bangus belly over pasta....at kitchen! kitchen!

Bangus or milkfish is not just popular in the Philippines

but it is also the national fish.

It has a mild sweet taste with a melt in your mouth belly fat.

So versatile it could be made into a zillion ways.

You can deep fry it, make into soup, stuffed, dried

or just about anything you can think of.

This particular dish of bangus was made by my sister

for me to take back to the states on one of my previous visits.

It was packed vacuum sealed and I with great care brough it back lovingly.

 After all I was bringing back a part of my heritage.

Unfortunately, her recipe is one of those secret and treasured ones.

But, any of the bangus recipes you will find on the web site

will be perfectly suitable for this dish.

So what I did here, was to make a simple garlic pasta

with baby arugula and topped it with Pearl's precious

bangus belly. 

   

Adobo Style Bangus Belly Over Pasta With Baby Arugula

 

For bangus recipe - search the web; 

any of those will be perfectly delicious.

You may also use any fish, shellfish

or whatever you have at hand and cook it the way you want to.

 

Garlic Pasta With Baby Arugula:

1 pkg. baby arugula

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 head garlic finely minced (time to repel the vampires)

or less if you're prepared to fight single handedly!

1 pkg. Dececco pasta - or your favorite brand

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Heat the olive oil in a deep pan on medium heat; throw in the garlic

stirring until soft without burning them. Season with salt and pepper. 

*For the pasta follow the instruction on the package*

Combine the cooked pasta in the pan with the garlic;

add the arugula and shut off the heat.

Let the heat from the pan welt the arugula.

If you need more liquid, add a little more of the pasta water.

Transfer the cooked pasta into your serving platter and

serve the bangus belly (or your fish of choice) on top; add more arugula;

drizzle more olive oil, and sprinkle some parmessan cheese.

Lastly, have a glass of wine and enjoy!

.

 

do you like escargot?....at kitchen! kitchen!

Step 1



Step 2

Enjoy the final result! You'll want more!


If you like escargot - you will love this escargot open face sandwich covered in gooey, melting cheese!

 

What is there not to like? You do have to develop a taste for it. But, once you've tried it, you are hooked just like me. A serving of crusty bread to soak up the sauce comes hand in hand when dining on an appetizer of this wonderful French invention. So, thinking out of the box, why not do an open sandwich and enclosed them in a gooey, delicious melting cheese, serve bruschetta style. I know, it's rich, but, you are not having this everyday or every week for that matter. You are treating yourself because you are just so worth it!

So, arm yourself with these......

1 can of Roland Escargot (there are about 14 pieces in the can and will serve at least 2). Rinse with cold water and drain
blue cheese - cut into small pieces about 4-5 oz.
slices of fontina cheese or any good melting cheese like monterey or goat cheese - enough to completely cover the sandwich.
1 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped green onions
4 cloves of garlic finely minced - I used 6 in this recipe
1-2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
salt/pepper to taste
a chunk of butter about 1/4- more if you are ambitious enough!
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
a drizzle of good white wine or brandy (1/4 cup or less if you are shy).
3-4 pieces of toasted bread of your choice - a good country bread either French or Italian bread is good.

heat the olive oil and butter in a pan; add the garlic (do not burn) stir for a minute or so; add the parsley and the green onions; season with salt and pepper; add the bread crumbs then the white wine or brandy. Stir and simmer on low for 3 minutes or so until the alcohol evaporates.
set aside.

prepare the toasted bread on a cutting board or clean surface.....
spread evenly the escargot with its sauce on the bread;
layer the top of the escargot with cut up blue cheese;
lastly with the fontina slices; cover completely - encasing the whole top
put in the toaster oven or microwave to melt the cheese

Serve on a bed of greens of your choice with a vinaigrette dressing.

*this is also great as an appetizer- to serve as an appetizer:
slice about 1" thick of french bread-toasted;
put one escargot on each piece and continue as above. Serve the escragot with melted cheese bruschetta style*

fish and chips (sans the chips)!....at kitchen! kitchen!

 

Fish & Chips - sans the chips!
Serve with celery/carrot slaw, and aioli tartar sauce

('Tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own finger - Shakespeare)

This is my version of fish and chips without the chips. The chips were replaced with roasted potatoes (flattened - just because I like it that way). Served with celery and carrots slaw. It's my guilty pleasure for Lent or anytime.


Here's the how and the what!

what?
1 lb. of fresh cod fish - cut into about 6 pieces- more if the it's more than 1 lb. The size of the pieces is up to you. We are not quite strict here.
kosher salt and black pepper
1 bottle of beer (any beer you have in the house) again, we are not fussy!
3/4 cups of flour
1/4 cup of corn meal

how?
Mix the flour and corn meal in a large deep bowl; season with salt and pepper; add the beer - it needs to have the consistency of a pancake batter. add more flour if you need to.
add the seasoned cod fish to the mixture and refrigerate for 1/2 hour to an hour

what about the slaw?
4 large celery stalks  - cut into julienned
2 large carrots - cut into julienned
1 or 2 jalapeno - cut into julienned -if you are not brave enough replace with any bell pepper
1/4 cup white vinegar - tame it down with a tablespoon of water if you want
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons of agave (or sugar or honey)....again we are not fussy!
Mix together in a large bowl and taste to correct seasoning. Set aside for the ingredients to meld.

and the aioli tartar sauce?
* here's a shortcut version....buy a ready made tartar sauce
1 cup tartar sauce ; add a tablespoon of mayonnaise and 2 cloves of garlic pounded into a paste
and add to the tartar sauce.

frying the fish!

1 cup of vegetable oil heated in a deep pan - must be sizzling hot - on medium heat
drop carefully each piece (make sure each one is coated well with the batter before dropping it in the hot oil)....and don't crowd the pan or fiddle with it...leave it in the hot oil for 2-3 minutes until golden before turning it over to brown the other side. Drain on a paper towel.

Serve on a platter with slaw and aioli tartar sauce and don't forget your roasted potatoes - if you are a purists - serve with french fries.

Shrimps Salad With Mustard Vinaigrette.....at kitchen! kitchen!

Hello everyone! Spring has sprung and I'm back again in full force.
I have been quite busy promoting and baking for Tarts & Quiches.
Thus, the reason for the long absence. But, enough of the excuse,
I am back roaring like a lion with the attitude of a lamb.
My first foray for spring is a simple, but delicious shrimp salad
with grainy mustard vinaigrette.
All you need is a good crusty buttered bread, a glass of wine,
and a good appetite!

Shrimp Salad With Grainy Mustard Vinaigrette

A simple salad and an even simpler recipe!

1 doz. of cooked and frozen medium size shrimps
(thaw the shrimps in the fridge on a colander on a bowl to catch the drip)
VINAIGRETTE:
a pinch of Kosher salt
a teaspoon of black pepper
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon
1 teaspoon chopped garlic (optional)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon of agave
about 1 tablespoon of grainy mustard
chives - cut a bit longish

gather all the drained and thawed shrimps in your serving bowl
mix all the vinaigrette ingredients and whisk well until incorporated and drizzle the shrimps until well coated.

now, a delicious salad awaits thee!