Special Plate - Chicken Galantina

Have you gone through an occasion when you thought that you would like to do something special for a meal - be it breakfast, lunch, snack or dinner?  It was like that for me and the idea of preparing a Chicken Galantina. 

This is usually a celebratory dish, only prepared on special occasions like if one is throwing a party, or served during the noche buena feast on Christmas eve.  Ideally this is served as a cold cut with Spanish origins where it is referred to as a Galantina de Gallina.  A galantina, in other words, is a chicken that is deboned and stuffed, then poached and served cold.  In Spain, commercial versions of this dish are sold alongside Serrano hams.  Traditionally, though, when it was usual for Spanish rural kitchens to tend their own hens for eggs, they don't use roasting chickens for this dish, but use a gallina, an old hen past her laying days. 

Presently in the Philippines, any chicken would do as long as it has the proper weight.  However, commercial chickens tend to have thin skins, which make sewing the fowl together after stuffing a challenge.  Nevertheless, if you can get hold of a native or organically grown fowl, then their thicker skins would help make things a bit easier.

It took me two hours to prepare this dish, from deboning to chopping the filling ingredients and stuffing it in, and an additional two hours for poaching the bird itself. I was committed of course, and the end result was the reward itself.  I served this dish with a salad of mixed greens dressed with vinaigrette, and warmed pan de sal, and it was a perfect meal.

And as for my motivation for preparing this dish for our dinner in the first place?  Well, there was no special occasion, but does one really need to find a reason to have a good meal?  I say any day is a good day. 

The Recipe

1 1.5 to 2-kilos whole chicken (you can ask the butcher to debone this for you, if you wish)
1 kilo ground pork
1 medium white onion, chopped finely
1 medium carrot, chopped finely
1 long or 2 short pieces Chinese sausage, chopped finely
1 can Deviled Ham
1 small can Vienna Sausage, chopped finely
1 T. liquid seasoning
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 eggs

1.  If you are deboning the chicken yourself, start at the neck and feel with your hand for the wishbones.  Slice of a portion of the meat from the top of the wishbone and release the meat from the bones gently by feeling your way through with your fingers loosening the meat from the bone, then the tendon at the end.  Go the same way sideways towards the wing area and cut off the tendon connecting the wing to the body.  Break off the bone from the wing tip but maintain the wingtip bone where it is.  Do the same to the other side.

2.  Turn the chicken around so the cavity on the lower portion of the bird is facing you then cut off the thigh part from the body bone, careful not to tear into the skin.  Loosen the meat from the thigh bone and disconnect it at the tendon connecting the leg bone.  Do the same to the other side.  To work on the back bone, loosen a portion of the skin next to the butt and work with your fingers to loosen the rest of the meat from the spine and spreading to the rest of the back bone.  Once you reach the top where the neck is, loosen the skin on the neck.  Carefully remove the entire body bone from the lower cavity careful once again not to tear the skin.  Hopefully, you were able to debone the bird without making any additional slices with the knife.  If there were tears long enough that it would give the bird an opening, then one has to sew it together.

3.  With a kitchen twine and sterilized needle, sew the neck portion of the bird close.  Place the deboned chicken in a bowl and sprinkle juice from 3 calamansi (Philippine lemon, or 1 lemon if not available) and let marinate while you are preparing the stuffing.

4.  The stuffing, mix all remaining ingredients (from the ground pork to the eggs) until well incorporated and set aside.

 

5.  Remove the deboned chicken from the bowl, wash off the lemon juice and pat dry with paper towels.  Set on a large chopping board, and carefully put stuffing through the lower opening, making sure the cavity on the chicken wing and thigh areas are filled.  Sew bottom opening with kitchen twine.

 

6.  Boil 2 inches of water in a big casserole.  Fit in a rack.  While waiting for the water to boil, wrap the chicken with aluminum foil, making sure that there isn't any opening, then place inside casserole on top of rack when water has boiled.  Poach for 2 hours (for a 2-kilo chicken; 1 hour 40 minutes for a 1.5 kilo chicken), checking to see if there is still water every 30 minutes or so.  If the water has almost evaporated, add more water.

 

7.  Once cooking time is over, remove the chicken from the casserole and let rest for 15 minutes on another rack.  Remove the foil cover and let chicken cool completely.  You can transfer the chicken in another foil wrapping and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

 

8.  If you prefer to serve the chicken with a sauce, there will be drippings left in the aluminum foil used for cooking, carefully transfer this liquid in a container.  In the meantime, get a small saucepan, and make a roux by heating 2 T. butter  until melted and adding 2 T. flour, mixing constantly until it thickens.  Add the drippings in a slow steady stream until well incorporated and the sauce reaches a smooth consistency.  Add a dash of pepper, or to taste and serve with the galantina. 

 

9.  For any leftovers, wrap the chicken in a foil and freeze.  This can then be enjoyed any time as a sandwich filling or as a cold cut. 

 

For a Filipino-style breakfast, serve it with fried egg and steamed rice with a side of atsara (pickled vegetables).   Just thinking about the possibilities makes me anticipate my morning.

Finding Amore in the South - Daniele's Casa Mia Italian Restaurant

This is that time that I lunched with my mother when I visited her in Las Pinas today, the metro city I grew up in.  We avoided the malls since we tend to find the same dining places whether you're in the north, east or south of Metro Manila.  Thus, for something different, we sought this place out.  I previously noticed this place in one of my drives along Sucat Road in Paranaque (now referred to as Dr. A. Santos Avenue). 

Mind you, it isn't noticeable at first, but the signage just popped out along the busy street.  In fact, a portion of the restaurant along the main thoroughfare is right beside a tombstone store :-D (consider that the area is near two big memorial parks), but one has to go through a narrow passageway to get to the main entrance.  Reaching that, you pass by some outdoor tables, and a potted garden with paintings of famous landmarks of Italy.

Daniele is the son of Roberto Bellini, the proprietor of the well-known trattoria Bellini's in Cubao.  He worked as a photojournalist in his home country until he finally settled in the Philippines and set up his own restaurant serving food he grew up with in Pisa.

Thus, upon entry, we were greeted by friendly staff and shown to an inner room decorated with some of Daniele's photographic works on the wall along with family pictures, more paintings and tile art, and an irrepressible paper mache of the leaning tower of Pisa meeting us as we stepped in.

 

 

The menu boasts of a wide array of choices, but we settled with old standbys like the Beef Carpaccio for our appetizer, which had the proper balance of tanginess that set off the freshness and quality of the beef.  This dish certainly whet our appetites for more good things to come.

We split the Creamy Broccoli Soup so we can make sure to have room for more.  Then for our primi piatti (first plates) the mild-mannered Spaghetti Vongole essayed the part perfectly.  I just shook the pepper and grated parmesan bottles a bit more.   They also serve hand-made pastas but this would take more time to prepare, so this is better reserved for a another day - something to make me giddy with anticipation for the next visit.

Then since Daniele's is proud of its pizzas (all 65 flavors of them), we have to have one as well.  For a first-time visitor, we asked for the Quatrizza - four flavors in one 12-inch dough ((their pizzas are also available in 16-inch disks): Napolitana, Maremmana, Capricciosa and Quatro Formaggi, baked in a wood-burning brick oven.  The first bite exposes the freshness of ingredients used for both the dough and the different toppings.  But really, the hallmark of a good pizza, I've come to learn, is in the dough.  Daniele's was chewy and crunchy at the same time.

For our secondo piatto (second plate), my mother and I shared the simply grilled salmon with oven-baked potatoes and assortment of vegetables like zucchini, bell peppers and whole shallots.  Indeed, the simplicity of the preparation brought out the wondrous flavors of the dish.

As we end our meal, one cannot leave without dolci (dessert), and the tiramisu gelato was highly recommended.  Rightly so.  It looked sinfully rich, but tasted pure and light.  There were enough coffee and chocolate going around.

 

 

For all that we ate, and served with impeccable timing, this feast only cost us PhP1,360 (around US$32).  This would be one of the perks of dining in places just off the mainstream path.

 

And luckily, today was exactly the restaurant's third anniversary of operations and so we lucky diners, we lucky few, had a treat of a digestivo to finish our meal elegantly. 

 

Salute e amore! 

 

Daniele's Casa Mia Ristorante Italiano

8351 Dr. A. Santos Avenue

Brgy. San Antonio, Paranaque City 1700

+63 2 8265163

 

 

A Low-Calorie Day

After eating out  on several occasions, it was time to balance it with some lower calorie, low carb options.  For economies of scale and a more efficient use of the kitchen, the same dish was offered for Heaven's Country Kitchen's (my food business) low calorie meal delivery.  [Hey, I eat what my clients eat.  ;-)]

For today, I tried out this new recipe for steak rub using coffee (my favorite drink) called Coffee and Paprika-Rubbed Sirloin Roast served with Buttermilk Dressing and simply accompanied it with Pan-Grilled Japanese Tofu, Tomatoes and Bell Peppers.  In this instance, I used local beef sirloin with some fat left on it to help give it additional flavor.  In any case, the fat was later dissolved and left at the bottom of the oven because I roasted it using the turbo broiler (or halogen-powered oven).  But this will cook equally well in a conventional oven but place the meat in a roasting tray atop a rack to allow even browning all over.

As for the side dish, I just sliced the tofu into cubes, and the vegetables into chunks then pan-grilled it with just a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil until lightly browned.  This meal has  236 calories.

 

What's good about this recipe is that the prep time is short, and cooking it is hassle-free - you just need to put it in the broiler and keep your time.  The roast came out flavorful by itself, actually, but the dressing gave it added punch.  Enjoy!

The Recipe

1       T. brown sugar
1 1/2 t. instant coffee powder
3/4   t. Spanish paprika
1/2   t. garlic powder
1/2   t. salt
1/8   t. freshly ground black pepper
1 kilo   whole beef sirloin

Score beef all over in a criss-cross pattern Combine the spices and rub all over beef and leave in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.  When ready to cook, pre-heat conventional oven to 250 deg. Celsius for a few minutes and maintain heat when starting to roast the beef.

For the turbo broiler, place beef at 3-4 inches from heat source and set temperature at the same level (250 deg. Celsius) and timer at 50 minutes.  This will produce a medium-well roast which is ideal for local beef.  If using imported beef, and you'd like it medium rare, cook for 30 minutes.

In both instances, turn beef once half-way through its cooking times.  Once beef is done, transfer the roast to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.  After that, slice beef thinly across the grain and serve with Buttermilk Dressing.

Buttermilk Dressing

2   T. low-fat buttermilk
2   T. light mayonnaise (I used Lady's Choice Mayo Lite)
1   T. snipped fresh chives
1    t. apple cider vinegar (I used Bragg's)
1    t. Dijon-style mustard
1/4 t. sugar
1/8 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. each salt and black pepper

Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl until blended well.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator.  This dressing is good for up to 2 days.  (recipe for beef and dressing from low-carb cooking magazine issue 2013)

Dinner Dates - Casa Marcos & Guevarra's

It was just one of those weeks when it seemed all of your waking hours were on nothing but work so that an invitation (or two in fact) from the significant other to just forgo a home-cooked meal and do a bit of stretching (of the vehicle mileage), that I picked up my bag and went off for something of a breather from the hot stove and fingers nicked several times by a newly-purchased Japanese steel cook's knife (we're still getting to know each other).

Casa Marcos
Unit 20a/20b Ortigas Home Depot
J. Vargas Street, Pasig City
+63 2 4703637

This is an old standby, and has resurrected for several years now from their original place in Gilmore Avenue.  It used to be that Casa Marcos was where movie deals get made, what with the LVN Pictures (or was it Sampaguita?) compound just a few meters away, and then later on, with "Mother Lily" of Regal Films until she had her own McDonalds franchise, so that of course, the venue of wheeling and dealing had to be settled at a less (ahem) classy spot.

But while Casa Marcos' interiors have a renewed vigor, the menu remained thankfully the same.  They bake their own mini pan de sal then and now, and in addition, serve regular-sized ones filled with chicken, corned beef or sardines. 

My husband and I still enjoyed the same Gambas for appetizer, a shared Caesar Salad to make room for their specialties which are the creamy and delicate Lengua Sevillana and the silky Callos ala Madrilena. Request that your bread basket be refilled to truly enjoy the flavors.

Like its branch in the Fort Global City, the one in Ortigas makes you enjoy the old standards in an intimate but neighborly setting.

Guevarra's
387 P. Guevara St.
San Juan, Metro Manila
+63 2 7051811

Much has been talked about this newest restaurant of famed Chef Rolando Laudico and his wife Chef Jackie, and the fact that my husband noticed that the place is always full every night he goes home from work got both of us curious.

On the weekend we decided to try it out, we were waitlisted but we braved it through the downpour thinking that there might still be a chance to get a table.  Guevarra's is a converted 1940s or '50s house located in a still decidedly residential part of San Juan.  As we turned into its open gate and driveway up to the house, there was an appreciable oohs and aahs among us.  The restaurant maintained the general integrity of the structure and was really handsome and inviting with all the lights glowing a mellow yellow within and without.  There was ample parking space, and had just been filled up a few seconds after we arrived.

The wait was 30 minutes before we could get a table, and this was only out of luck since a group cancelled their reservation.  

What Guevarra's is, is a casual venue that offers lunch and dinner buffet (Php599 for adults and Php499 for children plus VAT) featuring various Filipino flavors and regional cuisines, with a few international dishes like the US Roast Beef Belly that shared equal billing with other roasts like lechon manok and lechon baboy,  and Fish Fillet with mango chutney, a decidedly Indian dish.

 

 

The highlights of the spread were the Fresh Ubod Lumpia (young coconut spring rolls), the Party Pasta which is essentially Spaghetti with Aligue (or Crabfat) sauce, the Chicken Pastel and the Paella Negra.  The dessert buffet had various rice cakes, chocolate fondue, chocolate mousse and soft-serve ice cream.

 

It was a good place to bring family and friends, and apparently quite attractive enough to hold birthday and other celebrations there.  At the time we were dining, there were two different birthday celebrations going on.

 

 

The food was really good, what one would expect from Chef Lau, made more appetizing brought about by the charming ambiance of the house, and the courteous, but not intrusive, attention of the waitstaff.  But do reserve your table a week ahead to avoid the hassle of waiting.

Bread and Kitchy Art - Pan de Amerikana Marikina

The heavy rains had us scurrying towards the thatched roof of Pan de Amerikana Bakery one day for an afternoon snack and a respite from all that driving we did that day.  Thus, I was unable to take a picture of its famous landmark - the windmill.  Despite the gloomy weather, we were greeted with artsy delights - from a bridge and a pond to assorted and mismatched bric a bracs, from antique musical instruments and radios to movie stars of LVN or Sampaguita pictures fame. 

 

 

And of course, who would miss the giant chess set against the backdrop of Roman pillars?  My husband and daughter made a beeline towards it.  The game is afoot - literally.

 

 

Our large group settled near the giant aquarium and there were orders for pasta carbonara, pancit palabok (rice vermicelli in seafood aioli), halo-halo (assorted sweetened beans and fruit in crushed ice, milk and sugar), and of course their 1950s style large wheat pan de sal (bread of salt), which can be served either with corned beef, butter or Cheez Whiz and accompanied by coffee (instant 3-in-1!). 

 

 

The bread is the reason why one goes there - baked fresh daily, chewy on the inside, crusty and crumbly on the outside, and totally healthy since they only make it with whole wheat flour.

 

 

I didn't take pictures of the plates we ordered since, frankly, it wasn't that worth it.  It was bland all around.  But do go there for the bread, and maybe rest a little on the hammock, or tinker with their assorted and interesting decorative pieces as props.  I hear that they serve flavorful Pinaputok na Tilapia (Tilapia fried in banana leaves) and even steaks.  But will have to go back there and try it out when the weather is better.  

 

 

 

Besides good bread and art, they also sponsor tai chi and art lessons, and from time to time, conduct chess clinics.  Thus, there are a million reasons to go and spend some time in this charming pocket of Marikina.  It makes one curiouser and curiouser.

Pan de Amerikana
92 Gen. Ordonez cor. Maroon Streets
Marikina Heights, 1800 Marikina City
Metro Manila
+63 2 4752398

Street Food Sampling - Songkran

This was during one of my visits to my mother's house in Las Pinas, within southern Metro Manila.  When I was growing up here, the town (now a city) used to be just made up of several residential subdivisions or villages - quiet and suburban.  It no longer can be called suburbia, certainly.  It hasn't been for quite some time actually.  The same thing can be said about BF Homes in Paranaque, even though it has been a self-sustaining subdivision since the late 1970s. 

The hub of commercial activity there used to be just the President's Avenue, but over the years, residences along Aguirre Avenue have little by little been converted to varying business establishments, and the most attractive of them all are the different cafes and restaurants which offer in itself a buffet of cuisines - from Japanese, to Irish, to Italian, 

Spanish, Chinese and of course Filipino along with the sturdy standby Tropical Hut Hamburger.  BF Paranaque can be said to have it all.

For our part (me, my mom and brother), we sought out Songkran, a restaurant that specializes in Thai street food.  The exterior of the restaurant itself elicits tranquility.  A terrace with outdoor tables and chairs surrounds the structure giving the diner a choice of whether to stay outdoors or indoors.

Inside was cooler though on that particular day, with ceiling fans and a hint of airconditioning with sturdy wooden tables and comfortable chairs.  Floor to ceiling windows make you enjoy the greenery outside.

The menu presented a wide variety of dishes which you would normally see offered for sale on a typical busy Bangkok street.  But for now, we settled ourselves with just a few of them.  The lemongrass and mint tea came highly recommended, and they really weren't kidding.  It was thirst-quenching and the subtle sweetness will not make you gag.  There were other cool Thai drinks on offer but will probably try them some other time.  I was definitely hooked on this one.

 

 

Thereafter, we asked for the Catfish Salad which one should always get whenever you're in a Thai restaurant.  The fish was delectably crunchy, never oily and balanced with the fish sauce and vinegar dressing that was cradled within the folds of salad greens and peanuts.

 

 

The green chicken curry was a welcome onslaught of flavors.  More subtle than the red curry, but leaves you with a clean savory taste, especially when paired with aromatic Jasmine rice that help set off the spices.

 

 

We also tried out the Fish Fillet with Caramel Sauce.  It took some time, but it was worth the wait.  The fish was crispy and reminiscent of toasted fishballs, and the caramel sauce was oozing liquid gold. An upscale salute to our very own "tusok-tusok" fishball which our very own manongs sell at every street corner here.

 

 

Thai food always seeks balance and every dish we tried woke our taste buds to every nuance of flavors.  For three dishes and 3 cups of rice with drinks, the Php938.00 bill was reasonable.  We left sated but not gluttoned.  With this experience, we were certainly coaxed to come back and try the other dishes.

Songkran
249 Aguirre Avenue
BF Homes Paranaque
+63 2 8292963

Milk Teas and Sashimi - Bubble Tea BGC

The milk tea craze is still going strong in the Philippines, or at least in Metro Manila, that is.  One of my favorites would be the Japanese brand Bubble Tea.  I have been to their Bonifacio Global City branch many times and liked the cheery pastel ambiance, and thought that I would write about it in my next visit.

This particular visit though had a few flies in their ointment.  We were still greeted by pleasant smiles and prompt assistance with our menu choices, but we noticed that the furniture now showed some wear and tear.  A shame too, because they really had comfortable seats and this was coupled by what should have been a well-thought of motif.  Then the rest rooms were a nightmare.  It has not been cleaned and it reeked of overuse.  Indeed, while they do open until 4am, this is not an excuse not to ensure optimum sanitation standards.

I ordered the mixed sashimi and it came, yes, well arranged, but was warm (!) and garnished with tired-looking radish strings (take note too, of the old stock of tamago [egg] sashimi pieces).  When I asked about this with the waitstaff, they only apologized and said that it was prepared near the stove.  But wouldn't the cook know that sashimi should maintain a certain cool temperature and thus, should avoid preparing it near a hot plate/stove?  They only graciously took note of this and will just tell the cook.  But my point is, the damage has been done.

 

 

Nevertheless, they came through with their Katsudon and the Pork Curry Rice.  Very colorful, well-cooked, and the balance of flavors and textures were evident. 

 

In fact, we noticed that the Japanese expats who came in, all had the Pork Curry Rice.  I suppose, in order to avoid any surprises, they tend to choose this dish which one cannot go wrong in preparing it.

 

 

 

Of course, their milk teas were still wonderfully silky sweet.  I prefer the old-fashioned Royal Milk Tea, but their Chocolate and Buco Pandan flavors satisfy as well.  Maybe if they do a little re-upholstering and are minded to clean their toilets, I will probably come back. For now, I'll have to contend with trying out their other branches instead.