Sinigang na Hipon

With a Filipino husband, I've had to learn to cook a few of his favorite dishes. Filipino cuisine intimidates me in a bit, mainly because I'm not too familiar with the flavor combinations and basic techniques used. That being said, I have succeeded at making a very good Adobo (if I do say so myself), and Afritada.

Sinigang is definitely in the Top 3 for the hubby, and while it seemed so simple, I was convinced that it must be more difficult once you get started.

Well, thanks to a little packet of soup base (don't judge...), making Sinigang became one of the easiest and satisfying dishes ever. In doing our grocery shopping a few days earlier, we got a few veggies that I had never used before. Gabi, sitaw... in English, that's Taro root and long beans. What makes Sinigang so tart and uniquely flavored is the tamarind base along with the flavor of the veggies as it cooks.

I chose to make Sinigang na Hipon, or Shrimp Sinigang.

Note: Unless you're seriously afraid of eating head-on shrimp, you should really use it because it adds so much flavor to the soup stock.

This is probably a short-cut version of the recipe, but it's as delicious as any Sinigang I've had.

Sinigang na Hipon

Ingredients

Pack of Shrimp, head-on

Packet of Knorr Tamarind soup base

3 Tomatoes, cut into cubes

2 Taro Root, cut into 1" cubes

2 cups of Long Beans, cut in half

Handful of fresh Spinach, cut into strips

6 cups of water

Scallions, finely chopped (for garnish, optional)

Steps

1. Wash and prep all the veggies so they're ready to go

2. Add the water into a large pot and boil

3. Add the soup base and tomatoes and allow to combine; simmer

4. Add the taro and cook for about 5mins

5. Add the Shrimp and remaining veggies

6. Simmer the soup until the shrimp are cooked

7. Serve hot and add some scallions as garnished

The soup tastes better the longer it simmers, so don't be afraid to leave the pot on very low as you come back for another ladle every so often.

cPe 2011

Sweet like honey

I have a huge sweet tooth that encompasses most things I eat and drink. I'll choose dessert over salty snacks any day, and I'll choose sweet, fruity cocktails over simple, tart drinks. My shots of choice are Patron XO and B52 - both sweet and delicious.

When our friends in WI told us about a new liqueur they'd recently found, we were excited to give it a try during our next visit. It's a honey liqueur named Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur.

The bottle even looks like a bottle of honey would, and the liqueur itself... oh, the liqueur. It is 35% alcohol and you can tell!

While it's quite strong, it warms your body as it goes down, and what's left, is a seriously delicious honey taste. It's like honey on your lips!

It can be enjoyed on its own, or added to cocktails. The website has a 14 cocktail recipes and you could find a lot more with a general google search.

cPe 2011

Pita Crave

Pita Crave is fairly new in the area, and is about a mile from my place. That being said, it is an easy dinner-saver or lazy-saver. :)

We started getting their combo platter at first, but realized that we really just love the shwarma. Now we get the shwarma platter.

Their meats are delicious and flavorful. The falafel are crispy on the outside, perfectly almost creamy on the inside. The rice... oh the rice. It's so buttery and nutty, I could eat plates of it.

They also have a little "sides" bar if you like pickled veggies. They have pickled beets that are a delicious crunchy addition to your meal.

If you want lebanese sweets, they have little sweets packages (from a bakery in the city) filled with various kinds of baklava and cookies.

I will say, a negative point, goes to the pita they have. They're dry and paper-like. Thank god they have delicious rice, so I don't even take their pitas anymore!

Grill 59

19 S Sutton Rd

Streamwood, IL 60107

cPe 2010

Thank you IKEA.

$5.99

IKEA Schaumburg

1800 E McConnor Parkway

Schaumburg, IL 60173

cPe 2010

Replicating Xoco's Breakfast Torta

If you don't already know from my constant ramblings about this, I love Rick Bayless... yes, him, but mostly his food. In my personal blog, I talked about my love affair with his newest restaurant, Xoco. (see post)

The hubby and I have been a few times now, but one of my favorite things on the menu is abreakfast item - the open-faced torta.

It's a half torta roll, slathered in a spicy tomato broth, a poached egg on top and a few toppings like green onions, etc. I thought... how hard could it be to replicate this at home? Turns out it wasn't so hard, even if the overall flavor was my version of Rick Bayless'.

Tomato broth ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 onion, minced

1 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/4 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon smoked paprika*

1 teaspoon adobo spice mix

1 teaspoon chili powder

salt/pepper to taste

* spice amounts can be increased or omitted, but we liked it spicy.

Directions:

1. Melt the butter and saute the onions until translucent

2. Add the chicken broth and tomato paste, stirring to combine

3. Add the ketchup and spices; lower heat to medium and simmer

4. Season with salt/pepper to taste

Assembling the Torta:

1. Turn your oven broiler to low and toast your torta halves (or use a plain toaster)

2. Once toasted, pour some of the broth onto the roll and allow it to soak in a bit.

3. Add a poached egg on top of this and pour a little bit more sauce.

4. Garnish with whatever you have available - we used thinly sliced green onions, slices of spicy chihuahua cheese and avocado slices.

I guarantee that once you try this easy recipe, you'll add it to your brunch repertoire as well.

Buen provecho!

cPe 2008