Stae of Grace Recipes 2

mailto:graceg@pacbell.net
Pomegranate Salad Chicken Tinola Baboodi Adobo Celery Salad Red Lentil Soup	Refreshing Pomegranate Salad with Basil Dressing ...from the kitchen of Grace Gallego I subscribe to Sunset Magazine, Food and Wine, and Cook's Illustrated because I love recipes. I also love to read recipe books, but I never follow any recipes. I love to taste different foods and learn from eating out adventurously about unusual ways to combine food. If I like the sound of things, or the taste, I pick up ideas and experiment. This is one of my experiments and has become a favorite among friends.
	Ingredients One head of curly leaf red lettuce One head butter lettuce Wash lettuce and pat dry, tear into salad size pieces, set aside. One pomegranate separated One half cup halved pecans One fourth stick butter Two tablespoons brown sugar Cayenne to taste Melt some butter in a pan and toast pecans, add brown sugar, sprinkle cayenne to taste, drain and set aside. Dressing Two shallots Five cloves of garlic One bunch of basil leaves One teaspoon garlic chili powder (Thai) One half cup balsamic vinegar One half cup raspberry vinegar One fourth cup olive oil *Peel shallots, peel garlic, remove stems from basil and combine all the above ingredients in a food processor.* Put greens, pecans, pomegranate in a salad bowl and toss with the dressing. If you serve the salad in individual plates, add the pecans and pomegranate on top of the tossed leaves. You can substitute pomegranate when not available with oranges cut in half slivers. Makes four large servings.

	Chicken Tinola ...from the Philippines The Filipinos have a lot of brothy soup dishes (boiled meat or fish and vegetables), not unlike a corned beef and cabbage meal. They have a variety of these and what distinguishes them are the kinds of vegetables they use, the kind of meat, or fish, and the spices. They have one called "nilaga" which means boiled and is in essence a potpourri of vegetables and meats, they have one called "pesa" which is the simplest, I mostly had it with fish (my favorite was catfish), and a Spanish original of "nilaga" called "cocido", or "cooked", (I think it meant "very cooked" as in "boiled"). I'll publish these other recipes one day. My household staple, (especially good on a cold day), is Chicken Tinola. Of course, this is my version of it.
	Ingredients One whole chicken cut up 2-3 Medium Potatoes A bunch of Spinach 4 Chayotes Five cloves of Garlic One tablespoon of Leaf Oregano Olive Oil Chicken Bouillon Salt to taste Water Cut some of the larger chicken parts in smaller pieces, i.e. the chicken breast and back. (yes I like to include the back and skin to make the soup more flavorful, worry about skimming the fat later) Peel and cut potatoes in quarters. Peel chayote and cut in halves. Chayotes are seasonal, you can use green papayas instead, or in a pinch, summer squash (but be careful not to overcook). Crush the garlic, and cut about three large slivers of ginger. In a kettle, put about two tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the garlic and brown the chicken and salt to taste. When browned, pour enough water to cover chicken and a bit more to cover potatoes and chayote when added later on. Add the ginger and tablespoon of oregano and two-three chicken bouillon cubes for flavor. Bring to boil and keep boiling for five minutes, bring the heat down to a medium low level and cover the pot. Cook for about another fifteen minutes and add the potatoes and chayote. When they are tender, but firm, add the spinach until it is cooked. Serve with white rice. You may season with "patis" and lemon. You can find "patis" at an oriental or Filipino food store or Thai fish sauce (which is the most common) in almost any grocery store. Take about a half a lemon and squeeze into a small bowl and add about an equal amount of fish sauce. This is used like some might add soy sauce to Chinese food. ENJOY!