February 2009 Archives

START the day right with a good breakfast. That is what our mothers would always say. We all agree that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But we often ignore it. One of the reasons we skip breakfast is the lack of time. Preparing breakfast can be time-consuming for some. But there are recipes like this egg recipe that is as easy as 1-2-3. One of our favorite egg recipes is the omelet or omelette. In his book, An A-Z of Food and Drink (2002), John Ayto writes that Randle Cotgrave first described the omelette as '"haumelette" or a pancake of eggs during the 17th century. In this episode of What's Cookin'? with AHA, chef Paul Samson demonstrates the proper way of cooking the famous omelette. Here are the ingredients: Salt White pepper 5g white onion (minced) 5g green bell pepper (diced) 5g mushroom (sliced) 2 tbsp. Oil or butter 2 pcs. Whole eggs (beat then, set aside) Procedure: 1. Heat the pan. Then, add the oil. 2. Heavily whisk the eggs. 3. Season with salt and white pepper. 4. Sauté green bell pepper, onion and mushrooms. 5. Add the beaten eggs. 6. Scrape the sides of the omelette. 7. Flip the omelette. 8. Fold into half. 9. Add spring onions and parsley for garnish. Here's a tip from the chef: Make sure to scrape the sides of the omelette consistently. This will prevent the browning in the omelette.

WHO says skydiving and acrophobia--the medical term for fear of heights--cannot mix? We had a chance encounter with Master Sergeant Alex Busto (of the Philippine Army Parachute Team) while he was folding his parachute moments after landing. He was among a number of skydivers who joined the recent Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark Field. So back to my question: If I have fear of heights, will I be able try skydiving? Or maybe muster enough courage and not puke just thinking about it? Well, he told me a story about a colleague of his in the Army who was able to conquer his fear of heights and skydive. So how long should someone like me train before I can actually jump off a plane? He said maybe a week or maybe even less. Really, now. The guy’s been jumping off planes for more than decade now, so I have no choice but to take his word for it. Not that I’m planning to jump off a plane anytime soon. Check out this video showing our interview with Msg. Busto, wherein he explains how a skydiver should land properly.

By Marjorie Gorospe INQUIRER.net What else can you do with eggs? Sunny-side up, boiled, fried. But have you ever tried a different twist to your mundane egg meal in the morning? American Hospitality Academy Assistant Chef Instructor Paul Samson Paul Samson shows you how to cook one. It's called the Potato Fritata. Here are the ingredients: 1pc potato sliced thin 2T clarified butter 30g onion, white, sliced salt pepper, white 3 eggs 30g bacon (optional) Procedure: Sauté onion in butter. Add potatoes, salt, pepper. When potatoes are half done, add three eggs, beaten. Cook in low heat. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl. Gently add the ingredients on the medium heat Saute Pan Cook eggs until the top part is left uncooked. Then finish the eggs in the oven broiler for three to four minutes. Now, that’s a better way of cooking your plain eggs. Happy eating!

Editor's Note: Here's our answer to the "missing egg yolk" issue. According to AHA assistant chef instructor Paul Samson, the egg yolk is optional. It is used to thicken the sauce. But in this video, he chose not to use one (although it was in the list of ingredients) since the sauce's consistency was already good. And no, the egg yolk didn't fall on the floor ;-) By Marjorie Gorospe INQUIRER.net WHAT else can you do with shrimp? Well, you can turn it into a Shrimp Carbonara. This is an easy-to-prepare meal that is good for dinner. And since Valentine's Day is just around the corner, follow these simple steps and start cooking and impress your date. Here are the ingredients: 200g angel hair pasta For the carbonara sauce: 80g bacon 10g shallot, minced 10g minced garlic ¼ cup white wine 60g shrimp ¼ cup chopped scallions 40g mushroom 125ml cream 1pc yolk salt 2T butter pepper Procedure: 1. Sweat bacon, garlic, shallots 2. Add butter and wine. 3. Add scallions and mushroom 4. Add shrimp 5. Add cream 6. Cook pasta on boiling salted water 7. Combine cooked pasta and carbonara sauce 8. Sprinkle with cheese and chili flakes

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga--Aside from the grand spectacle of seeing gigantic floating balloons dotting the sky, this year's Hot Air Balloon Fiesta also aims to promote aviation as a career. Twenty-five hot air balloons of different shapes and sizes took off this morning here for the opening of this four-day event. These balloons were flown into the country by cargo firm UPS from participant countries including Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, France, United States of America, United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Netherlands and Malaysia. Touted as the country's biggest aviation event, the event also includes skydiving, paragliding and kite-flying exhibitions by military and privately-run flying clubs. Held yearly here at the former American air base, this year's event is expected to better last year in terms of the number of visitors. According to event organizers, last year's event drew in some 55,000 visitors. "From the looks of it we'll probably double that this year or add at least 20,000 more visitors," said Joy Roa, event director of the 4th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. The opening day also saw a lot of students who came in at sunrise to witness balloons take off amidst the clear weather condition here. In an interview with INQUIRER.net, Roa said this year's event include numerous activities lined up for young people to learn more about aviation. "All the (flying) schools are here giving lectures on how to start a career in aviation whether being a mechanic or air traffic controller, a pilot or even a flight attendant," he said. Tourists can ride a hot air balloon for $150 or about P 7,000. Free rides are also accommodated but on a first-come, first-served basis, according to Roa. The event, which runs until the weekend, charges an entrance fee of P100 per person.

SEVENTY five skydivers will jump. Twenty five colorful balloons will fly. And balloons shaped like elephants, tigers, sugarhouse, mug cup, para-gliders, kites, helicopters, and planes will take to the sky during Clark Freeport’s 14th Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF). Apart from the Philippines, other countries including Hungary, Germany, Switzerland, France, United States of America, United Kingdom, Japan, New Zealand, Thailand, Netherlands and Malaysia will participate in this year’s event. “Our objective is to open the eyes of everybody of what aviation is about. It gives the country an opportunity for aviation tourism. This is an opportunity for us to show that we have a friendly sky. We welcome them in flying in our airspace and see the beautiful country side,” says Joy Roa, events director of PIHABF. Tourists can ride a hot air balloon for $150 or about P 7, 200. But for those who cannot afford, free rides are being offered but only on a first come first serve basis, according to Roa. Chic Talde, marketing director of PIHABF, says about 80 percent of the sales from the event will go to a foundation, which will offer full college scholarships for high school students. These scholarships are meant for students who want to land a career on aviation. The PIHABF foundation has been accommodating about four to five scholars every year since 2007. Currently, their foundation has sent seven scholars to college. “A lot of Filipinos have good motor skills. We don’t need to be tall to be able to fly,” says Roa. . PIHABF expects to gather tourists and aviation enthusiasts from all over the world from February 12 to 15, 2009 at the Armed Forces of the Philippines grounds. Aside from aviation tourism, Roa says that the 14th PIHABF aims to promote social responsibility.

Passengers flying United Arab Emirates' Etihad Airways can now choose between European and Arabian cuisines. Part of its "inspired service," these gourmet meals are served a-la-carte or through fixed menu and kitchen menus anytime. Etihad Airways is a five-year-old airline based in Abu Dhabi. It has a recorded six million passengers in 2008. It claims to be the first carrier in the Philippines to offer fully flat beds for passengers. Since the flights from Manila to Abu Dhabi are scheduled at around 1:00 am, breakfast is now being offered to passengers. "Inspired service means that customer is at the heart of the business," says Juan Torres, Etihad Philippines country manager."What matters is the choice of the customer, when and where they want to have it." Economy passengers can choose from these meals: grilled eggplant pandesal sandwich, chicken salad pandesal sandwich, porcini custard, mixed bella olives, tomato and onion quiche, vegetable ratatouille, grilled chicken cheese and mushroom omelette and corned beef hash with garlic rice. Meanwhile, business passengers can pick from various bread choices (plain croissant, banana muffin, marble cake, Arabic breads, loaf bread), a selection of cheese, treacle waffles with caramelized banana, cereals, fine herbs omelette with tomato and watercress salad, chicken tocino with scrambled eggs, steamed rice and asparagus, scrambled eggs, beef sausage, grilled tomato and sauteed field mushrooms. The airline also offers desserts like pomegranate fruit jelly, ice cream, cream yoghurt with diced pineapple and blueberries and fresh fruits. Torres says the “inspired service” philosophy was designed two years ago and was implemented last year.

By Anna Valmero INQUIRER.net How do I love thee? Let me cook the ways. In Filipino culture, every occasion is celebrated with food. This is true for Valentine’s day when couples flock to restaurants to have candle-lit dinners coupled with fine cuisine. But instead of braving traffic and the crowd during that day, there’s a better way of scoring a date without the need to go to a posh restaurant in Makati. Try cooking dinner for two this Valentines' day. Cooking a romantic dinner will surely make your night less stressful, as you avoid the late night traffic jams. This is also one way to make a lasting impression on a Valentines' day. Besides, this 30-minute meal is easy on the budget but not in style. In this latest episode, Chef Gene Cordova and Paul Samson of the American Hospitality Academy will teach us how to prepare a three-course dinner for Valentines' day. The meal is composed of cream of mushroom soup as appetizer, breaded pork scallopini with pasta as main course and chocolate-covered strawberry as dessert. Below are the recipes for this three-course dinner that is good for two people: Appetizer: Cream of Mushroom You will need: 20 grams of butter 20 grams of onion, chopped fine 35 grams of mushrooms, chopped 15 grams of flour 200 ml of warm milk 35 ml of heavy cream, hot salt and white pepper to taste For the garnish, prepare: 10 grams of mushrooms 5 grams of butter 1. Heat the butter in heavy saucepot over moderate heat. 2. Add the onions and mushrooms. Sweat the vegetables without letting them brown. 3. Add the flour and stir to make a roux. Cook the roux for a few minutes but do not let it start to brown. Then, add warm milk to bring the soup to proper consistency. 4. Gradually beat in the stock. Bring to a boil, stirring with a whip as it thickens. 5. Simmer until vegetables are tender. 6. Skim the soup carefully. 7. Pass the soup through a food mill to puree it. 8. Pass the pureed soup through a fine china cup or through chesscloth. 9. Heat the soup again but do not let it boil. 10. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 11. When serving, add the cream. Add garnish, if desired. Main Course: Breaded Pork Scallopini with Angel Hair Pasta For this dish, prepare: 200 grams of pork loin (use chicken meat as substitute) 50 grams of bread crumbs 1 piece of egg 50 grams of all-purpose flour 1 small piece of red bell pepper 1 small piece of green bell pepper 1 small piece of yellow bell pepper 10 grams of capers, chopped 1 piece of lemon 50 grams of brocolli 150 grams of angel hair pasta 10 grams of parsley 2 cloves of garlic 125 ml of olive oil 60 grams of butter salt and pepper to taste 1. Pound pork with a mullet or using the butterfly method. 2. Do the standard breading procedure. 3. Pan fry pork until golden brown. 4. Set aside pork. 5. Cook pasta in boiling water with salt and oil. Drain excess water after cooking. Set aside. 6. Blanch broccoli. Set aside. 7. Saute pasta with olive oil, parsley and garlic. Place on the bottom of the plate. 8. Saute quickly the breaded pork with melted butter, garlic, capers and lemon juice. Put on a plate above the pasta. 9. Saute brocolli and all bell peppers. Garnish on top of the pork 10. Serve hot. Dessert: Chocolate covered strawberry Prepare the following: 200 grams of dark chocolate 50 grams of white cocolate 12 pieces of strawberry (any tropical fruit is a good substitute) 1. Melt dark chocolate using bain marie method. 2. On a separate bowl, melt white chocolate. 3. Prepare tray with wax paper. 4. Dip strawberry first in dark chocolate. 5. Let it set aside in the chiller for 5 minutes. 6. Drizzle the strawberry with white chocolate. 7. Serve chilled. Tip: In step 5 of preparing the appetizer, start boiling pasta (step 5 of main course). Then go back to preparing the appetizer. Don't forget to check the pasta every once in a while. Chef Gene said the three-course meal goes well with any white wine such as Chardonnay. Advance happy Valentine’s day everyone!

IT was when I was around 14 years old I remember buying my first Swatch. I saved enough from my allowance along with discount coupons cut out from newspapers at that time. The only place I know where to buy one was in SM North in Quezon City--specifically in the Annex area because I've seen a Swatch store when our teachers took us there during a class field trip to Manila. A field trip then wouldn't be complete without a visit to an SM mall. I never went to Manila on my own before then, but in previous trips (by car or bus) I've always figured out that once you've seen it you know you're already in Manila. And so I skipped class one morning and instead hopped on a bus bound for Cubao, told the conductor to drop me off at SM North, hopped on the bus a few hours after and was back in Tarlac in time to show off my brand-spanking new Swatch to high school buddies who may have thought I was sick that day. For people coming from the Northern provinces, it was then the first SM you can find as you enter the city--until SM began expanding in the provinces. In fact, SM Tarlac is set to open this year. Through the years, SM North has largely overshadowed by more recent developments like SM Megamall and SM Mall of Asia. But with head-to-head competition from Ayala's Trinoma, SM North has undergone major re-development. The renovated SM North Annex was opened to the public in time for the holidays last December. Now the whole of SM North is being billed as SM's largest by far with a total area of more than 425,000 square meters, making it the third-largest mall in the world and of course, the biggest yet in the country, according to SM executives I interviewed during a recent visit to the new six-storey Annex. It's definitely a lot different from the place where I bought my first Swatch. Or the one place I remember was my favorite to go see a late-night movie (especially the not-so-popular ones) during my college years in nearby UP Diliman. Here's a video I took when I was given a brief tour of the ongoing developments at SM North.

By Anna Valmero INQUIRER.net Why is duman an expensive rice delicacy? One pati equivalent to 1.8 kilogram of the very young grain of duman sells for P2,500 or $40. To know about the process of duman making and the state of this industry, we trooped to Sta. Rita, Pampanga. Pampanga provincial tourism officer Ian Mejia said the existence of the duman-making tradition dates back to pre-Hispanic Kapampangan society. He said Friar Diego Bernardo has mentioned duman in “Vocabulario de Lengua Pampanga” published in 1700. Pampanga towns such as Sitio Dalan Betiswere were believed to have been making duman, according to Pampanga provincial documents. But it is only the town of Sta. Rita that has preserved the tradition until today. I met Victor Galang. He comes from a family that is known to be among the first duman makers in Sta. Rita, according to Mejia. “Matagal na naming ikinabubuhay ang paggawa ng duman. Minana ko pa ang paraan ng paggawa nito mula sa lolo ko sa tuhod [Duman has been our family business and primary livelihood since the time of my great grandparents,” he said. According to Galang, they use the traditional process of duman-making despite the availability of modern rice harvesting equipment. Workers harvest the young grains of the "lacatan malutu" rice variety. The green color of duman comes from being harvested before maturity. The grains for making duman are harvested during the cold months of the year because the grain needs to retain the right amount of moisture for it to be made into duman. The harvested grains are processed in a shaded area called "pandulmahan." Workers then separate the young grain from the mature ones through "paspas"—they strike a bundle of rice stalks to the ground to let mature grains fall while the grains left are made into duman. The mature lacatan grains are gathered and divided between the workers at the end of the day. The young grains are eventually threshed in a hand-cranked "quisquisan" to separate the grains from the stem, which are then collected for carabao fodder. It is said that paspas and quisquisan are innovations in the process of duman making. Traditionally, workers pick the grains one by one by sight and feel, according to records of the province. The grains are then gathered and cleaned, winnowed and sifted to separate the empty husks (or sepu) from the kernels. The grains are washed and rinsed until the water is clear. It is then soaked for an hour or two in water, said Galang. Meanwhile, the wood stove called “lungo” is pre-heated together with the thick clay pot where the lacatan grains are roasted for half an hour per batch. The grains are then cooled gradually and then spread on ground mats to cool further, Galang said as he showed us the different stages of the duman production. After the grains have cooled, they are pounded in mortar, sifted and winnowed for a total of five hours. After the final pounding, the grained are polished and the whole grains are sorted from the broken. Only the whole grains are sold as duman. Mejia said the revival of the duman industry was largely due to the Duman Festival started three years ago. The duman produced in Sta. Rita reaches the tables of Southeast Asia. Bulk orders are made by balikbayans hailing from Pampanga because they miss the delicacy they grew up with. “Isang buong araw ng trabaho ang kailangan para makagawa ng duman. Ang kinikita namin halos sakto lang sa puhunan dahil sa haba ng proseso at dami ng tauhan pero ipagpapatuloy namin ang paggawa nito dito sa Sta. Rita [It takes one whole day to make duman. We just break even due to the long process and number of workers required to make duman. But we will continue to make duman here in Sta. Rita], Mejia said.