Delayed Feasting of Dungeness Crab for this 2015 Season

Due to toxins(domoic acid) from Algae, the opening of the Dungeness Crab season here in California has been delayed. Needless to say, I am looking forward to another Season feasting on one of my favorite seafood here in Northern California. Here's what I wrote on last year on this subject just in case you have not read it.


I purchased my first fresh Dungeness crabs yesterday for this year crab season. Raleys had a sale for only $5.99 per lb. I bought three medium-sized whole crabs costing me only $21.24. The price of Dungeness crab in the other stores in our area were at $6.99 per lb. or higher. Dungeness Crab personal fishing season started last November 1 in the Northern California Bay Areas, but the commercial crabbing started only a couple of days ago(November 15).

Needless to say Macrine, David III and I had a feast eating with our hands and fingers. The crab meat was delicious along with garlic bread and green salad with fresh avocado slices and honey mustard dressing. There was a left over crab (claws and 1/4 body) that I cleaned today and made into an omelet.

Here's my simple recipe for a crab omelet.



2 potatoes- peeled and slice into 1/4 inch cubes
1 onion-cut into small cubes
1/4 small cabbage shredded
3/4 cup crab meat
olive oil and garlic salt
6 eggs

Sauteed the onions in oil until cooked. Add the shredded cabbage and heat at low heat until cooked. Add the potato cubes and continue heating until the potatoes are cooked. Add the crab meat and mixed and then pour the beaten eggs into the pan. Cooked until the eggs are cooked. Invert the omelet in the pan and continue heating at low heat. Serve 6.

Microwave Oven Baked Potato

Yesterday, I had a yearning for baked potato, but do not have much time and our oven is occupied with another dish. I saw several recipes on the web in how to bake potato in a microwave. But the following from allrecipes.com attracted my attention.

Ingredients

Original recipe makes 1 serving Change Servings

1 large russet potato

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

3 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese

salt and pepper to taste

3 teaspoons sour cream


Directions

1.Scrub the potato, and prick several time with the tines of a fork. Place on a plate.

2.Cook on full power in the microwave for 5 minutes. Turn over, and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. When the potato is soft, remove from the microwave, and cut in half lengthwise. Season with salt and pepper, and mash up the inside a little using a fork. Top the open sides with butter and 2 tablespoons of cheese. Return to the microwave, and cook for about 1 minute to melt the cheese.

3.Top with remaining cheese and sour cream, and serve.

Source: allrecipes.com

Chicken Arroz Caldo ( Rice Porridge)

Yesterday, I cooked for the first time a dish that my wife loves when she is not feeling well. I have never cooked this dish, but I saw the following recipe from allrecipe.com. In the Philippines this is not considered as a main dish but only a merienda or snack. This dish was enjoyed by my wife yesterday since she had a hard time swallowing food because of her PD.


Original recipe makes 5 servings Change Servings

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 (2 inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced

2 1/4 pounds chicken wings, split and tips discarded

1 tablespoon fish sauce

5 1/4 cups chicken broth

1 cup glutinous sweet rice

salt and pepper to taste

1 green onion, chopped

1 lemon, sliced (optional)

1 teaspoon fish sauce for sprinkling, if desired (optional)


Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat; cook and stir the onion, garlic, and ginger in the hot oil until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken wings; cook and stir together for 1 minute. Stir the fish sauce into the pot, cover, and cook another 2 minutes.
Pour the chicken broth into the pot. Add the sweet rice and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil; cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to assure the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with the green onion, and serve with lemon slices and additional fish sauce, if desired.

Source: allrecipes.com

Personal Note: I omitted the fish sauce since I do not like it, but used Kikkoman soy sauce instead.

Salmon Fish Head Soup

Last night we have salmon fish head soup with boktoy and green beans based in tamarind sauce. Thus I reposting the following recipe I wrote about a year ago. yum, yum, yum!


When I saw the salmon fish heads yesterday at the grocery store, I changed the menu for our dinner instantly. I was planning on purchasing 2 rib eye steaks to broil, but the temptation for fish head soup was just so great, I forgot about the rib eye steak. I paid only six dollars for two large salmon fish heads instead of $18 dollars for two pieces of rib eye steaks.

Fish head soup ( sinigang) is a delicacy in the Philippines and one of the most common dishes in an oriental family's diet. My favorite fish head soup besides salmon is the head of bingao, a big ocean fish that belongs to the snapper specie However, to most non-oriental fish head soup is not for human consumption and just looking at the fish head disgust them. My four US born children and six grand children do not eat fish head soup, but they love salmon steaks or red snapper fillet. Of course they love Fish and Chips.

When I was growing up in the Philippines the fish head was always reserved for the head of the family(my DAD) or for the guest of honor at dinner time. The other parts of the fish are for other members of the family. I have a very simple recipe for salmon head fish soup which contained a lot of vegetables( green beans, baby bokchoy, tomatoes, radishes and eggplant)and of course flavored with tamarind cubes.

Here's my recipe. If other vegetables are not available in your area, baby bokchoy, radishes and green beans must be a must if you want your soup to taste good! The following recipe will serve from 6 to 8 adults with other dishes in the dinner table.

2 pcs salmon fish heads (red snapper or other big ocean fish heads may be used)
1.5 liters of water
1 medium onions (quartered)
2 tbsp of ginger slices
2 pcs of medium tomatoes (quartered)
6 pcs string beans (cut 3 inches approx)
6 bunches of baby bokchoy( Kangkong is used in the Philippines)
2 small raddish (sliced)
2 pcs of egg plant (sliced)
1 pck of sinigang mix (Tamarind based) (for 1.5 liter mix)



In a large sauce pan, boil water and onions & ginger then add fish and cooked for approx 5-10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients( slice the vegetables evenly) except for the bokchoy and cooked for about 2-3 minutes and serve hot. Add the baby bokchoy last. Shut off the heat and let the pan simmer. Do not over cook veggies.

Fish heads contain a lot of omega 3 fatty acids and fish oil that promote brain development according to a recent report on nutrition and health. There are some studies that shows that if a pregnant women eat fish (which means lots of omega3 fatty acids or fish oil on her diet) her babies will have higher IQs and fewer learning disorders, and were less likely to develop mental retardation or cognitive delays.

As for me even if I can not get pregnant, I will eat fish as often as I can, since I love fish and I know it is good for my health and in my aging years. For those of you who hate fish, especially fish heads, I feel sorry for you since you are missing one of the most nutritious and delicious dish easily available all over the world.

The Fruits of Summer in Our Kitchen

Mango Fruit in my Garden in the Philippines

This morning, when I woke up, I saw IMMEDIATELY the tray of fresh fruits in our kitchen. I realized then that my wife and I are lucky to have an abundance of fresh fruits that we did not have to buy. How in the heck did this happen?. Let me explain.

Our next door neighbor who is a widow and also our casino buddy, has an orchard in her backyard. She has almost all kinds of fruit trees both in her back, side and even in her front yard. Since she is alone in her 4-bedroom house, she just can not consumed all the fruits that she harvests every summer.

This week she gave us Japanese pears, plums, grapes, apples, figs, prunes and peaches. Last month we enjoyed the blueberries and raspberries from her garden. She has lemons, oranges and kumquats in her garden also. There is no grass in her ½ acre of yard, but only ground covers and fruit trees. The fruit orchard was the project of her late husband.

Speaking of gardening, my fruit orchard in Marinduque has also a varieties of tropical fruits. I have papayas ( several varieties), mangoes ( THREE varieties), avocados, bananas (several varieties), starapples, guayabanos and Cashews trees. I have also guavas, rambutans, santol, duhats, jackfruits and lanzones fruit trees. I have also planted several varieties of citrus trees, pomelo, kalamansi, native oranges and lemon trees. My durian fruit trees( two) was a victim of Typhoon, Reming, a couple of years ago.

Have Fun and enjoy your summer days. Keep cool and indulge on the fruits of summer.

My Favorite Lapu Lapu Escabeche Recipe

The other day, My wife and I went to Seafood City in Elk Grove about a 40 minute drive from our residence. We purchased a number of fresh fish including a Lapu Lapu. Here's my favorite recipe from www.pinoyrecipe.net that I used today.

•1 Kilo Lapu-lapu Fish
•1 1/2 cup Canola Oil (for deep frying)
•1/3 cup white vinegar
•6 tablespoons brown sugar
•3 table spoons tomato ketchup
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1 thumb-sized Ginger,sliced in strips
•3 cloves garlic, minced
•2 medium-sized onions, cut into 8 pieces
•1 medium sized carrot, julienne
•1/2 cup red and green pepper, sliced in strips
•2 green onions, sliced for garnishing
•2 tomatoes, cut in wedges
•2 tablespoons cornstarch, diluted with 2-3 tablespoons water

Escabeche Cooking Instructions:

•Clean the Lapu-lapu fish and remove the internals, make a diagonal slice on each side of the fish
•Then rub salt on it and inside the fish cavity
•Deep Fry the Lapu-lapu fish in a deep frying pan.
•Once done, remove the fish from the pan and drain excess oil with paper towels.

How to prepare the sweet and sour sauce.
•Combine the vinegar, sugar, tomato ketchup, salt and ginger.
•Add the cornstarch mixture then mix well.
•Now add tomatoes, onions, carrot, tomatoes, garlic, red pepper and the other ingredients.
•Boil once. Make sure the sauce is slightly thickened and not runny.
•Pour the sauce on fried Lapu-lapu and serve immediately.
•Garnish with green onions.

Read more: http://www.pinoyrecipe.net/escabeche-recipe-fried-fish-with-sweet-and-sour-sauce/#ixzz3cVViNqVL

Dinner For Four From the HoneyBaked Ham Store

In my recent posting, I discussed that ordering dinners and meals from restaurants is not new to me. However, last week was my first time to order a family meal from the HoneyBaked Ham store near us.

I have been ordering for the last 5 years just ham, or turkey from the store. I have not tasted the side dishes that you can order for the family meals. The store offers 10 side dishes to accompany your meals. You can order one or ten side dishes if you desire. The meals can be ordered for 2, 4 or 8 persons without reservations. If you plan a party with more than 10 persons, it is recommended that you call ahead for reservation.

Last week, I ordered a family meal of ham and roast beef( tri-tip) for 4 with four side dishes. I selected the cranberry salad, pecan stuffing, mash potatoes and baked beans. The meal cost me only $34.99. The side dishes I ordered were delicious specially the cranberry salad. We happened to have a guest, a new-found relative from the Lodi-Stockton area for the occasion.

The other side dishes available are spinach Alfredo, creamy corn, gravy, potato salad, cheese potatoes or yam souffle.

The store also sells more than a dozen sandwiches for only $5.99. My favorite sandwich is the HoneyBaked Ham Hawaiian. It consists of the ham, Swiss cheese, champagne mustard and pineapple ginger chutney. Their best seller according to the store manager is their Honeybaked Ham Classic consisting of the ham, Swiss Cheese, lettuce, tomato, tangy Mayo and Rich Hickory Honey Mustard. Bread choices are croissant, multi-grain, marble rye, sweet white, sourdough or Hawaiian roll.

Besides the Ham, I have ordered the smoked and oven-roasted Turkey Breast. I like the smoked turkey breast better than the oven-roasted. The store also offers Barbecue Baby Back Ribs, but as of today I have not tasted the Ribs. I plan on ordering the ribs the next time I do not feel cooking our dinner.

So if you are lazy to cook with or without company, buying your meals from the Honeybaked Ham store is another alternative you can do besides ordering meals from regular restaurants such as Olive Garden, Red Lobster, El Tapcio ,El Torrito or from Chinese or Filipino restaurants in your area. Bon Apetit!.

Note: Of course if you want to save a little money and do not count your calories, the other alternative is to buy your meals from the fast restaurants chain, MCdonald, Carl Jr. Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger KIng, etc,,,

My Quick and Easy Recipe for Pinakbet

Pakbet or Pinakbet is a tasty Pinoy dish of mixed vegetables with pork. It originated from the Ilocos Region but have been modified by the Tagalogs and Ilongos and from other regions of the Philippine archipelago .

My Pinakbet Recipe- This is a quick and simple recipe that I cooked recently. I did not have pork meat in my freezer, but I happened to have one bag of pork rind or chicharon. My Kano son who hates bago-ong loves this dish.

Ingredients

1/4 lb bag of pork rind( instead of pork meat)
1 large egg plant, sliced ( Chinese variety recommended)
1 medium-sized bitter melon, chopped
1/4 lb squash, chopped into 2×1 inch cubes (Acorn or Philippine squash)
1 piece onion, chopped
1 tbsp ginger, minced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 to 8 pieces okra ( trimmed of edges)
3 tbsp shrimp paste
1 cup water
3 tbsp cooking oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Procedure

1. Heat the pan and put the cooking oil. When oil is hot enough, saute the garlic, ginger, and onion
Put-in the squash and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until texture becomes soft

2. Add the remaining vegetables and mix with the other ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes or until all the vegetables are cooked. (Do not overcook the vegetables). You want the Okra to be crispy not too slimy.

3. Put-in the shrimp paste and pork rind (chicharon) and cook for 2 minutes. Add water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

4.Serve hot with steamed white rice and shrimp paste as a side dish ( Barrio Fiesta is my favorite brand)

The usual recipe uses pork meat(tenderloin). This recipe uses pork rind or chicharon which does not need to be cooked more than 2 minutes. Very quick and easy.

Salmon Fish Head Soup with Vegetables/Tamarind Sauce

Last night we have salmon fish head soup with boktoy and green beans based in tamarind sauce. I reposting the following recipe I wrote about one year ago. yum, yum, yum!

When I saw the salmon fish heads yesterday at the grocery store, I changed the menu for our dinner instantly. I was planning on purchasing 2 rib eye steaks to broil, but the temptation for fish head soup was just so great, I forgot about the rib eye steak. I paid only six dollars for two large salmon fish heads instead of $18 dollars for two pieces of rib eye steaks.

Fish head soup ( sinigang) is a delicacy in the Philippines and one of the most common dishes in an oriental family's diet. My favorite fish head soup besides salmon is the head of bingao, a big ocean fish that belongs to the snapper specie However, to most non-oriental fish head soup is not for human consumption and just looking at the fish head disgust them. My four US born children and six grand children do not eat fish head soup, but they love salmon steaks or red snapper fillet. Of course they love Fish and Chips.

When I was growing up in the Philippines the fish head was always reserved for the head of the family(my DAD) or for the guest of honor at dinner time. The other parts of the fish are for other members of the family. I have a very simple recipe for salmon head fish soup which contained a lot of vegetables( green beans, baby bokchoy, tomatoes, radishes and eggplant)and of course flavored with tamarind cubes.

Here's my recipe. If other vegetables are not available in your area, baby bokchoy, radishes and green beans must be a must if you want your soup to taste good! The following recipe will serve from 6 to 8 adults with other dishes in the dinner table.

2 pcs salmon fish heads (red snapper or other big ocean fish heads may be used)
1.5 liters of water
1 medium onions (quartered)
2 tbsp of ginger slices
2 pcs of medium tomatoes (quartered)
6 pcs string beans (cut 3 inches approx)
6 bunches of baby bokchoy( Kangkong is used in the Philippines)
2 small raddish (sliced)
2 pcs of egg plant (sliced)
1 pck of sinigang mix (Tamarind based) (for 1.5 liter mix)


In a large sauce pan, boil water and onions & ginger then add fish and cooked for approx 5-10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients( slice the vegetables evenly) except for the bokchoy and cooked for about 2-3 minutes and serve hot. Add the baby bokchoy last. Shut off the heat and let the pan simmer. Do not over cook veggies.

Fish heads contain a lot of omega 3 fatty acids and fish oil that promote brain development according to a recent report on nutrition and health. There are some studies that shows that if a pregnant women eat fish (which means lots of omega3 fatty acids or fish oil on her diet) her babies will have higher IQs and fewer learning disorders, and were less likely to develop mental retardation or cognitive delays.

As for me even if I can not get pregnant, I will eat fish as often as I can, since I love fish and I know it is good for my health and in my aging years. For those of you who hate fish, especially fish heads, I feel sorry for you since you are missing one of the most nutritious and delicious dish easily available all over the world.

Three Easy Recipes for those who are Lazy to Cook

Just recently, My sister-in-law and Merlet Perlas visited my wife and me. They brought with them two whole Dungeness Crab. They also brought with them two other dishes, the chicken adobo sa gata and the Chicken Quesadilla dish. The recipe of the three dishes are as follows:

A.Dungeness Crabs in Oyster Sauce

1.Divide and Cracked whole steamed Dungeness Crabs into small portions. Save the Butter.

2.In a separate pan saute ginger, and garlic with vegetable or olive oil.

3.Place the cracked crabs into the pan, stir until it simmers.

4.Add the crab butter with enough water to transfer all the butter into the pan

5.Add 2 tbs of oyster sauce, then the scallions.

6.Continue stirring until it simmers. Serve Hot.

B. Chicken Adobo sa Gata

1. Chopped the whole chicken into small edible portions. Take out most of the skins and wash the meat

2. Saute garlic and onion in vegetable or olive oil in a pot. Put the chicken in the pot, stir and mix. Add a tsp of powdered black pepper. Boil the chicken for 10 minutes or until cooked without adding any water. Add about one tsp of tumeric powder* ( dilaw or yellow in Pilipino) and simmer another 10 minutes.

3. Add 1 can of coconut milk and simmer until the dish turn yellow. Then add ½ cup of vinegar, and mix. Add slices of green and red bell peppers, salt and pepper to taste. Serve Hot. Total time should be around 30 minutes.
* If you are rich, used safron instead of tumeric

C. Chicken Quesadilla ( Excellent for Left over Baked Chicken)

1. Shred the left over chicken. Place the chicken in a tortilla flour. Add Cheddar Cheese.( Any kind of cheese will do).

2.Close and flip the tortilla. Place in a hot skillet ( no oil). Invert tortilla and cook until the cheese melts. Add your favorite salsa( mild or hot) and sour cream. Bon Apetit!

My Favorite Recipe for Lobster Enchilada

I was looking for a recipe for lobster enchilada after watching the NBC food competition program The TASTE, the other day. I found the following recipe from the Foodnetwork.com that looks easy and savory. I will give it a try and let you know of the results in my future postings. Perhaps you may give it a try also and let me know the results. Bon Apetit!

Ingredients

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 zucchini, diced
2 jalapenos, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 cups vegetable stock
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 leaves Swiss chard, stems removed
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon onion powder
4 cooked lobster tails, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 lime, juiced
3 ounces feta cheese

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons olive oil and saute the zucchini, jalapenos, garlic and onions until they begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Then add the vegetable stock and lower the heat. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and simmer 20 minutes. Puree in a blender and adjust seasoning, if necessary. (See Cook's Note.) Hold warm over low heat.

Salt the boiling water generously and blanch the Swiss chard leaves just until limp, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and drain.

In a saute pan over medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the coriander, cumin and onion powder. Cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Then add the lobster, lime juice and season with salt and pepper. Cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute, just so the flavors combine. Be careful not to overcook the lobster.

To assemble, place a spoonful of lobster in each blanched Swiss chard leaf and roll up like an enchilada. Then pour the sauce over the top and garnish with the feta cheese.

Cook's Note: When blending hot liquids, remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.
Notes

This recipe was created by a contestant during a cooking competition. The Food Network Kitchens have not tested it for home use, therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/lobster-enchiladas-with-spicy-zucchini-sauce-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

A Simple Recipe for Oven Roasted Suckling Pig-Lechon sa Kawali

The other day during our weekly outing of dining and slot machine playing, my wife and I decided to eat in the Buffet Restaurant of TVC, Lincoln, CA-our favorite Indian Casino. Of the hundreds of dishes ( Chinese, Mexican, Italian, traditional American), the highlight of the buffet that day was an oven roasted suckling pig. It was delicious and the skin was crispy and meat juicy. The problem was we can not find any liver sauce. This reminded me of our Pinoy, Lechon sa Kawali ( Roast Pig in a Pan). I searched for recipes in the Internet. There were several but the following published in the Food Lab I found very simple and easy to follow. Try it and let me know.


Whole Roasted Suckling Pig

Yield: Serves 12 to 16
Active time: 1 hour
Total time: 5 to 6 hours
This recipe appears in: The Food Lab Redux: 7 Pork Dishes for the Holidays The Food Lab: How to Roast a Whole Suckling Pig
Ingredients

1 whole suckling pig, about 20 pounds (see note)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
20 whole cloves garlic
1 six-inch piece of fresh ginger, cut into 1/2-inch slivers

Procedures

1 Preheat oven to 300°F. Season pig inside and out with plenty of salt and pepper. Fill cavity with garlic and ginger. If pig fits on a single rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan, place him on the baking sheet back-up and transfer to the oven. If pig is too large, remove a rack from the oven and place on your range. Overlap two rimmed backin sheets so that they fit on the oven rack and line the whole thing with foil. Transfer the pig to the overlapped baking sheets then lift the whole oven rack and return to the oven so that the pig is in the center.

2 Roast until an instand read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the shoulder blade registers at least 160°F, about 4 hours. If ears or tail begin to burn, cover with foil and continue roasting.

3 Increase oven temperature to 500°F and cook until skin is crisp all over, about 30 minutes longer. Remove pig from oven, tent with foil, and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Serve by tearing skin into serving-sized pieces and removing flesh with your fingers and piling it onto a serving platter.

Note: You can order suckling pigs from your local butcher, or from online resources such as McReynolds Farms. Plan on a pound and a half of weight per person. You can feel free to substitute the garlic and ginger with any aromatics of your choice such as herbs, other vegetables, or fruit. Your pig can be removed from the oven and left at room temperature tented with foil for up to two hours after step two and before proceeding with step three if you need to do so for timing purposes.

About the author: J. Kenji Lopez-Alt is the Chief Creative Officer of Serious Eats where he likes to explore the science of home cooking in his weekly column The Food Lab. You can follow him at @thefoodlab on Twitter, or at The Food Lab on Facebook.

My Favorite Pinoy Menudo Recipe

The other day, my daughter came home to visit and brought a menudo dish that was cooked by her fellow office mate who has also Filipino ancestry.

I love the dish because it was a little spicy. I have never cooked menudo before so I did some Internet search. There are several menudo recipes in the web, but here's a video of a recipe that I found easy to follow. Since my wife and I I do not care for hot dogs, the one that I cooked did not have hot dogs. To make it spicy I added a dash of Tabasco hot sauce.

Salmon Fish Head Soup for Dinner Last Night

Last night we have salmon fish head soup with boktoy and green beans based in tamarind sauce. Thus I reposting the following recipe i wrote about one year ago. yum, yum, yum!

When I saw the salmon fish heads yesterday at the grocery store, I changed the menu for our dinner instantly. I was planning on purchasing 2 rib eye steaks to broil, but the temptation for fish head soup was just so great, I forgot about the rib eye steak. I paid only six dollars for two large salmon fish heads instead of $18 dollars for two pieces of rib eye steaks.

Fish head soup ( sinigang) is a delicacy in the Philippines and one of the most common dishes in an oriental family's diet. My favorite fish head soup besides salmon is the head of bingao, an big ocean fish that belongs to the snapper specie However, to most non-oriental fish head soup is not for human consumption and just looking at the fish head disgust them. My four US born children and six grand children do not eat fish head soup, but they love salmon steaks or red snapper fillet. Of course they love Fish and Chips.

When I was growing up in the Philippines the fish head was always reserved for the head of the family(my DAD) or for the guest of honor at dinner time. The other parts of the fish are for other members of the family. I have a very simple recipe for salmon head fish soup which contained a lot of vegetables( green beans, baby bokchoy, tomatoes, radishes and eggplant)and of course flavored with tamarind cubes.

Here's my recipe. If other vegetables are not available in your area, baby bokchoy, radishes and green beans must be a must if you want your soup to taste good! The following recipe will serve from 6 to 8 adults with other dishes in the dinner table.

2 pcs salmon fish heads (red snapper or other big ocean fish heads may be used)
1.5 liters of water
1 medium onions (quartered)
2 tbsp of ginger slices
2 pcs of medium tomatoes (quartered)
6 pcs string beans (cut 3 inches approx)
6 bunches of baby bokchoy( Kangkong is used in the Philippines)
2 small raddish (sliced)
2 pcs of egg plant (sliced)
1 pck of sinigang mix (Tamarind based) (for 1.5 liter mix)



In a large sauce pan, boil water and onions & ginger then add fish and cooked for approx 5-10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients( slice the vegetables evenly) except for the bokchoy and cooked for about 2-3 minutes and serve hot. Add the baby bokchoy last. Shut off the heat and let the pan simmer. Do not over cook veggies.

Fish heads contain a lot of omega 3 fatty acids and fish oil that promote brain development according to a recent report on nutrition and health. There are some studies that shows that if a pregnant women eat fish (which means lots of omega3 fatty acids or fish oil on her diet) her babies will have higher IQs and fewer learning disorders, and were less likely to develop mental retardation or cognitive delays.

As for me even if I can not get pregnant, I will eat fish as often as I can, since I love fish and I know it is good for my health and in my aging years. For those of you who hate fish, especially fish heads, I feel sorry for you since you are missing one of the most nutritious and delicious dish easily available all over the world.

Mini Chicken Pot Pie by Lina

by Lina Espanola Jimenez-Guest Writer.

I was reading my FB page the other day. The mini pot pie of a fellow Barotacnon attracted my attention. I requested for the recipe and here it is. Enjoy and have fun!

Ingredients:

Vegetable cooking spray
11/2 cup cubed cooked chicken
1 can ( 10 3/4 oz.) Campbell's cream of chicken Soup
1/2 of 16 oz. package frozen mixed vegetables, thawed ( about 1 1/2 cup)
All purpose flour
1 package (12 oz.) refrigerated biscuit ( 10 biscuit).
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F . Spray muffin pan cups with cooking spray. Stir chicken soup and vegetables in a medium bowl.

2. Sprinkle flour on work surface. Roll or pat biscuit to flatten slightly. Press into the bottom and up the sides of muffin cups. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture into each biscuit cup. Lightly press chicken mixture so it's level. Top each with about 2 tsp. cheese.

3. Bake for 15 min. Or until biscuits are golden brown and cheese is melted. Let pot pies cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 min.

Note: I used the Grand biscuits and used 3 1/2 size muffin pans . I love cheese so I pile it up with cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

About Lina Espanola Jiminez: She retired from medical practice a few years ago, and now devote herself to gardening and experimenting with food.

What to Eat and not to Eat on New Years Day in the Philippines

Twelve kinds of round fruits should be in your table by midnight to bring good luck and prosperity to the Household

When I was growing up in the Philippines, my parents will tell us kids that on New Years Eve and Day, we should do the following for good luck. Doing these things will help insure that the coming year will be a happy and prosperous one. Many of these traditions and superstitions are of Chinese influence, I believe.

1. Turn on all lights so that the coming year will be bright.

2. Make as much noise as you can to scare away evil spirits.

3. Debts must be paid off. Fill you wallet with fresh peso bills.

4. Open all doors, windows, cabinets and drawers to let good fortune in.

5. Scatter coins around the house, on tabletops.... inside drawers...

6. Clean everything including your body by taking a long bath, the closets and the whole house.

7. Wear polka-dots, preferably black and white. Anything round signifies prosperity.

8. Jump twelve times at midnight to increase your height. (Observed by Filipino children.)

There are five things related to food that we must do for good luck as follows:

1. Prepare 12 round fruits, one for each month of the coming new year ( see photo above).

2. Have a very round grape in your mouth at the stroke of midnight.

3. Eat a native delicacy made from sticky rice to make good fortune stick in the new year.

4. Eat long noodles (pancit) for long life ( definitely of Chinese origin). We should eat pancit also during our birthday.

5. Don't eat any chicken or fish. They are associated with the scarcity of food.

Then on New Years Day we should not clean anything, otherwise we might sweep away the good fortune. In addition we should not spend money at all. Our being thrifty that day will help us manage our money very well for the whole year. Do you have any New Years Eve tradition in your family? Please share!

Happy 2015 to All of You, my dear readers and FaceBook Friends!