The Unofficial Cook

Cooking, Eating and Living with a Filipino Flavor

Shrimp Gambas

I made this easy Shrimp Gambas to go with my shrimp-less paella from yesterday.

For starters, I took some 200 grams of peeled shrimp and just heated some olive oil in a pan and stir-fried them with some crushed garlic, salt and white pepper.  Soon as I spied some browning in the shrimps, I turned the heat off.

Simple really…hope it was good….but I will never know!

Tapas, the Little Dishes of Spain
Tapas, the Little Dishes of Spain

 

Chicken and Pork Adobo

Adobo is the acknowledged Philippine national dish.

When Eldest Sister went on a diet years ago, you could ask her kids what her favorite dish was and they’d all say, “Adobo Kangkong.” Yup, you can cook vegetables, meats, seafood (mussels adobo is fantastic) and fish using this method.  You’ll probably find this dish anywhere you might  land on any of the 7,100 islands of the Philippines.

Chicken and Pork Adobo is the most common and favored.  I came up with my own version a couple of years back.  It’s nothing complicated, just a last minute splash of balsamic vinegar before turning off the heat.  Then a sprinkling of extra virgin olive oil before serving.  But my goodness…it does make a difference. The Ilocanos in northern Philippines must be familiar with the taste.  Balsamic vinegar tastes very similar to basi vinegar of the region.  This recipe is the regular adobo. [Read the rest of this entry...]

The Perfect Boiled Egg

There was a time when I didn’t even know what a perfect boiled egg was. I love boiled eggs, unlike majority of the world population I’m sure.  If you handed me a hard-boiled egg, I wouldn’t look at it with a discerning eye.  I’d just pop it into my mouth.

When I needed hard-boiled eggs, I took my chances and guessed how long it needed boiling.  Always.  For years, this is what I did.

What a big surprise it was to find out your eggs don’t need to boil for 7, 10 or 11 minutes as I’ve read in magazines, cookbooks and who-knows-where-else I got my “boiling an egg” information. [Read the rest of this entry...]

Green Bean Salad

Can you tell the weather is getting better here?  It shows in my cooking and in this blog….finally moving away from the heavy stews and soups.

This is another recipe from The Sopranos Family Cookbook.  It was simple and easy to make. I love that it’s also light and healthy.  Served with a crusty roll, or a French baguette and you’ve got a complete meal.

You might also want to try the tuna mix as a topping for bruschetta in case you have leftovers.  It’s good, believe me.  I didn’t have enough leftovers but I’m sure the tuna will also make a great Grilled Tuna and Cheese Sandwich. [Read the rest of this entry...]


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