Beef Wellington Mushroom & Chestnuts and Sauce au Foigras

What was the last embarrassing moment that you had?

My list is long but let me share you the latest one. Imagine this: Christmas shopping rush is everywhere. This is my favorite time of the year not only because of the gifts that I will receive but I always feel great to offer gifts to people I care. And besides who doesn't love shopping, aside from our husbands (of course :-) ). I was garbed with my favorite winter outfit, my bag, my list and my wallet. I decided to go early morning so I have plenty of time to choose before really buying them. I entered the first shop, and there the sound goes, "beep". I disregarded it and continued looking around and eventually decided to go. There the sound went again "beep". I just made few steps and there the security of the shop stopped me. Explaining that I "beeped" and stuff. I gave my bag and everything and they found nothing and let me go. I was disgusted and told them their security alarm must be broken or something. Then I went to go to the next shop. And the same thing happened again ,the security alarm "beeped" once again. So I said "I must leave", but there goes the security to check my stuffs "Again". Believe it or not after the fifth shop and I had the same "beeping" incident I finally decided to go back home. My worst nightmare, in reality. What must be beeping on me? My keys, my bag, my sweater? I have really no idea...Well I'll just be shopping gifts online I guess. I bet you have a lot of embarrassing moments to share too.

By the way, I would like to invite you to check out the beautiful feature write-up about Dhanggit's Kitchen on Femina Magazine. Thanks again Rajani for this!

I am sending a slice of this yummy Beef Wellington with Mushrooms and Chestnuts over at talented Haalo of Cook Almost Anything, this week's host of Weekend Herb Blogging #214, that delicious event pioneered by Kalyn now under Haalo's caring hands. If you want to participate please don't forget to check out the link.




Photos from top to bottom, left to right: The beef freshly cut, the two Mayumi's playing in the kitchen, the plate of beef with veggies before serving, the beef with the knife, and Mayumi trying to write her name.

Beef Wellington with Mushrooms and Chestnuts in Sauce au Foiegras
serves 6- 8 persons

This is a very easy and yet delicious festive dish you can prepare for this holiday.

about 1 and half kilo of beef tenderloin trimmed
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
15 g of butter
4 pieces of parma ham
shallots chopped
about 80 g of chestnuts (i used fresh chestnuts that i boiled and mashed)
250 g of mushrooms (champignon de paris) finely chopped
salt, pepper and lots of herbs: rosemary and thyme
1 roll of puff pastry
1 egg yolk

for the sauce:
15 g of butter
1 small shallots finely chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
100 g of bloc de foiegras
60 ml of veal stock
1 tablespoon of heavy cream

On a pan with oil and butter brown the beef briefly on all sides. Add salt, pepper and herbs. On the same pan, fry the shallots, mushrooms and chestnuts, add some salt and pepper. You can pass this on a mixer to have a fine consistent texture. Roll out your puff pastry , put your parma ham, spread evenly the chestnut-mushroom mixture and put the beef on the top. Closely evenly the sides of the dough. Be sure you seal tightly the edges. With the brush spread evenly the eggyolk. YOu can make some the designs on the top using your knife. Bake this on a preheated oven at 250°celsius for 20-25 minutes. Set it aside and let it rest for about five to seven minutes before slicing it.

For the sauce, on the pan brown your shallots with olive oil. Add your sliced foeigras. Pour the veal broth and let it simmer for few minutes. Put some salt and pepper. Just before turning off the heat. Add the butter and heavy cream to thicken the sauce.

Beef Tagine in dried figs; a morrocan delight and a football match

Love me tender, love me sweet

No to racism!

This was the slogan of the campaign ad that widely circulated on french television last year triggered after numerous incidents of "racism insults" during football matches in France on colored football players. A great number of popular football players mobilised for in doing that commercial hoping to end this racism occurence. Thierry Henry, Zinadine Zidane and the likes gladly volunteered their services in that commercial ad. However,this morning as we were taking our breakfast we've learned about the latest racism incident involving a Moroccan player that was insulted by the spectators during the match in one of the key cities in France. We are not really football fanatics but the current issue called our attention. The french government was thinking of being more strict with the penalties involving such issues like one year prohibition to enter stadiums, 2 years imprisonment and thousand of euros of fine. Ouch! And guess what the insult in question was; monkey cries and gestures during the entire match. I'm pretty sure those fans were regretting so much their behaviour that got carried away with the intensity of the match. Sometimes it pays not to become too much devotee of one's team you are rallying for. Of course, I am not judging those fans because I saw how my aunties and dad would cry everytime their favorite team loses a match. But I will never understand how it works in their head :-)

Come to think of it, how ironic it could be that racism transpire on circumstances like this when sports true meaning is all about camaraderie, fairness and fun.

That day, after the news I had so much envies for morrocan food; I should say that my belly got carried away....

Beef Tajine in dried figs

1 kilo of beef cut in cubes
1 big onion slice
1 red pepper sliced
50 g of dried figs
12 tbsp of olive oil
1 tsp of curcuma
1 tsp of cayenne powder
1 tsp of cumin seeds
1 tsp of paprika
1 tsp of tomato paste
salt, pepper
one cup of beef bouillon
Chopped coriander (optional)

In a casserole, sauté the sliced onion then add up the beef. Brown a little bit all the sides of the meat. Add the pepper and all the spices. Add the dried figs, tomato paste and the bouillon. Simmer for one hour over medium fire. Serve with couscous.

"Ini, mini, myni mo..."

Don't get carried away....

Caldereta: Devil's Beef Stew Blazing in my Cracked Pot

Outrageously Spicy beef caldereta: beef stew in tomato sauce

When I was a kid, I grew up in a family of fried fish-rice-sautéed vegetables routine on the table. Not that I'm sulking about this habitual at home but it's unthinkable that dad would cook something fancy or elaborate. Lack of time, lack of money, or maybe both? But its true, priceless are those moments we are feasting menudo, kare-kare or lechon at home. That is why we would always look like (my sisters and I) famished kittens devouring those dishes when invited on birthday parties, fiestas and other occassions in the neighborhood. Shamelessly, going back home even with doggy bags. Being married now and living far from my family make me long for those funny childhood "feasting" memories.

As Lasang Pinoy (a food blogging event promoting filipino food) celebrates its 23rd edition with Crockpot cooking. I couldn't think of anything better that falls under the category of "slowly cooked" than making a Spicy Beef Caldereta. It is a beef recipe slowly marinated and slowly simmered with vegetables. There exist plenty of versions of cooking this recipe but so far I judge the one my auntie often cooks for us on special occassions as the best. Unfortunately I don't have her recipe (I think her version is the one that uses 7-Up as the secret ingredient). The only thing I could guarantee you is that this beef caldereta is hideously spicy and it's been cooked slowly in my cracked pot. I'm not a fan of crock pot because I don't have one, but all my slow cooking recipes are cooked on my bygone inherited terrine, an earthenware cooking dish that I cook idly in the oven.

Beef Caldereta

Ingredients:

1 kg of stewing beef cut into cubes
250 g of potatoes peeled and quartered
2 red bell pepper grilled, peeled and chopped
250 g of carrots peeled and cut into cubes
100 g of pitted green olives
half a cup of tomato sauce
1 tsp of tomato paste
2tsps of chili powder or cayenne powder
2 tbsps of hot sauce
2 tbsps of chili oil
2 tbsps of olive oil
10 g of butter

Marinating ingredients:
Half a cup of red wine, salt, pepper, 1 tbsp of crushed garlic, 1 big onion minced, half a cup of coarsely chopped chicken liver, some thyme and rosemary

Marinate for at least one hour the beef. In a pan, fry lightly the beef with olive oil and butter. Use the same frying pan for the carrots and potatoes. Then in a crock pot or any deep and thick casserole put all the ingredients including the marinating sauce. And simmer covered over low fire for two hours.

Pretty in red

If pots could talk, this time-worn thing have a lot to tell

You can find my other filipino recipes at:

Adobo Beef Shawarma
Porc Sarciado
Chicken Menudo

Chicken curry Pizza: A perfect day for Donna's Pizza

Chicken Curried Mango and Mozzarella Pizza

I am one of the few people that doesn't like pizza. For simple reason that its too good yet lavishly rich in calories. Not that I'm concerned with my weight but I feel guilty everytime I'm indulging this italian pie that has been internationally embraced as their own. Anywhere we go we'll definitely find pizza with the local flavor of its own.

When I have learned that Joey, of 80 Breakfasts is hosting the 17th edition of HHDD (Hay Hay its Donna Day) with pizza as a theme; I was really excited to join. Not only because I wanted to show my own "pizzanality" but simply because I was never familiar with Donna Hay. (I know where on earth did I come from :-) ) I have been hearing a lot good reviews about her, her foodstyling and her recipes. But never had really the opportunity to try. And now is the time I try it myself. A perfect day for Dhanggit to try Donna's Pizza.

Care for a bite?

Chicken Curried Mango and Mozzarella Pizza

Pizza Dough (from Modern Classics I by Donna Hay page 186)

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• Pinch sugar
• 2/3 cup (5 fl oz) warm water
• 2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

- Place the yeast, sugar, and water in a bowl. Set aside until bubbles form. - Add the four, salt, and oil, and mix to form a smooth dough. Knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. - Place in a clean, oiled bowl, cover, and allow to stand in a warm place until it has doubled in size Makes one quantity.

For Pizza Sauce
8 ripe tomatoes
salt, pepper
thyme and rosemary
2 tbsps of olive oil
1 clove of garlic

In a boiling water drop the tomatoes and take them off after 3 seconds. Wash the tomatoes in running water. This procedure will help you take off the skin. Quarter each tomatoes and take off the seeds. In an electric mixer, start by throwing in the thyme and rosemary, then add the garlic. Put all the tomatoes, the olive oil ,salt and pepper and mix well.

Pizza Toppings
Chicken flakes meat from Roasted Chicken
1 small shallots
1 tsp of curry powder
salt
2 tbsps of olive oil
1 ripe mango
1 onion sliced
1 red pepper
1 ball of fresh Mozzarella

Sauté first the chicken flakes in olive oil with shallots for about 3 minutes. Then add the curry powder. Deglace the chicken with 1 tbsp of lemon juice, add a little bit of salt then turn of the fire. Spread over the pizza tomato sauce prepared over the pizza dough. Arrange the chicken flakes alternately with mango slices, onion, red pepper and mozzarella cheese. Drizzle it with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes at 200° Celsius.

Sleeping Beauty... with rosemary's aroma

Before their unfortunate trip to the inferno...:-)

Reminiscing Thailand with bagoong rice

I must admit after reading Joey's post (80 Breakfasts) of her recent food escapade in Thailand, I can't help but have nostalgic memories of my trip there with my husband (we were boyfriend and girlfriend yet at that time). The truth is, it was a long distance relationship. He was a student in Japan while I was a student too in Manila (we were both taking Master's in Japanese Management). Well as students, we had very limited budget and very little time for pleasure. Without counting of course all the paperworks we needed to hand on time and the Kanji (Japanese characters we needed to memorize and learn how to write). So we thought why not have a date in Bangkok. They have very cheap package tours there and besides it is a very pleasant country to visit. Lots of historical and cultural findings plus the gastronomic adventure that is really interesting.

So yesterday I took out our photo album and reminisce those moments when we were still young "he he he" (well it was a not so distant past.) But of course what goes well during these nostalgic thai moments but a sumptous thai dinner. I have prepared a very spicy Tom Yam soup, a creamy-sweetty Prawn-pineapple curry and a Khao Kluk Kapi or simply Bagoong rice. My husband enjoyed everything i prepared except the bagoong rice for he really hated the smell of it. Have a nice day to all!

Tom Yam Soup

Prawn Pineapple curry

Tom Yam Soup
for 2 personnes

Ingredients:
250 g of shrimps, 3 cups of water,garlic, 5 kaffir leaves, 3 slices of galanga (frais ou sec) , 3 tsp of Fish Sauce, 2 stalks of lemon grass,1 onion sliced, some mushrooms, 3 chilis, 1/4 cup of lime juice
some coriander leaves (optional)

In a casserole boil the 3 cups of water with the shrimps. After the first boil, strain the shimps and take off the shells and head. Put back the shrimp broth in the stove and add the garlic, onion, kaffir leaves, lemon grass and galanga. When the first bubble appear put the mushroom, the chilis and the lime juice. Add the fish sauce and shrimp. Serve hot with coriander leaves.

Prawn Pineapple Curry
for 2 personnes

Ingredients:
8 pcs of tiger prawns (about 4 pcs per serving)
1 eggplant cut in cubes
half a cup of fresh pineapple
3 tbsp of pineapple juice
1 tbsp of green curry paste
4 tbsp of olive oil
2-3 chilis
1 tbsp of curcuma
one cup of coconut milk

In a wok fry rapidly the eggplant with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Reserve the eggplant. In the same wok, put the remaining olive oil and add the green curry paste and curcuma. Pour the coconut milk and simmer over low fire. At the first boil add the pineapple, the pineapple juice, the chilis and prawns. Cook for about 3 more minutes. Season it with some fish sauce. Add the fried eggplant and turn off the fire.

Khao Kluk kapi (Shrimp Paste Rice)
for 2 personnes

Ingredients:
2 bowls of cooked rice, 1 onion chopped, garlic, 1 tbsp of shrimp paste, 2 tbsp of olive oil, 2 tbsp of fish sauce

In wok brown the garlic and the onion. Add the shrimp paste and mix well. Put the cook rice and continue to mix. Season with fish sauce.

For my french readers, the french version of this Tom Yam recipe is here: http://www.lesfoodies.com/hilda/recette/tom-yam-kung-soupe-thailandaise,

the recipe of curry is here: http://www.lesfoodies.com/hilda/recette/curry-de-crevettes-a-lananas

the recipe of Thai rice is here: http://www.lesfoodies.com/hilda/recette/riz-frit-thai-pate-crevettes-et-porc-caramelise

A meal to die for Chicken Supreme ala Dr. Jose Rizal: 21st Edition Lasang Pinoy Food Blogging Event

One of the most fascinating part of Dr. Jose Rizal's short live life was during his exile in Dapitan. Far from the political limelight he lived an ordinary but a meaningful life. Quoting from his letter to Ferdinand Blumentritt describing how simple it was:

"I shall tell you how we lived here. I have three houses - one square, another hexagonal, and the third octagonal. All these houses are made of bamboo, wood, and nipa. I live in the square house, together with my mother, my sister, Trinidad, and my nephew. In the octagonal house live some young boys who are my pupils. The hexagonal house is my barn where I keep my chickens...."

The life he shared with the last woman of his life Josephine Bracken in Dapitan was also worth noting though most often been discretely discussed. How he praised her for being an ideal and loving housewife. In his letter for her sister he quoted:

"She cooks, washes, takes care of the chickens and the house. In the absence of miki for making pancit, she made some long macaroni noodles out of flour and eggs, which serves the purpose. If you could send me a little angkak, I should be grateful to you, for she makes bagoong. She makes also chili miso, but it seems to me that what we have will last for 10 years....."

And if I were to rewrite a part of our Philippine history for this food blogging event, Dr. Jose Rizal at the eve of his deportation to Manila (for his trial) improvised this last romantic tete a tete dinner for her wife.



A dinner of Chicken Supreme a la Dr. Jose Rizal calls for: A young native chicken marinated in herbes and roasted to perfection inside a palayok. And for the white sauce his ingenuity calls for sauteing young onions on chicken drip and deglacing it afterwards with half a cup of lambanog and thickening it with 5 spoonful of coconut cream. The chicken is then served over a bed of pan-fried mushrooms, accompanied by carrots and Josephine Bracken's homemade fresh pasta.


And for the dessert a simple but mouthwatering "pugon" baked sublime chocolate tart done with beaten eggs, freshly grinded bitter sweet cacao and coconut cream over a crumbly pastry tart with a hint of pili nuts and melting caramel of panotsa inside.

As I put it, only a Dr. Jose Rizal could pull a romantic dinner like this. Bon Appetit!

Ratatouille on the plate: me, my hubby on a lazy Sunday night

On Sunday night like this, my fridge is often exhausted from a week's culinary experimentation. Preparing a decent dinner always ends up to be the "mix and match" of what's rest and what needs to be eaten before their expiration date. Sometimes the menu ends up to be terriffic and delicious but most of the time it is such a disaster we needed a very good dessert to wash our palate.

And in order to avoid such misadventures I made a strategy of cooking dishes in bulk and freezing them for emergency cases like tonight (fridge and energy level both zero). So searching in my freezer I found the ratatouille that I made 2 weeks ago. Lucky me! I decided I will serve this over a hot pasta and grated emmental cheese.

Well the secret of making and preparing the authentic ratatouille according to my husband's grandmother (who is an authentic Provencal lass) is in using the right amount of "herbes de provences" (basically thymes and rosemary) and virgin olive oil. Of all the French Provencal dishes this is one of my favorite:simply because it is easy to make, it blends with any other dishes easily and most of all this was the dish served by my husband on our first romantic dinner, a defrozen ratatouille.

Ingredients: 2 big eggplants, 2 medium sized zucchini, 1 big onion, 3 gloves of garlic, 5 big red tomatoes, 1 red bell pepper, 1 green pepper, some black and green olives, herbes de provence, olive oil, salt and pepper

Cut in cubes the eggplants, zucchini, onion and peppers. Fry them on the pan with olive oil until golden brown. Put all the fried vegetables in a casserole and topped it with cubed tomatoes and herbes de provence, cover and simmer over low heat for about an hour. Stir and add the olives and simmer for another hour. Season and add more olive oil if necessary. Bon Appetit!