I'm used to making Nilaga (Boiled meat, usually boiled beef) the way my Lolo Bito does it. Although, I don't think mine ever tasted like his. His was just really flavorful. He uses soup bones that will simmer for hours with onions and black peppercorns. Then he will later garnish it with cooked Garbanzos, Cabbage, Corn, Potatoes and sometimes Chorizo de Bilbao. It's something I always crave for. My grandparents who are great cooks died a few years ago, leaving behind a culinary tradition at our family restaurant. So whenever I want the old school Nilaga, I simply request for it. Our cooks know perfectly how to season it. They even strain the soup as it's poured over the meat and the vegetables to have a rich clear broth. It's like the French Pot Au Feu minus the wine. The deep rich flavor comes from simmering the ingredients for hours and hours.
When we have this at home (in the Philippines), I do the 'ambula'. Instead of putting the dish on my plate with rice. I just pour the rice in the soup bowl and eat it in the bowl with my rice floating in the soup. It's even better with Calamansi, Soy sauce and Chili. But that's back home!
My friend Erika made me some Nilaga this weekend. I don't even know if I'm allowed to disclose her secret ingredient(s) that bring(s) out that deep flavor in the meat. It was soooo good I was slurping the soup! I must say it's the best Nilaga I've ever had in America. She turned the Phil-Am Nilaga from ho-hum to Holy Cow! Ang nilaga ni Erika...brings-me-back-to-my-childhood good! The Best!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Fun Jobs!
While waiting for October to come (basically for my life to start again)... I thought I'd do some fun jobs, so far I have the ff:
1. MOD at a Salon Spa. I must admit it IS fun! And I get free treatments ;)
2. Teaching assistant at Kid's Bake Camp at Sur La Table
3. Stagerie on various restaurants! I can't believe how much I love to cook. If money didn't matter, it's all I want to do
I think I should pick up on other hobbies too. Oh, I already got into yoga. I just completed my 30 days of yoga that I committed to myself. Now I'm hooked! Yoga can make an amazing difference to ones body and mind, to ones life actually. I can't really afford to keep the hobby at this point but I think I can still practice yoga by volunteering help in the studio. I'm just about to do that too. Wooohooo! another fun job!
1. MOD at a Salon Spa. I must admit it IS fun! And I get free treatments ;)
2. Teaching assistant at Kid's Bake Camp at Sur La Table
3. Stagerie on various restaurants! I can't believe how much I love to cook. If money didn't matter, it's all I want to do
I think I should pick up on other hobbies too. Oh, I already got into yoga. I just completed my 30 days of yoga that I committed to myself. Now I'm hooked! Yoga can make an amazing difference to ones body and mind, to ones life actually. I can't really afford to keep the hobby at this point but I think I can still practice yoga by volunteering help in the studio. I'm just about to do that too. Wooohooo! another fun job!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Noisy Girls Made It To Seattle
And in Seattle we got addicted to Rock Band! Thanks Alexei for being a gracious and generous host (and band manager)! Oh and thanks for your patience too!!
Friday, June 06, 2008
Noisy Girls Are Driving
Noisy Girls are off to Seattle
The Plan: Drive from San Francisco To Seattle (and back?)
The Noisy Girls: ET, NJ, MJ, BB
Possible Routes:
A. Interstate 5 - The Quick Route (not really) - About 810 mi, 12 hrs and 40 mins
Pass through Mt. Shasta - a beautiful snowcapped mountain by a big lake. Go through the city of Ashland, Oregon famous for its Shakespeare Festival in the Summer. The city boasts of its beautiful Elizabethan type outdoor theater. Detour off of I-5 to see Crater Lake National Park in Oregon then go to Portland for some shopping? Why? Oregon state has NO SALES TAX! Nice! Then enter Washington and visit Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Ranier National Parks. There might be restricted access though due to snow, even in the Summer months so it's always good to check. Drive to Seattle and visit the monumental Casa de Alexei
B. Highway 101 - The Scenic Route - About 940 mi, 20 hrs and 7 mins
This highway is closer to the coast. It passes through Humboldt Redwoods State Park and the Redwoods National Park. The Avenue of the Giants is a beautiful short drive in the Humboldt that shouldn't be missed. This is the land of the oldest and biggest trees. It would be nice to DRIVE THRU some of them. Same highway goes to Oregon. Oregon 101 is famous for its beautiful coastal drive as well as the little towns around the area. Check out the little towns then drive to Seattle and visit the monumental Casa de Alexei
101 is A LOT slower than I-5. But the good news is, there are a number of small that crosses over from one to the other.
Other Small Towns of Interest:
Eureka, CA
Ukiah, CA - the largest in the Mendocino County
Willits, CA - gateway to the Redwood Forest
Little River, CA - the site of Van Damme State Park
Point Arena, CA - little fishing village by the coast
Yachats, OR
Lincoln City, OR
Florence, OR
Bellingham, WA
Too many places to see! Shall we just wing it?
Bahala na si Batman... I mean si Sharon!
The Plan: Drive from San Francisco To Seattle (and back?)
The Noisy Girls: ET, NJ, MJ, BB
Possible Routes:
A. Interstate 5 - The Quick Route (not really) - About 810 mi, 12 hrs and 40 mins
Pass through Mt. Shasta - a beautiful snowcapped mountain by a big lake. Go through the city of Ashland, Oregon famous for its Shakespeare Festival in the Summer. The city boasts of its beautiful Elizabethan type outdoor theater. Detour off of I-5 to see Crater Lake National Park in Oregon then go to Portland for some shopping? Why? Oregon state has NO SALES TAX! Nice! Then enter Washington and visit Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Ranier National Parks. There might be restricted access though due to snow, even in the Summer months so it's always good to check. Drive to Seattle and visit the monumental Casa de Alexei
B. Highway 101 - The Scenic Route - About 940 mi, 20 hrs and 7 mins
This highway is closer to the coast. It passes through Humboldt Redwoods State Park and the Redwoods National Park. The Avenue of the Giants is a beautiful short drive in the Humboldt that shouldn't be missed. This is the land of the oldest and biggest trees. It would be nice to DRIVE THRU some of them. Same highway goes to Oregon. Oregon 101 is famous for its beautiful coastal drive as well as the little towns around the area. Check out the little towns then drive to Seattle and visit the monumental Casa de Alexei
101 is A LOT slower than I-5. But the good news is, there are a number of small that crosses over from one to the other.
Other Small Towns of Interest:
Eureka, CA
Ukiah, CA - the largest in the Mendocino County
Willits, CA - gateway to the Redwood Forest
Little River, CA - the site of Van Damme State Park
Point Arena, CA - little fishing village by the coast
Yachats, OR
Lincoln City, OR
Florence, OR
Bellingham, WA
Too many places to see! Shall we just wing it?
Bahala na si Batman... I mean si Sharon!
Monday, June 02, 2008
Berries and Balsamic
I learned how to make fresh berry compotes from my internship at Chez Panisse. I remember how good berries tasted like. They use only the freshest and the finest. I always refer to my internship notes A LOT! I feel very privileged to have had that opportunity.
About 2 weeks ago, Mj and Bemong visited Er in Berkeley and I volunteered to cook for them. Wait, did I volunteer or they volunteered me? I was more than glad to do it anyway. It was such a short notice, not to mention, we really didn't have a lot of time.
I made some salad with of mushrooms and mesclun greens with truffle balsamic viniagrette, white wine poached sole and some semblance of chicken saltimboca (prosciutto wrapped chicken) with parmesan and sage brodo (which turned out to be some heavy cream sauce rather than a brothy one. And for dessert... it had to be semi home made. But I was happy with it. I made a fresh berry compote. Er and I picked up berries from the farmer's market in Berkeley... Lucero organic farm produce the best, very red and very sweet strawberries). I tossed the berries in a tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of salt to get some of the berry juices out. I zested about half a lemon over it too. Acid brightens the flavors of berries. I added about a splash of Balsamic Vinegar for some contrast. Some Eau de Vie would have been great (Kirsch or Framboise would have been delicious!) I added heavy cream in the end. I meant to whip cream and dollop it over the cake then top it with my berries. But I decided to just add the cream to the compote. Then I poured it over slices of store bought pound cake. It turned out really good! I think I'm going to do this again. It might even work with other cakes like angel cake or chocolate cake perhaps. Berries and balsamic!
Thanks for the photo, Mj!
About 2 weeks ago, Mj and Bemong visited Er in Berkeley and I volunteered to cook for them. Wait, did I volunteer or they volunteered me? I was more than glad to do it anyway. It was such a short notice, not to mention, we really didn't have a lot of time.
I made some salad with of mushrooms and mesclun greens with truffle balsamic viniagrette, white wine poached sole and some semblance of chicken saltimboca (prosciutto wrapped chicken) with parmesan and sage brodo (which turned out to be some heavy cream sauce rather than a brothy one. And for dessert... it had to be semi home made. But I was happy with it. I made a fresh berry compote. Er and I picked up berries from the farmer's market in Berkeley... Lucero organic farm produce the best, very red and very sweet strawberries). I tossed the berries in a tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of salt to get some of the berry juices out. I zested about half a lemon over it too. Acid brightens the flavors of berries. I added about a splash of Balsamic Vinegar for some contrast. Some Eau de Vie would have been great (Kirsch or Framboise would have been delicious!) I added heavy cream in the end. I meant to whip cream and dollop it over the cake then top it with my berries. But I decided to just add the cream to the compote. Then I poured it over slices of store bought pound cake. It turned out really good! I think I'm going to do this again. It might even work with other cakes like angel cake or chocolate cake perhaps. Berries and balsamic!
Thanks for the photo, Mj!
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