Sinigang Pork

Thanks Marilu for typing this up! And for the tip to have this with fried fish. This was an ideal dish to come home to on a cold winter night.

1 pack pig knuckles from butcher

1 package sinigang (sampaloc) mix from Thai store

variety of vegetables:

1 batches baby bochoy

1 1/2 lb string green beans

2-4 taro (gabi)

1-2 green or red hot pepper

2 ripe plum tomatoes

1. in a dutch oven pot boil pork in about 5 cups of water; reduce heat to medium and let boil for 3 hours (skimming scum that accumulates on side of pot) until meat falls out of the skin and bones
2. let cool slightly; remove all skin and fat from meat; discard skin and fat
3. place meat in bowl, cover
4. keep the broth in the pot and refrigerate overnight; skim the fat off the broth before using again next day
5. boil broth, pour in one package of sinigang mix; reduce heat to medium
6. put in the gabi cook, for about 10 mins or until tender, followed by green beans and hot peppers until cooked
7. add the bochoy last and turn off heat
8. taste; if still too sour or salty add more water
9. serve with steamed rice.

Oxtail Tatin & Tomato Confit

An entry I've been wanting to make and a dish that featured in a Christmas dinner a few years ago. I got this recipe from Restaurant Hotel Emporda in Figueres, opened in the early 1960s by Josep Mercader, considered by some to be the Godfather of Catalan cuisine. This is a large quantity, good for eight.

6 lbs oxtail

6 cups red wine

2 .5 cups tawn port

1 cup cognac

2 ribs of celery

2 carrots, cut into batons

1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp juniper berries

2 fresh bay leaves

3 large sprigs of thyme

S&P

6 tblsp peanut oil

1/3 cup flour

2 tblsp EVOO

4 ripe medium tomatoes, peeled & seeded & chopped

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp brewed coffee

8 baked 4" puff pastry circles, warm

1. marinate oxtail with wine, port, cognac, celery, carrots, onions, garlic, juniper berries, bay leaves, thyme in large bowl; cover and let marinate in the fridge for 3-4 days.
2. preheat oven to 300 degrees; strain marinade into a bowl and set aside; separate out vegetables and aromatics; transfer oxtail to a clean surface and pat dry, then season with S&P.
3. heat peanut oil in a large pot; working in batches, brown oxtail all over, 7-10 minutes per batch; return oxtail to pot and roast in oven uncovered for 1.5 hours.
4. reduce oven temperature to 250 degrees; transfer pot to medium heat on stove top; add reserved vegetables and aromatics and cook until browned, about 10 minutes; stir in flour, pour in reserved marinade, increase heat to high and bring to a boil; skim away any foam that rises to the surface; cover pot, transfer to oven, and braise about 4 hours until tender.
5. to make the tomato confit, heat EVOO, add tomatoes, sugar, coffee and remaining thyme; simmer, stirring occasionally and reducing heat if necessary to prevent confit from boiling; simmer until thick, about an hour; season to taste with S&P, discard thyme; keep confit warm
6. strain sauce from braised meat into medium pot, skim off fat and boil over medium heat, skimming occasionally until reduced to 2 1/4 cups, about 20 minutes.
7. pick meat off bones and return to pot, discarding fat, sinew, bones, vegetables and aromatics; strain sauce through a sieve into pot with meat; season to taste with S&P; keep warm over lowest heat.
8. put one puff pastry circle on each of eight plates; mound the oxtail onto each pastry circle, spoon sauce on top, then garnish with a spoonful of tomato confit.

Tonight's Dinner

Lots and lots of food for the very pleasant Santos family tonight. Maybe too much.....

• bresaola bombs
• avocado & gorgonzola crostini
• scallop, morcilla & jerusalem artichoke mash
• chorizo, rucola & basil mayo crostini
• baked vacherin & potatoes
• carottes rapees
• curry cucumber salad
• leek vinaigrette David
• vanilla yoghurt, meringue, rhubarb & rasberry compote
  
  

Orecchiette Vongole

An original combo (as far as I know) from Singapore's Gattopardo Italian Grill & Pizza Bar.

orecchiette (home-made if possible)

chili

broccoli tips, cut into small pieces

small clams

garlic

EVOO

pecorino

cherry tomatoes, halved

white wine

1. warm serving plates
2. clean clams thoroughly, purge of all sand
3. boil pasta and broccoli together
4. chop the chili, heat EVOO and saute
5. add smashed garlic, let saute a bit, then add tomatoes and clams
6. turn heat up, add white wine and cover until clams open
7. drain pasta and broccoli, saute in pan with clam mixture
8. serve with grated pecorino

Ravioli Dolomites

An invention that didn't cut last year's Christmas dinner, but delicious no less. You could close your eyes and make believe that you're in a Cortina mountain chalet.

home-made pasta

3 maris piper potatoes

200 gr speck

200 gr fontina

rosemary sprig

3 cloves of garlic, halved

butter

S&P

EVOO

chives

1. make Robuchon-style mash
2. chop fontina into cubes, fold into the mash until it melts over low heat
3. chop speck into fine pieces, add to mash
4. season with S&P
5. roll out pasta dough and fill with potato mixture
6. melt butter, EVOO with sprig of rosemary and garlic until bubbly
7. warm plates
8. boil ravioli, drain and toss in pan with butter
9. season with more S&P, snipped chives, parmesan and serve

Tonight's Dinner

A warming little winter meal for my pops during his short stay.

• prosciutto-wrapped pan-fried scallops
• ravioli dolomites
• frisee salad
• parmesan

Pancit Sotanghon

Thanks to Marilu my mother-in-law for this recipe. It's always delicious when you make it, with very fond memories eating it those Sunday nights in Princeton having decided to delay our return to NYC until morning!

2 garlic cloves

2 tblsp olive oil

1 small onion, minced

1 tsp paprika

6 ounces shrimp

1 carrot, chopped

1/4 cup snow peas, sliced

120 gr dried sotanghon (vermicelli or mungbean) noodles

1/8 cup soy sauce

2 tblsp fish sauce

juice of a lemon

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 green onion, sliced

chopped chives

1 pound chicken

1/2 cup tengang daga (mushrooms), soaked in water

1. place the chicken in a pot and cover with water by about two inches; bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer
2. cook the chicken, skimming off any foam that occurs; cook until tender, about 30 minutes
3. soak the pancit noodles in warm water about ten minutes until soft; cut into four inch pieces
4. when the chicken is done, remove from the pot and let cool; strain the broth and set aside; remove chicken skin and cut meat into thin strips
5. in a wok, heat the oil; saute the garlic and onion until soft, add the shrimp and cook until pink; add the chicken and stir fry for 30 seconds
6. add the paprika and 2/3 of the reserved chicken broth
7. add mushrooms, bring to a boil over high heat, stir in the carrots and snow peas, cook until the vegetables are crisp tender, about two minutes
8. add the noodles, season with soy sauce and fish sauce
9. simmer until the noodles are heated through, about one minute
10. add S&P, if desired, and garnish with green onion and chives before serving