The Mighty Meatloaf

I love meatloafs! Why do you ask?


1. They can be made ahead and when you bake them, the house smells so good.
2. When your budget is tight, a pound of meat goes a long, long way.
3. When done right, meatloaf is juicy, tasty and great as leftovers.

That is why I love meatloaf. I used a recipe which I saw last night on Foodgawker.com. Here's the LINK from Jana Laurene's blog. I've adapted it a bit to make it kid-friendly (her recipe had a lot of sauces which my kids don't like).

I must warn you though, you will have to do a lot of prep work for this recipe. But all the chopping and the mincing is worth it. Trust me.

Here's my Recipe:

1 pound of ground pork and beef (about a cup each)
1/2 carrot
2 ribs of celery
1/2 onion
1 1/2 cups of breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 egg
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup ketchup or tomato sauce + 1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

2 tablespoons oil
5-6 slices of bacon

1. First you need to mince the carrots, onion and celery into a finely diced mixture. Start with the carrots first, and then the onion and lastly the celery. Just put everything in one bowl.

2. In a pan, heat up the oil and dump everything that you minced into the pan. Saute and roast the minced veggies for about oh say 7, 10 minutes. When it's nice and done, dump the roasted veggies in a mixing bowl and let it cool off.

3. Once the vegetables have cooled off, add the rest of the ingredients into the mixing bowl (except the bacon). Mix everything well with your hands. Don't be afraid, it makes it taste better and besides, wouldn't you like the warm, squishy feeling between your fingers? :)

4. Shape into a long rectagular mound on a baking sheet, like this.



Now cover it entirely with bacon. The bacon will act as a moisture lock for the meatloaf and makes it nice and juicy inside. Plus the crunchy outer bacon shell adds the oomph to your meatloaf.

Now take that bacon-wrapped goodness and stick it into your oven. Bake at 350 degrees Farenheight for about 1 hour. To see if it is done, pierce it with a long skewer and if the juices run out are clear, the meatloaf is done.

This is how my meatloaf looked like when I sliced it. Look how nice and juicy it is? The kids agreed it was a great meatloaf.



To serve it, I usually cover it with Ketchup. Other sauces that would be great with this meatloaf are Barbeque sauce or A1 Steak sauce. Oh, be prepared for it to be a great leftover meat for sandwiches later. It rocks! :)

Enjoying Stinky Socks Stew

Well not actually... I had Chongukjang today. Some foreigners find that the heady aroma of Chongukjang (or fermented soybean paste stew) comparable to the wonderful ripe odors of unwashed foot covers and rotten cabbage. But for those who like the stew (like me) it is like a delicious aroma at par with a ripe durian (which makes my mouth water while drives most sane people away).

Jane, a student at the Church where I volunteer teaching English, invited me to lunch today. She heard that I love Chonjukjang stew and took me to a renowned Korean restaurant which specializes in serving it. The name of the restaurant is Weh Halmoni Jip which literally translates into My Grandmother's House. I like this restaurant, it has a nice homey feel to it.

Coming into the place you will see a lot of antiques, old Korean furnishings, knickknacks, dust gatherers, what-nots... It covers the walls of the restaurant and adds a special turn of the century feel to the place.

There's old ceiling tiles accenting the top part of the wall. Old brushes for calligraphy on another. Even a Dali-esque wooden sculpture that doubles as a coat hanger.











There's various little ante-rooms that one can choose if they want private dining. But there are also sit-down areas with tables or little korean tables where one can eat korean-style (meaning cross-legged on the floor). And right in the middle of the main dining area is a huge kiln which is kept burning during the winter.



Before the food was served, I took a picture of my student Jane and her two adorable girls - Sunny and Anne. Sunny is a 4rth Grade student while Anne is 6th grade. Jane works at a local elementary school (Ogap Elementary School) and is a choir singer in our church. I like her cherry personality and zest for learning English.

And then they served our appetizer - Tofu with Fried Kimchi.





















Next up was the Chongukjang stew. It is served in the customary stone bowl. This stew I loved. It was earthy, filled with chunks of zucchini, onion, chili peppers and a chockful of soybeans. It also had squares of soft tofu.

And they served my favorite part of the meal, the Banchan or the side dishes. Of course it contains various kimchi (cabbage, radish slices, and non-spicy radish). There was also braised spinach, mushrooms, hot chili peppers, salty fried anchovies and stewed beef with quail eggs in soy sauce (this was a little bowl of heaven!).













We had a great meal and it was time to go. The cashier/manager was a friendly guy who greeted all the restaurant patrons warmly like they were long-time customers. I think most of them are. We saw about a dozen groups that came in and out while we were dining. I snapped some more pics of the restaurant before we left.







And here is a happy picture of us, full and happy with our meal.

Baked Spaghetti

This is one of my sons' favorite dinners - Baked Spaghetti. The most important thing to have to fix this is an oven. I don't technically have an oven but I have a convection cooker, known popularly as a Turbo Broiler. Here's how to fix Baked Spaghetti (and avoid ordering ones from restaurants with crappy sauce and exorbitant prices).

Ingredients:

1 pound (half a kilo) of lean ground beef
1 onion, minced
1 cup of whole tomatoes, peeled and diced or 1 can of peeled, whole tomatoes
1 can of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon of ground basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, minced
1 bay leaf, whole
salt & pepper

Pasta: Spaghetti, Angel Hair, Penne or any kind that you like.
Cheese: Mozarella and Parmesan

To cook:
1. In a large stockpot, dump the ground beef and minced onion. Turn the heat on moderate and brown the meat, stirring constantly.
2. Make sure that there is no water left behind, if there's some rendered oil, take it out with a spoon.
3. When the meat is browned, add the herbs (basil, oregano, fennel and bay leaf).
4. Dump the tomatoes and stir for 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and add about half a can of water (stirring the water in can to get the leftover sauce residue).
5. Cook the sauce for 20 to 30 minutes. Taste the sauce, if needed add more salt and pepper.

To assemble:
1. Cook your pasta according to your package directions. Whether you want it al dente or soft & soggy (like my hubby wants it), it's up to you. It doesn't matter really.
2. Drain the pasta and add it to a spaghetti boat or an oven-proof dish.
3. Ladle the sauce over the pasta and make sure you cover every inch.
4. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese and then cover it with shredded mozarella. Again, make sure you cover every inch of it.
5. Set your oven to 150 degree Celsius and cook your spaghetti for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese is golden-brown.

Take it out and set it aside for a few minutes before serving. It's too hot to eat when it is fresh out of the oven.

Have you done the Loco-Moco?

When I first heard about the Loco-Moco, I was intrigued by the funny name. It turns out nothing to be Salisbury Steak on a mound of rice, topped with an egg and finished with brown gravy all over it. It's a homey food that originates in Hawaii and can be ordered from local mom and pop eateries on the island.

So here's the recipe for the Loco-Moco

Salisbury Steak ingredients:
1 pound (half a kilo) ground beef
1/2 finely minced onion
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 egg

Gravy ingredients:
1 1/2 cup of water*
2 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon of butter
1 chicken boullion*
salt & pepper

*(If you have good chicken broth, you can substitute this for water and chicken boullion).

*Cooked Rice
*Cooked Egg, preferably sunny-side

To make the Salisbury steak

1. Put in a mixing bowl all the ingredients.
2. Mix well and chill in the fridge for at least half an hour for the flavors to mix.
3. Shape into patties (This will make about 4-6 depending on the size of the patties that you form)

To make the gravy:

1. In a heavy bottom sauce pan, melt the butter and add the flour when it is fully melted.
2. Cook the flour until it is golden brown.
3. Add the water and chicken boullion or the chicken broth.
4. Continue stirring until the gravy thickens and comes together. Taste it to determine if you need to add more salt. But you definitely have to add pepper.

To assemble:

1. In a plate, add a mound of rice. To make it easier, put the rice into a small bowl, press down and turn upside-down on the plate. It makes the rice nice and pretty.
2. Cook one of the patties and put this on top of the rice.
3. Add the cooked egg ontop of the rice on the plate.
4. Drizzle the gravy around the rice.
5. Serve hot and enjoy.



You can also omit the sunny-side egg if you have a boy who doesn't like eggs. :)

A Dimsum Favorite - Spareribs with Black Bean Sauce

Everytime we go to a Chinese dimsum restaurant, my family tend to order our favorites: Siomai dumplings, Chicken Feet, and Steamed Spareribes in Black Bean Sauce. Tender morsels of meat clinging to ribs with tasty sauce... my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Just in case you don't know, these black beans are the Chinese fermented black beans. They're extremely salty and should be rinsed before use. The beans have a very nice, savory taste that blends well with many foods. It is also used in the spicy Mapo Tofu dish.

Steamed Spareribs With Black Bean Sauce (Dow See Jing Pie)

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo Spareribs
1 Clove garlic, minced fine
2 tablespoon Salted black beans
1 tablespoon Fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon Dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon Cornstarch
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine or Sherry


Here's how to fix it:
1. Have your wok ready by filling it with water halfway and letting it boil. You can also use a steamer for this.
2. Cut the spareribes into into 1-inch pieces. To make it easier for you, have the butcher do this. Trim off fat.
2. Place spareribs in a heat proof dish.
3. Wash and rinse black beans 2 or 3 times, then mash them with garlic, ginger, soy sauce, cornstarch and sherry. Mix with spareribs.
4. To cook the dish, place the sparerib dish on steaming rack in wok. Cover. Steam for 30 minutes.

This is a great side dish for rice, either steamed or Chinese Fried Rice.

Authentic Chicken Afritada

I recently saw a recipe for Chicken Afritada on a Serious Eats website and was startled to see a can of Hunts Pork & Beans included in the list of ingredients. What the hey? Pork & Beans in Afritada? I don't think so. I have blogged about Afritada before, only it was Pork Afritada .

Now this time, lemme share my mom's Chicken Afritada recipe. And it does not have pork & beans in it.

Chicken Afritada Recipe



1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks 2X2 inch
2 potatoes, medium sized and cut into chunks
1 large bell pepper, cored & seeded, cut into strips
1 onion, cut into chunks
1 large tomato, cut into chunks
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 small can of tomato paste
1/3 cup of soy sauce
5 tbsp vegetable oil
water
salt and pepper

1. In a large wok add the oil and heat until hot. Add the chicken pieces and fry until all the pieces get light-brown all over. Take out the chicken and set aside in a large bowl.
2. Add bell pepper slices and stir fy them for 5 minutes. Take them out and set aside.
3. Add the minced garlic and fry until golden brown. Add onion chunks and stirfry for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and stirfry for 5-7 minutes until the tomatoes are nice and soft.
4. Add tomato paste to the wok and stirfry for 5 minutes. No short cuts, you need to fry the tomatoe paste until it almost exudes oil on the pan. This is to make sure that the paste is thoroughly cooked before the meat is added back again.
5. Add the chicken back into the wok (plus the accumulated juices) and the carrots. Stir everything until all are coated with the red sauce. Add water until it covers the meat and ingredients completely. Add soysauce too. Bring to a boil.
6. When the sauce starts to boil, lower the heat so that it simmers. Cover the wok and let it simmer for 30 minutes. You would need to stir the contents every 7-10 minutes so that nothing sticks to the bottom.
7. Add the potato chunks and the bell pepper strips. By this time the sauce has reduced to almost half level. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are done. Salt and pepper to taste.

To serve this, just put a couple of chicken pieces plus veggies on a plate beside a mound of rice. In my family, we usually have something like slices of cucumber to refresh the palate for every afritada bite. Pickled vegetables would also work as a side dish. Happy eating!

A Noodle with a Hundred Ingredients (Pancit Bihon)

Ok, ok, maybe not a hundred, but my family's Pancit Bihon recipe has a lot of ingredients which makes it soooo good and so special. Pancit Bihon is one of the wonderful Chinese dishes that have become Filipino. It's a staple in birthday parties and even special occasions in the office. They say that the long noodles means long life for the birthday celebrant or long success for the business.

In my family, it's a wonderful afternoon snack that my mom and my brother fix for the whole family. The noodles used are called "bihon" (hence the name) which are thin rick stick noodles. The ingredients can be as sparse as just onions, cabbage and green beans or as lavish as containing pork, chicken, chinese sausage, etc. It can be adapted as a vegetarian dish or can be a "clean-out-your-veggie-bin" dish.

Anyway, let me teach you the basics on how to do this wonderfully tasty noodle snack.

Pancit Bihon

1 package rice noodles (bihon), sometimes it would say makes 1 kilo
2 cups chicken or pork broth (a must, don't substitute water)
2 tablespoon cooking oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 onion, thinly julienned (sliced into long, thin strips
1/2 carrots, thinly julienned
1 green bell pepper, thinly julienned
1 cup green beans, thinly julienned (beginning to get the idea?)
2 cups of cabbage, thinly shredded
1 cup cooked chicken meat, flaked
1 cup cooked pork, thinly julienned (this must have fat on it, trust me)
1 chinese sausage, thinly julienned
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
salt & pepper

1. The preparation for this dish is time consuming, thinly slicing almost everything and boiling the meat (chicken & pork). But once you get everything prepared, it takes about 20-30 minutes to cook everything in a large wok. In a large basin, soak the rice noodles in warm water for about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Heat the oil in the wok, when hot dump the minced garlic. Stirfry for about half a minute until light golden brown. Add the sliced onions next. Again, stirfry for a minute until the onions are translucent.

3. Do this technique for the following veggies: carrots, green beans and then bell pepper. After everything is stirfried in the wok. Add the cooked meat and sausage. Stir-fry for a minute

4. Add the chicken broth to the wok. Let it come to a simmer, add the drained rice noodles. With two spatulas (or chopsticks if you prefer) start mixing the noodles and the ingredients in the wok. Continue doing this until the noodles are throughtly mixed with the veggies.

5. Add the soy sauce and the cabbage. Again, mix and stir everything up. Let the noodles cook until all the broth is absorbed by the noodles and the color is uniform all over. Salt and pepper as desired. This would take 5-7 minutes.

6. Serve hot with Puto (Filipino rice cake) or garlic toast on the side. Add a half of calamansi fruit to individual plates so that it can be squeezed over the noodles. If you don't have calamansi, add lemon wedges instead.

Enjoy your Pancit Bihon!