LouieNep Food

Since those days in 1986 were austere days, I remember a relatively inexpensive dish from then but quite satisfying.

I remember my whole family going to EDSA, all the way in front of Camp Crame, everyday by car. There was no problem driving down EDSA the first few days during the early morning hours. One day they had already barricaded the whole span of the highway at the Shaw Boulevard intersection. We all thought we would have to get down and walk the rest of the way carrying the gigantic jug of hot coffee and snacks we distributed to the people in front of Crame. But a large group of men came to us and told us to stay in the car. This was quite a large car, a Ford Granada Ghia. These men surrounded the car and lifted it above the barricades and set us down gently after the barricades so we could continue on to Camp Crame.

I guess they were the ones who set up the barricades to delay the tanks from reaching Camp Crame.

Anyway, I remember that those were days of pagtitipid and this is a dish we had only once at home but I remember it so well. Please click “Continue reading ‘Lasang Pinoy: Pork Austere’” below for the recipe.

- submitted to Lasang Pinoy.
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Take any kind of meat you want to use, and for extra flavor maybe some bacon or sausage. In a large saucepan, melt some butter with some extra virgin olive oil. Throw in your meat, and let it sizzle for a bit- until it starts sweating.

When you’re sure the pan is quite hot enough, pour in at least a bottle of beer. Bring to a boil, and simmer. Let the beer evaporate, and once there’s nothing but oil left in the pan, sprinkle with some salt and pepper, and add about a half a cup of sour cream.

Stir until smooth and hot. Serve!

Choose a beer you enjoy drinking… the flavor of the beer will make a difference in creating your sauce. A bitter beer will give you a stronger hops, malt and yeast flavor; whereas a lighter beer can result in a sweeter sauce.

The Radical Chef has a great new look to it- check it out.

Also: my mother-in-law-to-be advised me to check out HomeFoodSafety.org: a great resource on eating safely.

It’s always like this: I buy a box of filo pastry, stick it in the chiller, and forget about it. We rediscovered it last night, while Raine was cleaning out the chiller. And this is what we had for lunch (recipe from Delia):
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My fiance Lorraine drinks coffee all day. She would breathe the stuff if she could. I’ve been at her to guestblog on here more often, but she replied by starting her own blog, mrs.louienep/coffee. It’s powered by Blogger, mostly because she loves her Google toolbar (and all things Google).

Through her, I’ve discovered a few new recipes for coffee, including some very tasty happy-making alcoholic ones. Here’s a great one:

Scotch Coffee

Ingredients
A mug
A shot of espresso
A shot of your favourite single malt Scotch whisky (e.g., Highland Park)
Sugar (if desired)
Milk - to steam and froth

Method

1. Take your favourite mug and pour the shot of espresso and the shot of single malt Scotch whisky into the mug.
2. Steam and froth the milk and pour over the coffee/whisky.
3. Dust with your favourite topping.
4. Enjoy.

There were deadlines to meet, projects to finish, work that had piled up- so last week we took a break from cooking for a few days, and ate takeout. A couple of pizzas, fast-food sandwiches, and a lot of fries- and Lorraine, who apparently doesn’t possess the iron stomach I do, was sick. Deathly pale, unable to eat anything, and running to the bathroom every five minutes. Whether it was the result of too much sodium, or an overload of trans-fats, I knew what I had to do: get back in the kitchen!

Today Lorraine is thankfully completely recovered, and I’m pleased to be featuring what we had for dinner last night:

Sausage and Apple Torta
Ingredients:
Half a 15-ounce package of folded refrigerated unbaked piecrust (one crust)
2 large tart apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons butter
12 oz. sweet italian sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups shredded italian-style cheese
1 cup ricotta or cottage cheese
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat your oven to 450F. Unfold piecrust, and line a 9-inch pie plate with it. Bake according to package directions. Set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 350F.
In a large pan, cook apples, onion and sugar in hot butter over medium heat, for about five minutes- or until tender. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl. In the same pan, cook sausage and garlic until meat is no longer pink; drain in colander. Pat sausage dry with paper towels. Spoon sausage into prebaked crust; top with cooked apple mixture. Combine cheeses and eggs; spoon evenly over apple mixture.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I couldn’t find anything else, so used crunchy Fuji apples. The pie was a success, served with a side of spinach and tomato salad. Delicious! And so not fast-food.

Since starting this site my email inbox has been absolutely flooded with submitted recipes, almost all of them wonderful and mouthwatering. Today I’m featuring a recipe we tried last night, very kindly sent in by Eleanor M.:

Lemon Basil Potatoes
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb. small potatoes
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup packed chopped fresh basil leaves

Wash and quarter potatoes. In a nonstick skillet, melt butter in olive oil over medium heat. Add potato slices, and cook 6 to 7 minutes or until browned. Stir in green onions, grated lemon rind, and salt and pepper. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in basil.

Sound easy? It is. We had it as our side for dinner with roasted chicken, and it was just perfect. The potatoes absorb the tartness of the lemon, and the basil gives it just the right touch of herb. Amazing. Thank you so much, Eleanor!

(by Lorraine) As most of you know, Louie does the cooking and I do the baking. Today I’m going to share a dirty little secret of mine- a recipe for pie crust that’s quick, easy, and can be made in the microwave! Trust me, no one will ever know.

Lorraine’s Secret Pie Crust
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup cold water
WHAT TO DO:
In a large bowl, mix together flour and salt; cut in shortening. In a separate, medium bowl, mix together beaten egg, vinegar and cold water. Using a fork, slowly mix beaten egg mixture into flour mixture. Refrigerate for 6 hours. Roll onto a floured surface. Microwave shell on ‘HIGH’ for 4 to 5 minutes.

If making piecrust in a microwave makes you shudder, you can also use the above recipe to make piecrust in a regular oven. Bake in a preheated hot [425�F / 220�C] oven, until golden brown. Instant piecrust… and loads better than storebought!

UPDATE: I am no longer running a recipe contest. Thanks to all of you who joined, and to the winners!

The way this community has grown in these past few weeks is just amazing. Thank you so much to all of you posting in the comments, sending me tons of email, and - most of all - submitting your recipes! You know I love it, and love you all.

I’ve decided to hold a monthly recipe contest for original submitted recipes. We’ll be awarding gift certificates from some of our favorite online retailers in varying amounts, so if you haven’t already please read the contest rules, then submit an original recipe of your own.

Today I’m pleased to feature one of our winning recipes, sent to me by email by Tet. We tried it out yesterday, it’s glorious, and a definite winner!:

Quickie Strawberry Shortcake
Purchased pound cake (we used Sara Lee :-))
1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled, sliced

Whip cream in a large chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Add sugar and Grand Marnier, and keep whipping until stiff peaks form. Using a large serrated knife, cut pound cake horizontally into 4 even layers. Place bottom cake layer on platter, spread with whipped cream, top with sliced strawberries. Repeat layering 2 more times. Top with remaining cake layer. Frost top and sides of cake with whipped cream. Garnish with remaining strawberries. Chill 30 minutes to 3 hours before serving. Delish!

Before I begin, I want to say how pleased I am to welcome a new guest chef . Lolita very kindly emailed me her recipe for Banana Butterscotch Rum Trifle, which was yesterday’s featured recipe. Thank you, Lolita!

There’s nothing worse for me than dry, overcooked fish. The secret to cooking fresh fish so that it’s perfectly moist? Seal in its juices. This recipe for salt-baked snapper is one of our all-time favorites: it’s quick, easy, and doesn’t require a whole lot of fancy ingredients.

Salt-baked Whole Red Snapper
A 2-lb whole red snapper, cleaned with head and tail intact
2 pounds kosher (rock) salt
1 cup water
1 fresh lemon
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for drizzling

Preheat your oven to 450F. In a bowl, stir together salt and water until combined well. On a large baking sheet, spread half of the salt mixture in a rectangular shape just slightly largers than the fish. Set fish on top. Halve lemon crosswise, and cut 3 slices from one half, reserving remaining half. Insert lemon slices into the cavity of the red snapper. Pat remaining salt mixture over the fish to cover completely. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes. Do not overbake.
Tap all around the edge of the salt crust with the back of a large spoon to loosen and lift top off. Squeeze juice from remining lemon half over fish, and drizzle with olive oil. Serve, and enjoy!

We like to have this with individual bowls of steamed rice, but it’s also great with a side salad or a small portion of buttered vegetables.