adobongblog

It feels like it was only a few weeks ago when my wife and I were in a Greenhills venue watching a concert of Raymond Lauchengco. That was a wonderful experience indeed, made extra memorable because we had an animated chat with Raymond's wife Mia, we were greeted by Raymund himself on stage (and Tina was smiling from ear to ear) and I was even able to get an autographed poster for my wife. That sort of interaction was totally unexpected, and the nice surprises of the affair made us admire even more the artist from our colourful 80s generation.

We would surely be there again in his upcoming back-to-back concert with his sister Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo if we were not oceans away. But if you are still looking for an extra-special way of celebrating Valentine's Day in Metro Manila, this may very well be the event you are looking for to share with your loved one.

To quote the Raymond Lauchengco website:

Raymond and Menchu will be accompanied by an eight-piece band comprising of two keyboardists, one bassist, one drummer, two trumpeteers, one trombonist, and one saxophonist under the musical direction of Jun Austria.

Prior to the concert, a four-course, sit-down dinner with a menu designed and prepared by Le Cordon Bleu-trained chef Him Uy de Baron of Chef Cuisine will be served to guests.

And here's the connection of the concert to this food blog: the delectable dinner!

Start with fresh focaccia bread with olive tapenade…























…or fresh pomodoro with basil.























Then it’s duck meat parcel with arugula and mixed greens in raspberry dressing.


















Next is the slow-roasted tomato soup with basil oil (no photo), followed by a six-hour braised beef with lemon gremolata, haricot verts, and truffle-infused mash.























Finally there's desert: Le Kitkat (homemade Kitkat bars) with strawberry sauce.


















For more information about this event, please visit Raymond Lauchengco's website (and photo credit).

I'm sure it's going to be another memorable event. Advance Happy Valentine's Day!

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One night, from out of the blue, we got invited for dinner at a family's friend for a celebration. I thought it was just going to be a regular dinner, but we were in for quite a treat because Peter was studying to become a chef, and he's had some experience honing his culinary skills in food establishments here. It was fun seeing him at work in the kitchen (at the same time trying to see if it's something we can replicate at home), and when he served up the food, we would rate it with stars a-la Top Chef.
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Whitebait refers to a kind of fish that is a delicacy here in New Zealand. It belongs to a certain species called galaxiids which spend part of its time in salt water as it develops but it mainly a freshwater fish. The whitebait is caught with nets as the fish migrates back from the sea to the rivers. They are still very small at this stage so whitebaiting can be quite an attention-grabbing activity; you have to constantly mind your nets because the whitebait are agile.

We got our whitebait from the local supermarket. It's kept in transparent packaging. It reminded me of our own Dilis which we also cooked into fritters back in Baguio, or for the "bigger" variety we'd deep fry and then you'd get a number of pieces at a time to soak into vinegar. Very crunchy! Now, where was I?

Ah yes. Whitebait fritters. The whitebait has a delicate taste. We have been googling around for a recipe but found this one from Keewee's corner as the most desirable because it's very easy to make and it does not involve using flour (which, I think, is an unnecessary addition because you can no longer taste the whitebait as it has drowned in flour and eggs. This we have experienced in our first batch of fritters not so long ago.)

Ingredients:
250g whitebait
2 eggs
butter
salt and pepper to taste



















Procedure:
After defrosting the whitebait, place in bowl and crack in 2 eggs. Whisk together, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Heat butter on a pan over medium heat. Then scoop manageable portions for frying.

Cook each side for about a minute, or lightly browned.



















We served ours with ketchup on the side, but this will also taste great with a vinegar-crushed garlic dip!

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Long before I learned that it is actually called ginger tea, I have known of this concoction because Filipinos in general like singing, and Salabat is reputed to improve the quality of one's voice. So when salabat is served, don't be surprised if you get asked where the concert is!

I always order this at Cafe by the Ruins in Baguio, which they serve in a small pot with a small cup and honey on the side. And since my friends are not fond of it, I get to have the pot all to my self! Perfect for rainy afternoons.

Salabat is also served in the provinces after the night mass during Christmas. A perfect complement to rice cakes.

Singing aside, ginger does have health benefits. It aids in digestion, it is a soothing drink when you have colds or flu, and loads more. And making this tea is as simple as slicing ginger and boiling some water! Though it tastes great with lemon and honey, simply use sugar if you don't have these and you'll still have great ginger tea. In fact, pictured below is the batch I made awhile ago. I was doing another ginger recipe and discovered that some parts were a bit tough so I just chopped and crushed these up and boiled these in water.



















But here's an approximate measurement for your reference.

Ingredients:
an inch of ginger
4 cups water
honey (preferred, but sugar will do as well)
lemon (optional)


Procedure:
Peel the skin off the ginger and slice thinly.
Put ginger in pot with 4 cups water over medium heat.
Let the water boil for 10 minutes.
Pour over cups without the ginger pieces and serve with a slice of lemon and honey (or sugar).
Enjoy!

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(not the most enticing of photos I know, but this is really yummy, trust me. Gotta buy a digicam soon!)


















I read way back in college that mushrooms are something that people might have allergic reaction to, so please be aware if serving mushrooms. That said, garlic mushrooms are a real treat. I think of this as pulutan actually, as we usually order this when we get together over beer on Friday nights in Manila, along with onion rings, french fries, butter chicken, crispy pata, tokwa't baboy... (miss those times). Going back:

I don't know why, but garlic and butter works well with mushrooms. So give this is a go some time! This recipe serves 4.

Ingredients:
500g button mushrooms
100g butter
4 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped
salt and pepper to season
hot sauce (optional)



















Wipe the dirt off the mushrooms, or you might prefer to do a quick wash over running water then pat and wipe dry. Mushrooms are usually just sliced into two but you can also chop into more manageable pieces the large ones.

Heat up the butter on a frying pan over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the garlic and when lightly browned, add the mushrooms, stirring for a couple of minutes. Then, reduce the heat to the lowest possible level and cover the pan and let the mushrooms simmer slowly. Mushrooms have a lot of water in them so you will actually end up with a smaller batch as the water escapes as steam. Take quick occasional peeps and stir.
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