Genuinely Tasty Chili Con Carne

     My sister talked about how she loves Chili Con Carne, eats it at least once a month with her husband, but only from heating pre-cooked chili con carne pouches.   Imagine her surprise when I said that I know how to cook it.  

    If you have the patience to cook the beans yourself, then that would be wonderful, but not many have the time, so I'm going to be straightforward and tell you that there is no shame in actually purchasing canned cooked beans from the supermarket and still achieve the taste you want.  

Sorry for the pic I've shown you here. This is all I have left before I could take a snap this noontime.  Basically, this is leftover in a matter of minutes!!!  (pointing a finger at my nephew) I'm just glad I can take a pic before it disappeared into thin air!

Preparing the Dish

What You'll Need:

1 can of cooked red kidney beans 

1 can of tomato chunks or diced (I use S&W brand with roasted garlic)

1 can of garbanzo beans

1 small can of green peas

1/2 can of black beans ( 1-2 tbsp if you're using the salted ones, drain or wash off the juice)

1 medium sized white onion, finely chopped

3 medium-sized, red tomatoes, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

250 grams tomato sauce

worcestershire sauce

chili powder

Tabasco

brown sugar 

1 beef cube

oregano

water

3 red bell peppers, finely chopped

2 tbsp of olive oil

1/2 K lean ground beef

What to Do:

1.  In a saucepan, put olive oil, then saute garlic and onion in low heat until onion becomes translucent.  

2.  Add chopped tomatoes and let simmer for 3-5 minutes.  Add the beans and and the tinned tomatoes (save the juice for later).  Let simmer for 5 minutes.

3.  Add oregano, bell peppers, chili powder, and worcestershire sauce. Grate in 1/2 beef cube and let simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

4. While simmering the sauce, heat meat in pan to seal the meat till meat is cooked.  Grate in 1/2 beef cube.  Then, add the saved juice from the tinned tomatoes.Add a bit of water and let it simmer for up to 5 minutes.

5.  Add the meat to the sauce.  Then, add the tomato sauce.  Add more oregano. Let it simmer for 8 more minutes or until beans are fully cooked.  Adjust taste by adding worcestershire sauce, oregano, a tbsp of sugar and tabasco (depending how hot you want it to be).

6.  Let cool. 

Letting it cool first before giving the final taste test is important for me to get the correct taste.  Then, when you're ready, heat it up again before serving.  

Chili Con Carne is best served with garlic bread, french bread or homemade croutons.  It also fits perfectly with steamed rice.  

Preparing the Bread/Croutons

You'll Need:  

Bread (of your preference)

parsley, chopped (optional)

olive oil

garlic powder

parmesan cheese

1.  Slice the bread according to desired size.  

2. Brush heated pan with olive oil, add the bread slices evenly and drizzle with olive oil on top.  

3. Add garlic powder, a bit of parmesan and you may also add chopped parsley.

4. Top with chili con carne and sour cream and serve while hot & crispy.




    Have fun, enjoy and do let me know what you think! :)

Simple but Yummy Garlic Fried Rice Recipe

   
   Fond of eating fried rice?  Here's a simple, yet delicious Garlic Fried Rice recipe to satisfy your craving.  

   I personally like cooking fried rice for breakfast. It's a great way to use left over rice from the night before and it's quick to prepare because it only uses basic ingredients. However, feel free to add more ingredients (e.g. carrots, eggs, peas and others) if you wish, but what I've listed below already makes a delicious rice dish.

   This delicious fried rice recipe is great especially if you haven't done your groceries yet because it doesn't make use of a lot of ingredients.  

What You'll Need:

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
3- 4 cups of cooked, leftover rice
2 tbsp olive oil or any vegetable oil
peppermill or white ground pepper
2 spoonful of  roughly chopped parsley
salt to taste
garlic powder


What to Do:

1.  Break cooked leftover rice by using hands.  
2.  In low heat, drizzle pan with oil and add garlic.  Stir constantly until garlic gets that brownish color. Do not overcook or it will turn bitter.  
3. Once the garlic turns brownish, stir in rice and allow garlic to mix well with the rice.  Increase to medium heat and cook rice for 5 minutes stirring once in a while. The rice will separate due to heat, but keep it moving so that it won't burn the bottom.  
4.  Season with salt and pepper according to taste.  You may also add garlic powder if you want it to be more garlicky.  After all, it's a garlic fried rice recipe!
5.  Add chopped parsley and mix well.  

N.B. I like using peppermill instead of ground pepper because it has more taste and aroma. Others also like to drizzle rice with a little soy sauce to add color, but I like mine looking pale just  fine.  Parsley is also optional although it really helps if it's there because it gives the rice a unique flavor apart from garlic.




   

Yummy Pork Afritada Recipe

    A year ago, I came across this recipe online, which my mom and guests really enjoyed.  I apologize if I have forgotten the site, and so I am saying thanks to the person who posted this online for other people to try.  In the same manner, I'm sharing this to all of you out there, just in case you want to try Pork Afritada anytime soon.

   For some of you who find this dish foreign, it is a Filipino viand that goes best with plain steamed rice.  It is not only cooked during ordinary meals, but is also enjoyed by many in Filipino get-together parties.

   Why don't you give it a try?

What You'll Need:  

     2-3 pcs medium-sized pork shoulder cuts (cut them into bite sizes)
     1 - 1 1/2 cup tomato saucee
     3/4 beef cube in 3 cups of hot water for broth
     salt and pepper to taste
     1 can green peas, drained
     4 pcs of medium-sized potatoes cut into bite sizes
     1 carrot cut into bite sizes (same as potatoes)
     3 cloves minced garlic
     1 small white onion, chopped roughly
      1 tbsp canola oil or any vegetable oil
      1 tbsp olive oil
       4 pcs of hotdog, cut into cubes (optional)
      1-2 tsp of brown sugar


What to do:

1.  Saute garlic & onion in canola and olive oil in low heat.  Wait for onion to be translucent before adding in pork meat and stir once in a while until meat is light brown.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
2.  When meat is brownish on the sides, add the tomato sauce and prepared beef broth.   Let it simmer until pork is tender.  This may take 40 minutes to an hour.  Stir and add water as many times necessary to avoid burning the sauce.  The secret is to make the meat really tender.  We use pork shoulders because they give the best flavors when made tender.
3.  Once meat is tender, check the consistency of the sauce. Sometimes, it can be too thin due to the extra water added. If this happens, simply add a bit of tomato sauce to bring back the desired flavor.  Throw in the potatoes and carrots.  Simmer for another 8 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked, but do not overcook them.  Add green peas, then the hotdogs, Simmer for 3 more minutes.
4.  Season to taste with pepper, salt and sugar.   Sauce should be a combination of sweet, sour and a bit salty and shouldn't be too runny.  I like mine a little thick,

This recipe serves 4-5 people.

I really hope that you will enjoy this recipe. Leave me a comment, if anything.

Happy cooking! :)

P.S. I'll post some pics of this recipe as soon as I cook it again .

Delicious Shrimp Marinara Recipe

A Great Christmas Party Pasta Dish  - Shrimp Pasta Marinara

   

  My friend, Olivia, asked me yesterday what pasta dish she should prepare for her family this coming Christmas Eve.  Spaghetti seems to be the staple pasta dish for Filipino families and just like Olivia,some of you might just be tired preparing this same dish every birthday or get-together party.  

    I know a few pasta dishes, but since my friend wants something simple, then I suggested Pasta Marinara.  To add a bit of flair, I decided to throw in some shrimps into the sauce as well and the combination of the sauce and shrimp flavors are just heavenly!

  In case you wonder how different Pasta Marinara is from Spaghetti, I think it would be the flavor of the sauce.  Of course, both are tomato based, but Marinara has a tangy taste to it.  My Spaghetti Bolognese is also quite different from the Filipino sweet version, which recipe I will be posting as soon as I'm done with what I must blog about now.  But going back to today's focus, let me walk you through the steps of making an excellent Pasta Marinara dish. 

   Just like any other pasta preparations, the secret is in the sauce, so if there's anything you should focus on perfecting, that would be it!

What You'll Need:

To Make the Marinara Sauce

    1/4 Kilo shrimp, peeled and deveined

    2 cloves of minced garlic 

    olive oil

    salt

    pepper

    

    2 tsps minced garlic

    1 medium-sized white onion, chopped roughly

    a tsp of olive oil

    a tsp of canola oil or vegetable oil

    1 cup  Ram Spanish Style tomato sauce 

    dried oregano

     salt

    garlic powder

    1-2 tsp worcestershire sauce 

    1 1/2 tsp brown sugar

    Tabasco

    green olives, chopped 

    parsley, chopped

    8 regular sized ripe tomatoes, chopped

What to Do

1.  Saute shrimp in oil and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper.  Do not overcook.   Set aside. 

2.  Now, to make the sauce, in a pan, place olive and canola oil to saute garlic and onion.  Cook until onion is translucent.  

3.  Add the chopped tomatoes and cook them properly to extract the sauce.  Add oregano, a pinch of salt and sprinkle with garlic powder.

4. When tomatoes are beautifully cooked, add the tomato sauce and worcestershire sauce.  Let it simmer for 10-15 minutes.  

5 Add more garlic powder, parsley, brown sugar, Tabasco and salt if necessary. . You may add some of the shrimps prepared earlier (if there are extras) into the prepared sauce, but make sure to leave about 10 pcs for garnish. If there aren't any extras, that's fine and just reserve the shrimp for garnish.  Check taste to perfection. 

6. When done, turn off heat and set sauce aside. 

To Make the Pasta

What You'll Need

    fetuccine or penne pasta    (amount depends on the number of people you want to serve.)

    vegetable oil

    a pinch of salt

    peppermill

    parmesan cheese, grated

    parsley, chopped

    olive oil

What to Do

1.  Fill a pot with water and amount depends on how much pasta you want to make.  Make sure water is enough to submerge the whole pasta later on.

2.  Add a pinch of salt and a tsp of vegetable oil to water and heat to boil. 

3. When water starts to boil, add pasta.  Cook until al dente.

4.  Pour lukewarm water and drain well.  Put in a mixing bowl. 

5.  Sprinkle a  bit of olive oil, peppermill, parsely and parmesan cheese. Toss lightly using your hands.  Handle gently to avoid damaging the cooked pasta.  

6. Cover bowl with cling wrap. Set aside for later use.

To Prepare The Dish

   In a serving dish, arrange the prepared pasta. Then top with sufficient marinara sauce.  Garnish with shrimps, olives and parmesan cheese.  Serve and enjoy! :)

    

    

     

     

    

Easy to Follow Puto Maya & Sikwate Recipe

 For my first blog @ my Tiny Kitchen, I'm excited to share to you a simple, but delicious recipe of one of the famous native delicacies in the Philippines -- the Puto Maya & Sikwate.

   While toast, bacon and egg might be common as great morning chews in the West, having Puto Maya & Sikwate for breakfast for Filipinos is a delight! It may not be advisable to eat this every day though because chocolate should be eaten in moderation for health reasons. I recommend serving it on occasions when families feel like gathering longer around the breakfast table, a rare opportunity these days.

     Truth be told, this is something I just recently tried cooking. Thanks to the holidays, I finally had the time to do this one.   Turned out to be really delicious and I hope you will have fun and enjoy it, too!

  By the way, this recipe is known to be paired with ripe mango slices. It's a wonderful combination, just so you know.

Happy cooking!

What you'll need:

For the Puto Maya

2 cups of glutinous rice
1 cup of ordinary rice
2 cups of fresh, thick coconut milk
2 pieces ginger, sliced and cut into 1/4 inch thick pieces
a pinch or two of salt

*You may also try using pure glutinous rice. The result is different of course. It's obviously more sticky.
* Serves 5-6

For the Sikwate (Hot Chocolate)

2 cups water
4 or more pieces of tablea or 4  tbsp of cocoa powder
3/4 cup brown sugar or to taste
1/2 cup evaporated milk
vanilla

What to do:

To Extract the Coconut Milk

It's always better to use fresh coconut milk and extract the milk using the old-fashioned way rather than use canned ones.  To make two to two and a half cups of fresh milk, you will need three grated coconut meat.

1.Place the grated coconut in a large bowl and add 2 cups of hot to warm water.
2. Mix using your hands when the temperature is tolerable and squeeze for about 3 minutes to ensure the water is absorbed.

Hot water here is needed to be able to get the rich, natural milk and aroma of the grated coconut.

To Make the Puto Maya

1. Combine the glutinous and ordinary rice and rinse it with water, then add water and let the rice soak in water for 30 minutes and drain.
2. Transfer rice to a pot or rice cooker.  Insert ginger slices in rice.  Add the coconut milk.The milk should just be a little bit above the level of the rice, not much or else the rice will become too soft.   Sprinkle with salt.
3. Cook like ordinary rice in a rice cooker:  wait till mixture boils, then stir if needed, so the rice at the bottom won't get burnt.
4.  When rice is cooked, let it cool.  Then remove the ginger slices.
5.  Mold the cooked rice in cups of your choice and place in a saucer OR you may wrap molded rice in banana leaf to improve aroma.


To Make the Sikwate

1. In a pot, boil water.
2. Add the tablea or cocoa powder.  When using tablea, make sure that everything is evenly melted by whisking vigorously using a ladle or whisk.
3. Pour in sugar and milk. Stir well. Adjust sweetness to taste.  I like mine super sweet to complement the bland taste of the puto maya.  Add vanilla and keep warm.

NOTE:  Puto Maya is best eaten when warm, so keep the chocolate pot warm.