The daily meal is normally a two-course fare – a vegetable dish (or heavy soup) with a fish or meat dish, and sometimes a dessert – fruits or sweets like minatamis na saging. Yet there are days when a "pandagdag" is desired. When this happens we dig into our ref and look at what can be done. The easiest and most ideal dish to do is pasta. So it was that we concocted a creamy chorizo spaghetti, which was very much appreciated by the family. In about one third cup of olive oil (we used the less expensive Pomace), we sautéd a head of crushed native garlic then added half a tin of pre-cut mushrooms, drained, but with the juice set aside. We put in one piece of chorizo bilbao, cut into tiny squares, and three pieces of sliced American ham, sautéing them for a few minutes. Then we poured in the mushroom liquid and half a tin of evaporated milk. A tablespoon of sun-dried tomato-pesto sauce, a dash of paprika and about a teaspoon of dried rosemary gave color and extra flavor. Voila! We had a delicious additional dish.
You can make your own pesto sauce with 50 gms of fresh basil leaves; half a head of crushed native garlic; half a cup of pine nuts, slightly roasted and pounded; half a cup of parmesan cheese; one half teaspoon bread crumbs; and one third cup extra virgin olive oil. Immerse the basil in salted water for about three minutes, drain, then chop. Pour half of the olive oil in a blender, combine the ingredients. Blend, adding the remaining oil until consistency becomes almost like mayonnaise. If desired, chopped sun-dried tomatoes (two to three pieces) can be added.
Here’s a twist on kesong puti. Drain then cut into squares. Mix with one fourth cup of olive oil and a few pieces of chopped, pitted olives. This is a very good substitute for similar imported products sold in specialty stores.
We had a pleasant time at Makati Supermarket in Alabang last week. We got a bottle of pesto with sun-dried tomatoes from the very helpful Jo and decided to see what was new in our old haunt. We were attracted to an array of chockies, under the Golden Bonbon label. Ranging in cost from P175 to P755, the variants include green tea and crunchy nougat. Other chocolate brands are Arcor and the familiar Haley and Brown of Almond Roca fame.
There have been some much welcome re-arrangements of displays in the store. The first cooler by the entrance now contains fruits, among which are blackberries. On another side is a rack for a selection of imported items. We noted the new Thai line of ready-to-eat meals, each box good for one serving starting from P145 each. When the label says chicken, there are indeed chicken pieces; likewise, good-sized shrimps are found in Tom Yang packs. We can’t always say this about the local counterpart. Can we be blamed for buying imported where we find value for money?
Still in the Makati Supermarket – Super jumbo siopao that four can share at P120.95. There is tikoy – plain, ube and pandan flavored from P115. Our favorite garlic bread from Yummies and its small French baguettes are good toasted with paté or cheese spread. Cool Spot ice cream has a low fat, no sugar line. The regular flavors include pistaschio and midnight cookies and cream. For the more health conscious, there are sherbets – calamansi and buko-lychee at P168.
They’ve got Norbest turkey weighing an average of nine kilos each at P200 per kilo. Canned cranberry sauce is available. It may not be too early to plan an Easter turkey dinner.
Have a great family Sunday!
E-mail comments and questions to: lydia_d_castillo@yahoo.com.