A Fish Dish Cooked Japanese-Italian Style

Aside from the Philippines, of course, Japan and Italy are my much-loved food havens. Ramen and pasta are my absolute favorite. Now, let me take you to a Japan and Italy tour as I cook something special to someone special – my family.

Now, let us go to my open kitchen. The kitchen in our house, located at the terrace, so, it always feels like you have a show or something with a lot of audience passing by. The feel of a celebrity chef, aw. Ha-ha! It never is bad to dream. Love it. Let’s start cooking!

Ingredients:

-Cream dory (or any white fish of your choice)

-Button mushrooms (drained)

-Asparagus (fresh or canned)

-Japanese Soy Sauce (I prefer Kikkoman)

-Japanese seasoning

-Chopped garlic and onion

-Eggs

-Flour

-Evaporated Milk

For the asparagus, I used the bottled one. Hassle-free! Just drain it.
For the Japanese seasoning, I used the one from Ajinomoto. You can use other ones if you desire.
Just wanted this because this is for fish flavoring.     

Procedure:

1. Wash the cream dory. Pat it dry. Cut into square pieces. The size depends on how big or small you wanted it.

2. On a plate, mix flour and one pack of Japanese seasoning.

3. On a bowl, crack an egg, remove the yolk and reserve the egg white.

4. Start frying! Dredge the fish in the flour mixture. Then, dip it on the egg white. Lay them on the pan with hot cooking oil. Don't crowd the pan. Fry until golden brown. Set aside.

This technique will help you preserve the flavor inside the fish.
As the fish makes contact first with the flour mixture.
The egg white then conceals the flavor inside.

5. On a skillet, sauté chopped garlic and onion. Throw in the mushrooms and asparagus. Season it with one pack of Japanese seasoning and Kikkoman.

6. Scoop the sautéed ingredients, let the oil drip on the pan, and set aside.

7. Now, make a béchamel! On the same skillet, shower the left oil with flour. Stir until they mix together. Then, pour in evaporated milk. Adjust to your desired consistency.

8. Lastly, put back on the pan the fried fish and the sautéed ingredients. Drizzle with white pepper and serve!

This is my own recipe. I named this dish: fish fillet in bechamel sauce with a Japanese twist. I cooked this for my family this lunchtime. I hope you’ll be inspired and cook this for your family as well. It tasted so, so good! The tanginess of Japanese was present and the Italian creaminess was just another compliment. Try it out! Eat. Have fun. Kudos to good food!

GET IN TOUCH WITH JAHRIC LAGO:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JAHRICISM
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Twitter: www.twitter.com/Jahriclago
E-mail: jahriclago@yahoo.com

How To Makeover Your Leftover

People celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ and spread the spirit of Christmas among each other in December 25 and the explosion of fierceness was another to celebrate as we said goodbye to 2013 and welcome to 2014.  

Noche Buena on the table

Let me take this opportunity to thank all the blessings that God has bestowed upon me. For making my 2013 a fierce yet amazing year. For strengthening the foundation of my career as a writer. For giving me wonderful FAMS of my books (yes fams, not fans, as I treat each and every one of them as a member of my family already). For making CPAIPS – PLMar, its people, as my source of inspiration. For the life and hope you have given to my family, please continuously heal my father, God. And keep my mother, siblings, niece & nephews save from any harm. For showering me with genuine love from my fantastic friends & superfriends, for the laughter and irreplaceable memories we shared throughout 2013.

Now that it’s 2014, please help me finish my upcoming books: Revenge of a Brokenhearted Girl, House of Madame Ermelita, The Secret Green Door, The Fierce Five, & Jarred. Also, my blogsite (www.jahricism.blogspot.com) please help me make it a success! So, I will be able to share my works to my FAMS, superfriends, and to everyone else. For me to touch lives, to inspire others, as same way you touched my life and inspired me every day of my life.

Media Noche on the table

In return, I promise to be more faithful in you, God. To commit with every word I say. To live a more healthy life, as a promise I'll enroll myself in South Beach Diet again. To become a better person. And to continue on becoming an inspiration to everyone. Lastly, thank you as I will be graduating as a cum laude, and I am so proud of myself & I know you, too. But please give me more courage to face the reality of life as I will soon become part of the hospitality industry - as an employee, and an entrepreneur better much soon - and not just a HRM student anymore. Keep my heart filled with joy. My shower me with love, please. Or a lover. Kidding aside, my immeasurable gratitude and appreciation to all these that you gave, God, thanks for a wonderful 2013, I am pretty much ready for 2014!

So, with all these festivities happening around, I know a lot of you guys have leftover food. Whether it be spaghetti alla carbonara, that chicken lollipop or cakes. Don’t throw them away. You can reconstruct your pasta and chicken to a new dish. Why don’t you try this. First, remove the meat from your chicken lollipop and shred it into pieces. Put your leftover pasta on a skillet, smothered tomato sauce, fresh basil leaves topped it with your shredded chicken. Viola! Another dish for your FAMS to enjoy.

Now, what to do with your leftover cakes? Don’t throw it away, too. You can make new cakes from old ones. If you have bought cakes for Christmas or this New Year’s Eve and have something left. You can reconstruct it to fresh and tasty cakes!

Your leftover chiffon, carrot or chocolate cakes can become truffles or cake bars. It is very easy!

What to do? Crumble your leftover cake or cake trimmings on a baking sheet. Here, I even asked my cute pamangkins (nephews & niece) to help me out. This can also become a family event, bonding time!

Truffles: Put a spoonful on clean palms and mold into balls. The size depends on how small or big you wanted it to look. Chill your cake balls for 10-15 minutes for them to settle and bind together.

Make your frosting! Melt chocolate bars (white or dark, or whatever your choice will be) on a double broiler. Mix in a little vegetable oil so the chocolate will become silky and smooth.

It’s time to frost! Dunk the cake balls in your chocolate frosting until it is entirely covered. Spoon them out and place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle with colored sugar, marshmallows, rainbow sprinkles or any topping you’re thinking of. Chill for 10-15 minutes. Put on cupcake liners. Serve!

Cake Bars: On a rectangular baking pan with parchment paper on the bottom, press the crumbled cakes flat on the surface until it covered the whole pan. Put inside the fridge, chill your cake base for 10-15 minutes for them to settle and bind together.

Here, I have two choices of icing for you! 1.) Chocolate icing: in a skillet on a medium fire, melt ½ bar of butter, mix in 1 cup of cocoa powder and cornstarch/flour plus 3 cups of white sugar. Add 1 can of milk, stir. Then, pour in 1 can of water. Stir until it thickens. 2.) Caramel fudge: put cans of condensed milk in a pressure cooker, fill up with water until the cans soak under. Put on fire for 2-3 hours. Wanted it to be hassle-free? You can buy some chocolate icing and caramel fudge on your favorite baking supplies store. I suggest you go to Chocolate Lover Inc., their caramel fudge is only P169 there. I buy my things there, too, eh.

Frosting time! Take out the cake base using a spatula, place it on a cake board. Put on the chocolate icing/caramel icing and flat it on top using the spatula. Design it using piping bags with different tips. Also, you can drizzle it with colored sugar, marshmallows, rainbow sprinkles or any toppings your thinking of. Let your creativity flow. Chill for 10-15 minutes. Put on cupcake liners. Then, serve!

Isn’t it fun and easy? Enjoy your cakes! Learn to share! God bless your 2014!

GET IN TOUCH WITH JAHRIC LAGO:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/JAHRICISM
Wattpad: www.wattpad.com/JahricLago
Twitter: www.twitter.com/Jahriclago
E-mail: jahriclago@yahoo.com