WALKING DOWN MEMORY LANE AND EMBARKING ON NEW CHAPTERS IN MY LIFE

After 31 fruitful years of working with one of the most prestigious banks in the Philippines, I told myself that there is no better time to pursue my other dreams in life but now. And so, I resigned from work and started doing what I have been wanting to do and being where I have been wanting to be. I realized that this is finally the chance to rediscover HOW BEAUTIFUL LIFE IS. 

Traveling to America, Canada, and many places in Europe (Amsterdam, France, Greece, Italy, London, Monaco, Spain, Austria, Belgium and Switzerland) has once again awakened my love for many things, including food and my passion for cooking. In the next days to come, I shall be sharing with you some of my personal jots, recipes of food I love to cook photgraphs I took in the Philippines and abroad, and also photos of very happy events with my loved ones and friends.  I invite you to come journey with me as I walk down memory lane and embark on a new chapters in my life.     

My Mom's Pork Binagoogan

 Ingredients:

1/2 kilo Pork Shoulder (kesim), cubed

8 cloves garlic, minced

1 big onion, chopped

2 tomatoes, sliced

2 tbsps shrimp paste (I used Barrio Fiesta-regular)

2 tbsps oil

1 tsp salt

2 pcs green chilies (sailing haba) 

2 tbsps of vinegar

2 pcs eggplants, cut 2 - 2 1/2 inches long

10 pcs  okra, steamed

Procedure:

1.  Wash pork cubes.  Boil water and drop pork cubes.  Let boil for 5 mins.  Drain in colander and wash pork cubes.  Set aside.

2.  Sauté  garlic in oil until light brown.  Add onions and cook until translucent.  Add tomatoes and sauté well.  Sprinkle some salt.  Then add pork cubes.  Sauté well  and sprinkle a teaspoon of salt.  Then add the shrimp paste.  Mix well. Add water a little at a time and simmer until meat is tender.  Put green chilies. If not available, put red chilies.  

In another pot, boil the okra with the eggplant.  But, the eggplant can be cooked together with the meat.  When tender, transfer to a serving platter.

Pair with green mangoes.  Serve with steamed rice.  Enjoy!

Pasta con Cozze

Inspired by my friend's recent post in FB for what he had for lunch recently, which was a Tutto Mare Pasta (all seafood), I prepared for our brunch today a pasta very typical of Rome, Italy, called "Pasta con Cozze."  Cozze is the Italian word for mussels or tahong in Tagalog.

Today, I would like to share with you the very simple recipe of the Pasta con Cozze which became one of our favorites when we were still leaving in Rome 7 years ago.  

Ingredients:

1 kilo of washed and cleaned mussels

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 chili pepper, sliced  (optional, only when you like the pasta to be a little spicy)

4 tbsps of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 cup of chopped parsley leaves

300 grams of Linguini, cooked "al dente"

wedges of lemon (optional)

Procedure:

1) Boil water. When boiling, add about 1 1/2 - 2 tbsps of rock salt, then add the pasta. Cook pasta according to time indicated in the package, don't go beyond. Cook "al dente."  Drain in a collander and set aside.

2) In a deep wide pan, put the EVOO and sauté the garlic until light brown, (optional: add the chili slices, stir for a while then remove), then add the mussels and stir well.  Add the white wine.  Let boil for a while, uncovered.  Then, spoon all the mussels in a bowl.  Set aside. Stir in the cooked linguini and mix well. Then, add the chopped parsley.  Mix well again.

3) Transfer the pasta to a serving platter and put on top of it all the mussels.  Sprinkle with EVOO.

4) Serve with wedges of lemons (optional).

Enjoy!

*Al dente means cooking the pasta just firm to the bite, not soft.

LANGOSTINOS A LA PLANCHA con 6 COLINOS of SIDRA de ASTURIAS  (Pan grilled shrimps with 6 shots of Sidra from Asturias, Spain)

I love to eat at the bar of the La Chalana Seafood Restaurant in Madrid, Spain.  Unexpectedly, it was full at 8 pm when I arrived last night.  But, because I was craving for its platter of pan-grilled shrimps, slightly sprinkled with rock salt, I settled to stand by the bar.  To start with, the bar attendant quickly gave me a small plate of "aceitunas" (olives) and some "patatas fritas" potato fries with some fried pork with it.  In no time at all, there came my order.  For me a platter of langostinos is more than enough for an appetizer, it is always a dinner for me. However, 6 shots of Sidra, as always, too, is a lot for me.  So, because I know I can not consume all 6 shots, I asked the couple beside me at the bar if they would like to have my 4 shots.  And, the lady happily said yes.  She said, "gracias, eres muy amable"  (thanks, you are so kind).

Sidra originally comes from Asturias, Spain.  It is an alcoholic beverage that comes from fermented juice of apples.  It contains a minimum of 3% to a maximum of 8% volume of alcohol. It is customarily poured from high above one’s head to allow air to come into it and release its natural aroma.  This method in Spain is called “escanciar.”  Then, it is usually taken bottoms-up per shot.

Mr. Kebab - Meson Persa (An authentic Irani restaurant in Madrid, Spain)

I was a little bit too hungry at lunch today and I thought of the Persian restaurant in Madrid that my Irani friend was telling me about.  It was 1:00 pm and it was just right for lunch because I'd reach the place within 30 minutes. And so I drove to Calle de  los Artistas, 31.  I was so lucky to find a parking space right away. As I entered into this restaurant my excitement to once again taste authentic Persian food heaped-up.  My sister's husband is a Persian and they used to cook Persian food for me whenever I visit them in Canada.  Also, I learned to cook some dishes from them like the Bademjan (stewed beef with fried eggplants) and the Persian rice with "tadic" (toasted thin layer of potatoes or rice at the bottom of the pan) over it is the steamed basmati rice.

And so I ordered one of my favorites, the Chelo Kabab Soltani.  It was a big plate for one who has a big appetite. It came with "dos brochetas de carne" meaning a slab of grilled beef and a piece of grilled skewered kebab, with basmati rice with saffron and grilled onion and tomato.  Also, with it came the ground Sumac, a lemony tasting spice from a flowering plant that grows in subtropical and temperate regions throughout the world, especially in East Asia, Africa and North America.  To match this dish was the famous beverage called the "Dough (pronounced as dug)," a diluted yoghurt drink with mint, typical of Iran, Turkey (called Ayran), Albania, Afghanistan, Lebanon and some other Arab countries.

My friend said an order of this dish may be too much for one person because two orders are just right for 3.  Well,  I told her "creo que tengo muchas ganas hoy para aprovechar y agotar esta comida,"  "I have so much appetite today to enjoy and finish the dish." And, I was right!

EL HORREO ASTURIANO, Calle del Dr. Fleming, Madrid

When in Madrid, Spain, never miss these seafood dishes, which are actually my favorites, from this Asturian restaurant called EL HORREO ASTURIANO located on Calle del Dr. Fleming, Madrid.  This restaurant has so much to offer but these recipes are among its best.  First is the Chipirones a la Plancha (Small squids delicately cooked in its own ink with sauteed onions), the Almejas en Salsa Verde (Clams in cream sauce with chopped parsley), and the very delicious Arroz con Bogavante (Rice dish with lobster cooked the Asturian way).  These dishes are good for 2-3 persons.  As they say it in Spanish, "para compartir" which means, for sharing. The first two recipes can be ordered as the first plates and for the second plate, the Arroz con Bogavante is more than enough.

Chipirones ala Plancha

Almejas con Salsa Verde

Arroz Con Bogavante