World Class Chefs
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Ramilo (Ram) Villaluna
Ram is a budding chef from Iloilo City (Molo). He gained his training in Culinary Arts at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies under food guru Gene Gonzalez, Institute of Culinary Education (formerly Peter Kumpps) in New York. He took up bread making, and he studied food styling under Delores Custer of the Culinary Institute of America. It all started in Antique where his father owned a restaurant many Antiquenos learned to love. He continued the culinary legacy of his father and now, Ram owns a catering business, Cindy\'s Catering. Food is Ram\'s life, seriously speaking. I am short in saying that he is married to the food industry that, he spends most of his time teaching and mentoring at the Department of Culinary Arts at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo. If one cannot find him in the classroom, Ram will be on the road crisscrossing Iloilo and Antique having first hand in the management of his thriving businesses from both provinces. He also has a once-a-week TV show in GMA 7 \"Food Trip\". I met with Ram once before and he exudes perfectionism, the character that will beam him up to the limelight of culinary arts. At present time, Ram is extremely busy in Manila. I believe he is one of the finalists in The National Food Showdown 2010 sponsored by ABS-CBN. We wish you all the luck, Ram! Maybe, after this showdown, Ram will have the opportunity share favorite recipe here at ILONGGO LIVING.
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Archive for October, 2009
Pinaputok na Tilapia sa Gata
October 31, 2009
I got intrigued by my niece’s recipe, the Pinaputok na Tilapia sa Gata, which she posted in Face Book just recently. My niece, Elgin, is presently taking up Culinary Arts in Manila and is busy learning the art. She got a handful of exciting recipes which I think is very innovative and fits my theme which is fusion. So, for the next couple of posts, I will be preparing some unique Pinoy recipes that are somewhat new and provocative.
Elgin the Chef
Fresh tilapia is unheard of here in North America a decade back. But just recently, people here likes tilapia that 50% of the people you asked knows about this fish. Unfortunately, the fillet form as they don't eat fish with head intact. This tilapia came from the tank alive at the Chinese store. The fresh water prawn (right side) will be featured tomorrow.
The other ingredients needed are: 10 ripe tomatoes, mustasa (mustard leaves), garlic, shallots or onions and ginger.
Coconut milk is called for this recipe.
Grill tilapia first before preparing the dish. Then wrap grilled tlapia with the mustasa leaf. You may need 2-3 large leaves to cover the fish (depending on the size of the fish). Set aside. In a large skillet, sautee garlic, onion and tomatoes. Then add wrapped tilapia, ginger, hot pepper and 1 can of gata. Let it boil until gata turns to oil consistency. Adjust taste with patis.
My version of Pinaputok na Tilapia sa Gata. Check it out, it tastes so good that the coconut milk is tamed by the bitter taste of the mustard leaves.
Elgin's version of Pinaputok na Tilapia sa Gata. Looks yummy!
All About Gourmet Pizza
October 29, 2009
Preparing gourmet pizza is fun and rewarding at the same time. One has the opportunity to use any ingredient that fancy the maker the most. Practically, one can put anything in their pizza. I’ve heard in Tokyo, they put octopus, eels and sushi in their pizza and people loves them! So, there is no such thing as restrictive rules to follow when one is preparing a gourmet pizza. One place that does that is P.Za.Pie here in Ontario. They don’t have menu to follow but ONLY list of ingredients one wants in their pizza. Have your pick of ingredients and the chef will prepare your pizza on a thin crust and cooked them in an open fire oven. It was an exciting experience as I have full control of what I want in my pizza pie.
Wild Mushrooms, golden lumpfish caviar, 3 gourmet cheeeses
Bruchetta, Canadian back bacon, parmesan cheese & gorgonzola cheese
German sausages, Polish sausages, red pepper, Mozzarella and Romano cheeses
All three in a row!
Sbarro Sausage & Pepperoni pizza. Two crisp layers of pizza dough filled with savory sausage, zesty pepperoni, mozzarella and Romano cheeses and tomato pizza sauce. This pizza caught my attention while we're in transit in Philadelphia International airport last July.
If one could still remember, I prepared my own gourmet pizza and posted them in one of my August 2009 posts. These gourmet pizza became an instant family favorite since then. They just loved it!
Zuchinni flowers, shiitaki mushrooms , chives and parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Lumpfish caviar, anchovies, basil leaf and parmigiano-reggianno cheese
Autumn in Full Swing!
October 28, 2009
It is hard to ignore fall when leaves of trees around are turning to different array of colors. No wonder musicians, songwriters and poets alike get carried away by this change in season as everything around changes in hue and color inciting awe and emotions. Fall or autumn is a reminder that old man winter is just around the corner. Trees prepare themselves for the coming long and cold winter spell by shutting down the sap to the branches gradually and store it in the main trunk and roots. It stands to reason why leaves turn to different colors due to gradual withdrawal of glucose from the sap. This process is being instigated by chilly night temperatures and cooler/warmer temperature during day time. So, here I am, enjoying autumn as much as I could because this site won’t last very long. Soon leaves will be falling off to the ground leaving the trees nude or bare. By late fall, surroundings will appear like in a suspended animation creating an eerie site. Enjoy the shots I took few days ago, a blast of fall colors!
Chilly evening temperatures, to as low as -6 degrees Centigrade and cooler/warmer daytime temperatures will instigate the process. Furthermore, night time becomes longer compared to day time.
An amazing palate of fall colors! Mid-autumn.
Bloodgood Japanese maple tree
Bright red hue against the afternoon sun.
Green leaves losts it shade to yellow, Canadian standard Maple tree.
Sugar Maple tree
Fresh Exotic Fruits
October 27, 2009
As fall is nearing to its end, fresh produce abounds all over Southern Ontario. People just take advantage of the affluence of fresh fruits and veggies. No doubt, most of them will end up jarred into pickles, preserves and the like. One good example is the Concord grapes which are sold by the basket. This kind of grapes are locally grown for its juice and rarely treated as table grapes. Just like its counterpart, the champagne grapes, concord grapes can be eaten like any other kind of table grapes. Fresh exotic fruits can also be found all around the market, if one knows where to find them. Take a look at them.
On the foreground, Japanese persimmons. They looked like tomatoes but they are not. Texture-wise, they are firm and crunchy and sweet when ripe. The variety coming from Israel is the best one, followed by the ones grown in Southern California.
Inside the avocado are kiwi grapes (green fruit) and physalis (orange fruit). They belong to the berries family and are sweet to eat. Add them to any fruit salad for color and flavor.
If you are a Welch juice drinker, you will easily identify the distinct aroma of concord grapes. This kind of grapes are only available once a year during autumn. I will make some home made grape juice out of this grapes.
The most popular berries of all are strawberries. Here, coated with white and dark chocolate is one way of enjoying the strawberries.
Pinakbet- Part 2
October 26, 2009
It seem like we can never have enough of the Ilocano dish, PINAKBET. Quite frankly, my chef prepares this dish regularly, more so when fresh vegetables are abundant this time of the year. Fresh harvest of vegetables from friends and relatives abounds this past few weeks. So, my chef decided to prepare pinakbet, Ilocano style. As I have mentioned in my previous entries, Tagalog style of pinakbet is a little bit different than the Ilocano style.
Chanterelle Mushrooms
October 24, 2009
Wild mushrooms still abound during fall here in North America. Chanterelles or chants for short, is one of them. They have a unique yellowish tinge color and is considered as one of the most firm mushrooms when cooked. For some reasons, chants are found under an oak tree and abounds after a torrent of rain during the months of September and October. They have a typical apricot flavor and best cooked with butter and white wine. I was lucky to grab the last bunch of fresh chanterelles at a grocery store as people love them. After its season, chants are still available but in dried form. So, tonight I’ll prepare chants to pair it up with Rib BBQ.
Chanterelle mushrooms are favourites of chefs. THey have yellowish tinge and a bit pricy compared to other wild mushrooms.
Chanterelles comes only once a year, so people (including me) watch for its appearance eagerly. Fresh is still the best.
Ribs BBQ is our main course tonight with chants sauteed in butter and white wine.
The ribs were boiled in spices and Benikko, a Japanese distillate from sweet potato. I would say, the aroma and taste of this rib is comparable to Bourbon's (Iloilo).
Who would have guessed that we were able to find fresh camote tops or fronds at a Chinese grocery store. My chef boiled it a bit, drain excess water, then add patis (fish sauce) and white vinegar. ANG SARRAP!!!
Beautiful sunset near our place, Stoney Creek Mountain. Have a good evening!
La Paz Batchoy in Canada
October 22, 2009
I have been wanting to post about La Paz batchoy since I came back from my trip to the Philippines last December. That trip was very memorable as I got the opportunity to savor most, if not all, signature foods of my hometown, Iloilo. After in absentia for quite a while, to re-validate my taste buds of food I used to eat before was a daunting experience. I was poised with questions like, what if ….? Barring all dubious thoughts, I was excited to re-visit the famous batchoy place in town with my blog buddies, Jorp and Marcos. I opted not to mention here the name of the resto as I don’t want to discredit the place and I think it’s better that way. I was flabbergasted by the batchoy they served as it was super salty! Maybe it was just me of not being used to eating the soup anymore as my buddies slurped away the soup effortlessly! But, I learned later that they add guinamos (salted shrimp fry) to the broth! I had a hard time finishing up my batchoy and actually, I did not finish eating it. I was so disappointed that my buddies brought me to another batchoy place to pacify me. The same name but different location this time. Guess what? Another wave of disappointment struck us as they served bland batchoy. I gave up. I barely touched the soup let alone finishing it. I was not too happy with my batchoy adventure that I promised myself to give it another try next time at a different place and or location.
Just recently though, I learned from a local Filipino newspaper that there’s a place in Scarborough, Ontario (Coffee In) serving authentic La Paz batchoy. My heart almost jumped off my chest upon learning that. So, I told my chef to go check out the place sometime this week. And today, we just did that, drove an hour and a half to Scarborough just for the heck of La Paz batchoy. Check this out.
Would you believe that there's a resto in the Toronto area serving La Paz Batchoy? Coffee In, 2181A Lawrence Ave. East, Scarborough, 647-348-7282
It looks like La Paz batchoy with all the essential ingredients...
It has the aroma of La Paz batchoy, hmm smells good!...
And, how about the flavor? VERY CLOSE but no cigars! So, the quest goes on...
Waffles
October 21, 2009
For me to enjoy waffles, I have to stretch my imagination as far as way back childhood years. It would bring me back to any town plaza where waffle vendors reluctantly fire up their kerosene stoves as the crowd grew in number. Then, they would hastily brush the waffle plates with margarine and off the batter onto it. While waiting for your turn patiently, you get a whiff of the waffles that would hasten your longing for it the more. Hmmm! Just before the vendor finally sprinkle white sugar onto it, another slap of margarine would signal that the waffle is almost ready to be served. This fond memory of waffles almost faded away in oblivion but was revived when I got into blogging among fellow Ilonggos. This kind of waffle is not the fluffy kind that we have here in North America. It is more of a “chewy” consistency and one does not need maple syrup or anything on it. That’s exactly what I wanted to or try to duplicate here in Canada even if it will entail countless experiments until I zero in to the “original recipe”. So, the passion to create a Pinoy waffle goes on! Just up recently, my blog buddy JORP of Flavours of Iloilo revealed the secret formula whom he hacked from a waffle vendor. So, I’m sworn into secrecy not to divulge the secret formula, or not! However, I am still experimenting to find the right proportion but, it’s getting there.
The secret formula is plain flour, eggs and margarine. That's all there is to it! Finding the right proportion is another story.
An electric waffle maker is very convinient. I use Pam spray initially to prevent batter from sticking into the plate. Just before the waffle is finally cooked, slap some margarine onto it.
With 2 cups of flour and three eggs (I was told to reduce it to 1 egg instead), one can make a bunch of waffles! I added a half cup of water to thin out the batter.
Waffles, Pinoy style!
Igado and Guinataang Smelts
October 19, 2009
Igado is one of my favorite Filipino dishes and, so far, nobody matches my bro-in-law’s version. Just to titillate some controversy, Ilocanos cooks good food, next to Ilonggos. How about that? Okay then, Ilocanos and Ilonggos cooks good food. I think, I have to stay in the the neutral ground, otherwise, my chef will go on strike! The original igado recipe includes pork’s entrails such as liver and the heart. Vinegar is added to give the dish a zing! Chilean sea smelts with coconut milk and sampalok or tamarind soup base is another dish that my chef adopted from another recipe. It’s like eating sinigang with gata.
Igado made of lean pork, liver, potato, chick peas, green peas and red bell pepper.
This dish is always present in any family gatherings as it's everyone's favorite!
Chilean sea smelts are hard to come by compared to lake smelts where they are abundant here in Ontario.
Fry the fish first then add coconut milk, tamarind (sampalok) soup base and spices. YUMMY!
Birthday Dinner at Queens NY
October 16, 2009
This will be my last post from our NYC trip. The whole idea of going to NYC was supposed to be a birthday gift for my chef and me. But my chef’s relatives insisted to have a birthday dinner at their residence in her honor at Queens NY. So be it! After an hour drive from Manhatttan, we reached the venue and relatives where waiting for us with a table full of favorite Filipino cuisine. It was indeed a sumptuous dinner. Thank you guys!
Yummy Morcon
Bakaretta
Lechon! Hmmm... lost my control on this one! Delish even without the sauce. Simply the best!
This is the most popular dynamic duo known all over North America, pancit bihon and Shanghai lumpia.
Pancit Bihon with Tokwa...SARAAAP!
Pinakbet, Tagalog style.
The Birthday Cake- uniquely Pinoy, Pandan flavor! North Americans will refer this as "GREEN" cake, and the ube cake as "PURPLE" cake as they can't remember the local words for such cake.
Our warmest and sincerest thanks to Mareng Del, Pareng Chris, Ching & Viron, Bebot, Agnes & Kit.
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