When I saw this video, it made me think of the things we Filipinos are into when it comes to dining. I salute Mikey Bustos for thinking of things people are not thinking of.  This made me realize, “Pinoy kasi tayo pre”, and that made us special.  You might want to think that spoon can also be use for other purpose. I want to share this picture that I took during my travel to Jaro, Iloilo.  Iba talaga ang Pinoy, maabilidad. Kaht sa Taxi, di mawala ang pagkain sa isip. Hanggang sa bukasan:

This gave me a hint that I will be eating a wonderful dish when we rode the taxi.  We went to my favorite restaurant in Jaro, Iloilo and that was PatPat’s kansi.  Ibang klase, primitive cut.  of course, the bone marrow is the price. Rapsa tama sa batok!!!

They also have a branch at Kamagong st. Makati City. You might want to pay it a visit and have a wonderful rapsa day.

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The best way to start our year is with a feast on our table and food to share with our love ones.  Others are plentiful some are just right, but what is important is that we share it with each other.  Let us not forget that all of these blessings came from Him who has continuously nurture us through the years.  For us, we celebrated it during the first lunch of the year with our family.  For this celebration, we came up with different dishes coming from the specialty of each and every member.

There is the lechon kawali. This is not the typical Lechon Kawali that we have. It came from a factory in Bohol that produces chicharon.  Its flavor was very tasteful because it was cook with the oil where chicharons are made.

One of the dish that my brother prepared was the “sugpo” or tiger prawn. He cooked this with butter and added plenty of garlic.  He has some ingredients that he added that I did not see. The result was truly flavorsome.  He cooked it just right leaving the prawn firm with every bite.

Since we are from Pangasinan, there is no occasion that we disregard bangus or milkfish on our table.  Mother picked the best bangus Dagupan and grilled it. Bangus Dagupan is already tasty by itself. Just a sprinkle of salt and a spicy condiments will do.

Mechado was also a star on the dining table. It is one dish that our family serves during special occasion. Our clan has been cooking this as far as our dinning tradition stretches way back to our ancestors from Sta. Ana, Manila. 

There is also the favorite of my cousin that he always request every time he visits our house. It is Pininyahang Manok.  It is chicken cooked with pineapple, ginger, chicken stock and olive oil. Rarely do I see this in the restaurants and rarely do we do this nowadays.  With our style of cooking, there is a triple process we do before we produce this fantastic dish. First, we boil the chicken with herb and spices. Second we fry it just enough to give a light brown color. Lastly, we mix the chicken, oil, broth, pineapple all together until it gives a thick sauce.

Last of the main dish is “Sinampalukang Baka”.  It is beef cooked with sampaloc fruits and leaves.  I requested my brother to cook it traditionally without the use of sampaloc broth.  It was cooked slowly using clay pot. The result was a tender, sour and soothing beef soup. It was a perfect soup dish for this special occasion. It was very good as well after the drinking session.

 We Filipinos are very food people. We enjoy eating good food as well as drinking with our dear love ones. Let us not forget, that no matter how enjoyable we feast, there are plenty who doesn’t have food to eat. Let us learn how to share our blessing by sharing our food.  May all of us share the blessings that our Lord has provided us and may this year 2011 bring us more food on our table. Happy New year to all!!!

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 As a Filipino, we have our obligation to vote for the leaders who will pull us away for the river of poverty and corruption. This day is special for us and also a day to gather and watch-out what’s happening.   This day is the national election and each and every family had the change to gather and feast.  

 My family and I went to Mandaluyong to where we are registered to vote. After voting in the morning, we went straight to the house of my brother for a sumptuous outdoor lunch.  

 Our mom prepared our favorite meal that is composed of lechon kawali, tinolang manok, inihaw na bagus and beef with mushroom.  It was a very good lunch while we were discussing the election and what our country might become after this day.  

Right after eating, we went straight to their entertainment room to witness what is going around the country even through our Tv screens. This was an afternoon of frozen Margaritas and pizzas that concluded our discussion about the Philippine politics.  

As a conclusion, we did not have the result of the election right after it open at 7:00pm today, but the chance to gather again for a lazy afternoon right after we casted our vote gave more meaning to what our family is all about. Love, Closeness, and Good food.   

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Samar has always been the place where I can gather the freshest and the best sea food experience in Eastern Visayas. First, it goes with the availability of the catch of the day. Second is the local drink that is Bahalina from Palo, Leyte and third is the company of good friends to whom you will share the food and drinks.  

Every time I’m in Samar, this is the experience that awaits me. During my last visit, my friend Melvin Labro prepared this special pulutan for us. It is his version of Spicy Garlic Scallops. 

Here is the recipe 

1/2 kilo scallops (removed from the shell) 

1 Tablespoon Kikoman Soy sauce 

2 Tablespoon of Oyster Sauce 

1 teaspoon of Sesame Oil 

1 onion chopped 

1 red bell pepper ( sliced linearly)  

3 teaspoon of fried minced garlic 

½ cup olive oil 

3 pieces of minced siling labuyo 

Direction 

Sautee the onions with olive oil and mix the scallops after 3 minutes. Make sure that you will not burn the onion. After the scallops turn a little-bit brown you may add all of the spices.  Add additional soy sauce and oyster sauce depending to your desired saltiness. Add the red bell pepper, siling labuyo and minced garlic.  When the bell pepper is half-cooked you may place all of the ingredients to a presentable plate and serve it right-away.   

Thanks to my good friend Melvin Labro who cooked this delectable dish for us. It was supposedly a pulutan but we cannot help it to request for rice. It was indeed a good viand too. We had a wonderful food tripping and drinking weekend at Catbalogan Samar. It was truly another rapsa moment.       

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I have always been a fan of fish soups and I am always looking for new and exciting dish. In my travel to Bicol, I experienced a very fantastic and mouth-watering dish called Curcido. Curcido is Bicolano soup dish made of fish. kamote tops, tomatoes, calamansi, onions radish and large chilis.  It is like sinigang but the soup is clearer. This wonderful dish is available at some turo-turo or native restaurants. For this food trip experience, I tasted this in our friend’s house in Legaspi, Albay. They served Curcillo with Blue Marlin. 

Bicol has always been my delight when it comes to eating and food tripping. They have plenty of delectable dishes to choose from. Good company to be with you and a Curcido that will truly satisfy your craving for a fish soup. Very healthy and very delicious.    

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Escabecheng Lapu-Lapu

One thing I like going out of town specially in the scenic place such as Bohol is that they have the freshest catch of the day and the freshest ingredients to make a perfect dish. In one of my food adventure in Bohol, I tasted one of the finest fish that is Escabecheng Lapu-Lapu (Grouper fish).  This sweet, spicy and flavorsome dish is usually served during special occasions.  

Ingredients in Making Escabeche

Escabeche is a typical Mediterranean and Spanish is origin. It also evolved to the taste of the Filipino to which there is a tang of sweetness. This is one of my favorite fish dish to which I always target the head of the grouper as my preferred part.  Since it has been along time since we went back to Bohol, my mother-in-law prepared this specially for me and my family.  It was a festive food trip when we went back and it was one of the grandest eating experience I had for 2009 specially when Escabecheng Lapu-Lapu was part of the feast.  Happy New Year to Everyone. May we always have good food in all of our dinning tables.

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I want to share this very simple recipe that you may try by making your favorite beer to a “gourmet beer”. I experimented on this and what I found out is that, the very delicious way to make your cherry beer is through the simplest ingredients.  

per serving  

Your favorite beer 

Cherry juice 

Whole cherries 

Just mix 1 shot glass full of cherry juice to your favorite beer and add the whole cherry. I would suggest you use the preserved cherries to make the beer a little bit sweet. For the beer enthusiast, don’t worry since the bitter taste is enhanced by making it a little bit bitter-sweet. This is very good using Red Horse Beer.  

Try it specially this Yuletide season.  This is one way put L on you beer.

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