GIRL AND THE GOAT - CHICAGO FOODVENTURE

I highly recommend when you are in Chicago, Girl and The Goat - Executive Chef, Stephanie Izard "Top Chef" season 4 winner.

It’s ABC – Amazing, Bold and Complex!!! That’s how I would describe Girl and the Goat. It was well worth it.

We had an early reservation but arrived 30 minutes early just to peruse the restaurant. I already liked the restaurant from the façade, the open kitchen and the lengthy bar and the warm welcome we received from the staff. Oh and we enjoyed reading the “goat messages” on the back of the staff’s uniform. Patrick our wait staff was friendly and very knowledgeable about the menu. The menu were divided into three sections, vegetables, fish and meat. We decided to order one from each section. One from each would suffice since each serving is meant to be shared.

We started with bread fresh from the oven. Nutty Apple Smack, it was crusty on the outside and moist in the inside, w/ apple butter sauce and lemon mayo cream. It was delicious!!!

Our first course, Patrick’s recommendation, the sautéed green beans with fish sauce vinaigrette and cashews. I’m not a fan of green beans but this was amazing. The green beans and the vinaigrette were a perfect combination. Thank you Patrick…we enjoyed this dish.

Next course was my daughter’s choice, grilled baby octopus with guanciale, lemon-pistachio vinaigrette cooked with fava beans and colored waxed beans. This was another winner!!

And the piece de resistance……. Wood oven roasted pig face! (WARNING: NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART). This was served roulade /disc style with cilantro tamarind sauce, potato sticks and topped with a sunny side up egg. I love this dish, it reminds me of a Filipino dish- sisig. Although, I would like to have some pickled vegetables on the side to balance the texture and rich flavor of the pig and the egg.

By this time you would think we were already stuffed, wrong, we made sure we still had room for the whimsical desserts! My daughter and I ordered two kinds of dessert. First, the corn nougat served on a mason jar. It was fun digging through the jar trying to decipher what was in it. The corn nougat had layers of sweet corn ice cream, apricot plum jam and sprinkled with bacon goodness.

The second dessert, we had the goat cheese bavaroise, served in a crock. The amalgamation of the blueberries, the cake and the brown sugar were ridiculously delicious.

Now that’s a dessert!!!

Now it was time for the bill, not bad, it was reasonable considering how many items we had ordered. Price ranged from $6 to $18.


Kudos to Chef Stephanie, her kitchen staff and the wait staff. It was worth the hype. We will definitely be back and hopefully will get to meet Chef Stephanie next time.

So, now you know why it’s ABC. The food were amazing, they were bold and complex which we loved.

PORTOKALOPITA ( GREEK ORANGE PIE)

First tried this pie at work. My supervisor brought the pie, she told us to try her portokalopita and we all said porto!!! what??? the word just rolled off  her tongue of course because she's Greek, easy for her to say=;). Don't you dare ask me to pronounce this pie in Greek, because it'll sound different ha!ha!ha! all i can say is de-lish, that i can say with ease!

It sounds good to me and it sure tasted good! I thought it will entail a lot of ingredients and complicated steps but much to my surprise it's a straight forward recipe.  A very forgiving recipe, there is no way you'll mess this up!

The other reason why i like this pie? it calls for a dried up phyllo dough which means i can now save and put those extra phyllo dough to use! I usually throw away dried, excess phyllo dough because i thought they can't be used. This recipe will not require you to handle those phyllo dough with "TLC" just like you would in baklava.

Plus you can make your fresh orange juice to go with this dessert, you will have to read and check the recipe so you will know what i mean.

Okay, i can't resist! I have to make it complicated but this step is optional. Not only will this candied orange zest make your pie more appetizing, it'll add another layer of texture and flavor to the pie.

In a pot, combine 1/2 C of water, 1/2 of sugar and zest of 3 or 4 oranges (depending on the size) then bring to a simmer. Cook until the zest becomes translucent and tender.

INGREDIENTS: ( i tweaked the recipe, my additions/adjustments will be in red)
SYRUP:
(This is too much, i didn't use the entire syrup, i don't want to make my pie too soggy, so i suggest to pour half of the syrup first and then you decide whether you want to add more or not.)

2 C sugar

3 C water

1 T honey

Zest of 1 orange, stripped

1. In a saucepan over medium-high heat combine the water, sugar, honey and orange zest.

2. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10 - 15 minutes. Set aside and let it cool.


Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a baking dish. Unroll the phyllo dough, cut or tear into pieces and leave it uncovered to dry.

FILLING:


10 sheets phyllo

1/3 C sugar

2 T baking powder (1 1/2 T baking powder)

1/3 C olive oil (Canola Oil)

1 t vanilla extract

2 t orange blossom water
1 1/4 C Greek yogurt

4 eggs

Zest of 1 orange, finely grated (i used a zester)

1. In a large bowl whisk the eggs.

2. Add the oil, orange blossom water, sugar, vanilla, orange zest, yogurt and baking powder and whisk well.

3. Pour the mixture into the baking dish then toss in the torn pieces of phyllo pushing some pieces down to coat.

4. Bake the pie until set and golden on top, about 30 minutes.

5. Remove from oven, poke holes around and pour half of  the cooled syrup (add more if needed).

6. Set the portokalopita aside and let cool before serving.

 

 
So, now you know why you can fix yourself a freshly squeezed orange juice? I actually call this a frugal dessert as well.  You get to use left over phyllo dough and you only use the zest of the oranges hence the fresh squeezed orange juice.

NIRA ITAME (STIR FRY CHIVES)

Nira or Chinese Chives could be purchased at most Asian produce markets. Stronger in flavor than regular chives, Nira is available in four major varieties: dark green (known as Green Nira or Garlic Chives), pale yellow (known as Yellow Nira, Yellow Chive or Chive Shoot), a round-stemmed chive topped by a pointed flower bud (known as gau choy fa) and a distinctly flavored chive with a similar appearance (known as gau choy sum.) Popular for use in soups, stir fry and salads, Nira Grass can be used like an onion. The slender shoots can be snipped and added to sandwiches and spreads or used as a garnish on vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 lb shrimp (cleaned and deveined)

2 tablespoons oil

2 cloves garlic- minced

2 pieces green onions minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce (kikkoman)

1/8 teaspoon white pepper

1 tablespoon rice wine

1 bunch of Nira cut 1 to 2 inches

1 dash sesame oil for garnish


Heat a wok and saute 1 tablespoon of the oil, the garlic.
Add the onions, soy sauce, pepper, rice wine and the nira.

Stir until nira turns dark green and tender.

Stir in the shrimps and cook until shrimp turns pink.

Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.

Garnish with a dash of sesame seeds

Serve with steamed rice.

MANGO CHEESECAKE

A family favorite during mango season aside from the Mango Ice Cream . Don't be deceived by how long the recipe is it's really easy. Another plus? it's no bake so you don't have to deal w/ the heat after all, mango season is summer season!! I strongly suggest that you use Asian mangoes or the yellow small mangoes (Atulfo kind) not the green/reddish mango it's not that sweet and it's stringy/ fibrous  as well. I don't like that variety.

I served this w/ a pizzelle, double yum!

Nice presentation for a party!

Ingredients:

1 store bought sponge cake or pound cake (bake your own if you want)

Simple syrup – equal parts of water and sugar (reduced to almost corn syrup consistency) i used 1/2 C each

Cheesecake filling:
2 (8oz.) packages of cream cheese
2 packets unflavored gelatin
1/2 C water
1 can condensed milk
1 t vanilla extract
16 oz. heavy whipping cream (2 half pint heavy whip cream)

Mango Puree/Juice mixture:
6 ripe mangoes ( for puree and rose petals)
1 packet unflavored gelatin
1/4 C water
1 C mango juice (I puree 2 mangoes and mix with 1 C mango juice)

1. Slice cake in half inch thick, and cut or shape to fit into the bottom of a ramekin or a large muffin pan.**I use clear wrap to serve as a ramekin or muffin liner so you can pull out the cheesecake in one piece.

2. Brush or drizzle simple syrup on top of the cake. Set aside.

3. Sprinkle 2 packets of gelatin into 1/2 C of water, leave for 2-3 minutes until dissolved.

4. Add the can of condensed milk to a saucepan, with the gelatin mixture; bring to a low simmer until mixed thoroughly.

5. Whisk cut up cream cheese into the condensed milk mixture.

6. Add the vanilla extract and blend well. Let cool thoroughly.

7. Whip the heavy whipping cream in another bowl, fold the cream cheese-condensed milk mixture into the whipped cream. (At this point you have the option to incorporate half of the mango puree mixture to your filling or pour it on top of the filling just like I did)

8. Pour on top of the cake base, then refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Dissolve 1 packet of unflavored gelatin into 1/4 cup of water, leave to sit for 2 minutes. Mix the mango puree and juice mixture in a saucepan, add the dissolved gelatin and bring to a rolling boil for 2 minutes. Let it cool.

Slice mangoes and cut the flesh along the pit. Carefully scoop out the flesh just like you would an avocado. Slice the “cheeks” down the short side into thin uniform pieces (these will be your “rose petals”). Arrange the mango slices by slightly overlapping each piece, until you achieve a “rose shape”. Drizzle the juice-gelatin mixture over the mangoes. Chill again for another hour, or overnight.

I made a swirl to make a marbling effect.

I poured generous amount of the mango puree mixture. This was taken a day after i made the cheesecake. The mango has changed color, didn't look so fresh but still so good! If you noticed, there is a design on the cheesecake that's because of the clear wrap i used to line the ramekin.

This shot was taken years ago!

LAMINGTONS

I had no idea what a lamington cake was until Kris of Bake in Paris blogged it. What actually caught my attention were her photos of the cake, they were so beautiful. It makes you want to make the cake ASAP.
Well, actually i didn't get to make it ASAP=;) but unbeknownst to me i made this cake on the 21st of July w/c happens to be THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL LAMINGTON DAY what a coincidence!! And yes i seriously didn't know, i was surfing for other ideas and recipes and came across the website about the national lamington day.

I got my inspiration from Kris, i also made two kinds of coating. I made the chocolate and an orange curd coat. Thank you, Kris. Lamington will definitely grace our table especially this coming holiday!

FOR THE SPONGE CAKE

2 C all purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
1 C whipping cream **
1 C milk
2 C sugar
4 large eggs

**If you want your cake creamier you can use 2 C (1 pint) of whipping cream and omit 1 C milk.

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Mix flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl.
3. Whisk cream and sugar. Beat eggs and add, one by one, alternating with a tablespoon of flour each time.
4. Fold in remaining flour.
5. Transfer it to a greased square cake pan.
6. Bake 40 minutes to an hour.
7. Let them cool.

FOR THE COATING/ICING:

2 C powdered sugar
1/3 C cocoa powder
2 T butter cut into small cubes
1/2 C hot milk
2 C desiccated/ flaked unsweetened coconut

Procedure:
1. Sift sugar and cocoa into a small bowl.
2. Add butter and milk, mix until smooth.
3. In a saucepan on a low heat, heat the mixture and mix well to create a nice coating but not too runny.
4. Place coconut in a shallow container.

FOR THE ORANGE CURD:

2 eggs beaten lightly
1/3 C sugar
1/2 C orange juice
5 T butter, chopped coarsely
2 T cornstarch dissolved in 1 T orange juice (slurry)

Combine the first four ingredients, stirring constantly until mixture starts to thicken. Slowly add the slurry, stirring constantly until you achieve the curd consistency.

ASSEMBLY TIME:

1. Cut the sponge cake into 36 squares.

2. Coat the cake squares with the chocolate icing and the orange curd, then roll in coconut.

3. Let them cool on a sheet of parchment paper.

GINATAANG HIPON AT LABONG ( COCONUT CREAMED SHRIMP AND BAMBOO SHOOTS)

Finally found the time to blog my Kulinarya Cooking Club Challenge! This month's theme is Ginataan ( Coconut Creamed based dish). Thanks to Althea & Asha for the theme and for giving us the choice between sweet or savoury.

I have more  Filipino dishes with coconut milk that i've already blogged, pls. check them out ... SQUID ADOBO WITH COCONUT MILK ,   BEEF ADOBO WITH COCONUT MILK , SQUASH AND BACALAO IN COCONUT MILK and a sweet dish BIKO .

Okay can't you already tell how i love coconut milk=;)! That being said here is my challenge! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 lb. shrimps, washed, cleaned shells on
1 can coconut milk

2 cloves garlic crushed
1 thumb-sized ginger, crushed
1 stalk lemon grass- discard the top part

1 cup bamboo shoots julienned*
2 stalks of green onions sliced small

Thai bird chili (optional)
Basil leaves (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

* Fresh bamboo shoots are better  but if you can't purchase fresh they are available in cans.

1. Saute garlic, ginger and lemon grass then add the bamboo shoots cook until tender.
2. Add the shrimp and coconut milk. Bring to a boil
3. Shrimp is cooked when it turns pink.
4. Season to taste and add the Thai bird chili if desired.
5. Discard the lemon grass. Garnish w/ green onions and basil if needed.

6. Serve with steamed white rice.

FRESH BAMBOO SHOOTS (Labong/Dabong)

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine.Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do.



The current members are:

Kath - http://www.acupcakeortwo.com/

Trisha - http://sugarlace.com/

Trissa - http://trissalicious.com/

Olive - http://www.latestrecipes.net/

Caroline - http://whenadobometfeijoada.blogspot.com/

Ninette - http://bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspot.com/

Peach- http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/

Althea- http://www.busogsarap.com/

Asha - http://forkspoonnknife.blogspot.com/

Malou - http://www.impromptudiva.com/

Cherrie - http://sweetcherriepie.blogspot.com/

Acdee - http://acdee.blogspot.com/
/
Valerie - http://www.acanadianfoodie.com/

Sheryl - http://crispywaffle.com/

Divina - http://www.sense-serendipity.com/

Anna - http://www.anniesfoodjournal.blogspot.com/

Joy - http://joyjoycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/

Maribel - http://www.foodgeek.webs.com/

Tressa Jen - http://www.jen-at-work.blogspot.com/

Pia - http://bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com/

Malaka - http://thegrandinternational.com/.

Mimi - http://lapinchecocinera.blogspot.com/

Erika - http://ivoryhut.com/

Kat - http://twitter.com/alanokat

The Daring Cooks July 2010 Challenge: Nut Butters

Thanks to  Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the kitchen with puppies for this great challenge. "We decided to go nuts and get creative with nut butters!" and we all went nuts!! Check Here for other recipes and different kinds of nut butters.

I obviously didn't make any of the recipes that were provided us, not because i don't like the recipes but it's just that i'm familiar w/ the taste profiles of all the recipes. I wanted to explore and take the advantage of using other nut butters that i've not made yet or taste profile that i'm not familiar. I intended to make at least 3 nut butters but just didn't have enough time.

I managed to make two dishes using two different kinds of nut butters, Peanut butter for KARE-KARE and Almond butter for BEEF RAVIOLI WITH DEEP FRIED EGGS AND ALMOND BUTTER SAUCE  I have also blogged some peanut butter sauces that might interest you, so check them out VIETNAMESE SPRING ROLL WITH PEANUT SAUCE  and  VEGETARIAN STIR FRY WITH SOBA NOODLES


Kare-kare is a Filipino dish..i know, i know this is a dish that i'm so familiar with but i'm excited to take this opportunity to share this to everyone especially to those who haven't even heard of this dish.

If you will ask a Filipino, this dish will for surely be one of their favorite or a must have during a celebration/ special occasions.

NOTE:

1. Beef short ribs or beef with morrow are perfect substitute for the oxtail and tripe.

2. This dish is an acquired taste. Some may find it bland, this dish is really intended to be eaten w/ a little of the shrimp paste. If you don’t like shrimp paste, you can serve this with Maggie Seasoning for taste or a little of soy sauce.

Kare-kare (Oxtail Stew in Peanut Butter Sauce)

1 ½ lbs. oxtail

1 ½ lbs. ox feet or shin

1 lb. beef tripe cut into serving pieces

8 cups of water or more in needed

2 T finely minced garlic

1 C chopped onion

4 T cooking oil

1 C raw rice, toasted and ground to a powder ** (use ½ c first)

½ C achuete (Anatto) water ***

1 ½ C peanut butter (homemade or store bought)

2 medium Asian eggplant cut into serving pieces

10 string beans (long beans, snake beans) cut into 2 inch length

1 bok choy (Chinese cabbage or Napa Cabbage) quartered

1 banana hearts (quartered) I omitted this, can’t buy them fresh here.

1 medium kabocha or butternut squash cut into cubes

5 pieces of okra

2 pieces of finger hot peppers or Anaheim peppers **

2 medium sweet bell peppers any color of your choice.

Salt and Pepper to taste

*** You can use either the achuete seeds soaked in water to extract the orange color, discard the seeds before mixing the water into the stew or the achuete powder w/c are available at Asian stores. Dilute the powder with little water before mixing this to the stew.

*** slice finger hot peppers if you want your stew spicy or leave it whole.

** It is imperative to roast the rice to impart a smoky flavor. This ingredient will give the thick consistency to the stew. Add ½ of the powdered rice first then add more powdered roasted rice if it’s not thick enough.

TO MAKE 1 CUP TOASTED RICE POWDER:

TOAST 1 CUP OF RAW RICE IN A DRY PAN UNTIL LIGHTLY BROWN AND FRAGRANT. POUND OR GRIND THE TOASTED RICE.

1. Boil oxtail in 8 cups water for 2 hours or until tender, add more water if needed. (I usually use pressure cooker to save time)

2. Set stock aside.

3. Sauté’ garlic and onion in oil in a large saucepan or stewing pot.

4. Add the stock, annatto water, oxtail, ox feet and tripe to the pot and bring to a boil.

5. Stir in the roasted rice powder and peanut butter. Add little salt and pepper.

6. Add the vegetables in order of which one needs more cooking. Avoid stirring from this point so the vegetables will not be disturbed and will remain intact. I added the squash first, let them cook until tender but not mushy, add in the beans, okra and the rest of the veggies.

7. Serve with bagoong (shrimp paste)

8. Best serve with steamed white rice.

My second dish for the challenge BEEF RAVIOLI WITH DEEP FRIED EGGS AND ALMOND BUTTER SAUCE WITH HORSERADISH

This is actually not a weird combo since horseradish goes well with beef and sometimes poached eggs are served w/ ravioli.

For my version i deep fried the egg and added horseradish cream and milk to my almond butter to achieve a sauce consistency and added fresh picked grape tomatoes and chiffonade basil. This is a keeper!

Almond butter- form a thick butter in about 2 to 3 minutes for blanched w/o skin almonds, or 3 to 4 minutes for whole almonds; the skin of whole almonds will leave dark flecks in the butter

FRIED BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH WALNUTS AND BALSAMIC REDUCTION

I used to abhor brussels sprouts, the smell, the bitter taste...i hate it!  But i was just intrigued by the idea of frying these "little cabbages" so i gave it a whirl and much to my surprise they were good, really, really good. I can eat them as a snack. You've got to try them to believe. Bacon bits will make these dish even more delicious!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. brussels sprouts
1/4 C walnuts, roasted
1 C Balsamic vinegar (reduced)
Canola oil, for deep frying
S&P to taste.

1. Heat a pan on a low heat, reduce the balsamic vinegar by half until you achieve a syrup consistency. Set this aside.

2. Wash and pat dry the brussels sprouts.

3. Trim and quarter them lengthwise.

4. Pour enough oil into a pot and heat to 350 degrees.

5. Working in batches, deep-fry the brussels sprouts until the edges begin to curl and brown.

6. Mix the brussels sprouts and the roasted walnuts on a plate. Season w/ a little of salt and pepper.

7. Drizzle the balsamic reduction over the mixed brussels sprouts and walnut plate.

This is usually seved as a side dish, but i just love them as a snack as well.

Enjoy!!!

BANANA UPSIDE DOWN BROWNIE FUDGE

My daughter was craving for some brownies and bananas at 12 midnight, so i suggested to bake both. This banana upside down brownie fudge was the end product of both the cravings and wow did this hit the spot!!!

Brought some to work the following day and they asked for the recipe. So I've got to share this semi-homemade "sinfully delicious" brownie fudge.

Ingredients:

1 box brownie fudge
2 eggs
1/4 C water
1/2 C vegetable oil
1/3 C brown sugar (light or brown)
2 pieces of ripe bananas (sliced on a bias)
Non stick cooking spray

1. Pre-heat the oven at 375 degrees F.
2. Follow the cake mix instructions to make the brownie batter.
3. Arrange the sliced bananas on a greased baking pan.
4. Sprinkle the brown sugar on top of bananas and around the baking pan.
5. Pour the brownie batter over.
6.  Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or do the toothpick method, stick a clean toothpick in the cake, when it comes out clean then it's done.
7. Cool for about 10 minutes then turn the pan upside down.