I happened to come across some packets of Japanese buckwheat noodles (soba) sitting on the shelf, during our grocery run at Metro Baybay City the other week. Being on the third month of our “no rice” “low carb” and “dirty keto” diet, I was looking forward to our “cheat day” and have been thinking for a good dish to eat. So, I decided to take a packet of soba noodles (6 bundles good for 3 servings) to make my own “Zaru Soba” or Japanese Cold Buckwheat Noodles. It came out great!
So, here are the ingredients and easy steps to prepare the mentsuyu (dipping sauce) good for 3 servings
Kikoman soy sauce (1/3 cup) White part of spring onion (4 pcs) Ginger (thumbsize or less) Onion (halved) Kombu seaweed (dried kelp) Dashi powder (2-3 tbsp) Mirin (1/3 cup) Water (2 cups) Sugar (4 tbsp) Niboshi (buwad bolinao) (4 pcs)
Combine all ingredients and simmer for at least 20 mins. Strain and refrigerate before serving.
Cook the noodles according to packet instruction or boil for 4-5 mins. Rinse with running water. Drain. Put noodles in an ice bath. Drain again and put in a bowl or soba serve bowl.
Condiments:
Grated daikon raddish Sliced wood ear mushroom Wasabi Chopped green onion Shredded Nori seaweed
Ah, the charcuterie board! A mish mash of cold cut meats, cheeses, dried fruits, grapes, crackers, honey, chocolates, olives, and more — all the good stuff arranged in a very artistic and tasteful pattern guaranteed to catch the eye and the appetite of everyone. The different textures, flavors, colors, smells, really delight the senses and invites you to take a pick. It’s like entree or appetizers on steroids. 😀
According to webstuarantstore.com, charcuterie is a French word which roughly translates as “pork butcher-shop”. In French, the cook who prepares the meat is called a charcutier. Charcuterie-making or curing method was first popularized in the 15th century to preserve the meat (when salt was accessible). Hence, a charcuterie board is a wooden board where charcuterie or cured meats are placed.
Here in the Philippines, I noticed the sudden popularity of charcuterie boards (or grazing platter) in my Facebook and Instagram newsfeeds in the late part of 2020 (basically Christmas time). Apparently because of its interesting and social media worthy aesthetics, the charcuterie board became a hit for millennials. Although my wife and I have been making rudimentary charcuterie boards in the past, we really didn’t thought about adding more to the platter other than local sausages or bacon and commercial cheddar cheese and pairing them with wine. So, we scoured the internet to learn the best way to arrange the food items in the board. And there is actually an art and a principle to it!
I think the accessibility and availability of European ingredients in the local super markets now like the cold cuts and the different cheeses lent to its popularity. With these ingredients, we can now prepare and replicate European dishes and recipes that were otherwise difficult to make.
The charcuterie board my wife prepared last Christmas
The year 2020 was a year that will be remembered for the Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19). That was a year of challenges, uncertainties, and frustration. We experienced for the first time how hard it is to be stuck in our homes — unable to go to places, visit our friends and family, and have a good time. Some lost their jobs, their businesses, experienced anxiety, and battled with depression. But the situation also taught us to see the world and ourselves in a different light. We learned to value our relationships even more. We learned to be thankful for what we had.
As the year 2020 ended and with the world finally developing vaccines against the virus, we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. So for the Year 2021, I am very hopeful that we will once again bounce back and have a sense of normalcy. Who knows? Maybe this year we can be able to easily travel within the country without being quarantined.
Anyways, as one of our dishes for the New Year’s Dinner, I decided to make a seafood paella. Paella is a traditional Spanish rice dish cooked in a paellera or a shallow flat pan over wood fire. There are a lot of paella recipes in Spain according to which region they belong. Perhaps the most famous region in Spain for the paella is the Valencia region with their Paella Valenciana. This is made out of rabbit meat, chicken, pork, beans, spices, peppers, etc. In the Cataluña region of Spain in the northwest seaboard part of the country, Seafood Paella is more popular as seafood is a more common and accessibly ingredient.
To make my dish a success, I consulted to my best source of information — Youtube 😀 There I found out about a Youtube Channel called “Pete’s Pans”. I think the guy is British but he is very fluent in Spanish. He goes all around Spain, France, and Portugal to know more and recreate the different specialties and foods in the specific region. I like how he presents in his show. I also like that he cooks on location, goes around with his bicycle, talks to the locals and ask for tips in preparing the dishes. So I got his Paella de Marisco recipe and cooking tips and set about making my Paella. Actually this is my second time to prepare a paella, the first one ended in disaster as I didn’t use a paellera to cook the rice evenly.
To cut the long story short, I did a very decent job with my paella this time.
500 grams rice Ripe Red Tomatoes 1/2 Kilo (grated) Olive oil Atsuete/anato seeds Turmeric Spanish paprika 1/2 kilo prawns 1/4 kilo tahong/mussels 1/4 kilo clams 2 squids Lemon White Fish for fish stock Celery stalk Spring onions 1 White onion 3 cloves garlic 1 red bell pepper 1 yellow bell pepper 1 green bell pepper Salt to taste
I have been craving for burgers (mouthwatering burgers which often pop up on my social media feed) for a long time since the pandemic. But due to strict border protocols, we cannot even go to the neighboring city of Ormoc where there are a variety of food places serving burgers to choose from. Since it’s hard to get a hold of decent gourmet burgers here in Baybay City, Leyte where I live, I decided to make one from scratch. Sourcing the right ingredients here in my place is not a challenge anymore because there is a hypermarket (Metro Store Baybay) that sells these ingredients. So, all of my ingredients were readily available at Metro. All you need is your imagination and a little help from YouTube cooking videos. Plus, I am an avid cook myself so it was fun preparing the burger, assembling it, and of course getting nice mouth-watering photos of it.
Anyways, here it goes!
Ingredients:
1/4 kilo ground beef (lean part)
1/4 kilo ground pork (fatty part)
1 white onion (sliced and caramelized)
1 big red tomato (sliced)
Cucumber (sliced thinly)
Ready to cook frozen fries (deep fried and added with little salt)
Romaine lettuce
Danes Sliced Cheese
Cheese Whiz
Mayonnaise
Hot Sauce
Panny’s Buns (I sliced into two, added sesame seeds, applied egg wash on top and put in the oven toaster)
Herbs and spices for the burger patty (pepper, oregano, basil, paprika, and salt to taste)
Steps:
Combine the meats then add little amounts of the spices and salt
Caramelize the onions in little sugar and balsamic vinegar (set aside)
Slice tomato, cucumber, Romaine lettuce
Apply egg wash and toast the buns, add sesame seeds
Morpheus 