What’s on the menu?

A lady we met at a super center requested help in planning meals for her family. There are many things to consider: How big is your family? What is the budget? How health-conscious are you? Likewise, one would always hope that prices would remain stable. It is no joke, really to be ‘the manager’ of the kitchen.

Traditionally, we would prepare a soup, a main course which is either meat or seafood and a vegetable dish to go with them. However, there are dishes which can stand alone. For economy (and health), do away with the adobo to go with your kare-kare. Cocido can also be a one-dish meal that combines meat and vegetables. Think of simple dishes, easy to prepare; to get away from the usual, maybe you can look up a cookbook and find something you have not tried before.

We keep a Cookbook Diary (P175) which incorporates a collection of recipes, from sauces to desserts. It has been a great help to us, whenever we feel at a loss as to what to cook. This chronicles our menus through the year, and makes us better organized with regard to our day-to-day meals. Variety must always be considered, and this record will tell you what you have done days before, to avoid repeating a dish more often than you should. Seasonality has to be considered as well, specially with vegetables and fruits. Keep a record of what you have in your freezer and refrigerator. Work your way around your current supply.

On Mondays, after the usually rich and heavy Sunday meals, plan something light, like noodle soup using left-over roast chicken. Or tilapia in coconut oil and fried bananas for dessert. The following combinations may gain the approval of your family: Chili prawns or crabs with one of those soup mixes to start; Pasta Putanesca with grilled pork chops or sirloin; sliced beef with broccoli served with a light soup; brain omelet with salmon head sinigang; ginisang mongo with bangus relleno; macaroni with meat balls soup and fried tawilis; fish tempura and a salad with Japanese mayonnaise dressing. Do a chicken curry on a Sunday; it can stand on its own as long as you have all the condiments–boiled eggs, mango chutney, raisins, crushed bacon–or for a more fanciful offering, roast a leg of lamb with a side dish of lentils, carrots, turnips, leeks and celery cooked in olive oil or butter. You’ll have a feast!

Breakfast sometimes tends to be boring: sinangag with longganiza, tocino, daing, etc. Try a variety of breads (foccacia, etc.) with some of those dips and spreads sold in many outlets, or make your own.

After a long while, we revisited Makro off Sucat. It is undergoing renovation with the re-positioning of various sections. We over-indulged and left the place with quite a bounty, and a big hole in our pocket! We got 1.100 kgs of SX Quatro Marcos (Brazil) tenderloin steak (P650 a kilo) with the stamp of the Ministry of Agriculture, which we immediately marinated in olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, red wine, garlic, salt and pepper; a premium leg of lamb (prepared Halal way) from Wammco International in Perth, Western Australia at P395 a kilo; and a 5-liter tin of Olilatia Pomace Olive Oil for P841.90. Pomace means the oil is extracted from crushed seeds and olives. Mangoes are cheap in Makro: P28 a kilo. Native garlic too–small ones at P56 and bigger ones at P78 a kilo.

We had one of our best buffet meals at the newly re-decorated Paparazzi at the Shangri-la Edsa Hotel. The antipasto line-up is a gourmet’s dream of scallops, salmon, cheeses, etc. Of the main courses, we were completely taken by the seabass and lamb. Plus the to-die-for spread made of cream cheese and anchovies. Desserts are major productions of flavor and artistry, specially the Affo Gato, vanilla ice cream with hazel nuts and cognac espresso with wafer curlicues. Give yourself a treat occasionally.

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