Gelato di Riso (Rice Gelato), Homemade

“We gotta go to Vivoli!”, my friend Monica insisted.

According to her trusted travel resource, Rick Steve’s Travel Guide, Monica informed us that Vivoli is said to make the best gelato in Florence, or in Italy for that matter. And Rick recommends trying the rice gelato.

"Rice ice cream?” I said, “never heard of that before! But rice + ice cream together? What’s not to like? That must be good".

Monica didn’t have to convince the group any further. Off we went to find Vivoli.

This conversation happened many years ago one summer. A couple of my colleagues and I decided to spend our summer break in Italy while being student-trainees in Germany. We were the typical student travellers – backpacking and staying in youth hostels. We really didn’t have that much money but we made the most of what we had. We met Monica while in Verona (of famed Romeo & Juliet), our first leg of the trip. Since she was traveling alone, she decided to hook up and tag along with us. So we were together in the next 4 weeks exploring Italy and became fast friends. Those were good times – no, best times.

It was in our stop in Florence that Monica mentioned this Gelateria that is a must-visit according to Rick Steve. (Rick Steve’s is a good resource when it comes to budget travels!)

After a bus ride and a lot of walking, we finally managed to find Vivoli. It was a small Gelateria, but boy, was there a long line outside of the shop! Not surprising though, because if it is the best Gelateria in Florence, then it follows that the place should be popular. So we fell in line. It must have taken us around 30 minutes to finally get our turn. Not bad, really. We were on vacation so time was on our side.

Needless to say, I had my Gelato di Riso for the very first time then. And I’m telling you, that was a piece of heaven in a cup (they don't have cones)! Yum'oh! It was so creamy, not too sweet -– everything that you had hoped a gelato would be – but with rice! It’s like a frozen rice pudding, but better! Indeed, our efforts paid off.

Last month, I got an ice-cream maker. It was one of those points-reward that Mr. J got from his job – so we got it for free! I love free stuff, don't you? Of course I wanted to make ice-cream immediately to try my new toy. For others, the logical thing to do might have been to make something basic for the first time. Something that’s probably from the recipes that come with the manual. But no, I am not like that. (Yeah, I’m crazy). I wanted to do something ambitious. I wanted to do something simple -- but not that simple, you know what I mean? (If you're a girl, then you'd know what I mean!)

So just out of nostalgia from that trip in Italy – and because I am Asian – I decided to make rice gelato. It had been many years ago since I had this ice cream. I don’t remember exactly how the taste was but all I know was that it was very good!

And so I began searching online for some recipes, which eventually led me to David Lebovitz’, The Perfect Scoop. This recipe book received so many good reviews from Amazon buyers, and most of all, it had the Rice Gelato recipe that I was looking for!!!! So that sealed the deal. I bought a copy.

After so many years, I had rice gelato again! It was creamy, super delicious. The only complaint Mr. J had was that it was too "orangey" - which was my fault. If you read the recipe, it required two strips of orange zests. Well, I made a mistake of pureeing the zests with the rice mixture (wasn't really a mistake because I decided to do it). Plus, I also added a teaspoon of orange liquour. So you can really taste the orange in the ice cream. Mr. J found the orange taste overpowering - maybe so - but I liked it. With the ice cream I made the hazelnut tuile cookie, that I shaped using the wooden handle of a spoon (for that cigar shape).

This rice gelato is my entry to this weeks' Lasang Pinoy Sunday (La.Pi.S) - Melted Bliss. Eating this ice-cream took me back to Italy..... What a bliss, indeed!




Rice Gelato (Gelato di Riso)
David Lebovitz

1/2 cup Italian Arborio rice*
3 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean*, split in half lenghtwise
Two 1-inch-wide strips of orange zest
5 large egg yolks (save the whites for use later)
1 cup half-and-half or cream
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 350.

2. In a 1.75 to 2 quart baking dish, mix together the rice, milk 1/4 cup of the sugar and the salt. Add the vanilla bean and strips of orange zest.

3. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the rice from the oven and remove the foil. Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, then continue to bake the rice, uncovered for another 30 minutes.

4. Remove the rice from the oven a second time, remove the vanilla bean and orange zest and briskly whisk in the egg yolks at once. Then whisk in the half and half or cream and nutmeg.

5. Puree half of the rice mixture in a blender or food processor until chopped fine then stir it back into the cooked rice.

6. Chill the mixture in the fridge (I left mine for 2 hrs), then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.

*NOTE: I made mine 1/4 c arborio rice and 1/4 c sweet "gelatinous" rice, aka sticky rice. I thought that the sticky rice would make the ice cream a lot creamier, which it did. I didn't have a vanilla bean, but I used a good quality vanilla bean paste. But if you don't have the vanilla bean or paste, I believe that vanilla extract would do.

Involtini Of Beef

The South Beach Food and Wine Festival is going on right now even as I write this... and I couldn't go. I'm absolutely bummed out.

It is a 4-day festival taking place by the beach (U.S.'s Riviera, South Beach) which showcases the amazing talents of the world's most renowned wine makers, celebrated chefs and culinary personalities. It's the ultimate event to go for foodies and foodies at heart!

The truth is, it's not so much as I couldn't but that I didn't go - for valid reasons. The tickets for this event are a little expensive. With how the economy is going nowadays, it just doesn't seem right for me to be spending between $200-$400 (for the events I wanted to attend). Arrgghhh!!! I so wanted to go. A part of me is screaming and kicking like a child; but the wise part of me hushed the child down :oD While the experience and fun of meeting all those celebrity chefs whom I admire is arguably worth it, but fact remains - my going isn't a real need. It is just a want; something that I can do away with, or at least, put off for now. If there's any time to spend wisely, it is now. Besides, there's always next year, right?

This festival is definitely an item in my bucket list, so I have to go even for just once. I do hope things will work out for me next time. Till then, I am keeping my fingers crossed, and praying that the economy will take a better turn in the next months to come.

I don't know about you but good food always lifts me up. And since I needed cheering up, I thought that this dish, Involtini Of Beef (or beef roll-ups), would do the trick. It is pleasing to the eye and tastes fantastic! What's more, it is not at all complicated to do. I actually find this quicker to do than, say, lasagna.

If you've been visiting this blog often, you'd notice that my recipes are simple and easy to do. So this dish is right up my alley. Much as I'd like to cook, but I don't want to be spending too much time in the kitchen and not have enough time left to spend with my loved ones. The latter is important too, you know.

I made this for Mr. J for his birthday and he totally liked it. This dish may be simple, but it obviously requires some effort (and love) and the end product is special -- very elegant.

So go ahead and try this dish. As Ingrid Hoffman says, "If I can do it, you can do it!".

I am sharing this dish to Lasang Pinoy Sundays (La.Pi.S): EATS A WRAP!. Lasang Pinoy is a weekly food photography meme, hosted by SpiCes.




Involtini Of Beef
(Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis)

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cups carrots, julienned (cut into thin strips)
1/2 cup red or yellow bell pepper (cut into thin strips)
1/2 cup zucchini (cut into thin strips)
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 (3 to 4-ounces each) beef scaloppini (from London Broil or Top Sirloin)
All-purpose flour, for dredging
1/2 cup dry white wine*
1 bay leaf
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup frozen peas
1-ounce thinly sliced prosciutto, coarsely chopped

Directions
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add the veggies, onion, and garlic and saute until the veggies are tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
4. Stir in the Parmesan.
5. Season beef with salt and pepper.
6. Using 2 tablespoons for each, divide the veggie mixture among the beef slices. 6. Roll up the beef slices to enclose the filling, tucking in the ends. Secure the rolls with toothpicks.
7. Heat the remaining oil and the remaining tablespoon of butter in the same large frying pan over medium-high heat.
8. Dredge the beef rolls in flour to coat lightly.
9. Add the beef rolls and cook until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes.
10. Add the wine and stir to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet.
11. Add the tomatoes with their juices and the bay leaf. Cover and simmer until the beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the beef rolls to a platter.
12. Remove the toothpicks, then cover the beef rolls with foil to keep warm.
13. Add the peas and prosciutto to the sauce in the skillet and stir until the peas are heated through and the sauce reduces slightly, about 5 minutes.
14. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.
15. Drizzle the sauce over the beef rolls and serve.

NOTE*: You may substitute wine with chicken broth, if preferred. As for the veggies, I didn't have zucchini on hand, so I just used carrots and green bell pepper and adjusted the amount accordingly .

Taste & Create: Pesto Pasta

"When are you going to blog again?" was Mr. J's question to me a few days ago. "Soon.." was my non-committal response.

I have to admit, I've been stuck in a rut lately. After my trip to the Philippines, I never expected that I would have a hard time blogging again. Don't get me wrong, the desire to blog never left me, and I've never stopped cooking -- it's taking the time to write, take photos and posting them up that I wasn't inspired to do somehow. It's as if my blogging "mojo" was sucked out of me. Ha,ha...

I don't know how others are able to get back into the swing of things immediately after a long break, 'cause I'm finding out now that it is not easy, uh-oh. Not for me, at least.. But I know that I should not stay in this rut for long, so in an effort to take myself away from it, I have decided to once again particpate in Taste & Create. I figured, it would be a good motivation for me to get out of this stupor and force myself to blog again, huh?

For those who don't know, Taste and Create is a monthly blogging event where bloggers are paired up, and then the partners get to cook/bake something from each other's blogs. It's basically swapping recipes, if you ask me.)

And so here I am, barely making it to the deadline, but I'm here nevertheless. That's what matters, right?

For this month's Taste and Create, I was paired of with Scrumptious of In My Box. Her blog is about the weekly CSA box that she gets from Eat Well Farm. It's not only a fascinating blog, but an enviable one as well. I wish I get the same fresh, organic produce regularly myself! Some people just have all the luck, huh? :o)

To keep things simple for me being that I'm not totally out of the rut yet, I decided to do her Pesto Pasta.... It looked so good to me and I needed something quick for lunch yesterday.


Her pesto is a vegan version, though, and since I am not one, I decided to do the regular pesto. (Check out her recipe here) For this, I changed up the nutritional yeast to parmiggiano reggiano - which I absolutely love! And for the veggies, I roasted a mix of zucchini and squash which I added to the medley of tri-colored spirals along with halves of cherry tomatoes.

All together, this pasta made up for a really colorful, light, healthy and quick but flavorful lunch.

Thanks, Scrumptious, for taking me out of this rut! And thanks Min, for hosting this month's Taste and Create. You did a good job!

Caprese Salad (Insalata Caprese)

It is a fact. Technology is taking over every aspect of our lives.

For the last decade, the advancement of technology from the medical to industrial to the telecommunications industry (most especially), has truly made leaps and bounds. Amazing.

So much have changed that I feel the world actually seems so much smaller than ever. The internet has done a huge difference in our day-to-day existence. Instead of writing letters via post/mail that will take days to get to the recipient, we send an email that only takes seconds to be read. Text messages have replaced personal phone calls. Photo albums are now gathering dust somewhere in favor of digital pictures that are saved in our computers. We can now all view videos together even if we are halfway around the world from each other, thanks to YouTube. News can be broadcast within seconds worldwide. Heck, we can now even date online. And with cell phones and every conceivable tracking device there is, “not being able to contact” someone has become short of impossible.

I can go on and on regarding the merits of technology but on the flipside of it are also its disadvantages. Technology has replaced our interpersonal communications that we have lost much of that valuable “personal” touch in the process.

With these techno-gizmos available at our fingertips, a question begs to be asked. Will there come a point that people will actually forget how to communicate personally? Worse, will the English language change to wazup, LOL and BRB, from hello, you’re funny and goodbye?

In a society that's laden with superficial standards which we don’t feel we always measure up to, computers have become our scape-goats. It is easy to hide behind our monitors to avoid being judged. How long before a personal handshake be completely replaced with the keyboard? Will a robot eventually take the place of a human-to-human, interpersonal communication? Hmmnn… food for thought.



I miss the good old, simple life sometimes. Yes, technology is good, but there are things in life that cannot be replaced with it. So once in a while, let’s remember those times before the internet, iPhones and iPods, shall we? Let’s make time for our friends and families by speaking to them in person, sending them cards with personal handwritten notes or even visit them in person, ok?

So with this post, I would like to remember our missionary friends (the Logan family) who are in South Africa. I have actually made this for them in the past as mentioned in my previous post, but thought that this dish deserves a post of its own.

This salad is not only pretty, but delicious as well. It is especially good for warm summer days when the last thing you would want to do is stand in front of the stove /oven and cook!

Moreover, this is a breeze to make. You can put this together probably within 5 minutes and you’ll have a fresh salad that will transport you to the isles of Capri -- with the aid of your imagination, of course! :o)

Insalata Caprese
(from Everyday Italian by Giada De Laurentiis)

1-1/2 pounds tomatoes like vine-ripened tomatoes*
1 pound fresh mozzarella
3/4 to 1 teaspoon fine sea salt or fleur de sel
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup packed basil leaves, torn or cut into thin strips
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
drizzle of fresh lemon juice

1. Slice the tomatoes and cheese into 1/4-inch thick slices. Arrange the salad on a serving platter or individual plates in an alternating pattern.
2. Season with the salt and pepper to taste.
3. Scatter the basil leaves over the top and drizzle with the oil and lemon juice.
4. Serve at room temperature.

NOTE*: I used two types of tomatoes. I thought that the different shapes would help the salad look attractive. If only I found sun-gold yellow tomatoes or even heirloom ones, then this salad even look more "summery"...

Roasted Chicken With Bow Tie (Farfalle) Pasta Salad

What's for lunch? This is a question that Mr. J and I ask ourselves everyday. And do we have as options? McDonalds. Wendy's. Taco Bell. Burger King. KFC. Pizza Hut .... and countless other fastfoods. These are what confronts us as we contemplate on what to eat for lunch at work everyday.

I have nothing against fast foods. They are convenient and delicious! But the fact remains, they do you no good, especially when eaten on a daily basis. I'm sure you are aware of this, so I don't have to elaborate on the reasons why. Suffice it to say that if you indulge on fastfood often enough, your buttons will have to eventually explode while your wallet implodes! Hah! (I was alluding to your physique expanding sideways and your wallet being empty, get me?). Not a pretty picture, huh?

This is exactly the reason why we cook a lot at home. The same reason why I made this dish today especially for Mr. J. I wanted to give my dear hubby a good but healthier alternative to his lunch. This pasta, coupled with a piece of fruit for dessert is definitely a much better option.



Bow Tie Pasta With Roasted Chicken Salad
Adapted from: Cooking Light

3 cups uncooked farfalle (bow tie pasta), about 8 oz.
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp stone-ground mustard
2 tbsps sugar
1-1/4 tsps salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 tsp rice vinegar
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 2 pcs)*
1-1/2 cups red seedless grapes, halved
1 cup celery, thin cut diagonally
1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
3 tbsps fresh chives, chopped
2 tbsps fresh parsely, chopped

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Omit salt and fat. Cool.
2. Combine orange juice and the next 7 ingredients (thru vinegar) in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk to combine.
3. Add cooled pasta, chicken, grapes, celery, red onion, walnuts, chives and parsley. Toss gently to combine.

*NOTE: For an even quicker preparation, use rotisserie chicken from the deli like i did. I made it the night before and threw in the dressing in the morning before hubby leaves for work. This is an excellent way to use left-over chicken from dinner.

Gnocchi With Chicken Sausage

One Sunday morning, Mr. J and I found ourselves at home. This is not normal for us since our Sunday mornings are usually spent in church. Nope, we didn't skip; we just went a day earlier. We were invited to a Saturday night service to one of Mr. J's friend's church (that's a mouthful). We went and boy, was I thankful that we did because their guest speaker was awesome and spoke about a challenging and thought-provoking message on missions.

Anyway, before I digress here way too much, since Mr. J and I were home, I thought that it would be a good time for us to visit a local Farmer's market which I heared, takes place every Sunday from morning until noontime. We've never been able to go because by the time we're done with church, the market would already be over, or just about to be over. So off we go. I was so excited as I've never been to a Farmer's market here in Miami and this would be a first for me... Farmer's market, here we come!

Unknowingly, I was in for a great disappointment. When we got there, nobody was around - well at least the place where the market should be was empty. Where is everybody??? Well, to make a long story short, I learned that the market ended the week before. Apparently, the Farmer's market here only takes place during spring, from February to April, mid-April to be exact. The heat this year came a little to early so they decided to end the market earlier as it was getting to be too much for the farmers here in South Florida. My oh my... so much for the Farmer's market.

What now? Well, the next best thing to do is to go to Wild Oats (owned by the same company as Whole Foods). We were there for maybe a couple of hours. Going around the store made me feel a little bit better. So, my Sunday didn't totally suck...



Here's a dish that is remembrance of that fateful Sunday. The sausage you see is something that I got from Wild Oats that day. It is a roasted-pepper with apple organic chicken sausage. Hmmn... even the sound of that already tastes good, doesn't it? And you bet, it is... The sausage is a little spicy and sweet, hmmn.. perfect for the gnocchi and fennel. To be honest, I wasn't sure if I should add the red bell pepper since the sausage already has roasted-pepper in it. But I added it in the last minute anyway because fresh pepper would add a different taste to the roasted one. And of course, the red color just made this dish that much more attractive to the eye, don't you think?

As for the sausage, you can always change it up according to your preference. It's up to you, the sky's the limit.

Gnocchi With Chicken Sausage, Bell Pepper And Fennel
(adapted from Cooking Light)

1 (16-ounce) package vacuum-packed gnocchi
2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
6 ounces chicken sausage*, casing removed and sliced
1 cup fennel, thinly sliced
1 cup red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 cup onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (2 ounces) Pecorino Romano* cheese, grated
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp butter*
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1. Cook the gnocchi according to package directions. Omit salt and fat. Drain the gnocchi but reserve 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Keep gnocchi warm.

2. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently. Remove sausage from skillet using a slotted spoon.

3. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in pan. Add fennel, bell pepper, and onion to pan; cook 13 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add sausage, gnocchi, cheese, black pepper, and reserved cooking liquid to pan; cook 1 minute or until cheese melts, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in butter. Mix till butter is well incorporated. Add parsley for garnish.

*NOTE: As I mentioned above, you can always change up the sausage. Original recipe suggested basil and pine nut chicken sausage. For the cheese, you can also use Asiago cheese or Parmesan if you like. As to the butter, you can omit it. I just added a tad bit to mine for a richer flavor.

Spaghetti With Meatballs

Spaghetti being made from worms????? That is sooo not true!!!

Well, if I was told this information today, this exactly would be my reaction. But as a young and innocent kid, I somehow picked up a rumor from school that spaghetti (meaning the pasta) are made of worms. And not knowing any better, this false information naturally affected my behavior towards spaghetti and I grew up not liking this dish at all.

But thank God this dislike did not stay with me forever. As I grew a bit older, I came to know more about food, and I discovered that spaghetti is pasta that is made from wheat/semolina flour, and that it is one of the most popular Italian dish all over the world. Information is indeed power, and armed with the knowledge and new determination, I overcame my aversion to spaghetti so much so that it is now one of my favorite comfort food.

Growing up in the Philippines, spaghetti is not considered an everyday dish. It is a viand reserved for special occasions, such as birthdays. Mind you, where I come from, most folks still eat spaghetti with rice... True story! No meal in my homeland is complete without rice, so people eat rice even with noodles and/or pasta.

Anyway, someone from my office brought spaghetti for lunch a few days back. When warmed in the microwave, the smell of spaghetti just permeated my office, and apparently, my brain as well. Eversince, my brain has reminded me constantly of that rich, meaty spaghetti sauce that I inhaled at the office… Finally, I had to concede for my own peace's sake - I just gotta make my own Neapolitan spaghetti with meatballs. My brain dictated and won. It's really mind over matter, huh?


Spaghetti With Meatballs
1/2 lb spaghetti
Salt, for pasta water
1 bottle of your favorite store-bought marinara sauce (or you can make your own if you've the time)

Meatballs:
1-1/4 lbs ground sirloin
2 tsps Worcesteshire sauce
1 egg, beaten, plus Eggbeaters measure equivalent to 1 egg
1/2 cup grated Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (or romano), and more for topping
1/4 cup onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp parsely, minced
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp lemon zest, grated
pinch of red pepper flakes
1 tbsp unsalted butter, for browning meatballs
Olive oil, fro browning meatballs

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, mix Worcestershire sauce and the next ingredients through red pepper flakes.
3. When thorougly mixed, add ground meat. Mix with hands just until ingredients are incorporated. Do not overmix.
4. Roll meat into 1-2/2 inch sized meatballs (or any size you like. The smaller it is, the quicker it cooks.) Set aside.
5. In the meantime, heat a deep oven proof skillet over moderate heat. Add butter and olive oil (2 turns around the pan, approx). When oil is hot, add the meatballs. Saute them until brown on all sides.
6. While browning meatballs, on another pot, bring to boil your marinara sauce. When boiling, lower heat and let it simmer while waiting for the meatballs to get ready.
7. When meatballs are brown, time to add your hot marina sauce into the pan. Sauce should cover the matballs a little more than halfway.
8. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 30 mins.
9. While meatballs are baking, in another pot bring water to a boil. Cook pasta as directed or until al dente (firm to the bite). Drain. You should start doing this so that the pasta cooks at the same time as the meatballs are done.
10. Add the pasta to the meatballs. Mix and serve spaghetti with grated parmesan cheese on top, if preferred.

Seared Scallops

Restaurant menus, most of the time, have dishes under the appetizer section that are enough to serve as an entree, for me that is. And I do order those appetizers as my main meal once in a while, especially when I am trying to save enough room for dessert later.. ;o).

The dish I have here is actually meant as an appetizer,usually served as is, or with bread. But to have it for our dinner, I had to pair it with something substantial. So I served the scallops with pasta in alfredo sauce.



Seared Scallops With Parsley And Garlic
1 lb bay scallops (or 16 large scallops)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pcs anchovy fillets
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced



1. Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper.
2. Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat.
3. Add scallops, saute 2-1/2 minutes on each side or until browned. Set aside and keep warm. Repeat procedure with the remaining scallops. Wipe pan clean with paper towel.
4. Add butter to pan; reduce heat. Add anchovies and cook, stir until fillet has dissolved and melded into the butter.
5. Stir in garlic and parsley. Cook 15 seconds. Return scallops to pan. Toss to coat. Remove from heat and add lemon zest and juice.



I used my favorite bottled 3-cheese alfredo sauce with garlic for the pasta.

NOTE: To perfectly brown scallops, I suggest that you cook them in batches. Add the scallops a few at a time so that the pan will not lose heat. Wait until the oil is hot (when you see ripples in the pan), then add the scallops - do not move them anymore until it is time to flip. The key to browning the scallops is - patience!.

Easy Peas-y Casserole

I like eating Orzo pasta, as I can trick my mind into thinking that I'm having rice. We, Filipinos, are big rice eaters , so we are susceptible to any Jedi-mind trick about rice. Hehhehe..

But unlike rice, pasta settles a little heavier in the stomach, so you can't really eat so much of it,especially when drowned with rich meaty or cheesy sauce. But, not this particular dish though. This recipe requires cheese, yes, but not a lot of heavy cream in it.

This dish is versatile too. You can prepare this either as a side dish, or as a complete meal.

Baked Orzo with Peas & Cheese
Casserole
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 pound orzo pasta
1-1/2 tablespoons butter, plus more to grease the baking dish
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup diced red bell pepper (optional)
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
3/4 cup Marsala wine
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces shredded fontina cheese (about 1 cup)
4 ounces diced fresh mozzarella cheese (about 1 cup)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

Topping
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tbsp butter

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.
2. Cook orzo with the chicken broth. Cook until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Pour the orzo and the broth into the baking dish. Set aside.
3. Melt the butter over medium heat in a medium skillet. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to saute until the mushrooms are beginning to turn golden around the edges, about 7 minutes.
4. Add the Marsala. Scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan and cook until wine has reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the mushroom mixture to the orzo in the large bowl. Add the cream, fontina, mozzarella, peas, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.
6. Combine the bread crumbs, parmesan and dried thyme. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture on top of the pasta. Dot with butter. Bake uncovered until golden, about 25 minutes.

Option: Add 2 cups pre-cooked shredded chicken to the pasta mix

If you want to make this a complete meal, then you can add the chicken (turkey or shrimp would be good too) in the pasta mix. To make this a vegetarian dish, then you can probably add beans to it, like chick peas or red beans?

As for me, I opted to make it a complete meal - I added shredded cooked chicken breasts. Also, since Fontina is a bit pricier, I got a pre-shredded 6-cheese italian mix which already included Fontina (as well as Romano, Asiago, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Provolone) in it. I have fresh mozzarella in the fridge, so I used them for this dish. The fresh mozzarella added the gooey, sticky factor to this pasta.

This dish is even better eaten the next day.

Penne With Eggplant And Swordfish

One of the advantages of growing up in a tropical island like the Philippines is having access to fresh seafood. I grew up eating fresh seafood. And I mean just-caught-that-day-kinda-fresh, so fresh some were still squiggling and jumping out from the containers! None of those previously frozen stuff...uh,oh.

Tonight's dinner was pasta with fish. Not from the can but fresh fish. Fortunately, I didn't have to clean the fish like I learned back in the Philippines, as I already got my fish filleted. I never had pasta with fish before, apart from having tuna casserole (which uses canned tuna), so it doesn't count for me. And I'm glad I tried this. This is definitely a keeper.

Penne With Swordfish And Eggplant
1 pound penne pasta
1/3 cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes (plus more to taste)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley plus 1/3 cup
4 Japanese eggplants, ends trimmed, thinly sliced lengthwise, then cut into squares
1 pound swordfish steaks skin removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/3 cup white wine
2 cups halved teardrop or cherry tomatoes (red, yellow or a blend)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Cook pasta until al dente (firm to the bite), about 8-10 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, place a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 1/3 cup olive oil, garlic, red chili flakes, and 1/4 cup parsley. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the eggplant and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the eggplant from the pan and set aside.
3. Season the swordfish cubes with salt and pepper.
4. Using the same pan, over medium-high heat, add the 2 remaining tablespoons of olive oil and cook the swordfish until opaque, about 5 minutes. Add the white wine and cook until almost evaporated, about 2 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the tomatoes, eggplant, cooked pasta, the remaining 1/3 cup parsley and stir. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
This recipe was adapted from Giada De Laurentiis'. I rarely follow a recipe to a T as I make my food according to how I prefer them. So for my version, I sauteed onion with my garlic. Also, I used whole grain Penne for my pasta. I used Japanese eggplant as they are not bitter like those large ones, though I'm sure you can also use the bigger varieties. I'd suggest washing them with salt and water first to get the bitterness out of them. I got my Japanese eggplant from the Asian market, as my local grocery store did not have them.

Also, it isn't suggested in the recipe, but I seasoned the eggplants with salt and pepper when I sauteed them, so the eggplant themselves will have flavor. When I sauteed the fish, I added chopped rosemary and thyme as well. I know that these herbs work well with swordfish.

As you can see, I didn't have the yellow teardrop tomato but I imagine that the pasta would have looked even more attractive with the yellow tomatoes in it.

I just love parmesan so I grated a bit of the cheese on top when I served the pasta. Italians don't recommend adding cheese to seafood, and I don't know why. But then again, I'm not Italian so I will do it the way I love it.

The colors of this pasta are wonderful. And it definitely tastes as good as it looks- no, not fishy at all. Just fabulous!

Pasta Sans Sauce

How do you make a light pasta dish? Aside from not eating too much of it (LOL), is to make it without sauce. So this dish is what it is all about, a sauceless pasta.
Linguine With Shrimp And Arugula:
2 cloves minced garlic, 1 small onion, 1/2 lb of fresh linguine, 1 lb of raw shrimps (deviened, tails off), 1 c. of asparagus (cut in 1-inch length), 1 c of baby arugula, 1 c of diced fresh mozzarella, 2 tbsps of chopped fresh parsely, 1 lemon zested and juiced, salt, pepper, 1/4 c extra virgin olive oil plus 2 tbsps for sauteeing.
Directions:
In a bowl pour 1/4 c of olive oil and the zest of the lemon. Add the shrimp. Let the shrimp marinate in the mixture for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, cook your pasta according to direction. Since it's fresh, it will only take about 3 minutes or so. Reserve 1-2 ladles of your pasta water.
Then sautee your shrimp mixture in the pan. When the shrimps have turned pink on both sides, take them off and transfer to a plate. Keep warm. Then add another 2 tbsps of olive oil to your pan. Sautee your onion, garlic and asparagus until they've softened. Then add back the shrimp, followed by the pasta. If the pasta is too dry, add a ladle of your pasta water (or more, you have to eyeball this). Season with salt and pepper. Add the lemon juice just before you take the pasta off the heat.
In your pasta bowl, place your diced mozarella and arugula in. Pour your cooked pasta into the bowl and toss. The mozzarella will melt from the heat of the pasta, and the arugula will begint to wilt. Serve warm. Garnish with parsely.

This is an easy, quick meal for those days when you want something light but filling. Since this is a sauceless pasta, it is best to use the fresh pasta when you can. In my opinion, the fresh pasta just doesn't get too dry as the regular ones.

I know that for Italians, you're not supposed to add cheese to a seafood dish. But well, I am not an Italian, so I guess I can break this rule. I grated a little bit of parmesan cheese right on the pasta before serving. The parmesan, I believe, rounded up all the flavors in this dish.

Orzo Late

"Orzo" late, like "oh, so late..." Yeah, I know, it's a bit corny.

It was 9pm when we got back home to see our friends- Kevin, Holly and their kids- off at the airport. They left for Capetown, South Africa today, to do missions work. Lord willing, we'll see them again in 3 years-- yes, in 3 years, if they don't decide to stay there.

My husband was surprised that I started preparing this dish as soon as we got home, but I guess, I just wanted to get my mind off from missing my friends. So, late as it was, I decided to do this pasta salad for our lunch the next day. It's really simple, the only cooking involved is the pasta. Orzo is this rice-shaped pasta as you can see in the photo. I've done this salad before, so I made this from memory, but the recipe I got from Foodnetwork's Giada de Laurentiis.

Orzo Salad
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups red and yellow teardrop tomatoes or grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
About 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. In a heavy large saucepan, bring the broth to a boil over high heat. Stir in the orzo.
2. Cover partially and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes.
3. Drain the orzo through a strainer. Transfer to a large wide bowl and toss. Set aside to cool completely.
4. Toss the orzo with the beans, tomatoes, onion, basil, mint, and enough vinaigrette to coat. Season the salad, to taste, with salt and pepper, and serve at room temperature.

Vinaigrette:
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Mix the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a blender. With the machine running, gradually blend in the oil. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper, if desired.
Yield: 1 3/4 cups

What I did different was adding a basil-infused olive oil to my pasta. It intensified the flavor of basil even more and the combination with mint and basil was fabulous! Also, I didn't use the yellow tear drop tomatoes (as you see in the photo) since they're not available in my grocery store.

I tossed the salad with the dressing just before eating the next day. Uhhhhmmn.. what a nice little lunch. The salad is even better eaten if tossed with grilled chicken or fish (tuna or salmon, maybe).

Chocolate Ravioli-Wontons

I have yet to meet a person who doesn't like Nutella. And if I do, I would certainly tell that person that he/she is not normal! What's not to love about it? This gooey, creamy, rich hazelnut chocolate spread is just addicting.

But Nutella is more than just a spread for bread (hmmnn, good title). I've learned that you can use it in various ways for desserts. Such as this one I'm sharing with you today.

If you've read my previous posts, you'd know that we've got friends who are leaving for South Africa, the Logans. Well, our other friends, Marcy and Heredes, made dinner for them on Monday night. Marcy made a very tasty lasagana and salad (wish I had photos of her lasagna, sorry). And Marcy requested that I make this for dessert. How could I say NO?

And so we had this chocolate-filled ravioli-wontons for dessert. It's a perfect Asian-Italian fusion. Thanks again to my my fave Chef, Giada de Laurentiis for the recipe.

I'm telling you, if you've got a chocolate craving and you just don't want to eat Nutella out from the container, this would be a good substitute. Very easy, very simple. The crunchy wontons with the creamy chocolate that oozes out as you bite into it just hits the spot! The only thing is that when frying, this requires your full attention as the wontons get done ever so quickly!

The sugared mint leaves is just a garnish (as suggested in the recipe), but the wontons are perfectly fine eaten without the herb. Enjoy!

Fried Raviolis With Choco-Hazelnut Filling:
16 wonton wrappers
1 egg, beaten to blend
1 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)
Vegetable oil, for frying
16 fresh mint leaves
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
Granulated sugar, for dredging
Powdered sugar, for dusting

1. Brush the edges of the wonton wrapper lightly with egg. Cover the rest of your wontons in a damp towel to prevent them from drying out.
2. Spoon 1 tablespoon of chocolate-hazelnut spread into the center of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper diagonally in half over the filling and press the edges of the wrapper to seal. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers.
3. Add enough oil to a heavy large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.
4. Working in batches, carefully add the ravioli to the hot oil and cook until they are golden brown, about 45 seconds per side.
5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ravioli to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Then, transfer the cooked ravioli to another baking sheet and keep them warm in the 200 degrees F oven while frying the remaining ravioli.
6. Spray the top side of the mint leaves very lightly with nonstick spray. Working with 1 leaf at a time, dredge the coated side of the leaves in sugar to coat lightly.
7. Arrange 2 fried ravioli on each plate. Dust the ravioli with powdered sugar. Garnish with the sugared mint leaves and serve.

Note: The fried ravioli can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool them completely, then cover and refrigerate. Before serving, place them on a baking sheet and rewarm in a preheated 375 degrees F oven just until they are heated through, about 7 minutes.

P.S. Photos courtesy of Holly. Great job, Holly!

The Last Supper

Just a few days before they leave for their 3-year missions trip to South Africa, we had the pleasure of having our dearest friends, the Logans – Kevin, Holly, Emily & Katie – join us for dinner at our home last Saturday. As in the past times, it was a joy to have them, but this particular Saturday was somewhat a bittersweet time, at least for me, knowing that we’re going to be missing these people who we’ve come to consider not just as friends, but as family.
Before I go all mushy here……….Needless to say, I wanted a special dinner for them. Alas, it was not so hard to think of what to cook because I know that both Kevin and Holly are smitten (haha!) with my hubby’s steak – the “Joe-steak” as Holly has called it to be. (Actually, Holly DID request the Joe-steak..)

So off I went to the grocery on Saturday, carefully picking out the most beautiful pieces of rib-eye steaks that I could find. Then, I made it a point to season the steak hours before grilling them, to make sure that the meat has marinated well in the spices. The rub that I used was one that my hubby mixed together himself, inspired by Emeril’s Southwest seasoning. His twist was to add about 1/4 cup of dark brown sugar to the mixture.

What goes well with steak? I bet 90% of those who are asked with this question will say “potatoes”. Well , while at the grocery, I got attracted to a bag of fingerling potatoes. They’re finger-sized/shaped potatoes - hence the name - in different colors (some gold, some red, some purple). Fingerling potatoes to me, are tastier, sweeter – pricier, but definitely worth it. And so, I grabbed that.

And then to accompany the potatoes, I also got some pencil asparagus – to be roasted, as well.

Because the steak is already flavorful as it is, both the potatoes and the asparagus need not be complicated. So I decided to do another Emeril-inspired recipe – this one I saw him do during his tv show, The Essence of Emeril. It looked so good and was very easy to do so I remembered this particular recipe very well.

The potatoes are just seasoned with a mixture of fresh herbs - sage, rosemary and thyme - then blanched, sautéed and roasted. The roasting part was my twist to the recipe, as I thought the potatoes would come out better that way.

As for the asparagus, they were sautéed in walnut oil and then roasted and garnished with toasted walnuts, of course. Again, the roasting part was my twist. Can you imagine the smell of my house as I was roasting both the potatoes and asparagus? Hmmmnn… so good!

Then ,there's one more item to the menu –Insalata Caprese (Caprese salad). This is yet another simple but very good dish. The key to this is to use fresh mozzarella (not the processed kind) and use a good extra virgin olive oil. Also, I used a mixture of tomato for different shapes – vine-riped and cherry tomatoes. A little lemon juice, salt and pepper and a chiffonade of basil leaves and …. voila!! A real pretty and yummy appetizer!

For dessert, I did a simple one - some Hazelnut-Chocolate Chip cookies from Giada de Laurentiis’ recipe (I love her!). The cookies, I would say, wasn’t as attractive looking as I would have liked them to be – but do not be deceived! They sure tasted delicious. The only change I made to the recipe was by using ½ semi-sweet and ½ bittersweet Ghirardelli chocolate chips (because I thought I had enough semi-sweet chocolate in my pantry).

It was a joy preparing this meal for our friends. As the saying goes, “ the way to a man’s (i.e. friends’) heart is through their stomach”. So, I hope this meal was good enough to remember us by! :oD

Love you guys, God bless you and the Joe-steak will be waiting for you when you get back here in 3 years! PROMISE!

Bubba's Shrimps

Our dinner tonight is all about Bubba's shrimps. Remember the movie Forrest Gump and his friend Bubba? How could you forget a movie that, in my opinion, is still one of the best that's ever made?

Anyway, back to our dinner - I made Shrimp Scampi which I adapted from Emeril Lagasse's recipe. Emeril knows a lot about food and his recipes are great but they usually require so many ingredients. This recipe is, perhaps, one of his easiest that I've ever come across.

Shrimp Scampi
2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined-tails left on
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
1 small onion, sliced thinly
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup shrimp stock
2 tablespoons cold butter
2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
Lemon slices, for garnish
Rice, as accompaniment

1. Season the shrimp thoroughly with salt and pepper.
2. Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add enough oil to lightly coat the pan. Add the shrimp and quickly saute until just starting to turn pink, but not cooked through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Add the onions and saute just until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds. Add the lemon juice, white wine, and stock, and reduce by 2/3, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the shrimp back to the pan and swirl in the butter.
5. Finish with the parsley and check for seasoning.
Here's what I did different to the recipe: 1)I added Emeril's Essence, pinch of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to the shrimp and let them marinate in the seasoning for about 10 minutes before I sauteed them 2)I used chicken stock instead of shrimp stock since it is what I have on hand.

Seasoning the shrimps apparently was a good call judging from my husband's reaction. He actually said "this is so good" four times when he was eating his dinner! Doesn't that give you the warm fuzzies????

I served the shrimp with freshly steamed white rice and garlic bread. I toasted some slices of sourdough bread, and then rubbed fresh garlic on the bread when I took them right out of the oven. The garlic melts from the heat which makes the bread so garlicky.... so good, so perfect for dipping in the scampi's sauce.

As for the white wine, I used part Pinot Grigio and part Chablis. I had a little amount of Pinot Grigio left which I didn't want to go to waste - hence, the mix.

Pork Marsala

I've always loved Chicken Marsala, but I never knew what Marsala was until much, much later. Marsala turned out to be this wonderful Italian wine which you use in this dish. Since I came to know what it is (a few years back), I've used the wine in my dishes a lot of times.

Well today, I did another variation of the Chicken Marsala by using pork loin chops. After searching for a recipe, I found one that I thought was right up my alley. Here it is. I would say my dish is an adaptation of this recipe. I made a couple of changes for mine. First, I added mushrooms. I thought that the meaty, earthy taste of the mushrooms would help boost the wine's flavor. Secondly, when I added the onion, I also added 2 tablespoons of flour with a tablespoon of butter to make a roux as I prefer my sauce to be thicker. Thirdly, I increased the amount of the sauce by adding 1/3 cup of chicken stock and 2/3 cup of wine. I'd recommend increasing the amount of sauce in this dish like I did - if you're the type who likes lots of sauce in your food. Remember, the liquid evaportes a little bit as you let it simmer, so a cup of liquid should make enough sauce.

I served the dish with steamed rice as suggested and garnished it with chopped italian (flat-leaf) parsley. Pasta would definitely be good too if you prefer to have it. My hubby mopped his plate with bread - that's how good this dish was.

Note: I used dry wine for this recipe. I always use dry wine for cooking, unless the recipe specifies using sweet.

Left-over Do-Over

Chicken carbonara is one of my favorite dishes. And I had the opportunity to make this for dinner recently because we had some left-over roasted chicken. I've tried making this dish before using the fresh skinless/boneless chicken breast. It was good too, but using roasted chicken just makes a whole lot of difference in the taste.

Carbonara, as you might know, is made from whipped cream and cheese - so it's not a dieter's food. To balance the richness of the sauce, I thought that I should use the healthier organic whole wheat pasta - which I already had in my pantry. (I'm just trying to play some tricks with my own mind, you know ;oD )
I had to cut down the recipe that I had for this as I'm cooking only for 2 people. Problem was, I overlooked the fact that whole wheat pasta absorbs more liquid than the regular one. So as you can see, the pasta didn't have the desired amount of sauce as it should have. But inspite of this, the pasta still came out tasty (thank God!). The roasted chicken, creamy sauce with parmesan cheese, the hint of lemon in the background plus the crunch of walnuts were a nice balance of flavor.

If you want to try this dish, pls. check out the recipe here. I followed most of what the recipe calls for except that I added shallots to the garlic, used bacon instead of pancetta, and like I said, I had to cut it down and used whole wheat instead of the regular pasta.

So remember, if you want to use whole wheat pasta like I did, increase the amount of liquid so you'll have a good amount of sauce in your dish. I promise you, it's going to be yum'oh!

Indulgence

On Friday, we were invited to our friend Vicky & David's son's 2nd birthday party. Derwin made pizza from scratch. There's nothing better than home-made pizza! Kudos to Derwin for the great job!
The pizza was a meat-lover's dream with the sausage and peperoni underneath that thick layer of mozzarella cheese...Yum! Eating it was an indulgence for sure. It was definitely good but pizza, in my opinion, should be eaten once in a blue moon. This food is simply not figure and health-friendly. To borrow a friend's term, this food is a perfect "cardiac-delight".... get the joke?