2 teaspoons butter
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, chopped
¼ teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon ground red pepper
½ cup (125 ml) sherry
¼ lb (125 g) chicken livers
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1½ cups (375 ml) heavy whipping cream
Cook the livers: Melt the butter in a medium skillet (2 to 3 quarts/liters) over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes until the onion turns golden brown. Add the garlic, dried thyme, and ground red pepper and cook another 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the sherry. Using a wooden spoon, scrape any of the caramelized onion bits off the bottom and sides of the pan into the sauce.
Add the livers, soy sauce, and ½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream. Reduce the heat to a simmer for 7 to 10 minutes until the mixture is almost dry and the livers are tender and fully cooked.
Remove the pan from the heat and place liver mixture in a food processor.
Prepare the mousse: Process the liver well until completely smooth. Spoon into a large bowl and set aside to cool.
Whip the remaining 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream with an electric mixer until it reaches stiff peaks. Using a large spatula, fold the whipped cream into the cooled duck liver puree. Spoon the mixture into ramekins or a pâté crock. Chill the mousse completely in the refrigerator for at least 4 to 6 hours before serving.
ADOBO-FLAVORED PECANS
Having a drink in the Philippines always goes hand in hand with the taking of pulutan, the term for Filipino bar food. Simple pulutan include a wide range of dishes from grilled sweet potato (kamote-cue) to fried tofu (tokwa) to these easy-to-eat adobo nuts. If the salty tang of these finger-licking snacks isn’t enough to tempt you, the added layer of sweet will ensure that they won’t last long in your kitchen. They are wonderful as a snack, an appetizer, or as a garnish for salads.
Makes 2 cups (200 g)
2 cups (200 g) pecans (substitute peanuts, cashews, almonds, or walnuts)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 teaspoon calamansi juice (substitute lime juice)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C).
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until the pecans are well coated. Pour the nuts onto a parchment-lined or lightly oiled baking sheet, separating the nuts as much as possible into a single layer. Bake for 15 minutes until the nuts are golden brown.
Cool the nuts before handling, 10 to 15 minutes. They will be crispy with a brown shiny glaze. Store in your cupboard in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
BEEF TURNOVERS EMPANADAS
Empanadas are a global food found in many countries under different monikers. What they all have in common is the same tidy convenience of a half-moon handheld pie. These turnovers are the classic Spanish addition to Filipino cuisine typically made with a sturdy dough that remains tender and golden when fried. This recipe offers you a baked empanada option using puff pastry dough to create a wonderfully light and flaky turnover, easily served as casual finger food or as elegant appetizers. The picadillo filling of ground beef, toasted almonds, and green olives is purposely generous; leftovers can be recycled into one of my comfort-food favorites, Arroz a la Cubana (page 85), served with rice and sweet plantains.
Makes 12 empanadas
Almondine
¼ cup (40 g) green Spanish olives
¼ cup (50 g) toasted almonds
¼ cup (40 g) raisins
Meat Filling
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb (450 g) lean ground beef
3 tablespoons soy sauce
¾ cup (175 ml) Chicken or Beef Stock (see pages 15 and 14)
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
4 oz (125 g) frozen peas
1 small potato, peeled and diced
1 lb (450 g) store-bought puff pastry, thawed
1 large egg, beaten
Prepare the almondine: Place the green olives, almonds, and raisins in a food processor. Pulse the blade several times, until the mixture is finely chopped but not a paste. Set the mixture aside.
Cook the filling: Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan (2 to 3 quarts/liters) over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook and stir for 2 minutes until the onion becomes translucent. Add the ground beef and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until well browned. Drain and discard the rendered fat from the pan. Add the soy sauce, stock, oregano, and thyme. Reduce the heat to a simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Add the peas, potato, and almond mixture. Cover and simmer for another 7 to 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Cool the meat before filling the empanadas.
Form the empanadas: Lay the thawed sheets of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface. Using a 3 1/6-inch (80-mm) round cookie cutter, cut 5 rounds of dough from each sheet. Puff pastry scraps can be cut and pressed together to form another sheet large enough to cut another 2 dough circles. Use a rolling pin to gently roll each dough circle into a slightly oval shape. Place a heaping tablespoon of meat in the center of an oval. Using a pastry brush, lightly moisten the dough’s edge with water. Fold the top half of dough over the filling, lining up the edges to form a half-moon. Using the back of a fork, press the tines along the edge of the empanada to seal it shut and make a decorative edge. Repeat this process with the remaining dough. Place the finished empanadas on a baking sheet. The empanadas can be frozen at this point. Place the entire tray in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours. Once the empanadas are firm, transfer them from the baking tray to plastic freezer bags for easier storage.
Bake the empanadas: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Lightly brush the tops of the empanadas with beaten egg. Place an herb leaf, such as fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) or flat-leaf parsley, on top of each empanada as a garnish. The egg wash will “glue” the leaves to the dough. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the empanadas have puffed and turned golden brown.
Variation: Mushroom Empanadas. Mushrooms give the empanadas a full flavor and meaty texture without the meat. Follow the same recipe, substituting 1 pound (450 g) assorted fresh mushrooms (such as shiitake, oyster, portobello, crimini, button, chanterelles), stems removed, for the ground beef. For a truly vegetarian empanada, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
FRIED SWEET BANANAS PRITONG SAGING
There’s no bad time to serve ripe pan-fried bananas. An everyday merienda staple, they are a perfect midmorning or midafternoon snack to wash down with coffee or hot chocolate (tsokolate). Easily found in Latino markets and many conventional grocery stores, the plaintain is a good substitute for the saba, the variety of banana used in the Philippines for Pritong Saging. The ripeness of your plantain will certainly make a notable difference in the cooked result. A hard unripe or semiripe plantain has a lot of starch and a ¼-inch (6-mm) slice will