Rellenong Talong: A Variation

Rellenong Talong
Originally uploaded by annalyn.

I like eggplants - whether it eggplant parmesan or good ol' piniritong talong with bagoong. And of course I dig the relleno version: the recipe is the same as tortang giniling except that the ground meat sauteed in onion and garlic sits on a bed of fried eggplant which was cut into two.

I saw a revised recipe in Food Magazine and I thought it was a good idea: you can actually add vegetables like Baguio Beans and carrots for a healthier alternative. What more, the veggies can act as extenders to the ground meat which is getting costlier these days.

Other ingredients you might like to add: potatoes, sweet peas, sausages and red pepper.

When I cooked this dish, I thought it was lacking in eggs and so I promise to do better next time. Talk about kitchen hits and misses:)

Adobong blue marlin in creamy sauce

blue marlin in creamy vinegar sauce
Originally uploaded by annalyn.

In a recent gathering, I made blue marlin a la pobre which consisted of the fish fillets being pan-fried in butter then topped with lots of garlic bits.... if you ask me, a good way to serve food to your guests when you are pressed for time. A chef once told me there's no use really drowning meats and seafood in gravies and sauces because this takes away their natural flavors.

But I still had blue marlin fillets left and so tried a blue marlin in creamy sauce recipe from The Best of Food Magazine. I revised this a little because I added left-over sour cream from a salad I made which further improved the quality of the sauce. Here goes:

Slice your blue marlin into cubes then saute in garlic and ginger for about two minutes.

Working quickly,mix vinegar, soy sauce and water as you would in adobo and top with a dash of sugar. Add this mixture to pan-fried fish and simmer for 1 minute.

Add sour cream until sauce is thickened and thoroughly cooked. In the absence of sour cream, mix corn starch with hot water.

Serve the creamy fish cubes and top with green onions, if desired.