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Physician by profession, artist by vocation.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Garlic For Breakfast?

And why not? Granted that there are some of you who absolutely do not like garlic for varying reasons, there are also those who absolutely adore garlic, breath freshener be damned. And for those who belong to the latter group, this one's for you.

Lots of people eat toast with butter or jelly for breakfast--and these are loaded with sugar or unhealthy fat. One alternative for you garlic lovers is to make your own garlic spread. Yes, you read right. Spread. Trust me, it's delicious.

To prepare, get desired number of cloves of garlic (a couple should be enough for a piece of toast--multiply by how many slices you're preparing) and do not peel. Simply drop in boiling water with a little salt and allow to boil for about 15 minutes. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and peel--the skin will come off really easily. This should leave you with transluscent-looking garlic cloves which are extremely soft to the touch and will turn to mush when squished.

Place the garlic cloves in a shallow bowl, drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. To serve, just place a couple of cloves on a piece of toast or a slice of baguette (that's French bread to you), spread like jelly (yup, it's now spreadable!) and eat.

You can serve this as an appetizer or a snack, mix it with pasta, or eat as a side dish--whatever floats your boat. The only limit is your imagination. You (garlic lovers) will love it.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

KitchenLab Loves Fresh Tarragon Tea

Those of you who have dined at Sonya's Secret Garden and Antonio's in Tagaytay will probably have tried fresh tarragon tea already. The first time I had it was at Sonya's and I was amazed at how great-tasting and soothing it was, for something so simple to make. It is, to me, the perfect after-meal drink to soothe the tired tummy.

And since we here at KitchenLab are fans of the uncomplicated, fresh tarragon tea is something we love. To make it, simply buy a tarragon plant from your local market or plant store (it's really not difficult to find) and keep it alive for as long as possible. Cut or pinch off a sprig, wash it, put it in a cup, and fill with boiling water. Wait a few minutes and serve.

Try to use a white mug (or something that looks Shabby Chic-ish) when serving to guests. The green of the tarragon leaves plays off beautifully with the white of the mug. I guess you could also serve it with honey if you like.

Tell me if you like it.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

Sauce Mariosep

While we're on the subject of pasta sauces, let me share another concoction inspired by the crabfat pasta dish served at Gaita Fores' Cibo. Cibo has mainly Italian cuisine, but some dishes like this one should actually be categorized under east-west fusion. Or Filipino dishes in disguise. Whatever. I will eternally be grateful to Gaita though for the roast duck with grapes and truffles she serves at Pepato. Gastronomic heaven.

But before we ramble off the topic, here's the dish (fusion also) that I've taken the liberty of calling Pasta in Sauce Mariosep, primarily because the concept of eating pasta smothered in crabfat while I'm on a diet right now, despite its delicious flavor, is just plain yikes.

Cook the pasta (your choice, but I suggest plain spaghetti or angelhair pasta) as directed, and drain in a colander. Using the same pasta pot, put in a little cooking oil (I like extra virgin olive oil for this one) and brown a couple of cloves worth of minced garlic with the heat set to low. You don't want to burn the garlic. Add in some ground pork seasoned with salt and pepper and brown. Add just enough crabfat (or taba ng talangka, which you can buy at your local grocery bottled and ready to go) so that the pasta can be coated evenly, then put in a couple of tablespoons of all-purpose cream and allow to simmer a bit. At this point, you can add a bit of shredded wombok pechay for texture and color, and mix with the sauce for a few more seconds before adding the pasta and mixing everything up.

I know that all bottled crabfat brands are not created equal, so you'll just have to adjust the flavor by seasoning with salt and pepper and tasting it before you mix it with the pasta. I use Marisco Pure Taba ng Talangka--tasty and cheap.

Oh, and as a side note, I took a capsule of Xenical with this particular meal as a precaution, and was surprised to discover that my, um, poo wasn't swimming in oil! Does that mean that this dish is actually safe to eat while on a diet? Hmm... What a naughty thought.

Friday, May 26, 2006

Pisto

I have this nasty habit of creating a dish I really like, and then forgetting the recipe because I didn't write it down. So putting the recipes down on this blog is also one way of making sure I don't forget them. But this one is not easy to forget.

I'm not a fan of store-bought pesto sauce for my pasta, so I like making my own. The twist is that instead of using pine nuts (which I don't think is available at the local grocery), I use pistachio nuts; thus, pisto and not pesto.

Here's how I do it. As pisto-making is not an exact science (nor is my cooking), you'll just have to play it by ear and estimate the quantities needed. Put the pistachio nuts (without the shells, of course) in a food processor and grind to tiny bits. Add about a clove of garlic and a handful of basil leaves (thoroughly washed and allowed to dry a bit), then process again. Add some extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook the pasta (your choice, but I prefer linguini) and drain in a colander. Using the same pasta pot, put enough pisto for the pasta (tongue twister there) and heat for a few seconds without allowing it to burn. Put the pasta back in the pot and stir the sauce through. Serve with grated parmesan cheese on top and garlic bread on the side.

Yum.

KitchenLab Recommends: Pampanga's Best Fatless Tocino

[Disclaimer: Author on a diet.]

Supposedly the inventors of tocino, Pampanga's Best has a fatless variety that does not scrimp on flavor or texture. But don't prepare it the way the package tells you to, which is to fry it in 1/4 cup of oil. (You bought fatless meat to deep-fry? Horrors!)

The alternative? Pan-grill it! Brush the bottom of a large nonstick frying or grill pan with a light coating of cooking oil (I use canola) and crank up the stove to medium-to-high heat. Put the tocino in the pan and turn it over once the side cooking caramelizes or browns (or burns, if you haven't been paying attention). Place on a chopping board, cut into slivers, and serve.

Fans of chunky tocino might find the consistency of this product too soft to the bite, but it's just fine with us.

Tip: serve with salted egg and tomatoes, diced and seasoned with freshly-cracked black pepper. Delicious.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

T.O. Tilapia


I'm currently on a strict low-fat diet right now as my LDL levels are through the roof, so experimenting with cooking techniques that don't require adding oil to the recipe are my current hobby.

I sometimes feel like a contestant on Iron Chef when Jean decides on what the "secret ingredient" of the day is, and allows me to decide how it should be cooked. Well, today's secret ingredient was tilapia, and I've stumbled upon a really easy and quick way to whip up a great-tasting tilapia entree.

"T.O." does not stand for "telephone order" or "training officer" in this case. It's "toaster oven." Small, easy to use and clean, and great for flash roasting stuff like garlic and eggplant (but more on that later), it's a great way to cook the lazy way--pop it in, set it, and take it out when you're ready to eat.

Here's how to do it. Get a nice big cleaned fish and make sure it's room temperature when you're preparing it. I like to soak the fish in warm water while preparing my other ingredients; it adds additional moisture to the dish. Chop up a large tomato and a large onion into tiny pieces, and prepare about two tablespoons of freshly minced or julienned ginger. Combine the tomato, onion and garlic in a bowl. Add a tablespoon of rock salt and some black pepper. Mix and stuff into the belly and behind the operculum (where the gills used to be on the head) of the fish. Reserve excess stuffing. Place fish on a large sheet of aluminum foil and top with the excess stuffing. Seal fish inside foil to make a pouch. Place in a toaster oven and roast for 15 minutes. Keep in oven until ready to serve.

I'm going to try to put a little cilantro with the stuffing the next time I cook this. Maybe you should try it too.

Bon appetit!