Ingredients for the marinade: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 shallot finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves 1/2 cup tomato sauce; 1 tbsp dried oregano; few drops of chili sauce; 2 tbsp brown sugar; salt and finely ground black pepper; 12 pieces of chicken wings

Procedure: Preheat the oven to 180C.  Put all the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Marinade the chicken wings for a couple of hours before cooking or even over night.  Oil a baking tray and arrange the chicken wings skin-side down.  Place in the oven and cook for 10-15 minutes.  Turn the wings over and cook for further 10 minutes, or until cooked.

Tip: I first cook the chicken wings for few minutes in a grill pan or barbecue grill.  I love the smoky taste that the grilling process gives to the chicken.  Then, after a couple of minutes, I put the chicken on the tray and straight to the oven.  The grilling also seals the flavor and liquid in the chicken, thus, making it juicy and not dry.

Dip: The used marinade can be made into a topping sauce for this recipe.  Simply put the marinade in a small sauce pan and add 1/3 cup of chicken stock.  Stir continuously in low heat.  Put in a teaspoon of thick cream and stir to blend.  This is a beautiful sauce.  The chicken wings in the photos have sauce in it, less the cream though.  This is because hubby is on diet and I preferred to do that to reduce calorie and fat intake.

If you want a thick dip instead of sauce, a mixture of sour cream, a tablespoon of lemon juice, crumbled feta or any soft cheese, and chives and black pepper make perfect dipping sauce for this.  Bon apetit!

(Ideas for this recipe were derived from ‘The Cooking Book’ by Brigitte Hafner.)

A healthy choice for veggie lovers...

I have seen this a couple of weeks ago on my favorite cooking show.  That one of Giada in Food Channel.  I got very interested in this because I love green peas and I love the witlof with which she served the dip.  The thing is, I am not really fond of sundried tomatoes.  But still, I gave it a go.

Ingredients:  A cup of sundried tomatoes marinated in olive oil; 2 cups of frozen peas (blunched); 2 cloves of garlic; half cup of olive oil; salt and pepper; chili flakes (optional)

Procedure:  Put all the ingredients in the food processor and blend it until all the ingredients are well incorporated.  Make sure that it still has a coarse texture.  We don’t want the ingredients pureed.  Serve with veggies like witlof spears, baby cos/ baby romaine lettuce, seeded cucumbers or any veggies you like.

I served mine with witlof spears.  I love the sweet taste of green peas combined with the salty-sour taste of sundried tomatoes.  But since the witlof spears have a  bit of bitter taste, it may not be the ideal choice for those who do not like bitter veggies.  I recommend baby cos/ baby romaine lettuce as it is a bit sweet and very juicy.

This dip is ideal for dinner or cocktail parties.

Finger-licking good 'red wine adobo'

If you are a real Filipino you must love adobo.  Who is not familiar with adobo?  Whether you are in the Philippines or in other countries around the globe, Filipinos have to have adobo on their table once in a blue moon.  This is like a Pinoy ‘trademark’.  My friend in Las Vegas told me about the adobo they ordered in one of the restaurants there.  Yes, sure, it was yummy…but nothing can beat the home made adobo that we cook in our own version.

I have tasted and cooked different versions of adobo.  I love my mom’s version of adobo with dried banana flowers.  I miss it so much.  I promise that as soon as I find banana flowers here in Sydney I will definitely cook that version.  My brother-in-law’s version of adobo is worth the wait; he cooks it for an hour or so.  He cooks the meat first with the golden brown garlic then the rest of the cooking process lasts for an hour.  This adobo is one of the best I have ever tasted.  I love the garlicky taste.  This version has no sauce because it is cooked until it gets dry.

I came up with my own version of adobo.  This is spare ribs adobo with red wine vinegar.  What makes it different is the vinegar itself and the red wine.  The blend of the red wine vinegar and red wine with the flavors of garlic, a bit of sugar, soy sauce, black pepper corns and bay leaves is simply a piece of heaven in my palate.  The very tender pork spare ribs and the adobo sauce are finger-licking good.

Procedure: Brown spare ribs (1kg) in a bit of oil to seal the juice and flavor of the meat.  When done, set aside in a plate.  Put the garlic in the same pan and cook until brown.  Put in half cup of water, 1/4 cup of soy sauce (or just enough to make the sauce salty).  Put in a bit of sugar, black pepper corns and bay leaves.  Cook until the meat is tender.  Pour in the red wine vinegar – the amount will depend on your taste, so aim for that taste that pleases your palate.  Pour in 2 table spoons of red wine.  Simmer until the sauce is reduced and sticky.  Serve with steamed jasmine rice.

Prawn, spinach & Cherry tomatoes ready to be tossed with the pasta! Bellissimo!

This is not the first time I cooked my recipe, arranged it on the plate, served it on the table and forgot to take a photo for publication.  I cannot blame myself.  Once you tried this recipe you will also realize you cannot blame me for getting too excited to eat and please my palate.

Italian food is known for simple recipe and unique blend of flavors.  This is another simple, easy and quick recipe which is ideal for busy moms.  I confidently recommend this recipe to all  those who have no luxury of time to prepare two-course recipe.  Your plate will already be made complete with carbohydrates, protein and all the goodness of green and scrumptious baby spinach.  The sweet, citrus-y  and juicy cherry tomatoes are additional bonus to your craving palate.

Since the recipe is very simple, I will just put the cooking instructions and ingredients all in the next paragraph.  Amount of ingredients will depend on how much you want as well as on your taste.

Instructions: Saute garlic; put the peeled tiger prawns; splash a bit of white wine and wait for the alcohol to evaporate; put in the baby spinach and cook until wilted; throw in halved cherry tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper, and bit of chili flakes.  Toss with pre-boiled spaghetti or any pasta that you like.

Optional: Put shaved parmesan on top before serving.  You can also substitute baby spinach with baby rocket lettuce of any green leafy veggies of your choice.

Bon apetit!

Tomato-Basil Sauce

The Italian tradition of making home-made tomato sauce takes place every month of February in my in-laws’ place.  A garage full of a hundred of boxes of tomatoes is one of the most amazing sight that I have ever seen in my life as a cook.  The challenge of making my own tomato sauce really tickled my thoughts.  I have only used canned tomato sauce back home in Manila.  In fairness, my tomato sauce is delicious and I love preparing it on pasta for my family most of the Sunday afternoons.  But when I moved in Australia, my taste changed.  I think I cannot be fully satisfied anymore of any pasta recipe that requires tomato sauce if the latter is not home-made.

How they do it: The first step is to steam all the tomatoes in a huge steamer.  Tomatoes are cooked when they are already soft and the skin can be easily peeled.  Cool the tomatoes.  Peel them one by one.  Put them in sterilized bottles.  Seal the bottle.  Sterilize the bottled tomatoes for an hour or so – this is the preservation process.  That’s it!  Sounds easy?  Not really…We usually finish all the tomatoes in two days!  Then, the year-supply of tomato sauce for the entire family is ready.  We produce two to three hundreds of bottled tomato sauces.

But for a busy mom like me, and if I don’t have this supply of tomato sauce, this is How I do it: Pour olive oil in a deep pan.  Saute one to two heads of garlic until they are soft.  Don’t brown the garlic.  Put the 1 kilo sliced tomatoes in, stirring continuously for a minute.  Put the lid on and leave it simmering in medium heat.  After a couple of minutes give the tomatoes a stir.  You can see here that the tomatoes are already soft and starting to juice.  No need to add water as the tomatoes will cook in its own juice.  Lower the heat and put the lid back.  Make sure to stir it once every five minutes.  When the tomatoes are already in its sauce-like consistency, it’s ready for seasoning. Season with salt and put in a handful of fresh basil.  Ground black pepper is optional.

The sauce is ready when it is not watery anymore.  You can bottle the sauce (and do the preservation process by steaming it) or keep it in a container and refrigerate it.

Blenderize the tomato sauce before bottling it or you can do that right before preparing your pasta.

It is worth making your own home-made tomato sauce once in a while.  I love using my sauce not only for pasta but for chicken, meat or seafood recipes.

I love the combination of steak and salad; any salad.  But this Thai salad really captured my palate.  The blend of all the flavors from the dressing is so delicious that I keep on craving for more.  I tell you, I can finish a whole big bowl of this salad.

How To Prepare: First, buy a slice of scotch fillet from a good butcher shop.  Scotch fillet is my favorite meat cut for steak.

Second, prepare all the veggies that will go to your salad bowl:  sliced carrots, sliced French shallots, bean sprouts, parsley, red/green/yellow/orange capsicums, red onions.  Optional:  coral lettuce, julienned green beans, snow peas.

Dressing: Mix in the following ingredients with a whisk:  soy sauce, vegetable oil, finely chopped garlic, finely chopped parsley, grated ginger, a spoon of low fat mayonnaise, a spoon of sesame oil, chili flakes, ground black pepper, salt and a pinch of sugar.

Grill the steak and toss the salad with the dressing.  Serve.  That easy.  This is ideal for a quick lunch or dinner.  You can prepare the dressing ahead of time and keep it in a container or bottle.  Keep the dressing in a fridge pre-mixed and the same will be as good for a week.

Note:  The photo attached here is not as colorful as it should appear.  I prepared this salad without planning ahead so I just put in it whatever I have in the fridge.  I love how my steak came out of the grill though-  still juicy inside.  Bon apetit!

Instructions: Put in a cup of lentils in 3 cups of boiling water.  Cook until the lentils are tender and almost mushy.  Add in onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, green beans, pumpkin, zucchini, broccoli, spinach.  Aside from the aforementioned vegetables, you can add others that you would love to have in the soup.  Vegetables must all be chopped finely.  Cook the soup until all the vegetables are tender and the flavors are well blend.  Add salt or you can use a chicken stock cube instead.  Serve.

Alternative serving idea: You can also put the soup in the blender and puree it.  Then top it with a spoonful of non-fat thick cream and garlic croutons.

My son loves to eat this with steamed rice (so Filipino) but he still would not eat the ‘chunky’ veggies even if they were chopped so finely.  At least, he loves the soup where all the flavors and healthy juices of the vegetables are.

Although this is just a soup, it is a hearty one!  This recipe is recommended for those who are in weight loss diet as well.  Bon apetit!

Now, let me give you this very simple and easy prosciutto starter.  All you need are the following ingredients:  Tomatoes, sliced mozzarella cheese, basil leaves, caramelized balsamic/ balsamic concentrate, ground black pepper, olive oil and prosciutto slices.

Procedure: Slice the tomatoes about 1cm thick.  Arrange on a serving platter and top with mozzarella slices, followed with basil leaves.  Drizzle the olive oil on top as well as the balsamic concentrate.  Season with black pepper.  Arrange on its side the slices of prosciutto.  You can also put the slices of prosciutto in between the tomatoes and mozzarella cheese instead of separating them on the plate.

Alternative serving idea: You can arrange the ingredients in mini skewers by using cherry tomatoes instead and cutting the mozzarella in cubes.  This will definitely look beautiful on the party table!

This is a favorite Italian entree.  The combination of all the flavors of ingredients is fantastic.  Bon apetit!

Ingredients: Boiled/cooked 250grams spaghetti, broccoli flower (as mush as you like), 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic, coarsely ground pepper, peeled prawns, olive oil, thick cream or all-purpose cream.

Half of the broccoli must be cooked until tender that it can be mashed; While half must be half-cooked (still crispy).

Procedure: Heat pan and pour olive oil.  Saute garlic until tender but not brown.  Put in the prawns and cook for few seconds.  Pour in the pre-boiled broccoli.  Mash the over-boiled broccoli; this will give more flavor to the sauce. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.  Finally, pour in the cream.  The idea is for the cream to just add thickness and a bit of creamy taste that will stick to the pasta.  Therefore, the cream should not overwhelm the sauce.  Three to five tablespoons of cream will do.

Boil pasta until cooked al dente.  Toss in with the broccoli sauce.  Enjoy!

Alternative ideas: You can also use other pasta like linguine, fussilli or tagliatelle.  The broccoli sauce can also be made without cream for those who are on diet.  It is good to serve it with more broccoli and less (just a cup) of pasta – this is already a complete meal!

Toni's Squid Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Kilo squid; 1 head of garlic; olive oil; quarter cup of Kikkoman soy sauce; crushed black pepper; chopped parsley for garnishing

The squid must be cleaned, ink sack removed.  You can leave some of the ink though if you want as this adds more flavor to the sauce.  Remove the outer reddish/purple-ish skin layer of the squid, but this is optional as well because some like to cook the squid as is.  Cut the squid in rings.  The white fat inside the squid should not be removed because that’s what brings more flavor to the dish.

Optional: chillis; sesame oil

Procedure:

Pour olive oil in a pan (non-stick preferably) on medium heat.  Saute finely chopped garlic.  Don’t brown garlic; cook until it’s tender only.  Put in the squid and saute continuously for a minute.  You don’t need to add water here because all the liquid and juice from the squid will come out.  That is enough to cook the squid in but if you want more sauce then you can add a bit of water.  Cover the pan with a lid and put the heat down.  Simmer for few minutes.  Pour in the soy sauce and season with black pepper.  Put the lid back and keep the heat low.  Cook between 15-30 minutes depending on how much remaining sauce you want.  I prefer mine nearly dry and the remaining sauce very sticky.  Yum!

Serve with steamed rice and garnish with chopped parsley.  The optional chillies and sesame oil can be added right after you turned off the heat.  The sesame oil will give it a bit more of Asian flavor while the chillies is for some heat which some people really like but I don’t.

This recipe is inspired by the Tokyo Tokyo food chain (Manila local) which I and my sister love!  We came up with this recipe several years ago when Tokyo Tokyo pulled out the squid meal from their menu.  Bon apetito!

As promised to my friend Nina, I am posting this recipe for the first time online.  Almost a couple of years ago, I was watching a cooking show where the cook made a party dip made up of eggplant and capsicum put in a food processor for a rough texture.  Then, I made my own version of eggplant-capsicum spread which is much smoother and can be eaten with a dinner roll or an Italian bread, or any bread that you wish to have it on.

Ingredients:

Eggplants (1 big size or 4 medium size pieces of the Japanese eggplant)

2 pieces of red capsicum (red bell peppers)

1 head of garlic

1/2 cup of olive oil (you can use extra virgin olive oil if you wish for more flavor)

salt and ground black pepper

1 cup grated Parmegiano Reggiano (parmesan)

Optional ingredients:

Onion roasted in the same way as the other ingredients

A small spoon of chili flakes

Instructions:

Cut eggplant and capsicums in chunk; put them in a tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Put garlic (still with skin and whole) in a piece of aluminium foil, drizzle with oil and wrap and include it in the tray.

Put eggplant, capsicums and garlic in a pre-heated oven 220′dc.

Wait until they are cooked and roasted.  Set aside to cool down.

Gather all the oven roasted ingredients in a blender, garlic must be squeezed out of its peel;  pour in olive oil, seasoning and parmesan cheese.  Blend.  Olive oil can be added depending on how thin or thick you want the spread to be.  Adjust seasoning to your own taste.

My family loves this as spread or dip for Italian bread and dinner rolls.  Take note that the quality of the outcome of this recipe or any recipe will depend on the quality of all the ingredients.  Bon apetit!

I was always hesitant to cook Paella because the look of the dish itself was very complicated for me.  I have cooked a variety of Italian Risottos like Mushroom Risotto, Green Pea Risotto, Spinach Risotto, Pumpkin Risotto, Chicken Risotto, name it, but there is nothing like Paella which has the blend of flavors from my favorite seafood.  Note that the big difference between Italian Risotto and Paella is that, Risotto has one or two main ingredient/s with the arborio rice, while Paella is a pool of seafood as well as herbs and spices.

Paella A La 'Chen'

When our friend Chen introduced the Paella in her Facebook post a couple of months ago, I was so excited to cook it again.  All my favorite seafood are in the list of ingredients, plus most importantly, her recipe promised an “easy” way to cook it.  This recipe is from www.foodnetwork.com which Chen shared in her page and compilation of recipes.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 chicken legs with skin
Salt
Pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1 bay leaf
2 links spicy sausage, sliced
2 cups chopped canned tomatoes
1 tablespoon paprika
2 cups rice
5 cups chicken stock
6 clams, scrubbed and soaked in cold water to remove sand
6 mussels, scrubbed
6 shrimp, shelled and de-veined
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Directions
In a large heavy casserole pan, heat oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper and brown in pan. Remove meat to a plate. Stir in onion and peppers and cook until tender. Stir in bay leaf and sausage and cook until sausage is browned. Stir in rice and cook for 2 minutes. Return chicken to pan. Add chopped tomatoes.  Pour in chicken stock and stir to combine.  Season with paprika.  Bring to a simmer, cover cook for 20 to 30 minutes over medium heat. When rice is nearly done, add extra water if necessary, and stir in clams, mussels and shrimp. Cook for 10 more minutes and stir in peas. Serve hot.

Is not that too easy?  Since Chen gave me this recipe I have already cooked this twice: on Valentine’s dinner for my husband and less than a week after that.  I should have taken a photo of my own version of Paella but it was so funny that I forgot to take a photo and only remembered when the dinner were finished.  I was so excited to eat!

Toni’s Paella version and suggestions:  I cooked my Paella with fresh squid rings as well (aside from mussels, prawns, vongole/clams and fish fillets).  I bought a couple of baby squid, clean them and remove the thin outside layer until what’s left was the white flesh.

I used additional herbs & seasoning aside from paprika.  I added few strings of dried saffron and a couple of dried bay leaf.  Be careful not to put lots of saffron because the flavor and aroma is too strong, unless you really love saffron.

I did not put sausages in my Paella because I thought that my husband won’t like too much of everything mixed up besides seafood.  I added John Dory fish fillets instead.

The flavor of the chicken together with the seafood was divine!  My husband have never had paella with chicken in it.  He knew that paella has only seafood in it.  He used to eat seafood paella in a restaurant in the city which he reckons has the best paella in Sydney.  The paella I cooked on Valentine’s dinner had chicken in it and hubby loved it.  The second paella which I cooked on ash wednesday dinner had no chicken in it but mere seafood.  Hubby said he preferred the first version.

Paella can also be cooked with halved crabs which I will try next time I cook this.

Bon apetit!

Most of the times, I wake up in the morning and feel like preparing something ’special’ for my kids and hubby.  Tuesday morning is the only day when our family eats breakfast together.  It is hubby’s day off from work.

Since hubby wakes up late, around 9:00 every Tuesday, I prefer to prepare big breakfast for him to boost his energy.  Tease his taste and excite his senses!  What am I talking about?  Food of course.

Last Tuesday, I prepared my favorite omelette with red capsicums and slices of button mushrooms, rindless bacon, roasted tomatoes (can be pan fried too), a ramekin of baked beans and a bowl of fresh strawberries.

Simple breakfast ideas

For the omelette, the mushrooms and red capsicums were cooked in a bit of oil first until wilted then seasoned with salt and pepper before mixing it with the beaten eggs.  My omelette was sprinkled with grated parmesan cheese before I cooked it.  That makes a big difference in taste.  Sooo delish!!

Oh, don’t be so impressed with the baked beans.  It was the one from tin which hubby brought from his shop to try at home.  I can share to you however a good recipe for baked beans in the recipe section one of these days.  Promise.

With the way our breakfast was presented on the table with freshly squeezed orange juice, nobody can say now that it was not ’special’.

Time spent with our family is always special…it is not the food that is on the table but the appreciation and gratitude for whatever we have and share together as a family.

Here are the ingredients.  You can put as much of each ingredients as you like:  Prosciutto; marinated artichoke hearts; iceberg, cos or romane lettuce, cubed tomatoes or cherry tomatoes.

Toss the ingredients.  Drizzle with dressing: olive oil, dijon mustard, salt and cracked pepper.

Alternate ingredients:  You can use thinly sliced of smoked ham.  I really think that the Filipino Purefoods Fiesta Ham is the most ideal alternative to prosciutto.  Artichoke hearts can be replaced by green or black pitted olives (vinegar-marinated) because of the similar tangy taste of marinated artichoke hearts.

Remember, you can experiment with other ingredients.  That’s what ‘food world’ is all about.  Bon apetit!

The tip is to prepare a container of basil pesto (which you can also replace with baby spinach) and keep it in a fridge.  It can last for a week or two.  This is because of the olive oil in it, the puree stays beautifully preserved.  And the more that the flavour of all the ingredients are enhanced and they compliment each other.

To prepare the Pesto puree:  Put in the blender the following:  Basil leaves (a bunch; remove the leaves from stems!), garlic cloves (one or two or more as you wish), pine nuts (toasted or not), some grated parmesan cheese (lots if you want) and olive oil.  The measurement of all the ingredients will depend on how much flavour you like.  Adjust the ingredients according to your taste.  Blend everything into puree/ paste or you can use food processor.

Boil the pasta in salted water.  You can choose whichever kind of pasta you want.  My favourites are spaghetti, fettuccine, linguine and fusilli.

When the pasta is cooked, drain it.  Add the pesto, thick cream (or all-purpose cream).   Mix well.

Whenever we have Pesto for dinner, I always accompany it with mixed vegetable salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil as dressing.  I also prepare my favourite bruschetta. 

How to prepare bruschetta:  Dice tomatoes, add chopped basil, minced garlic, season with salt and drizzled with olive oil.  Top the mixture on a toasted bread.

That’s it!  That could be your dinner for tonight.  Bon apetit!

Note:  You can save some of those pesto puree and use it as marinade for your favourite chicken or steak.  Marinade it overnight and grill or even pan fry.  I have also tried it on prawns.  Delish!!

This is perfect for entree or appetizer

Ingredients:  Asparagus

- Prosciutto which can be replaced with sliced ham

- Feta cheese, or you can choose from a variety of your favorite cheese like camembhert or mozarella (which must be combined with other cheese like parmesan or cheddar for more taste and flavor)

- olive oil and ground black pepper

Here’s the simple steps to prepare it:

First, lay down prosciutto slices and put 3 pieces of asparagus on top;  Sprinkle with crumbed feta cheese;  Season with black pepper; Wrap around the asparagus with the prosciutto; Arrange several pieces of this wrap on a baking tray; Drizzle with olive oil;  Bake for 15 minutes at 175′ or until the prosciutto is golden brown.

It’s always nice to serve this fresh from the oven while it is still warm.  The juice on the baking tray which came from the asparagus, cheese and prosciutto can be drizzled on top before serving.  Bon apetit!

Stuffed zucchini flowers

Ingredients for the stuffing: 5 pieces zucchini flowers, cream cheese (which can be replaced by ricotta or mascarpone cheese or any soft cheese), a couple of finely chopped preserved anchovy fillets, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.  A spoon or two of breadcrumbs can also be added to the mixture to make all the ingredients stick all together.

For the batter:  1 egg white, 1 whole egg, 60 grams plain white flour, 5 tbsp cold water, pinch of salt

Preparation:  1- Mix together all the stuffing ingredients and blend the ingredients well until smooth. 2- Spoon into the flowers and close flower around the mixture.  3- Make the batter by beating everything together.  4- Dip each stuffed flowers in the batter and deep fry until golden brown.

Please note that in this recipe, we use the “female” zucchini flowers.  Female zucchini flowers have more room in the middle of the petals than the male ones, which make them more ideal for stuffing recipes like this.

Zucchini is a vegetable that is similar to what we call “upo” in the Philippines.  In countries, like the Philippines, zucchini flowers can be alternated in this recipe with other vegetable flowers.  I suggest doing this recipe with “squash (pumpkin) flowers”.  It is all about experimenting.  That’s what makes cooking very interesting.

I make this salad once in a blue moon; just to break away from my usual green salad with black balsamic and olive oil.  This lettuce and sweet corn salad is very tasty.  Warning:  you might get addicted to it that you would want to eat it every day.  Well, I did…every day for two weeks straight! Lol!

Preparation:  Shred or cut the lettuce leaves (not so fine, maybe half size of the way you normally cut them in your salad, so it’s smaller); combine it with the sweet corn kernels. Set aside in the fridge.

Before the meal, microwave enough amount of low-fat/low sodium butter until melted. This will serve as the dressing. Put the dressing while it is still warm. Mix salad with bacon crisps (fat drained).

Season the salad with salt as needed and ground black pepper.

It might not sound healthy but the choice of butter and draining fat from the bacon will make a big difference.

This is so simple and yummy.

When I made this the first time, I served it with sliced strawberries in the middle.  It looked like a sandwich with fresh fruits and whipped cream as filling.  One good thing I like about this recipe is that it is not too sweet.  You can still lessen the amount of sugar in the mixture because the fruit filling and the cream will give enough sweetness and taste to it.  My kids love this as much as I do.  My husband is on diet but he just can’t resist this.  I reckon though that this won’t hurt one’s diet as long as it is not served everyday; well, this is not even that sweet really (always remember and put into practice the moderation rule when it comes to sweet).

Ingredients:

100g butter

100g caster sugar

100g self-raising flour

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

pinch of salt

2 medium eggs

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven at 190c

2. Place butter & sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth

3. Beat eggs in a separate bowl & add to the butter-sugar mix little by little alternately with the flour stirring the mix continuously; makes sure to keep the same smooth consistency

4. Add the vanilla essence and a pinch of salt, mix for few minutes

5. Pour the mixture into a non-stick cake pan and put in a moderately hot oven, middle shelf

6. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the inside of the cake is already cooked (you can check this by dipping in a fork to the center of the cake, if the fork gets out without any sticky cake mixture then it is already cooked)

7. When cooked, put to cool on a tray

8. when already cool, cut the cake crosswise creating two layers

9. Put whipped cream in the middle and slices of fresh fruits like strawberries, bananas or mangoes

10.  Put back the top layer and slice the cake

This makes 8 servings

Ingredients & Instructions:

1/2kg. Minced beef/pork;

1 medium finely chopped onions;

1 small finely diced red bell pepper/capsicums;

finely diced carrots and celery;

2 beaten eggs;

4 spoonfuls of plain flour; 

Salt and black pepper to taste.

Optional ingredients are liver pate’, cubed cheddar cheese and parsley.

Mix all ingredients.  Roll a portion of it in a foil.   I especially make them in smaller sizes like jumbo sausages (3 inches length and 1 1/2 inches in diameter) which is far different from how we make it back home (6-7 inches in length and 2 inches in diameter).

To add more taste to it, I put a stick of cheese in the middle of the roll which melts when cooked.  So delicious! 

Steam for 20-30 minutes.

To make the salsa, chop tomatoes and red bell peppers. 

Saute garlic in olive oil, put in the chopped tomatoes and red bell peppers, season with salt and black pepper.  Put in chillies if desired. 

Simmer until nearly dry and thick.  This will serve as sauce for the Embotido.