A healthy holiday table

At least for one of these gatherings consider a non-meat menu. We have below a suggested menu which is light, easy to prepare and not the usual fare, starting with appetizers up to dessert.

Because the dishes consist mainly of vegetables and seafood, you will have to do your shopping for ingredients at best two days before. May we suggest: Tina Oliva spread and Queso Supreme as appetizers, served with either regular crackers or melba toast; halaan (clams) soup with malunggay, a healthy starter; Vegetable Harmony, an Italian-inspired pasta dish with the colors, taste and varied texture of a selection of greens, and reds and yellows; Not Quite Prawns Thermidor, which has done away with the heavy cream and is much easier to prepare; Baked Bonito ala Cairo, a fleshy fish used frequently in Japanese and Spanish cuisine, round and silvery with hardly any scales rivaling bangus and lapu-lapu in succulent goodness (while rare, the fish can be found in some wet markets in the metropolis); Leche Flan and/or Matamis na Saging.

Have plenty of fruits on your table as well. Also have fresh fruit drinks; stay away from carbonated beverage. A good white wine will be ideal to complement the menu, and brandy or port to cap the meal.

Have a great Christmas celebration. There are still many things we can be thankful for.

The Recipes

Tina Oliva Spread

Ingredients
One fourth cup olive oil
One fourth cup canola oil
2 heads garlic (native), crushed
1 medium size bangus tinapa, flaked
8 pcs. button mushrooms, cut into thirds
4 pcs. sun-dried tomatoes , cubed
1 pc. sun-dried capsicum, thinly sliced
10 pcs. pitted black olives,
cut into quarters
20 gms. capers (drained)
Black ground pepper
Salt, if required.

Procedure
Heat the oils, then brown garlic.
Add all ingredients in succession.
Simmer for at least 8 minutes.
This can be prepared before serving and will keep in the refrigerator for at least a week.
Aside from being a spread, this can be used as pasta sauce.

Queso Supreme

This recipe came about when we found quite a lot of queso de bola left over in our pantry.

Ingredients
One fourth (of a big ball) queso de bola,
finely grated
One half cup extra virgin olive oil
6 pcs. sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced

Procedure

Mix all ingredients, store in refrigerator. Will

keep for at least two weeks.

Halaan -Malunggay Soup

Ingredients

1 kilo halaan (clams)
1 knob ginger, thinly sliced
1 medium size onion, sliced
1 stalk celery, cut into three-inch pieces
1 leek, cut into three-inch pieces
2 cups water
2 tbps. patis
Peppercorns
Oil

Procedure
Saute ginger and onions.
Add patis, cover and let simmer for1 minute.
Add water, clams, greens and peppercorns.
Let boil and wait for clams to open.
Simmer for another 5 minutes.

Vegetable Harmony

Ingredients
100 gms. spaghetti, cooked al dente and drained
One fourth cup olive oil
1 head garlic, crushed
One each yellow, red and green capsicum, roasted
and sliced lengthwise
2 meduim size zucchini, sliced into half moons
8 pcs. black pitted olives, sliced
1 tbsp chopped fresh sweet basil
3 tbps parmesan cheese salt and pepper

Procedure
Heat oil, sauté garlic until brown.
Add vegetables, one at a time; mix well.
Add basil and olives.
Let cook for 2 minutes, then add cheese and mix well.
Pour over pasta.

Not-quite Prawns Thermidor

Ingredients

Half kilo giant tiger prawns, cut butterfly style
1 lemon
Salt and pepper
1 head garlic, crushed
1 white onion, chopped
Half can button mushrooms, chopped
Flavored bread crumbs
Parmesan cheese
Oil

Procedure
Lace prawns with juice of one lemon.
Season with salt and pepper, set aside.
Saute garlic and onion in oil.
Add mushrooms when onion has become transparent.
Mix well and cook for 2 minutes.
Add salt and pepper, if required.
Drain oil.
Pre-heat oven to 1800 centigrade.
Stuff prawns with mushroom mixture.
Top with bread crumbs and cheese.
Bake for about 10 minutes or until prawns are done.

Baked Bonito ala Cairo

Ingredients

One meduim size bonito
Half cup olive oil
1 red capsicum, roasted and sliced length-wise
4 fresh salad tomatoes, cut into wedges
One packet or a pinch of saffron fibers
I knob ginger, crushed
Black olives (10 pcs, cut into quarters)

For the marinade
3 tbps. olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 tbps. paprika
1 tbps. cumin
1 sprig fresh coriander
1 lemon for garnish
1 hot red pepper

Procedure
Clean the bonito , season with salt and pepper, set aside.
Mix all ingredients for marinade.
Add saffron and ginger.
Marinate fish for an hour at least.

When ready to serve:
Pre-heat over to 1800 centigrade.
Lay out the fish on a baking dish.
Covering the fish with the other ingredients.
Pour the marinade over the fish.
Bake for 45 minutes or until fish is done.
Serve with lemon wedges and more olives on the side.