Apple, Baby Brie, and Turkey Panini

Here's another sandwich offering for y'all....

Actually the plan was just to make a grilled sandwich but when I finished assembling it was a little thick and kinda hard to handle without the filling falling out from the bread so I decided to make a panini instead.

The inspiration for this panini came from a panini that I had from The French Crepe Company in Third and Fairfax.  The combination of creamy brie, tangy-sweet apple, and savory smoked turkey really works well together.  The result is a nice combination of flavor in one tasty panini...yum...yum...yum

I served the sandwich with a side of frisee, figs, and pine nut salad as well as a fresh mixed fruits and greek yogurt parfait. The combination makes it a full meal which is not only easy to make and assemble but also requires minimal cooking.  That last bit of information is important especially during the summer months when  the heat is unbearable and any cooking can turn up the heat inside the house...hehehe. 

This meal can be served as a quick lunch or merienda (snack) for Filipinos. I say merienda for Filipinos because most (especially those who were born, raised, and living in the Philippines) do not consider anything that's served without rice a meal...everything else falls under the category of a snack if it does not come with rice :) 

Speaking of Filipino diet, here's an interesting fact:  Filipinos typically eat three full meals a day (breakfast, lunch, dinner) that is composed of rice and meat or seafood dish.  Aside from the three full meals, some Filipinos also eat snack in between those meals.  Snacks are typically served midway between the meals - in between breakfast and lunch, in between lunch and dinner, and a few hours after dinner and before going to bed (midnight snack).  So it  is not uncommon to see Filipinos eat at least 5 to 6 times a day (counting all the regular meals and snacks) :)  That's a lot of meals to prepare for a typical Filipino wife, don't you think? Of course most (even those who are not considered rich) have household help...

2 slices of sourdough bread (or your preference of bread)

2 slices of smoked turkey breast (from the deli)

1/2 an apple (granny smith or your preference), sliced thinly

thin slices of baby brie

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush both bread slices with olive oil

2. Arrange a thin layer of baby brie on both sides of the bread then lightly brush with olive oil and sprinkle freshly ground black pepper according to taste

3. Place a slice of turkey breast on each of the bread slices

4. Arrange slices of apple on one side of the bread.

5. Use the other bread to cover the other slice then set aside.

6. Heat panini maker or stovetop grill then lightly brush with leftover olive oil

7. Place the sandwich on the grill.  If using stovetop grill, place a layer of aluminum wrap on top of the bread then place a heat proof weight over it to weigh it down.

8. When one side is done, turn the panini over and grill the other side until done.

9. Slice in half and serve warm.

Turkey, Spinach, and Pesto Panini

Good morning, World. I went to bed early last night so I woke up bright and early this morning...huh? Did those words come out of my mouth... este, did I really type those words? Hahaha...quite strange coming from a girl who is not always in a good mood in the morning. I am not a morning person but strangely I feel okay this morning...maybe because I got some much needed rest last night after a few days of not sleeping well. I tell you, I slept like a baby with a few dreams here and there but i cannot even remember those dreams when I woke up...strange, huh? 

Anyways, I have some blogging to catch up to so I will start with this entry and maybe back-track posts for the last two or three days and post entries for the dishes I cooked but haven't had time to post...hehehe...was busy with school trying to finish a paper that was due Monday so didn't have time to post...

I had an appointment with my therapist yesterday morning...hand therapist, not psychiatrist...hehehe.... and as usual I usually stop by at several shops before finally making my way home. In the process, I usually end up with tons of stuff by the time I reach home. What can I say? There are just so many temptations along the way. First, I stopped by at Whole Foods and picked up more arugula, ciabatta, and basil as well as well as corn, jam, and mustard. Next off, I went to Monsieur Marcel at the Farmemr's market and picked up prosciutto, and oven-roasted turkey breast from their deli section. Next, I went to World Market and La Surla Table(still at the Farmer's Market) and picked up some glasses, small dishes, and tea towels...Oh, the joy...they are like candy stores for the kitchen....too many pretty and shiny stuff :). Finally, I bought some fresh produce at the Farmer's market which were really great and fresh.

By the time I finally made it home, it was past lunch time. Unfortunately, there was nothing ready to eat at the house A quick rummaging on the cupboard and refrigerator and I found some ingredients I need to make a quick lunch...the result is a turkey, sinach, and pesto panini. I am telling you, I have been hooked on panini lately...hehehe... If you do not have a panini press or panini maker, refer to this post for idea on how to make it... it is easy and tasty

The combination for this pesto sandwich came from sister who told me after she saw the picture of my sweet chili, chicken, and pesto panini which I posted on my facebook account. I was a little skeptical at first because I was not sure how the wilted spinach taste in the panini but this converted me into a huge fan. Everything meshes well together perfectly and you cannot even tell that the spinach is in there which will be a good way to sneak veggies into your children's diet. I think it also helped that the roasted turkey breast from Marcel's taste great even by it itself. I was in panini heaven, so easy to make and tasty...a combination that's hard to come by....hehehe...

Even with the side salad and fruit cup, I was done in less than 20 minutes. I prepared a simple salad of baby spinach, pine nuts, and apple in a simple olive oil-lemon dressing to go with the salad. A fruit cup of mixed, sliced fruit such as apple, blackberries, and strawberries round out the meal. The fruits were part of the produce that I purchased from the farmer's market on Third and Fairfax.

Ingredients:

1 Rustic bread or any crusty bread, sliced in half

Prepared (I used my homemade) pesto

2-3 slices of oven-roasted turkey breast

a handful of baby spinach leaves

grated mozzarella or sliced provolone cheese



1. Spread pesto on both sides of the bread.

2. On one side, add a layer of cheese, then spinach.

3. Add turkey on another layer and top with another layer of cheese.

4. Cover with the other half of the bread and press down. Set aside

5. Heat your cast iron grill pan over medium heat.

6. Add about 1/2 a tsp of olive oil.  Using a non-stick, heat-resistant basting brush, spread the oil all over the grill pan.

7. Position your panini in the middle of the pan.  Place a layer of foil on top of the panini before placing you weight.

***make sure that the weight is stable and provides even weight on the panini.  I used a cast iron pan and then topped that with a cast-iron wok to provide a a heavier weight on the sandwich.

8. Grill each side for about 3-4 minutes or until it is toasted according to your preference.  When one side is done, use a spatula to turn it over and cook the other side using the same procedure.

9. When done, remove from heat and slice into two equal portion. Serve with potato chips, fried, salad or your choice of sides.

Bacolod -Style Chicken Inasal

Chicken inasal is the quintessential Bacolod food that I can probably eat every single day when I am in Bacolod. There is just something about it that brings back tons of memories. The best chicken inasal,in my opinion, are those that are served at Manokan Country in reclamation area which is now fronting SM Mall. Ahhh...chicken inasal with kalamansi and soy sauce as sawsawan and eaten with rice that has been sprinkled with annatto oil and a little salt....yummy... especially if you eat it with your bare hands.

Bacolod-style chicken inasal is slightly unique from chicken barbeque found in other parts of the Philippines in the sense that it does not have any soy sauce in its marinade. Instead, the marinade is usually made up of 7-up, vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic, and lemon grass. The basting liquid is also unique as it uses annatto seeds, butter, and oil. The annatto seeds lends the dish its characteristic yellowish hue or coloring. One thing though that makes chicken inasal that are found in Bacolod better and cannot be replicated here in the States is the fact that they use native chickens. Native chicken are a lot less leaner than those that are sold in the regular US supermarket but despite its lean flesh, the taste is unparalled in the sense that it is a lot tastier than its plumpier American counterpart. Having said that, this recipe is as close as I can get to a Bacolod-Style chicken inasal without having to jump on the plane and spend caboodles of money everytime the craving for chicken inasal hits me :)

Ingredients:

2 chicken leg quarters
1 whole chicken breast, cut into half
4 bamboo skewers.

Marinade:

1 cup sugarcane vinegar
1 1/2 cups 7-up (or sprite, if you prefer)
2 inch sized ginger, peeled and sliced thinly
3-4 stalks of lemongrass (leaves and stalks), cut into 5-6 inches length then bruised using the back of a knife
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped finely
1/2 cup freshly squeezed Kalamansi (Philippine lime)juice
sea salt and ground white pepper, according to taste

1. Make several deep cuts into the chicken meat to ensure even marination.
2. Combine all the ingredients for marinade in a non-reactive container then add chicken.
3. Marinate for a minimum of an hour or overnight. Turn the meat over several times during the marination process.
4. When ready to cook, turn on the grill or preheat the broiler to high.
5. Soak the bamboo skewers in a pan of water for at least 15 minutes or more.
6. Skewer the chicken meat and baste with annatto oil basting liquid.
7. Place skewered chicken in the grill or broiler. Make sure you keep an eye on it to prevent meat from burning. Baste with basting liquid several times during the cooking process to prevent meat from drying out.
8. When one side is done, turn the other side over and cook until slightly golden in color, or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken meat reaches about 165F.
9. Remove from heat, let it cool slightly before serving. Place in a serving plate and serve with kalamansi-soy sauce dipping sauce


Basting liquid:

1/2 cups cooking oil
3 Tbsp butter (or less if you prefer)
salt, according to taste
2 Tbsp annatto seeds

1. Heat oil in asauce pan over medium heat.
2. Add butter until melted.
3. Add annatto seeds and stir until color is extracted (about 5 minutes).
4. Add salt according to taste and then remove from heat. Let it cool and transfer to a covered container and store until ready to use.
5. Use this to baste chicken inasal while cooking.

Dipping Sauce:

1 Tbsp Kalamansi juice
3-4 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 Tsp spiced vinegar, optional

1. Combine all ingredients. Set aside until ready to use.
*** you may adjust the proportion according to your preference.

Grilled Steak with Rosenberg, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Macadamia Dressing

Ahhh... summer is almost gone and I cannot say that I am sad because frankly, I am just about tired of the heat. I welcome the cool weather with open arms this year although I shouldn't really get my hopes up, huh? I mean this is Southern California...we hardly get any cold weather here and if we do, they are far and few in between. The reason I am celebrating though is because it has been a long, hot, and humid summer...to me, at least. I wish that we get to see changing of the color of the leaves here in LA, even just once...

This summer has been rather eventful. I went home to the Philippines for our nth college reunion and had a blast. We had so much fun reminiscing our past, the way things were, exploring old digs as well as new ones, eating galore... it was all made special because my fireds were with me. Ha! to think that I was not even going to go homw for the reunion at all. I am so glad that I did though because I got to spend time with people whom I have not seen in a long time. The rest of the summer was spent blogging and cooking for the most part which I really enjoyed after a very long hiatus. Hopefully this will continue for a while...hehehe

This meal is my summer send off as we welcome the dawn of a new season, autumn. Although, to be honest, today feels more like autumn than summer. It has been gloomy since I woke up and went to the store this more...and it still is...hmmm...maybe we will get a cooler autumn and winter this year...nice. For the meal, I grilled a t-bone steak over my stove top griller, not the gas grill, then topped it with cheese and nuts sauce. I also fired some sweet potato fries to go with it.


Ingredients:

A. Steak

T-bone streak or any grilling steak
salt and pepper, to taste
1. Apply salt and pepper to both sides of the steak.
2. Grill steak. 2 minutes on 1 side and another two minutes on the other side for rare. Cook longer if you do not want to eat rare.
3. Remove from heat and onto a serving dish. Top with the dressing and serve with sweet potato fries.

B. Resenberg, Parmigiano Reggiano, and Macadamia Dressing

1 oz Risenberg cheese, crumbled
1 oz Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated
2 Tbsp chopped macadamia nuts
small bunch of mint, roughly chopped
small bunch of parsley, roughly chopped
3-4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, chopped

1. Place macadamia, mint, parsley,garlic, and olive oil in a food processor and process until chopped finely and incorporated
2. Add both cheeses and process again until incorporated.
3. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.



Adapted from 30-minute entertaining cookbook by L. Pickford.

Grilled Squid Stuffed with Lemon Grass and Ginger

I had a dish similar to this when I went home to the Philippines in July. It was fro a very famous resto in Bacolod, the place where I am from. They stuffed their squid with tanglad (lemon grass) and ginger then it was grilled. If I remember correctly, they basted it with annatto-infused oil, which is commonly used in pork and chicken barbeque. This dish can either be grilled on a gas grill or stovetop grill. I used the later since I was not about to step outside in the heat and deal with more heat...lol...at least if I do it inside the house, I can just turn on the exhaust and have to air-conditioner running to counteract the heat coming from the stove :)Be careful when using a stovetop griller as it could oil from the basting medium to splatter. The lemmon grass gives the dish a nice aroma and flavor. You can eat this "as is" or you can dip it in soy sauce-kalamansi (philippine lemon) mixture or spiced vinegar. I do not like dipping it in anything but I like to eat with rice and a side of Atchara (Pickled papaya)...yum!



Ingredients:

squid, cleaned with tentacles removed and discarded (or you can save it for another dish)
Lemon grass (enough to stuff all your squids, bruised
Ginger (use enough to stuff squid), sliced thinly
sea salt and freschly ground pepper, to taste
bamoo skewers, soaked in water for about 15 minutes

Basting medium:

1/2 cup oil
1-2 tsp annatto extract (or if using powder, use about 1 tsp)

1. Heat sauce pan to medium and add oil with annatto extract.
2. Mix well. Heat until annatto is well incorporated into the oil.
3. Take one squid and stuff with lemon grass and ginger. Do this until all squid has been stuffed.
4. Sprinkle salt and pepper all over the squids.
5. Skewer squid using bamboo skewers.
6. Turn on the grill and grill squids. After 3-4 minutes, turn squid over and baste with prepared basting medium.
7. When the other side is half way cooked, turn it over and baste that side also.
8. Continue to grill squids until cooked.
9. Remove from heat and transfer to serving platter.
NOTE: You are only supposed to eat the squid and discard the lemon grass and ginger