The Recipes I Love: 70 All-time Favorite Dishes

By Norma Olizon Chikiamko

There’s a reason writer-editor Norma Olizon Chikiamco calls this book The Recipes I Love. In it are 70 of the recipes she personally cooks for her family and friends, the people who are near and dear to her heart. Delightful and doable, these treasured recipes cover a whole range of dishes, from soups and salads, to roasts and casseroles, to drinks and desserts. Some are ridiculously easy (such as the udon noodle soup) while others may take a little more effort (Bundt butter cake). There’s food for everyday meals (beef topping on rice) as well as food for special occasions (pasta with prosciutto). In fact readers can plan a few weeks’ worth of meals just based on this book.

Written in easy-to-follow instructions, all the recipes in this book are fool-proof, having been kitchen-tested and tasted. In addition the ingredients are all readily available and affordable. The author also gives visual clues and helpful hints to further guide the readers and to make cooking more fun.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anvil Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 20, 2017
• ISBN: 9786214200177

Book preview

Snacks and Starters

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Beef Picadillo Soup

4–6 SERVINGS

Heat oil in a large pot or casserole to medium and sauté onion about 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add garlic and sauté just until lightly browned. Stir in water, potatoes, carrots and beef and season with salt and pepper. Cover pot and bring to a boil then lower heat to simmer. Remove cover.

Let simmer until potatoes, carrots and beef are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.

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Tips:

Alternatively, you can season this with 1 tablespoon patis (or season to taste) instead of salt.

Covering the pot will bring the soup to a boil faster. Don’t leave the pot unattended or the soup could boil over.

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Udon Noodle Soup

4 SERVINGS

On a cold night, there’s nothing more comforting than a warm bowl of soup. This soup uses a broth base similar to that of sukiyaki. The soy sauce gives it a definite Oriental flavor. This recipe first appeared in my e-cookbook Eat Rich Quick, which can be downloaded through Flipside Publishing.

Combine sugar and soy sauce in a bowl. In a large saucepan, bring beef or chicken broth to a simmer. Stir in sugar-soy sauce mixture. Return to a simmer.

Add carrots and simmer for about 2 minutes. Add leeks and noodles, stirring to loosen noodles. Continue simmering for about 1 more minute or just until noodles are heated through. To serve: Spoon noodles, carrots, leeks and broth into four individual bowls, dividing equally. Serve hot.

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Tips:

To turn the carrot into fancy shapes, use a cookie cutter.

Udon noodles are thick, white noodles made from wheat. These are available in the Oriental food section of large supermarkets and in Korean and Japanese groceries. As a substitute, use ramen noodles.

To make beef or chicken broth, you can use 2 beef or chicken broth cubes, dissolved in 6 cups boiling water.

If desired, you may use less-sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce.

To complete the Oriental feel and mood, pour the soup into Japanese-style bowls and serve with chopsticks.

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Tom Yum Goong

2 SERVINGS

This Thai soup seems to be on the menu of almost all Thai restaurants in Manila, maybe because it’s very often ordered by customers. I learned to cook it from a chef in Blue Elephant Cooking School in Bangkok. According to him, the secret to a good tom yum goong is balance: the sour, salty and spicy flavors must all converge in one intrinsic whole.

Ideally the soup is not prepared en masse. It is cooked only per one to two servings, and then is brought to the table immediately. To do this, have the chicken stock and all the raw ingredients ready, then cook the soup just before serving.

For the chicken stock:

For the soup:

Make the chicken stock:

In a stockpot, bring water and chicken bones to a boil. Add the turnip rounds. Boil gently for 20 minutes. Strain and use required amount for the soup. Store any leftover in refrigerator and use within 3 days.

Make the soup:

In a medium size stockpot, bring chicken stock to a boil. Crush the lemongrass and add to the stock. Add shallots, kaffir lime leaves, coriander roots, and galangal and let boil.

Stir in mushrooms and shrimps and season with fish sauce, sugar, and lime juice. Remove coriander roots and add chili paste and bird’s eye chilies. Simmer gently just until shrimps are cooked (about 1 to 2 minutes). Add coriander leaves and serve immediately.

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Tips:

Galangal looks similar to ginger but is milder and mellower in flavor. Look for it in big supermarkets or in weekend markets that sell specialty foods.

Similarly, kaffir lime leaves are available in big supermarkets and in weekend markets that sell fresh