I was first introduced to Chicken Adobo by my Filipino friends Linda and Citas. I was studying in Amsterdam at the time and they invited me to dinner at their place. It was love at first bight! This became my favorite home cooked meal and one that was affordable on a students budget. Of course, the problem I had it at the time was to decide which Chicken Adobo was better, Linda’s or Citas.

Linda made her Chicken Adobo with onions and garlic while Citas added only garlic to hers. They both tasted equally good to me, but both Linda and Citas claimed their version was superior and this became the topic of discussion many evenings. I, on the other hand, was just happy to enjoy a homemade meal and the company of two wonderful friends. Naturally, I stayed out of this culinary debate and maintained that both dishes were excellent!

Linda and Citas also introduced me to a number of other Filipino dishes as well as some from Thailand and China. I learned a lot from them at the time since they were both great cooks. They taught me the importance of cooking with love and just this eventually led to my career as a chef.

Here are the steps to this wonderful dish!

Begin by adding all the ingredients to a Dutch oven or large saucepan and let it marinate for at least an hour. Here you can see the ingredients in the pot ready for stewing.

While the chicken is cooking chop the garlic and the scallions as shown.

As the chicken is boiling, turn once being careful not to break up the chicken pieces. I recommend using two spatulas as shown.

After 45 minutes, In a large skillet, add the oil and gently fry the garlic until fragrant, for about 15 seconds. Transfer the chicken pieces to the skillet and fry in the garlic oil turning once for about a minute on each side. Transfer the gravy to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, turning once.

Here is the dish braised and ready to be served.

On my left, my Filipino friend Linda, and on my right, my friend Citas. We have been best friends forever!

This Chicken Adobo dish brings me back so many wonderful memories. I think time spent around the dinner table in the company of wonderful friends and family is the best. I hope you enjoy making this Chicken Adobo, and that it becomes a staple at your dinner table. The beautiful thing about this dish is that only requires a few ingredients, and most of them are probably already in your pantry.

Enjoy!

Print

Chicken Adobo

Course Entree

Cuisine Filipino

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 4 -6

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
• 4 bone-in skin-on chicken drumsticks
• 1 medium sweet yellow onion sliced
• 8-10 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 cup water
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• 3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon scallion finely sliced (garnish, optional)
• Steamed jasmine rice for serving

Instructions

• In a Dutch oven, add the all the ingredients, except the garlic and vegetable oil. Mix ingredients together and let sit at room temperature for at least an hour. After one hour or more, turn on the fire and bring the chicken to a boil. Stew on low fire for about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat up the oil, add the chopped garlic and cook on a low fire until the garlic is fragrant for about 15 seconds. Then add the chicken and fry in the garlic oil mixture for about a minute. Turn the chicken pieces over and fry for another minute ensuring the chicken is coated with the garlic and oil mixture.
• Remove remaining liquid from the Dutch oven, and add to the frying pan to deglaze. Bring the fire up to high and cook for approximately 5 minutes. For a thicker sauce, cook for another 5 minutes.
• Serve the chicken with steamed jasmine rice, and garnish with the scallions.
• How to cook Jasmine Rice: Rinse rice thoroughly in 2-3 changes of water. Drain. For softer rice, use 1 cup rice to 1 3/4 cups of water; for firmer rice, use 1 cup rice to 1 1/4 cup water.
• Chef's Notes: Filipinos make this dish with white vinegar. I prefer the taste of balsamic vinegar instead. It's a bit sweeter and it balances the flavor of the dish better than white vinegar.

Chef’s Notes: When making this recipe, I like to let the kitchen marinate in the sauce outside the refrigerator at least an hour. This way it won’t release any water during cooking. Cold meats release water during cooking, which can make the meat tough.

Filipinos make this dish with white vinegar. I prefer the taste of balsamic vinegar. It’s a bit sweeter and I believe it balances the flavor of the dish better than the white vinegar.

You can also use a whole fryer cut up for this recipe.

YOUR COMMENTS MEAN A LOT TO ME. IF YOU MADE ANY OF MY RECIPES OR ARE CONSIDERING MAKING THEM, PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW. PLEASE CHOOSE A STAR RATING TOO. THANK YOU!

The post Chicken Adobo appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

Today is also Earth Day. So I am pleased to say that this torte is made with all of mother natures goodness. Anyway, back to this amazing Italian Torta Barozzi. I am not a big fan of overly sweet desserts. I love this Italian Torta Barozzi because it has the perfect balance of sugar and cocoa. Its delicious and indulgent, but it’s also flour-less as the almond replaces the flour making it gluten free. A plus for those of you are gluten intolerant or just looking to cut back on simple carbs.

Now, let’s talk about the history of this Italian Torta Barozzi, and secret recipe. The Caffe-Pasticceria Gollini, located in the historic centre of Vignolia since 1887 is famous for the production of two cakes, Torta Barozzi and Torta Muratori. They are named as such in honor of the architect, Jacopo Barozzi, known as II Vignola, and the historian, Ludovico Antonio Muratori. The two cakes are made by hand in the old way, using absolutely genuine materials without coloring or preservatives, and their recipes have been handed down by the Gollini from generation to generation.

The story goes that Eugenio Gollini loved to try out new recipes to create desserts with a complex architecture. He would prepare an example and let customers try it, and then improve it, day after day, by making subtle changes in the quantities and working methods until he’d decided that it was not possible to do any better.

In this way, the Torte Barozzi began to perfume the porticoes, lanes and stones of Vignola’s historic centre and the population became used to the delicious aroma of chocolate wafting out of the Pasticceria. Even today, the genuine recipe remains scrupulously hidden within the walls of the family workshop. The recipe on this post is not the original one, but pretty close. I have been to La Pasticceria Gollini in Modena and have I tried their Torta Barozzi and I can guarantee you, this one is just as good!

Print

Italian Torta Barozzi

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 10 -12

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup slivered almonds toasted
• 2 TBSP confectioners sugar
• 3 TBSP cocoa
• 8 TBSP butter - room temperature - cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup + 2 TBSP of sugar
• 4 1/2 TBSP of peanut butter
• 4 eggs - separated
• 7 OZ bittersweet good quality chocolate melted
• 2 1/2 TBSP of instant coffee powder dissolved in 1TBSP of hot boiling water
• 1 1/2 TSP of dark rum
• 2 TSP of pure vanilla extract

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place an 8 inch springform over a piece of parchment paper. Draw a circle around it and cut it. You will use that in order to cover the bottom of your pan. Butter and flour the springform and place the parchment paper on the bottom. Set aside.
• - Lightly toast the slivered almonds and cool them before grinding. Combine almonds, sugar and cocoa in food processor. Process to fine powder.
• - On a kitchen Aid mixer, or if using a hand mixer cream butter and confectioners sugar to almost white and fluffy.
• - Add peanut butter and yolks. Beat to smooth.
• - Reduce speed and beat in melted chocolate, coffee, rum and vanilla. Transfer to another bowl.
• - Fold in almond powder mixture by hand.
• - Whip egg whites and fold in 1/4 at the time. Make sure the egg whites completely incorporates into the batter. Don't rush.
• - Transfer the batter to the baking pan and bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees and then reduce the heat to 325 and bake another 15-20 minutes.
• - Cool completely on a rack.
• - Serve on it's on or with whipped cream and fresh rasberries on the side.
• - Enjoy!

The post Italian Torta Barozzi appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

I love Thai Red Curry Chicken with Basil so much that I could eat it almost every day. If you have tried any of my recipes by now you know that I love strong flavors. This Thai Red Curry Chicken certainly meets that criteria with its perfect balance of spicy and sweet. If you are familiar with traditional Thai curries you will appreciate the authentic ingredients in this dish. If you are just a beginner, you will be starting off on the right foot and will impress your friends and family with the final result. This Thai Red Curry Chicken with Basil is a great dish to serve when entertaining. You can prepare the dish a day in advance or before your guests arrive and rewarm just before serving. If you do prepare the dish in advance I would recommend though that you wait to add the red chilies, the kaffir lime leaves and the sweet basil at just prior to serving to keep the flavor and colors vibrant.

Here is a photo showing some of the key ingredients. If you don’t live nearby a Thai or Asian grocery store, you could order them from Amazon.com. You can have kafir lime leaves and even Thai chilies shipped right to your home. Both can be stored in ziplock freezer bags and kept frozen. This will preserve both their color and aroma for a long time. For the chilies you’ll want to cut their steams off and put them into a small freezer-safe storage bag, remove as much air as possible from the bag, and seal it.

I recommend you invest in a good wok. It’s an essential tool for Thai and Asian food cooking. I use mine all the time.

The dish is typically served with Jasmine rice, but you can use your favorite rice if you don’t have any on hand. In my house, and in many Asian homes, a rice cooker is used to prepare the rice. Using a rice cooker allows me to prepare the rice hours in advance and have it warm and moist when I’m ready to serve.

I hope you will enjoy making this wonderful dish as much as do. Happy New Year!

Print

Thai Red Curry Chicken with Basil

Course Main Course

Cuisine Thai

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 2 Ibs chicken breasts sliced into chunks or into bite sizes
• 1 13 1/2 ounces can of coconut milk shaken
• 1 TBSP of red curry paste
• 2 TSP of tamarind paste
• 1 TBSP of palm sugar
• 2 TBSP of low sodium chicken broth or water
• 1 1/2 TBSP of Thai fish sauce
• 1 to 2 red chillies thinly sliced
• 5 kaffir lime leaves julienned
• 1 handful of Thai sweet basil

Instructions

• - Bring the coconut milk to boil in a large wok or in a heavy large skillet over medium-high heat.
• - Add the curry paste and stir to blend. Add the tamarind paste and stir to blend. Add the palm sugar, the chicken broth and the fish sauce and stir for about 1 minute.
• - Add the chicken and cook until chicken is cooked through and changes color, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Do not overcook the chicken, otherwise it will get tough.
• - Add the the red chillies with the seeds, the kaffir lime leaves and the basil and cook for about 1 minute. Taste sauce and adjust flavors. For more heat, add more of the sliced chillies. For more salt, add more fish sauce. Serve with steamed Thai jasmine rice.

The post Thai Red Curry Chicken with Basil appeared first on My Global Cuisine.

I first tried this banana bread at a school meeting. My daughter had just started first grade, and one of the class parents decided to organize a get together. I absolutely loved it, and from that point I was on a mission to make the best one possible to serve to my family.

The parent who brought the banana bread over to the coffee meeting kindly agreed to share her recipe with me, and ever since then I have been making this wonderful banana bread. It’s really easy to prepare and it only requires a feel ingredients, most of them already staples in your food pantry.

My children love banana bread. They can’t get enough of it. It’s usually gone within two days in my household. It’s also a great desert to bring over to a family gathering, coffee hour at the church, or any other social event. Some food historians believe banana bread was a byproduct of the Great Depression as resourceful housewives did not wish to throw away overripe bananas (as they were still a costly item to purchase). I hope you enjoy making this banana bread as much as I do. It’s a keeper that will always be a part of my recipe book.

Print

Banana Bread

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 3 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 23 minutes minutes

Servings 1 loaf

Author My Global Cuisine

Ingredients

• 3 overripe bananas peeled
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt
• 1 TSP of vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour or for a *gluten-free* bread 1 3/4 cups rice flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 Tsp of cinammon
• 1 pinch of salt

Instructions

• - Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter and flour a 4x8-inch loaf pan.
• - In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth.
• - Stir in the eggs and mix. Stir in the oil, the yogurt, and the vanilla extract and mix.
• - In another bowl add all the dry ingredients and stir them together.
• - Mix the dry and the wet ingredients together.
• - Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the bread comes out clean. Mine took 63 minutes, but oven varies, so keep an eye on it.
• - Remove from the oven and cool in the baking pan for 10 minutes.
• - Remove from pan and cool another 10 minutes.
• - This banana bread keeps well at the kitchen counter for up to two days, or longer refrigerated.
• - Enjoy!

The post Banana Bread appeared first on My Global Cuisine.