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

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