Spaghetti with Roasted Peppers and Bacon

It's summer time! That means bell peppers are aplenty. That also means they are cheaper than usual. When this time comes, I load my fridge with bell peppers 'cause they are one of my favorite veggies. Not only are they pretty to look at - love the variety of colors -they are packed with Vitamins A, C, B6 and folate. Very nutritious, indeed. In fact, I read somewhere that those who are trying to lose weight need to include bell peppers in their diet because the vitamins in them provide tremendous health benefits for both fat burning and overall good health. Ok, I am sold!

I especially love to use roasted peppers in pasta. The taste is so subtle and yet quite wonderful.

Here is the recipe, originally from Giada De Laurentiis' book Everyday Pasta, which I have adapted. Her version is meat-free because it was used as a side dish. I wanted to make it more of an entree or a stand-alone meal, hence, I added some bacon to give it a more robust flavor.

Enjoy!


Ingredients

6 large bell peppers, choose your fave color
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
6 strips of bacon (chopped or you may crumble it later after you've cooked it)
1 large onion
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup white wine
1 14 oz can chicken broth
1 lb spaghetti
1/2 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped (optional)
Grated parmesan cheese, to taste

Procedure

Roast the peppers under the broiler or, better yet grill them above the flame, until their skins turn brownish-black and start to pull away. Turn the peppers occasionally and roast/grill for roughly 20-25 mins (broiler method).

Set aside the peppers until they are cool enough to handle. Others place them inside a plastic or paper bag as it helps make the peeling of the skin easier. Remove the skins and seeds and cut them into strips.
Heat a little oil in a large deep pan. Add the bacon. Cook the bacon until brown and crisp. Transfer to another plate and set aside. You will use bacon as topping later. I remove half of the accumulated fat on the pan too but you can use all of it if you wish.

Stir in the chopped onion and saute for about 3 mins. Deglaze the pan with a little wine to remove the brown bits on it.

Add in the pepper strips. Season with salt and pepper and continue to saute for another 2-3 minutes. Pour in the wine and chicken broth and simmer on low heat for about 15-20 mins.

While you are simmering the peppers, begin to cook the pasta.

When all's done, check the seasoning on the pepper sauce and mix in the pasta, parsley and some parmesan cheese. It will be a little watery but once you put some cheese, it will thicken. The cheese can sometimes stick to the spatula so I only put a small amount and just add more on my plate.

Don't forget to sprinkle the crumbled bacon on top! Have a fun Italian dinner!

Chicken Paella

This is a simple yet flavorful paella. I was inspired to make this at home in the summer of 2010 after our trip to Barcelona where I tasted what was to me a truly excellent paella. It was seafood paella with jumbo shrimps and mussels. What a gustatory delight!

Below is a photo of the paella we had.

Alas, I do not live near the sea, so making paella using the freshest sea food is not always possible. Also, making a paella dish can be rather intimidating.

Nonetheless, I decided to make this favorite rice dish of mine with ingredients that are at hand. I did not include saffron threads because sometimes they are not readily available and they're quite expensive too! Instead, I used paprika and turmeric to give both flavor and color to the rice. The result is wonderful! Now, I can just reminisce about Barcelona whenever I eat it.

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Ingredients:

4 organic chicken thighs (skin on)
Salt and pepper
Flour for dusting (use alternative flour if you want it completely gluten-free)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tsp Spanish paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 ½ cups jasmine rice (uncooked)
3 cups chicken stock
2 plum tomatoes, petite diced
1 cup frozen peas
1-2 Red, yellow or orange sweet peppers, seeded and diced
4 oz Spanish Chorizo sausage, chopped 

Procedure:

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and then dust with flour.

Heat the olive oil in a large deep oven-proof pan or a Dutch oven and then fry the chicken until golden brown on both sides. Transfer the chicken pieces to a baking tray and into the oven for about 20 minutes.

While the chicken is cooking in the oven, prepare the accompanying vegetables.

Using the same pan where the chicken was cooked, sauté the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are soft, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the paprika and turmeric. Stir-fry just until aromatic, less than a minute. Add the uncooked rice and chicken stock and mix. Bring to a boil. When it begins to boil, turn off the heat. We will continue cooking it in the oven.

Get the chicken from the oven and place in the pan with the rice and cook in the oven for about 15 mins. The rice should be almost dry at this point. Take the pan out of the oven, remove the chicken pieces to a plate, and then stir in the remaining ingredients except the chorizo. Put the chicken back on top  of the rice. Place the lid on the pan and then bring it back to the oven and bake for a further 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is tender and the rice has fully absorbed the stock. During the last few minutes, heat a little oil and fry the chorizos until brown and crispy. Keep warm. 

Remove the pan from the oven and transfer its contents to a deep serving dish, placing the chicken on top. Spread the chorizos around. Serve with a wedge of lemon, if desired.

Note: You may add the chorizo with the other ingredients (bell peppers, tomato, etc.) and let it cook in the oven. However, it may become chewy though it does add more flavor to the rice.

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Mango Papaya Smoothie

I literally grew up surrounded by papaya trees. My mom loved cultivating them so we always had a few of them in our backyard. In our house in Manila there's at least one papaya tree in our front yard. Papaya trees are great to grow for they often yield a bountiful harvest of fruits. They are also quite versatile for not only can you eat the ripe papayas, even the green (unripe) ones are quite handy to use in savory dishes. They are especially good when combined with poultry.

The other day I went to a nearby Mexican grocery to get some tomatoes. In their fruit and veggie section, I saw a ripe papaya and immediately grabbed it (after paying, of course!) and brought it home. I don't often find a ripe papaya so when I see one I take the chance to buy it. I am always thrilled when I find tropical fruits in the grocery. It always brings me back closer to home. 

Here I am using the papaya fruit in a smoothie/shake 'cause it is perfectly ripe and sweet!

I had some left-over mangoes as well so I thought what better way to make a smoothie than to combine my two favorite tropical fruits. 

To make it creamier I do add a bit of milk, but if you wish to make a pure smoothie, just leave out the milk and blend as usual.

Ingredients

3 cups papaya, seeded and chopped
3 cups mango flesh, chopped
2 cups crushed ice
1/2 cup milk, or more if desired
brown sugar (or your favorite sweetener), to taste

Procedure 

Mix all ingredients in a blender. I usually start with some ice on the bottom of the blender because they are harder to crush and then I pile on the rest of the ingredients on top. 

*My mango bits  were frozen so I had to let them thaw a bit and then I placed them at the bottom of the blender with a little water or milk so they would puree better.

But if all your ingredients are fresh, proceed as above. I use the smoothie/shake button on my blender.

Serve immediately. Truly a healthy and refreshing drink!

Proof that it's yummy --- happy customers like these two!

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Ice Cream Sandwich

Need I say more? To be honest, this photo leaves me speechless..... and very hungry! J

Of late, when I write a post it seems that I always relate it to something that I have experienced in the past, particularly my childhood. My memories, just like most Filipinos, revolve around food. Experiences are built at or around food. When families and friends get together, there's always food. In fact, our customary greeting, "Kumusta ka na? (How are you?) is often followed by, "O, kumain ka na ba?" (Have you eaten)? To say that we love food is an understatement.

Again, I have been reminiscing about our childhood snacks in the Philippines. At around   mid-afternoon, we like to have "meryenda" (snacks). Of course, every child's favorite snack is "sorbetes" or ice cream.

In neighborhoods, you would hear the sound of a bell ringing and, no, it's not from a church bell, it's actually from the local ice cream man/vendor or "Mamang Sorbetero" as we fondly call them. Every town or village would have their own local ice cream vendor that we even have a song written about it. Click here to see what a typical "Mamang Sorbetero" looks like. 

Sometimes we buy "sorbetes" in a cone but there are times when we buy ice cream in a roll or bun. Yes, an ice cream sandwich. My husband cannot believe we eat ice cream with bread. I told him he should try it 'cause it's really good. So far I have not been successful in convincing him. Perhaps if the ice cream is sandwiched between two cookies, he'll give in. Too bad though, the kids beat him to it!

So, when the local pandesal is not enough for your ice cream. Why not grab  two of your favorite cookies (I like the chocolate ones!) and then insert your favorite ice cream in between. For this rather indulgent version (a once-a-month perhaps even a once-a-year treat!) I used chocolate cookies and vanilla flavored ice cream. Yum!

Avocado Shake or Smoothie

One of my fondest memories of childhood was during the summer season in our little island called Marinduque when my mom, in the stifling heat, gave us cold refreshments to help us cool down. Often, it would be a fresh fruit shake in the form of mango, papaya, banana, guyabano, or avocado depending on whichever tropical fruit was in season.

But you may wonder --- avocado? Certainly, it's not fruit! Well, in the Philippines it is! When we think of avocado, we think of eating eat just like any ordinary fruit. We don't really use it as part of a savory dish; we just enjoy it on its own. When you get the ripest avocado, it is almost sweet though you don't expect it to be mango sweet, of course. In fact, for most of us, the way to eat avocado without much ado is to just to open it up - remove the pit,  sprinkle a little brown sugar on it and then scoop out the flesh with the spoon. Yum! When we are feeling more adventurous, we also squeeze a little juice from the local lime (calamansi) to give it some zing! Even better.

For me, apart from making guacamole, the best way to make use of avocado is to turn it into a yummy smoothie or shake. Avocado is just perfect for a shake for it naturally has a creamy texture. We don't call it a smoothie in the Philippines - with or without ice cream or milk - it is always considered a shake. I suggest the use of regular milk when making the shake instead of yogurt or ice cream 'cause it can get very thick. That shouldn't stop you from eating it with ice cream or making an avocado ice cream for that matter - perhaps I should make one soon!

So before the summer is over and when you get the craving to grab some avocados in the supermarket why not try to turn it into a yummy shake for a change. Trust me, once you've had it, you'll never see avocado the same way again.

Ingredients

2 Avocados (ripe)

2 cups crushed ice*

1 cup milk, plus more if needed (for Paleo sub with Almond or Coconut Milk)

Honey, Agave or Sugar (3-4 Tbsp if using brown sugar), to taste 

*You may or may not wish to include ice. Since Avocado smoothie/shake can be quite thick, in the Philippines we use some ice to dilute it a little plus it's a summer drink so it has to be cold.

Procedure

Place the crushed ice in a blender. Top it with the avocado.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Process until smooth and thick to your desired consistency. You may need to add more milk if you want just an easy pour kind of shake. I like mine a little thick and creamy.

If you are feeling rather indulgent, add some whipped cream and garnish it with a cherry on top!

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