LIST: New recipes for New Year

MANILA, Philippines — The holidays are all about whipping up meals for the whole family, so it is always a challenge to serve something that is special but low-maintenance in terms of cooking and preparation.  

When was the last time you prepared food for a small party or someone you really wanted to impress? You thought to yourself “kering-kerina ‘to,” only to find yourself four hours later, struggling to come up with anything decent. 

To help one with kitchen work, milk brand Alaska recently introduced Créma-Asada, which aims to blend the creamy goodness of “créma” (all-purpose cream) and the distinct sweetness of “condensada” (condensed milk) in one. The result is a convenient sweet thick creamer that works for all sorts of creamy desserts, but can also help make some savory dishes a bit more interesting—think creamy sweet spaghetti for the kids or creamy chicken afritada or pastel. 

Here are some recipes to try in time for New Year.

Tofu Sisig

Tofu Sisig (top) and Quezo de Bongga 

Main
300 g tokwa, washed and drained well then cut into cubes
1/2 cup Alaska Evaporada
150 g ground pork
4  cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsps diced onions
1 1/2 tsps liquid seasoning
1 can 85-gram liver spread
1 pc green chili (sili pansigang), sliced
1 pc laurel leaf
1 pc siling labuyo, sliced

For topping
1/2 cup mahu (pork shreds) or chicharon
3 tbsps diced onions
1 pc green chili (sili pansigang), sliced

For the sauce
1/3 cup mayonnaise
Reserved evaporated milk
1 tbsp condensed milk

Procedure

1. Marinate tofu in evaporated milk for 30 minutes. Drain, reserve milk. Deep-fry tofu pieces until brown. Set aside.
2. Saute garlic, onion and pork in a little vegetable oil until fat comes out. Add liquid seasoning and liver spread and saute for three minutes.
3. Add in green chili, laurel lead and siling labuyo. Saute for 3 minutes then add back fried tofu. Toss to blend.
4. Put in a platter. Top with mahu or chicharon, diced onions and sliced chili. Drizzle with mayo-milk sauce.
5. To make the sauce: combine mayonnaise, reserved evaporated or condensed milk. Serve with sisig.

Serves four
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cost per serving: P22.40
Suggested selling price: P50.00
Profit: P27.60 / serving
Chef’s tip: For lower cost, omit the additional toppings and just serve sisig with the sauce.

Quezo de Bongga (Stove Top Quezo de Bola Pasta)

The classic Mac n' Cheese made richer and more festive with Quezo de bola.
Ingredients

500 g penne, cooked as per package instructions, drained and set aside 
2 tbsps vegetable oil
4  cloves garlic, chopped
1  small onion, chopped
2 cups rough-chopped spinach, leaves only
1 cup diced yellow bell peppers
1/2 tsp sea salt
3 tbsps butter
2 tbsps flour
1  555ml evaporated milk (1.5 large cans)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, using 1 cube bouillon and 1 1/2 cups hot water
1/2 tsp pepper, freshly ground 
1 Tbsp yellow mustard (up to 2 tablespoons, or to taste)
15-20  basil leaves, chiffonade 
2 cups grated Queso de Bola

Preparation

1. In a large frying pan over medium heat, saute; 1 chopped onion until translucent.
2. Increase heat to medium-high and then add 4 cloves of chopped garlic, 2 cups chopped spinach, 1 cup diced yellow peppers and ½ tsp salt.
3. Stir constantly and cook for about 6-8 minutes or til vegetables are just tender.
4. Transfer vegetables to a plate and set aside.
5. In the same pan, over medium heat, melt 3 Tbsp of butter and stir in 2 tbsp of flour and cook the mixture for a minute.
6. Stir in 1 ½ large cans of Alaska Evaporated Filled milk.
7. Melt 1 chicken cube in 1 ½ cups of hot water and stir into the mixture.
8. Bring the mixture to a boil as you stir continuously.
9. Add 1 tbsp of yellow mustard.
10. Add the 1 ½ cup of grated Queso de Bola and turn off the heat.
11. Stir in the cheese until it has melted completely.
12. Stir in the 1/2 tsp of pepper and the cooked vegetables.
13. Stir in 500g of penne, cooked al dente, and pour into a serving dish.
14. Top pasta with 1/2 cup of grated queso de bola.

Shake Your Bumbong (Puto Bumbong Shake)

Shake Your Bumbong (left) and Yelo Is It Me You're Looking For

Turn your leftover kakanin into a thick and yummy holiday milkshake.

4-6 pcs Puto bumbong, chopped into bite size pieces
2 cups ice
1/2 cup condensed milk - can be adjusted according to desired sweetness
1/3 cup evaporated milk
 The quantity per ingredient is just a rough estimate.

Procedure

1. Chop puto bumbong into 4-6 bite-sized pieces.
2. Set aside in the freezer overnight.
3. In a blender, add 2 cups ice, ½ cup of condensed milk, 1/3 cup of evaporated milk.
4. Blend until the ice is crushed to smaller pieces.
5. Add the frozen puto bumbong into the mixture.
6. Blend the mixture until fully combined.

Yelo Is It Me You're Looking For (Avocado/Mango Ice Cream)

Instant creamy ice cream you can do at home
2 cups cubed avocado/mango
1 cup Alaska Sweetened Condensed Filled Milk
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1  all purpose cream, chilled
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Procedure

1. Whip the chilled all purpose cream to stiff peaks and set aside in the refrigerator.
2. Combine cubed mango or avocado, condensed milk, evaporated milk, and salt in a blender.
3. Blend in medium speed until fully combined. In a large bowl, fold in blended mixture.
4. Fold in the chilled whipped cream mixture from earlier. Transfer into a freezer-safe container.
5. Freeze for at least eight hours or up to five days.

Creamy Fruity Pudding

Creamy Fruity Pudding. Alaska/Released

Ingredients:

1  Fruit Cake Loaf
1 pack Alaska Crema
2 pcs Eggs, small
Powdered Sugar for dusting

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 320F or 160C.
2. Grease and flour 9 x 13 inch pan, and set aside.
3. Chop fruit cake into 1 inch cubes and place into prepared pan.
4. In a medium sized bowl, combine crema and eggs. Beat until well incorporated.
5. Pour crema mixture over fruit cake cubes.
6. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.
7. Dust with powdered sugar. Serve Warm.

Al Dente Fettucine with Seared Beef and Sour Cream (left) and Chocolate Penne Rigate with Dried Fruits and Walnuts. Fly Ace Corp./Released

Locavore’s Executive Chef Mikel Zaguirre and Raintree Group of Restaurants’ Corporate Chef Kalel Chan have recipes to share using Doña Elena Olive Oil and Al Dente Pasta that aim to keep one’s holiday dishes healthy, without sacrificing flavor.

“Filipinos often see olive oil as ‘pang sosyal lang’”, Fly AceCorporation’s Group Product Manager for Edible Oils Zen Prudentino said. “However, we want to get their trust by showing how dishes they enjoy in restaurants that are prepared by professional chefs can easily be recreated at home.”

Olive oil is one of the healthiest types of oil in the market. It contains good fat and antioxidants. 

Serve your family with pasta dishes from Filipino chefs. These recipes require minimum effort on your part but will surely let your family think you took the time to learn a difficult recipe for them this season.

Al Dente Fettucine with Seared Beef and Sour Cream

Yield: Three to four people
Time it takes to prepare: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Doña Elena Olive Oil
150 g Al Dente Fettucine
1 tbsp capers
2 tbsp red wine
200g marinated beef tenderloin, cleaned
2 tbsp white onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp worcestershire
3 tbsp sour cream

Beef Dry Rub
1 tsp pimenton, sweet
1 tsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp all spice powder
1/8 tsp cinnamon powder
1/8 cayenne pepper powder

Combine all ingredients together and set aside to use for marinating beef tenderloin.

Procedure
1.   Sear beef tenderloin with olive oil until desired doneness is achieved and let the meat rest.
2.     In a pot, boil 2L of water and add salt. Cook fettucine for seven to eight minutes and set aside.
3.     Using olive oil from the seared meat, saute the onion and garlic briefly.
4.     Add the capers and deglaze with red wine.
5.     Add the cooked fettucine and season with worcestershire.
6.     Slice the beef tenderloin.
7.     Plate the pasta and add the slices of beef tenderloin
8.     Add the sour cream and serve.

Chocolate Penne Rigate with Dried Fruits and Walnuts

Yield: two persons

Ingredients:
½ Cup Al Dente Penne Rigate
1 cup Belgian chocolate, melted
1 tbsp dried apricot, chopped
1 tbsp dried cranberries, chopped
1 tbsp walnuts, chopped
 
Procedure:

1. Cook the Al Dente Penne Rigate. Set aside until cool.

2. Line up the cooked rigate in a foil or mesh then pour in the melted chocolate.
 
3. Sprinkle the apricot, cranberries, and walnuts.

4. Let it cool for 30 minutes then ready to serve. — Deni Rose M. Afinidad-Bernardo