history and trivia, housekeeping matters, events, and the like.

I am so excited to start these changes for you and I truly hope you'll be happy with them. :-) Huuugs!

Change Ahead photo from Tapprs.

Angsty Food

2013-09-01T11:34:00.000+08:00

Have you seen this going around Facebook lately?

Hahahahaha! I can't help but share it with you. :-)

This is a comic strip by Alberto Jose Montt Moscoso, more famously known as Alberto Montt. He's a Chilean graphic artist of the online comic strip Dosis Diarias (Daily Dose).

Dosis Diarias Webpage
Alberto Montt's Facebook Page

Laugh! Smile! Food, even angsty ones, are still yummy to eat! :-)

Spam Melt Omelet

2013-09-01T07:09:00.000+08:00

Good morning! :-) Whip up this easy SPAM MELT OMELET for breakfast. Your tummy will thank you for it!

Serves 1
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cooking Time 2 minutes

Ingredients:

2 pcs medium chicken eggs
1/3 can Spam, diced
60 g cottage cheese
1 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Cooking Procedure:

Beat eggs.
Line skillet with olive oil. Heat it over medium flame.
Pour in the egg. Cook for 20 seconds.
Add the Spam and cheese.
Lower the heat and cook for about 40 seconds to set the egg.
Fold into a omelet.

Omelets are super flexible. You can substitute Spam with tuna, corned beef, bacon, ham, mushrooms, tomatoes, ground pork or beef or chicken, etc, etc. You get the picture. :-) BUT if you do cook it with these, you might want to pre-cook them a bit before mixing with the egg and cheese. Crispy-fry bacon for that crrrunch!
You can substitute the cottage cheese with cheddar, feta or any cheese you want to experiment with. The quick-melt type is a favorite substitute too.
DO NOT COOK OMELETS ON HIGH FLAME. It will dry and will have this awful crispiness to it. You want it to to be silky, and yes, still cooked. :-)
After pouring the egg on the skillet, for the first 20 seconds, use a fork to bring in the egg to the center from the sides. Left, right, top, bottom. This will cook the egg evenly. You know it gets cooked because the egg changes color. Do not overdo swirling or else you won't get good consistency to fold the omelet.
To fold omelet, go around the edges to lightly push it from the sides of the pan to loosen the egg. Shake the pan a bit to see if you can move the egg. Tilt the omelet and pan away for easy folding. Use a spatula, it does the folding and flipping job.

Happy breakfast!

Recipe from Belle Today.
Omelet tips from my Dad which he got from Jamie Oliver. Haha!

International Bacon Day

2013-08-31T21:32:00.001+08:00

Oh yes! Today is INTERNATIONAL BACON DAY. :-)

It is the Saturday before Labor Day in the United States. The US Labor Day is traditionally celebrated on the first Monday of September.

We started celebrating IBD in 2000. It was thought of by three students from Bedford, Massachusetts, who believed that bacon is soooo delicious it deserves its own holiday!

Sending all my Kitchen friends my most Bacon-y loooove!

HAPPY INTERNATIONAL BACON DAY!!!!

Source: Republic of Bacon
Bacon Love illustration by M. Geno.

Garlic Butter Shrimps

2013-08-29T14:22:00.000+08:00

I have both loved and dreaded to cook this dish. I like the combination of garlic, butter and shrimp but I am not fond of too much butter and I'm allergic to shrimp. BUT -- when I found this one on my diet menu, I just had to give it a try. AND I LOVED IT! It was not drowning in butter, and the garlic complements the richness of it. My allergies? I just had to take my meds. No way was I going to pass this up! Haha!

Here it is, GARLIC BUTTER SHRIMPS.

Serves 2
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cooking Time 5 minutes

Ingredients:

250 g shrimps
12 pc garlic cloves, minced
3 tsp butter
stevia/sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Cooking Procedure:

Sauté minced garlic in butter.
Add shrimps. Sauté for 2 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp.
Season with sugar, salt and pepper.
Serve hot.

You can always add more garlic to make it more garlicky. Same with butter, add more butter to make it more buttery.
You can side it with steamed broccoli and mushrooms to balance the richness of the butter. The steamed dish "refreshes" your taste buds.
This is best served as an appetizer, with ice-cold beer on hand, or, as main dish, served with hot rice. :-)
Your hands smell of garlic? Get rid of the smell by first applying soap to your hands, then rubbing a stainless steel object (e.g. spoon or butter knife) to your hands/fingertips. Rinse with cold water while still rubbing with the spoon/butter knife.
Here are some SHRIMP TIPS:

Deshell the shrimp or not? It's really up to you. For easy eating, deshell it. If you and your guests do not mind the extra step of peeling it before you can eat it, then by all means, cook it as it is. Is there a difference in flavor? Yes. The shrimps cooked with their shells have more flavor than those without.
The weight of shelled, uncooked shrimp will reduce by half once you cook and deshell it.
Do not overcook shrimp. They become dry and rubbery.
The shrimp becomes firm and turns pink or orange and opaque when done. It takes only 2-4 minutes to cook shrimps, depending on how big they are. The color is your clue.
Some other visual clues can surely help too! Two letters to remember: C and O. If cooked, shrimps form a C. If overcooked, they curl to form an O.
Try your shrimp if in doubt. Take a bite. You will know best if it's cooked.
Another method? Spring test the shrimp. Hold the shrimp upside down by its head. Pull the tail down. it is springs back, it is cooked properly.

We celebrate International Garlic Day on April 19! :-)
Vampires and bad spirits surely have alliumphobia, the fear of garlic (taken from its scientific name allium sativum).
Some countries like the United States, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Turkey, and Canada have garlic festivals. People throng to these events!
Chicago's name is said to be a derived from shikaakwa, the American-Indian word for stinky onion or wild garlic, which was common in the area of and grew along the Chicago River.
Garlic is a member of the onion family. Oh yes it is!
Garlic's pungent flavor is a chemical reaction when the garlic cells are broken. Notice that the flavor is stronger when garlic is minced than whole.

Recipe from Belle Today.
Tips and trivia from family, friends, as well as various books and websites.

An Improved Reich's Kitchen For You

2013-08-27T21:55:00.001+08:00

Dear Kitchen Readers,

Sorry for the "inactivity" the past few days. After I attended a blogging seminar, I was inspired to improve Reich's Kitchen for all of you. I made navigation clearer, thus easier for you to go around the site.

3 important changes to take note of:

1. NEW DOMAIN NAME

Oh yes yes yes! You can now easily access Reich's Kitchen by typing ReichsKitchen.com. You can access it with www or without it.

Again, remember, it is now WWW.REICHSKITCHEN.COM. :-)

Still attached to the blogspot/blogger address? Don't you worry! http://ReichsKitchen.blogspot.com/ redirects to this new address. Amazing!

2. PAGE TABS

We now have page tabs. You can see it just below the Reich's Kitchen header.

As of today, we have 3 tabs:
a. Home - Where you can see the blog entries posted chronologically,
b. Who's Reich? - Where you can read about me, my blogging history and how Reich's Kitchen came about and where it is headed,
c. Contact the Kitchen - Where you can find how to get in touch with me (email, facebook, twitter).

3. IMPROVED SIDE BAR

I added and tweaked other widgets to be more useful and friendly to you, and I took out those not needed anymore.

Note the social media icons for easier following and subscription to the Kitchen. Also, the Kitchen Topics are now very organized, making it easy for you to find articles/blog entries. Not to be left unnoticed is the Guestbook where you can freely write to say you have visited. Give me a holler there! :-)

I hope with these 3 improved sections on Reich's Kitchen, you will enjoy your visit and come by more often. :-)

Beef Ampalaya

2013-08-21T23:47:00.000+08:00

Ampalaya (bitter gourd, bitter melon) is not such a popular vegetable to use in dishes because of its bitterness. Here's a recipe that uses it and still tastes yummy -- BEEF AMPALAYA.

Serves 1
Prep Time 40 minutes (including beef marinating)
Cooking Time 15 minutes

Ingredients:

120 g beef sirloin, cut into strips
1 cup ampalaya, cut into strips
3 pc minced garlic cloves
1 pc chopped onion
1 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp calamansi juice
salt
pepper

Cooking Procedure:

Marinate beef strips in a combination of soy sauce and calamansi juice. Set aside for 30 minutes.
Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil.
Add in beef strips and sauté for 10 minutes. (Add enough water if the mixture gets too dry.)
Add ampalaya.
Simmer until ampalaya is tender. (Ampalaya is cooked when the inner opaque white strip turns translucent.)
Season with salt and pepper.

How to make the ampalaya (bitter gourd, bitter melon) less bitter?

Salt draws liquid from vegetables, hence can help draw the bitter liquid from the ampalaya. You may use Kosher, canning, coarse, or any sea salt. Do not use iodized salt.

Slice the ampalaya into strips (or how you need it cut). Generously salt the sliced ampalaya and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
A lot of liquid will accumulate at the bottom of the container, this is good. :-) Squeeze or press the ampalaya gently to wring out excess liquid before rinsing.
Rinse twice with water to remove the salt and wring out excess liquid.

Note that this does not eliminate bitterness, a tolerable amount of it remains. :-)

I am not a fan of ampalaya, but with this recipe I can now say BRRRING IT! :-)

Enjoy!

Recipe from Belle Today.
Ampalaya tips from our househelper. Bongga!

Banoffee Pie

2013-08-21T14:33:00.000+08:00

Now that the rains have stopped and the weather has calmed, time to relax and enjoy me-time with this no-bake pie.

Serves 6-9
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cooking Time 5 minutes (if you will make your own caramel)

Ingredients:

BASE/CRUST

100g butter, melted
250g digestive biscuits or graham crackers, crushed

CARAMEL

397g can of caramel, OR,

100g butter
100g brown sugar
397g can condensed milk

TOP

6 bananas
300ml carton whipping cream
cocoa powder or grated chocolate

CONTAINER

24cm loose-bottomed cake tin, greased, OR

3 pcs 6" aluminum tray (for smaller servings)

Cooking Procedure:

In a bowl, mix biscuit crumbs and butter.
Spoon and press the crumbs onto the base of the tin/tray, and about halfway up the sides to make a pie shell. Chill for 10 minutes.
(If you are making your own caramel) Melt the butter and sugar into a non-stick saucepan over low heat, stirring all the time until the sugar has dissolved. Add the condensed milk and bring to a rapid boil for about a minute, again stirring all the time for a thick golden caramel.
Spread the caramel over the biscuit base, cool, and then chill for about 1 hour (until firm or until ready to serve).
Carefully lift the pie from the tin/tray and place on a serving plate. (Actually, you can also eat it straight from the tray! :-D)
Slice the bananas.
Whip the cream and fold half of the bananas into it.
Spoon the banana-cream mixture over the base.
Put the remaining bananas on top.
Finish with cocoa powder or grated chocolate.

Make sure that you really boil the filling for at least 1 minute to make it a perfect squidgy caramel. Just be careful not burn it. Remember to stir, stir, and stir!
Use the back of a teaspoon to press the crumbs into the base.
No worries, the biscuit base will harden once chilled.
If you are doing more than a single tray, sensibly, you have to divide the caramel (and other ingredients) between the bases.
Use more bananas if you want. Heck, it's your pie! :-)
You can use a beater or a whisk to whip the cream. Key is to mix it in uniform strokes to let air in the cream and fluff it. Of course, whisking takes more time than using an electric beater.
Do not whip the cream until you are ready to serve it. It becomes runny after some time and you don't want a watery pie.

Thank you, Heizel and Jojai for suggesting that I feature an easy-to-do, no-bake dessert.

Enjoy! :-)

Recipe from Nestlé Carnation.

Emergency Response: Relief Operations for Typhoon Maring Victims

2013-08-20T23:20:00.000+08:00

Reich's Kitchen urges everyone to help in the relief operations for the victims of Typhoon Maring in the Philippines.

=====================================

Reposting this from the Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (ASMPH) Disaster Management Council:

This is in line with the Ateneo de Manila University's appeal for donations:

Vice-President for Social Development, Atty. Jaime Hofilena, convened today the members of the Ateneo de Manila DReaM Team, composed of units of the Grade School, High School, Loyola Schools, and Professional Schools, in partnership with the Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan. The Ateneo DReaM Team is appealing for donations in cash and in kind on behalf of the victims affected by the typhoon Maring.

IN CASH DONATIONS:

Monetary donations will cover expenses for the provision of emergency relief packs, hot meals, transportation of supplies, and other types of relief, please send your help through any of the following channels.

Donations in Philippine Pesos

Donations in Foreign Currencies

Donations in kind of preferred priority goods

Donations in cash or in kind may be dropped off at the:

LS Covered Courts, GS Singson Hall or the HS Office of the Associate Principal for Formation from 2pm-7pm today (Aug 20) and from 8am-5pm tomorrow (Aug 21),
Ground flr. of Ateneo Professional Schools (Rockwell campus), from 2pm-5pm today (Aug 20) and from 8am-5pm tomorrow (Aug 21), or,
Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health (Pasig campus) tomorrow (Aug 21) until Sunday (Aug 25).

For inquiries, please contact the Ateneo DReaM Team at (632) 426-6001 local 5904 and Dan Remo at 0917-5372161.

=====================================

I hope and pray for everyone's safety.

Please pray for the Philippines. Thank you.

One-Pan Pasta

2013-08-20T15:48:00.000+08:00

To celebrate Reich's Kitchen's First Month Birthday, here's a surprise dish for all of you -- ONE-PAN PASTA. :-)

I cooked it to wish long life for the Kitchen. Or so the Chinese say. :-)

Serves 4
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cooking Time 10 minutes

Ingredients:

340g linguine or spaghetti
340g cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
2 cups of onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes (put more if you want it spicy)
2 sprigs basil, plus torn leaves for garnish
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
coarse salt
ground black pepper
4 1/2 cups water
freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Cooking Procedure:

Combine pasta, tomatoes, onion, garlic, red-pepper flakes, basil, oil, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and water in a large straight-sided skillet.
Bring to a boil over high heat.
While the mixture is boiling, frequently stir and turn pasta with tongs
Cook until pasta is al dente and water has nearly evaporated (about 9 minutes).
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Garnish with basil.
Serve with oil and cheese.

No better way to check if the pasta is cooked than to bite it. If the pasta is firm but doesn't stick to your teeth, it's cooked. If it sticks to your teeth, cook for another minute and check again. DO NOT OVERCOOK.

Enjoy this simple goodness! :-)

Just Do It!

2013-08-20T13:59:00.000+08:00

Here are last week's recipe challenges:

Beef Ampalaya - Recipe tomorrow
Nilagang Baka
Garlic Butter Shrimps - Recipe on Friday
Pininyahang Manok
Spam Melt Omelet - Recipe on Sunday
Tochong Tilapia
Fruit Gulaman

Every week I encounter more recipes, and every week I look forward to preparing them. Of course I have doubts. I have fears. But I wouldn't really know how I will fare if I don't try.

At some point, WE WILL JUST HAVE TO DO IT!

Photo from Nike.

Enjoying My Taho

2013-08-19T10:18:00.000+08:00

It's raining hard where I am now. There's news of flood everywhere! I hope all of you are safe and dry.

Since my official work called for suspension of operations today, I am enjoying my big cup of taho while composing stuff for Reich's Kitchen, planning meals for the week and labeling my recipe books and food magazines. Productive day for the Kitchen! Yeeeey! :-)

Taho is silken tofu served with arnibal (brown sugar syrup) and mini sago (tapioca). In the Philippines, it is a usual breakfast food or an afternoon snack. It is said to be of Chinese influence. It is served warm or chilled. In some provinces, it is served with fruits native in their area. Like in Baguio, instead of serving it with arnibal, it's served with strawberry syrup. :-)

Keep warm, all. Hugs! :-)

Reich's Kitchen is One Month Old Today!

2013-08-19T08:38:00.001+08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, REICH'S KITCHEN! :-)

Thank you, friends, for all your support! We are growing in number everyday. :-) We now have 2,329 pageviews on Blogger, 374 likes on Facebook, and 34 followers on Twitter!

Keep sharing to your family and friends, and telling them about your adventures and discoveries inside Reich's Kitchen. :-)

Have a great day! Love love to all of you!

Comment / Subscribe - http://reichskitchen.blogspot.com/
Like - https://www.facebook.com/ReichsKitchen
Follow - https://twitter.com/ReichsKitchen

Review of Believe!

2013-08-18T23:46:00.000+08:00

Now, it's time for us to review the recipes on BELIEVE!

1. FRENCH TOAST

I shared the recipe here: FRENCH TOAST

Liven up old bread this way. No worries, this recipe can also be used with new bread, of course! :-)

2. TUNA SALAD

I shared the recipe here: TUNA SALAD

Super easy to prepare and very healthy! :-)

3. HEARTY VEGETABLE SOUP

This week proved to be interesting. I got to prepare three yummy soups -- this one, #4 and #8! :-)

This dish really warms the heart and fills your tummy. :-)

Tip for future cooking: Cut the vegetables in smaller dice unless you want the soup really chunky. Use an assortment of colors for your vegetables. The different hues on the bowl will make it look appetizing!

4. HAM AND ASPARAGUS SOUP

I shared the recipe here: HAM AND ASPARAGUS SOUP

The crunchy asparagus provides a different taste and texture in this creamy broth. :-) Worth a try!

5. CHICKEN THIGHS WITH LEMON IN FOIL

The recipe for this said it's a chicken dish with a twist. Uhmmm, a twist alright, but I didn't like it. I'm sorry. Hahaha! I perhaps did not cook or flavor it right. It just tasted like sosyal na sinampalukan! Hahahahahaha! Oh well, this definitely is not on my immediate to-cook-again list. :-P

Tip for future cooking: Put only half a lemon to flavor this dish. Using one whole lemon seems to over-flavor it.

6. ADOBONG PUSIT (SQUID)

I have always been a squid fanatic. Anything squid, I eat. Oh wait, just not the raw one. Yech! Hahaha!

I discovered/learned 3 things in cooking this dish:
1. I always thought this was cooked in BOTH vinegar and soy sauce. This rendition of it just uses vinegar.
2. Interesting that the squid "cooked" while it was marinated in the vinegar. :-)
3. I saw how the innards of the squid look like and learned that the ink sac of the (baby) squid is just pulp-sized! Hahaha!

Tip for future cooking: Do not prepare it last minute. Remember that this dish needs marinating for an hour!

7. TUNA FILLETS IN TOMATO COULIS

This is one lycopene-and-omega3-enriched dish! Healthy!

Tip for future cooking: Add steamed carrots, beans, young corn, asparagus, broccoli (you get the picture) on the side to make it more exciting. Tuna with just pureed tomato can be a bit boring. ;-)

8. FRENCH ONION SOUP

I have nothing to compare it to. I do not even know how the real French onion soup should taste. I liked this one though -- or maybe I liked that it has red wine. Hahaha!

Tip for future cooking: Use sweet red wine. The darker-flavored ones add a bitter taste to it. Easy on the wine too, especially if your alcohol tolerance is low. You might want to prepare this for dinner or during a weekend, where you do not expect to function "coherently" after having it (e.g. lunch on a work day). :-)

9. SKILLET STUFFED CABBAGE

It seems that food I love I got to prepare this week. Here's another. I'm fond of all things wrapped too, and this reminds me of California Pizza Kitchen's Lettuce Wrap. Yummm! :-)

Tip for future cooking: Choose big-leaved cabbage. It's quite a challenge to do a wrap using medium-sized ones. Manageable, but again, quite a challenge. Also, drain the canned diced tomatoes a bit. Using more sauce will mean that the filling is more runny than needed. It is hard to wrap a runny mixture. Do not over-drain the tomatoes either. You don't want the filling dry.

10. MIXED SEAFOOD WITH OYSTER SAUCE

I shared the recipe here: MIXED SEAFOOD WITH OYSTER SAUCE

Try this Asian-inspired seafood medley.

See, what did I tell you? We can conquer the kitchen, we just have to BELIEVE!

Cheers to more recipes!