Tiramisu and pasta..

Last week, (which was over a y ear ago) we went out to dinner at Milano's restaurant on Grand Avenue not my first foray. But it looked like there are new owners and place has been revamped a bit. The food is the same, a little flat, not very inviting.

No, not being a snob but sometimes I wonder where the chefs are these days. There are the recent grads, there were those who came from a stint in Europe and other international kitchens. But why is it that even the restaurants with a Michelin rating doesn't seem to be as palatable as the ratings and reviews purport to be. I guess the good ones are on telelvision making theemselve more popular, but who's going to minding the kitchen?

I know that fresh ingredients can be expensive, but there are flavors that appears to be boxed out of Price Club. Sorry Milano, I do like you and the management, they even gave me a coupon for a fund raising that we did at work. Maybe a new chef? The location is great really the restaurant itself is great the foldinng walls are opened during the summertime allowing for dinner al fresco.

But hey, not all of it is downhill, the tiramisu was presented so wonderfully, such an eyecandy.

Please try to visit Milano's maybe an increased patronage will make them review their flavors.

Salud.

I posted this on Facebook and the other images below, I frequent Chinatown, most Sundays when I go to attend Mass at the Cathedral, sometimes I don't really have anything that I want to buy, but I enjoy watching the bustle of activity of the place.

There are the turtles, have not tried it, only heard of turtle soup..

 

WM1: Is there anything that you don't eat?
Me: Oh, I don't think I have tried snakes.
WM2: Oh, not that kind, just regular foods.
Me: Not sure, I eat almost anything, of course there are favorites, that is I will choose pork over veggies anytime.

I have tried them fried or in coconut milk, but the ones that I did try were from rice fields/paddies. Hopefully no fertilizers or DDT were used.

Sea Grapes (weeds)

found on multiply c/o jojo, pending permission

Growing up in the Philippines we have the luxury of access to fresh sea foods. The ubas dagat was introduced to us by my brother. He worked for the Geological Company and was on assignment most of the time.

He was able try different cuisines, food culture, you in Asia we eat almost anything, don't cringe now, you know the most expensive and delicious food are not just a blob of meat. :). Salad would most of the time have vinegar or tomatoes and onions.

I would like to say that it reminds me of caviar, it pops when you chew on it such that the juices, which is a little sea tasting, with the tomatoes can be surprising. I know, I would always describe it as my taste buds is being assaulted by different flavors all at the same time, such that it feels like that my mouth is having a party.

A very good appetizer indeed. Best paired with grilled or fried fish or meat.

 

Am sure that other cultures have discovered this too, I know I have seen versions of this from the Chinese or Japanese cuisine.

 

Courtesy of Alindog

I love mussels, such that there is a bar in my hood called Sidebar that I frequent because of their mussel Mondays. They do miss sometimes, like when their chef used a lot of Pernod such that the flavor is ruined and what I got was a bitter taste.

Speaking of Pernod, I first found out about this drink from the movie Gotcha! many years back, and I still remembered. Anthony Edwards was just starting then.

There are 2 kinds that I know of, there is the New Zealand one, which is black and the Italian which has a green edge like the one pictured above. This shell fish is very versatile, you can make soup, bake, grill, or add to sea food dishes, such as arroz valenciana and many others.

and this one from Sidebar

I remember the first time I had mussels was when Tatay brought some from the market, we wondered how different it was from the other sea shells that we had, and that started our love affair with mussels. Being from the Philippines and in the metropolitan area at that there is always the risk of getting sea food when there is a high pollution level such that consumptions of mussels is not permitted. They call it red tide, I guess, mercury levels were high that it is deemed to be a detrimental to one's health.

Try some, if you haven't.

i'M BACK!

Yeah, somemhow moving to blogspot didn’t cull any creative writing for me, it didn’t feel right to write.. I tried to monetize, heck in this economy who wouldn’t try but google disabled my account, perhaps I keep on clicking at the ads. Not by evil designs mind you, but because the ads were interesting to me.

It’s been a long time since I posted, not that there is nothing to write but there was no occurence, I realized that the fun in cooking is not as joyful as I thought it would be if i am only going to write about it and take pictures. Which, I did, I have so much to share. I think the major event was me moving to a 1920′s apartment building, it is a studio, probably rented to struggling immigrants at that time. I love it, also love that it is close to whole foods, and a few steps to the Cathedral and my workplace. Enormous closet space makes me organize, the downside though is that it doesn’t have a garbage chute nor an insinkerator, everything had to be bagged and brought down to the garage.

The lobby is just beautiful, the decor looked like it had a water fountain, with water gushing out of a lion head. Now it is covered with dirt and a plant ib the middle. There are f posts and greenish brown ceramic tiles.. oh, i just love it. I am waiting for my friends to let me take pictures of them in nice poses to include in my portfolio.

It’s been a year since Tatay passed, it was his birthday 2 days ago, when I was about to shed a tear, Lordy said to me, what is the grief for, he is with me now, if he was with you, you will be complaining about him anyway. Waahhh, He is so right. I had to smile and acknowledge the truth abou that statement. As I said before, I am realizing that he tried to be a good Dad and he was successful because we turned out to be happy kids.

Work is still fun for me, I still enjoy going to work and actually delivering work products, I still work crazy hours, because I start late. A new a new employee/PM raised an eyebrow, when he was going out to lunch and I was just coming in.

Writing from a new mini with a miniature keyboard that I can’t figure out how to network with the momma puter, so I can’t attach pictures.

But I would like to say hello and perhaps pull posts from blogspot and post some of the old drafts. Boy, we have a lot of catching up to do. Hope you’re doing well, dear readers.
Cheers!

Growing up..from boys to men

I can hear grunting and whining, 3 boys spending time with their mom, their routines changed, boys who suddenly can be kids again without the sheath of being grown men (boys). It is great to see them looking up at their mom with such childlike awe, each wanting their brand of affection with their mom. Then there were the conversations, some started in jokes, some serious, there were tears, but there was resolution.

The mom in turn, was fussing, nagging, always telling them what to do, hugging them and kissing them. The joys of motherhood.

To celebrate cookies, burnt offerings were concocted, it was a joyful event. Certainly worth cherishing.

Salud!

Good Will Hunting - the search for the best udon in town

It is Friday night and I have just completed setting up this blogsite with adsense (i need a little moola to supplement my shortened hours), which adsense cancelled my account for an alleged irregular clicks.

Anyway, I love the movie, "Good Will Hunting", have you seen it? It has levels in its plot, that of a a very smart, almost genius young man, continue to work in construction because that is what he knows, his firiends who love him not because of his intellect but because of him.

Then there were those supporters who wanted him live the life that they were unable to or those who just want to exploit his intelligence and those who really cared.

There are always two sides to a coin, huh! One can't say, it is wrong without looking at the reasons why  as things are viewed from different lenses.  It's like what Pope B is saying, if there are a million people  in this world, there are a million ways of exercising one's faith.

Image from Timtim.com

It's also like choosing a restaurant, do we base it on the decor, the write up about the chef, or the experience of early diners? Some would even choose a restaurant because it is the latest buzz, or some wouldn't want to voice their opinions against that latest buzz.  Wait, does this sound like constructive thinking?

Speaking of opinions, I have been to the Coach Sushi several times and have enjoyed morsels of sushi and bowls of udon. Udon is a favorite, I make it at home and still have it outside, and I must say that I was disappointed with the Coach Sushi's Udon.

Udon that I made


The udon that I make has dark broth, has bonito sauce and a little mirin cooking wine.  I know, I know, this is a mainstay in my kitchen, just like fish sauce, and soy sauce.  I noticed in the picture menu that the soup was a little light, I asked if I can taste the broth, and was told that they prepare the broth only when there is a order for it.

It is rather disappointing, if it is prepared ás it is ordered, how can the soup be flavorful, does that mean that they are using the udon packets, that is available in the supermarkets.  I hope not, that is cheating.  The tempura taste of rancid oil, it just must not be a good day for the restaurant. I hope it is just one of those days and not a norm.

On another note the udon at the Ichiban has the same blandness, hence the severed relations with them. I only cave in when I don't have diet coke at home, then I would resort to food delivery for that coveted commodity..

Anyway, my quest for good udon is on. Suggestions, anyone? More on noodles in the next posts.

Thoughtful recipe: sinigang and lechon: Actualizations, needs, motivations, the self continues to persist

I am always fascinated about what makes a person say things, their motivations, how they react to stimulus. A wide breadthe of study. I learn from it, there is a saying in Tagalog, "itago ang mabuti, itapon ang masama". Loosely translated, "keep the good, and toss the bad ones". Íf the results are positive, then it must be good, eh!.

At lunch one day, Victoria who's visiting me from LA, she is going to help me move (a story for another day), I was saying that perhaps we do things in response to a need, a need to be appreciated, a need to feel needed, etc. She said, oh that's the actualization theory by Maslow, she continued there is the need to know oneself, which I readily responded as that is our God hole, that indescribable feeling of being lost. Which some responds to by hurting themselves because they need to feel.



Image from Technoped.com

Incidentally, lunch was pork sinigang, a stew of pork belly with tamarind seasoning, radish, eggplant, tomatoes, and spinach, and roasted pork. Two kinds of pork offerings.

The sinigang is cooked by parboiling water (you can also use the rice wash) the tamarind seasoning, tomatoes, onions, add pork until it is fully cooked, then add the radish, followed by eggplant. The spinach should be placed on the pot last,  because it cooks rather quickly.  Season with fish sauce for that savory taste.

 The roast pork or lechon, definitely not up to par to the zubachon of market manila is boiled first and then cooked in the nuwave oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown. The skin will be very crunchy and the fat would have separated itself from the meat.

Word of the wise, be careful when you buy pork belly, I got this from a Korean Market on Telegraph here in Oakland, and found thar there is almost nothing in the middle of the cut, totally disappointing.

As we mature and develop our personas, and know where to get the best cut of pork belly. Sometimes through experience, influence, and acquired knowledge. I said to G, yeah I noticed that there is a certain confidence about me as I age, like good wine ha ha.. She asked me, if it was pronounced, and I said yes, although I can't really say how or what made me draw that conclusion. I am tempered, but then again Lordy has a lot to do about it too.



The Power to Think

I have a host of drafts, drafts of ideas, thougthts, materials that mesmerized me into creating something that I felt worth posting at that time. It all stems from our power to think, make our thoughts soar to an infinite flow of ideas of interpretations, an endless realization of this tremendous gift from God.




Image from spiritwest.com

 Inded, if we don't have that power to think, have our imaginations run wild, we will be eating nothing colorful. I for one will not appreciate the texture, the flavors and the different colors of food. We will be like robots, that don't think and not do anything pleasant. Wait, robots are created by humans if humans didn't think therefore we will not have robots.

It is amazing isn't it that the capability to think is taken for granted and yet without our sense of being will be gone. I wonder if our sense for God will be there.

GTG: Honorary member, the honor of belonging

Jaime Fox on Robert Downey, Jr.,  "you are an honorary black man, because you have been in jail twice".  Statement by a black man to a white man, without offending any sensibilites, becaase it was said a black man on a black subject.

The same thing was mentioned at a dinner party I attended some weeks back, there was a Chinese guy, who has a PhD in Chemistry, not that it mattered, but he will say something negative about the Chinese culture, followed by a clarificatory remark that he is Chinese, therefore he can say it.

It was a lovely dinner that one, hosted by a friend, it was the first time that I went, she has been inviting me ever since I met her, it was always in conflict with another event or there is no means to get there. This time another friend is going so that was kewl.

It was an interesting mix and so conversation flowed from smoking pot, sex and the stand of the pope on condoms. tesla cars, trips, etc. because of the different background opinions also differs. Some of the remarks:

I was not Catholic but I studied in Catholic schools, so I guess it was okay, by my parents too, to convert me, although they weren't successful. I lived in Italy, even the Italians don't take it that seriously.

Can't stay in Turkey for more than a week, if you like pork, you will start to miss it.

Everything that we say or do is a sin and we are going to go to hell.

There were at least 2 people from different cultures and who have not smoked pot their whole lives. They don't find a reason to.

The sad thing about the media is when they highlight certain issues, for example the comment of the Pope about the use of condoms. They stopped listening after that, they didn't hear the qualifying statement that a prostitute who uses condoms so as not to spread disease is showing remorse and cautions for the exercise of profession and is therefore exercising a Christian conscience. But still the use of condom by a husband and wife as not being accepted in church still holds.

It seems that smoking pot is not gauged by a person's intelligence but rather how content he is with his life, Lordy has to factor in on this right? For where do you gain your contentment and the natural joys of life but from him.

I find that people have their own convictions, whether it is just based on hearsay, well thought of, or plain belief in the truth, and to dissuade them will be a lost cause. Rather to plant the seed of new ideas or to show the benefits and joys reaped from my belief is something worthwhile to do. Respect for others is a virtue stemming from God's desire for us to show compassion and love for one other no matter what circumstance they may have.

Have you hear of the new Tesla cars, these are the new electric cars, manufactured in the Palo Alto and will now be manufactured in the old Nummi plant, efficient production, marketed and sold inhouse. There will be not dealership. A different model altogether but looks promising, they have a waiting list for their 100K priced cars and later they will start to manufacture and sell affordable sedans.

Have not seen these but I heard there were 3 cars, Saturn included, different manufacturers, same size, shape just different logo, now that's making fun of the consumers.

Thanks Mari for such a wonderful dinner, and if you like it, feel free to share your recipe for pinacolada and the other wonderful food that you served.

Note: GTG is get together not got to go, a misnomer wouldn't you say so?

Living Simply

St. Claire, poverty of the soul, living simply, possessed by Jesus...



I am Catholic, you know that, I believe and study the lives of saints. St. Claire is one that I admire, she chose to live simply, so that she will not be distracted and so she can devote her life to Jesus. Sometimes, I have to check myself about my love for the process of preparing food, that I may be remiss, and get too hang up on it. Just as Dave Lettermen mentioned in his tv show, clip above, we are not contented with just one food channel, there has to be a second food channel. Notice how there are restaurants upon restaurants trying to outdo each other as being the best, trying to satisfy that need to be the first to experience, to taste.  So, if I look at that desire deeper, do I see pride?

Ah, we just can't escape from those deadly sins, always tempting us to be distracted from Lordy. So, if I get into too much food entries or restaurant reviews will you remind me about it? I do get carried away sometimes. :)

There has to be purpose and meaning to what I do, not just being able to goble up food and stuff my face ha ha..

Gadgets: French/Dutch Oven

They call it dutch ovens if you can use it on stove top and in the oven Le Crueset and

Staub they are the best to cook with. The flavors are infused cooking time is significantly reduced.

Because it is made of solid iron, it is heavy and therefore a pain when cleaning but that I don't mind it is just a great thing in the kitchen.  A little pricey, but it has a lifetime warranty and they will replace it with regular wear and tear.  Sorry, do I sound like I am a spokesperson for the french ovens? I grew up with iron pots, hardly anything like these ones, also good. You hardly run the risk of burnt offerings and food cooks evenly.  There was a blogpost that I read advising folks who are furnishing their kitchens the first time, not to overdo it.  A rice cooker two of these babies are all that's needed, one for stewing and the other for deep frying.  You don't have to have a separate gadget for everything.

My trick for these hard to justify, high ticket items, is to have a separate account that takes a small amount from my paycheck, the cost of coffee or similar expense, before you know it, you have more than enough to purchase.

Cheers!

Food Porn: Holiday Food Pix

Struppoli by Rowena, this was from a recipe by Giada, Rowena was so excited about this dessert.  You know in Pinoy culture, we must have gotten this from our Chinese ancestors, round foods, fruits in the new year, signifies prosperity.

My brother made this crown of ribs with a marinade of different sauces available in his fridge, laced it with a bit of brandy and it came out good, he said. No wonder, his son is a little hyper, I can hear him yelling and running around on the phone.

This is a fritata that I served for breakfast for Victoria and her kids when they visited on Christmas break, the recipe of which, I have shared here, the variation is I didn't saute the tomatoes instead I topped it when I was ready to finish up in the oven.

Nabeyake Odun from Osaka Sushi on Castro in SFO, where I ended up from an appointment in Walnut Creek missing my stop.





Mussels in coconut milk, served at a "Pasasalamat Dinner" hosted by the Klimeks. Another post for another day.

Cassava cake made by Weng in my kitchen, the reason why I have ingredients handy, my friends cook when they visit. Recipe on another post later.

Enjoy!

G is for Good Food and Good Friends

Are you one of  those who can easily move on, tossing outdated magazines without looking back? Just moving forward? I can't, I have a stack of magazines, unlistened outdated podcasts, that I hope to get back to, even drafts of unfinished posts, hoping that I will be able to complete. There is just so much to go back to before one can move forward. Recipe for life.  Here is one of the old posts.

Before we moved to our present office, three units were cramped in one floor while construction is going on in the other floor.  Quasi-strangers were discovering the other members of the firm whom we would otherwise not know.  I had a new neighbor G, I worked with her a few years ago and would just say hello.  I saw her in a Shakespeare in the park show, "The Taming of the Shrew" her son was so young then. Now, her son is already going 18.

I am slow that way, I don't plunge unceremoniusly into things, a Filipino trait, we dance and skirt around until we are sure that it is the right thing to do. Hence, I have alot of treasure friends who are still with me to this day, even friends from Kindergarten.

Anyway, I found that she majored in Nutrition in college and knows her food flavor and color that we became friends and Friday lunch buddies.  We have tasted and compared flavors and appreciated our lunch hours. Hardly do we talk about work or the personalities at work.  We talk more about what we are planning to cook during the weekend. In fact we are going to set a cooking session in her new kitchen, in their new house, but before that we are going to go crazy at the Tokyo Fish Market in Berkeley.

Started to share with her my cooking travails and experimentation and of course the postings here.  She shared some goodies with me too:

.

Cashew Nuts that I enjoyed at a Sound of Music Sing Along, a post for another day

My favorite, persimmons rich vitamin C and has antioxidants

I also got to taste her Christmas cookies, pretty tasty.. I will probably be able to convince her to be a guest blogger here and share with us her wonderful creations.