Homemade Spanish Sardines

With the prices going up for canned goods plus the move to go natural and minimize the consumption of processed foods, making homemade sardines is one of the best alternatives. I remember back in high school we had a Home Economics class and one of the activities was to make homemade sardines. I lost the recipe but I still remember how simple this can be done at home. Hope you would give it a try.


Ingredients:
3/4 kilo milkfish (bangus) or about 8 pieces 4 inches long by 2 inches wide, cleaned (I kept the head on but cut off the tails and fins)
3-4 tbsps. rock salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil
20 pepper corns
8-10 carrots, sliced into rounds, about 5 cm
5 slices of pickle chips
3 bay leafs

Clean the milkfish by removing the gills and inards. Cut out the fins and tail. The head may be removed if desired. Slightly scald the fish with hot water but do not let it cook. After scalding, rub the fish with the rock salt leaving 1 tbsp. to be used for seasoning. Arrange the fish in a pressure cooker and add all ingredients. Make sure that there is enough liquid to cover the fish. Add equal amounts of oil and water if needed. Season with salt. Cook under medium heat until it starts to boil. Cover and let it cook for atleast 30-45 minutes under low-medium heat.

*Add chili if you prefer a spicier taste to your sardines.
**I ran out of pickle chips, so I subtituted it with 2 tbsps. of pickle relish

Cheese Hopia Anyone?

It was a great Saturday to spend with friends to one of the quaint and relaxing B&B places in Tagaytay. The food was refreshingly fresh (straight from their gardens) and the ambiance felt like a home away from home in Sonia's Garden. The staff and owner was so welcoming and hospitable that it felt that we were one of their long lost family.

Before heading home we headed to their bakery to buy freshly baked goodies back to the city. They suggested the cheese hopia. We all went along with all our curiosity killing us since no one of us had a cheese hopia before. So i bought 2 bags and their Spanish bread.

So the next day, I heated one of each for breakfast. It was really good. The hopia had a good balance of sweetness and saltiness. The dough was not hard as it looks mind you. Everyone from home enjoyed it too. Maybe when you get the chance to be in the area, you can try it out for yourself and let me know what you think.

Tahini - Sesame Paste

In my exploration of recipes, I have encountered the term Tahini a couple of times already without really knowing what it is. Until I met a friend, Ayman and mentioned that it was just sesame seeds turned into paste. Ahhhhh. It is similar to peanut butter except it uses sesame seeds instead of peanuts.

So, in the two years, I didn't even bother trying to find this product locally because no one would appreciate its use. Until recently, I decided to make baba ghanouj. I needed tahini and I had no clue which local grocery carries this. So searched the web and came across homemade tahini recipe by Emeril Lagasse . And boy, it sure made my life easier from ransacking all the grocers here in the metro. I just adjusted the amount since I wouldn't be needing a lot of this.

I just toasted 50 grams of sesame seeds for a few minutes until golden in color. Tried not to over cook and burn the seeds else I would end up with a bitter paste. Placed the toasted seeds in a blender and added 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Blend the ingredients together. Add another teaspoon of oil to make it more spread able. You may add more but try to add in small amounts else you would end up with an oily paste. Store blended paste in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator up to a few months.