Tilapia-“ESCABECHE” (Innovated)

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TILAPIA-“ESCABECHE” (Innovated)
(A DIFFERENT PREP FOR FISH “ESCABECHE”-SANS MARINATION)
Few hours to overnight marination in an acidic medium, usually vinegar,
of fish or vegetables prior to cooking is the essence behind
“ESCABECHE”
The term denotes the type of process peculiar to Mediterranean cuisines.
Worrying on some “un-wanted” chemicals that are incorporated into the process of making vinegar,
some countries let go of it and changed the acidic medium to healthier citrus juices.
Variations range from using different types of fishes
to incorporation of other veggie(s) or food
staple to preparing country or region, like Jalapeno Pepper by Mexico
Distinct modification is the style of Spain to create
Escabeche Pork and Chicken.
My recipe is entirely different though the acidic medium I utilized is vinegar.
No marination at all but desired flavor is attained.
Cooking process for main ingredient, in this case Tilapia,
is neither frying nor poaching, still, taste digs deep into the flesh.
Ready?
Prep time:          15 mins.
Cook time:           48 mins.
Total time:                    1 hour 3 mins.
Makes/Serves:    2
Cooking medium:  oven toaster, frying pan
Special instruction(s):

INGREDIENTS:
1 medium Tilapia, fully cleaned, internals removed, slitted on sides
50 grams ginger, de-skinned, Julienned
1 small white onion, sliced roundly
3 pcs. chili fingers/banana peppers (siling pansigang) 1 sliced, 2 for garnish
3 pieces fresh pineapple cuts. (this renders a very unique flavor profile)
2 grams salt
2 grams ground black pepper
OPTIONAL 2 grams MSG
2 grams corn starch dissolved in 10 water (this is your thickening agent or slurry)
25 grams brown sugar
40 ml. soya or palm oil for sautéing
15 ml. soya or palm oil for rubbing unto fish prior to toastering.
20 ml. vinegar (any)
20 ml. fish sauce (“patis”)
35 ml. tap water
PROCEDURES:
1.    Pre heat oven toaster to 170deg.C (338deg.F).  While waiting, pour unto slits and inside of head your “patis”.
A little scattering and massaging help a lot in flavor penetration.
2.    Rub your 15ml. oil to all sides of fish, pop inside toaster in the middle slot and BROAST (my own coined word which is a portmanteau of the words broil & roast) for 20 minutes each side. After broasting, this is DONE.
3.    While broasting, heat the 40ml. oil in pan and fry ginger for 4 minutes. Add in onion, sliced siling pansigang
and continue for another 1 minute.
4.    Pour in water, sugar, salt, black pepper and the OPTIONAL MSG. Stir well to dissolve solids and continue
for 1 minute.
5.    Pour vinegar, sliced pineapple and continue boiling for another minute.
6.    Add in the slurry (the water-corn starch thickening blend) continue for 1 more minute. DONE.
7.    Lay Tilapia in plate and pour unto slits and in all parts your cooked sauce.
8.    Enjoy with your “sweetie” over rice or as white wine side pick.DISCLAIMER: Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.

Click HERE for another recipe of TILAPIA.

Blog Comments Analyzed by a Psychologist.

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BLOG COMMENTS ANALYZED
Noticing proliferation of blog comments that are profane, ridiculous
and degrading, I conferred with a psychologist-friend
to seek her take on why these types of readers are seemingly happy doing so.
The usual target of “mockery” is the subject dealt with and NOT the author.
For if the writer is put to “center stage”,
it can classify as libel and legal suits may ensue.
For instance, just read a blogger’s post of her recipe in her attractive site.
Shots are fantastic. Grammar perfect. Diction is simple and friendly to readers.
Here comes 2 comments from nowhere in Bermuda Triangle:
1.    “It looks like horse shit” or
” It looks like a _____ rather than a _____”.
2.    “That is a fake recipe for a _______.”
Her conclusion:
For the 1st comment: the person commenting has absolutely
NOTHING to say. He/she just wants to be noticed. PERIOD.
In Tagalog this is KSP (Kulang Sa Pansin/Ever Hungry for Attention))
A lot of times they comment without even reading the write-up or blog.
This is a “shotgun” fire out without knowing what’s happening first.
Most often doers of this type are “incognito”
or are hiding behind masked identities
for they are so, and very, afraid to be recognized.
2nd: the comment giver is actually ENVIOUS of the article as he/she, himself/herself,
maybe cooks or prepares similar food.
But why this writer command attention…and he/she doesn’t?
Their mindset is: I’m better than you. I can do better.
Question here: why don’t they create their own blog or write-up
and be on high heavens exposing what they know of.
Answer: they, too, are afraid for they might NOT have good command of English
or does not know how to go about writing & composing
 that they may become the subject of ridicule.
To refrain from experiencing that…they ridicule others.
OR, and the BIG OR on this type is
         they know NOTHING.         
Experienced once or twice similar recipe somewhere,
thought and outright instilled in their minds, that
IT’S THE ONLY WAY TO PREP SAID DISH.
All other ways are FAKE.
The word “innovation” is foreign to them.

My friend ended in advising don’t mind those “attention grabbers”.
Go tell the blogger
to let those KSPs bathe in their pool of ineptitude, fright and sulking.
Usually they never accomplish anything.
They thrive on dissent and negativism.
Oh yah…AMEN.

Stir Fried Baguio “Gulay”

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STIR FRIED “BAGUIO GULAY”
(QUICK STIR FRYING OF VEGGIES ENDEMIC TO BAGUIO)
Baguio is the northernmost part summer capital of the Philippines, year-round tourist habitué,
5062 ft. above sea level shivering with 10-14deg.F
on cold months of mid October to early February.
Major economic subsistence are orchids and various colorful flowers, handicrafts,
fresh and preserved fruits and vegetables.
Quest for “Gulay” (vegetables) exhumed out of me
as I always wish of trekking up north to this city
amid reports of 14deg.F temp…and further dropping.
The urge geared me to a nearby supermart to get my raw mats.
One thing nice with our setting is the availability of veggies
in small plastics enough for 1 cooking.
Oh heck, there were no: cabbage, sayote (chayote) and Baguio pechay.
(you can add these mentioned veggies in your trial recipe)
Okidok, I suggested to myself and went ahead with what were available.
I consumed the serving in the pic with 2 shots of my fave red wine.
Prep time:                    15mins.
Cook time:                   13mins.
Total time:                    28mins.
Makes/Serves:     3-4
Cooking medium:  casserole, frying pan
Special instruction(s):  This is a very quick stir-fry process. Be ready with your arm muscles.

INGREDIENTS
12 pieces quail eggs
¼  kilo clean baby potatoes
1 piece red bell pepper, sliced
1 piece green bell pepper, sliced
¼ kilo snow peas (“chicharo” / “sitsaro”)
4 pieces baby carrots, de-skinned, sliced
1 small bunch broccoli, cut to serving bites
5 cloves crushed, sliced garlic
1 small white onion, minced
2 grams salt
2 grams ground black pepper
20 ml. red wine (any)
20 ml. tap water
50 grams oyster sauce
50 ml. soya or palm oil
PROCEDURES:
1.    In a casserole, pour in baby potatoes and quail eggs. Add tap water enough to cover just top of contents.
Under medium heat, boil for 10 minutes.
2.    Run cold tap water, scoop out, de-shell quail eggs and set aside together with potatoes.
3.    In low setting, heat oil in pan. Pour in garlic and onion together. DO NOT BROWN.
After about 4 tosses and tumbling, add in carrots. Consistently toss for 1 minute.
4.    Add potatoes, resume continuous tumbling for 1 minute.
5.    Add broccoli, peas, bell pepper, eggs, salt, black pepper. Toss for 30 seconds.
6.    Add wine, water and oyster sauce. Tumble for 30 seconds.
7.    DONE. Serve your healthy, delectable, filling, fiber-rich veggy concoction.

DISCLAIMER: Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.

Italian Roasted Short Plate

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ITALIAN ROASTED SHORT PLATE
(ULTRA TENDER ITALIAN SPICES & HERBS BLEND RUBBED
BEEF SHORT PLATE UNDER PERFECTLY-TIMED ROASTING )
Sunday, 12th October, 2014, BGC (Bonifacio Global City-Taguig),
time to help daughter Cha for her coming wedding invites’ prep.
Kids are dropping by, too, so I asked…
”what would you guys like I prepare”?
In one solid voice…”beef”.
Sequestered a take-out pack of the U.S. corned beef chunks
we sell at commissary outlet.
Raided production freezer and got a kilo of
raw, masterfully sliced short plate lying serenely thereat
waiting to be produced into steak strips for our S4 sandwiches.
Cha has a cabinet full of powder/ground spices, herbs, condiments and flavor enhancers
that aided a lot me in the “challenge”.
We parted ways late night-kids full and gleaming with joy
and reverberating satisfaction.
Here’s what I did.
                                                            Note: For beef cuts, please check related post here.
Prep time:      45 mins.
Cook time:      2 hours
                Total time:      2 hours 45 mins.
Makes/Serves:   8
Cooking medium:  gas or electric range
Special needs / instruction(s): foil, oil brush, range pan underneath with water ¼ of its depth, bowl and wire whisk

INGREDIENTS:
1 kilo thawed beef short plate, de-skinned, rectangularly or squarely sliced, trimmings on sides removed,
scored/slitted against the grain on both sides
ITALIAN RUB:
10 grams salt
10 grams brown sugar
5 grams ground black pepper
3 grams Spanish paprika powder
5 grams garlic powder
5 grams nutmeg powder
4 grams dried thyme
OPTIONAL 3 grams MSG
50 ml. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
PROCEDURES:
1.    Except for EVOO, in a bowl pour in ALL ground/powder ingredients of the Italian Rub.
Blend and tumble thoroughly via wire whisk.
2.    Brush both sides of short plate with EVOO assuring inner parts of scores and slits are covered, too.
This will ensure adhesion of rub up to internal flesh for better flavor absorption.
3.    Through hands pour in and scatter Italian Rub through the meat. Cover all sides, inside slits and sides.
4.    Set aside under room temp for 30 minutes.
5.    Pre-heat range oven to 375deg.F (190deg.C). This is needed as temp will drop to 320-350deg.F when meat is placed inside. Put pan with water underneath roasting rack.
6.    Reaching 375deg.F, using the range’s wire rack, wedge in meat in middle slot (any side up). Quickly tone down temp to 350deg.F (so that heat will be maintained at this temp)
7.    Sear meat for 15 minutes. On fast phase, remove-turn to other side-wedge unto oven-sear, again for 15 minutes.
8.    When done, quickly remove from oven-wrap with foil making sure all sides are sealed-put back unto oven. Decrease temp to 250deg.F (121deg.C) and continue under this slow cooking method for 2 hours. No need to turn meat.
9.    YOU ARE SET to serve this delectably-tender meat to loved ones.
DISCLAIMER:         Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.

Pork Chop-Toastered

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PORK CHOP-TOASTERED
(SPICE BLEND RUBBED-TOASTERED PORK CHOP)
Needing, again, a “pica-pica” to go with my 2 bottles of beer,
this simple approach immediately came to mind.
I don’t wanna fire up the range so my comfort-cooker is called, anew,
on center stage to cook my Pork Chop.
Pork Chop is a cut of pork (pig is the animal)
similar to Rib Steak (rib chop),
 T-Bone Steak (loin chop) and Porterhouse Steak in beef.
Beef cut parlance does not use the term “chop”
for latter normally and usually refers to pork and lamb.
When beef cut includes the larger portion of the tenderloin,
it’s a Porterhouse, smaller portion-T-Bone it is.
Sheep is the animal-in its first year called a lamb.
Its meat is also known as lamb,
more than 1 year and in fattening stage… its meat is hogget
while for adult sheep, it is now called mutton.
Many countries singularly call sheep meat as plain lamb.
Prep time:                    30mins.
Cook time:                   1 hour 5mins.
Total time:                    1hour 35mins.
Makes/Serves:            2
Cooking medium:      oven toaster, casserole
Special needs/instruction(s): oil brush, bowl, wire whisk

INGREDIENTS:
4 pieces ½ inch thick “pork chop”
6 pieces tomatoes-peeled
3 pieces red & green bell peppers
1 small canned mushroom (button or shiitake, whole or sliced)
2 grams salt-for boiling potatoes & chops
3 grams salt- for rub
3 grams brown sugar
2 grams ground black pepper
3 grams powder garlic
2 grams nutmeg powder
1 gram coriander powder
2 grams dried thyme
30 ml. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
water
garnish veggies: bird’s eye chillies (labuyo), cardava or banana peppers (sili pansigang), small onion and a sprig each of fresh thyme and dill (or whatever colorful leaves you wish)
PROCEDURES:
1.    Line up chops in casserole then potatoes atop. Pour in enough tap water to cover top. Add in salt.
Stir and dissolve then set to medium heat.
2.    Upon boiling, set timer to 10 minutes.
3.    When done scoop out potatoes and chops. Set aside.
4.    In a bowl, add salt, brown sugar, black pepper, garlic, nutmeg, coriander and thyme. Whisk to blend well.
This is your meat rub.
5.    Lying unto toaster pan, brush EVOO unto both sides of chops. Scatter meat rub unto all sides and parts.
6.    Pre-heat oven toaster to 350deg.F (177deg.C). Slide in chops to topmost slot and heat for 20 minutes.
Turn to other side and do the same. This is DONE. Set aside.
7.    In the same toaster pan with drippings, oil etc., line up mushroom, boiled potatoes, red & green bell peppers, onion, “labuyo”, and “sili pansigang”. Wedge unto toaster and in the same temp (350deg.F) cook for 15 minutes.
8.    Turn veggies and/or add little more EVOO if needed.
9.    DONE.
10.   Serve with pride your sumptuous and colorful creation.
DISCLAIMER: Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.