Foot and Fire

     Back in college, I have this favorite restaurant in Jaro, Iloilo City called Bavaria  that served pan-fried potatoes which I severely missed when I went back in Negros. And my last eat there must be, I guess, way back in 2015 when I was still going "overseas" for my master's class in CPU.       I attempted to replicate the same many times but I guess since I don't use butter, I could not bust through the real thing. I drizzle mine with olive oil, season with Himalayan salt and pepper with some dried herbs or my fresh Italian oregano then when these marble potatoes abound. This particular gustatory memory must be the reason that I love potatoes and often look forward to the time when marble potatoes abound in the market. Abundance means cheaper price, so I got a kilo recently to cook all of them to accompany my lamb rack.      But today, I tried something new. The three ways I refer to are boiled, halved ...

*** 200g Elbow Macaroni, boiled olive oil garlic, minced onions, chopped 50g Beef, ground 50g Chicken, cubed  2 pcs. Carrots, chopped 1 bunch of broccoli, chopped 25g Baguio beans, chopped Fish sauce, Worcestershire Sauce and Soy sauce Beef or chicken cube or powder  salt and pepper 1/2 head of Cabbage, chopped Do not drain the Macaroni in the pot.  In a pan, saute garlic and onions in olive oil. Add the beef and chicken pieces. Let cook. Add the macaroni with the water. Transfer in the pot and let boil. Add the vegetables except cabbage. Add flavorings as per personal taste: I added Fish sauce,  Worcestershire Sauce and Soy sauce and chicken powder.  Add salt, as needed and lots of ground pepper. Let boil. Add the cabbage and cover with lid.  Remove from fire and Serve Hot.

This packet is a gift from a good friend who now works in Beijing, China. It says "Ginger Poweder" but from what I can understand from the photo, it is more like what we came to know as Chinese Five Spice. I wonder why they did not name it so. I googled and found these suggestion on how to make your DIY spice combination. This is perfect for beef stews and beef soups and stocks. Here are the varied stuff I found and brace yourself as I will post the ingredients which were posted at the back of this luckily in English: It is not five only. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon fennel seed, toasted and ground 1 teaspoon ground star anise 1 teaspoon szechuan peppercorns, toasted and ground *** 1 tsp. ground Szechwan pepper 1 tsp. ground star anise 1-1/4 tsp. ground fennel seeds 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. ground white pepper *** Anise, Cinnamon, Star Anise, Cloves, Ginger *** 2 tablespoons ground star anise 2 ta...

By GERLIE M. UY I rubbed the steak with pounded cumin , (I think I have two kinds, the plump palay-like seeds and the thinner ones) and rock salt. I refrigerate it overnight. I like the contrasting sweet and pungent dizzying smell of cumin... I first tasted cumin in the yangrou (lamb) barbecue in Beijing. With this grilled porterhouse steak and with the right red wine, the New Year's Eve or Valentine's Dinner is ready to go!

By GERLIE M. UY Here is another way of enjoying spaghetti when one ran out of tomato sauce... The simple garlic and oil sauce. Just added a local canned tuna called Century Tuna Inasal flavor on top so as to interest the palate of my conventional eating pack at home. A serving for Julie-Ann  Ingredients: 1/2 kl spaghetti 9 cloves of garlic, sliced thinly 1/2 cup olive oil salt and  ground pepper dry basil leaves (if fresh herbs such as parsley or oregano are available, use them) Century Tuna Inasal flavor (smoked) How to: Heat olive oil in pan.  Add garlic slices and spread on the pan. Adjust heat to low until garlic turns medium brown.  Add the spaghetti pasta and mix together. Put dashes of salt and ground pepper to taste.  Add ample amount of dried basil leaves and mix. Remove from fire. Place tuna on top and mix together just before serving. The sliced (not minced) garlic If you use the extra virgin olive oil, the better. Aglio et olio Century Tuna Inasal F...

By GERLIE M. UY Okra Tempura is ready to serve with your fave sweet-chili ketchup! More of the okra tempura... young okra sliced in half!!! 2 cups flour with turmeric powder and ground pepper my fave duo... beaten eggs  the batter the batter with the bread crumbs the batter and the okra... not-so-deep fry... my idea of deep-fry up close and personal with the batter mixture About 20 pieces young okra, sliced in to vertically into two 2 cups flour 1 T turmeric powder A dash of ground pepper A dash of fine iodized salt 1 cup bread crumbs 2 eggs, beaten 1/2 to 1 cup water 1 cup canola oil Sweet Chili ketchup, Plain ketchup or homemade thousand islands dressing In a bowl, add flour, turmeric powder, pepper and salt.  Add bread crumbs and eggs. Add water and mix thoroughly.  Add okra slices. In a small sauce pot, add the oil. When hot, add pieces of okra, one at a time.  Cook for a minute on one side and another minute for the other side.  Remove with slotted spoon a...

By GERLIE M. UY My first attempt to a Miso Soup is a success!  Our japanese soup server was initiated with this Veges and Miso Soup! Sans the flash, this is how it looks. Super Soupy soup... My soup today! It was a luck that Robinson's Bacolod has this stock of Korean Miso Paste! Here's another photo of the Korean Miso Paste I bought... 3 stalks celery, coarsely chopp 3 stalks Baguio leeks, coarsely chopped 1 medium potato, coarsely chopped 750 ml to 1L water rock salt ground pepper 2 T butter 100 gms Soy Bean Paste (Miso) In a soup pot, place water and add celery and leeks. Season with salt and pepper. In a high fire, bring to boil. Continuously boil for 5 minutes and remove from fire. Let cool a bit Separate the stock and the vegetables. Blender the vegetables. In a soup pot, place butter. Add the blended vegetables. Simmer for 2 minutes in medium fire. Add the stock. Dissolve the Miso paste with a little stock and add to the mixture. Bring to boil. Serve hot.

By GERLIE M. UY BAM-I with scrambled egg and calamansi. Squeeze the calamansi juice into the mixture and enjoy the noodle special, with or without toasted bread.... The Bam-i on the platter. 2T canola oil 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced 1 medium onion, minced 100gms beef, cut into 1/2 inch bits salt and ground pepper 10 pcs. baguio beans, sliced diagonally 2 medium carrots, julienned 250 grams dried pancit canton 100 grams bihon (or vermicilli) 5 T soy sauce 1 to 2 cups hot water 1/2 cabbage, cut into strips 1 t canola oil 3 eggs, beaten salt and pepper calamansi, sliced into two For preparation: Cut up the beef. Sprinkle with salt and refrigerate.  Then strip the vegetables. Set aside separately. In basin, put the dried  pancit canton and the bihon, pour water. Let stay for a minute and drain. Set aside and rip apart the bihon noodle into pieces once pliant. Mince garlic and onion. Cooking proper: In a medium to high heat, saute garlic and onion in oil until brown a...

HAPPY MORNING CUSTOMER.Pancake with Bugnay Syrup for breakfast!!! ANOTHER HAPPY ONE. He likes it without butter. THE ROLLED Pancake with the syrup... Cooling the syrup. BUGNAY SYRUP 2 cups bugnay 4 cups washed/mascuvado sugar 2 cups water Mash the bugnay, add water and strain to separate seeds. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Bring to boil uncovered for 20 minutes while stirring occasionally.Let cool. Bugnay... TANGO in the kitchen... Pancake...  PANCAKE 3 cups flour 1 cup cornstarch a pinch of salt 1t turmeric powder (for color) 2 eggs 150 evaporated milk 1000 to 1250 ml water Folded Pancake, waiting for the butter. Butter Mascuvado sugar Sift flour and cornstarch and put in a deep bowl. Add salt and turmeric powder. Make a well, add eggs and milk. Add water in small amount at a time while stirring and getting rid of the lump. The consistency is like that of a milk. In a teflon pan (8"), pour 1/2 cup of mixture making sure it thinly covers the surface of the pan. Since our pan is...