Mango Mousse Cake (no-bake)

My number goal is to love, support and be there for my son. ~Farrah Fawcett

This Mango Mousse cake is my graduation gift to my son, Lowell. 

He personally requested it when he saw the picture of the cake while browsing some photos in Google. I was hesitant to do it at first because I know that this is a time-consuming cake. You need to bake first the sponge cake, let it cool then layer the mango mousse.... wait a few hours for the mousse to set, then repeat again the procedure.... and then lastly, do the mirror effect. I didn't have a lot of time at that moment because he was sick and I need to take care of him - his graduation is on the next day. Afraid that he will be sad if I turned down his request, I came up with the idea of making it a no-bake cake. I have some graham crackers in the pantry and decided to substitute it for the sponge cake. I placed double layer of graham crackers and dipped it in fresh milk to make it a little softer before layering it, I don't want my cake to be crunchy! :D I must admit, it was still time-consuming but I enjoyed every moment of making it. This is a cake filled with sweetness and love.

I adapted the recipe of mango mousse from All that Matters.

Happy day always,

Rhea

Ratatouille

The secret of ratatouille is to cook the vegetables separately so each will taste truly of itself. ~Joël Robuchon, The Complete Robuchon

I made Ratatouille yesterday and transformed the leftovers into amazing breakfast. It's like France meets Philippines when I topped the Ratatouille to our Pandesal. I toasted the pandesal to give a nice crunch. I really enjoyed every bite of it!

By the way, did you know that the Ratatouille dish prepared by Remy (in the movie Ratatouille) is the alternate variation called confit byaldi? The variation differs much from the conventional ratatouille in terms of preparation and method. The major difference is that the vegetable used are sliced thinly and baked instead of cooking them in a pot. (trivia source: imdb)

Now you know some facts about Ratatouille, you can now try it and become a Julia Child in your own kitchen. Here's the recipe. Bon Appetit!

INGREDIENTS:
(Inspired by Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

3 pcs eggplant, and cut into thin slices
1 medium size zucchini, cut into thin slices 
1 big red bell pepper, strips
1 big yellow onion, strips
1 small slice of squash (optional), chopped
10 pcs of tomatoes* (preferably big and ripe), peeled and sliced (please click to see: how to peel and seed a tomato) 
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1/2 to 1 Tbsp sugar (optional)
2 Tbsp tomato paste
small pinch of dried thyme (optional)
olive oil
1 1/4 cup water and tomato juice*

* I only get 1/3 cup of tomato juice in 10 pcs tomatoes. I just added water to make it 1 1/4 cup.



PROCEDURE:
1. Wash thoroughly the eggplant, zucchini, and squash. Cut it into very thin slices. Put it in separate bowls. Sprinkle with salt and toss.
2. Pan fry the eggplant, zucchini, and squash in batches for about 1 minute by each side. Put it again in separate bowls. Set aside.
3. Sweat the onion with a little oil over low heat for about 3-5 minutes. Stir in the bell pepper and cook for a minute. Stir in the garlic and season with salt and pepper, cook for a couple of seconds. Add the tomato paste and tomatoes then sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add the tomato juice+water mixture. Add the sugar and a pinch of dried thyme (these two are optional). Stir and cook for several minutes uncovered, until the juice has almost entirely evaporated. Turn off the heat. Set aside.
4. Place 1/3 of the tomato mixture in a casserole or pot or skillet. Then carefully arrange the zucchini, eggplant, and squash on top. Then cover another third of the tomato mixture. Put the rest of zucchini, eggplant, and squash then cover it with the remaining tomato mixture. (tomato mixture-zucchini-eggplant-squash-tomato mixture-zucchini-eggplant-squash-tomato mixure)
5. Simmer for 10 minutes over low heat, covered. Raise the heat slightly, rotate the pan once in a while so that vegetables won't scorch in the bottom of the casserole. Cook for another 10-15 minutes, uncovered. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
6. Serve. Share and enjoy.

QUICK NOTES:
1. If you don't have dried thyme, substitute it with other herbs like parsley or basil (fresh or dried). Use 2-3 Tbsp chopped FRESH thyme, parsley or basil.
2. This is a popular side dish but you can serve this with rice or toasted / crusty bread. It can also be used as a filling to your omelette or frittata, a sauce for your pasta, or a topping for your pizza.
3. Ratatouille actually tastes even better the next day. Just slowly reheat it to intensify the flavor.

Yield: 5-8 servings

Happy day always,

Rhea

Spinach Pesto Pasta

There is no love sincerer than the love of food. ~George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman

I am truly, madly, deeply in love with this pasta. I like the traditional basil pesto but I like the spinach pesto even more. It has a milder flavor, delicate aroma, and delightful fresh flavor which will tickle your palate. Start your day with this healthy dish. Bon Appetit!

INGREDIENTS:

Spinach pesto:

handful of spinach

1 clove garlic, grated

2 Tbsp chopped cashew nuts

2 Tbsp cheese (any hard cheese), grated

olive oil*

salt and pepper

Pesto pasta:

200 grams angel hair** 
1/2 to 3/4 cup reserved pasta cooking liquid 

1/2 cup water

4 cloves of garlic, minced
cheese, grated or sliced

olive oil

* I don't usually measure the oil. It depends on how thick or thin I want my pesto to be. I drizzle more oil if I'll be using the pesto for pasta, less oil if I will use it as a spread on breads and pizzas.
** Angel hair pasta cooks quickly, about 3-5 mins (see the package instruction). To ensure that your pasta won't become soggy. Test it by removing a piece of pasta from the pan and take a bite, it should still have a tiny crunch when you bite it.

PROCEDURE:

Spinach pesto:

1. Wash thoroughly the spinach then drain.

2. In a blender or food processor, put the spinach, garlic, cashew nuts and cheese. Blend it to roughly chopped the ingredients. While the blender is running, add the oil until you reach the consistency you want. Since I will be using it for my pasta, I added more oil.

3. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Put the pesto in a small bowl or container.

Pesto pasta:

1. In a pan, put some olive oil and saute the garlic.

2. Just before the garlic turns to golden brown, add the cooked pasta. 
3. Add the reserved liquid and cheese. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Toss until cheese has been completely mixed and the liquid has been absorbed by the pasta. 
5. Turn off the heat and add the spinach pesto. Toss.

QUICK NOTES:

1. Since olive oil is expensive in our country, you can use canola oil as a substitute. This is also a heart healthy oil.
2. Try to use other nuts like walnut or our very own pili nut. I tried it and loved it!
3. If you want basil pesto, use basil instead of spinach.
Happy day always,

Rhea

Pininyahang Hipon (Shrimp in coconut-pineapple sauce)

Leftovers in their less visible form are called memories. Stored in the refrigerator of the mind and cupboard of the heart. ~ Thomas Fuller

My nephew gave me some leftovers of halabos na hipon*. Since I'm craving again for gata (coco milk/cream), I decided to cook pininyahan. Pineapples (pinya) are in season nowadays, would you believe I only bought it for only 20 Php/pc (the bigger ones cost 25-30 Php each). Wow, I only spent 50 Php for this dish, thank you Fritz (my nephew) for making this possible. 

My kids love anything that is pininyahan, whether it is chicken, pork, or fish. The pineapple gives the sauce a tropical flavor - fresh, sweet, and tart at the same time while the coconut cream makes the sauce rich and creamy. The combination of coconut and pineapple are unbeatable, very summery. 

*Halabos na hipon is freshly caught shrimp that is boiled in little water or in its own juice. (source: wikipedia)

INGREDIENTS:

30 pcs leftover shrimps (halabos na hipon*)

1 1/2 cup chopped ripe pineapple, canned or fresh (I used fresh)

1 small red bell pepper, strips

1 small onion, sliced

1 big tomato, sliced

1 1/2 cup coconut cream (first extraction)

1 Tbsp patis

1/2 to 1 tsp sugar (optional)

salt and pepper

PROCEDURE:

1. Put the leftover shrimps in a pot. Add the coconut cream, pineapples, red bell pepper, onion, and tomato.

Note: No tomato in the above photo, forgot to put it. *wink

3. Cook over medium-high heat, uncovered.

4. Once boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 8-10 mins, uncovered. 

5. While simmering, add the patis. If you want it sweeter, add sugar.

6. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Then turn off the heat.

7. Serve with rice. Share and enjoy.

QUICK NOTES:

1. Add chilies or chili flakes to give a little kick in your dish.

2. You may also add veggies like eggplant or string beans.

3. If your pineapple doesn't give enough tartness, you may add a squeeze of calamansi, lime, or lemon.

Servings: 3 to 5 person

Happy day always,

Rhea

Suman Balinghoy or Cassava Suman with Coconut Filling

"Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything." ~Genesis 9:3

Sad but true, our favorite cassava contains toxins. For some sweet varieties (smaller rooted), cooking is sufficient to eliminate all toxicity. The bitter varieties (larger-rooted) used for production of flour or starch must be processed to remove the cyanogenic glucosides and then ground into flour, which is then soaked in water, squeezed dry several times, and toasted. (source: wikipedia) 

Despite these facts, I'm not afraid to eat cassava, well it's my favorite. I usually cook my cassava to ensure proper preparation and cooking. I must say it is really a hard work  especially the grating part (if you want to build biceps, try to manually grate 5 kilos of cassava everyday, no need to go to the gym, LOL), but I assure you, it's worth it! 

THINGS YOU NEED:
Pan
Pot
Grater

INGREDIENTS:
For the coconut filling:
1 cup grated coconut (mura na niyog)
1/2 cup brown sugar


For the suman:
1 kg fresh cassava
3/4 cup brown sugar
banana leaves, wilted
1 tsp vanilla (optional)

PROCEDURE:
Preparing the banana leaves (wilted):

1. Cut the banana leaves into desired sizes (approx. 6 inches width).
2. Trim off the edges (hard part).
3. Carefully pass the leaves over low flame of your gas stove.
4. Wipe with a clean clothe or towel.

Coconut Filling:
1. Mix grated coconut and brown sugar in a pan.
2. Cook it over low-medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent scorching.
3. Remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl.

Note: Cook it with care, adjust the heat to lowest if necessary. Remember you are working with sugar, it's not good if it's burnt.

Suman:
1. Peel the skin of the cassava. Divide it to manageable lengths and cut it in half (lengthwise) to remove the rind.
2. Wash the flesh thoroughly. Rinse it several times.
3. Finely grate it.
4. Mix the cassava, sugar, and vanilla (optional). You can use spatula to mix it but I prefer to hand mix it. Just use disposable plastic gloves.
5. Lay 2 pieces of banana leaves on a flat surface (smaller piece on top of the bigger piece). 
6. Scoop 2 to 3 tbsp cassava mixture and put it in the banana leaf (smaller piece). Flatten the mixture.
7. Put the coconut filling in the middle of the cassava mixture.
8. Carefully wrap the banana leaf (smaller piece) to make thin roll shape. 
9. Wrap it again using the bigger piece. Fold the ends to seal in the mixture.
10. Repeat the procedure #5 to #9 until all mixture is used up.
11. Line the unused banana leaves in a pot.
12. Arrange the wrapped cassava mixture in the pot.
13. Add water until it reaches the top most wrapped cassava mixture.
14. Cook for 1 hour over medium-high heat.
15. Remove from heat. Let it cool.
16. Serve. Share and enjoy.

QUICK NOTES:
1. My version of suman is not too sweet, you can add 1/4 cup of sugar to the cassava mixture if you prefer sweeter.
2. For left-overs, you can steam it or heat it in a pot or pan with a little water (low heat).

Yield: 10-12 pcs 

Happy day always,


Rhea

Champorado (Chocolate Rice Porridge)

"Food, like a love touch or a glimpse of divine power, has that ability to comfort." ~Norman Kolpas

It's raining and all I want to do is cook our comfort foods. I made arroz caldo (rice porridge with chicken and egg) for me and mom, nilupak for my hubby, and of course, my son's all-time-favourite - champorado! Wow, I made all of these the entire morning.

How to cook rice on stove

"Without rice, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook" ~ Chinese Proverbs

I grew up cooking rice on stove, we didn't have rice cooker when I was young. It was during my high school days when we had our first rice cooker, but the funny thing is we only use it for special occasions.

Tinolang Manok (Chicken and ginger consommé)

A Jewish woman had two chickens. One got sick, so the woman made chicken soup out of the other one to help the sick one get well. ~ Henny Youngman

They say chicken soup is good for the soul. Well, in my case it's not only good for the soul but for colds too! The hot steam of tinola(1) together with the spicy aroma of fresh ginger clears my stuffy nose. The chicken is sooo crazy moist and the vegetables are just perfect for the chicken.