Chocolate fever

This blog note is for Melissa, who, when I told her of my impending travel, was quick to suggest a couple of confectioners I should visit in Paris.

I never got the chance to check out these shops nor Paris' famous food markets because of limited time, but I treasure a bag of orangettes--candied orange rind dipped in chocolate--I bought for 8 euros? 12 euros? from the Maiffret chocolate shop on Champs Elysee. Maffret's been around since 1885 (according to their website) offers a mouthwatering array of plain and flavored ganache, toffee, pralines, marzipan and so on, and the orangette were perfect. The chocolate was finely tempered with just a hint of orange bitterness coming through to prevent the whole thing from becoming cloyingly sweet.

The other high chocolate note of my trip was a cup of oh-so-decadent hot chocoloate I had in a little café on the island of Burano, in the northern part of the Venetian Lagoon. It had drizzled constantly all day, and we stopped for something hot to drink before taking the next ferry back. True hot chocolate is chocolate bars melted into cream; very rich. What we had was the genuine article, and we relished every drop.

When stormy weather strikes

Celia Kusinera is hosting Lasang Pinoy II with the theme Cooking Up a Storm and I had that in mind this past weekend, when gale-force winds were whipping Hong Kong. Truth to tell, even a typhoon signal 3 here is not as fearsome as a baby bagyo or signal no. 1 back in the Philippines. But my flat is on the 21st floor of a block in a hilly part of Hong Kong island, and it's not a particularly sturdy building, so I can hear the gusts rattling doors and window shutters, even those that are latched and closed. The sound effects can be a little startling.

But I enjoy stormy weather, in fact. I do. Every time I am housebound by typhoons--even those that bring no rains--I am brought back to my childhood. I am brought back to those times when a bagyo meant no school, and therefore we could just turn over and go back to sleep, to wake up a little later with champorado gently steaming on the breakfast table. There might even be some pandesal, with Cheezwiz to go with it. Me and my sisters could spend the day any way we liked, perhaps just watching TV all day and sleeping, sleeping, sleeping. Hey, we were growing up--had to catch up on our zzzs.

There were some bad ones though. There was a particularly bad typhoon that caused the river to overflow, and flooded the houses along its banks, including ours. This was back when we lived in Malolos, Bulacan. One of my most vivid memories from this time is how we lived for days in the house's second floor (really a mezzanine now that I think about it) while waiting for the waters to recede. The simplest meals: oh, plump golden bangus--me and my sisters always squabbled over the soft, tender, delicately black-and-white dappled belly even back then--fried to perfection by my mother and redolent of garlic. Eating with our hands while crouching on kitchen benches that were only a few inches above water.

Mind you, it wasn't all idyllic and picturesque. There were all sorts of things that floated down that river in that week: one was a dead hog. Storms can be unimaginably destructive. But ultimately, they can be reviving--after the rains and the floods, cities are washed clear, the drains start to unclog, and life comes back to the streets.

Ginisang munggo - Bean soup, Pinoy style

I love having this bean soup, a Pinoy staple, anytime it's rainy, but I also like it in warm weather. It's tasty and warming, not too heavy and an absolute breeze to make.

Ingredients:

2 to 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
a medium-sized onion, chopped
a few cloves garlic, chopped
flaked smoked fish (tinapang bangus org galunggong is my preference)
leaves of ampalaya (bitter melon/bitter gourd) or malunggay (not sure what the English term would be)
a cup of mongo (mung beans)

- Soak beans overnight. The next day, boil in a stockpot until tender.
- Saute onions till translucent. Add garlic and stir until garlic is pale brown. Add tomatoes and stir for a few minutes before adding the beans with their juice and the smoked fish. Add salt and pepper to taste, plus a splash of patis if you prefer.
- Bring to a boil, drop in the leaves and you're all set.

Boudin noir - A semi-vegetarian breaks her rules

In my recent trip to France, I made the acquaintance of the boudin noir. This is a dark-colored blood sausage made by cooking down animal blood with meat or other fillers. I normally avoid pork, beef and all red meat, but since I was on vacation, and in Europe, and I do have seven adventurous bones in my body, I heroically gave it a try.

This particular boudin was artisanale (handmade) and came from a farmer's market nearby my friends' house in Avernes, a commune in the Val D'Oise département, about an hour's drive from Paris. My host Claude cooked it in the simplest way possible. Fry the sausages gently in some butter along with chunks of crisp apples. Once done, chop up the links into bitesized segments, and serve hot.

We had it with good, chewy country bread and a tomato salad drizzled with Patricia's wonderfully tangy dressing. It was easy, it was tasty, it was simple, just as most good meals are.

In love with far niente

I'M BACK. Still reeling and drunk from the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Europe: Paris, Siena, Florence and Venice. Two weeks is heartbreakingly short. I have vowed to return.

While I get busy unpacking my bulging suitcase, sorting through gazillions of digital pix, and storing my precious loot from Europe (a lot of which are cooking- related or food items--I particularly prize an olive-wood chopping board from San Gimignano) I'll post two photos that, for me at least, captures some of the essence of Italy.


One is a produce stall in Venice, specializing in organic fruits and vegetables, the tomatoes looking to huge and red and juicy that I was tempted to buy an armful, and the melanzane as purple and perfect as can be. The other is the view of olive trees as you look out the window of Agriturismo Malafrasca, the working farm just outside Siena where my friends and I stayed for a few days.

No doubt I'll be raving on about my trip in the next few days. Oh, I am far in love with the food, the culture, and the beauty of the past two weeks (can you sense the new travel blog coming up???). And especially with the Italian concept of dolce far niente--sweet to do nothing.

Gorgeous gondolas and mesmerizing puddles

...I just wanted to share with you this batch of glorious, glorious photos taken in France and Italy by The Oregonian (you know who you are!). Aren't they gorgeous, these places? In 48 hours I hope to see many of these places for myself.

Those lovely people in the photos are some of the honorable members of my tribe. For the photos, un milione di grazie, Signor Giorgio aka Tintoretto-Marco Polo de Medici.

I'll be offline from tomorrow until the 21st of September for my annual holiday. See you later!

Tart's spaghetti

I made Pasta Puttanesca the other night, largely based on Jamie Oliver's recipe but adding some green olives so that I could make use of the remaining handful in the fridge. Otherwise, this sauce is mostly made with black olives.

I love, love this sauce--it's piquant (due to the capers), spicy (chili), deep-salty (anchovies) and greenily aromatic (basil and lemon zest and juice). I usually use tinned tomatoes. Chopping up tomatoes is too much of a chore on a weekday night.

They say this pasta dish originated in Naples, where it was a favorite of the ladies of the night (in Italian, puttana is prostitute), hence the name. Another monicker is whore's pasta, harlot's sauce or--Delia Smith's genteel version--tart's spaghetti.

Many versions of this are vegetarian, but Jamie's adds tuna for protein, and so did I.

Other versions:
Delia Smith
Epicurious

Eating out: Shanghai Mian

Shanghai Mian
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
Visited August 27, 2005



Conveniently located at the mezzanine of the World Trade Center in one of Hong Kong's busiest areas, Shanghai Mian is a destination for those looking for a tasty, reasonably priced Chinese food fix to refuel after a day of shopping. The menu is extensive and most dishes are in the HK$45-$150 range.

We ordered the minced duck sauteed with pinenuts, shallots and minced peppers. This was quite filling especially since it came with four pieces of complimentary pita pockets. Last time I ordered this dish its flavorful aromas enticed the diners at the next table into ordering the same.



We also had the roasted chicken, which was succulent with beautiful tender skin. In true Chinese style, this came complete with the severed head (ackkk) glaring balefully at us. We turned the head away from us and proceeded to devour the rest. Perfect with a bowl of steamed rice.

Service was good--they didn't hurry us too much despite that we lingered over lunch and it was close to 3 o'clock when we finished.





Enjoyable and dependable--Would go back whenever I need a Chinese/Shanghainese food fix.

What's in your pantry?

Browsing Epicurious.com today, I read that Mario Batali, 2002 James Beard awardee for the best chef in New York, always keeps the following in his pantry:

Extra virgin olive oil
Salt-packed capers
Salt-packed anchovies
Homemade bread crumbs
Dry pasta
Frank's hot sauce
Champagne
Tomato paste in a tube
Dijon mustard
Bottarga
Coarse sea salt.

And no butter because he considers it "unsophisticated." It has to be olive oil, natch. Seems I'm not doing too badly--all I need to do is stock up on champagne and bottarga, which I just found out is the supersized version (it's roe of mullet or tuna) of the itlog ng isda which my sisters and I would fight over, just like we would wrangle over the choicest bits of bangus belly. Nyahahah

A moment of silence in the kitchen

Please join me in a moment of prayer and sympathy for New Orleans and the devastation from Hurricane Katrina.

Is anything safe to eat?

I feel like I owe the malachite some apology. For days now, everytime I read about malachite green contamination of the fish sold in Hong Kong supermarkets and wet markets, I thought they were referring to the mineral (which is quite a lovely color, as you'll see from this picture).

Turns out pretty malachite has absolutely no connection with malachite green. MG is a synthetic dye used to color silk, wool, jute, leather, cotton and paper. It was also traditionally used to treat fungal infections at fish farms and while some countries have banned it as a carcinogen, it continues to be used.

The two have similar names purely because they are similar in color.

The government promptly conducted a few tests that concluded that "People would have to eat as much as 300kg of fish tainted with malachite green every day for up to two years to risk getting cancer."

I don't know about you, but numbers like that don't bring any comfort. What else is there to eat unless we import all our food from Australia? Pesticide-flavored vegetables, mad cow, bird flu, pig flu. I read they've found MG-tainted fish (farmed salmon) even in Scotland and Canada.

Still the stomach is a resilient creature for all that. I think I need a snack...

Beer trip

Now that I'm back in Hong Kong I miss cooking for people. When I was living in Manila about a year and half ago, one of the things I enjoyed most was my kitchen experiments. Even bought an oven--my very first--and the most useful, simplest, friendliest book ever--Joy of Cooking. It really demystified the entire process for me--my Mom had always been the main cook in the family, and my sister Vicky. What followed those two purchases was an extended paroxysm of cooking. My favorite of all those first-borns out of the forno (wait! did that sound gruesome??!!): oatmeal cookies, ginger cake, roast chickens, date bread, baked chicken with tomatoes and Madeira, orange loaves, date nut bread and beer bread.

My family and friends liked most of it--all except the beer bread. That seemed to be an acquired taste and I was the only one who acquired it. Made another loaf of this last night.

Choose a light beer. You can also add 1/2 cup diced Cheddar or Monterey cheese, and 1/4 cup sliced scallions. Plus 2 teaspoons caraway seeds.

Quick Beer Bread (from Joy)

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 6-cup loaf pan. Whisk together thoroughly in a large bowl:

1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add:
1 1/2 cups (355ml) light or dark beer (cold or room temp but not flat)

Fold just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center and all the way to the bottom of the pan comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding to cool completely on the rack.