After a short break from writing in my blog, I'm back with a decadent Italian comfort food... Eggplant Parmigiana in the style of Rollatini. Eggplant Rollatini is typically made with ricotta but in this recipe, I only made use of Mozzarella which was the only cheese at hand. Although I made it extra special and used fresh mozzarella balls for the topping. There's two components to this dish. The ragu sauce and the eggplant rolls. You can make the sauce ahead or even buy a prepared one in a jar. I just made my own to make it slightly healthier (less preservatives). It's common misconception that eggplant parmigiana is a healthy dish. To an extent, it could be. The eggplant, herbs and tomato sauce do make it a wholesome dish but the bread crumbs, cheese and all that olive oil takes it to the level of comfort food. This dish is also quite laborious to prepare. I only made it since my mister is going to his first photographic assignment and will be away for four days to join and document a medical mission in Mindoro province. He'll be away from my cooking and will be resigned to camping food. And so, I wanted to treat him to a nice meal the night before. I hope you enjoy my version of eggplant parmigiana that I gave a rollatini-style twist to! Ragu Sauce
Eggplant rollatinis
It may have been a labor intensive dish but simply worth it and delicious!
0 Comments
![]() Polenta is simply boiled cornmeal (in American, it's called "grits"). Resembling and tasting like rice porridge (only it's made from corn), it goes well with any food or ingredients that's savory. I was thinking of what to serve it with and thought beef mechado would go well with it. Mechado is a Philippine beef dish with origins from Spain. It's basically a beef stew made with tomato sauce and vegetables. Everyone has their own way of making mechado but to compliment it with polenta, I used Mexican spices (Ducros' Melange Main Mexicain seasoning- red bell pepper, dehydrated onion, mild red pepper, coriander and sesame seeds, cumin, oregano, parsley and chilli pepper). Polenta is available in Rustan's supermarket. I used this specific brand (see photo on right): Beef Mechado
Countryman's Polenta - cook as instructed. I only used half the contents of the packet and I continuously stirred while cooking to avoid lumps. Once cooked, add butter and parmesan cheese to flavor the dish. In a plate, ladle the polenta and then top it with the beef mechado. This is a hearty dish best served during cold and rainy weather. Enjoy! Rainy season is officially here and this damp and chilly weather calls for soup. Here's a classic recipe for Pumpkin/Squash Soup, made from our local squash called Kalabasa that's packed with nutritional benefits and blitzed to smooth and creamy perfection.
I don't cook fish as much as I would like to because Benedick is not a fan of seafood. But I love fish. Takes me back to life at the beach and eating a variety of seafood freshly caught by fishermen. We had a taste of this specialty recently, at the province of Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro. Right after our hike to two waterfalls, Tukuran and La Pantay, we head over to the carinderia (prop up mini canteen under a nipa hut) to see what food was available. When I saw the Tilapia stewed in yellowish coconut milk (which I first thought was colored with turmeric) and tomatoes, I knew I would love it. I asked the cook what was in it and she mentioned dilaw na luya (yellow ginger). I got intrigued and having enjoyed it very much, I knew that I wanted to re-create it as soon as we're back in the city.
For this dish, I am using Tilapia and coating it with flour before pan-frying it to add more flavor to the stew. Pan-fried Tilapia
For the stew, you will need:
Here's a recipe for a spice and tasty Chinese dish using House of Yi Kung Po (Kung Pao) sauce. Ingredients: 1/3 kg chicken thigh fillets (cut in pieces) marinated for 15 minutes in:
Vegetables:
Sauce: 1 packet of Kung Po (Kung Pao) sauce by House of Yi Available in major supermarkets in Manila (Landmark, Robinson's, SM, Rustan's) Directions:
1. Stir-fry marinated chicken along with the liquid marinade, with a few tbsp of canola oil until browned. Set aside. 2. In the same pan, add in a few tsp canola oil and stir-fry first the chillies, and then add in onions, garlic, and ginger. Then add sliced red bell peppers, chicken and pour in the Kung Pao sauce. 3. Mix well and simmer for a few minutes until a thick sauce has developed. If you are a little short on sauce, you can add a few tbsp of water thickened with cornstarch. Adjust the taste by adding a dash of soy sauce and/or fish sauce. 4. Transfer to serving platter and top with cashew nuts and steamed snow peas and broccoli on the side. Best served with Yang Chow rice. This is a recipe for a "faux" Tandoori Indian-spiced Chicken. "Faux" because it is baked in a convection oven (not a Tandoor - a traditional cyclindrical clay oven used in Indian cooking, where various food are cooked including my favorite bread, Naan and Roti). Also because if you can't get your hands on real Indian spices like Masala which is used for Tandoori Chicken, you can substitute and use the ones you may already have in your cupboard - cumin, chili (or cayenne), cinnamon and Spanish paprika. Mix the following to create the Marinade:
Place chicken pieces (4 quarters) in a ziplock, coat and massage with the marinade. Let it sit in the chiller overnight (minimum of 8 hours). When ready to bake, allow the chicken to reach room temperature before placing in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees Celcius for 40 minutes. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Serve with turmeric red rice and curried vegetables (split yellow lentils and broccoli). ![]() This is a recipe for a healthy and tasty salad, best served cold - as an appetizer or lunch. The first time I had this was on a recent trip to Sri Lanka. It was served at Laya Safari resort at the lunch buffet. The head chef (a Sri Lankan who has worked in Dubai) graciously passed on the recipe for the dressing to me when I raved to him how amazing this dish was. We had a little chat and upon learning I was a Filipina, he had become reminiscent of his Philippine colleagues back in Dubai and had nothing but good memories to share (there are many Sri Lankans and Filipinos working in the hotel industry in the Middle East). This is one of many things why I love travelling - the interchange of culture, smiles, stories and food! I hope you enjoy this cold salad as much as I did! The secret is in the dressing... A concoction of the following simple ingredients:
For the salad, you will need:
Set aside in the refrigerator. The longer it sits in the ref, the flavors become more developed. |
AuthorI'm Anna and I will be sharing with you my Love for Three things - Fashion, Travel and Food. I hope you find this blog enjoyable as I feature Archives
September 2017
Categories |