Corned Tuna French Toast

There's a new product in the market. Have you heard of Corned Tuna? Weird, right?! But there's no weird food for an appetite that craves for new stuff. I decided to give it a shot and bought 2 cans. I will be using it as filling in my french-toast breakfast.

Here are the ingredients that I used:

1 can of corned tuna
4 slices of wheat bread
1 egg
White onion, chopped.
Butter/olive oil
salt and pepper
Garlic powder (and other herbs and spices that suits your taste)

-Beat the egg, seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder (and othe herbs and spices you may want to use), set aside
-mixed the chopped onion and corned tuna,
-Heat the pan in low heat and put the butter
-Soak the bread in egg until fully coated, put the filling and put the other bread on top
-Pressed the edge so that it will lock the filling inside
-then put it in the pan cooked until both sides are golden brown.

You can also put tomatoes and cheese if you prefer. Again, don’t be afraid to experiment.

Foodgy: New life, same cravings!

After awhile, I finally had time updating my food blog. Many things happened for the last 3 months: I was assigned to work in Laguna; I started to move out from my family; I rented my own apartment in Sta. Rosa.

Then there came Ondoy: I had to transfer place again and put myself back together after the onslaught of the flood that destroyed almost every thing that has sentimental value to me. Thank God, we survived.

And now that I am living alone, much more that I need to invent and innovate my cooking. I have to try new recipes and go to restaurants I have never been to and try their menus. I have to make my foodgy more exciting.

Chicken Rosemary Pasta

This dish will not require you any effort. Chicken Rosemary Pasta is a simple pasta that you can cook almost everyday. I cook this as my "pambaon” at work. Here are the ingredients that you need:

-chicken fillet

-rosemary

-tomato paste

-garlic

-salt and pepper

-spaghetti noodles (preferably whole wheat)

-olive oil

For the chicken:

• Marinade the chicken with calamansi (or lemon), salt, pepper and soy sauce.
• Fry the marinated chicken in low heat to keep the moisture inside. Set aside.

For the pasta:

• Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain and set aside.
• Sauté the garlic in olive oil.
• Add the tomato paste once the garlic is almost golden brown
• Add a small amount of water to make the consistency of the paste even
• Add the rosemary
• Season with salt and pepper• Once the consistency is thick again put the pasta, add oil if you want
• Make sure that the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce
• Serve with chicken on top
• Or you can also cut the chicken fillet into strips, then before adding the pasta, add the chicken to the tomatoes sauce mixture

If available, I suggest you use fresh rosemary instead. You can also put some freshly squeezed lemon juice if you want a bit tangy taste. Sun dried tomatoes would also add up to the taste. Don't be afraid to experiment, that what makes your foodgy exciting.

Penne Aglio e Olio with Bangus Fillet

One of the simplest pasta dishes that I have cooked was Aglio e Olio. Basically, it’s just pasta, garlic and oil. Anyone can make some enhancement on the basic recipe depending on their taste as what Bellissimo did on their own version of this dish (check Bellissimo’s Aglio e Olio)

This recipe of Aglio e Olio is much closer to basic. The dish is so easy to prepare that you may want to cook this every day. Here are the ingredients that you need:

-Penne Pasta (preferably whole wheat)

-Garlic (finely chopped)

-Olive Oil (preferably extra virgin)

-Salt and pepper

-Bangus Fillet

-Garlic powder

-Cornstarch

• First, you need to cook the pasta until it is al dente. After cooking, drain and set aside.
• Now for the bangus fillet, you can use the one in can or if you want it fresh, get the belly part and be sure to take out the bone.
• Using the garlic powder and cornstarch, we will create a breading mix for the bangus fillet. You may add salt and pepper depending on your taste.
• After coating the bangus fillet with the breading, fry it until it is golden brown. Set aside.
• In a pan, put the olive oil then sauté the garlic. Put the cooked penne when the garlic is about to turn to a golden brown color.
• Once the penne is evenly coated with oil and garlic, take the pan out of the flame.
• Serve the pasta dish with bangus fillet on top.

You can also try chicken fillet if you don’t like fish. Enjoy your foodgy!

Sunset at Krocodile Grille

It was a Sunday when we went to Krocodile Grille at the Mall of Asia. It was raining that afternoon but we can still see the sunset, but not that apparent. Sa labas kami pumuwesto para al fresco dining at para makita din yung sunset. Yung table namin dun ay hugis crocodile, mataas yung upuan.

We ordered the usual Kare-kareng Gulay, Krispy Pata at ang di ko makakalimutang seafood speacial nila na Sumasagitsit na Seafood Halo-halo! Siyempre, di din mawawala ang bottomless iced tea.

While waiting, binigyan kami ng kropek para di kami mainip dahil 10-15 minutes pa kami maghihintay. Yung iced tea, instant powder mix lang yung ginamit nila.

Masarap yung Kare-kareng Gulay, kaso parang kulang sa peanut butter. Ayos din yung Krispy Pata, malaki yung servings at maraming laman. The best din yung sawsawan nito, gaya ng bagoong ng Kare-kare nila, tamang tama ang timpla.

Huling dumating yung Sumasagitsit na Seafood Halo-halo. Gaya ng pangalan nito, halo-halong seafood ito na ginisa sa tomatoe sauce. May bell pepper at onions din. Ayos naman ang pagkakaluto, malutong yung gulay. May prawns, tahong, pusit at fish fillet.

Everything was so ordinary, nothing was special sa place (well, except for the table na hugis crocodile at ang pangalan ng kanila speacialty "sumasagitsit"). Kwentuhan lang kami hanggang sa magdilim at tumila na ang ulan. If you happen to drop by the Mall of Asia, pass by the Krocodile Grill and enjoy the sunset with your friends.

Krocodile Grille is located at the Bay Area of the Mall of Asia.

Bellissimo's Linguine al Pollo e Prosciutto

Linguine al Pollo e Prosciutto of Bellissimo is a pasta dish that is almost the same as Pollo Alfredo (Chicken Alfredo). What makes this dish unique from the regular Alfredo pasta, aside from its name, are the prosciutto (Italian word for ham) and the linguine pasta (fettuccine is commonly used for Alfredo). Well, I think Bellissimo based this dish from Alfredo, making it unique by changing the name and putting extra ingredients.

I ordered this pasta in Bellissimo out of curiosity. Gusto ko malaman kung anong dish 'to kasi maganda yung pangalan. When it was served, medyo na disappoint ako dahil halos walang pinagkaiba sa Alfredo, maliban sa ham na nakahalo. Hindi ordinary ham yung nilagay nila. Matamis kasi yung normal Pinoy ham, maalat yung ginamit nila. Maybe it's an authentic Italian ham. Pero hindi namin naubos dahil maalat masyado yung lasa ng ham, nakakaumay.

If I will make some improvements on this pasta dish, I will make sure na di gaanong maalat yung ham. Tingin ko mas makadadagdag din ng texture sa dish kung lalagyan ng mushroom. Tapos, papalitan ko din ng pangalan, Pollo e Prosciutto Alfredo.

Bellissimo’s Aglio e Olio

Spaghetti Aglio Olio or simply Aglio e Olio, according to WIKIPEDIA, is a pasta dish that is said to be a traditional Italian cuisine. Aglio means garlic and olio means oil which, aside from the pasta (usually fettuccine), are the two basic ingredients of this dish.

Una kong na encounter ang Aglio e Olio noong kumain kami sa Bellissimo Ristorante sa Timog. Iba sa original recipe nito na garlic and oil lang ang gamit, ang Aglio e Oglio ng Belissimo ay may kasamang shrimps, clams at anchovies, spaghetti ang pasta na ginamit.

At first, mapapansin na kakaiba ang amoy nito dahil sa anchovies na parang bagoong isda (fish paste). Di din appetizing ang presentation na naka palibot sa pasta yung mga shells na may 2 shrimps sa ibabaw. But the taste makes a lot of difference from the way it looks.

Distinct pa rin ang lasa ng anchovies that go well the other seafoods. The pasta was al dente at hindi gaanong oily. Unlike the original recipe, napansin ko na wala gaanong garlic yung dish or baka naman na over power lang ng lasa ng anchovies ang garlic. Isa pa sa ikinagulat ko while eating the dish ay ang Parmesan cheese na masarap din pala sa sea food.

Mahilig talaga ako sa seafoods at maalat na pagkain kaya nagustuhan ko ang Aglio e Olio ng Bellissimo. Kung mahilig kayo sa seafoods, I will recommend this dish for you. Balak kong magluto ng sarili kong version nito pero siyempre I will modify it to my own taste. I am planning to put tahong instead of clams, bagoong isda or aligue (crab fat) instead of anchovies and bangus fillet instead of shrimps.

Bellissimo Ristorante

Birthday ng officemate ko when we went to Bellissimo Ristorante, a restaurant owned by Cesar Montano. Bellisimo is an Italian word for “very beautiful”, and obviously, they serve Italian cuisine.

Cozy and relaxing yung place. Para ka lang kumakain sa bahay. May mga paintings din sa walls na nadagdag ng drama at warmth sa overall ambiance ng place.

Nag-order kami ng Spaghetti Aglio Olio, Pasta Montano, Linguine al Pollo e Prosciutto, Supremo Pizza at ang kanilang house blend bottomless iced tea.

Habang hinihintay ang aming order, binigyan kami ng complimentary bread na may may dip na pesto at tomato sauce. Masarap yung bread dahil mainit init pa when they served it to us lalo na if you dip it sa pesto sauce. Para sumarap pa, ask for Parmesan cheese then mix it with the pesto sauce, perfect yung combination nun sa bread.

Nung dumating na yung food, napansin naming masyado marami for 6 persons ang aming order. Masarap naman lahat, lalo na yung pizza. Thin ang crust at malambot yung yung bread. Yun pasta, talagang nakakabusog. Panalo din yung house blend iced tea nila. Di ko alam kung paano nila ginawa pero feeling ko merong mango syrup na halo.

Check my succeeding blogs for the food that we've ordered. We really had a great foodgy at Bellissimo.

Bellissimo Ristorante is at 105 Unit E & F Scout Castor corner Tomas Morato, Quezon City. The restaurant is open from 11:00 AM to 12:00 MN on weekdays and up to 1:00 AM during weekends.

Lucban Longganisa

Nung pumunta kami sa Pahiyas Festival last May 15, Lucban longganisa ang umubos ng oras namin. Halos 3 oras kaming nakapila sa Eker and Ely para lang makabili ng longganisa. Maraming taong nakapila at handa talagang maghintay. Meron naman silang tinda doon na frozen longganisa, pero iba pa rin talaga kapag kagagawa lang, fresh na fresh.

Habang naghihintay kami, tumingin-tingin din kami sa ibang tinda nila doon. Di na namin napigilanng bumili din ng Sukang Lucban (coconut vinegar), hab-hab noodles at puto-seko para pasalubong pagbalik sa Manila. Sa tagal ng paghihintay, di maiwasan na may mga taong naiinip na at nagagalit. Mainit na ang panahon at mainit din sa loob ng tindahan kaya ang resulta ay init ng ulo. May mga nag-walk-out pero bumalik din. May mga talak ng talak sa may-ari pero nanahimik din naman sa huli. Di talaga matiis ang Lucban longganisa.

Around 1 pm na ng hapon ng makuha namin ang aming pinakahihintay na longganisa. Sabi ng kaibigan namin na taga-Lucban, masarap talaga ang longganisa sa Eker and Ely. Dito nila nirerekomenda lahat ng taong gustong bumili ng longganisa.

Pagbalik namin sa Manila, nagluto ako ng dalawang piraso para tikman kung talagang masarap. Gaya ng itinuro sa akin ng nanay ng kaibigan ko, nilagyan ko ng konting tubig at pinakulo hanggang sa maiga. Tinusok ko ang longganisa para lumabas ang natunaw na taba. yung mantikang iyon ang ginamit ko para iprito ang longganisa hanggang sa magkulay brown.

Lucban longganisa is not your ordinary longganisa na matamis, maalat-alat ang lasa nito. Maraming bawang at paminta na nagpasarap pa lalo dito. Masarap din isawsaw sa suka dahil nagko-compliment ang lasa nito sa asim ng suka. Yung coconut vinegar na nabili ko sa Lucban ang ginamit kong sawsawan.

Well, overall, it was worth the wait.

Pancit Lucban ala Foodgy

The time has come for me to cook my own version of Pancit Lucban (Hab-hab). Gaya nung kinain namin sa Buddy's, bumili ako ng carrots, cabbage, sayote at pork. Nilagyan ko din ng squid balls. At para maging authentic Lucban ang lasa, nilagyan ko din ng Lucban longganisa. Yung kinain kasi namin sa Buddy's parang ordinary pancit canton lang, walang pinag kaiba except sa noodles na ginamit.

Hiniwa ko yung ingredients ng pahaba at nagpakulo ako ng tubig para naman dun sa hab-hab noodles na binili ko din sa Lucban. Habang hinihintay kumulo yung tubig, ginisa ko yung bawang at sibuyas tapos nilagay ko yung pork. Tapos, tinanggal ko yung laman nung Lucban longganisa at isinama ko sa ginigisa. Nung half-cook na yung karne, nilagay ko yung squid balls. At nang naluto na yung karne, nilagay ko yung carrots at sayote. Kailangan half-cook lang parang crunchy pa din yung gulay. Tapos nilagay ko yung cabbage.

Samantala, nung kumulo na yung tubig, inilagay ko na yung hab-hab noodles. Di ko tinakpan para hindi lumabsak. Nung malambot na yung hab-hab noodles, tinanggal ko yung natitirang tubig. Nilagay ko sa ginisang gulay yung hab-hab noodles at nilagyan ng sesame oil para hindi magdikit-dikit. Gumamit ako ng soy sauce at oystersauce, garlic powder at pepper pampalasa. Hinalo kong mabuti para maging even yung kulay at lasa ng pancit.

Nang maluto, ginamitan ko siya ng coconut vinegar na nabili ko sa din Lucban instead of calamansi...I preferred eating it the Lucban way.

Pancit Lucban (aka Pancit Hab-hab)

Pancit hab-hab is a well-known delicacy in Lucban. It is called as such because the way you eat it called hab-hab: from the banana leaf, where it is being served, to your mouth without any use of utensils.

I have been to Lucban twice but just in this recent Pahiyas Festival that I have tried pancit hab-hab. I bought one along the street for only 6 pesos per serving and ate it the Lucban way. The taste was almost the same as that of the ordinary pancit canton however the noodle was a bit smaller and they prefer to use "suka" instead of calamansi. I also noticed that the "sahog" was mainly "sayote".

Later that night, me and my friends decided to eat in one of the restaurants there. We chose "Buddy's" because of its catchy tagline "parang laging fiesta". We ordered halo-halo and, of course, pancit hab-hab.

As compared to the one I bought from the street, Buddy's pancit hab-hab has lot's of "sahog" onions, cabbage, pechay, carrots, sayote and pork. The taste was fine and the serving was big for 114 pesos. Nothing special though, we even ate it the normal way.

Eating Buddy's pancit hab-hab gave me ideas on how to cook the hab-hab noodles I bought from Lucban. Definitely, I will make my own version pancit hab-hab.

Chicken Barbecue in Pandan Leaves

Bago kami pumunta ng Picnic Grove sa Tagaytay City, dumaan kami sa Hypermarket in Pasig para bumili ng pagkain. We passed by the meat section and we saw this Chicken Barbecue in Pandan Leaves. Dahil curious kaming lahat sa lasa dahil kakaiba, kumuha kami para lutuin sa Tagaytay.

While cooking, you can smell the aroma of the pandan leaves. Ang bango, nakakagutom! Nung tinikman na namin, nanonoot yung lasa ng pandan dun sa chicken meat na parang kalasa na ng "tahong". Masarap naman, medyo dry nga lang dahil siguro matagal niluto.

I tried searching the net for available recipe and I found out that the Thais has their own version of this: Thai Pandan Chicken Wings. The marinade is made up of coconut milk, soy sauce, oyster sauce and other spices. All the ingredients are available in the market. I also found out that you can also fry this one.

I can't wait to make my own Chicken Barbecue in Pandan Leaves, I'll let you know soon.

Mushroom-Pork Siomai

My mushroom-pork siomai recipe. For more pictures please check Mushroom-Pork Siomai. Hope you'll like it!

Beef Dumplings

This was my first time to cook dumplings and I was so happy that it turned out pretty well. The ingredients was almost the same as that of making siomai, it just so happened that I used beef instead of pork. Well, you can also use shrimp if you want or even fish.

Just follow the instruction in making the siomai fillings in my other post. What makes it different from siomai was the wrapper. I did not make the wrapper, I just bought it in supermarket because I don't have time to do it. Then after putting the filling in the wrapper, steam it for about 30-45 minutes.

I also made a special chili-garlic sauce, but it will take another post to teach you that.