Pancit - White boy goes native - a la PI

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As in all cultures, there are as many Pancit recipes as there are Filipino grannies: I am going out on a limb and just working with what is in the house -- I am looking for awesome lunches to pack for work!  Here is my version with chicken (from the chicken pudding recipe posted earlier), sausage, diced pork and shrimp.

THE RECIPE

2 T peanut oil
1 onion, minced
1/2 Opo squash, quartered
3 cloves garlic, minced
8 florettes broccoli
1/2 cup sliced bamboo shoots
1/4 bunch cilantro, minced
1/4# pork, diced
1/4# shredded chicken\
1/4# Chinese, Filipino or Vietnamese sausage, sliced
2-3T soy sauce
3T Chinese red vinegar
6 Thai chiles, thinly sliced
2T sambal oelek
sea salt and white pepper, to taste
1/4# shrimp, split and sliced into quarters


4 Qts salted water, + 1 T oil
1 pkg pancit noodle, Cantonese or rice stick

Saute all ingredients up to sambal in a wok over high heat, adding shrimp last.  Boil noodles in salted water until done.  Add to wok and stir fry noodles while tossing remaining ingredients,  Serve hot and have some kind of hot sauce on hand - enjoy!

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The Perfect Spaghetti and Meatballs

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Perfect - such a high standard, and when you say, "I have made the perfect _________" you become the perfect scapegoat for anyone to follow in your footsteps, regardless of what they do to your brainchild. But THIS recipe, I say, is a fail safe venture into simple comfort food.

Meatballs - for the longest time, I could not make mine work -- you read recipes and hear folks describe theirs as "fluffy" -- WHAT?  Mine come out with the texture of lead!  I do not over mix, and pay attention to the addition of each ingredient, but to no avail.  So imagine my surprise when things just worked out with this last batch!  Apparently I have struck upon the right combination.  This is, of course, the classic usage for fresh meatballs, but be prepared to read about meatball sandwiches with Provolone, etc...

THE RECIPE - MEATBALLS

1# ground beef, not too lean - we like fat!
1# ground pork
1# ground veal
2 extra large eggs
1 large slice sourdough bread, toasted and ground in a food processor or 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 T whole milk
1 t minced parsley or cilantro
1 t dried basil
1 t dried oregano
1 t Worchestershire sauce
1 t garlic powder
1 t onion powder
3 Thai chiles, minced
1 T sea salt
1 T fresh ground black pepper

Heat oven to 350°; spray a baking dish with pan release. Mix all above ingredients with care, just enough to blend -- DO NOT OVER MIX.

Wet hands with water.  Roll approx. 1 T of meat mixture into a ball; use more or less for your desired proportions.  Repeat for the rest of the mix.  When complete, place the sheet pan into the oven.  Check after 30 minutes, turn and when cooked, remove from oven and cool.

THE RECIPE  -- MARINARA SAUCE

3 T EV olive oil for saute

2 cans San Marzano tomatoes, or if you are insanely lucky and have a garden, FRESH tomatoes steam peeled

1 large onion, minced
1 large bunch fresh basil, or 4T dried
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry red wine
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Saute onion, garlic, and basil in oil for 3 minutes over medium heat; add remaining ingredients and simmer over low heat until reduced by more than half.

THE RECIPE - PASTA

6 Qts water
1 Oz. EV olive oil
1 t sea salt
1 # spaghetti or capellini pasta - I like mine just past al dente -11 - 12 min.  Strain and reserve.

If you use homemade pasta, be sure to roll it out as flat as possible and only cook for 4-5 min.

1 t crushed chile pepper
1 t Parmesan cheese

Boil pasta until done; drain immediately and toss with sauce and meatballs.  Garnish with crushed chile peppers and cheese if desired.

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Chicken Pudding -- History with a Spicy Twist

Excellent - (Click for larger image).

It has been a LONG Summer / Fall / Winter since I have set myself down and prepared anything, but that has not precluded research...

Savory pudding?  I'm in!  I just discovered this dish which has documented history back to the 18th century - as an old soul, all I can say is, "Where have you been all my life?" but apparently the answer is, "right here".

Most of the older versions are simpler, with a minimum of ingredients.  Think of it as the ancestral recipe for chicken pot pie.  I have researched several versions of this dish and devised my own.

To contemporize this, I will kick up the spice with fresh serrano chiles, add more fresh herbs and mirepoix vegetables, potatoes, replace parsley with cilantro and then have more of a one-dish meal, though it can be served with a starter soup / salad and green vegetable.  The potato and filling serve well as a starch component.

We start with chicken boiled in herbs and mirepoix and repeat the same herbs in the pudding and gravy components for a double punch of flavors.  This was intended to be baked in a cast iron skillet but, as often happens in this kitchen, the concept ran away with the recipe and we ended up in a larger baking dish.  Finish this herbal wonderland with a rich chicken mushroom gravy.

THE RECIPE -- CHICKEN AND STOCK

One +/- 5# whole chicken
2 carrots, rinsed and sliced on the bias
3 stalks celery with leaves, sliced on the bias
One large onion, quartered
5 cloves garlic, smashed
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 bay leaves
3 large slices fresh ginger
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1/4 bunch cilantro
3T kosher salt
1T black peppercorns

Place all ingredients in a Dutch oven, cover with water, bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer, 1.5 hrs -- I am especially excited to christen my beautiful new brick-red Cuisinart Dutch oven.  Remove from heat, cool chicken and pick / shred the meat.  Dice larger pieces.  Strain stock and reserve.

Butter or spray with pan release a 9"X13" baking pan.  Heat oven to 350°F.

THE RECIPE - CHICKEN PUDDING FILLING

Picked chicken from above recipe, reserved

1 T EV olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and minced
2 ribs celery, minced
2 Serrano chiles, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 bunch cilantro leaves, minced
1 onion, minced
1 medium potato, minced
2 T fresh thyme, chopped
1 T fresh rosemary, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Sweat the vegetables in the oil over medium heat, approx. 5 min.  Transfer to mixing bowl with batter. 

THE RECIPE - PUDDING BATTER

4 large eggs
2 cups of milk (or 1 ½ cups milk and ½ cup cream for richer flavor)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup or more of flour
1 t baking powder

Mix above ingredients in a large mixing bowl, add picked chicken and softened vegetables.  Mix together and add to baking pan.  Bake for approximately one hour.  Test for doneness with a toothpick in the center; when it is removed clean, remove the pan from oven and set out to cool.

Just out of the oven - (Click for larger image).

THE RECIPE - CHICKEN GRAVY

Stock, reserved from above recipe, reduced to approx. 2 cups
6 shiitake mushrooms, diced
3/4 cup flour
2 T butter
1/4 bunch minced cilantro
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Simmer all ingredients over medium heat until thickened.

Dash ground cayenne pepper, as garnish

Serve chicken gravy over warm chicken pudding and garnish with cayenne powder.

Are you going to get over here before I finish this?