31 Mar, 2008
Every once in a while, usually towards the end of the month, or after serious holiday feasts, I do a “reconnaissance mission” through our refrigerators, freezers and pantry and try to use up odds and ends. I like to refer to these meals as “vacuum cleaner” meals, sucking out leftovers, miscellaneous food items,…
30 Mar, 2008
We purchased a package of “Chorizo Macau” that was made in Cebu (go figure), and sold at a Chinese Food Store at the ground floor of Ali Mall, Ortigas Center. It was vacuum sealed in plastic and didn’t need refrigeration. It was something good to bring to the beach and have as…
30 Mar, 2008
I ran across this palanggana of stunningly vibrant small fresh leaves of an herb (?, I am assuming) or plant, at the entrance to the Nasugbu market several weeks ago. At PHP10 for a small cup or palm full, the vendor said it was “sanselera” or SOMETHING that sounded like that. I…
29 Mar, 2008
My post on curacha a few days back lead me to Joey’s post on the creature and the recipe she cooked did some “Alavar” sauce… Marketman & family received a large package of Alavar sauce from a friend several months back and this is what we used it for… prawns in Alavar. Alavar,…
28 Mar, 2008
Nearly a dozen readers and friends have emailed me about Earth Hour this Saturday. I have waited to do a post until just the day before the event so that people would be less likely to forget about it. And I fully support this symbolic gesture where households and businesses around the…
28 Mar, 2008
We have enjoyed salted fish fried rice in Chinese restaurants across Southeast Asia, some with a perfect balance of saltiness and moisture and flavor, while others poor pretenders at best. While we enjoy the dish immensely, we haven’t tried to cook it at home, but the purchase of some spectacular dried lapu-lapu was…
28 Mar, 2008
This has to be the most premium of the premium dried fishes, or at least one of them. A roughly two kilo live weight grouper or lapu-lapu, split open and bathed in a salt solution then rubbed with organic sea salt and left out in the sun to dry, just. Still a…
27 Mar, 2008
We made several popsicles, sorbets and ice creams over the long holiday at the beach; they were the perfect antidote to rising temperatures… The first experiment were some simple fruit based popsicles. We purchased this old-fashioned styled plastic mold at Crate & Barrel for 80% off at their outlet store, so we…