potluck exchange

Filipino-Style Pork Adobo

2009-10-23T12:00:00.000-07:00

Every Filipino family has their own version of pork or chicken adobo. Some like it dry, with little sauce, while others love to spoon lots of sauce over their rice. I learned a tip from a manong who worked as a janitor when I was a student in culinary school. They would cook up their own lunch while class was in session. His secret ingredient (not anymore!) was 7-UP. Who new? A meat tenderizer AND a sweetener? I use a pressure cooker whenever I need to cook up a huge batch. If you have one, use it! The pork turns out super succulent in half the time. Here's my version:

Filipino-Style Pork Adobo

2 lbs. pork shoulder butt roast
1/2 cup rice vinegar (I like Marukan brand)
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 cups 7-up
10 garlic cloves, minced
10 black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
Juice from 1 lemon
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut up
2 cups sliced shitake or crimini mushrooms

In your cooking pot, make the marinade: combine vinegar, soy sauce, 7-up, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaf and lemon juice. Cut pork into chunky pieces. Add the pork to the marinade and allow to mellow for 30 minutes before cooking.

Cook at medium heat and bring pot to a boil, then bring to a slow simmer to cook for 45 minutes. Add the mushrooms midway into cooking and throw in the sweet potatoes to cook at the end. Keep pot partially covered. The liquid will reduce to form a sauce on the meat. Serve over steamed rice.

Enjoy!

chicken piccata

2008-12-17T12:41:00.000-08:00

ingredients:

boneless skinless chicken breast(s)

1 egg (+teaspoon water, this the the egg wash)

bread crumbs

oil

flour

salt & pepper

preheat oven to 400 degrees.

put chicken breasts between plastic wrap, and pound (with a rolling pin) till about 1/4 inch thick. salt and pepper chicken, coat with flour first, dip in egg wash, then coat with bread crumbs last.

heat oil on stovetop and cook for a minute or two on each side, till golden. place on a sheet pan and bake in oven for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.

SAUCE:

artichoke hearts (I used trader joe's frozen)

garlic- 1 or 2 cloves chopped, or more if you like.

parsley

butter (half stick at least)

parmesan cheese

salt & pepper

juice from a lemon

(I made up this sauce, so use how ever much of each ingredient you like to taste)

heat up artichokes in a pan, with butter & add lemon juice. when butter is melted, add parsley, parmesan, salt and pepper. add garlic last. taste it and see if it needs more butter or lemon. enjoy.

November's Potluck

2008-11-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

Here are my mexican lasagnas ready to go.

so far we've enjoyed (devoured) Angie's chili and corn bread and Trish's rigatoni. Both rocked our world!!!

Chicken Makhani: Behind the Scenes

2008-10-15T07:36:00.000-07:00

Chicken Makhani for an army

Lined up and ready to go!

The day/night before potluck exchange is a doozy. This is when I bust out my roasting pans and cook army-style. I try to do the prep work earlier in the day (yeah, right!), and cook early evening (or in this case, early morning). This time I made Chicken Makhani, Indian Butter Chicken. Next time, I will cook this dish with chicken legs and thighs (instead of chicken breasts) so that it yields a super succulent and tender texture. I've adapted the recipe from allrecipes.com, and substituted a few ingredients:

Chicken Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
1/4 white onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon ginger-garlic paste
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup Greek-style yogurt
1 cup half-and-half
1 cup tomato puree
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 pinch salt
1 pinch black pepper

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon almond meal (ground almonds)
1/4 cup water

Method:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Saute shallot and onion until soft and translucent. Stir in butter, lemon juice, ginger-garlic paste, 1 teaspoon garam masala, chili powder, cumin and bay leaf. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in half-and-half and yogurt. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat, and season with 1 teaspoon garam masala and cayenne. Stir in a few spoonfuls of sauce, and simmer until liquid has reduced, and chicken is no longer pink. Stir cooked chicken into sauce. Add honey to sweeten and balance flavors. Stir in almond meal to thicken sauce, adding more if necessary. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until thickened.

More October Potluck Exchange Love

2008-10-14T23:05:00.000-07:00

Potluck's bounty

Anna, Elsa and Mama Rara

Ward beauties, Trish and Josie

Mama think tank solving the world's problems

Mama Mish and Ava catching up on beauty sleep

Mama Fiona and Big Girl, Tessa

Olivia with a mouthful of Pez candy

Anna's Ziti with Asparagus

Trish's Chicken Pot Pies

Megan's Hamburger Stroganoff

Prego beauty, Megan (7 months) and Malia

Anna and Elsa finishing up lunch

Lili, still working on lunch

Yoohoo, hi there!

Indulging in the last morsel of Mama Rara's cookie dough

Thank you for hosting, Mama Rara!

HELLO! my name is DELICIOUS!

2008-10-14T16:39:00.001-07:00

we powered though our potlucks like nobodys business!
we started off thursday with megan's hearty hamburger stroganoff, great! (I forgot to take a picture) but friday night was angie's delicious butter chicken... so good!!
and we even had leftovers! saturday night michele's fabulous beef stew, we want more!

sunday night- trish's huge chicken pot pie! it was so fantastic,

and enough for 2 meals!

mama rara's cookie dough is amazing,

as well as those PB &J bars!
before:

after:

thanks ladies, we enjoyed every bite!

& we still have trish's 2nd half pot pie for tonight too! YUMMY YUMMY!!

Orzo salad

2008-10-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

The recipe of the orzo salad I served for lunch last week.

Orzo with everything

1 1/2 cups orzo

1/3 cup packed chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes

5 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives

2-3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 cup finely chopped radicchio (about one small head)

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese

Cook orzo in pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain well. Transwer to large bowl. Add sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and olives and toss to blend. Let stand until cool.

Just before serving, mix chopped radicchio, pine nuts, chopped basil, and cheese into orzo mixture. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Another Success!

2008-10-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

Our October exchange was another fabulous event! Thank you ladies for all the delish dinners and great company. We missed you Layla and Kelly!

Trish, Angie, and Lili....

More mamas Fiona & Mishie w/Tessa & Ava...
YaYas playing...
and driving the "bus"
Chloe and Ava hanging out
Looking fwd to November!

Don't forget...

2008-10-06T15:05:00.000-07:00

....Our next potluck exchange is this Thursday, October 9th, a la maison du Maman Rara, Oakland. I'll bring the sauce.

Food for thought...

2008-09-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

...for the next POTLUCK EXCHANGE!!! (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Michele's stuffed chicken

2008-09-23T18:25:00.000-07:00

SOOOO DELICIOUS,

I couldn't get enough. It really was a nice treat. I had it with a friend of mine's Chilean Wine La Playa Sauvignon Blanc. and Trader Joes harvest blend rice, arugula salad with heirloom tomatoes and vinaigrette dressing. Michele you make it look so effortless and it taste so complex. I want the recipe.

LOVED IT>

Kelly

kelly's carnitas!

2008-09-18T10:51:00.000-07:00

muy delicioso!

Jocon Chicken

2008-09-16T19:54:00.000-07:00

Thank you Fiona!! Delicious!!

Potluck Exchange, Albany-Style!

2008-09-14T19:34:00.000-07:00

So our second potluck exchange in Albany, involved a lot more families this time around. A handful of ladies and LOTS of babies and big kids packed into our house---FUN! We chowed on zucchini, corn and feta pizza, Mish and Raquel brought desserts, and everyone brought good cheer. Delivering our dishes to everyone felt like Valentine's Day, as Raquel put it.

Here are a few photos from the end of the day:

Zucchini Corn pizza ready for the oven

Kitchen Cleanup Crew: Mish, Anna (and Fiona) on dish duty--Thanks, ladies!

Mama Rara on baby and big kid watch

Hello, Tessa

Potluck dishes lovingly packed away, ready to go home

full bellies

2008-09-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

thanks to megan's amazing chicken enchiladas! boy, we really pigged out. i heart my potluck pals!

start....

2008-09-12T14:09:00.001-07:00

photos by fiona sarn. that's michele cooking.