Fettuccine Carbonara

Ingredients:

1 pound dry fettuccine noodles
8 slices of bacon
4 eggs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/4 cup heavy cream
Ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. add fettuccine and cook for 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Fry bacon in skillet over medium heat until crispy, remove and drain on paper towel. Chop with knife into bits.
3. Beat the egg, cheeses and cream in a bowl, then add the bacon. Pour over the pasta in the pan and toss gently using the tongs.
4. Return the pan to a very low hear and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Don't over hear or the eggs will scramble. Season well with black pepper and serve.

Basil Pesto Pasta

1/4 pound pasta of your choice
1/4 cup Basil Pesto
2 peeled and diced vine-ripened tomatoes
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Basil leaves
Parmesan cheese
Cook pasta according to package directions to al dente.
Just before draining the pasta into a colander, remove 1/4 cup of pasta water; set aside. Drain the pasta, put back in the pot, and then stir in the Basil Pesto and the reserved pasta water, a little at a time, to create a sauce.
Add diced tomatoes and toss to coat thoroughly. Transfer onto individual serving plates and garnish with sliced fresh basil leaves and shavings of Parmesan cheese.
Makes 2 servings.

Basil Pesto:
You will have more pesto than you need for the above recipe. You can cut the amount of pesto recipe, but I encourage you to make the full recipe. It will disappear quickly on bread, pizza, toast, baked potatoes, etc.
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
3 cups (3 ounces) fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Wash the basil, discard the stems, and dry thoroughly. In a blender, add garlic, pine nuts, and salt; process for approximately 15 seconds. Add basil leaves: using pulse technique, turning on and off, to shred the basil. With the machine on, drizzle in the olive oil to create a coarse mash. Add the Parmesan cheese and pulse to combine.
Makes approximately 1 cup.
NOTE:
The pesto will keep for up to 4 weeks in a covered container in the refrigerator. Pour a thin film of olive oil on top of the pesto to prevent discoloration. For longer storage, do not add the Parmesan cheese until ready to use. Below are some ideas on how to freeze pesto:
• Spoon the pesto into a foil-lined custard cup; cover tightly with foil and freeze. Once frozen, remove the foil-wrapped packet and store in a freezer bag for up to 2 to 3 months.
• To use, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or remove from the foil and thaw quickly in the microwave. Add Parmesan cheese just before serving.
• Freeze in ice cube trays.
• Spoon into a ziplock bag and freeze.

Mang Melchor’s Chicken Inasal

Ingredients:

Chicken (leg part.. my fave)
Ginger
Garlic
Brown Sugar
Cane or Coconut Vinegar
Calamansi
Rock Salt
Lemon Grass
Star Margarine (Philippine's famous butter)

Marinating:

1. Take chicken parts and place it in a big bowl.
2. Add finely chopped ginger, garlic, brown sugar, cane or coconut vinegar, kalamansi (calamondin), rock salt, lots of lemon grass (crushed).
3. Marinate the chicken for about an hour (not much longer as the vinegar will have almost completely “cooked” the meat.)
4. Then fire up a charcoal grill and barbecue the chicken over medium-low flames while basting with achuete (annatto seed) oil.

To make the achuete oil (chicken oil):

1. heat up several tablespoons of vegetable oil
2. drop in 2 tablespoons of achuete and turn the fire off after a minute or so.
3. Let the oil absorb the intensely orange red color of the achuete and strain away the solids. 4. Cook until chicken is just done and remove from the heat.

While grilling:

1. Mix melted STAR MARGARINE, achuete oil (chicken oil), and pepper
2. brush this to chicken while grilling WHOA! Serve with Vinegar w/ Sili and Garlic Rice w/ a liitle chicken oil!

Serve HOT! Yummy! The Best! My Favorite!

Adam's Beef Mechado

Ingredients:

1 kilo of beef cut into chunks or better the Roast beef cut (yummy)

1/8 kilo of pork fat cut into strips

4 onions, peeled and quartered

5 medium potatoes, quartered (optional: fried)

1 medium sized carrot, sliced in 1/2" sections

2 red bell pepper, sliced

2 cups beef stock or 2 bouillon cubes dissolved in water

3 bay leaves (laurel leaves)

1/4 -cup vinegar

2 cups tomato sauce or 1/2 cup tomato paste

1 cup soy sauce

salt & pepper to taste

Procedure:

1. Cut an incision on the beef chunks and insert a pork strip in the middle (mitsa)

2. In a casserole, combine the beef (with the fat), tomato sauce, soy sauce, bay leaves and beef stock. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beef is almost tender

3. Add the vinegar and let boil for a minute or two

4. Add the potatoes, onions, carrot, and bell pepper

5. Let simmer until potatoes and carrots are cooked - occasionally stir to thicken sauce

6. Serve hot with white rice

TIPS:

1. Pressure cook the beef with the beef stock for faster cooking time.
2. Fry the potatoes before adding to the casserole.
3. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil and stir when the mechado dish is almost done for added flavor.

Mommy Letty's Sinigang na Baka

Ingredients:

1 kilo beef, shanks (for stewing)
1 pack of Sinigang mix w/ Gabi
1 big onion, diced
6 big tomatoes, quartered
2 pieces radish, sliced
4 pieces gabi, peeled & cubed
1 bundle sitaw (stringbeans) (cut into 2″ long)
1 bundle kangkong (cut into 2″ long)
salt and patis (fish sauce) to taste
water
Bagoong Alamang (taste so good.. optional)

Procedure:

1. In a casserole, bring beef to a boil, place in a lower heat then simmer for an hour or until the beef is tender.Take out all scum that rises to the surface.
2. Add onions, tomatoes and tamarind juice.
3. Add gabi then simmer for a few minutes.
4. Add the Sinigang mix w/ gabi
   
5. Add string beans (sitaw) and kangkong stalks.
6. Add kangkong leaves then serve.
7. Season with salt and patis to taste then serve.
8. Add the bagoong alamang (optional)
   

Laing's Bicol Express

Ingredients:

1/4 kilo pork, thinly sliced

1 cup Baguio beans

3 cups long chili or jalapeno peppers

1 onion, minced

1 head of garlic, minced

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup coconut cream

2 tablespoons of cooking oil

Salt to taste

Instructions:

1. In a bowl of water with salt, soak chili peppers for 30 minutes then rinse and strain.

2. In a cooking pan, heat cooking oil and brown sliced pork for a few minutes.

3. In another pan, sauté minced garlic and onion.

4. Add to the sauté the browned pork.

5. Then add the coconut milk, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

6. Add the chili peppers, Baguio beans and cook until dish gets a little dry.

7. Add the coconut cream and simmer until the sauce thickens.

8. Salt to taste.

May's Calderetang Baka

Ingredients

1 kilo beef (for stewing, cut into chunk cubes)

½ kilo beef liver (cut to the same size as the beef

6 cloves garlic (minced)

2 medium onions (diced)

2 big tomatoes (quartered)

2 big red peppers (diced)

2 big green peppers (diced)

2 cups pitted green olives

2 pieces chili pepper (minced) 1/2 cup olive oil

2 tablespooons tomato paste

¾ cup all purpose cream

¾ cups grated cheese pinch of salt & pepper to taste

3 cups beef stock

1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch in little water

RECIPE:

1. In a casserole, saute garlic, onion, tomatoes and all the pepper.

2. Add in the beef and the liver. Cook for a little while and take out the liver and set aside.

3. Pour in the stock and tomato paste.

4. Bring to a boil and lower the fire and let simmer until beef becomes tender.

5. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Add in olives, and diluted cornstarch.

7. Grate liver and add into the mixture.

8. Allow sauce to thicken and add in cream and grated cheese.

9. Serve hot