Herb-infused olive oil is great for cooking and for salads but, aside from the cost, when you buy the commercial kind, you’re stuck with flavors that the manufacturers consider popular and, ergo, easy to sell. But did you know that it’s cheaper to make herb-infused olive oil at home? Not only do you cut on cost, you can also get as creative as you wish, combining herbs and spices that suit your taste more.
Herb-infused olive oil
Posted on October 31, 2008 · 33 Comments
Herb – infused olive oil
Posted on October 31, 2008 · 25 Comments
Herb-infused olive oil is great for cooking and for salads but, aside from the cost, when you buy the commercial kind, you’re stuck with flavors that the manufacturers consider popular and, ergo, easy to sell. But did you know that it’s cheaper to make herb-infused olive oil at home? Not only do you cut on cost, you can also get as creative as you wish, combining herbs and spices that suit your taste more.
How to wrap lumpia (spring rolls)
Posted on October 31, 2008 · 11 Comments
You might think it’s just wrapping and folding but there are a few tricks you might want to learn to make fantastic fried lumpia (spring rolls).
First, you need to seal in the filling so that the juices and flavors don’t drip into the cooking oil. Second, if the filling consists of raw ingredients (especially raw meat), you can’t put in too much filling because the cooking time is short — just long enough to brown the wrapper — and a thick filling will not get cooked through…
The how – to – cook series
Posted on October 30, 2008 · 11 Comments
As much as possible, I take photos of every step of the cooking to make the blog entries more instructional. Well, okay, that’s the noble way of explaining it. Perhaps, the more glaring truth is that I’m just camera obsessed. Anyway, visual guides are always good in food writing. Even with the disastrous cooked dishes, I have a myriad of step-by-step photos that illustrate various stages of cooking — chopping onions the painless way, mincing garlic without the cloves flying all over the kitchen, the stages in beating egg whites, cutting the kernels off a cob of fresh corn… You name it, I probably have a photo for it.
If you want your chilies mildly hot instead of very hot
Posted on October 30, 2008 · 6 Comments
So what do we do when we want all those reds and greens in our dishes but not the corresponding spiciness? A trick I learned from watching TV — scrape off the seeds. An invaluable tip from Nigella Lawson. Slit the pepper lengthwise and scrape off the seeds with a knife or a teaspoon. Then proceed to cut the peppers to the desired coarseness of fineness. A mezzaluna works best but a nicely curved knife will do the trick too.
Is fresh food safe?
Posted on October 30, 2008 · 16 Comments
Health buffs used to draw one list of food to stick to and another list of food to avoid. Under the first list are fresh food including vegetables, fruits, eggs and dairy products. Under the second list are processed food including canned meat, frozen processed meat (chicken nuggets and the like) and cured meat (ham, ... (more)
The difference between a compromise and a negotiation
Posted on October 30, 2008 · 4 Comments
There was nothing about the film Primal Fear that I didn’t like when I first saw it. There is nothing about the film that I don’t like every time I see it. I like the story (love it, actually), the actors are great (it was where I first saw Edward Norton) and I adore the ... (more)
Pork and cabbage soup
Posted on October 28, 2008 · 4 Comments
Despite the convenience, I am not a fan of canned broth. I like broth cubes even less. I make my own broth from scrap bones and what I don’t need for whatever soup I am making, I strain, cool and keep in the freezer.
When you keep a substantial stock of meat broth in the freezer, making a delicious soup is as easy as 1-2-3. No kidding. It’s practically just cutting the meat and vegetables and throwing everything into the pot. Fast too. If you cut everything into small pieces, your soup is ready in 15 minutes or less.
Malunggay tree in the garden
Posted on October 28, 2008 · 15 Comments
Two months ago, we planted two sturdy branches of malunggay in the garden. They were cuttings from a mature tree owned by an aunt of one of the house helpers. It took a while but it looks like we’re finally going to have a steady supply of malunggay. I can almost taste it… clams and ... (more)
Halloween and All Saints’ Day
Posted on October 28, 2008 · 9 Comments
(Today’s column in Manila Standard Today. The photos only appear here and not on the print and online versions of the paper.) There were no Halloween parties when I was a kid. There were no days and days of preparation for costumes and décor that culminated in the trick or treat event on the night ... (more)
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