Asian American Chicken-Vegetable Wraps

I am such a lazy cook that I always look for ways to shorten cooking times. You see, I am one of those virtual work warriors that has a home office. Working out of the house isn't that easy. Telecommuting means working during odd hours of the day --- and night.

During one of my sojourns to DELI 4 U, an ethnic Polish deli across the street from our home, I discovered some amazing delectable and affordable food products, even if I don't read or speak Polish. I thought, "Wow, this must be how non-Filipinos feel when they go inside Seafood City!" Sometimes, I'm the only Asian who stalks the aisles of this deli. The owners and staff make me feel at home. I oftentimes ask my husband to buy my favorite Seaweed Salad that is spiked with sesame seeds and sliced chilis. Apparently, the deli's staff knows all about my esoteric, healthy favorites. Don't get me going about their homemade poppysead bread and their fabulous chicken sausages, Italian style. Mamma Mia!

Last week, I bought some of their skinless chicken breasts. They weren't like the ones you get at Costco --- flash-frozen, skinless, and skinny. These chicken breasts were fresh, thick and juicy!

I had defrosted the chicken breasts yesterday. I also promised my husband that I would cook more healthy meals so this was my chance to prepare another simple meat-and-vegetable dish for us. I didn't tell my husband that I was SO tired after working more than 12 hours. So, I looked at the freezer and found a package of stir-fry vegetables from Deli 4 U. It said: Warzywa na patelnie z cukinia i ryzem, Stir-fry vegetables with Courgette and Rice. Brand name: Fritar. Weight: 480 grams. It came with a dry spice packet which I decided not to use for my recipe.

As it turned out, my husband enjoyed his meal. Lucky me, I earned brownie points especially since he is quite a competitive cook and fastidious diner.

Here is the recipe I created. Four large servings as a one-meal dish and most likely good for eight to 10 wraps. Each tortilla is 190 calories each. Add the chicken and vegetables --- and I'm sure we have a filling, healthy meal or snack for under 450 calories per wrap!



ASIAN AMERICAN CHICKEN-VEGETABLE WRAPS

The chicken-vegetable dish:

2 tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil (Kirkland brand, from Costco)
1 chicken breast, sliced into 3/4" cubes (from Deli 4 U)
2 tsps. or more of Emeril's Asian Essence
1/2 cup whole fancy Cashew Nuts (Kirkland brand, from Costco)
1 package frozen stir-fry vegetables, about 1 lb. or 480 gms. (from Deli 4 U)
1 tbsp. soy sauce (Sempio Soy Sauce, from a Korean store)
1 tbsp. rice cooking wine (salt added rice cooking wine, from a Korean store)
salt to taste (I use Alessi 100% Mediterranean sea salt, Sale Marino, from Trader Joe's)

Wraps:

A package of El Milagro Harina/Flour Tortillas (10 count). I buy mine at a Mexican grocery.

Procedure:

1. Slice the chicken breasts into cubes and coat with Emeril's Asian Essence spices.

2. Open a package of stir-fry vegetables. Do not use the spice packet that comes with it.

3. In a large alumimum or teflon-type frying pan or saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the oil.

4. Stir-fry the chicken cubes until 3/4's done.

5. Add the cashews to the chicken cubes.

6. Add the package of vegetables. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes.

7. Add soy sauce and rice wine. Cook for about five more minutes or until the vegetables are heated through and the cashews are medium-soft. Turn up the heat a little bit. Add salt to taste. This is not a runny, saucy entree. This dish has a little bit of sauce that works well with freshly-made rice, pasta, or potatoes.

8. At this point, you can serve this as a dish OR you can continue making the wraps.

Assembling A Wrap:

I use the microwave to heat the wraps.

1. Use kitchen paper or waxed paper (the type you get at Costco). Lay a tortilla on a sheet of waxed paper, then place another sheet of waxed paper over the tortilla.

2. Heat each tortilla for 20 seconds in the microwave.

3. Remove the waxed paper over the tortilla.

4. Add about 1/4 cup (or 4 heaping tablespoons) of the Chicken-Vegetable mixture on top of the tortilla.

5. Wrap the tortilla like a burrito. Wrap the waxed paper over the wrap. You can use a refrigerated chicken-vegetable mixture.

Note: This is an excellent lunch at the office. Just microwave at 50% for about 1 minute, 30 seconds if you had refrigerated the wrap.

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Chicken-Prosciutto Rolls in Lemon-Thyme Biryani

May 5, 2009

It's Cinco de Mayo!

Yesterday, it was Myrna's birthday (my sister). Although we didn't get together, I celebrated her birthday by creating a new simple, healthy dish that didn't have too many ingredients. I kept thinking that she would want to try this out some day. Then, I remembered that I had kept this Biryani spice mix that my friend, Padma Mangharam Siap, had introduced me to during a field trip to a special district in Chicago --- DEVON --- where South Asians, Russians, Muslims, and other ethnic groups commingled in commercial "bliss." When you hear the names, Chicken Biryani or Beef Biryani, please note that the dishes are mildly spicy, Sindhi style.

At the Indian grocer, A to Z Pantry, at the corner of North Elmhurst Road and Camp McDonald, I had tried to get "Harry" to give me recipes for the past 2-1/2 years. I was trying to be helpful. I wanted more SPICE for my recipes without the food necessarily getting hot, as in fiery and smoldering to my taste buds. I explained to "Harry" that many of his customers were non-Asian and would benefit from knowing how certain spices in his ethnic retail store's shelves could make their American home cooking sizzle.

I have used my Biryani spice mix in my barbecued pork, chicken, and beef dishes. For non-South Asian cooks, just use a little bit of the spice. Add Filipino white vinegar (the most popular brand being Datu Puti Cane Vinegar, a.k.a. Sukang Maasim), some soy sauce, or oyster sauce, and a little sesame oil. Yummy barbecues!

The following recipe is meant for the typical Midwest kitchen. There are some Italian, German, and Polish immigrants in my lovely white picket fence neighborhood so I thought I'd share my simple recipe with them also.

All my neighors would have to do is make a trip to "Harry's" store, A to Z Pantry: Indian Grocers, and buy any Biryani mix. Of course, my neighbors can buy their lottery tickets or "scratch-offs" there as well.

CHICKEN-PROSCIUTTO ROLLS IN LEMON-THYME BIRYANI

6 skinless chicken breasts, defrosted
12 slices of prosciutto
1 tsp. of Biryani mix per chicken breast (you can use more!)
1 sprig of fresh thyme, chopped (without the stem)
1/2 lemon
about 2 to 3 tbsps. of extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
12 toothpicks

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Rub each chicken breast with 1 tsp. (or more) Biryani mix. Set aside.
3. Use a plate to assemble the following for each chicken breast:
- Put a piece of prosciutto on the plate.
- Put the chicken breast on top of the prosciutto.
- Then, on the top layer, add another piece of prosciutto.
- Roll the chicken breast tightly.
- Secure the chicken-prosciutto roll with two toothpicks.
4. Get an oven-proof baking dish and arrange the chicken-prosciutto rolls on it.
5. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the rolls.
6. Squeeze the juice of a 1/2 lemon over the rolls.
7. Sprinkle the chopped thyme over the rolls.
8. Season the chicken-prosciutto rolls with a little salt and pepper. (If the proscuitto is not very salty, you can add more salt.)
9. Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes. Turn the chicken rolls so the bottom part of the chicken breasts get browned.
10. Cook for an additional 10 to 15 minutes.
11. Before serving, cut each roll into four slices. (Do remember to remove the toothpicks.)
12. Serve hot. Spoon the Lemon-Thyme Biryani juices over the chicken-prosciutto rolls.

SERVE WITH LEMON RICE.

The brand A to Z Pantry carries is MTR Imports, Inc. Ready-to-Eat Lemon Rice. What I like about this rice-in-a-pouch is that I don't need to cook! All I do is immerse the unopened pouch of rice in boiling water for about 5 minutes. After I remove the hot rice from its foil container, I would mix it with pre-roasted pine nuts. If I'm more adventurous, I would garnish the top of the rice with sauteed scallions or chopped green onions. Your family or guests will not be able to figure out that you've just spiked a traditional recipe with the best of South Asian spices.

This dish would make a great potluck meal since it can be gently reheated.

Bon Appetit!

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Spaghetti, American Style

Matt Norris was a Rotary Exchange student who stayed in our Lahug home in the early 1980's. His father, a chef, had taught Matt well. He shared his homemade spaghetti recipe with me as well.

Three weeks ago, I was in Utrecht, The Netherlands, where I made a modified version of this recipe. Since I didn't think it was as good as Matt's recipe, I'm sharing this one with them.

May you have a great spaghetti supper sometime!

SPAGHETTI, AMERICAN STYLE

Extra virgin olive oil, for sauteeing
1/2 kilo (or 1 lb.) lean ground beef
1 large onion, minced
2 large cans peeled whole tomatoes (drain the liquid)
1 "tall" can of tomato sauce
1 "small" can of tomato paste
worcestershire sauce, to taste
chopped basil, to taste (you can used the dried version)
chopped oregano, to taste (you can used the dried version)
garlic salt, to taste
Montreal Steak seasoning, to taste
1 can of sliced button mushrooms (drain the liquid)
Grated Parmesan or Romano cheeses OR extra-sharp Cheddar Cheese (I use Cabot's)

1. In a wok or dutch oven, start with very little extra virgin olive oil (about 1-2 tbsps.) and brown the beef, chopping up the pieces so they don't clump into "hamburger buns" or meatballs. Add onions, cut-up whole tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Toss in the mushrooms.

2. Add your spices and worcestershire sauce to taste. Let simmer in low heat until done (about 20 minutes or more).

3. Boil water in a dutch oven. Add some extra virgin olive oil and some sea salt into the pot. Add one package of spaghetti noodles or other pasta noodles. Cook until "al dente."

4. Drain the water off of the spaghetti noodles in a colander.

5. Put the noodles in a pyrex dish or pasta serving dish.

6. Either pour the spaghetti sauce on top of the noodles OR set the sauce aside in another container for the people to serve themselves.

7. Serve with grated Parmesan or Romano cheeses. You can also use extra sharp cheddar cheese, especially for Filipino taste buds.

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Fresh Tomato and Garlic Pasta Sauce

This is my innovation and revision on a recipe given to me by Sharon Sweeney when we were work colleagues at Brook Furniture Leasing and Sales. This is an uncooked sauce that is heart-healthy, meant to be prepared at least an hour before serving, refrigerated, then allowed to stand at room temperature so that flavors blend well. I've successfully made the sauce a day before serving it at a party.

1. Parboil 3 large ripe tomatoes in a pot of boiling water to loosen its skin. After peeling the skin, de-seed (yes, take off the seeds!) and chop these tomatoes in a food processor (I use a Cuisinart). Set aside the tomatoes in a glass bowl and refrigerate (yes, use a plastic wrap to cover the bowl).

2. Using the same food processor (no, you don't need to wash it), process the following ingredients, one after the other. NOTE: You can use your own ratio of ingredients. For instance, I tend to use more cilantro (chopped off from its stems with kitchen scissors) and I therefore adjust the amount of olive oil I use (meaning, I add slightly more olive oil).

a. chopped sweet basil, 2 tbsps
b. chopped fresh chives, 1 tbsp
c. chopped cilantro or chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley, 2 tbsps
d. finely grated Fontina or Mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup
e. finely-chopped fresh garlic, 3 cloves

3. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the tomatoes and ingredients (in step number 2. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate the sauce in a covered glass bowl. Let stand at room temperature one hour before serving.

4. Cook 8 ozs. (1 package) of dried or 12 ozs. fresh spaghetti or any desired pasta until "al dente." I personally prefer fusilli.

5. Combine sauce and hot pasta in a pre-heated bowl.

6. Serve with Parmesan cheese.


This recipe generously serves 4 people.
The pasta sauce takes about 15 minutes to make.

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Bachang or Bak Chang

This recipe is certainly not for people who are in a hurry. Whenever I pass by Chinatown in San Francisco, and peer at the display windows to salivate at the various dimsum products, I would spot leafy triangles in a steamer, wrapped in twine or kitchen string. I smile because I remember that a long time ago, I had this Chinese (Fookienese) boyfriend who taught me what his favorite foods were. He even went to the extent of bringing me some expensive Chinese black mushrooms for this recipe. I did some research on "Bachang" (there were no online recipes then) and found a basic recipe I liked. I revised the recipe for the Filipina cook's taste buds and availability of resources.

I found a Malaysian blogger, Hochiak! Delicious Asian Food, who seems to describe best about my then-boyfriend's love for Bachang, Bak Chang, or Bak Zhang. I checked DeliciousAsianFood.com's Creative Commons Attribution to see if I could share some of the website's tips with you to complement my own efforts.

Bak Chang (or Zongzi), meat enclosed in glutinous rice filling, is traditionally eaten in June for the Chinese. It stemmed from the Dragon Boat Festival which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese calendar, to commemorate the death of Qu Yuan, a famous Chinese poet from the kingdom of Chu who lived during the Warring States period. Of course, in this day and time, eating Bak Chang is more of a “seasonal food” though it is not uncommon to see Bak Chang being sold all year round.

LORNA'S BACHANG
circa 1984

4-1/2 cups glutinous ("Malagkit") rice
30 bamboo leaves (or substitute with banana leaves)
string
1/2 kilo pork (or 1.1 lbs.)
5 pieces Chinese black mushrooms*

Mixture I.

1/4 cup plus 1-1/2 tsps. soy sauce
1/3 tsp vetsin (monosodium glutamate; see quote below)
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp rice wine
1 to 3 tbsps minced and sauteed shallots

5 yolks coming from salted eggs
1/4 cup plus 2 tbsps dried shrimp

Note: For those who want to make homemade salted eggs, the recipe is also found below.

Mixture II.

1 tsp salt
1/3 tsp vetsin (monosodium glutamate; see quote below)
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper

Optional: Pandan leaves (screw pine leaves) for the cooking pot.

PROCEDURE:

* Pre-condition mushrooms. Soak them in warm water until soft. Remove stems and discard. Use the mushroom caps as directed.

1. Rinse rice until water runs clear. Drain and soak rice for one hour. Drain again slightly (leaving the rice with some water).

2. Wash bamboo leaves and cook in boiling water for 5 minutes. If you are using banana leaves, pass them over a fire until slightly wilted and soft. Wipe dry.

3. For the Filling:

Cut pork into 15 pieces, then cut each piece into 5 pieces.
Cut previously-soaked mushrooms into 15 pieces, then cut each piece into 3 pieces.
Mix pork meat and mushroom pieces with Mixture I and soak for 20 minutes.
Cut salty egg yolks into 15 sections.
Equally divide above ingredients into 15 portions.

4. Cooking Procedure:

Heat frying pan and add 1/4 cup and 2 tbsps cooking oil.
Stir-fry dried shrimp until fragrant. Add rice and Mixture II.
Add any remaining sauce from marinated meat (Mixture I).

Stir-Fry over medium heat until almost dry and the sauce has almost been reduced.
Remove the shrimp-rice mixture from the fire and separate into 15 portions.
From my test kitchen, that's 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsps per portion.
Let cool.
Add 5 pieces meat and 3 pieces of mushrooms per portion to the shrimp-rice mixture and blend thoroughly.

5. For Assembling:

Place 2 bamboo leaves or banana leaves together (about a foot long). Use the smoother side of the leaves for the inner portion.
Fold the leaves into a cone shape. However, one top should be longer than the other.
Add 1/2 of a rice portion, pressing rice gently to line cone.
Add a portion of the filling: a piece of egg yold, meat, and mushroom.
Then, cover with the other 1/2 of the rice portion.
Fold over the long end of the leaves to form a cover and encase rice and filling.

6. Wrap and bind with string. Place the leafy cones in a pot with water to cover and some pandan (screw pine) leaves. Cook covered over medium heat for 1 hour.

Number of servings: 15

BONUS: A Youtube video showing how to wrap the Bachang. (I don't need to re-invent the wheel, so thank you, DeliciousAsianFood.com!)



I have also linked DeliciousAsianFood.com's recipe for Bak Chang for those who want to compare notes.

SALTING EGGS IN BRINE

1. Boil 6 cups of water and 12 cups salt (I prefer sea salt). Cool.
2. Carefully place 12 chicken eggs in a wide-mouth glass jar.
3. Pour the salt solution in the jar. Weigh down the eggs with a plate or cup to keep them from floating to the surface.
- Instead of a jar, you could use a sealed plastic bag (a huge ziploc bag could work!) filled with salt solution.
4. Cover the mouth of the glass jar with perforated paper. Keep in a cool, dry place.
5. Try an egg after 12 days by boiling in water. Taste it to see if the saltiness suits your taste buds.
6. Soak the eggs again for 5 more days if you feel that the tested egg isn't salty enough. You can also use duck's eggs but you have to soak them for a longer time.
7. After 5 days, the eggs should be salty enough. Boil a test egg, just to be sure.
8. Boil eggs in water for 5 minutes. Let stand for 10 more minutes.
9. Color eggs, if desired.


A NOTE ABOUT MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE:

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer commonly added to Chinese food, canned vegetables, soups and processed meats. Although the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified MSG as a food ingredient that is "generally recognized as safe," the use of MSG remains controversial.

MSG has been used as a food additive for decades. Over the years, the FDA has received many anecdotal reports of adverse reactions to foods containing MSG. But subsequent research found no definitive evidence of a link between MSG and the symptoms that some people described after eating food containing MSG. As a result, MSG is still added to some foods.

Continue reading about MSG at www.MayoClinic.com.

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Ham-Tomato Fried Rice a la Vinicius

Thanksgiving 2008 will forever be known as "Vini's First Thanksgiving and Black Friday Celebration." Our regular house guest, Vinicius, arrived from Brazil on the eve of Thanksgiving, not realizing that his two-day adventure with us would include a rice dish named after him, a gift from a Filipina American cook.

Since my husband and I decided to celebrate a quiet Thanksgiving, I was also in the mood to create a recipe for the occasion. I unearthed my ancient rice cooker (yes, I don't normally eat rice like any good
Filipina because I like couscous). I also used a teflon-coated dutch oven type of a pot, not a wok, because the citric acid in the sun-dried tomatoes does not work well with any aluminum-based cooking vessel. Lastly, I am known as a lazy cook. The goal was to use only ONE pot in this cooking process while maintaining my healthy cooking lifestyle.

I also modified the fried rice methodology of cooking. Regular instructions for cooking would include: "Add 1 tablespoon oil, swirling so that the bottom of the pan is coated. Add the rice. Stir-fry for 2 - 3 minutes, until the rice is heated through." Watch how I modify this method in the recipe's instructions. What I love about this dish is that you can use freshly-made rice (which I did, for this occasion!).


We hope Vini can also cook this recipe for his wife in Brazil. This dish makes an excellent potluck dish, too!

Bon Appetit!


Ham-Tomato Fried Rice a la Vinicius


RICE:

Extra-Long Grain Rice, 3 cups (raw)
Water, 3 cups (to cook with the rice)

1. Measure 3 cups of raw rice into the rice cooker's container.

2. Under running water, rinse the water with your hand, draining the white-colored starchy water from the side of the container. Keep doing this until the water looks almost clear.

Note: If you've noticed the cooked whitish to brownish scum at the bottom of a rice cooker, that's probably the result of the starch resting at the bottom of the cooking vessel. This is my own theory, of course!

3. When you drain the last of the water from the rice cooker's container, you might have retained about 1 to 2 tbsps of water with the raw rice.

4. Add 3 cups minus 2 tbsps of water to the rice.

5. Cook your rice as usual.

6. When done, fluff the hot, cooked rice with a fork so that the rice doesn't clump. Shut off the rice cooker. Allow the rice to go to room temperature.

Note: You can cook the rice a few hours before you cook the fried rice. You will notice that I have not added any salt to the rice.

If you are simply cooking rice to accompany your meal, here's something my college cooking teacher taught me: Trickle a tablespoon or more of extra virgin cooking oil in a circle-like, clockwise motion on top of the rice. Fluff the rice with a fork. Now you know why the rice looks so glossy and appetizing!


HAM-TOMATO FRIED RICE:

Pine nuts, 1/4 cup
Extra-virgin olive oil, about 1/4 cup
Coarsely-chopped white onions, 1-1/2 cups
Chopped left-over baked ham, in 1/2 inch cubes, 1-1/2 cups (or less)
Balsamic vinegar, about 1 tbsp or slightly more (I use Trader Joe's Balsamic Vinegar of Modena; Filipino cooks can use sukang Ilocos)
McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning, to taste
White pepper, to taste
Sundried tomatoes, julienne-style, about 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup (not coated in oil)
Water, 2 tbsps. To 1/4 cup
Frozen green peas, about 1/3 cup
Finely-chopped basil, 2 tsps. (I use Dorot's basil cubes from Trader Joe's)

1. Heat a teflon-type (or use a non-aluminum, non-cast iron pot) 4-quart (16-cup capacity) cooking pot. Use medium heat throughout the cooking process.

2. Add 1/4 cup of pine nuts. Toast the nuts, stirring the nuts with your wooden spoon until light yellow. Do not burn the nuts since they might taste bitter. Immediately transfer the nuts to a glass (non-metal) bowl.

3. Add about 2 tbsps of extra-virgin cooking oil to the pot. Heat through, then add the 1-1/2 cups of white onions. Stir-fry until the onions turn translucent. Transfer cooked onions (with its oil) on top of the toasted pine nuts in the glass bowl. (Vidalia onions are also nice to use for this recipe.)

4. Add about 1 or 2 tbsps of extra-virgin olive oil to the pot. Start with 1 tbsp of oil, heat it, then add the 1-1/2 cups of ham cubes. If the ham absorbs all of the oil immediately, add another tbsp of the olive oil. Stir-fry the ham cubes. Add about 2 tsps of Montreal Steak Seasoning. Then, add 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar. After the ham cubes absorb the vinegar, check the taste of the ham. The salty taste of the ham should disappear. Add a little more vinegar if the salty taste of the ham is still predominant. Add about 1 tsp of white pepper, if desired. Transfer the cooked ham cubes into the glass bowl, on top of the pine nuts and onions.

5. Add 1/3 or 1/2 cup of julienne-style sundried tomatoes to the heated pot. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pot about 1/4 inch high. The goal is to extrude some of the tomato juice from the sundried tomatoes and to soften the tomatoes at the same time. When softened, add 1/3 cup of frozen green peas straight from the package. Cook until the peas have softened and the water is simmering. At about the same time, add the frozen basil cubes and allow to defrost. Then, season with about 2 tsps Montreal Steak Seasoning or to taste.

6. Lower the heat of the stove to low heat.

7. Using a rice spoon (a plastic-type of spoon that normally comes with a rice cooker), transfer the cooked rice to the pot. Mix in the liquid of the tomato mixture evenly throughout the rice.

8. Add the rest of the glass bowl's ingredients (pine nuts, onions, and ham cubes) to the cooking pot. The flavored oils from these ingredients are now transferred to the rice. Make sure that each strand of rice is evenly mixed with the flavors. You don't want to see white strands of rice. Taste the rice dish to see if you need to add any more seasoning. The dish shouldn't taste vinegary.

9. Transfer the rice to a glass container with a cover. Set aside. Serve immediately or reheat contents in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20 minutes.

10. A few reminders: Although ham has been cured, thus it doesn't get spolied easily, my personal rule of thumb for meat dishes is: Don't leave your dish in room temperature for more than 4 hours.

11. Store leftovers. Reheat in the microwave.

Some defintions:

Dutch Oven
A large, heavy pot or kettle, usually of cast iron and with a tight lid, used for slow cooking.

Ilocos vinegar or sukang Ilocos
This famous Philippine vinegar is made in the northern province of Ilocos out of sugar cane with some samak (Macaranga) leaf added. It is dark and pungent and used as an ingredient in Vigan Longanisa sausage as well as in many other regional recipes, as a dip and for medicinal purposes (disinfectant and on the forehead for fevers). Industrial Balsamic vinegar has been suggested as a substitute when the Ilocos product is not available.

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Lorna's Mediterranean Couscous with Filipino Chorizo

This recipe is my easy version of Spanish Rice with Filipino and Italian influences. Since I'm a lover of pine nuts and basil, and my husband loves lots of garlic, I decided to include these ingredients. No onions for this dish, though, although I wouldn't mind adding lots of Vidalia onions (for the sweetness).

It's the spice mix I use that makes a difference. Since I make the rounds of ethnic-type markets, I watch out for interesting spices. In this case, I used a natural condiment for paella, meats, and fish, named Bijol, which contains corn flour, cumin, annatto (yes, for the yellowish color), yellow no. 5, and red no. 40.

Ingredients: Prepare in sequence.

1-1/2 cups couscous (follow instructions for cooking the couscous; set aside; this can be done a few hours before)
4 pieces Flipino chorizo, Pampanga-style (a more sweet, spicy chorizo or longaniza; this can also be cooked beforehand but I like to do this when I start cooking); or if you don't want a sweet, sticky chorizo, use chorizos from Lucban (Quezon), Vigan, or Baguio (Dipasupil), or my favorite longaniza from Cebu (check out my sister's (Noemi Dado) recipe of skinless longaniza if you want to make your own)
1 large tomato, cored and diced (1/4" cubes are fine); set aside in a plastic bag inside the refrigerator
1 heaping tbsp. chopped garlic (ok, I like using bottled chopped garlic)
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil to fry the pine nuts (until light yellow); however, I like to use the left-over oil from the chorizo
1 heaping tbsp. raw pignolias or pine nuts (I use Trader Joe's Nuts which is an 8 oz. or 227 gm. package)
2 cubes of frozen chopped basil, Dorot brand (I buy this at Trader Joe's)
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (to stir-fry the couscous in)
1/4 tsp. Bijol condiment (found in many Mexican groceries or other Latin marketplaces)
Fresh ground black pepper to taste

1. Prick the chorizo pieces with a fork. Parboil the Filipino chorizo in a little water over low-to-medium heat in a skillet until it renders its own fat. Continue cooking (with a splatter guard) as it fries in its own fat. Be careful since the chorizo caramelizes quickly (thus, burns quickly). This could take around 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Slice diagonally into thin slices. Set aside.

2. In the same chorizo oil, fry the raw pine nuts until light golden yellow. Add a little extra-virgin olive oil if you want to. (You can also roast the pine nuts in an iron skillet.). Set aside.

3. Fry the chopped garlic in the same oil until golden yellow. Add the frozen cubes of chopped basil and cook until the cubes dissolve. (Note: You can use extra-virgin olive oil in a separate teflon skillet that is large enough to mix the couscous mix in it.)

4. At this point, transfer the fried garlic and chopped basil mix to a large teflon or stainless steel skillet. Add 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil (or more, according to your taste). Add the Bijol condiment. Add the sliced chorizo pieces (if you need to re-heat them). Add the cooked couscous.

5. Finally, add cooked pine nuts and the tomatoes at the final stage of cooking. Mix well. (This means that you don't need to add the tomatoes and pine nuts until just before serving.)

6. Season with fresh ground pepper.

Serve with my Mediterranean Chicken Stir-Fry.

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