Before November even ended, I have already set my menus for the whole month of December. I always consider December as a very special month because of Jesus’ birthday. For many Filipinos, Christmas is very well celebrated. Likewise, the Philippines has the longest celebration of Christmas. It actually starts on the 1st day of the Ber months and ends on the first week of January.
Pictures of gatherings (of family members and friends) will be posted here; as well as pictures of food that I served during the holiday season.
SPANISH PAELLA
There are many ways of cooking the Spanish Paella. Every cook has his own favorite recipe/s. I, myself, cook it in different ways. Sometimes I cook the what is so called Mixed Paella, which includes meat and seafoods. This time, I prepared my own recipe of the Prawns Paella. Prawns, chorizo de bilbao, roasted red bell peppers, saffron and paprika were all added to this simple dish, cooked and served in a paellera . Truly filling but still considered light, this meal gave enough space for a mouth watering dessert.
SALTIMBOCCA ON A BED OF MIXED GREENS WITH ARUGULA
Saltimbocca was among the first recipes I learned when I stayed in Rome, Italy, in 2008. In Italian, Saltimbocca means jump in the mouth. It is usually made of veal with prosciutto and sage leaf on top of the prosciutto and is secured by a small wooden stick. However, thin slices of sirloin steak and thin slices of ham could be substituted to the veal and prosciutto. Cooked in olive oil, butter and white wine, I drizzled the remaining sauce on top of the Saltimbocca pieces placed on a bed of mixed greens. This recipe became not only my favorite but everyone’s favorite because of its taste.
POLENTA WITH RAGU
I always wanted to try the polenta when I got to Rome. I learned that it was tasty, versatile and can be substituted for pasta and bread. It was the staple food of the North Italians then but up to now many of them still eat it. Though many think that polenta is just a corn meal mush, it can actually be served in many ways: baked, stewed, or even as a first course. I prepared my polenta as a substitute for pasta and topped it with homemade ragu. Ragu is an Italian term for a meat-based sauce. And so, I used ground beef with onions, celery, carrots and seasoned it with oregano and basil. Served it hot with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
BEEF MORCON
For many Filipinos, Beef Morcon is a special dish and is usually served on either Christmas or New Year’s eve or during other occasions. It’s ingredients and time consuming preparation makes it really special. Beef marinated in soy sauce and calamansi (or lemon), stuffed with slices of eggs, cheese, pickles, carrots and chorizo de bilbao, is then rolled and secured by a string. This delectable dish is braised or pot-roasted for about 90 minutes or until the beef is tender. Before serving, dredge the rolled beef morcon in flour and fry in little oil. Let it rest for a while and then cut it in slices. Arrange the morcon pieces on the platter and pour the sauce over the slices. This dish is usually served with rice. This time I topped it on fettuccini pasta and it worked. Everybody liked it!
WELCOMING 2011
It has been a tradition for many Filipinos to have 13 kinds of fruits, or, at the very least, 13 fruits on a platter to welcome the new year. It has been a belief that round fruits will bring good luck and good fortune. This tradition was influenced by the Chinese. For my family, I made it simple by just serving 13 round fruits on our table. Aside from this, for 20 years now, I have not been including a chicken dish in welcoming the new year. This is because of a Filipino saying that chicken will not bring prosperity since it lives on a one scratch, one peck existence. Or, in other words, living on paycheck to paycheck existence only.
So, in welcoming 2011, I thought of serving dishes that are round, meant to bring prosperity and good luck all year round. Dishes such as Pasta with Meatballs molded in a round ring or Rolled Meatloaf or Beef Mechado sliced in circles. I chose to cook Roast Beef with Baby Potatoes and a repeat of Spanish Paella. This time, my Spanish Paella have round big crabs. For dessert, I prepared a round Cheesecake with Blueberry Toppings.
Aside from pictures of the food dishes, I, likewise, included other pictures during our celebration.
ROAST BEEF WITH MUSHROOM SAUCE AND BABY POTATOES
This is a classic Roast Beef recipe. I usually use sirloin and before roasting it in a foil-covered roasting pan, I rub the entire meat generously with olive oil. I roast it in the oven for an hour and a half (for 1 1/2 kilos), loosely covered with foil so as to allow steam to circulate. After an hour, remove the foil covering and add the baby potatoes. Open roast it for 30 minutes to brown the almost tender chunk of meat. After taking out from the oven, allow beef to rest for a while before slicing. For its gravy, gather the drippings and add sliced button mushrooms. Adjust the seasonings to taste and thicken gravy with flour.
SPANISH PAELLA WITH CRABS
Using the same recipe as in my previous Spanish Paella, the only ingredients added here were crabs and yellow and green bell peppers.
BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE
Cheesecake is almost everyone’s favorite especially when it is topped with blueberries. The crust is made of ground Graham crackers with butter and a little sugar, pressed firmly on the bottom of the pan. For the filling: cream cheese, eggs, heavy cream and sugar are blended together and baked for about 45-50 mins. Chill and top with blueberries before serving.
