Thanks to the Internet...

…the world has shrunk. And because of that, communication has gone far beyond the snail mail that irritated us for so long. Friends have become closer, new acquaintances have been found, ideas are being exchanged, including those about food sourcing, cooking and serving. We also want to acknowledge our readers who take the time to communicate with us by email, allowing us to obtain valuable inputs and feedback from a considerable part of the world. A common interest, specially among Filipinos living abroad, is how to cook traditional food. We have sent three recipes for adobo to a reader, and here is one more native recipe in response to another request.

This one is Chicken Afritada, from our Biñan collection. You will need a whole chicken (ideally weighing about 1.5 kilos), cut into serving pieces; 2 heads of garlic, crushed; half cup of vinegar; salt and pepper to taste; peppercorns; onion (sliced); 1 each small red and green pepper (cut into squares) ; 2 potatoes (cut into wedges and fried); tomatoes; 1 tablespoon patis; 1/4 cup milk. Marinate the chicken in vinegar, half the garlic, salt, pepper and peppercorns. Let stand for at least one hour or overnight. Simmer chicken with the marinade until nearly tender. In another pan, sauté remaining garlic, onion and tomatoes. Add the chicken, without the liquid, plus the patis, cover and let simmer. Add the liquid, potatoes, milk and peppers. Reduce liquid to desired consistency. Serve hot.

One would think making hamburgers is simple. But it’s not so simple for McDonald’s. We had the opportunity to tour the facilities of Genosi, which supplies the meat used in their varied products, and we can now confidently say that the patty you get is safe (from any contaminants), fresh and passes through very strict hygienic processes, regularly monitored by the National Meat Inspection Commission and by the mother company. From the time the meat blocks arrive from either Brazil or Australia, quality and safety are assured by men and women (and machines) at the sprawling Genosi plant in Cainta. Perfection is what they aim for, thus buns (produced by Interbake) and patties are neat circles, and the lettuce (considered a main ingredient of a McDo sandwich) from the Moriah farm in Bukidnon is fresh (with a sweetish taste) and crisp, cut to the right size. We noted the popular phrase "one taste of McDo", which means each bite has all the flavors of each ingredient in the sandwich. It was amazing to see that the patties are cooked without seasoning and grilled without oil. Its juices are allowed to come out and when done, there is that taste and smell of fresh meat. After your BigMac or Pinoy McDo, you might want to cap your meal with their latest dessert, the very Filipino ube and macapuno ice cream.

We remember our Lola using pakaskas when cooking desserts, crushed in maiz con hielo or matamis na saging. Time, modern techniques and other products have eclipsed this native sugar which is actually old-fashioned sweetener from fresh sugarcane juice. We found this at the Organic Haven on E. Rodriguez Avenue, near the corner of New York Street in Quezon City. It is wrapped in corn husks and sells for P75 per. It is an organic product from Mt.Banahaw. This outlet is new and should delight health-conscious people living in that area. Their supplies come from many parts of the country, including Tagaytay, Kabinti and Bengued. Among our finds were organic chicken at P150 a kilo; dried tofu, flavored or plain at P64 a pack; bottled herbs and spices (wansoy, peppermint, tamarind, hot pepper) from P100 each; garlic at P140 a kilo, bread baked without eggs–buns at P35 a pack and loaf at P52; pili oil which is a good source of Vitamin E; herbal drinks from cogon roots and even herbal detergents. The brand is Victoria and it is the first herbal laundry soap, winner of four international awards for invention. This detergent is versatile, as it can be used even as a shaving cream, shampoo or even to water plants.

We must hail Filipino inventors just as we must patronize their products.

* * *

Lydia D. Castillo’s e-mail address: [email protected]