Alfredo: Simple and Sophisticated



Again, a wonderful tasty dish made by my 11 years old son, JT :) Eye-pleasing, but most of all, absolutely divine!

 

Part I:

1/4 cup butter ( it has to be real butter or it will get really oily)
1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon Pepper 

Part II (optional):

2 tbsp. olive oil

½ cup diced onions

4 cloves garlic

1 cup cooking wine or dry white wine

About 8 – 10 cherry tomatoes

¼ cup basil

 

Put all of part I in a pan on medium heat.  Stir frequently until the butter is melted and everything is well blended. You want to make sure to heat it on medium heat or it will not set up right.  Keep mixing it, once it starts to get a few bubbles and thickens take off heat.  Do NOT let it come to a full rolling boil or the sauce will get really thick and the oil will separate. Serve over your favorite pasta. 

Hold on! Don’t serve the sauce over your pasta yet. If you want more for your palate, try this:  

For Part II, sauté the garlic and onions in the olive oil until the onions are translucent. Add the cooking wine (or dry white wine) and on medium heat, reduce to about half. Add the cherry tomatoes, stir gently, and cook for about 5 – 7 minutes. Add the basil, and cook for about 2 – 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add Part I, mix gently, and ooh, la, la…awesome-ness is done (that’s what my son said when he tasted it). 

A little secret that I’ve learned from my son: Add a clove of crushed garlic while boiling the pasta and a bit of salt. More awesome-ness!

 

 

 

Lemon Butter Mussels and Shrimp

 

 

6 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 tbsp. olive oil

½ a medium onion, diced

6-10 cloves garlic, peeled, and roughly chopped

one red bell pepper, de-seeded and diced

one yellow bell pepper, de-seeded and diced

2 lbs mussels, cleaned

1 lb. peeled shrimp

 

In a bowl, mix together:

½ cup cooking wine

juice from one whole lemon, or 2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. garlic powder

two stalks of green onions, finely chopped

½ cup parsley, finely chopped

 

1.    In a large pot, heat and melt the butter and add the oil.

2.    Add and sauté the onions and garlic until onions turn translucent.

3.    Add the peppers and cook for one minute.

4.    Add the mussels, mix, cover, and turn down the heat to med-low. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until the mussel shells open up.

5.    Turn up the heat and add the shrimps. Stir, and cook for about 5 minutes.

6.    Add the remaining ingredients. Turn down the heat to med-low, gently stirring frequently, cook for about 10 more minutes.

7.    Remove from heat and enjoy!

Mochi Chicken

1 lb. chicken chopped to about nugget-size

½ cup mochiko flour (found in the Asian section of the grocery store)

¼ cup cornstarch

2 Tbsp. flour

½ cup shoyu (some online recipes say to add salt. I suggest to NEVER do this – shoyu and soy sauce is salty enough already)

¼ minced onion (and/or 1 stalk of green onions, finely chopped)

½ Tbsp. garlic powder

½ tsp. ginger powder

3 cloves garlic, finely minced 

1.  Combine all in a large bowl, mix, and let sit overnight.

2.  Deep fry on med-high heat, adjusting heat when necessary, for about 10-15 minutes, until golden brown, ensuring that the nuggets stay separated while frying. To double check if the nuggets are fully cooked, cut the thickest piece in half.

3.  Drain each batch of nuggets on paper towels or in a strainer, and plate them on a dish. Servings: 5-10.

 

Portuguese Sausage Cabbage Soup

 

Portuguese Sausage Cabbage Soup

By my 11 year old son :D

8 – 10 servings

So proud of my son to cook up this delicious hearty dish.

Portuguese sausage, sliced  (I got mine at Winco)

Garlic, minced

½ an onion, diced

3 stalks of celery, sliced

3 roma tomatoes

Large can of tomato sauce (approximately 1 lb.) plus one can of water

1 tsp. Hawaiian salt or regular salt

2 tsp. garlic powder

5 chicken bouillon cubes

dash black pepper

½ a head of cabbage, sliced

 

1.                  In a large pot, saute sausage with garlic and onions for about 7 minutes.

2.                Add celery and tomatoes and sauté for about five minutes.

3.                 Add tomato sauce plus one can of water.

4.               Add salt, garlic powder, bouillon cubes, and dash pepper.

5.                 Let it boil on high. As soon as it boils, turn the heat down to med-low and simmer for about 15 minutes.

6.                Add cabbage, turn up to med-high heat and let boil for about 5 minutes or until cabbage is tender.

7.                 Adjust seasonings as needed. Serve hot J

Loco Moco

Easy local isle recipe, anyone can make this….even on da mainland!! The recipe can vary from the type of gravy you use to adding toppings.

Cooked Rice

-set aside-

Ready-made hamburger patties, or make your own
Eggs
1 pkg. Lipton onion soup, which I used for this particular recipe, but you can use any (packaged) brown gravy that you can find in your grocery store
2 Tbsp flour

 

Optional (add one or more of the following):

onions, sliced and grilled
green onions
crispy onions (aka, French onions, found in your neighborhood grocery store)
For a more local flavor, add some furikake flakes on top. I can’t live without the stuff on my rice!

For steps 1-3, I multi-tasked between each one, but because this blog will be used by my kids the majority of the time, it’s much easier to go in the following order.

1.       Barbecue or grill up those burgers until golden brown. Do not add oil. The fat comes from the patties. Plate the burger meat.

2.       Simmer the Lipton onion soup and add flour. Stir until it thickens. 

3.       Fry up the eggs sunny-side up. I like mine eggs-over-medium or easy. Your choice. Place aside on a separate plate.

4.       Serve it up on a plate: layer each the rice, patty, and egg anyway you want it, and pour some gravy on top!

5.       Add the optionals and you’re good to go!

Beef and Veggie Curry

Combine the following to make the sauce:

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup water

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cumin powder

2 tsp. curry powder

1 ½ tsp. ginger powder

½ Tbsp. flour

(all of the above ingredients can be adjusted to taste)

Set the sauce aside.

Add the following ingredients. Saute each, and in order, according to the suggested time-limit:

1.      1 potato peeled and diced into about 1/2” cubes, 15 minutes, med-high heat, then add…

2.      1/2 an onion, sliced, 1 minute, add…

3. 3 cloves garlic, minced, 1 minute, add…

4. 1.5 lbs. of thinly, sliced beef (sliced to about 1”), 5 minutes on almost-high heat, turn down to med-high heat, add…

5. 3 stalks of celery, sliced, 1 minute, add…

6. ½ a head of a small cabbage, sliced to about ½” squares, sauté for about a minute or two (depending how tender you want the cabbage)

7. Pour the above curry sauce into the sauteed concoction and stir around for about a minute or two.

Serve and enjoy!

 

 

Beef and Beans Adobo (Filipino)

Frying it up is just as delish as the classic version :)

1 cup shoyu

½ cup vinegar

2 cloves smashed garlic

½ an onion, sliced

1-2 bay leaves

A few dashes of black pepper or 1 tsp. peppercorns

3 lbs. flanken steak (thinly sliced beef ribs)

Frozen cut beans (or fresh....whatever you prefer), about 1 -2 cups

 

1.   Combine all of the ingredients and let the steak marinate for about 10 minutes or more.  Seriously, for thin sliced beef it absolutely does not take 24 hours to marinate. FYI.

2.   Heat non-stick skillet on med-high heat. Wait until the pan’s completely heated, then one at a time, put the meat in as much as you can fit in the pan.

3.   Let cook 5-7 minutes, turning frequently, until golden brown. The sauce will caramelize – that’s the best part, guaranteed! Place the meat on a plate.

4.   Continue cooking the rest of the meat.

Don’t hesitate on this next step:

5.   The marinade? Heat it in the same pan you just cooked the meat in, and let it simmer on med-low heat.

6.   Throw in the beans and let it sauté with the marinade until the beans are thoroughly cooked.

7.   Pour everything over the meat and mix thoroughly. Enjoy!

Simple Shrimp Stir Fry

 

Super simple and easy to make!

 

1 lb. shrimp

Broccoli florets, about 4 cups

1 zucchini, julienned

1/2 of an onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. soy sauce



1 tsp. garlic powder

Instructions:
1.On med-high heat, saute' onions and garlic until onions are somewhat transparent.
2. Add shrimps and cook for no more than five minutes.
3. Add broccoli and cook for 3-5 minutes.
4. Add zucchini, cook until tender.
5. Add soy sauce and garlic powder. You may add some pepper to taste. Do not add salt -- soy sauce is already salty!
6. Stir fry another 3 minutes.

Korean Style Spinach

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound spinach
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 cloves finely chopped garlic
• 2 tsp sugar (optional)

 

Preparation:

1.      Blanch the spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds.

2.    Remove spinach quickly and rinse in cold water.

3.     Gently squeeze the spinach to remove excess water.

4.    Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, seeds, salt, garlic, and sugar and mix into spinach.
(Serves 6 as a side dish)

 

Bulgogi (boo-goh-ghee)

 

·       1 pound flank steak, thinly sliced (or any pre-cut, pre-thinly-sliced beef)

·       5 tablespoons soy sauce

·       1/4 cup chopped green onion + 1 tbsp. for garnish

·       2 tablespoons minced garlic

·       2 tablespoons sesame seeds (optional)

·       2 tablespoons sesame oil

·       1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Place the beef in a shallow dish. Combine soy sauce, green onion, garlic, sesame seeds, sesame oil, and ground black pepper in a small bowl. Pour over beef. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes or more.

2. Pan fry in 1 tbsp. oil for about 5 minutes on med-high heat or until golden brown.

 

Ono Battered Fried Chicken Breasts

1 ½ Tbsp. cooking oil

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper (adjust if you so choose)

1 ½ tsp. garlic powder

5 Tbsp. (or adjusted) of Italian bread crumbs (found in the baking sections of the grocery story)

4 Tbsp. flour

 

1 Tbsp. grated parmesan cheese (optional)

1 egg

6 pieces of chicken breasts

 

1.          Heat oil frying pan on med heat.

2.          Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl.

3.          In a separate bowl, scramble the egg.

4.          Dip each breast in the scrambled egg making sure the meat’s covered really well.

5.          Place each chicken piece spread out on a plate.

6.          Sprinkle and spread half of the dry ingredients all over the chicken.

7.          Turn over all of the chicken pieces and sprinkle the rest of the dry ingredients all over.

8.          Turn the chicken a couple times on the plate ensuring that the batter completely covers the moistened chicken.

9.          Carefully put the chicken pieces in the heated pan.

10.     Cook each side for approximately 10 minutes, or until thoroughly cooked.

 

 

Un-Barbecued Marinated Fried Chicken

This marinade may be adjusted according to the amount of chicken you use. As the picture depicts, it looks barbecued. The title is due to my original family recipe for Guam’s barbecue chicken; rather, I have tried it fried for the first time today, thanks to harsh conditions on the mainland.

Its. So. Awesome.

Recipe:
6 chicken thighs

3 cups shoyu (so it’s Hawaiian, but that’s okay….soy sauce may be used, too)

½ of a medium-sized onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic, smashed then peeled (yes, in that order…it’s easier to peel)

½ cup vinegar

¼ lemon juice from a lemon or 1 tsp. lemon juice. Add more if you want a bit of tartness to it.

 

Combine all of the above and let marinate for at least 24 hours in the fridge. I marinated mine for 48 hours.

1.      In a wok, pour and heat about ½ cup of cooking oil. This may seem a lot, but the oil kinda dissolves while cooking. More oil may have to be used if cooking in a frying pan.

2.      Gently add the chicken, one at a time, into the oil. Cook for about 40 minutes on med-high heat. Turn frequently to prevent the chicken from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Adjust the heat accordingly to prevent the chicken from being undercooked and from burning.

3.      The chicken should turn into a nice “barbecue” color. When in doubt, cut the middle of one of the thighs to check if it’s cooked thoroughly.

4.      Optional: in a separate pan cook the marinade on med-high heat. Boil for 5-10 minutes. Be careful that the sauce does not dissolve. You wanna save some of that yumminess to accent the dish!

5.      Have some rice with it if you so choose and enjoy! J

 

Chicken Tinola II, Easy Version!

Laid-back, simple, super-easy variation J

 

INGREDIENTS:

v 2 lbs chicken (cut into serving pieces)

v 1 thumb size ginger root, peeled and  cut into strips or grated; or you may use 1 tsp. ginger powder

v 3 cloves garlic (minced)

v 1 medium onion (sliced)

v Chopped, bite-sized under-riped papaya, any amount will do. It all depends on how much veggies you want!

v Frozen beans (again, amount varies)

v 1 Tbsp Fish Sauce (Patis) or 2 tsp. salt (adjust taste)

v 4 cups of water or more (rice water is a good option as it has always been a tradition to use in soup-recipes in my family for generations)

 

 

Directions:

1.   Throw everything, except for the papaya and beans, in a large pot, simmer on med heat for 40 minutes.

2.  Add papaya and let it simmer for another 20-30 minutes. They cook like potatoes, so once in a while, check for tenderness. Don’t overcook it to where it’ll just fall apart on you; it has to be the texture of well-cooked potatoes.

3.   Add in the beans and cook for about 10-15 minutes.

4.  Remove from heat. 

5.   Serve hot. Enjoy!