Anthony Bourdain to Release Second Cookbook After 10 Years

Heads up, foodies! After 10 long years, Anthony Bourdain will finally release his second cookbook (the first being Les Halles) entitled Appetites later this year.


The book, which will be published by Harper Collins imprint Ecco Books, will be filled with recipes that he thinks you should know how to cook, a few are inspired by his travels, and some from his home, so we’re thinking American with a touch of French techniques? I’m no cook, but I’m pretty darn excited to get my hands on this as it hits the shelves on Oct. 25.

Meanwhile, Anthony’s assistant Laurie Woolever is the co-author, and the photos inside are all by Bobby Fisher. The surprise cover, which will be revealed this April, will be done by cartoonist Ralph Steadman.

With a lineup like that, we’re really wondering what kind of recipes the culinary bad boy has in store for us. Hopefully, it trickles down to our local bookstores just before the holidays hit so that we can surprise our house guests with our new cooking skills.

[Eater]

source: preen.inquirer.net

Feeding Pope Francis: Celebrity chef serves simple, spiritual meals

NEW YORK—Sliced heirloom tomatoes, steamed lobster and house-made burrata greeted Pope Francis on his first night in New York, where a celebrity chef cooking for her second Pontiff said her menu was inspired by Francis’ humility and simplicity.

Feeding the leader of the world’s more than 1 billion Roman Catholics is a daunting task, but Lidia Bastianich said she felt the dishes she offered Francis during his 40 hours in Manhattan pulled off the feat of being straightforward, sophisticated and even spiritual.

“In this food is everything I feel about Catholicism …. Let’s feed each other some sustenance, some love,” said Bastianich, who went into her own garden to pick carrots, beets, tomatoes and herbs for the Pontiff’s meals.

Some of the dishes on Francis’ five-meal New York menu took their cue from the Pontiff’s healthy diet in Rome. His doctor is reportedly trying to get him to lose 8 kilograms.

The tomato and lobster salad gave way Thursday night to veal with porcini mushrooms. Dessert was Concord grape sorbet and angel food cake.

Met kitchen crew

Friday’s lunch included risotto with summer truffles and aged Grana Padano cheese, as well as a surprise late addition to the menu—bagna cauda, a garlic-anchovy dip for raw vegetables that Bastianich heard Francis loves.

After lunch, Francis strolled into the kitchen, thanked Bastianich, restaurateur Angelo Vivolo and their kitchen crew, and asked if he could share an espresso with them. The Pope ended by giving each a rosary and a blessing.

“Our eyes swelled with tears,” Bastianich said.

For dinner Friday, Bastianich prepared homemade ravioli filled with shredded pears and pecorino cheese—so light and delicate they seemingly melted on the tongue. And on a day when Catholics traditionally eat fish, the main dish was roasted striped bass, freshly caught off Long Island, with a drizzle of olive oil and chopped parsley, plus lemon on the side.

Though the dishes Bastianich served up may sound more swank than simple, this was a visit with little behind-the-scenes pomp. One of Francis’ requests was notably modest: water and bananas at his bedside table. (Bananas will be on the menu in Philadelphia, as well: The proprietors of the popular Franklin Fountain ice cream shop are providing a special caramelized banana flavor to the seminary where Francis will stay on the last stop of his US visit.)

This was the second such papal calling for Bastianich, a chef and author best known for “Lidia’s Italy” and other public broadcast shows, and her Manhattan flagship restaurant Felidia.

It’s giving back
She and Vivolo were selected to cook for Pope Benedict XVI in 2008, a visit that included a dinner party for 52 and a golden cake in the shape of the papal tiara.

Bastianich prepared Francis’ meals at the five-story Upper East Side townhouse of the Vatican’s United Nations representative, where the 78-year-old Pope took respite from his hectic schedule and the rock-star roar of admiring crowds.

“There’s an intimacy, a closeness, a warmth—he’s a guest who sleeps upstairs,” she said. “It’s like having family visiting and you’re cooking.”

Bastianich’s command performances for popes have always been about more than mere meals. Her family fled Yugoslavia after World War II and became refugees in Trieste, Italy. They were brought to the US by Catholic Charities.

“For me, it’s gratitude, it’s giving back,” she said. “I was fed by people who cared, so I understand the communication that food can have.” AP

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Cook Sinigang and Binakol the Japanese Way

The comfort that soup brings on a stormy night is unparalleled. Warm and wholesome, it’s also very healthy as it is one of the most basic dishes known to man and harnesses most of our basic foods.

It’s too bad that we have somehow ruined it by making things quicker. Broth cubes are thrown in water to mimic flavors, or soup packs are opened for that hot, quick fix when really, they’re just salty mixtures that provide only momentary satisfaction.

Cheska Cariño, executive chef of Sabao Soup Bar, wishes to reclaim the way we look at soup, treating the ingredients with much care and respecting them. “It’s the Japanese technique and a healthier way to cook,” she says. On a cold night amid traffic and drizzling rain, we picked the chef’s brain on what makes a good soup.

#1 Start with only the freshest
Chef Cheska tells us, “The most important thing about making good soup is using choice ingredients. For your broth, you want to make sure that the [beef] bones [you use in it are of the] best quality from your trusted butcher. Your vegetables should be at the freshest [state] you can get them [before you] serve immediately. You have to start with the raw materials because anything you start with will show up in your end product.”

#2 Every step is a process on its own
As mentioned earlier, Chef Cheska employs Japanese techniques to classic Filipino soups. This means that every ingredient is cooked separately, according to how you can best maintain their flavor and nutrients. “We simmer the broth for 16 hours. In the broth, we throw in the bones and other meats along with vegetables like sayote. By the time it’s ready to serve, we strain the soup to extract the vegetables that have turned to mush from the heat. What you’re left with is a soup that has fully absorbed all the flavors from your ingredients.”

On the other hand, the vegetables and the choice cuts that go into the soup before eating are cooked on-the-spot. They blanch the vegetables to maintain their crispiness and to not compromise the minerals they contain.

#3 Know your cuts
Two types of meats are needed to make an effective beef base. For your broth, Chef Cheska advises you to use chucks and shanks along with the beef bones. “These are the overworked muscles of the cow, so they are the toughest yet contain the most flavor,” she explains. For the beef served in the dish itself, they use prime cuts like brisket, which are tender and do not require much cooking time lest the taste and softness be compromised.

#4 There are no shortcuts
But how about when you are strapped for time? How can you make a good soup if you don’t have 16 hours?  “There’s no way around it,” says Chef Cheska. “If you want to have good soup, you have to plan at least two days ahead. You can make a big batch of broth that you can simmer down and store in the freezer and can take out whenever you want soup. It’s healthier and you can experiment with the flavors you want.”

When it comes to reheating the soup, you also can’t go about it the easy way. “I would advise that you reheat it over a stove, so you can check the taste of the soup along the way. When you use a microwave, the water will evaporate and the taste will change; it might be too salty. ”

#5 Try unlikely toppings
No matter how traditional sinigang, bulalo, and binakol may be, there are ways to switch up the taste and introduce a new spin to them by choosing toppings that you wouldn’t usually go for. “It might be weird but I like canton with bulalo,” recommends the chef. “For tinola, I always put a lot of pickled ginger which [also] helps in digestion and cleanses your palate. You can also add lemongrass oil. I also have soy egg in it, which is a soft-boiled egg that’s steeped in soy sauce and a mixture of spices.”

Her favorites, singang and binakol, are also not without added toppings. “[I have the sinigang] always with extra chili samba paste, which is based from the other Southeast Asian sambal, but we added sampaloc so you have that added element of anghang-asim. I also get extra gabi and mush it in the soup. I love it with sotanghon and chicken skin with my binakol.”

Sabao Soup Bar. G/F Signa Designer Residences, Valero Street corner V.A. Rufino Street,Salcedo Villlage, Makati City. Open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. For reservations, call (0917) 558-6593.

Photo by Acushla Obusan

source: preen.inquirer.net

Alba’s Croquetas de Bacalao

He has lived in the Philippines longer than he has lived in Spain. For 60 years, Anastacio de Alba, originally from the medieval city of Avila, has been cooking Spanish food for Filipinos.

After arriving in the Philippines in 1952 upon the invitation of Don Antonio Roxas, he started out as a chef in the old Casino Español. A work stint at Luneta Hotel followed soon, before he opened his first restaurant in 1954, the aptly named El Español. The opening of Alba Cocina Española in the tourist belt followed soon, and from then on there was no stopping the man who has since been nicknamed Colas by his numerous friends.

In the ensuing years, Alba’s restaurants underwent various reincarnations. La Parilla, Las Cuevas, Patio Flamenco, Alba Supper Club, Patio de Alba in Doña Narcisa Building, and Jardin de Alba in Greenhills all became known for the sumptuous cuisine served by the self-taught chef. Sometimes the food would be authentically Spanish; at other times they would be his adaptations of dishes he grew up with and dishes he adapted to Filipino taste.

Today Alba’s culinary domain covers four restaurants and a catering service. Already getting on in years, he has designated his son Miguel Angel as successor.

No stranger to the kitchen, Miguel Angel has for years observed his father’s skills and passion for cooking. Though he initially considered being a doctor or an accountant, he’s gladly following in his father’s footsteps.

Last Saturday, Miguel demonstrated how to prepare some of his father’s beloved recipes before an enthusiastic crowd at the Maya Kitchen Culinary Center in Makati: jamon con mangga y arugula, fabada asturiana, paella de cordero, lapu-lapu con salsa verde, and tarta de limon con quezo.

A dish that’s just right for this Holy Week is the croquetas de bacalao, salted white cod rolled with mashed potatoes into appetizer-size balls. This dish is not only easy to prepare, it’s also versatile as it can be prepared with either salted or frozen cod, with lapu-lapu and even with canned tuna.

Alba’s Croquetas de Bacalao (Makes around 30 croquetas)

    200 g dried bacalao or frozen bacalao fillet (cod fish)
    ½  kg (500 g) potatoes, peeled and quartered

Water, for boiling the potatoes

    2  tsp chopped garlic
    2  tbsp chopped parsley
    2  tbsp almond flakes
    ¼  c butter, softened
    Ground white pepper, to taste
    ½-1 c Maya all-purpose flour
    2  eggs, beaten
    ½ -1 c bread crumbs
    2 c cooking oil

For the sauce:



    1 tbsp olive oil
    1 tsp chopped garlic
    ½ c canned red pimientos, chopped
    1 300-g can peeled and puréed tomatoes
    1 tsp chopped basil leaves (optional)
    Salt and pepper, to taste

If using dried bacalao, soak the bacalao in water for 24 hours, changing the water two to three times. This is to remove some of the saltiness from the bacalao. After 24 hours, drain the bacalao and remove the skin and bones.

If using frozen bacalao fillets, keep the bacalao in the refrigerator for several hours until it thaws, then clean well, making sure to remove the skin and bones.

Boil the potatoes in enough water to cover until tender.  Meanwhile, chop the bacalao.

When the potatoes are tender, mash them coarsely and mix them with the chopped bacalao, garlic, parsley, almonds and butter. Season to taste with white pepper and with salt if using frozen bacalao.

Form the mixture into balls then roll them in flour. Dip each ball into the beaten eggs, then dredge with bread crumbs.  Chill for one to two hours.

When ready to cook, heat the cooking oil in a deep-fryer and fry the croquetas in batches until golden brown. Serve with the sauce.

To make the sauce:

Heat the olive oil in a pan and sauté the garlic. Stir in pimientos and tomatoes and let simmer for six to eight minutes. If desired, add the basil leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For more tips, recipes and stories, visit author’s blog: www.normachikiamco.com and Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/normachikiamco.  Follow on Twitter @NormaChikiamco.

Cook’s tips



Since the dried bacalao is already salty, there’s no need to add salt to the mixture. (Add salt only if using frozen bacalao.)

For frying the croquetas, chef Miguel says you can use vegetable, canola, palm or corn oil. However, olive oil is not suitable for deep frying as it tends to burn fast.

You can prepare the mixture and shape them into balls ahead of time. Store them in the refrigerator for up to one day. If storing for longer than one day, keep them in a tightly covered container in the freezer. You can then deep-fry the croquetas just before serving.

Likewise, you can prepare the sauce ahead of time. Reheat before serving.

Possible substitutes for bacalao include: chopped chicken, chopped dried lapu-lapu or lapu-lapu fillets, canned tuna and salmon.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Fast and easy brownies

One of my all-time favorite comfort foods is brownies. All’s right with the world, it seems to me, whenever I see a pan of brownies on the kitchen counter. After all, if there’s flour, sugar, butter, chocolate and eggs with which to bake some brownies, things can’t be all that bad; most likely things are going merrily well. As Martha Stewart would say, it’s a good thing.

I’ve often relied on a favorite brownie recipe whenever I want to bake this classic treat. However, while on a recent vacation in Sydney, I learned another recipe from my sister, Cory, who’s a long-time Sydney resident. While I thought my recipe was easy and very doable, hers turned out to be even easier and more doable.

The wonder of it is that this recipe evolved from a recipe I had given her many years ago. Out of the need to bake something really fast and without the fuss, she improvised here and there and voilà—a new recipe was born. What’s more, the brownies come out moist, with a fudge-like center, just like the way I (and many others) like them.

You won’t even need an electric mixer to prepare the batter. All you’ll need is a microwave oven to melt the butter and sugar, and a little muscle power to mix the ingredients.

Fast and easy brownies

2 c sugar

1 c butter

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 c all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

½ c unsweetened cocoa powder

2 c coarsely chopped nuts (cashew or walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350°F (175- 180°C). Lightly brush the bottom of a 9” x 13” baking pan (or two 8” x 8” baking pans) with shortening. Sprinkle with flour, then tap off excess flour. Or, spray baking pans with nonstick cooking spray. Another alternative is to line the pans with nonstick baking paper. Set pans aside.

Combine sugar and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat in a microwave oven until both butter and sugar are melted, around one minute. Remove from microwave oven (mixture will be grainy). Mix with a spoon then beat in the eggs and vanilla.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder. Add to the butter mixture and mix by hand just until combined. Stir in nuts. Pour into prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out almost clean (it’s okay if there are a few moist crumbs attached). Let cool, then cut into squares.

For more tips, recipes and stories, visit the author’s blog: www.normachikiamco.com; and Facebook fan page: www.facebook.com/normachikiamco. Follow on Twitter @NormaChikiamco.

Cook’s tips:

Before putting the butter in the microwave, cut it into quarters so it melts faster and more evenly.

Don’t over-mix the batter so brownies don’t become tough. Mix just until there are no visible specks of flour.

Likewise, don’t overbake the batter so brownies don’t become dry.

If you’re baking this in two 8” x 8” baking pans, make sure to divide the batter evenly between the two pans.

source: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/43945/fast-and-easy-brownies