Roasted Asparagus

This healthy vegetable side dish, pepped up with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, is the perfect accompaniment to roasted meat or poultry. Using virtually no preparation time or hard-to-find ingredients, this roasted asparagus recipe goes from the refrigerator to the table in less than twenty minutes.

Prep Time: 2 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh asparagus, cleaned and trimmed
• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat an oven to 425F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and arrange the asparagus in a single layer on the tray. Drizzle the olive oil over the asparagus, toss it gently, and then roast it in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until it turns tender and lightly browned.

Toss the roasted asparagus with the balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper; serve immediately.

This roasted asparagus recipe makes 4 to 6 servings.

Ginataang Kalabasa

Estimated cooking & preparation time: 1 hour

Ginataang Kalabasa Ingredients:

• 1 kilo squash, cut into cubes (1"x1")

• 1/4 kilo shrimp, shelled and deveined

• 3 pieces tomatoes, diced

• 2 onions, chopped

• 1 head garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons of ginger root, crushed and minced

• 4 tablespoons of cooking or olive oil

• 2 pieces long chilli peppers

• 2 tablespoons of shrimp paste (bagoong)

• 2 cups coconut milk

• 1 cups coconut cream (katang gata)

• 2 cups chicken stock

• 2 tablespoons of fish sauce (patis)

Ginataang Kalabasa Cooking Instruction:

• On a big pan, heal oil. Sauté garlic, onions until light brown then add ginger, cook until onions become translucent.

• Add the tomatoes, squash, chicken stock, shrimp paste and the coconut milk. Let boil then simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the liquid has reduced and the squash becomes tender.

• Add the coconut cream, long chilli peppers and the shrimps. Bring again to a boil and simmer for a few more minutes.

• Serve hot with plain rice.

Ginataang Kalabasa Cooking Tip:

• This ginataan recipe can be used on any vegetable, combination of vegetables, fish or meat.

Adobong Kangkong

Estimated cooking time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 big bowl of kangkong (river spinach)

• 1/4 kilo of pork, cut into small pieces

• 1/4 cup of vinegar

• 1/4 cup soy sauce

• 5 cloves of garlic, minced

• 1 onion, diced

• 2 laurel leaves (bay leaves)

• 1/2 teaspoon of monosodium glutamate (MSG)

• 1 cup pork stock (broth) or bouillon pork cube dissolved in water

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• Sauté garlic and onions in a big pan then add the pork. Allow the pork to brown and oil for a few minutes.

• Add a cup of pork stock (or bouillon cube dissolved in water or plain water), laurel leaves, soy sauce, some salt and bring to a boil.

• Let simmer then add the vinegar. Do not stir for 5 minutes.

• Add the kangkong stalks first and cook for 1 minute then add the kangkong leaves. Continue cooking until the vegetable is done.

• Serve hot with rice.

Cooking Note:

Instead of kangkong, this recipe can be used to cook other vegetables like eggplant, spinach, cabbage, string beans or any other vegetable.

Pinakbet

Estimated cooking time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/4 kilo pork with fat, cut into small pieces

• 2 Amapalya (bitter melons) sliced to bite size pieces

• 2 eggplants, sliced to bite size pieces

• 5 pieces of okra, cut in two

• 1 head garlic, minced

• 2 onions, diced

• 5 tomatoes, sliced

• 1 tablespoon of ginger, crushed and sliced

• 4 tablespoons bagoong isda or bagoong alamang

• 3 tablespoons of oil

• 1 1/2 cup water

• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

• In a cooking pan, heat oil and fry the pork until brown, remove the pork from the pan and set aside.

• On the same pan, saute garlic, onion, ginger and tomatoes.

• In a casserole, boil water and add bagoong.

• Add the pork in the casserole and mix in the sautéed garlic, onion, ginger and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

• Add in all the vegetables and cook until the vegetables are done, careful not to overcook.

• Salt and pepper to taste.

• Serve hot with plain rice.

Laing

,













Estimated cooking time: 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 25 pieces gabi (taro) leaves, dried and shredded
• 1/2 kilo pork, diced
• 1/4 cup shrimp bagoong
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 red onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
• 5 jalapeno pepper, sliced
• 1 cup coconut cream (katang gata)
• 2 cups coconut milk (gata)
• 1/2 teaspoon monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

• In a casserole, sauté garlic, ginger and onions then add the pork.

• mix in the gabi leaves.

• Pour in the coconut milk (gata) and bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes.

• Add jalapeno, bagoong, salt and MSG and simmer for another 5 minutes.

• Add the coconut cream and continue to simmer until oil comes out of the cream.

• Serve hot with plain white rice.

Chopsuey

Ingredients:

• 1/4 kilo pork, sliced into small pieces

• 1/4 kilo shrimps, shelled, deveined and halved

• 1/4 kilo chicken liver and gizzard, sliced to small pieces

• 1/4 kilo cauliflower, broken to bite size

• 1/4 kilo string beans

• 1/4 kilo snow peas (sitsaro)

• 1/4 kilo cabbage, cut into squares

• 2 stalks of leeks, cut into 2" long pieces

• 3 stalks celery, cut into 2" long pieces

• 5 cloves garlic, diced

• 2 onions, diced

• 1 carrot, sliced thinly

• 1 piece red bell pepper, cut in strips

• 1 piece green bell pepper. cut in strips

• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup of water

• 2 cups chicken stock (broth)

• 3 tablespoons of sesame oil

• 3 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)

• 4 tablespoons of corn oil or vegetable oil

• Salt to taste

Instructions:

• In a big pan or wok, sauté garlic, onions then add in the pork. chicken liver and gizzard. Add 1 cup of stock, pinch of salt and simmer for 15 minutes or until pork and chicken giblets are cooked.

• Mix in the shrimp then all the vegetables. Add the remaining 1 cup of stock, patis and the dissolved cornstarch. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables are done. Add the sesame oil.

• Salt and pepper to taste.

• Serve hot with rice.