Club Bistek

When I was a child, my family had a membership at a sports club. Almost every afternoon in the summer, my sisters and I would swim at the club's pool. The pool was near the lounge and every now and then, mouthwatering smells from the lounge's restaurant would waft to the pool area and one of their specialties is "Bistek Tagalog" (Tagalog Beef Steak). I believe our nose has its own memory because every time I smell the distinctly wonderful smell of onions and garlic in butter, I can also almost smell the chlorine of the swimming pool and I am transported back to the happy days of my childhood. This recipe is an attempt to recreate that wonderfully savoury dish, Bistek Tagalog which the club restaurant serves in a sizzling plate. For bistek, calamansi is usually used, a citrus local to the Philippines. Since it's almost impossible to find calamansi in Japan, I substituted lemon which can be found in any supermarket.  I am also partial to using the nice thin slices of pork as my kids find that easier to eat than beef or even pork chop slices. Soy sauce is crucial to this dish. It is essential for marinating the meat and it gives the meat and the onions a beautiful caramel color. 

3 cloves garlic chopped finely

ground black pepper

1-2 T fresh lemon juice

3-4 T soy sauce

300 g thinly sliced pork (or beef if preferred)

1 large onion sliced into ring

1 T butter (or olive oil if preferred)

Mix the garlic, ground black pepper, lemon juice and soy sauce in a bowl. Marinate the thinly sliced pork in this mixture for at least 30 minutes. In a frying pan, heat the butter or oil on medium high and pan fry the onions until soft. Move to the side of the pan. Pan fry the pork pieces until done but do not overcook. Serve hot with rice.

Hollywood's Lemon Squares

I confess to being a Hollywood magazine junkie. There is something irresistible about the combination of beautiful people and chaotic lives I find absolutely riveting. But I also end up saying "I want my hour back" after wasting it leafing through pages of expensively dressed stars. I did get one wonderful thing out of my bad habit -- this recipe for Michael Romano's Lemon Squares came from People magazine. I halved it and adjusted the baking times to my satisfaction. It is my go-to sweet if I am craving something refreshing and citrusy.

1 cup and 2 T flour divided

1 cup sugar divided (¼ cup and ¾ cup)

½ cup butter

2 large eggs slighly beaten

Juice of 1 lemon

powdered sugar

Whisk 1 cup flour with ¼ cup sugar. Work softened butter until combined. Press onto an 8x8 inch pan or similar. Bake 20-25 minutes in 350°F until firm and golden. Combine ¾ cup sugar and 2 T flour. Whisk in eggs and lemon juice. Pour over crust. Bake 20-25 minutes in 325°F until just barely set. Cool. Dust with powdered sugar.

Bring Out the Rice Zesty Chicken

Mark Bittman's gigantic cookbook How to Cook Everything is a kitchen essential. While I think some recipes are a bit off (ex. his pizza crust is way too salty - perhaps a printing error?), there are some absolutely sumptuous dishes.  This chicken dish is one of those I'm-glad-I-gave-you-a-try recipes. Plus it's an enjoyable book to flip to a random page to read and learn techniques and technical details about a food stuff or two. Mark Bittman knows food and he writes about it well. I liked this chicken recipe so much I scribbled "WINNER! Love the sauce." right beside it. 

1 T oil

2 lbs bone in chicken thighs, rinsed and patted dry

1 t minced garlic

1 T grated lemon zest

¼ t cayenne (I have actually never tried it with cayenne but if you like a little kick, you should!)

2 T soy sauce

1 t sugar

⅓ cup water

Juice of one lemon

Heat a skillet. Add oil, swirl, then add the chicken. Brown quickly on both sides. Remove the chicken but keep the oils. Add the garlic and cook until soft. Add the rest of the ingredients except the lemon juice. Stir. Return the chicken and settle it in the liquid in the skillet. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, turning once or twice until chicken is done, about 20-30 minutes. 

Put chicken in serving platter and stir in the lemon juice. Pour some broth over the chicken and pass the rest at the table. Everyone will be looking for rice to enjoy this delicious sauce with.