The World is a Book...

"The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." - St Augustine


A small interruption from my EuroTrip photos as I celebrate my birthday...

Yorkshire Pudding 2.0

If you’ve been following this blog you probably have some idea why there’s a 2.0 in the title. Or should it be 1.1?

My first attempt at making Yorkshire pudding wasn’t a great success. But judging from my son polishing off that first batch like there’s no tomorrow, it wasn’t a complete failure either. I have since tried various other recipes and have finally found one I am happy with.

Give honour to where honour is due. The recipe below was inspired by the English episode of SBS’s Food Safari. I’ve tweaked it slightly for a “lighter” version. Instead of using duck/goose fat or drippings I substituted sunflower oil. I also found the 10g of salt on the original recipe a bit much. You decide how much salt to put in. You can even add sugar if you’re so inclined for a sweet kind of pud. Instead of gravy, pour cream or ice cream for a decadent dessert. It’s not so out there come to think of it as the ingredients for this are not that dissimilar to pancakes.

It’s the cooking technique that makes all the difference. The oven must be really hot. The fat in the muffin tins must also be smoking hot. The batter needs that constant high temperature hit until it’s done. Otherwise you would not get that characteristic crater in the middle of this pudding.

Yorkshire Pudding ala Beancounter 2.0
4 eggs
200g plain flour
450ml full cream milk
A bit of salt
Sunflower oil

1. Place your muffin tins in an 180C oven to warm through.

2. Mix together the flour and the salt and make a well in the centre.

3. In a separate bowl beat the eggs and milk together. Pour about a third of the liquid into the centre of the flour well and whisk until all absorbed. Add another third of the liquid and so on. Set aside your batter.

4. Turn the heat up to 220C. Take the muffin tins out and pour about 1 cm of oil in each tin and place back in the oven until the oil is smoking hot.

5. Remove the muffin tray once more and pour the batter into each tin until three quarters full. Return to the oven and cook for 15 -20 minutes until crisp and golden brown. Serve hot with your roast beef.

Roast Chicken ala Beancounter

Winter has been unfairly associated with everything grim. But to be honest, despite the drop in temperature, there are lots I like about winter. Foremost of which is the food. Chief of which are roasts.

It’s a season we have to have, might as well find pleasure in it.

Although I enjoy roasts regardless of the time of year there’s no better occasion for it than during the cold months. It’s comforting. It’s satisfying. It’s delectable. And the other great thing about it, it’s easy.

Winter is the season to bulk up, pig out and do as little as possible (that’s what I plan to do anyway). My recipe for roast chicken ticks all that. It’s filling. It’s rich. And almost effortless.

By the way, the parsley I used here were from my very own garden. Feel free to substitute your preferred herb. Rosemary perhaps?

Roast Chicken ala Beancounter

1 whole chicken (less than 2kg)

125g softened butter

1 bunch parsley (half of which chopped finely, half left whole)

3-4 cloves garlic crushed (with a knife & a bit of salt)

3-4 garlic cloves whole

1 lemon cut into 4 wedges

Salt

Pepper

Roasting vegetables your prefer (season with salt & pepper and some olive oil)

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
2. Prepare your herbed butter by combining the butter, parsley and crushed garlic. Make sure it’s mixed well.
3. Season the chicken (inside and out) with the salt and pepper.
4. Fill the chicken cavity with the lemon, garlic cloves and some parsley.
5. Loosen the breast side skin careful not to tear. Fill it with the herbed butter. Massage the chicken with olive oil all over.
6. Put the chicken (breast side up) and the vegetables in a large baking dish. Place in the oven.
7. After half an hour turn the chicken over onto its other side. After a further half hour turn the chicken over breast side up and roast for another half an hour or until done. Serve hot!

Roast Rib of Beef

Although Filipino cuisine has got a lot to offer even in winter (with its rich soups and stews) I find nothing more comforting than traditional English roast beef to counter the cold.



Roasting used to intimidate me. Growing up in a home with no "real oven" to speak of the concept of "oven roasting" was an entirely new arena for me. My early ventures into this style of cooking resulted in mini disasters but nothing big enough to stop me altogether.



Although your choice cut of meat it vital, roasting is more about getting the combination of the temperature and cooking time right. Once you've mastered this roasting is pretty much fool proof. Always bear in mind though that recipes are simply guides. It is important for you to get to know your oven well. There's no better way to do this than to keep watch as you cook. Half an hour in a recipe might mean 35 minutes using your oven...




I prefer to use beef rib roast for this recipe. Not only is it more tender and juicier it also looks more elegant and more sophisticated than other cuts. I like mine "pink" but living in a household dominated by young palates we've reached a compromise as evidenced by my photos.

Roast Rib of Beef

1kg Beef Rib Roast

Butter

Sea Salt

Black Pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 220C.

2. Rub the salt and pepper liberally over the surface of the meat.

3. To keep the meat moist during the roasting process place bits of softened butter all over the meat (a tip from Inay Carmen)

4. Stand the beef rib in a roasting tray and roast for 15 minutes or until the meat starts to brown on the outside.

5. Lower the heat to 180C and continue roasting for about an hour (Approximately 30 minutes for every 500g. Reduce it to 20 minutes if you want it more pink.).

6. Take the meat out of the oven and rest for approximately 10-15 minutes before carving.

7. Serve with some Yorkshire puddings and roasted vegetables.

Easy Roast Pork ala Beancounter

Picture Dr Evil and Mini-me, only cuter, with better fashion sense and a lot more hair. *LOL* That's a bit much! But that's a little bit how it's like when I’m looking after Tikay (Eliyah). I'm frantically cooking in the kitchen with a tiny person dangling in front of me.

So, coming up with easy to prepare meals is not just pertinent, it's a matter of life and death...again too much drama! *LOL*

The love for Lechon (Filipino Roast Pork) is culturally embedded in my genes. But I haven't got time to source a pig, slaughter it and spit roast it for half a day. Fortunately, there are less bloody versions of this much-loved dish. Apart from the traditional spit roast there is the Lechon Kawali (Deep Fried) and the Lechon sa Hurno (Oven Roast) varieties, the latter being the least complex but very tasty nonetheless.

The secret to my Easy (oven) Roast Pork is the cut of meat. Low fat advocates look away now...The best and the only cut I use when roasting this way is a fatty pork belly. Ok, ok! It does not have to be really fatty. That is just to annoy "low fat" people. But a good layering of fat is vital. This would almost always guarantee a roast that is not dry. Pork Belly is quite forgiving in that an extra hour in the oven (due to the onset of dementia) would still result in an edible roast albeit crispy and a wee bit charred!

My recipe is easy but by no means quick. There isn’t a lot of fussing around with ingredients, in fact there are only three, but it involves a few hours of cooking.

The recipe is actually quite basic but that's the beauty of it. Once you feel confident you should be able to embellish without fear. You can add garlic and rosemary sprigs for example.

Also, this roast pork works really well served the traditional Pinoy way with a sweet and tangy lechon sauce eaten with rice. Or you can opt for a more western style of serving with gravy (made from the drippings), roast potatoes and steamed vegetables.

Easy Roast Pork ala Beancounter

1 piece of pork belly
Sea salt
Pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to about 200C.
2. Rub the pork belly with salt and pepper.
3. Put about a cup of water in your roasting tray. Place the meat (skin side up) on a rack on top of the roasting tray making sure the meat is not touching the water. Put it in the oven.
4. After about 30 minutes reduce the heat to about 150C. Cook for another 2-3 hours depending on the size of the meat. This is when the fat becomes really important. The melting pork fat will keep the meat moist. Check it after 2 hours and see how the crackling is forming. If it is done to your liking take it out of the oven at this point.
5. Let the meat rest for a few minutes before serving.