Food Friday - Roasted Winter Vegetables

This dish is a perfect partner to my Broiled Salmon with Pesto Mayonnaise. Don't worry if you don't have every vegetables listed here. You can substitute your favorite vegetables if you want. I actually added red, yellow and orange bell peppers for added colors. You can't resist this dish, your kitchen will be filled with inviting aroma from the rosemary while roasting.

ROASTED WINTER VEGETABLES

INGREDIENTS:
2 potatoes
2 sweet potatoes

2 parsnips
2 turnips
4 carrots
2 stalks celery
2 red onions
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
salt
1/4 cup fresh rosemary
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

DIRECTIONS:
1. Peel the potatoes and turnips, scrape the parsnips and carrots, and cut all the vegetables into 2-inch chunks. Cut the onions into quarters or sixths.
2. Put all the vegetables in a large roasting pan and rub all over with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and half the rosemary.
3. An hour before dinner, put the pan into a 450 deg. F oven and roast, tossing the vegetable every now and then, for 30 to 40 minutes until the potatoes are browned and tender.
4. Take out of the oven and pour on the vinegar and toss rapidly to glaze. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons rosemary needles.

Kitchen Tip #6

High-heat roasting works magic on most vegetables.

Drool over other dishes by visiting here:

Buttered Spring Vegetables

Another yummy side dish at the Thanksgiving dinner table that I made was a mixture of spring veggies that I blanched then mixed with sauteed shallots and butter. I substituted some veggies to some that I couldn't find in my local grocery, the dish was crunchy and tasty nevertheless.

BUTTERED SPRING VEGETABLES

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 lb French string beans (haricots verts), ends removed
Kosher salt
1/4 lb sugar snap peas, ends removed
1/2 lb broccolini, ends removed (I used the big broccoli because I couldn't find broccolini in my grocery)
2 Tbsps good olive oil
3 large shallots, sliced
1/2 tsps freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Blanch the sting beans in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute only. Lift the beans with a slotted spoon or sieve and immerse them in a bowl of ice water. Add snap peas to the same boiling water and cook for 1 minute, until al dente, adding them to the ice water and the beans. Cut the asparagus into 2-inch lengths diagonally and cook in the boiling water for 2 minutes, and add to teh ice water. Cut the broccolini in half, boil for 1 minutes, and add to the ice water.
2. When all the veggies in the water are cold, drain well.
3. When ready to serve, heat the butter and oil in a very large saute pan or large pot. Saute the shallots over medium heat for 5 minutes, tossing occasionally, until light browned.
4. Add the drained veggies to the shallots with 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper and toss.
5. Cook just until the vegetables are heated through. Serve hot.

KITCHEN TIP #5
Putting blanched vegetables in a bowl of ice cold water will prevent them from further cooking therefore preserving the crunchy bite to the veggies

Guinisang Ampalaya (Sauteed Bitter Melon)

When I was little I never liked Ampalaya (bitter melon) because of the bitter taste. But I remember my mom had a way of somewhat eliminating some of the bitterness so my siblings and I will eat it. She sprinkled the sliced bitter melon with enough salt and sort of carefully massaging them for few seconds to make them sweat. Then she would rinse off the salt thoroughly and throws out the bitter juice secreted from the process. When I got older, I just developed the taste for it and it became one of the favorite vegetables I eat. We usually use bitter melon in Pinakbet and Guinisang Ampalaya (Sauteed Bitter Melon). This is how I make my Guinisang Ampalaya based from my recollection of how my mom did it and just added my own twist. My British hb loves eating this dish too ;-)

GUINISANG AMPALAYA

INGREDIENTS
2 medium pieces of Ampalaya, sliced thinly
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 pcs tomatoes, cubed
1 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp vegetable oil

PROCEDURE
1. Saute garlic, onion, and tomatoes until tender for about 3 minutes.
2. Stir in ground pork, add salt and pepper and cook until meat is tender.
3. Add the bitter melon and broth and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes making sure not to overcook the bitter melon.
4. Pour in the beaten eggs in a swirling motion and carefully stir to incorporate in the meat and vegetable.
5. Serve with steamed rice.

Food Friday - Fried Shrimps with Cashew

This recipe is from my Wok & Oriental cookbook and one of the favorite dishes I cook when I have tons of veggies in the fridge. It originally calls for orange bell pepper, leeks and broccoli florets veggies but whatever veggies you have in the fridge is really fine, the important ingredient here is the sauce. In this dish I threw in sugar snaps, mushrooms, yellow and red bell pepper, and onions.

FRIED SHRIMPS WITH CASHEW

INGREDIENTS
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tbsp cornstarch
pinch of superfine sugar
1 lb raw jumbo shrimps
4 tbsps vegetable oil
1 small onion, diced
1/2 medium size yellow bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 medium size red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 cup baby portabella mushrooms, quartered
4 ounces sugar snaps
3/4 cup unsalted cashew nuts
SAUCE
3/4 cup fish stock (I used chicken stock)
1 tbsp cornstarch
dash of chili sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix together the garlic, cornstarch, and sugar in a large bowl. Peel and devein the jumbo shrimps. Stir the shrimp into the cornstarch mixute to coat thoroughly.
2. Heat the oil in pre-heated wok and add the shrimp mixture. Stir fry over a high heat for 20-30 seconds, until the shrimps turn pink. Remove the shrimps from the wok with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towels, and set aside.
3. Add the onions and mushrooms to the wok and stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and sugar snap and stir fry for another 2 minutes.
4. Mix together the ingredients for the sauce and add the mixture to the wok, together with the cashews. Return the shrimps to the wok and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute to heat through completely. Transfer to a warm dish and serve immediately.

VARIATIONS:
This recipe also works well with chicken, pork or beef strips instead of shrimps. Use 8 ounces of meat instead of 1 lb of shrimps.

A No Brainer Chopsuey with Shrimps

I buy frozen vegetables so I have them in stock whenever I need them. I have different kinds of frozen veggies like corn, peas, mixed veggies, and stir fry veggies. I also have a bunch of Mama Sita mixes and sauces in my pantry, so I can concoct a dish in a flash when I don't have much time to do it from scratch. I cooked Chopsuey with Shrimps using the frozen stir-fry veggies and Mama Sita's Chopsuey/Pancit Canton Stir Fry Mix. The stir fry veggies include corn, carrots, baby corn, broccoli, lima beans, green beans, peas, and sweet peas among others. This is a no brainer dish and is ready in no time.

CHOPSUEY with SHRIMPS

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups thawed Stir Fry Veggies
1 pouch Mama Sita's Chopsuey/Pancit Canton Stir Fry Mix
1 cup water
1 cup cleaned shrimps
2 tbsp Canola Oil
1 tbps minced garlic
1 medium onion
salt and peper

PROCEDURE:
1. Dissolve the mix in water and set aside.
2. Saute garlic and onion in 1 tbsp of oil for 3 minutes.
3. Add in shrimps and sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook for additional 2 minutes.
4. Scoop out shrimps and set aside. You don't want to overcook the shrimps otherwise they will get tough.
4. Pour the rest of the oil in the same pan and stir fry the veggies for 2 minutes.
5. Pour in the dissolved mix and cook until sauce thickens and the veggies are fork tender.
6. Mix in the shrimps and its done.