Sardine & Tomato Noodle Soup

My mom used to make this soup when I was a kid. I haven't had it in a long time, but when I saw this recipe in my new cookbook (see previous post on 'Adobo Flavored Pecans'), I had to make it. This first time try was somewhat of a success although it was missing one of the key ingredients, the tomato (singular because only one is used in this recipe). Sometimes my mom would make miswa soup with meatballs, also one of my favorites. Misua (sometimes spelled as miswa) noodles are superfine wheat noodles with a silky mouthfeel. They cook really fast and if you put too much in, you will have a soggy mess. Since I didn't have the tomato, I thought I could put in another can of sardines in tomato sauce. The result was still okay, but too salty. I will have to make this again with tomatoes next time.

Sardine & Tomato Noodle Soup (Misua)

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves of garlic, minced (although I just smashed mine)

1 green onion, chopped, white bulb & green stalk separated (I didn't use the white parts but a regular small onion instead)

1 small tomato (missing in the photos)

2 (5 1/2 oz) cans sardines in tomato sauce

3 cups Chicken Stock (I was lazy and used low sodium Chicken Broth)

2 oz misua noodles

2 tsp fish sauce (patis)

Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, the white part of the green onion and the tomato (M.I.A. obviously). Cook and stir for 2 - 3 minutes until the tomato begins to soften. Add the canned sardines with the tomato sauce and chicken stock.

Add the miswa noodles, fish sauce, and pepper. Simmer another 5 minutes until the noodles soften and the soup thickens. See the nice sardine?

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the chopped green spring onion. Serve immediately.

I love these noodles. I should cook miswa more often. It would taste good with meatballs....that's for another post in the future!

Roasted Asparagus

Roasted Asparagus

Ingredients:

Asparagus

Olive Oil

Sea Salt

Black pepper

*optional - grated lemon rind

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Snap the asparagus stems. It will snap at the most tender point. Discard the broken ends.

If you want to be anal like me, slice the ends at an angle so they look uniform.

Place the asparagus in a roasting dish.

Drizzle a little bit of olive oil and roll the aspargus spears around to coat.

Sprinkle the sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper over the asparagus. Add the grated lemon rind if you wish.

Roast for 15-20 minutes (less if your stalks are thin).

Watch the tips to prevent burning.

You can eat this as is, or drizzle with a light vinaigrette.

In this case, I made a balsamic vinegar and soy sauce reduction.

Chicken Desarsa

Chicken Desarsa

(recipe courtesy of my friend's mother)

Ingredients:

1 chicken or 3 lbs of chicken pieces

1 onion

3 medium tomatoes

Garlic

3 potatoes

Raisins

Red bell pepper

1/2 lb of frozen peas

Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions:

Chop together onions and tomatoes in blender/chopper

Sautee garlic in olive oil in pot, place chicken in pot & cook for 5 minutes

Add chopped onions & tomatoes to pot

Add salt & pepper

Cook for 40 minutes in medium heat & stir occasionally

Add cut up potatoes, cook for 15 minutes

Add peas, raisins & sliced red pepper, cook for 5 minutes

Serve over rice...

Adobo-Flavored Pecans

This has got to be one of the nicest cookbooks I own on Flipino food. The author is Jennifer M. Aranas, a Filipina American and a former restaurateur from Chicago:

This recipe is one page 33, from the "Appetizers and Small Bites" chapter.

Adobo-Flavored Pecans (in this case, I also used walnuts & almonds as well
Ingredients:

2 cups of nuts
3 tbsp brown sugar
4 tsp soy sauce
2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp calamansi juice (substitute lime juice ---- I used key limes since I couldn't find any calamansi in the Filipino stores)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 325 F.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mixt until the nuts are well coated.
Pour the nuts onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, separating the nuts as much as possible into a single layer.
Bake for 15 minutes until the nuts are golden brown.
Cool the nuts before handling, 10 - 15 minutes. They will be crispy with a brown shiny glaze.

This was my first batch of pecans only:
The second batch of almonds & walnuts:

Grinding the black pepper onto the nut mixture:

Fresh out of the oven:

TC helped mix the nuts. They came out pretty good, considering it was my first attempt (my 2nd attempt was just as good). This would be a good bar snack, but I don't drink beer. I don't think these nuts will last long in our house.