Halloween Treats
I know this is delayed but I had to post this anyway. Before Halloween, I was away on a trip with my hubby which explains my absence from blog world. After the holiday, it was back to work and I have to say I was so overwhelmed with work that has piled up whilst I was away. The food that I actually prepared is not really intended for Halloween but rather for "kalag-kalag" which is the Filipino tradition for this time of the year. I actually miss going to the cemetery where our family would gather to remember our loved ones who passed away. Although there are trick or treat and Halloween parties back home, the highlight for this time of the year would be for most people to go back to their home towns (as these are public holidays) to spend All Saint's Day and All Soul's Day with their families. Dishes prepared for his occasion are those made of malagkit or sticky rice like valenciana, suman (for Ilonggos) or biko for others, and other native foods. Thinking about it, I feel a pang of sadness for not visiting my Lola's grave. My grandma has been really dear to me as she lived with us for most of my childhood. So even if I'm away, this is my way of remembering her as well as all of my loved ones who passed away.
VALENCIANA
This dish is also called Arroz Valenciana or Paella Valenciana but for Ilonggos like me, we simply call this Valenciana. This dish is Spanish-influenced but has been given a Filipino twist. I have also given it a modern treatment as I did not cook it the traditional way. I cooked the rice separately in a rice cooker as I wanted to make sure that the rice is cooked evenly (I have to admit that I'm good in baking rather than cooking). This dish is always present during parties and gatherings in Bacolod. This is one of the dishes that I really missed and it was such a defining moment for me when I managed to cook one of my favorite dishes. I can't believe I actually did it. This is the original recipe that I found on the internet but I made some changes in my version.
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice (I used Jasmine rice then added a teaspoonful of Turmeric powder for the yellowish color and a dash of salt)
2 long slices of pork rashers
1 medium-sized chorizo
1/2 c green peas
1/4 c raisins
1 red and 1 green bell peppers, sliced thinly*
1/4 kilo pork or chicken liver, sliced*
1/4 c shrimp*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large white onion, minced
oil
salt and pepper
soy sauce/oyster sauce
For garnishing:
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced (you can boil the eggs the same time as you cook the rice to save time and energy)
spring onions, chopped
Saute onion and garlic in oil (one of the tips I learned from watching cooking shows before is to saute onion first before the garlic so as not to burn the latter). Add pork and season with salt, pepper, soy sauce and oyster sauce. After 2 minutes, pour 1/4 cup water. Cover and simmer until half done. Add chorizo and other ingredients (*like red and green bell peppers; I did not have this at the time I decided to make valenciana). After five minutes, add rice, peas and raisins. Mix until well blended. Cover and reduce heat. Garnish dish with boiled eggs and spring onions.
NOTES: You can also make a seafood version (mussels, shrimp, crab and squid rings) or you can also add shrimp and liver to your meat version. I didn't have much ingredients when I cooked this but I promise to post another photo after I made a more "complete" valenciana so watch this space. I also cooked biko but I will not post my recipe yet (and I didn't ask my hubby to take a photo) as I still need more improvement on the rice as there were some bits at the bottom that were not cooked even if I used the rice cooker. It was also an arduous task because I had to keep on stirring the whole time.
SPIDERWEB CUPCAKES
This is not the traditional Filipino native recipe as this is intended for Halloween. Nothing much to say on this treat as I used the same recipe I have for the carrot and pineapple cake but only half of the ingredients which makes 12 cupcakes and minus the walnuts and raisins in the original recipe.
For the frosting, I just used instant vanilla buttercream frosting from Betty Crocker and mixed it with food coloring (I used red and yellow food coloring until the desired shade of orange is achieved). For the spiderweb design, I used black writing icing. You can either make 3 separate circles (which I did) or make a continuous spiral with 3-4 rings. Using a toothpick, drag the tip of the toothpick in a straight line from the center to the edge. Try to do it in 4 equal parts and then add a straight line in between the lines that you have already created. For the classic spiderweb design, you can use the same direction for all lines or for a twist, you can alternate. I'm not sure if I explained it clearly, but you can check the pictures on this link for the step-by-step process.
VALENCIANA
This dish is also called Arroz Valenciana or Paella Valenciana but for Ilonggos like me, we simply call this Valenciana. This dish is Spanish-influenced but has been given a Filipino twist. I have also given it a modern treatment as I did not cook it the traditional way. I cooked the rice separately in a rice cooker as I wanted to make sure that the rice is cooked evenly (I have to admit that I'm good in baking rather than cooking). This dish is always present during parties and gatherings in Bacolod. This is one of the dishes that I really missed and it was such a defining moment for me when I managed to cook one of my favorite dishes. I can't believe I actually did it. This is the original recipe that I found on the internet but I made some changes in my version.
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice (I used Jasmine rice then added a teaspoonful of Turmeric powder for the yellowish color and a dash of salt)
2 long slices of pork rashers
1 medium-sized chorizo
1/2 c green peas
1/4 c raisins
1 red and 1 green bell peppers, sliced thinly*
1/4 kilo pork or chicken liver, sliced*
1/4 c shrimp*
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large white onion, minced
oil
salt and pepper
soy sauce/oyster sauce
For garnishing:
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced (you can boil the eggs the same time as you cook the rice to save time and energy)
spring onions, chopped
Saute onion and garlic in oil (one of the tips I learned from watching cooking shows before is to saute onion first before the garlic so as not to burn the latter). Add pork and season with salt, pepper, soy sauce and oyster sauce. After 2 minutes, pour 1/4 cup water. Cover and simmer until half done. Add chorizo and other ingredients (*like red and green bell peppers; I did not have this at the time I decided to make valenciana). After five minutes, add rice, peas and raisins. Mix until well blended. Cover and reduce heat. Garnish dish with boiled eggs and spring onions.
NOTES: You can also make a seafood version (mussels, shrimp, crab and squid rings) or you can also add shrimp and liver to your meat version. I didn't have much ingredients when I cooked this but I promise to post another photo after I made a more "complete" valenciana so watch this space. I also cooked biko but I will not post my recipe yet (and I didn't ask my hubby to take a photo) as I still need more improvement on the rice as there were some bits at the bottom that were not cooked even if I used the rice cooker. It was also an arduous task because I had to keep on stirring the whole time.
SPIDERWEB CUPCAKES
This is not the traditional Filipino native recipe as this is intended for Halloween. Nothing much to say on this treat as I used the same recipe I have for the carrot and pineapple cake but only half of the ingredients which makes 12 cupcakes and minus the walnuts and raisins in the original recipe.
For the frosting, I just used instant vanilla buttercream frosting from Betty Crocker and mixed it with food coloring (I used red and yellow food coloring until the desired shade of orange is achieved). For the spiderweb design, I used black writing icing. You can either make 3 separate circles (which I did) or make a continuous spiral with 3-4 rings. Using a toothpick, drag the tip of the toothpick in a straight line from the center to the edge. Try to do it in 4 equal parts and then add a straight line in between the lines that you have already created. For the classic spiderweb design, you can use the same direction for all lines or for a twist, you can alternate. I'm not sure if I explained it clearly, but you can check the pictures on this link for the step-by-step process.
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