Focaccia with Balsamic Vinegar

We love bread at home and I always have it with my meals.  Focaccia, an Italian flat bread, remains to be on my top 10 list of all time.   We're celebrating our last few days of 2011 on a high note and I've decided to limit my time in the kitchen so that I could spend some more quality time with visitors, both family and friends, from the Philippines.

Just get good quality ingredients and let them speak for themselves as I always say and stress.  I like to warm up my focaccia in the oven before serving it with really good balsamic vinegar from Modena, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil (I like mine from Spain or Italy), and a stravecchio (24-36 months) Parmigiano-Reggiano.  And oh, pair it with a good Chardonnay and you'll say life has been good.

Thank you Lord for all the wonderful blessings, surprises, and goodness 2011 gave!  We are looking forward to 2012 already.

Tapenade

Eating tapenade takes me back more than a decade ago, back to Paris, at Saint-Germain-des-Pres to be exact.  I may have been a student living on allowance, but I occasionally allowed myself to eat very good food always using research as an excuse.  While most Asians find French cuisine too sophisticated, I beg to differ.  I find that most of their common fare is quite simple to prepare.  Case in point...the tapenade.  Do you have at least 5 minutes to spare in the kitchen?  Here's how...


Chop black olives along with capers (drained) and anchovies.  I don't like using the food processor for this as it tends to keep things way too mushy.  Just keep chopping until the ingredients are very tiny in size and well combined.  Incorporate some olive oil, fresh lemon juice, and freshly cracked black pepper.  I usually don't add salt unless necessary (and if I have to, I use some ile de rhe).


You can make this ahead of time and there are various options for your pleasure.  Bottle it and drizzle with loads of olive oil until it covers the top of the tapenade (this will ensure quality and freshness, trust me).  You may also toss it into some pasta and add some freshly cooked seafood into it along with freshly chopped herbs.  Or you can just simply serve this with any fish dish of your choice.


On this occasion, I had it on crackers and some cheese.  

Considering this recipe uses quite a sum of highly-salted tinned products, I only allowed The Young Tongue to have a cracker (okay, two).

Cacio e Pepe

All it takes is less than 5 ingredients and less than 5 minutes to prepare this dish.  Cook pasta al dente (click here) and drizzle with some extra olive oil (you can also add a bit of butter if you want it to be creamier).  Then add freshly grated Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano, and freshly ground black pepper.  Season with salt.  

Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

The Young Tongue and I really love pasta, eating more of it at home than rice.  We never tire of it and I love preparing it because it's fuss-free.  I also love making pesto at home because I can bottle it or keep it in the fridge for use when I don't have enough time to labor in the kitchen.  

Sun-dried Tomato Pesto is one of those easy-to-make and easy-to-keep sauces.  Great as a dip, as a pasta sauce, or as an accompaniment to salads or appetizers, all you'll need is food processor and a few ingredients.  If you don't have a food processor, don't worry.  You can just chop the sun-dried tomatoes really fine and put everything together.

In a food processor, place the sun-dried tomatoes along with some extra virgin olive oil, roasted pine nuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, salt, and pepper.  Pulse until well-combined.  When making some for storage and later use, ensure that a layer of extra virgin olive oil covers the pesto.  

In this pasta dish, I added about 4 Tablespoons of sun-dried tomato pesto to freshly-cooked pasta.  Want to have al dente pasta?  Click here.  See how much The Young Tongue can't wait to get her hands on it?  Spread the love, make some pesto, and have more time with your child!

Mighty Maple Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

It's always nice to be able to stay at home with The Young Tongue on a manic Monday!  Today, Thailand is celebrating the birthday of The King!   We actually both woke up late and we both struggled to decide on our breakfast.  As soon as we found ourselves in the kitchen, The Young Tongue opted for watermelon slices, lovingly sliced by her nanny, and I chose to have peanut butter and jelly.

I remember being impartial to peanut butter since I was a child, my twin Jo, on the other hand has always loved its creamy thick goodness.  Fast forward two decades, and on one of my visits to New York to see my twin, she brought me to this wonderful Peanut Butter shop.  It's been difficult to look back since being one of the latest converts of this wonderful breakfast spread.  Sometimes, The Young Tongue and I even have a spoonful each before going to sleep.  Our all-time favourite brand?  The All Natural Peanut Butter & Co.  It boasts of not having trans fats and cholesterol.  Want highlights of maple in your peanut butter?  You'll love the Mighty Maple flavor.  Mmmm!

I struggled choosing which jam to spread this morning -- actually, I always struggle (I hoard jams and marmalades).  It takes me a few good minutes to choose and oftentimes, I end up having two.  The ones you see in the photo all have a special place in my heart. I first came across Bonne Maman through my brother, Mikko, in San Francisco.  He speaks very fluent French and it was in my first visit to his place in Pacific Heights that I came across this wonderful French brand always associated with jams.  I actually like all their flavors, and today, I'm about to finish the entire bottle of Peach.  

Then there's St. Dalfour (still French) Thick Apricot 100% spreadable fruit.  It's really thick and they're quite generous with the fruit.  I usually end up choosing this when I want something heartier and sweeter.  It may be good to note that this is recommended by the French Diabetes Association.  I always wonder if I'll end up having diabetes (even though we don't have anyone in the family suffering it).  You can sort of get it if you have too much sugar, right?  So I try to cut down on bad sugar when I can, and here's how I do.

Last but not the least (I actually chose this today to go with my peanut butter), is Wilkin & Sons Ltd. Strawberry Fruit Spread.  It's actually sweetened with grape juice, no sugar added! How good is that?!  I've always tried to look for this in Asia since I long left the UK, and finally chanced upon it here in Bangkok.

Here's to Monday Holidays and sleep-ins.   Long Live the King!

Bell Pepper Pasta Salad

I had some leftover sausages in the fridge and thought of adding this into a cold pasta salad.  Grill some yellow and green bell peppers (for the recipe, click here).  Toss this into some cooked pasta with sliced cherry tomatoes and cooked sausage.  Add some grated pecorino cheese and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.  Then garnish with chopped herbs.

Summer Mushroom Salad

It's supposed to be cool in Bangkok during November, but it feels quite humid and dry.  I found several kinds of mushrooms in the fridge and thought of combining them into a cold salad.  Simply slice and saute the mushrooms in some olive oil and add lots of chopped garlic.  Add some ponzu sauce and season to taste.  Chill before serving.

Pecorino and Parmesan Alphabet Pasta

Effortless and easy to prepare, this alphabet pasta guarantees endless eating fun with your child.  The Young Tongue and I surely did as she blurts out letters about to enter her mouth!

Just cook the alphabets as per package instructions, drizzle with extra olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and add freshly grated Pecorino Romano and Parmegiano- Reggiano.  

Mini Garlic Bread

Here's a photo of our pre-dinner snack last night.  We had this tiny (and store-bought) piece of baguette which I lathered with some butter, rubbed with a peeled garlic clove (a trick I learned from a chef named Didier), and seasoned with some dried ground oregano, ground basil, and a dash of salt.  I placed it for about 3 minutes in a pre-heated 180 degree Celcius oven.  Plain goodness for a simple evening.  What more can I ask for?

Parmesan Crisps with Coolibah Wild Roquette Greens

I'm finally finding some time to get to know my food stores here in Bangkok.  The first month was really all about The Young Tongue getting adjusted and quite frankly, it was an easy transition because it's such a child-friendly city.  Several days ago, I had to look for rare ingredients for work.  And you know when you're looking for something and you find something else?  Well, that was the case when I came across this Coolibah Wild Roquette Greens from Australia.

It had a distinct peppery taste and I thought that by making Parmesan crisps, it's salty flavor would offset it perfectly.  Add into the equation the sweetness of my tricolore grapes and the sweet-sour note of some Balsamic cream and what do you have?  A salad with both umami and kokumi!

Here's the low down on the crisps:

My secret weapon of choice for shaving some Parmegiano-Reggiano is a good cheese grater.  I've had this Alessi one for several years now and it still remains to be my favorite.  It's elongated shape and slim handle on the top makes for perfect swooping strokes with the cheese.  

Next, in a really hot pan with no olive oil, just place your shaved cheese and allow it to melt, ooze, and get golden in color.  Then flip it like so...

Remove from the pan and allow to cool.  This will firm up into crispy goodness.  Mmmm...

Thai Iced Tea - Cha Yen

I really miss Mother Teresa.  That's my code name for one of my best friends.  We used to do everything together, every single day.  She's not only the god mother of The Young Tongue, she was and still is my confidante.  We've laughed and cried together, bought pets, started a business, traveled places, and she is my "go-to-Mom" whenever I have those "you-don't-want-to-ask-your-pedia-because-you'll-sound-stupid-and-you-should-know-this-by-now" kind of questions.  And in so many levels, our background and outlook in life are similar.  I don't even have to explain anything, she just gets me.  How often can you find that?!

One of her favorite drinks is Cha-Yen, or simply put, Thai Iced Tea.  When I lived in Manila, we would trek Dusit Hotel to get this as authentic as possible.  The quality after all, was trustworthy.  Over sips of this drink and several dishes, we would sit there in Dusit Thani, sharing our life stories.  We would also exchange parenting tips.  I really admire her for her devotion to her growing family.  She is a super mom! 

So here's how to prepare her favorite drink:

You'll have to start with a Thai Tea Mix.  They widely use the NUMBER ONE BRAND here.  It comes in this packaging, with a "thumbs up" sign.  I searched high and low for this in Bangkok and just when I was about to give up, I befriended a Thai Iced Tea hawker guy in front of our office, and asked if I could just buy a few packs from his inventory.  And he so kindly obliged.  He also told me that this brand is readily available in local stores.  Apparently, I was looking at the wrong places.  I guess when he said "local," he meant as local as you can get - not the big names like Tesco's or Big C (previously Carrefour) and definitely not Villa Supermarket.

Steep 2-3 teaspoons of this tea mix per cup of boiling water for a few minutes.  Here you can see me use my ever-dependable, Bodum tea infuser (how I got this in Sweden is another story all together which I'll probably share someday when I cook something Scandinavian).  Right, back to the tea...  Strain and combine with 3 teaspoons (or more if you want it sweeter) of condensed milk.  Pour into a glass with lots of ice.  And for that indulgent (or shall I say naughty) flavor, drizzle with evaporated milk.  Most people question the addition of this last ingredient since they feel the condensed milk gives it the right sweetness already.  In my opinion, the evaporated milk gives a more creamy flavor and well-balanced note, so this last step is ever-so important.  Do not compromise and don't just settle without.

Refreshing and uniquely Thai! Do you know that saying "once on the lips, forever on the hips?"  Drink in moderation I guess.  But quite frankly, I drink a tall glass every lunch time.  And that's because it's "aroi maak maak!"

So cheers to you Mother Teresa!  I miss you heaps.  And I can't wait to see you here in the City of Angels.  

Strawberry and Feta Salad

As the whole world watched Will and Kate tie the knot, I was busy with a business dinner.  On my way home last night, I was reminded of my days as a chef for the British High Commission in Singapore; and today, I made this salad I used to prepare for The High Commissioner on a typical day.

Just combine equal amounts of feta cheese, freshly sliced strawberries, and fresh cherry tomatoes.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, season with sea salt and pink peppercorns, and add copious amounts of caramelized balsamic vinegar.

Serve with baby radicchio leaves on the side.  I purposely do this so that my greens won't wilt and wither away with the olive oil mixture.

Oh, if I might add, the High Commissioner was at first impartial to try fruit with his salad.  I then challenged his idea by sharing the thought of tomatoes as part of the fruit family!  And he never looked back since.

Asparagus, Broccoli, Baby Portabella Mushrooms, and Tartufata Sauce

 

The Young Tongue celebrated her 2nd birthday over lunch with the family earlier today.  We had a spread of her favorite things and I thought I'd start with the vegetable dish.

 

Bring water to a boil then add sea salt.  Plunge the broccoli and allow to cook, then drain and strain.  Repeat the method with sliced baby asparagus and combine them in a serving dish.  

 

In a pan with olive oil, saute sliced baby portabello mushrooms.  Then add some tartufata sauce.  Once cooked, season with salt and pepper and toss into the greens.

 

A friend of mine gave me this Sabatino Tartufata Sauce.  It may have arrived in a small bottle, but the flavors are quite strong.  In fact, it added quite an "umph" to my dish.

This particular Tartufata sauce came from white truffles in Italy.  A lady named Cecile sells them locally and you can reach her at: 0917-8559637 or like her page called "Truffles & More" on Facebook. 

Salmon Caviar, Herbed Omelette

Today is going to be a very busy day and I need a feast for my senses to kick things off properly.

 In a hot teflon pan with vegetable oil, place a piece of beaten egg mixed with 2 tablespoons of full fat milk.  Once it starts to color, add your chopped herbs.  And quickly put things together.  Plate and lavish with salmon caviar.  Mmmm, this is going to be a very good day!

Sauteed Spinach

Dark leafy vegetables are very good for your children because vitamins A, C, K, folate, iron, and calcium are present in these greens.  My mentors have told me that these are high in fat-soluble vitamins, so in order for these to work, you have to cook it in fat like butter or olive oil.

Saute a piece of onion and crushed garlic cloves in olive oil or butter until translucent.

Toss in your washed spinach leaves.  If you're cooking a hefty bunch, try to saute them in batches so that they will all cook evenly.  Then season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

All these ingredients are readily available in any supermarket.

Strawberry, Chocolate Krispies, and Cherry Yogurt

 

Sundays are spent with my folks and siblings over lunch and sometimes, all the way down to merienda.  I always make it a point to eat light for breakfast so that I have "space" for my mom's cooking.  The Young Tongue and I shared this for breakfast: cherry yogurt, milk, choclate rice krispies, and slices of strawberries.  Mmmm...I wonder what's for lunch today? 

Bresaola, Rucola, Miele e Tartufo

I found some Bresaola in the market yesterday and decided to make a salad for myself.  Bresaola is air-dried salted beef from Lombardy in Italy, usually dark red or purple in color.  It has a sharp and distinct taste, so when nestled in a bed of rucola (arugula) with it's natural radish-like and peppery flavors, a melodious affair begins.  Other components of this salad calls for the creamy and buttery texture of Bleu d'Auvergne cheese, ground almonds, the subtle and refined taste of ile de rhe rock salt, freshly ground long pepper known to be fiery and sweet (thanks to Tricia who gave me hand-carried ones from her recent trip to Florence), extra virgin olive oil, and copious amounts of miele e tartufo (truffle honey).  If you don't have long pepper, you can use black peppercorns.  

Please note that honey should not be given to children under the age of 2 years for the risk of botulism.  Click here if you'd like to know more about it.

I got this truffle honey from Santi's and carefully read the label first because for the price, I wanted to get my money's worth; and I did!  With generous slices of real truffles (how often does that happen?), an authentic taste was ever present with the sweet goodness of Italian honey.  It might also be good to note, that it's made in Umbria.  A few notes I learned from chefs which I'd like to share for newbie truffle lovers: 

• the white variety is superior to the black one
• consider Piedmont (up north) and Umbria (central) as truffle country in Italy
• Italy is known for the best truffles in the world
• female boar/sows are used to sniff/smell for truffles because it resembles the scent of a "wild" boar in heat 

I'm sure by now, you wouldn't be surprised to read that The Young Tongue wanted to try my salad too.  The arugula might be too much of a stretch for her and the honey a big no-no, so I made her try the Bresaola instead.  And the usual suspect just kept asking for more!

White Jade Mushroom

I received a Cafe de Flore Paris (I miss you, someday, I'll be back!) postcard from my best friend Don, who resides in Shanghai.  We've spent many summers in Shanghai and I've come to love the place because of the food, the art, and the crazy fun people in it.  And so, I found it ironic that I came across these in the supermarket...

 ...White Jade Mushroom.  Quickly wash in running water and remove the edible bits by slicing or plucking it by hand.

Saute in a hot pan with vegetable oil and season with salt and white pepper.  Remove from the pan and plate it along with it's juices.  Garnish with fresh coriander leaves.  Serve hot.

Roasted Capsicums and Rosemary Dressing

Roast Capsicums with Rosemary Dressing (1 of 5 recipes for First Officer D's dinner)

Last-minute, but fun nonetheless, my friends and I decided to have a small get-together on the occasion of First Officer Diaz's promotion.  Sim had requested grilled food and I immediately agreed because barbies are effortless, provided that you have a very good spice rub, and a very hot grill full of charcoal.  In the next few days, I will share the recipes used for dinner.  But let me begin with the accompaniment we made for all the grilled items.  

Brush your capsicums (bell peppers) with oil (I only sliced the large ones and kept the small ones in tact).  Place on a very hot grill and cook until you see the skin turning slightly darker.  You can opt to remove the skin, but I like to keep it on for texture and flavor.

Next, chop some fresh rosemary leaves (from 4 stems) and combine this with extra virgin olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and balsamic vinegar (I personally like the ones that come from Modena, Italy because it's acidity level is just right for the sweetness of the capsicums).  If you find it too tarty, you can add some balsamic vinegar reduction to add sweetness, just don't use sugar.  To finish this off, put some chopped large yellow and red tomatoes in a salad bowl and add the roast capsicums. Pour the dressing and mix.  You can choose to serve this chilled or warm.


RULE OF THUMB:
When making salad dressings, use this ratio: 1 part acid is to 3 parts oil.  If it's too acidic, you can use 4 parts oil.  So, if you use 1 tablespoon of vinegar, you should use 3 or 4 tablespoons of oil.

Spianata Romana and Cucumber Sandwich

The Young Tongue and I prepared our snacks together yesterday.  Colorful, hearty, and bite-sized, she was tasked to cut the bread using a cookie or pastry cutter, while I did the rest of the dirty work!

Spread some Dijon mustard on a bread (you can also use whole wheat) and poppy seed dressing on the other.  I personally don't like serving mayonnaise to my Young Tongue just yet (since Mayonnaise in the Philippines has to have more than 65% oil content -- yes, that's right!).  Then place some cut slices of Spianata Romana (or you can also use salami, ham, or even smoked salmon) and slices of cucumber.   

I enjoyed eating mine with a cup of Earl Grey tea (with milk and sugar, always!) while The Young Tongue paired hers with a warm cup of milk.