EMBUTIDO RECIPE (FILIPINO STYLE MEATLOAF)

I prepare Embutido (otherwise known as Filipino style meatloaf) in large quantities. It’s the perfect Holiday dish to prepare for unexpected guests. One can easily freeze the embutido, slice it , heat it in the oven and serve. The embutido that I know is wrapped in sinsal (an internal pork entrail) which is ideal for steaming. Mom only prepared embutido on Christmas season. There are so many ingredients which need lots of preparation time but like I told you, once prepared, and cooked it’s perfect to store.

Here is my Embutido recipe.

Ingredients
2 pieces red pepper, minced finely
3 kilos ground lean pork
2 pieces carrot, grated finely
1 cup Chorizo de Bilbao, chopped finely (this is the one that gives the flavor)
6 eggs, beaten
200 grams raisins
300 grams pickle relish
3 onions, minced
1 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
3 1/2 Tablespoons fine salt
7 1/2 Tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 Tablespoon worcestershire saice
3/4 cup cornstarch

Garnishing
3 eggs hardboiled
5 pieces hotdog
4 pieces Vienna sausage

Procedure
1. Combine all the ingredients except the garnishings.

2. Blend thoroughly together. Before rolling , take a small meat portion and fry to make sure the flavors suit your taste.

3. Measure a 1 cup pork mixture. Spread pork mixture into 8″ x 10″ aluminum foil.

4. Make a rectangular well in the center.

4. Arrange slices of hard cooked eggs, Vienna sausage and hotdog. Roll until the ends of the pork mixture covers the eggs and sausages. Continue rolling the pork mixture back and forth until it covers the slices of eggs and sausages in the center.

6. The rolled mixture in the aluminum foil should reach around 1″ to 2″ in diameter.

7. Seal both ends. Repeat with the remaining pork mixture.

8. Steam bake in moderate oven over 350 F for 1 hour or steam for 30 minutes.

Makes 18 rolls

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FILIPINO BREAKFAST

 Beef tapa for breakfast is my all time favorite Filipino breakfast. Served with garlic rice, eggs and coffee is the ultimate breakfast. I often dip my tapa with vinegar before mixing it with my garlic rice. Through the years, I’ve developed my own recipe because it was getting more and more expensive to buy the pre-mixed tapa.

Here is my recipe which I have featured before but made it even tastier.

1 kilo beef sirloin
1 1/2 Tablespoon + 1/2 teaspoon salt (fine salt)
7 Tablespoon white sugar
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
3 1/2 tablespoon vinegar

Mix all ingredients.
Let stand for a few hours.
Store in the refrigerator for 24 hours or longer before storing in the freezer.

It’s best to marinate the beef overnight as the flavors seep in more.

Divide the 1 kilo marinated beef into separate plastic bags so you can just cook them per batch.

Now if you can’t wait to cook beef tapa, just hop along to the nearest Jollibee restaurant, Max Restaurant or any restaurant for that matter. Almost every restaurant serves beef tapa as their Filipino breakfast fare.

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BUKO PANDAN JELLY

Buko Pandan is just a favorite dessert in most parties. The fragrant smell of pandan is soothing after a filling meal. Pandanus leaves are often soaked in water and boiled to extract both the green color, a natural food colorant, as well as the aroma which is a bit nutty and reminiscent of freshly-cooked jasmine rice. One can prepare Buko Pandan Jelly with or without pandan leaves. Of course you will need pandan essence that can be bought online (Check here). If there are no pandan leaves or pandan essence available (especially those based outside the Philippines), then one will just have to leave it out and pretend the flavor is there.

Ingredients
7 Pandan leaves (skip this if you have Pandan flavoring or Pandan essence )
5 Buko (young coconut) grated
Water from 5 Buko which is about 10 cups
2 bars of Green Gulaman
3 small cans of Nestle Cream
1 medium can of Condensed Milk
1 1/2 Cups Sugar (adjust to taste)


Directions

1. Boil buko water with the 7 pandan leaves. Twist each pandan leaf so juice can easily be extracted. Simmer for 20 minutes.

2. When you smell the aromatic pandan , remove from fire. Discard leaves.

3. Check if the remaining coconut water is equal to 8 cups since 1 bar of gulaman is good for 4 cups of liquid.

4. Add gulaman to the remaining coconut water and stir well to dissolve the gulaman. Add sugar while mixing.

Continue doing so for at least 5 minutes.

5. Strain the mixture and place in cooling tray so gulaman mixture can cool and harden. When cool, refrigerate.

6. Mix the cream, sugar and condensed milk with the grated buko. Set aside.

7. Get chilled gulaman from the refrigerator nd cut into 1 cm cubes.

8. Mix well with buko mixture. Chill in the refrigerator before serving.

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FOOD FOR THE GODS

It’s that time of the year when I plan the baked goodies that I plan to give as gifts to my friends. Food for the Gods is such a delightful recipe to bake during the holidays when one doesn’t have the time to bake Fruit Cake. It entails less preparation and baking time. It’s the perfect dessert to prepare beforehand. Baked with a delightful blend of dates and walnuts, molasses, tinge of brandy and cinnamon, the taste is reminiscent of fruit cake sans the fruit glaze. You should try it. It’s simple to bake. Your kitchen will also emit holiday aroma that gives you more reason to keep baking and baking.

Here is my recipe to start you off baking a dessert fit even for gods.

Ingredients

4 tablespoons Brandy
1 cup dates, cut in strips
1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/3 cup butter
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons Honey
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 350 F

2. Grease square pan

3. Combine dates. nuts, and 2 tablespoons brandy. Set aside.

(Dates and walnuts are blended with the 2 Tablespoons of brandy)

4. Cream butter until fluffy.

5. Add sugar, molasses, and honey gradually.

6. Add eggs one at a time and continue beating.

7. Blend in 2 tablespoons brandy. (Lauren wanted to add more brandy but it might make the batter too bitter.)

8. Sift together flour, cinnamon and baking powder.

9 Add to creamed mixture.

10. Fold in dates and nuts. Blend well.

11. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. (Bake only until a wooden toothpick inserted about one inch from side of pan comes out with a moist crumb. The center will often see, unbaked but it will be firm upon cooling.)

(Freshly baked food for the gods)

12. When cool, cut into bars
13. Wrap in cellophane.

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ICE SCRAMBLE

Time was it was safe to buy Ice Scramble from vendors. Those were the days when water was much cleaner, without risk of Hepatitis A infection. These days, once can easily buy Ice Scramble at the Philippine malls but for those who reminisce this good ole street food treat, you can prepare one at home. One just needs to know the classic Ice Scramble base, and choose your favorite topping.


Classic Ice Scramble base:
1 cup Evaporated milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon banana flavoring (adjust to desired taste)
few drops of red liquid coloring to get the right shade of pink color

3 cups crushed ice

toppings:
2 Tablespoons milk powder
Chocolate syrup
2 tablespoons rice krispies (optional)

Mix the ingredients of the base and add on to crushed ice. The actual proportion of ice to the ice scramble base might vary so adjust as desired. Mix well and keep in an insulated container. Fill a cup with the mixed crushed ice base. Add milk powder and chocolate syrup and top with rice crispies or any desired topping.

There you go. Such a refreshing treat during warm weather. I think this is our very own version of the smoothie, our Pinoy Smoothie.

I saw another site that has an Ice Scramble recipe but it veers away from the old-school Iskrambol but you might also want to try it out

CHOCO ICE SCRAMBLE
Ingredients:

1 cup Alaska Evaporada
1/2 cup instant chocolate powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup water
1 pc banana, chopped (optional)
3 cups crushed ice

Procedure:

Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.

Place in serving glasses and top with a swirl of Alaska Condensada if desired

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