Linguine with Asian Clam Sauce

Description:
If you are tired of pasta with red sauce, try doing this. It is of italian origin, but fused with an Asian touch. I have proven this recipe to be very tasty.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup EVO (extra virgin olive oil
4-6 pcs of sliced "pancetta" (this is pork ala-bacon, cured but
NOT smoked)
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
garlic minced
1 tbsps Chinese black beans (soaked in cold water, drained
and chopped)
2 tsps sugar
2 tbsps low sodium soy sauce
3 tbsps sherry (optional)
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
30 medium to small pieces of shelled clams (boiled, and chopped) Reserve juice from the boiled clams.
1/4 lb. linguine (1 med. package)
1 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 2 tbsps water
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions (use both white and green part)
2 tsps. sesame oil
Chiles as garnish




Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
In a large saucepan, heat oilive oil over moderate heat.
Add the pancetta and cook stirring for 3 mins.
Add gingerroot, garlic and black beans and cook over low heat stirring for 1 minute
Add sugar, soy sauce, sherry, chicken broth and unshelled clams.
Cover and cook over high heat, transferring the clams with tongs as they open to a bowl. Discard any clams that do not open. Let the opened clams cool--remove from shells and
chop them.
Add the linguine to the boiling water and cook for 8-10 minutes until "al dente.".
Bring the mixture in the clampot to a boil, stir in the cornstarch mixture and whisk it in. Simmer for 1 minute and stir in the clams, and any juice from the clam bowl. Add the scallions, sesame oil and the pasta.
Toss well and serve.
Garnish with fresh chiles.

Relaxing Weekend!

Saturday was  simply a beautiful day---no rain, just a little windy---sun not too hot---not humid---in short perfect to go out into the driving and hit some golf balls.  Since sumer of 2004, Rick has been tutoring me on the good points to be a good golfer.  I have considerably improved, but still watching out to be consistent with my drives.  I can now hit 100 yards and can make the ball fly up into the air.  But of course, Rick is a much better player cause he has been a golfer since he was 12!  Well, I guess with a lot of help from him, I am not too old to catch up.  But since we only do this every Summer & Fall, it really is quite difficult to be consistent.  In fact last year,  he gifted me with a ladies' golf set,  which is perfect for me  I used to practice with his set and since he is much taller, I have difficulty using the irons. And putting is not easy, either ...yet I hope to be on the greens pretty soon---although I do not think I can beat Rick.  If you think golf is easy---it certainly is not!  That is why, Rick keeps on coaching me on my stance, my grip, my distance from the ball, etc.  Oh well---I'll get there somehow!  And after having been introduced to golf, now I enjoy watching golf tournaments on TV, especially when humble Phil Mickelson is a participant.  I like him better than Tiger Woods.

Sunday, we decided to re-visit Arboreum again.  But to our dismay, we were quite late to see the flowers in full bloom. Nevertheless,  there were still some good remaining blooms like(Roses of all kinds, black-eyed Susan, Zenias, Hibiscus, etc.)   The pictures here will show what I mean. 

One plant caught my eye--with its long narrow leaves and white flowers---and I was right with my hunch. it  was our local Camia.  I never thought I could see it here.  Smelling the Camia flower brought back a rush of nostalgia---we used to have this plant in our backyard when I was just a kid. I think I have last smelled and saw a Camia plant almost more than 10 years ago. In Manila and its suburbs, Camia has become rare, don't you agree?  Seeing this Camia here, I nowthink having Sampaguits in this beautiful garden park would be a lovely addition to their collection.  I wonder how I could even suggest that to the owners. 

Then there's a lot of shrubs and bushes with leaves that come in varied colors and hues that viewing them from afar, they look like a framed  painting.

Well, here are the photos of how Rick and I spent our relaxing Saturday and Sunday.

 

Sweet Banana Balls

Description:
A fruit for all seasons is the banana. One of my contacts, Carms, requested that I do an R&D on a banana dessert she has tried. Well---I found the chance to do it yesterday being a Sunday. So, I am sharing it with all readers, esp. Carms. I was in a cooking binge yesterday: I cooked Sinigang na Bangus, Lumpiyang Prito and Shrimp Rebosado...and this as dessert.
No special occasion---just for dinner and for my "lunch" at work.

Ingredients:
5-6 bananas (the long ones) or 5-10 if they are small.
2 cups Sugar (mix white and brown but less of brown)
3 cups of coconut juice w/ a tiny drop of pandan flavor, or pandan leaves, if available.

Batter: (mix the following in a bowl and must be of thick but smooth consistency - Must be free from lumps
1 cup rice flour (galapong)
1 cup wheat flour
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup water
1 tsp lye water (lihiya)
1 cup coconut milk
dash of salt

Oil for frying


Directions:
-In a small pan, prepare the syrup by boiling the coconut juice and the sugar together. As soon as it begins to thread, remove from fire, and set aside.

Peel and cut the bananas into 1 inch size.

In a semi-deep frying pan, heat oil (must be very hot)
Coat each banana piece with the prepared batter and deep fry until slightly brownish.

Pour the syrup on the banana balls upon serving.

"Man of Faith" - the DVD

Instead of going to a theater to watch a movie on some weekends, we rent dvds from Blockbusters. Usually, we know exactly what to rent--or just scan the many alleys to choose.

This Friday, there was not much that caught our interests- but Rick chose "National Treasure" starring Nicolas Cage andI I chose "Man of Faith"--starring a "nobody" but with an array of interesting supports like Faye Dunaway, Robert Wagner, and Jill St. John. I said, oh well it looks like a "B" movie but I still picked it out of so many other DVDs.  the "teaser" read:

Faith is all he needed to change the world --based on the true story of Reverend Leroy Jenkins of Phoenix, Arizona.

Well, guess what...this supposedly B movie, I thought, turned out to be very enlightening---not because of the supporting known stars, but because of its theme.  It is based on a true life's story of a man who at a very young age...showed signs of being among the "chosen ones" and whose coloful life, indeed, makes for interesting watching.

The caption on the cover says" Transformed through faith and endowed with the power to heal others thru a mysterious force he calls "The Spirit", Leroy Jenkins (portrayed by Damian Chapa) begins his career as an evangelist and quickly builds one of the largest ministries in America.  Befriending the likes of Mae West (Faye D), he soon becomes a celebrity himself.  he rocks the establishment singing the gospel like Elvis, dressing as flamboyant as Liberace, and lashes out at anyone who doubts or opposes him.  As he gets wealthier, Leroy makes many enemies, mistakes, and is ultimately betrayed.  With his life and ministry threatened, he now must come to a final reckoning with his pride, faith, and with "the Spirit" himself."

Surprisingly, unless I am watching movies of either action or horror types,  I fall asleep halfway thru a movie, especially if we start watching by 10:00 pm.  But not in this case ---why even Rick stayed up late to finish the movie.

Well, the movie has its flaws (basically--the sound wasn't too good in SOME parts), the main character was potrayed by, like I mentioned, a totally unknown star (?)....but his life story is really very colorful. marked by a prison term of 12 years--and how he has influenced unbelievers and sinners while serving his prison term.

One can draw a lot of insights from this movie and I suggest and recommend that if you can find it from your Blockbusters or however you call the dvd stores near you, go rent this one---and I hope you will like it...the way we did! 

 

Home-Made Shrimp Wonton Appetizers (Pinsec)

Description:
Since I am "forever" dieting, I discovered having this appetizer by itself, followed by one fresh banana as my dessert, fills me up--and leaves me full and satiated. By the time I am on my 7th wonton, I know I need to stop. Hence, I am sharing this with anyone who wants to try my "diet" menu.

Ingredients:
1 lb. shrimps, shelled and deveined.
1/4 c. green onions, chopped
1-1/2 tsp soy sauce
2 egg whites
1/2 cup. chopped cilantro leaves (or coriander)
1 tsp. finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
2-3 pks of wonton wrappers
seasoning of your choice
Some cornstarch for dusting.


Directions:
Using a food processor, or blender, pulse the shrimp until finely chopped.
In a big bowl, mix the green onions, egg whites, cilantro (or coriander), soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, seasonings, and mix thoroughly.

Dust a baking sheet with cornstarch.
Put 1 tsp of the mixed shrimp fillins in the middle of the wonton wrapper, fold in a triangular shape, or ala-"sipa" style and moisten the edges with a little water to seal.
Transfer into the dusted baking sheet.

Boil a large pot of water and drop the wontons one by one.
Remove with a slotted spoon as the wontons rise to the surface.

Sauce:

Mix together light soy sauce (Kikkoman is the best)
Pinch of sugar,
Some drops of lemon.
Optional: hot chili

Note: You can also deep fry the wontons like my picture above. Well, I can't find any photo with the triangular shape, but you can also wrap the wontons like shown in this picture.

Pinoy Superstitions

Last night, Rick surprised me with a new pair of closed -toe step-ins....and he knows the kind I like. Nothing expensive, but, of course,  I appreciated his gesture very much.  I never realized that he has been noticing that I keep on wearing the almost worn-out same black step ins frequently. I am no "Imelda Marcos" but I do have several pairs of shoes in various colors: black, white, beige, red, and pink. Yet, I am sure dear readers that we do have preferences in our wardrobes to the point that oftentimes we never care to wear or use some things we have bought and end up giving them away. 

Rick once asked me why my "step ins"  seem so worn out, yet I keep on wearing them...and I told him matter-of-factly that they were once sling backs, that one day, when the left shoe sling snapped beyond repair, I cut the right foot's sling to make it even.  That "magic" converted the shoes into step ins...and really no one can know the difference.  Not that I can't afford to buy a new pair---but I like the comfort  and its fit.

After dinner, I told Rick it was once my practice to "pay" anyone who gifts me with any footwear...he asked why was there a need to do that (I think this is the 2nd time he has given me a new pair of shoes).  I explained that --that practice was a Filipino superstitious belief so that the giver and the recipient will not quarrel, fight, argue, separate, etc. ...My Christian belief has made me shed off a lot of supertitious beliefs that I practiced before becoming a Christian. Then upon his asking, I enumerated a lot of our typical Pinoy superstitious beliefs:

-Do not sweep the floors at night - one's fortunes will be swept away

- Do not sing while cooking (in front of a stove) - the person will be an old maid

- Turning one's plate a full circle when someone leaves and goes out of the door - the person who left will have bad luck.

- Never position your bed with your feet towards the door - bad luck for the bed user.

- Never build a house that runs right into a street end - the inhabitants will have bad luck.

- Never position your house entrance stairs straight out to the street - fortune goes out!

- Your flight of stairs must not end in a "mata" - as you count oro, plata, mata

- It is bad luck to see a black butterfly (bad luck)

- Do not have or plant the Kalachuchi flowering tree in front of your house (bad luck)

- It is good fortune to have the Makopa tree in front of your house (good luck)

- Wear polka dotted dress/shirt on New Year's Eve - good fortune

- Have rounded fruits on the dining table on New Year's eve

And so on, and so on-----that I can fill up a whole page if I listed them all!

Well, we all know that one's fate is entirely and absolutely up to our Creator---but we still have a lot of kababayans who believe in these superstitions---  I don't anymore...

Do you? - I hope not!

 

 

 

 

Ginataang Tahong (Mussels in Coconut Milk)

Description:
This dish is a favorite of my daughters, Anne and Jade, and so we usually have this dish on some leisure Sundays. Then I partner this dish with Grilled Pork Chop (Inihaw)----and I can assure you - it is a super combination!

Unfortunately, my Rick is not fond of mussels - so I have not done this as much as I did back in the Philippines.


Ingredients:
1-1/2 k. unshelled mussels
1 pc ginger, chopped very finely
1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1 large tomato - chopped
1 can of coconut milk (or freshly squeezed from a coconut)
Malunggay leaves - or - Sili Leaves (frozen if buying here)

.

Directions:
1. Scrub the mussels well - and clean enough to remove any
dirt or unwanted part which would sometimes hang out of
their shells
(in the U.S. - mussels can be bought in frozen boxes)
2. Saute garlic, onion, tomatoes and ginger.
3. Add the mussels
4. Add salt and mix in the coconut milk.
5. Add 1/2 cup water and let boil.
6. Lastly, add the malunggay leaves or sili leaves