Food Recipe

Zippity Doo Da Crackers

2011-02-19T18:55:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
8 Tbsp cold unsalted butter.
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan or cheddar cheese (I like the cheddar variety
best)
2 large egg yolks mixed with 2 Tbsp. cold water.

Cooking Procedures :

Combine flour, salt and cayenne in food processor bowl with chopper blade. Add butter and process until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cheese and combine. Add egg with the machine running. A thick dough will form. Remove from food processor and shape into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Heat oven to 350. Divide dough in half. Roll into rectangle 1/4-inch thick. Fold into thirds and rotate 1/4 turn. Roll, fold and rotate two more times, finishing with dough folded in thirds. Roll out to 1/8" thickness. Cut with cookie cutter of your choice, prick with fork, and bake on ungreased baking sheet for 20 minutes, turning after 10-12 minutes.

These are delicious. Light, crispy and have a little bite to them. I serve them with this:

Habit Forming Jalapeno Spread

1 pint Mayonnaise (Miracle Whip, low fat or fat free mayo does NOT give the same result)
4 oz. pickled jalapeno, chopped (more if you like it hotter)
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped, mostly white part
1 lb. cheddar cheese, grated.

Mix mayonnaise, jalapeno and onion until well blended. Mix in the grated cheese. Chill. Also good with chips.

Crab Dip with Garlic and Herb Toasts

2011-02-19T18:48:00.001-08:00

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely minced yellow onion
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 pound cream cheese
1 pound lump crabmeat
1 teaspoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon chopped basil
1 teaspoon chopped chives
dash of salt, freshly ground black pepper and cayenne pepper

Cooking Procedures :

Heart the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and saute for 2 minutes, stirring to prevent browning. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Add the cream cheese and whisk until all of the cheese is melted and you have a smooth mixture.

Remove the pan from the heat and place the mixture in a bowl. Let it cool for 10 minutes at room temperature. Fold in the crabmeat, herbs and seasonings. Serve immediately or refrigerate and serve chilled. Accompany with Herb Toasts.

Herb Toasts

3/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons mashed garlic
1 tablespoon very finely minced chives
1 tablespoon very finely minced basil
1 tablespoon very finely minced parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 long loaf of fresh, crusty French bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine all of the ingredients except the French bread and let them sit for 15 minutes. Slice the bread into thin slices. Lay the slices on a baking sheet and brush the tops with the herbed olive oil. Bake the slices at 250 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until they are crisply toasted and light golden in color.

Note: All crabmeat should be gently picked over to remove any possible remaining shell. Place the crabmeat in a strainer and press down lightly to extract any extra water. When using lump crab, you want to keep it as intact as possible.

Yield: 2 cups

Milky Jelly Gems

2011-02-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

How to make Milky Jelly Gems

Ingredients

1 cup water
1/2 bar green gulaman, flaked*
2 tbsps white sugar

1 cup water
1/2 bar red gulaman, flaked
2 tbsps white sugar

Gulaman Mold
4 cups water
2 bars white gulaman, flaked
1 can condensed milk

Procedure

1. Boil water.
2. Stir in green gulaman until dissolved.
3. Add sugar. Stir until dissolved.
4. Pour on flat container. Let cool.
5. Do the same procedure with the red gulaman.
6. When the gulaman is frim and molded, slice into gem-like shapes.
7. Arrange sliced gulaman in a beautifully shaped container, allowing enough space for the white gulaman mold.

Gulaman Mold

1. Boil water.
2. Stir in white gulaman until dissolved.
3. Remove from heat. Add condensed milk and stir thoroughly.
4. Pour in gulaman gems. Let cool.
5. When firm and molded, invert container in a flat plate.
6. Serve.

*Gulaman powder may also be used. Follow the proportion of water to gulaman powder as per package instruction.

Pancit Palabok

2011-02-19T10:02:00.001-08:00

Pancit Palabok is a Filipino noodle dish of Chinese origin. It is called palabok because the thin rice noodles are covered with a bright colored orange shrimp-flavoured thick sauce. Aside from the sauce, pancit palabok has a toppings of prawns, wedge cut hard-boiled eggs, chicharon (pork cracklings), flaked tinapa (smoke fish), fried garlic and chopped of green onions. Then finished it with squeeze calamansi (Philippine Lemon) all over.

Ingredients :

    * 8 cups water
    * 1 cup mongo sprouts
    * 1 lb. pancit bihon (rice noodles) or palabok noodles

Palabok Sauce

    * 1/4 cup atsuete (annatto) seeds, soaked in
    * 1/4 cup water
    * 2 cups shrimp juice
    * 6 tbsp. all-purpose flour
    * 1/2 cup water
    * salt and pepper,to taste

Toppings

    * 1 cup cooked pork, cut into strips
    * 2 pcs. fried tokwa (beancurd), cubed
    * 1/2 cup flaked tinapa (smoked fish)
    * 1/2 cup pounded chicharon (pork cracklings)
    * 2 eggs, hard-boiled and sliced into wedges
    * 1/2 cup shrimps, boiled and shelled
    * 1/2 cup finely chopped green onions, to garnish
    * 1 tbsp. fried garlic, to garnish
    * kalamansi (Philippine lemon)

Cooking Procedures :

   1. Boil water in a pot. Place mongo sprouts in a strainer and then add the noodles. Drop strainer into boiling water. Cook sprouts and noodles until soft. Drain well. Pour noodles with sprouts in a large platter.
   2. Prepare palabok sauce: Strain atsuete water. Add to shrimp juice and cook in a saucepan. Disperse flour in water and add to the pan. Bring to a boil and stir constantly. Season to taste. Remove from heat and pour over cooked noodles.
   3. Top with pork and tokwa. Sprinkle with tinapa and chicharon. Arrange egg slices and shrimps on top. Garnish with green onions and fried garlic. Serve with kalamansi.

Eggplant Omelet

2011-02-19T09:41:00.000-08:00

Ingredients :

    * 2 to 4 talong (eggplants), average size
    * 2 to 3 eggs, beaten
    * salt and pepper, to taste
    * oil, for frying

Cooking Procedures :

   1. Broil eggplants until tender (the skins are charred and blister appears).
   2. Once cool, peel off the skins of the eggplant and retain the crown and the stem. Gently flatten its meat by      using the back of a fork. Set aside.
   3. In a bowl, beat the eggs and season with salt and pepper.
   4. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Dip each eggplant, one at a time into the egg mixture. Gently bring the bowl near the skillet and tip, lowering the eggplant onto the heated oil.
   5. Fry until golden brown on one side, then turn and brown the other. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm and serve.