Laing lumpia, anyone?

The original recipe called this crispy laing pockets, but I'd rather call this laing lumpia. A great new way to cook our favorite laing and lumpia. This actually reminds me of the spanakopita (Greek spinach pie) that I also learned how to make recently.

Photo and recipe courtesy of Knorr, via the YUMMY cooking demo.

Ingredients:

3 pieces green peppers, sliced
50 grams dried taro leaves
1 pack Knorr Ginataang Gulay Langka and Laing Complete Recipe Mix
1 cup water for boiling gabi leaves
2 cups water for dissolving Knorr Ginataang Gulay Complete Recipe Mix
23 pieces lumpia wrapper
cooking oil, for deep frying

Procedure:

Boil dried gabi leaves in two cups water until it dries up.

Dissolve Knorr Complete Recipe Mix in 2 cups water.

Pour dissolved gata mix into the gabi leaves and add the green peppers. Boil until the mixture thickens.

Let laing cool. Set aside.

Cut lumpia wrapper into three or four strips. Place a spoonful of laing on one strip and carefully fold and wrap into a triangle shape.

Seal wrap with a mixture of flour and water.

Deep fry laing pockets until golden brown.

Place in a paper towel to remove excess oil. Serve while hot and crispy.

Meatloaf mushroom melt

This is a great snack for the kids! The original recipe called for bacon, but since I didn't have it in the pantry, I used meatloaf instead ( Spam, Maling or derivative). The original recipe was by Chef Sunshine Pengson and appeared in a food magazine.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Magnolia gold butter
2 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
8 strips bacon, cooked
185 g. Magnolia Quickmelt Cheese, sliced
4 pcs. burger buns

Procedure:

Melt butter in a saute pan. Saute garlic and mushrooms. Set aside, Place mushrooms on split side of the bun. Top with sliced Magnolia Quickmelt Cheese and cooked bacon. Place in the oven toaster and cook for three minutes or until cheese melts.Top with the other half of the bun and serve. Serves 4.

No-bake cheesecake

If you love cheesecake but is intimidated at the thought of using an oven, here's a no-bake cheesecake recipe that I learned from a class at The Maya Kitchen:

1. Prepare crumb crust. Combine 1 cup crushed graham crackers, 1 cup finely chopped cashew nuts, 1 tbsp. sugar and 1/3 cup melted butter.

2. Press evenly over the base of a 9-inch aluminum pan or a 9-inch springform pan lined with aluminum foil

3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes

4. Prepare cream cheese filling. Process one 225-gram pack cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar in a blender. Add 1 1/4 cups thick cream and mix until smooth. Add cooled gelatin mixture. (One tbsp. unflavored gelatin dissolved in 1/4 cup water). Stir in chopped mangoes.

5. Pour cream cheese filling in chilled crust.

6. Refrigerate cheesecake for several hours until set.

Garides saganaki pasta

In the Greek vocabulary, garides means shrimp and saganaki means cheese. Combine the two to make this flavorful pasta! Here's how to make this dish as taught by the owner of Cyma Greek Restaurant in Manila, chef Robby Goco.

Ingredients:

8 pieces whole shrimps
salt & pepper to taste
50 ml. canola oil
1 piece red onion
3 cloves garlic
2 pieces local tomato, chopped
1/4 tsp. chili flakes
30 ml. white or red wine
300 ml. pomodoro sauce
500 g. spaghetti
100 g. feta cheese
5 g. Italian flat leaf parsley
2 pcs. lemon
30 ml. extra virgin olive oil (optional)

How to cook:

Season shrimps with salt and pepper, with shell still on. In a saute pan, sear shrimps in hot oil until it changes its color and set aside.

Saute onion and garlic until aroma is released. Season with salt.

Add tomatoes, chili flakes and deglaze with wine.

Add pomodoro sauce, then mix in pasta.

Place on a plate, put shrimp on top, top with feta cheese and chopped parsley.

Serve with a lemon wedge and garnish with more parsley, if desired.

Bon appetit! :D

Great food ideas from Purefoods Premium Franks and Cold Cuts

Spicy Ham Wraps in Tamarind Vinaigrette Dressing

1. Get a slice of spicy ham and use it to wrap a bunch of choice greens (romaine, arugula, red cabbage, etc)
2. Tie leafy package with blanched chives
3. Arrange on a plate like a fan
4. Sprinkle top with small cuts of fruits, like melon or mango
5. Sprinkle tamarind vinaigrette over it.
6. To make tamarind dressing, simply mix 1/4 c. tamarind puree, 1/4 cup vinegar,1/2 cup grape seed oil, salt and pepper to taste

Cheese Franks Monggo Soup with Malunggay

1. Boil 1/2 cup of mongo beans till soft. Mash a little and set aside
2. Saute sliced cheese franks in chopped garlic, onion and tomato
3. Add cooked monggo beans
4. Season to taste
5. Add pork broth and malunggay

Salami Linguini al Pesto

1. Cut salami into strips.
2. Saute in chopped garlic, onion and pesto
3. Add cooked linguini
4. Toss and season with salt and pepper
5. Sprinkle top with grated parmesan flakes and basil sprig