Localized or “Native” Tomatoes
A recent post on tomatoes resulted in a lively 
discussion in the comments section regarding heirloom and “native” or “localized’ tomatoes. I also read with interest Karen’s post on Pilgrim’s Pots and Pans that details these irregular looking but great tasting tomatoes that have evolved on local shores over the last two hundred + years or so… I finally got some at the market today and now realize these were the tomatoes we used to buy long ago when all the other fancy “modern” farmed versions weren’t so readily available. These tomatoes have a very thin skin and a somewhat watery pulp. They are great for sawsawan (dipping sauces) and overall a nice naturally interesting option to greenhouse varieties.
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of ponkan, sugar kiats and kumquats. An earlier post on kiat kiat resulted in a lively discussion in the comments section on some small “citrus” fruit that some said was a little like an orange kalamansi, a longan, kumquat or even a genetically modified fruit. It had a thin skin and the entire fruit was edible. I decided to go in search of some and put an end to the speculation… But first, the other citrus finds…some good large ponkan that was sweet and extremely juicy are the largest fruit in the bowl pictured here. Next in size are these “sugar kiats” that are larger than the kiat kiat I featured a week or so ago and they were also sweet and scrumptious. That leaves the unusually shaped oblong orange fruit…
fried danggit is on my top ten list of breakfast foods. I know I am supposed to be eating healthier these days after the fat and salt overdose of the recent holidays but I simply couldn’t resist a freshly fried pile of dried danggit that the cook made this morning. Add some hot rice, a perfectly fried organic egg, some of my long soaking chilli vinegar and I easily consumed ten small fried fish before I succumbed to the “you are too full to burp” signal from my stomach. Yum and double yum. And, for some strange reason, you also burp “eau de danggit” like you do longganisa, and it has no garlic, so go figure…
Most English source books however, refer to this common “vegetable” as Banana bud, flower or blossom… I have no idea why the cooked puso is considered a vegetable while the fruit of the same tree is a fruit… I suppose if you ate a salad of apple leaves that would be a vegetable too… At any rate, puso is the brilliantly maroon or red end of a bunch of bananas. It is extremely common because banana trees (a large herb, actually) grow by the gajillions in the Philippine countryside…
as well as making sure our house guests are well fed. I have a dozen more potential posts of all the artery clogging foods we have eaten lately but I needed to step back for a meal and eat a little bit more simply and healthily. Here is an incredibly simple, healthy and quick stir fry of tokwa (soy bean curd) and pechay or bok choy. To make chop up some firm tofu into cubes. Chop up some onions and a little garlic. You can add pork but I didn’t to make it a little healthier. Heat up a pan, add some oil, throw in the onions and sauté, add the garlic, tofu, pechay, some chicken broth and salt and pepper and it’s good to go. Nothing special but your colon will probably appreciate you for it after the incredible excesses of the holiday season… more posts to come soon!
I also made the delicious truffles you see here from one of his recipes. It was a bit of a pain in the neck but the results were well worth the effort. It appears pricey but it goes a long way, in my case, the recipe made so many truffles they easily served four different dinners of 8 guests each and had several truffles to spare as well. To make, finely chop ½ kilo or 500 grams of good bittersweet chocolate and add 50 grams or about 2.5 tablespoons of light corn syrup such as Karo brand. Bring 2 cups of heavy cream to a boil and pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk until melted and smooth. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of cognac or armagnac and let cool to room temperature with an occasional stir.
Chocolate soufflés are actually very easy to make. I kid you not. And they are absolutely delicious regardless of whether you achieve the perfect rising of the soufflé… as warned by numerous stereotypical views on this simple dessert. If you follow some basic cardinal rules, you will be a soufflé expert in no time. I always rely on a soufflé (chocolate, apricot, raspberry or Grand Marnier) to finish off a more festive dinner because everyone loves them and thinks they are so incredibly difficult to pull off…
about the photos I had of stone fruit that some of our houseguests brought from Sydney a couple of weeks ago. On arrival from the airport, this wonderful box or case of fruit emerged from one of their suitcases and carefully ensconced within were fantastic stone fruit: nectarines and peaches. They were perfectly ripe, juicy and full of flavor. It is a rare occurrence that I get edible nectarines or peaches in Manila so this was a real holiday treat! Also in the box were small containers of raspberries and blueberries…yum!