Herb-y Fish Fillet

herb-y fish fillet

Just want to share one of my easy and quick to make fish dish. I call this "herb-y fish".... hehehe.... simply because it is smothered with herbs!

Usually I use "tilapia" fillet but you can opt to use your fish of choice. First, I rub some salt and lemon juice (or calamansi) on your fish. Then, the smothering begins! I love parsley, some italian seasoning, and lots of pepper. Want it real spicy? Use cayenne pepper. When you're done with this, top it all with parmesan cheese. Bake until brown. Yummy!!!

I eat this as is, but I guess this is best dipped in sour cream and garlic sauce.

Garlic-y, Pepper-y, Butter-y Chicken!

Define success...... it's when you get asked for your recipe... lmao!

Doesn't that just give you that sense of elation and accomplishment? Especially if you're not even sure of what you're doing? Another "patsam" my friends, from my kitchen to yours....

Garlic-y, Pepper-y, Butter-y Chicken!

This is fairly easy to make. You can choose to bake the whole chicken or cut it into serving sizes or even buy just the desired parts (i.e. legs, wings, etc.,).

First, after cleaning the chicken, place it in a pan and  rub some salt and pepper on it and just let it stand while you preheat the oven (400F) and peel some garlic. And I am not talking about just a couple of garlic here, I mean lots and lots of garlic! The more the tastier! I usually use about 50 cloves (clove = a segment of a head). You just peel them, no need to crush. After that, sprinkle some dried thyme on the chicken, add more pepper if you like, and if you really like it to be spicy you can even rub some cayenne pepper on it. Again, it really depends on how you like it. If there are children eating, then perhaps you should skip the cayenne and use pepper in moderation. Then, rub some butter on it. What I usually use is "imitation butter" which is actually margarine because they are made from vegetable oil but processed to look and taste like butter (check the ingredients). They are healthier but just as tasty. Then finally, add the garlic around the chicken, over the chicken and even inside :)..... Bake for an hour, or longer if you want it to be really brown.

What makes this dish really click I think is the combination of herb, spices and butter flavor. Plus, since the garlic are added whole, they retain their oil which really adds flavor especially when eaten with rice ( I really love eating those garlic, I don't find them bitter at all). Best served with some veggies.... enjoy! ^_^

Ginataang Kalabasa

Happy New Year everyone! I bet a lot of us gained an extra pound during the holidays, eh? I did, and when I think of all the meat and cholesterol which I took in, delicious as they were, I feel kinda awful too coz let's admit it, most are unhealthy! Sugar. Fat. Ugh, no wonder they tasted good... :)

So, to kind of cleanse myself, I have been thinking of eating veggies for the time being and remembered I have not eaten this dish for so long which made me crave for it more. Actually, I have not tried cooking this dish on my own. Just watched other people do and ain't it exciting to try it on my own? So, off I went to the market the other day and readied myself to my experiment, hehehe.

Ginataang kalabasa, or simply squash with coconut milk. I checked out some recipes on the net and some people put pork in it but since I've had enough of that already, I decided to use shrimp instead. Okay now, I am not a professional cook. I have had no formal studies in cooking, whatsoever. Everything I learned, I got from my mom's kitchen and mostly from reading recipes and tweaking them according to my preference. In other words, "patsamba" a.k.a. "patsam". Remember that term coz I will be using it a lot for I have a number of "patsam" recipes.

Ingredients: garlic, onion, ginger, squash (peeled and cut into cubes), string beans (sitaw, cut into about 2-in length), coconut milk (thin and thick), whole shrimp (cleaned), shrimp paste, fish sauce, salt and pepper.

Ginataang Kalabasa

First, saute garlic, onions, and ginger. I usually mince my ginger in any of my recipes coz I want them to kind of disappear and not bite unto a whole strip of it as I eat. Add pork (if you are using them) and shrimp paste and saute until pork is brown. Add the squash and pour in the thin coconut milk, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Let it boil until the squash is partly cooked, then add the string beans, shrimp, and thick coconut milk. Simmer until the string beans are cooked. Add fish sauce, salt, and pepper, according to taste.

Personally, I prefer the squash slightly over-cooked in this dish so I let it boil a bit longer before adding the beans. That's because I love mashing it down as I eat. To each his own folks! :).... Gave some of this to my neighbors and was rewarded a couple of days later with Inihaw na Bangus, nom-nom-nom!