Banana jaffa loaf cake

I cut out recipes that captures my fancy from newspapers and magazines and stick them in my recipe books and generally forget about them. The other day, I was just sorting through my old stuff and found this recipe for a banana chocolate cake. I already have a recipe for a banana cake which uses grated orange rind and just smells wonderful and is light and moist. So I decided why not marry the two recipes. The slightly bitter cocoa dusted crust creates a delicious contrast to the sweet flavour of orange and banana.
This is also good for the lunchbox. I generally don't buy cakes and muffins for my boys' lunchbox. It's not just the cost, which mind you is really outrageous. Most store bought cakes, cookies and pastries have trans fat.
This loaf is so easy to make, I timed myself and it took me 30 minutes max. Don't count the 1 hour that it sits in the oven. You don't have to watch it. You can make dinner while it's in the oven. Just don't forget to set the timer. To freeze this cake. Slice into desired thickness and wrap individually in a clingwrap. Just pop in your kid's lunchbox and it will thaw by morning tea.

Banana jaffa loaf cake

2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
grated rind of 1 orange
3/4 c caster sugar
1 egg, beaten lightly
1/4 c extra light olive oil or canola oil
1/3 c milk
1 1/3 c self-raising flour
3/4 c coarsely chopped walnuts
3/4 c chocolate chips
1/2 tsp salt

preheat oven to 180c
Spray loaf pan with cooking oil spray and dust all sides with cocoa. Sift self raising flour and salt in a large bowl. Mix in walnuts and chocolate chips. Make a well in the centre. In a smaller bowl, combine first 6 ingredients and mix well. Pour into the flour mixture and gently stir until just combined. Do not overmix.
Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake for approx. 1 hour or until top springs back when pressed. Stand in the pan for 5 minutes.

Chicken kaldereta

I'm trying to add more tomato based dishes in our meals because tomatoes has lots of antioxidants and good for the male specie (lowers risk of prostate cancer). So if you want to keep your MOTH(man of the house) for a long time, feed him tomato based dinners. Raw tomatoes are not as good because it has to reach a certain temperature before it releases lycopene(the good stuff).

I always make beef kaldereta but this is the first time I've made chicken kaldereta. Unlike beef kaldereta, I wanted the sauce to be light and not too rich. I omitted the liver pate' as I thought it's too overpowering for the chicken but I added fennel seed and some herbs that I have in my garden. Dried ones works well too but reduce the amount to a third. I also added lots of stuffed olives because all of us love it including my son who has developed a gourmet taste. He was two when he first tried pesto served on the plane when we went home to the Philippines for a holiday and since then became his favorite pasta sauce.

He loved the kaldereta and couldn't wait for dinner as you can see in the photo.

chicken caldereta

1 k chicken drumsticks

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1/4 c tomato paste

1bay leaf

2 medium potatoes, cubed

1 medium carrots, cubed

1 medium capsicum (bell pepper), diced

1 small can pineapple

1 tsp sweet paprika

1/2 c frozen peas

1 c green olives

1 tbsp chopped fresh basil

1 sprig rosemary

pinch of fennel seed

olive oil

salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil and saute onion and garlic until transparent. Turn up heat and add chicken until slightly browned. Turn down heat to medium high and stir in tomato paste and saute for 1 minute. Pour 500 ml of water or chicken broth and add paprika, herbs, fennel seed and bay leaf and cover for ten minutes. Add the potatoes, carrots, pineapple and capsicum and boil until the potatoes are tender then season with salt and pepper and stir in the frozen peas, olives and 1/2 c grated cheese and return to boil. Turn off the heat and serve.

Palitaw

This recipe is so simple and quick to make. I wasn't even thinking of posting this but I noticed that the other recipes I happen to check were all requiring rice flour. My instinct already told me that I should use glutinous rice flour like my mother and lola used to make. That nothing was wrong with that recipe. But no, curiosity killed the cat or palitaw in this case. It turned out tough and nothing like what palitaw should be.

So folks here is a true and tested recipe for palitaw. I added a few drops of sesame oil in the 'galapong' because I did not have any sesame seeds and sesame oil is the only sesame thing that I have if you get my drift, so it will have to do. I think I just set the world record for using the word sesame in one sentence. Just a few drops to give that fragrant flavour. I don't use grated fresh coconut because I dont like it in my palitaw but feel free to do so.

Serve while warm or microwave it and sprinkle more peanut mixture. I like to have native kakanin with jasmine green tea. It compliments the delicacies sweet rich taste.

palitaw

3 cups glutinous rice flour

1 1/3 cup water

pinch of salt

dash of sesame oil

2 c roasted peanut, ground

1 1/2 c white sugar

Boil water in a pan or pot.

Mix the first four ingredients. Add some more water if the 'galapong' is too dry or flour if it's sticky and hard to handle. Mix the ground peanut and sugar adjusting the sugar to suit your taste.

Roll 'galapong' into balls and flatten with your thumb. Slowly slide them in the boiling water. Do not overcrowd. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the ones that have floated to the surface.

Coat each palitaw with the peanut mixture and arrange on a plate. Sprinkle some more of the ground mixture and serve warm.

Cornbread muffins

Normally, I would make a mashed potato or turmeric rice to go with the roast chicken but I thought I'll give the cornbread muffin another go. I made this muffin in the not so distant past and it turned out tough. It took me awhile to figure out how I can make it better. I reduced the amount of polenta(cornmeal) and increased the amount of plain flour and it turned out just the way I wanted it to, crunchy top and soft bottom.

Cornbread muffin

makes 12 muffins

1 1/2 c self-raising flour

1/2 c yellow cornmeal

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c corn kernels

2 eggs, beaten

2/3 c milk

1/4 c cooking oil

2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp baking powder

pinch of bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 190 c

Mix all the dry ingredients and in a bowl. Add the corn kernels. Make a well in the center and add the milk, eggs, vanilla and oil. Fold gently until just combined.

Divide into 12 1/3 cup capacity muffin pans and bake for 12-15 minutes or until top springs back when pressed.

Sunday roast chicken

One of our all time fave dinner and my fave to prepare. I named it sunday roast chicken because I usually make this when the boys are home and we all can share a nice dinner without turning my kitchen upsidedown in preparation. It's simple, it's easy and it's yummy. Just rub the chicken with the salt rub and leave it in the fridge for at least an hour or overnight. This chicken is so tasty I don't need to make a gravy unless it's mash potato on the side. This time I made corn muffins ala kenny rogers to go with it. I'm going to post the recipe for that in my next blog.

I just pop the chicken in the oven and do something else. Microwave a bowl of frozen peas, corn and carrots and dinner's ready.

You can also use the salt rub for the grilled chicken breast to be used in the chicken pesto pasta recipe

sunday roast chicken

salt rub:

1 1/2 tablespoon salt

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp

grated rind of 2 lemon, juice reserved

2 cloves of garlic crushed

pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

Clean a 1.5 k chicken excess fat removed. Dry with a paper towel. Pour the lemon juice and rub inside out. Mix all the ingredients for the salt rub and massage it to the chicken including the cavity. Stuff the cavity with the lemons that's been juiced. Leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour or up to overnight to let the flavours develop. The longer you marinade it the better. Just don't go overboard. There's always the danger of salmonella poisoning when poultry is left too long in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 190 c or 180 for convection oven. Roast the chicken for 1.5 to 2 hours. Prick the thickest part of the thigh. The juice should be clear when cooked. If not return to the oven and cook for a further 15 mins before checking again.

sweet and sour bola-bola

Actually the title is a misnomer because the bola-bola here is shaped into a log, embutido style and then sliced after frying. But I adapted bola-bola for lack of a better name to give this dish. This is the kind of food that I grew up with. My lola, bless her soul would always make a batch of these meatballs and then steam them before frying. By the time the meatballs are cooked everyone already had a sample before it manages to reach the dining table. I skipped the steaming part. It saves time and there is no significant difference to the end result.

We always have vegies to go with our meal whether it's fish,pasta or meat. The good thing about this dish is that its already got vegies so I don't have to make a salad. Normally I wouldn't put zucchini but it's in the fridge so I'd rather use it than waste it. Surprisingly, it went well with the tangy flavour of the dish.

As always, feel free to experiment with the veggies that you would put in this dish. Generally, the firm and crunchy types like carrot, celery, capsicum and cauliflower are the best ones to use.

sweet and sour bola-bola

bola-bola:

5oogms pork mince

1 egg, beaten

1 carrot, grated

1/4 cup water chestnut, finely chopped(optional)

dash of sesame oil

1/4 c spring onion, chopped or 1 onion finely chopped

salt and pepper

cooking oil for frying

sweet and sour veggies:

3 tbsp coking oil

1 carrot, sliced

1 small capsicum, sliced

1 small can pineapple pieces(juice reserved)

1 medium zucchini, sliced

1 inch ginger finely chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp vinegar

1/4 c brown sugar

1 tbsp cornflour mixed with 1 1/2 c water

reserved pineapple juice

salt and pepper

Mix all the ingredients for the bola-bola except for the cooking oil. Shape into three logs and deep fry in medium heat until brown. Let it cool before slicing.

Heat cooking oil and stirfry the onion, garlic, ginger and carrot for 2 minutes. Add the capsicum and zucchini and stirfry for another 2 minutes. Lastly add the pineapple pieces

Meanwhile combine the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Pour into the pan with the vegies and stir until thickened.

Arrange sliced bola-bola in a platter and top with the sweet and sour vegies.

Beef lasagna

I get my inspirations on what to cook for dinner from the oddest of source. But sometimes I would just stand there in front of the fridge and couldn't decide at all. A cook's block that's what I call it. There are a few mainstay in my freezer. A whole chicken, sausage rolls, frozen pizza dough, beef mince, pork mince, puff pastry, lamb chops and sausages for a quick barbie and some unrecognizable objects pushed at the back which will only be discovered in the next bi-annual fridge clean up.

The idea to make lasagna started with my craving for garlic bread. I thought the garlic bread would be nice to mop a creamy,saucy lasagna. The meat sauce is actually a basic bolognese sauce. The carrot, celery and onion will add a natural sweetness to the sauce. I have a strong aversion to sweet pasta sauce. It makes one ask if he is eating dinner or dessert. It's alright to add a tablespoon of sugar if the passata you use is really acidic but please i beg you... don't use ketchup!

I seldom use butter. If I can get away with it I substitute it with olive oil. My garlic bread is made with olive oil infused with garlic, parsley and basil. You'll never have it any other way again once you tried it. Just brush it on a good crusty bread like pane di casa or french bread or you can use you everyday sandwich bread just like i did. The oil is also good to fry your croutons in to add to caesar salad. But that's for another blog.

beef lasagna

meat sauce:

500gms beef mince

1 700ml passata

1 medium carrot (grated)

3 stalks celery (chopped)

1 large onion (chopped)

3 cloves crushed garlic

pinch of oregano

1 bay leaf

1/4 c extra virgin olive oil

1 c beef broth

salt and pepper

1 packet lasagna

Heat half the olive oil in a pan and brown the beef mince in high heat. Remove from pan and set aside. Heat the remaining olive oil and add the onion and garlic and saute for 1 minute. Lower the stove to medium heat. Add the vegetables and let it sweat for 10 mins. Return the mince to the pan and add the passata bay leasf, oregano and the beef broth and season with salt and pepper. Let it simmer for 30 minutes to let the flavours develop.

bechamel sauce:

3 c milk

3 tbsp flour

30gms butter

pinch of nutmeg

mozarella cheese

Turn the stove to medium heat. Melt the butter and add the flour in a saucepan and stir for 1 minute. Remove from heat and gradually add the milk and nutmeg while whisking. Return to the stove and continue whisking until the sauce thickens but in a pouring consistency.

Spread the bottom of a baking dish with 1 cup of meat sauce. Arrange the lasagna sheet then top it with meat sauce then the bechamel sauce. Repeat this procedure ending with the bechamel sauce on top. 3 or 4 layers should be good depending on the depth of the dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake in 190 degree oven for for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Let it set for 20 minutes before serving.