Ham Lentil Potato Soup

Something I made to use up leftover boiled ham. I did not expect hubby to like this, and I was preparing a TV dinner for him and stepd. He tasted some (because the aroma of simmering soup had been enticing him), and he actually liked it! He said, "I should have this instead of the TV dinner. Next time you fix this, remind me that I liked it."

Ingredients:
2 cups cubed ham (fat trimmed off)
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup dried lentil
1 cup cubed carrots (I used leftover from boiled ham, so I placed these in the pot toward the end of cooking)
5 cups water + 2 cups tomato juice* (or just use plain water)
1 cup leftover mashed potato (mix this well with some of the water before placing in the pot
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
dash of ground basil leaves
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions:
Dump everything (if using uncooked carrots) in a big pot and stir. Let boil then lower heat and simmer covered for 1-1/2 hrs, stirring occasionally. Enjoy with freshly baked bread (and rice for you Filipinos). (If you are using the bread machine, prepare your bread before you start fixing this soup.)

*Note: The tomato juice I used was from canned raw tomatoes, which I drained to use for lasagna. I always save the juice and use it for things like this, or for sweet and sour sauce of escabeche.

Ginisang Pechay (Bok choy)

 

I have said this before: Ground beef sauteed with salt and pepper (no other spices), boiled potatoes and brocolli is a typical favorite meal of my husband, much in the same way that fried fish, plain rice and tomatoes or camote tops is a typical favorite Filipino meal.

Because of this, I often would cook this for my husband when I have a Filipino type of meal for my kids and I. Quite expectedly, he would always have about half of the ground beef leftover. This I make into torta, or re-sautee with garlic, onions, and tomatoes, and add beef broth and greens, usually native pechay (bok choy) cut into strips, and with the optional addition of sotanghon noodles, season with salt and pepper as needed. My kids and I love this (in fact, they sometimes request that I make this. They are just fond of soup-ish veggie-dominant dish.)

Need I post a recipe here???...Nah...

Lobster & Corn Chowder

As I mentioned earlier, I used my leftover lobster meat for chowder (my favorite food to make with lobster heads and smaller claws).

From lobster chowder

But since this time I had 3 leftover whole lobsters (that is, after I made my lobster roll for lunch the next day), I had a total of almost 2 lbs meat, and the chowder I came up with was enough for supper, and even for breakfast (I myself brought a bowl to work that night).
I got the idea and tweaked some from the recipe at epicurious. The tweaking depended on what I had on hand, as usual.

Ingredients:
2 lbs leftover lobster meat (previously boiled)
8 slices of smoked pork fat back, pan fried until crispy (I used this in place of bacon)
2 medium potatoes, diced
2 medium carrots, diced (smaller than potatoes)
1 large onion, chopped
1 cup celery stalks, sliced into 1/8 inches
4 cups frozen and thawed sweet corn kernels (I had mine from my garden; feel free to use canned)
6 cups lobster broth (prepared day before))
1-1/2 cups heavy cream
6 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp butter

Procedure:


Prepare lobster meat. Set aside in the fridge.

Purée 2 cups corn with 1 1/2 cups broth in processor until almost smooth.

Pan fry on medium heat the thin fat back slices (or bacon) until crisp. Place on paper towel to drain excess oil, crumble and set aside. Leave about 3 tbsp of oil drippings in the pan.

Cook partially the diced potatoes and corn. Doing this helps them retain their shape and prevents making them too starchy/pasty. Set aside.

Pour off and discard all but 3 tablespoons drippings from pot. Add onions to pot; sauté until light golden, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, carrots, and celery; sauté until vegetables soften slightly, about 2 minutes. Add broth; simmer 10 minutes. Stir in corn puré, corn kernels and heavy cream; simmer 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove soup from heat; stir in sour cream.

Melt butter in medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add lobster meat and sauté just until heated through, about 2 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each serving with lobster pieces, crispy fat back (or bacon bits) and serve.

Bulalo

Sassy talked about Bulalo and has a recipe for it and a deviation from the traditional way of cooking it. Ting-aling also has a post here. With all that I don't need to post a recipe at all. Just wanted to share some tips.

Bulalo is called Pot-au-Feau by the French, and this is not at all exclusive to the two nationalities. Hence we cannot call this a truly Pinoy dish, but one which is loved by Pinoys. However, while other terms are used to denote the same method of cooking beef, when we say "bulalo," it refers to the bony parts (usually the shank, be it of beef or pork). It produces stock that is tasty and satisfying indeed.

My preferred ingredients and method:

Beef shank (I have frozen cuts labeled "bone soup") - thawed in the fridge for a whole day or overnight, boiled in a saucepan for 15 minutes, drained, and placed in 10-qt slow cooker with as much water as it can accomodate, cooked on high for a minimum of 6 hrs

spices - 3 pierced cloves of garlic, 1 whole peeled onion,, 10 peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, slices of celery (added at the start of slowcooking)

vegetables - chunks of potatoes and carrots added 1-2 hrs before serving, then snap beans or pechay or cabbage added 30 minutes (or less if you want it crisper) before serving

Salt or patis to taste

I observed that my in-laws also use the same method of cooking corned beef or ham (as cured by the butcher), hence this dish is welcomed by them as well. However, they serve the meat, potatoes and other veggies separately and without the stock, while we Filipinos love to have them all swimming on our plate full of rice, with the soup stock served in small bowls/cups, on which I also love adding snips of spring onion and a dash of ground white pepper.

If I plan to store some of the stock, I get about 4-6 cups from the stock into a big saucepan to cook the vegetables before serving Bulalo. Then I strain (or I let them stand for a while in wide-mouthed bottles so sediments will settle, refrigerate to harden the oil and remove it first) and freeze the leftover stock in muffin pans (the 6-cup trays I used in my leche flan) for 30 minutes empty containers of cottage cheese/sour cream for at least overnight then transfer them into labeled freezer bags. Great for cooking other beef dishes or as soup base for ramen.

Mix-In-A-Jar by my Boys

I registered my boys in the After-School Program, which runs in seasons (different line up of types of activities for each season). During the Holidays last year, I enrolled them in the "Mixes In A Jar Crafts". Here's a photo of their products. Since both of them are enrolled, we got to try one and preserve the other at least until the collection was completed.



These are, from left to right, all the mixes that they have prepared:



Cranberry Raisin Bread

Hot Cocoa

small Hot Cocoa (different recipe)

M&M Cookies

Friendship Soup



So far, we have tried the hot cocoa, the Friendship Soup and the M&M Cookies.



M&M Cookies



Since these were meant for the Holidays, the M&M chocolate candies were coated in red and green colors.

Ingredients:



For the quart jar:

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups M&M chocolate candies

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder



For the preparation, to be written on the gift tag, available here):

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 beaten egg

1 tsp vanilla



Instructions:



For the jar:

Mix together flour, soda, and baking powder. Layer sugar, M&M candies and flour mix in 1 quart canning jars. Be sure to pack firmly.



Add fabric, ribbon and gift tag to jar.



For the preparation:

Empty jar of cookie mix into mixing bowl, blend thoroughly.

Add 1/2 cup butter or margarin, softened, 1 beaten egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix until completely blended.

Roll into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Nake at 375 degrees until edges are lightly browned, about 12 to 14 minutes.



Right after baking these cookies (as in piping hot and very soft), my husband was so eager to have one. Despite almost burning his fingers and tongue, he could not wait for the cookies to cool down first.





Friendship Soup



This is like a combination of stew and rice porridge, with the addition of beans. Hearty and healthy, this is a novelty for both me and my husband, and I can't believe it is an American recipe! I have been making dishes converting leftover mac & cheese into revised version of the Filipino sopas, which my husband has jokingly commented looked like a dish for swine (sarap batukan). This looked worse, and I admit, it does seem like "kanin-baboy." But I am open for new things, so I cooked it. It has a taste characteristically Italian, and it went very well with biscuits.



Ingredients:



For the jar:



1/2 cup dry split peas

1/3 cup beef bouillon granules

1/4 cup pearl barley

1/3 cup dry lentils

1/4 cup dried minced onion

2 tsp Italian Seasoning

1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice

1/2 cup tri-colored pasta

1/2 cup alphabet macaroni



Layer ingredients in jar and put lid and cover on.



Additional ingredients for preparation:



1 lb hamburg

1 can tomato sauce (4-0z)

1 can diced tomatoes (28-oz)

4 qt (8 cups) water



Instructions:



In a large saucepan, brown hamburg and drain.

Carefully remove macaroni from top of jar and set aside. Add water, tomatoes, tomato sauce and soup mix. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add the macaroni. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until beans are tender.



Yields 4 to 5 quarts, so I prepared this for a weekend lunch when we had my nephew and niece with us.



Hot Cocoa Mix



We have been enjoying these jars of hot cocoa. It goes well with the cold season.



Ingredients:



2 cups powdered milk

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1/2 cup powdered non-dairy creamer

1/4 tsp salt

miniature marshmallows, optional



Instructions:



Combine all ingredients and layer with marshmallows in quart jar. Makes about 4 cups osf hot cocoa mix.



For preparation:



Add 2-3 tbsps to a mug of hot water.



*****



I am documenting these for future reference. Those that we deem really good we might try to prepare next holiday season. It is a creative, enjoyable and frugal way for the children to prepare their gifts for relatives. Other ideas can be found at this website and some more here. (I found it when I was looking for the Preparation instructions for the M&M cookies because both boys forgot to attach a gift tag. I am sure my MIL and SILs will appreciate these.

Misua Soup

Not too long ago, Ting sent me misua, which was very timely, because now it is really getting too cold here. And what better way to enjoy misua than as a soup! One of the comfort foods I used to love when I was a kid. I still love it now, and so do my boys.





Ingredients (good for 2-3 servings):



4 cups chicken broth

a handful of shredded cooked chicken meat

a handful of misua

salt and pepper to taste

shredded veggies (I use the ones for tacos)



Instructions:



Boil the broth and the meat. Adjust the taste with salt and pepper. Add the misua and boil for about 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and serve in bowls topped with shredded veggies.



Simple and satisfying...