Pesto saved my day, continued...

Chef Popit once said that the best indicator that your food is good is if your guests ask for more, or at least finish their plates if they are not on PG-mode. So imagine my delight when one of my agents, Anna, who took over the team when I resigned, texted me and asked for more!  The Tuna Pesto was a success, though the Calamansi-Basil Vinaigrette needs a little more fine-tuning.

I don't have a camera right now (it was stolen) so the photo below is an old one:

From my file: Tuna and Blue Cheese Pesto with Focaccia bread 

(which I baked in school) and Reduced Balsamic vinegar

For the pesto, I usually choose Penne or Fusili, only because I think Pesto doesn't look appealing with the string pastas. Since Parmesan is expensive, I used cream cheese which gave my pesto an awesome body. I saw the volume triple when I processed the cheese with the already processed basil and extra virgin olive oil. Can I say that cream cheese is a pretty good (expensive) extender?

And so my 500g fusili was able to feed a multitude - about 15 people. My former director, Inay Isay, told me that texture and flavor-wise, my pesto is indeed a product of my Culinary studies. My heart bled upon reading that comment.

My experimental vinaigrette, however, is a different story. More of that tomorrow! Twit This! Share

What a stressful Monday, Pesto saved my day!

How come Mondays after long weekends are dreaded? I am not (yet) working though I felt all my energy drained as soon as I got home. Today was make or break for me, I needed to finish my documents so that I could fly to China on Friday as scheduled. My friends would say, What's new Regina? I have always been the buzzer beater, queen of mishap, deadline beater in the group.

But pesto saved my almost rotten day! I promised to cook for my former boss and agents tomorrow and I made sure that I mustered enough strength at 9 in the evening to mise en place. And so I gathered my EVOO, fresh basil, garlic and... cream cheese!

I also promised my former boss to concoct a vinaigrette for her salad - I did a Calamansi-Basil Vinaigrette.

I'd have to tell you more about my 2 recipes once I get decent feedback from the team. Wish me luck! Twit This! Share

Oishi Potato Chips: The Filipino Lay's

Is eating a bag of potato chips on a Sunday morning with your sister instead of enjoying your Sunday brunch a crime? Not when you are eating Oishi's Potato Chips! Thanks to my friend Nicky who introduced this to me, I don't have to spend a lot for a bag of Lay's just to satisfy my potato cravings.

Oishi's Potato Chips comes in three flavors: Plain Salted, French Onion and Sweet and Spicy. Twit This! Share

Visayas: My First Food Escape Part 1

Last year, I braved Bohol (Chocolate Hills, Loboc, Tagbilaran, Panglao) and Cebu (Cebu City and Malapascua Island) alone. I had so much fun that I decide to do it again. And so I did! Last month, I conquered Visayas alone again (naturally), but this time, I made sure that I will be tasting the town's specialty without going over my budget. The result: Probably a lifetime craving for Inasal (Chicken barbeque) and La Paz Batchoy (egg noodles in a savory broth topped with pork rinds, garlic and onion spring).

First stop: Kalibo, Aklan
I was very disappointed with Kalibo since there's not much going on here to satisfy your craving. Had I not seen a kamayan (eating with bare hands) restaurant while the tricycle driver was trying to figure out where to take me, I would have easily settled with Mang Inasal. The grilled liempo was okay, and I can't even remember the name of the restaurant. The only thing memorable about it was the TV was tuned into Channel 2 (as I would later on find out, the Visayans are truly Kapamilyas much to my delight).

Second stop: Iloilo - Jaro, City Proper, Miag-ao
I took the 3AM bus from Kalibo to Iloilo city to catch the 8AM mass at Jaro City Church. The ride was 4 hours long passing through the rest of Aklan, Capiz and a few towns in Iloilo. I didn't eat during stopovers so as not to spoil my appetite (there wasn't really any option to eat, it was still dawn!)

My first pagkain in Iloilo: Mini bibingkas!
  

There are makeshift stalls for these mini bibingkas in front of churches in Jaro and Molo and they sell for 20 pesos/5 pcs. I may be wrong (and I forgot to ask), but I think it is made of grilled rice for the bibingka base and shredded coconuts (this I am sure of) baked in a make-shift oven.

After the Mass, I dropped by the Original Biscocho Haus to buy some pasalubongs but I didn't really like anything so I just moved on to the main event: The La Paz Batchoy!


More of that in my next entry, for the meantime,whet your appetite with this Ted's Old-Timer La Paz Batchoy with Puto:

Watch out for Part 2! Twit This! Share

Larousse, Julia Child and Shanghai

It's such a shame that I didn't get to watch Julie and Julia on the big screen. It's been a while since I was able to say "Hey that's just like me!" while watching a movie. Sans a loving husband and extreme bangis (expertise) in the kitchen, I can pretty much say that it captured the essence of what I am going through right now - a recent graduate of Culinary school, trying to start anew after years of paperwork in a dead-end job, with unpaid loans and broken dreams. Just like Julia, I tried a lot of hobbies before I turned to cooking and just like Julie, I had this sickening habit of not being able to finish anything. My attention span is as short as a bug's life! This movie tops my list of favorite movies!

(photo source: IMDB.com)

***

For someone like me who currently went back to having a student budget (and after becoming a victim of Salisi gang) and working on my pending loans, purchasing a 3,500 peso book is a luxury. I promised that I will be contented with buying books off BookSale, so buying a single one which costs like half of a cook's salary in Boracay is a big no-no!

Well I bought a Larousse Gastronomique. I just had to. I was searching for a Mandarin audio book at the National Bookstore main branch when I came across the remaining copy of the book. It was "bruised", nobody gave a damn about how important the book is for someone like me. I took pity and caressed it. I wanted to buy it but it's not in its top-shape form, but the customer service lady gave it a good brush, smoothed the edges with sandpaper and wrapped it in plastic and voila! It looked like a newborn child waiting to be taken home by mommy (that's me!)

And I can practically throw away all the other cookbooks I own because I now own the single most important book cooks have (no offense meant Julia). Owning one is as important as owning a set of Global knives, or having great-looking mags for your car, or whatever your hobby requires you to have. I make it a point to read 5 pages a day - and boy I have a long way to go! Due to budget constraints, unfortunately, I won't be able to do what Julie did - test all Julia Child's recipes in her book for a year. Perhaps I would do that after I get married.

(source: www.flickr.com)

***

And finally.. Yes I am moving to Shanghai to start my career as a cook and hopefully to become a chef (and a better person). I've always wanted to work in a cruise ship - and this is the reason why I enrolled at MIHCA, Magsaysay's Learning flagship. However, as the class progressed, I have realized that it is not working a cruise ship that I want - it is COOKING! Julia expressed her excitement everyday while she was studying a Le Cordon Bleu, and I shared that same happiness, looking forward to going to school, learning new stuff, especially when we were taught how to debone a chicken. And so, now that I have graduated, I have realized that it is not necessary for me to go onboard but it is important for me to work in a kitchen. And so with mixed emotions, I am flying to China in a week's time!

(source: www.flickr.com)

Julie Powell, thank you for motivating to go blogging again. And to Julia Child, thank you for motivating me to be a better cook! Twit This! Share

Virgin Dessert: Cherry-Apple Jelly Mix

My sister always complains about my dish experiments. What would you expect in a pantry of two single ladies living in a 54-sq.m condo? Before I started school, you wouldn't find celery, leeks and spring onions in my fridge. So, yes, I always had to resort to making use of whatever ingredient I have.


This "healthy" dessert was my first attempt at "gourmet" dessert. All of the ingredients I used for this were available in my pantry. My chef instructors would probably faint once they find out the ingredients I used for this gelatin concoction. The verdict of my sister? Not bad for my first time. :)

Cherry-Apple Jelly Mix


For the Jelly mix:
1 pack Nestle Fit Apple Iced Tea
1 pack Cherry-flavored Jell-O
1 cup white sugar


For the Cream Topping:
Heavy Cream
White Wine
Sugar
Cinnamon and Nutmeg
Whole Pecan


I just prepared the gelatin as per instruction and let it set then topped it with the icing and attempted to present it with pecans. What is good about this is I used Nestle Fit with L-carnitine. So much for that - this dessert was packed with sugar!!! 



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The Modern Lola Lita

Morcon. Hamonado. Kaldereta. Halayang Ube. The usual stuff you would see in a typical Filipino handaan.

*Our house in Bulacan, a silent witness to my Lola's cooking prowess.

I will only be considered a graduate of Culinary school once I master my lola's signature dishes. That's according to my mother. The problem is my lola passed away in 1990 and she did not bother to pass on her recipes - and nobody cared to learn from her.

I did not expect to learn how to cook/master these Filipino dishes when I entered MIHCA*. In fact, our curriculum is only good for 4 months. My initial plan was to get a job onboard a cruise ship and learning how to cook and enrolling in Magsaysay's in-house school seemed to be the perfect formula to fulfill my cruise ship plan.

However, a few weeks into our curriculum made me realize that I want to be a Chef and not just land a job as a cook in a ship galley. All these years I have been yearning to have my own niche, to have a job which I love, and yes, after years of searching I can proudly say that I have found home in cooking. I want to continue the tradition of savory dishes my lola has been known for  - and yes, this would mean going back to my roots, taking off my toque and my chef's jacket, and dealing with our local kusineras to accomplish this.

And this is what I what I am going to do after I finish school in February. I will be the Modern Lola Lita.

~~~

*MIHCA - Magsaysay Institute of Hospitality and Culinary Arts - www.mihca.com.ph

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