A Simple Recipe for Milk Fish

My wife and I have the easiest way to have a good meal using bangus. We just baked or Grill it and in less than one hour we will have a delicious fish dish. The hardest part is to clean the fish but in most fish markets in the Philippines the fish vendors will clean it for you free of charge or gratis et amore.

Ingredients

1-1.5 kg bangus
1 thumb size ginger, sliced thin crosswise
115 ml soya sauce
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
4 calamansi, juiced (lemon juice could be used)
1 tomato, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Clean bangus by removing the scales, removing gills and washing the inside. Pat dry with paper towel. Mix tomato, onion and a third of ginger. Salt and pepper to taste. Cut open the front side of the fish and fill with this mixture.

Mix all other ingredients, ginger, soya sauce, and calamansi or lemon juice. Place the bangus on a roasting pan lined with aluminum foil large enough to cover the fish when folded. Pour the soya sauce mixture over the fish. Fold the aluminum foil and seal all ends. Bake at 375F for 60 minutes. Very easy, even a amateur cook like me can do this!

Feasting on Fresh Oysters-Recipe for Oyster Rockefeller

This article with more information was first published on my HubPages account on 8/23/14.

Yesterday while I was shopping for groceries in Food Max, my eyes bulged with excitement when I saw 2 dozen of live fresh oysters. I was not intending to buy it, because it was not in my budget, but I thought it is time to celebrate the final closing of my home refinancing loan which will save me about $160 from my monthly mortgage payment beginning next month. The 24 live oysters( 12 medium and 12 large sizes)cost me $19.99. This is still cheap if you compare eating oysters in Red Lobster or in any seafood restaurant here in Northern California. The 12 large Oysters I baked in the oven at 350F for only 15 minutes. Do not over baked as the oysters will get dry. Shut off the oven as soon as the shells begin to open. Serve the baked oysters with a twist of lemon and Tabasco sauce. Serve with fresh steamed corn on the cub and a glass of white wine(chardonnay). Yum, Yum, Yum!

The species I purchased were the Pacific oysters farmed in the area near the Point Reyes National Park, North of San Francisco and South of Bodega Bay. These large oysters are sweet and meaty, but not as delicious as the Philippine variety that I am used to. These large oysters are a mouthful for eating raw, but they are perfect for grilling and baking!


The other 12 medium size I made into Oyster Rockefeller from my wife's collection of recipes as follows:

6 oz shredded sharp cheddar
12 fresh, live medium oysters
1 box frozen chopped spinach
1/8 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1 dash hot pepper sauce( Tabasco or El Tapatio brand))
1/2 bar salted butter( margarine or Australian can butter will do)
2 cups Rock salt for presentation only

Clean oysters with warm water., Broil on High or boil until shells open. Do not over cooked.. Remove from oven or pot and cool oysters. When cooled break the top shell off of each oyster. Chopped oysters 1/2 cm.

Chopped the thawed spinach, bread crumbs, and green onions. Sauteed in butter or margarine until spinach is cooked. Add the salt and hot sauce to your taste, .

Arrange the oysters in their half shells on a pan with Rock salt. Spoon some of the spinach mixture on each oyster half shell. Add bread crumbs and Cheddar cheese on top. Broil for about 10 minutes until bread crumbs turn brown and the cheese melts..Served with garlic bread and chardonnay.

* My wife's other variation of this recipe is to use bacon chips instead of the cheddar cheese

Bitter Melon ( Amplalaya) with Shrimps

One of the most healthy Filipino dish if you are a diabetic is the Ampalaya or bitter melon with shrimps. A variation of the dish is to use pork instead of the shrimps. In some recipes both shrimps and pork are used in equal proportions. This recipe is almost a weekly fare in our menu when we are in the Philippines because of the abundance of the bitter melon. Here in the US, I have to go to a Filipino or oriental grocery store to be able to buy ampalaya. Incidentally, in case you do not know, Seafood City is one of the biggest oriental and Filipino grocery store here in Northern California.

Ingredients

4 medium ampalaya or bitter melon (cut lengthwise)
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 pound mini 0r medium shrimp, peeled and headless
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup water
1 egg
salt and pepper to taste
soy sauce or fish sauce(patis)optional) to taste. I do not like patis since I am not a true-blooded Tagalog but an Ilonggo.

Procedure

1. Cut ampalaya lengthwise and scrape off seeds and white pith. Slice thinly and place in a bowl, covered in cold water with a little salt* until needed.

2. In a wide skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring regularly, until tender. Add in tomatoes and cook until softened, regularly mashing with back of spoon.

3. The soy sauce or patis could be added at this point. Add shrimp and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp starts to change color.

4. Add water and bring to a boil. Drain ampalaya from water, add to pan and gently toss to combine. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until tender yet crisp.

5. In a thin stream, add eggs and gently stir to distribute. Continue to cook for about 1 minute or until eggs have set. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

* Ampalaya is very bitter. To remove most of its bitterness, the slice melon is soak in cold salted water for at least 30 minutes and then drained prior to cooking.

A Simple and Healthy Shrimp Recipe

I found the following recipe from my FB friend and relative page. A very easy and healthy recipe for shrimp. It was shared by Angie and Jim Jambalos Aulds from Prego & Mommy Chat's blog. No Butter (uses chicken broth, white wine, lemon juice)

Ingredients

4 tsp olive oil
1 1/4 pounds med raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails left on)
6-8 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup + 1 T minced parsley
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
4 lemon wedges

Preparation

In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil. Saute the shrimp until just pink, about 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. With a slotted spoon transfer the shrimp to a platter and keep them warm.
In the skillet, combine the broth, wine, lemon juice, 1/4 cup of the parsley, the salt and pepper; and bring it to a boil. Boil uncovered, until the sauce is reduced by half.
Spoon the sauce over the shrimp. Serve garnished with the lemon wedges and sprinkled with the remaining tablespoon of parsley. Enjoy!

Sun Dried Fish and Bitter Melon with Shrimps for Dinner

The other day I posted about the distinguishable screams of the fish vendors in our neighborhood. Today, I was lured by one of the vendors booming voice shouting isda...isda.. lagidlid etc...that I could hear 4 blocks away. Our cook mentioned once that lagidlid is an excellent specie for sun dryng. So I ran to our front gate in time for the vendors bicycle passing by. I asked for the price. It was 120 pesos per kilo. I told the vendor I need one kilo. The vendor has a scale and bingo I had 12 fresh medium-sized lagidlid in one minute. Along with the bislad, we had ampalaya with shrimps, and tocino for dinner. In the table are the newly harvested huge avocados and chicos from my orchard.

Drying fish is a lost art in modern times in the US, but here in the Provinces of the Philippines it is still part of daily living specially in towns with plenty of fresh fish available daily. Drying fish removes enough water from the final product so that the growth of microbes that cause spoilage are retarded, but drying isn't the same as dehydrating, which removes all but 3 percent of the moisture. My cook used a similar procedure for drying fish as outlined by ehow.com as follows:
My cook however soaks the fish in 50% vinegar/water mixture with salt for 40-60 minutes and do not remove the head prior to drying. The vinegar helps preserve the fish and give it the delicious/unique flavor and odor when fried.
Instructions

1 Choose the proper location to dry your fish. Drying works best in low humidity and drying fish requires an area sheltered from animals and dust.
2 Prepare the fresh-caught fish the same day of the catch for drying. Remove the gills, guts, back and ribs. Leave the skin and head intact.
3. Wash the fish in cold water and scrub away any remaining debris. Soak the fish in a solution of salt/vinegar/water mixture for 30 minutes. Drain the fish and rinse the flesh again.
4. Place the fish on wooden drying racks outdoors. You must not use metal racks, as they can corrode and contribute an off flavor to the fish.
5. Sun dried for 4 to 6 hours. Wrap the fish in a sealed ziplock and keep cool in the refrigerator until ready for frying.

Note: The fish is only partially dry, but the vinegar mixture help retard spoilage. It is best to fry the fish in the next couple of days.

Avocados and Chicos in my Orchard

Today, we harvested about a dozen huge avocados and two dozens of Chicos in my orchard here at Chateau Du Mer(CDM), Boac, Marinduque, Philippines.

This is the first time that I was able to harvest the fruits of the avocado tree that I planted in my garden here at CDM in 1998. There is only one tree but the past years according to our Resident Caretaker, hundreds of fruits have been harvested by them. According to the manager the fruits are tasty( maligat) but a little fibrous but it is still excellent for making avocado shake. Today’s harvest is still not ripe. It will be a couple of days for it to ripen and for me to taste the fruit of my labor. I have my own recipe of Avocado Shake. The ingredients are as follows:

1 ripe large Avocado ( Hash or Philippines variety preferred)
2 teaspoons white sugar( or 1/8 cup condense milk)
1/4 cup Half and Half ( or milk if less fat is desired)

Blend the mixture until all the avocados chunks are homogenous and creamy. Add water if you want the mixture not too creamy. Refrigerate for one hour and served cold. Blend the mixture with ice cubes if there is no time for refrigeration.

Green mangoes, chicos, papaya and Avocados from my Garden

On the other hand I have two chico trees that are prolific. Every year during our snowbirding sojourn, we harvested more than 100 fruits from each tree. This year the big fruits are on top of the tree which required climbing. More often by the time we realized there are fruits ready to be harvested the fruit bats and birds have already taken a bite so that we have to discard the fruit. Today however, I requested our 18-year old gardener to take 15 minutes off from his gardening duties and devote this time climbing the chico tree. He was able to harvest 2 dozen mature fruits. I was able to eat one chico that ripened in the tree without the birds and the bats leaving their mark. Tree-ripened chico fruit is delicious and sweet, indeed. Yum, Yum, yum..

Only on Sunday-Nilaga Na Baka( Beef Soup with Vegetables)

We can have beef soup( nilaga na baka) with vegetables only during Sunday here at Chateau Du Mer. The reason is that beef slaughtering is only done once in the week on Sunday morning at dawn. My driver has to drive to the slaughter house very early in the morning before 5AM so he can have first choice of the best beef meat and bones for the following recipe used by our cook. It is similar to the one published by www.food.com/beef soup. Enjoy and Share!

Ingredients:
1/2 kg beef (for stewing) and 1/2 beef bones with marrow
2 big onions (diced)
1/2 head garlic (minced)
1 pinch salt and pepper
6 medium potatoes (cut to the same size as the beef)
10 pieces bok choy (cut into 2) or pechay
1/4 kg of green beans, cut into 6" in length
2 tablespoons patis (Asian fish sauce)( optional in my recipe)
2 tablespoons oil
Calamansi

Directions:

1. In a soup pot, saute garlic and onion.

2. Add in beef, water and bring to a boil, lower the fire and let simmer until beef is tender for about an hour or two (longer for more flavor). Alternately you can use a pressure cooker( 20 minutes) to insure beef is tender.

3. Remove all the resulting scum that will rise to the top of the pot and keep the stock clear.

4. Add potatoes and bring up to a boil to cook potatoes.

5. Season with salt, pepper and patis ( optional in my recipe, since I hate patis).

6. Add in vegetables, green beans first and cook uncovered.

7. Serve hot with steam white rice, soy sauce and calamansi to taste.

Bon Apetit!