Tequila-Honey-Lime Marinated Drumsticks

Ingredients:

1/2 cup blue agave
1/2 cup untoasted walnut oil
1/2 cup honey
2 to 3 limes (1 tsp. finely shredded peel plus 1/4 cup juice)
1 tsp. kosher salt

Optional add-ins:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
2 shallots, minced
12 chicken drumsticks
Lime and/or orange slices
Fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. For marinade, in bowl whisk together tequila and oil. Whisk in honey, lime juice, peel, salt, and desired add-ins. Cover and refrigerate marinade up to 2 days.

2. Place drumsticks in a self-sealing plastic bag set in shallow dish. Add marinade; seal. Refrigerate 4 to 8 hours, turning occasionally. Drain; discard marinade.

3. For charcoal grill, arrange medium-hot coals around drip pan. Grill drumsticks 50 to 60 minutes over drip pan, covered, until chicken is no longer pink (180 degrees F), turning once halfway. (For gas, heat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Adjust for indirect cooking. Grill as above.) Makes 6 servings.

Halayang Ube

Ingredients:

1 kilo ube yam root
1 can (14 ounces) evaporated milk
2 cans (12 ounces) condensed milk
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla (optional)

Procedures:

On a pot, boil the unpeeled ube yam in water and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain and let cool.
Peel and finely grate the ube yam.
Heat a big wok in medium heat.
Melt butter or margarine, add the condensed milk and vanilla flavoring.
Mix well.
Add the 1 kilo grated ube yam,
Adjust the heat to low
Keep on mixing the ingredients for about 30 minutes or until sticky and a bit dry (but still moist).
Add the evaporated milk and continue to mix for another 15 minutes.
Let cool and place on a large platter.
Refrigerate before serving the halayang ube.

Cooking Tips:
You may spread additional butter or margarine on top of the jam before serving.

For the sweet toothed, sprinkle a little sugar on top of the jam after placing on the large platter.

Instead of manually grating the ube, you may cut it in cubes and use a blender to powderize the ube.

Lasagna

Ingredients:

/2 kilo cooked lasagna noodles

Meat Sauce :
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 kilo ground pork
1/4 kilo ground beef
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup water
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/3 cup soy sauce

White Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup sliced button mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon AJI-SHIO Seasoning Mix with Pepper
1 cup grated cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Instructions:

In hot oil, saute garlic and onions until fragrant. Saute ground pork and ground beef until brown. Blend in tomato sauce, tomato paste, water and boil. Add sugar, oregano, basil and cayenne pepper. Mix well. Pour soy sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Cool and set aside.
Prepare white sauce, melt butter. Gradually add flour and blend well using a wire whip.
Add water and milk, stir until the sauce thickens. Add button mushrooms and cheese and simmer for another minute.
To assemble, using an oven proof dish, put 1/2 cup of meat sauce on the bottom of the dish, arrange the 1st layer of lasagna noodle, then pour another cup of meat sauce followed by 2nd layer of lasagna noodles. Repeat procedure until all the meat sauce and lasagna are consumed. Pour white sauce and spread evenly on top. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Sprinkle AJI-SHIO Seasoning Mix with Pepper and garnish with chopped parsley. Cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

Tinolang Manok

Ingredients:

1 kilo whole chicken, cut into pieces.
1 small young papaya or sayote, cut into small pieces.
2 tablespoons ginger, crushed and slliced into strips
1/2 cup dahon ng sili (chili leaves) or mallunggay leaves
1 liter of water
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 red onion, diced
4 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)

Directions:

In a stock pot, heat oil and sauté garlic, onion and ginger.
Add water and the chicken.
Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes or until chicken is almost done.
Season with patis
Add papaya and continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until papaya softens but not overcooked.
Add sili leaves then turn off the heat.
Serve steaming hot on a bowl with plain rice on the side.

Chicken Macaroni Salad

Ingredients:

1/5 kilo macaroni noodles
2 to 3 pieces, medium sized carrots
1 big chicken breast
500 ml of mayonnaise
1 can (836 g) pineapple chunks or tidbits
1 big white onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
3 hardboiled eggs, diced
1 cup diced cheddar cheese
1/2 cup raisins
salt and pepper to taste

Procedures:

Cook macaroni noodles according to package cooking instructions.
In a pot, boil carrots in water for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked.
Drain carrots and let cool. Peal skin then dice.
Boil chicken breast in water with salt. Drain chicken breast, then shred in 1 inch lengths
Drain pineapple chunks or tidbits.
Combine all ingredients while adding salt and pepper, to taste.
Refrigerate, then serve.

Crispy Pata

Ingredients:

1 Pata (front or hind leg of a pig including the knuckles)
1 bottle of soda (7Up or sprite)
1 tablespoon of salt
2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG)
4 tablespoons of flour
Enough oil for deep frying
Enough water for boiling

Directions:

1. Clean the pork pata by removing all hairs and by scraping the skin with a knife. Wash thoroughly.

2. Make four to five inch cuts on the sides of the pata.

3. On a deep stock pot, place the pata in water with soda and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the baking soda and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.

4. Remove the pata from the pot and hang and allow to drip dry for 24 hours. An alternative to this is to thoroughly drain the pork pata and refrigerate for a few hours.

5. After the above process, rub patis on the pata and sprinkle flour liberally.

6. In a deep frying pot, heat cooking oil and deep fry the pork pata until golden brown.

All Time Favorite Spaghetti

spaghetti sauce

Ingredients:

500 g. of spaghetti
500 g. of ground sirloin
2 tbsps. of finely minced garlic
2 onions, finely chopped
4 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 bell peppers, cored, seeded and finely chopped
6 regular hotdogs, sliced into rings
4 c. of sweet-style spaghetti sauce
4 tbsps. of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp. of butter
grated cheese

Directions:

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. Drain and toss with butter.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the ground beef. Cook over high heat until the meat is no longer pink. Add the garlic, onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, carrot and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in about a cup and a half of water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the mixture is almost dry and the vegetables are cooked to a pulp. Turn up the heat, add the sliced hotdogs and cook, stirring for about a minute. Pour in the spaghetti sauce and bring to a soft boil. Adjust the seasonings. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for another 5-7 minutes.

Serve the pasta and sauce separately (make your own dish–more exciting but messier when kids do it) or toss the pasta with the sauce.

Serve with grated cheese on the side.

Beef Mechado

Ingredients:

1 kilo of beef cut into chunks
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

Procedures:
Cut an incision on the beef chunks and insert a pork strip in the middle (mitsa)
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
Add the vinegar and let boil for a minute or two
Add the potatoes, onions, carrot, and bell pepper
Let simmer until potatoes and carrots are cooked – occasionally stir to thicken sauce
Serve hot with white rice