A Taste of the Holy Land

I have never had Israeli food before. Not because I didn’t want to- the Philippines is not exactly a hotbed for Jews. However, one of my hunger-induced Facebook statuses (something like “this country needs a good Jewish deli!”) caught the attention of a friend who has Israeli connections and told me about a remarkable Kosher meal a friend of his prepared recently. It was not the New York-style corned beef sandwich I was craving for, but it definitely aroused my interest. One thing led to another, and before I knew it, I was sitting down to a beautifully laid-out spread of Israeli dishes with Matt and a few friends.

 Our friends Dudu and Marie O. introduced us to young and charming Iyar, a Jewish expatriate based in Manila. For us (and a few other food lovers we brought along), he gamely prepared a lovely meal featuring the popular Israeli dishes he used to serve in his own restaurant back home.

The meal began with Moroccan Spicy Fish- maya-maya flavored strongly with cumin and coriander. Iyar admits to being adverse to salt, and it was most evident in this particular dish. However, it was a fitting prologue to this exotic meal as it features a flavor profile that I admit is surprisingly unfamiliar to me despite the use of common ingredients. Fine, it’s Moroccan, but its good and he prepared it well, so no complaints here.

 Iyar explained that a traditional Israeli meal features a wide assortment of salads- ranging from savory dips to refreshing chopped vegetables. Although he has expressed his disdain for locally-produced pita bread, he found the ones at Arya Restaurant to be quite good so he bought some from them to accompany the salads.

Our host is most proud of his Hummus, and rightfully so- the chickpeas are pureed until silky-smooth (sorry, I couldn’t resist the “Zohan” reference) and mixed with high-quality Tahini (sesame paste) that he brings in from Israel. Topped with spices and some pine nuts for extra flavor and texture, it was a hit, especially with a friend who admits to being a hummus addict.

I love Moutabal, and I have to admit that Iyar’s was one of the best (and prettiest) I have had so far. It has that perfect balance between the roasted eggplant and garlic, not one overpowering the other.

The most talked about salad/dip that evening would have to be the Matbuha, painstakingly prepared by cooking down huge, ripe tomatoes (the best he can find, Iyar shared) until rich and concentrated like a paste. This is traditionally served alongside grilled meats as a condiment, lending a sweet and tangy flavor to the dish. It really was quite addicting, even just slathered on pita.

As a side dish to grilled meats, a light but tasty accompaniment would be this Cucumber, Tomato and Carrot Salad. Mildly-flavored with lemon and some herbs, it lends textural contrast alongside the pureed dishes.

Matt the Cheese Lover was infatuated with the Fresh Cheese. I mean… It’s fresh cheese. How could you not, right? Made from thick yogurt, it is slightly tangy but creamy. I found myself wishing there was more of it, or perhaps less people to share it with.

Falafel is one of the most popular middle-eastern dishes, and as a result, probably the most bastardized. I was really excited to try Iyar’s version, knowing that this is the closest I would ever come to an authentic falafel. However, with our generous host’s desire to serve us a wide array of dishes, his falafels have grown cold awaiting its moment in the spotlight. Hopefully, I would get another chance to try them when they are freshly-cooked.

Thankfully, the Grilled Meats (an assortment of chopped chicken meat, hearts and liver) more than made up for the void left by the falafel. It was flavorful and pungent- “like kofta”, the chef in our group shared. This is typical Israeli fast food, stuffed in a pita with salad and hummus. Delightful!

The centerpiece is definitely the Maloube- a rice dish stuffed with lamb chops and eggplant. The rice on its own was so buttery and smoky, flavored with the juices of the tender lamb. Iyar admitted earlier on that the rice in the middle might be undercooked, but fortunately I had none of that on my plate. If I wasn’t watching my carbs, the rice on its own was so tasty I could have definitely had more of it.

 What a blessing it was to have been invited to this dinner. I learned so much about Israeli food, not only from the actual experience of eating it, but also from the discussion among foodies that ensued after. Thank you so much to our gracious host!

Deciphering the Carbonara Conspiracy

My love affair with pasta began at a very young age: I believe I was around 7 or 8. In fact, I remember it quite vividly.

During one of my shopping excursions with my mom, we stopped for an afternoon snack at a department store café. Having always been an adventurous eater, I look through the menu, and spot something which seemed incredibly exotic to me at the time- Fetuccine Carbonara. I asked my mom if I could try it, and she raised a skeptical eyebrow at my request. After all, the only kind of pasta I have had before that was children’s-party-variety “Spaghetti Bolognese”, prepared Filipino-style with slices of hotdog in a sweetish tomato sauce. I remember her being supportive though, and watched me intently as I had my first bite of the creamy, flat noodles tossed with bits of mushroom and ham. Needless to say, I was hooked on everything pasta from then on.

But, as my maturing palate made me crave for food that is “bigger, better, more authentic”, I soon discover that my beloved Carbonara is not what it claims to be. Real Carbonara has no ham, no mushrooms and (gasp!) no cream. A traditional Carbonara from Lazio (where Rome is located) in Italy is made simply of the following ingredients: whole eggs or egg yolks, olive oil, guanciale (unsmoked bacon made from pork jowl or cheek) and Pecorino Romano cheese. (Guanciale and pecorino are easily available in the Lazio region, but when these are unavailable, acceptable substitutes would be pancetta (salt-cured pork belly) and parmesan cheese.) I also just discovered that fetuccine pasta is not a suitable match for this kind of sauce because it is too delicate. Italians are very strict in using only spaghetti or bucatini (sometimes penne) for Carbonara.

Recently, I chanced upon fellow food blogger Miguel’s Facebook page and he expressed his frustration on the lack of authentic Spaghetti Carbonara in Manila. He was surprised to discover that even in the better Italian restaurants, their Carbonara is prepared with cream. This made me wonder: Why is it that such a simple recipe (it practically contains just four ingredients) has been bastardized to such horrendous proportions that the “wrong” version is often believed to be the standard one?

I ask a chef friend about this, and he suggests that it could be brought about by foreign cooks adapting to what is available to them. During earlier times in the UK, for instance, cream is more accessible than poultry products, hence the switch. In my research over the net, angry purists blame greedy restaurant owners for using pricier ingredients in lieu of Carbonara’s otherwise regular cupboard fare to justify the additional zeroes in their prices. Being a guilty conspirator in the practice of “creamed” Carbonara, the reason could be as simple as this: Carbonara is easier to make with cream. A cream sauce can conveniently be prepared a bit earlier and re-heated when ready to serve. The traditional Carbonara, however, should definitely be cooked ala minute, very quickly, or else it could easily turn into an omelette.

I will not feign snobbery and say that putting cream in Carbonara is bad. In fact, give me a well-prepared cream-sauce Carbonara and I would be happy to eat it. I just think that, if you are a restaurant serving what you claim is authentic Italian cuisine, you must prepare Carbonara the same way they do it in Lazio.

As homage and “Oh-My-God-I’m-So-Sorry” to the pasta dish that started it all for me, I would like to share a recipe of Spaghetti Carbonara, done the traditional way. This is based on a couple of recipes I have gathered- all approved by some kind of Italian organization that protects the authenticity of their food- and tweaked according to availability of ingredients and personal taste.



Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Ingredients:
250 g. Spaghetti
1 clove garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons olive oil
200 g. pancetta, cut into cubes
2 whole eggs and 1 egg yolk, beaten
100 g. parmesan, grated
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Procedure:
- In a big pot of boiling water with salt, cook the spaghetti for 7-8 minutes, or until al dente. When done, remove from the water, draining the pasta water into a bowl and set aside to be used later.
- Mix in 2/3 of the grated parmesan into the egg mixture and season with a pinch of salt.
- In a separate pan over medium heat, cook the cubes of pancetta in the olive oil. Include the garlic, and remove before it turns brown. (Note: This will impart a subtle garlic flavor to the oil which will not overpower the dish. If you do not care much for garlic, you can skip the garlic part all together.)
- When pancetta has been nicely toasted, dump the spaghetti into the pan. Mix the spaghetti and pancetta mixture quickly, and then remove the pan from the fire. Stir in the egg and cheese mixture continuously until it acquires a beautiful, creamy consistency. If the sauce is a bit dry (or “tight”, as chefs call it), add a few spoonfuls of the pasta water.
- Move the pasta into a big serving bowl and season with some fragrant, freshly-crushed black pepper and top with the remaining parmesan cheese.
- Serve immediately.

It all seems simple enough, and it really is. I do need to stress the importance of mixing the egg mixture continuously to attain the creamy texture of the sauce. I myself began to panic when I noticed some parts starting to come together like an omelette, and I remember going “f_ck, f_ck, f_ck” under my breath. DO NOT PANIC. Just keep stirring, and the minute the sauce is creamy, it’s done. Buon Appetito!

Older and Hungrier: My Birthday

All my life, I have always looked forward to birthdays. Despite being born during the relatively overcast month of October, I would always request for a pool party as a child. I love the water, and nothing could be more fun than an entire day of splashing around in the pool with my sisters and cousins while the sticks of pork barbecue sizzled on the grill. Famished, my little hands pruney from being soaked in water for hours, us kids would feast on the grilled sticks of pork, Pinoy-style spaghetti, fried chicken and chocolate cake from Goldilocks topped with my favorite cartoon character of the moment.

When I outgrew the games and the chlorine, I would always throw parties for my friends. In high school, some friends and I would have joint celebrations of our birthdays. We would rent out some condo's penthouse, pitch in to buy booze and invite friends from our all-girl's school and our guy friends from other schools. Food at that time was not the priority- we would much rather spend our saved allowances (and birthday cash from our parents) on buying beer (remember Blue Ice?) and the dreaded/revered bottle of Jose Cuervo tequila. My old friends and I would chuckle when we recall our classic party fare of chicken lollipops, cornicks and- the centerpiece- cocktail hotdogs and marshmallows on toothpicks speared around a head of cabbage. Now that's some classic stuff!

When we moved to Makati, the larger space made it possible to have bigger parties. Food would be catered by my favorite restaurants, and then later on, by my sister Foxychef. Beer bongs and jello shots were later on replaced by martini bars and wine. Whatever it was that we were in the mood for, we made sure that we had it in abundance which would last us until the wee hours of the morning. Luckily, we had pretty cool neighbors who shared our penchant for revelry (or at least had a very high tolerance for it), so we never had problems of village security banging on our door.

Now, finally living on my own for the first time in my life, I suddenly long for the quiet mellow weekends with my family. I started my day with breakfast in bed prepared by Matt, a simple plate of my favorite breakfast fare: scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. The fact that my husband does not cook and loves to sleep in late made the meal taste even better.

Since my birthday fell on a Sunday, I decided to have our regular Sunday dinner at my pad instead. My parents brought some Angus rib-eyes for me to cook, and two kinds of paella from La Tienda (note: Thank you, Miguel, for ordering them for me!). Foxychef prepared some Iberian Chicken and our other sister, Queenbee, brought some Baked Salmon from Conti's. Since it was my birthday and did not want to spend it in the kitchen, I just prepared a simple cheese and coldcuts platter with Manchego and Saint Paulin cheeses, smoked tangigue, anchovy-stuffed olives and chistora.

Now I relish these quiet evenings with the family, just eating good food, sipping on drinks and enjoying the conversation around the table. My niece, Rianna, is the consummate entertainer, helping me set-up the meal before dinner and then, afterwards, keeping us in stitches as she sings and dances to her favorite songs by The Pussycat Dolls and Black Eyed Peas. She also took most of the pictures that night, and some were actually quite good.

I really enjoyed the evening and look forward to having another potluck dinner with the family. Good food, after all, is nothing without good company to share it with. I cannot thank God enough for giving me a wonderful family to have many more amazing meals to come.

The Little Turkey Dinner That Could

Thanksgiving is another one of those holidays that I love to celebrate. It obviously holds no real significance for me, since I am not American, nor did I grow up in that culture. The only reason I get excited about this event is because I know there will be someone out there (somebody, ANYBODY!) who would be celebrating with some sort of Thanksgiving dinner. Roasted Turkey (maybe fried, if you’re from the South), Pumpkin Pie, Corn Pudding… every family has their own traditional spread. Any party with some kind of meat carving and complementary high-carb sidings, and I am so there.

Lucky little “food fiend” that I am, my baby sister Foxychef has a catering job coming up which required them to provide Roasted turkey as one of the buffet’s offerings. Her partner, Beersponge, has only prepared a turkey once a while back when he was visiting with an aunt in the States. Not completely confident that they have got this covered, Foxychef decided that they should try to make one for Sunday dinner. Being the loving and supportive older sister, I offered to take part in their little experiment, and even proposed to make a side dish for the turkey.

I racked my brain for a dish that would be easy to prepare and at the same time stay true to the all-American theme. I deduced that nothing could be more “American”- and also well-loved- in our home, than Macaroni and Cheese.

When we were kids, we would stock up on boxes of the stuff and have them for merienda after school. Even on Saturday afternoons at our cousin’s house, if we are not ordering Fettucine with Mushroom Sauce or Beef Stroganoff from Sugarhouse at Annapolis St., we would have their cook open several boxes of Kraft Mac ‘n Cheese and we would hungrily feast on the bright orange goo.

Recently, I saw an episode of “Barefoot Contessa” in Lifestyle Network wherein Ina Garten (I love her! Her husband, Jeffrey, is one lucky fool.) has prepared a more grown-up version of Macaroni and Cheese. Good thing that my selective memory picks-up food recipes, so I decide to prepare my own version of the Ina Garten recipe for our turkey dinner.

It is actually quite simple: First, I cook the macaroni (250 grams) in salted boiling water for 7 minutes and then drain. Then, I chop up a good piece of slab bacon (approximately 150 grams)into small chunks and fry it in its own fat until brown and crisp. Set aside.

For the cheese sauce, I make a béchamel by melting half a stick of butter in a sauce pan, then dumping a cup of flour in it. Slowly, I pour in two tetra packs of fresh milk into the mixture, making sure that I stir continuously until smooth.

When the béchamel is ready, dump the grated cheese into the sauce. I used sharp cheddar and gruyere, but I suppose you can use any cheese you like. Preferably something that would melt nicely for that nice, creamy texture.

After the cheese has been nicely integrated into the sauce, mix the cooked macaroni and bacon into the blend.

Place the Macaroni and Cheese into a baking dish and top with thinly-sliced tomatoes.

Finally, sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs on top for that nicely-browned and crispy crust. I baked it in 200 degrees Celcius for 20 minutes until the top was nicely browned and the sauce was bubbling. I think this pan could serve around 6 people.

With our fingers crossed, we waited to see how our dinner was going to turn out. The turkey came out darker than expected, but it was still very tender and flavorful. The stuffing of Onions, bread and apples was delicious and was wiped out early on. I advised Foxychef to make more stuffing in a baking dish next time because for sure the one inside the turkey’s cavity would not be enough.

The Baked Macaroni and Cheese was also spot-on. The gruyere has melted nicely and was nice and stringy, while the sharp cheddar gave the dish just the right kick it needed.

For the wine, I thought it would be fitting to pick out a nice American Pinot Noir. I have been searching for a reasonably priced Pinot Noir, since I noticed that a lot of the good ones from California and Oregon are quite pricey. I took a gamble and tried the 2005 Estancia Pinot Noir from their Monterey vineyard, having tried (and loved) their Pinot Grigio a few months back. At P850, it’s much cheaper than the other Pinot Noirs they have in Wine Depot. After letting it breathe for 30 minutes in the glass, the Estancia has nicely opened up, Marachino cherries and red berries right up front, very light tannins, nice and smooth finish. I loved it with the turkey and I could imagine how nicely it would have gone with cranberry sauce, if we only had any.

It was a nice family dinner, enjoyed even by the “turkey-haters” in the bunch. Although it was not an official celebration of Thanksgiving, it made me contemplate on life’s blessings that I should be thankful for: A wacky family that is for sure far from perfect, but continues to be loving and supportive in every way; good friends who make my life crazier but at the same time, much more bearable; and the unconditional love of a man who puts up with my eccentricities and anger management issues.

Life is good. Thank God for that.

It's Sunday, I'm in Love

My family loves to eat.

We sometimes come up with the silliest excuses (our Shih-tzu’s birthday, end of Ramadan (we’re Catholic), the moon is orange, and so on) for eating out, just to rationalize our gluttonous exploits. Recently though, as a result of our expanding waist-lines and my parents’ growing assortment of maintenance drugs, we have decided to limit our binging (with the exception of birthdays and appropriate holidays) to Sunday dinners.

Earlier during the week, I received a text message from Caoboy offering his mouth-watering Australian Rib-eye steaks and Lamb Chops. I have ordered 2 kilos of the former a few months before so I know- at the remarkably reasonable price of P575/kilo- that I could not possibly go wrong with his steaks. So, I text him back to order two kilos once again, knowing that he will be delivering them promptly Saturday afternoon. I then warn everyone in the household, “We’re having steak on Sunday!”

The last time we had some Caoboy rib-eyes, we served them with grilled prawns and double-baked potatoes. This time, though, we opted for a Japanese dinner. Since I was oh so generous in providing the steaks, I delegated the task of cooking to my sisters, Queenbee and Foxychef. Queenbee offered to prepare Gyoza (Japanese dumplings, steamed then fried- both the original pork version and a few beef ones for Matt), while Foxychef cooked pretty much everything else.

We started with some fresh Tuna and Salmon Sashimi that I scored from Hatchin (the delightful Japanese grocery in Metropolitan Ave., Makati). They are sold in small slabs (approximately 200 grams each), then you can ask their butcher to slice them up for you if you want. I personally prefer having them slice the raw fish for me, since I do not have the proper tools and expertise needed to come up with sleek, clean-cut fillets. The sashimi was served with steaming bowls of Miso Soup.

Also purchased from Hatchin are some Kisu Furai (panko-crusted fish fillet) and Tuna Flakes Katsu that were simply deep-fried at home. To accompany the fried fish dishes, I prepared a simple remoulade made out of Japanese mayonnaise, white onions, green onions, chives and a little lemon juice. The Kisu was quite good with the citrus-y dressing, but I do not think we will be buying the Tuna Katsu again, which was pretty bland and dry.

The steaks were cooked Teppanyaki-style. Obviously, we do not have a Teppan griddle to cook on, so we had to make do with this table-top Yakiniku grill. The rib-eyes was seared whole, and then sliced again into small cubes before it is cooked a final time. The simply-seasoned chunks are then topped by a drizzle of the garlic-infused oil that Foxychef prepared beforehand. Everyone raved about how tender and flavourful the beef was. Even the smaller cubes of meat that were overcooked remained succulent and juicy.

For our side dish, we had Japanese fried rice cooked in the style of the old Takayama Restaurant in Wilson St., one of our family’s favourite restos back when it was still open. Countless times we sat in front of one of their Teppan tables with our Titas and cousins, salivating over the mountain of fried rice expertly prepared by their chefs. After watching their table-top theatrics for several years, we were able to commit to memory the right amount of butter, garlic, onions, soy sauce, etc. to replicate that dish we fell in love with as kids.

Wine and Japanese food is a tricky thing for me. With the sweetness of the sauces, strong garlic and onion flavours... it’s hard to come up with a traditional (stews/steaks= zinfandel or shiraz; or fresh oysters= champagne or sauvignon blanc) combination that is tried and tested. So I decided to just go with something I really enjoy drinking and would be great with the humid weather that evening.

Ever since I tried Torres’ Vina Esmeralda- a dry, slightly fruity white wine- at the CACS wine seminar a couple of years ago, I was smitten. I loved the floral and fruit-laden nose, and how- despite its obvious tropical flavours- it remains crisp and bright on the palate. Anyway, I love drinking that wine, so I went with it. And although it was not a pairing made in heaven, drinking a wine I love just made dinner more enjoyable nevertheless. Next time, though, I think I’ll just buy a few cans of Kirin or Asahi.

I have to note that Queenbee’s Gyoza did not exactly turn out the way she wanted, but it was still quite tasty. She got the wrong wrapper, so she just fried it, pinsek frito-style. Instead of the usual sweet-chili sauce that accompanies pinsek frito, we still used the traditional vinegar and soy dipping sauce for Gyoza. Don’t worry, Queenbee, everyone has their off-nights, but we still loved your Crispy Japanese Pockets.

We were so stuffed after that dinner that some of us took a stroll up and down our street to digest; Matt, the resident “garbage compactor”, just sat slumped on a chair in the front yard as he smoked his cigs- signs, of course, that it was another great Sunday dinner.

Cao Ocampo's Australian Rib-eyes and Lambchops

mobile #09178387399

Hatchin Japanese Grocery

Metropolitan Ave.

Makati City

Tel. # (632) 8905038