NOCHE BUENA 2011: 6 Recipes to enjoy!

Merry Christmas everyone! In this article I want to share with you 3 recipes, my husband and I, prepared for last night's Christmas dinner. But first I will share the 3 recipes of my Christmas dinner last 2010 in Belgium.

Christmas dinner 2011

1. BELGIAN BAKED RABBIT
 (side dishes: Apple Sauce and Potato Croquette)
(You need a thick pan with lid for this recipe, if you want to eat a rabbit! It tasted like chicken.)


Ingredients:

• Rabbit
• 1 cup thinly sliced onion
• 6 small round potatoes
• 1/2 glass of beer
• 2tbs olive oil
• small amount of water or chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• flour to thicken the sauce
• 2 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• a pinch of nutmeg
• fresh herbs such as thyme, parsley and mint

my 2010 Christmas dinner in Belgium

1. Put the olive oil in the pan and fry the rabbit on high heat until lightly golden brown.
2. Add onion, potatoes, beer and water or stock, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cover the pan an let it baked for 2 hours on low heat.
4. Thicken the sauce with flour.
5. Add cloves, bay leaves, thyme, parsley, mint and a pinch of nutmeg.
6. Serve while it's hot.

1a. APPLE SAUCE

Peel 6 medium apples and cut in quarters. Bake the apples in microwave for 4 minutes or until soft. You can also boil in a pan adding just a little bit of water. Mash the apples and serve while it's hot.

1b. POTATO CROQUETTE

Potatoes, cheese and parsley are the basics of these potato croquettes. The taste can be changed each time you make them, depending on the cheese. Mild, sharp, spicy, and flavored cheeses all work well. Try this recipe with leftover mashed or boiled potatoes as well!

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 pounds of potatoes
• 3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese (or accdg. to preference)
• 4 egg whites
• 1 tbsp of finely chopped fress parsley
• bread crumbs
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil for frying

Preparation:

1. Boil the potatoes.
2. When cool enough to handle, peel and grate or mash.
3. Place in a bowl, add egg yolks, parsley, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Mix until well blended and form into patties.
5. Put bread crumbs in a shallow bowl or plate.
6. Put 1/4 inch of olive oil in a frying pan and heat over medium to high heat.
7. Beat egg whites with a little water(2-3tbsp).
8. Dip croquettes into the bread crumbs, then the egg whites, then the bread crumbs again and fry until golden brown on both sides.
9. Drain on absorbent paper towels and serve hot.

2. Floram's Pancit 

A traditional Filipino recipe that varies in preparation according to each village or family preferences. My husband usually prepare this recipe every time we crave for it and in every occasions in our family. Pancit is always a star in our home cooking because it is prepared in every occasions.

Ingredients:

• 500g rice vermicelli noodles
• 1/2kg chicken fillet
• 2 cups cabbage
• 1 cup green beans
• 1/2 cup carrots
• 1/4 cup red or green paprika
• 4 cloves garlic, grated
• 2tbsp grated ginger
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced onion
• salt and pepper to taste.
• 3tbsp olive oil
• 2tbsp soy sauce

Preparation:

1. Boil the chicken in 3 cups of water with 1tbsp of ginger, 1/4 cup onion, 2 cloves of garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside chicken broth and cut the chicken into small pieces.
2. Using oil, stir fry the remaining garlic, onion and ginger until lightly brown then  add the beans, carrots, cabbage, paprika add chicken broth and let it simmer for 2minutes.
3. Set aside vegetable mixture in a bowl.
4. Wash the rice vermicelli noodles in cold water.
5. Using the same pan in stir frying the vegetables, put the chicken broth in the pan then add the rice vermicelli noodles and simmer until tender, add soy sauce to turn the noddle into golden brown. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Mixed the vegetables and the vermicelli  noodles and serve with a squeeze of lemon or calamansi.

Floram's Pancit

3.Pumpkin Pie (or pumpkin Halaya)

My mother has a vegetable garden in the province where I grew up, I went there last week to pick her up because I want her to be with me during the holidays. I picked a big pumpkin in her garden and made it into pumpkin pie.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients and preparation:

1. Peel the pumpkin, cut in cubes and boil with just enough water to make it soft.
2. Mash the pumpkin then add light butter.
3. Cool the pumpkin with butter  then add condensed milk.
4. Blend the mixture using electric blender, until well blended.
5. Spread in a plate and add grated cheese on top of it then chill.
6. Serve it cold.

4. BUKO SALAD ( Young Coconut salad)

My mom's favorite desert. It's a "must have" food in every occasion in our family.

Buko Salad

 Ingredients:

• 1 kg young coconut, grated
• 200g cheese, cut into cubes
• 432g Del Monte fruit cocktail
• 380g Condensed milk
• 340g Nata de Coco in green syrup
• 250ml Nestle all purpose crream

Preparation:

1. Drain the Del Monte fruit cocktail and Nata de Coco, set aside.
2. Put the grated coconut in a bowl and add all the ingredients.
3. Mix all the ingredients then chill.
4. Serve it cold.