This food photographer is also a baker

I met food photographer Aldwin Aspillera during a class that kitchen-tested my recipes for Destileria Limtuaco.

In between taking photos of the dishes, my students and I interviewed Aldwin and learned that he was a baker.

His culinary journey began at a young age, surrounded by food. His family owned a small restaurant called Mixmix. His aunt Tessie Lozano owned Pandakeña, a small panaderia in Pandacan, Manila.

Growing up, he felt comfortable in the kitchen, finding great joy in helping whip up their restaurant’s specialties and baking bread at Pandakeña’s.

In 1996, he pursued a Communication Arts degree at De La Salle University, where he discovered photography.

The heart, however, always finds its way home. After 15 years of being a photographer, he could no longer deny his inner calling. Aldwin took short courses at the Center for Asian Culinary Studies and College of St. Benilde to hone his pastry skills.

To him, bread ignites precious memories. He fondly remembered fresh pan de sal coming out of his aunt’s wood-fired pugon.

In February 2013, Aldwin and his girlfriend, Mich Demavivas, opened their own bakery, Tito Panadero, a 24-hour operation that specialized in local breads. While it did quite well, they realized that retail selling was not their thing. Managing the staff also proved difficult. They decided to close the bakeshop.

The closing of Tito Panadero left its old clients, mostly friends who owned small cafes and canteens, without a bread supplier. This led Aldwin to open Crust and Crumb in 2014.

The commissary supplies restaurants, coffee shops and catering companies with different types of bread, based on the customers’ preference. Aldwin works closely with his clients to meet their bread requirements.

Upon our prodding, Aldwin brought samples of his breads. The brioche loaf was fantastic —fragrant, light, with a firm bite. Though soft, it was stable enough to hold moist fillings without becoming soggy—a wonderful, all-around sandwich bread.

The squid ink buns were delightful, too. Like the brioche, it had a nice chew. Don’t be alarmed, it does not taste strange, but rather a well made bun—neutral, with no fishy aftertaste.

And the rainbow bread, what is there not to love? Its soft loaf bread swirled with happy colors. It reminded me of my childhood birthday celebrations. I’m sure the sight of it will do the same for you.

It was the happy colors of the rainbow that led to a tasty conversation on sandwich fillings. Some of my students shared their favorite recipes.


Abby Dichaves’ Chicken and Egg Spread
 
2 whole chicken breast, boiled
and shredded

¼ cup celery, chopped

4- 6 pcs. boiled eggs, sliced

¼ cup carrots boiled and
chopped

Salt to taste

White pepper , pinch

Sugar, pinch
1½-2 c mayonnaise, add
according to preference

Mix to combine. Season to taste

Imelda Tan’s Tuna Apple Spread

2 cans tuna in brine, drained
½ c celery, chopped
¼ c carrots minced
½ c pineapple tidbits,
drained
1 Fuji apple, diced
¾-1 cup Lady’s Choice
sandwich spread, add
according to preference

Mix to combine.

Judy Uy’s Bacon & Egg Sandwich Spread

9 strips of bacon cooked until
crisp, chopped into small bits
6 hard boiled egg, chopped
1 tbsp craisins or raisins
2 chicken legs, cooked
and shredded
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 ½ tsp mustard
1-2 tbsp. pickle relish
1 ½-2 c mayonnaise,
adjust accordingly

Mix to combine. Season to taste.

Alicia Yu’s Chicken Salad Spread (shared by daughter Ana Lee)

2 k chicken breast,
thinly flaked
1 k potatoes steamed,
small dice
1 kl carrots steamed,
small dice
2 regular cans fruits cocktail,
drained and cut into small
pieces
2 small cans crushed
pineapple
2½ bottle ( 700 ml )
of Lady’s Choice mayonnaise
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp salt
1 tsp MSG

Mix to combine.

Aldwin’s recipe

Aldwin also shared his Smoked Salmon Sandwich on Squid Ink Buns recipe.

Cream Cheese Spread: Combine 3 tbsp cream cheese, ½ tsp fresh dill, ½ tsp garlic powder, and a pinch of pepper. Mix well.

1 squid ink bun
Cream cheese spread
3 slices of smoked salmon
2 slices of avocado
1 poached egg

Slice the bun. Spread cream cheese mixture on both sides of the bread.

Lay the salmon. Top with avocados and finish with poach egg.

Other offerings of Aldwin’s commissary include sourdough pan de sal, multigrain and wholewheat bread.

Call 0917-4504688, minimum of four loaves per order. For a copy of my holiday cooking class schedule,
call 0908-2372346, 0917-5543700

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

Filipino versions of good ol’ US Thanksgiving turkey and Italian ‘porketta’

During my student days in the United States, I looked forward to the midterm breaks in Easter and Thanksgiving. That meant most of the students going home to various states to be with their families and experience a festive meal. But to us, foreign students, it meant we had the whole dorm to ourselves, and we, too, had our own special dinners.

For Thanksgiving, it meant a whole plump Roast Turkey with all the trimmings. I love how this almost boring-looking huge bird can be transformed into the center of attraction for the annual special American family gathering. The dish is so popular that some restaurants serve it all year round.

Many US celebrations have been adopted by Filipinos. And many homes also celebrate Thanksgiving, which I believe is on the fourth Thursday of November. In Canada, we would celebrate it sometime in October. But most people just want to celebrate without going through the trouble of preparing this heavy feast.

There are a few dining places that can save us from the agony of preparation. I remember a friend who made one of the best-tasting stuffings I have tried. Carla Reyes Tengco made her roast turkey and the stuffing with castañas or chestnuts. That is one turkey dish that jumps out every time I think of it.

Another is Bob and Ninay’s Roast Turkey. To me, the stuffing and gravy distinguish this dish. I love how it brings me back to the feast I would experience every year as a student. I have tried many versions, and this, to me, is what I crave for.

The bird is huge with a perfectly roasted crust, delicious stuffing and gravy that binds all these together. The gravy is made from the drippings and the insides of the turkey like the liver, gizzard, etc. Stuffing is either sausage cherry or chestnut apple. The dish is served with cranberry and mashed potato on the side. With creamy mashed potato, the turkey will take the diner to a whole new level. I am so hungry and craving for this roast. It’s cheaper than many restaurants that offer it.

Porketta

Another festive dish is Porketta. Ram Jorge makes the most delicious, crispy, moist, authentic Italian Porketta. He calls himself the Porketta Man, in fact.

The Italian dish is rolled-up pork belly or liempo, slow-roasted until the skin is so crispy it pops. What happens in this slow process is the fat between the crunchy skin and the tender and moist meat melts and drips all over the roast. The result is a dish I have seen and tried in many places, but never this level.

Seasoned perfectly, rubbed and stuffed with herbs, Porketta is a foodie’s dream. There is a salsa verde that goes with it. One way to serve it is sliced on grilled ciabatta bread with the sauce and eaten as a sandwich.

It is also okay to serve it with garlic rice. I would slice a piece, complete with the crunchy skin and the moist meat, and have it as is without the sauce. I enjoy eating it so much, I can’t stop. I hardly eat pork, but this Porketta is an exception.

As soon as I got this roast, I traveled from Rockwell to Katipunan because I wanted to eat it while it was still crunchy. But don’t worry; if it gets cold, you can preheat the oven at the highest temperature and put in the Porketta for eight to 10 minutes at the highest rack, uncovered, until the skin becomes crunchy again.

This coming Thanksgiving or even this Yuletide, check out these two dishes.

(Bob and Ninay’s Thanksgiving Turkey, tel. 9840065 or 0918-9098850; Italian Porketta made by “Porketta Man” Ram Jorge,  0917-8102218)

Charity food event

Tomorrow, I and other chefs and personalities will be at the NBC Tent in Bonifacio Global City for an event called “Lifestyle Network’s Around the Philippines in Small Plates.” We will be in our own booths serving dishes that will make you dance in satisfaction. This will be a charity dinner event for the benefit of ICanServe and survivors of Typhoon “Yolanda.” Trust me, you cannot imagine how delicious the food in the various booths will be. This happens Nov. 22, 7-11 p.m. See you there!

Visit sandydaza.blogspot.com; follow on Twitter @sandydaza.

source: lifestyle.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

Lugang Café beyond the 'xiao long bao'

I first heard about Lugang Café from my sister a couple of years ago, when she told me about this restaurant in Greenhills that always has a long queue of diners. Food lovers apparently go there for the xiao long bao (which some spell sialompao), that dumpling with soup inside.










Fast forward to sometime last month, when I found myself with a media group straining our necks to see just how the xiao long bao is made.

Three chefs with dough-covered hands demonstrated how it’s done: first, the dough was cut into small pieces and flattened almost paper-thin, then filled with either chicken or ground pork – somewhat like siomai – and jellified stock. The ends of the dumpling were twisted into 18 perfect pleats and gathered into a cone.

“Yes, there are 18 pleats because 18 is a lucky number. The pleats have to be perfectly aligned after steaming,” said Karen Tiu, who handles the operations at Lugang Café.

After steaming in bamboo baskets, the dumplings are served, with the jellified stock transformed into a tasty broth. How to eat it? “Bite and sip,” advised Reena Arnaldo, human resources manager of the café.

Xiao long bao has become the specialty of the house such that last month alone, 4,300 baskets (mostly pork, although they also have chicken and vegetarian dumplings) were served to the café customers. And with eight pieces per basket, that makes for a whole lot of xiao long bao.










But there is more to the Lugang Café than xiao long bao. During a press briefing early November at their Greenhills outlet, Katrina K. Chua, daughter of owners Peter and Annabelle Chua, and head of dining operations, introduced new dishes in time for the Chinese-Taiwanese restaurant’s second anniversary on Nov. 22.

One of the new dishes is the Black Pepper Premium Beef Ribs, a flavorful dish that should go well with the light Chicken Topped with Scallion and Ginger Oil. I prefer putting a generous serving of ginger oil on top of the cold chicken slices for a more pronounced taste.

The Dong-Bo Pork Belly with Steamed Buns is like pata tim on cuapao, with the meat so tender to the bite. The Steamed Scallops with Garlic Vermicelli (bihon) can be addictive, as you can pop these in your mouth in between bites of the other dishes. The Mayonnaise Prawns are like big-sized popcorn shrimps with a gentle hint of wasabi topped with some mayo, a sure hit among kids and kids at heart. And for veggies, there's the new Fookien dish Pumpkin Seafood Rice Souffle—this has fish fillet mixed in, and is a meal in itself.




These new dishes complement the xiao long bao and other best-selling dishes they have, such as the Steamed Fish Head with Pickled Red Peppers, Three Cup Chicken, Stir-Fried Beef with Chili Peppers, and Soft Tofu and Mushrooms in Abalone Sauce. They also go well with their trademark dessert—the humongous (12 inches) and definitely meant-to-be-shared Bellagio Breeze, a tall halo-halo with red and green mung beans, taro, tapioca balls, and candied pineapple over shaved ice and flavored with condensed milk.

Katrina said about 80 percent of the café's dishes are from Bellagio Café in Shanghai. Lugang Café, after all, is a franchise of Bellagio Café, and is the first store of Bellagio outside China. The Chuas just changed the name to “lugang,” which means small alley or town in Chinese, to give a more Chinese ring to it. They also added more dishes to the new menu to cater to the tastes of the Filipino palate.

Although there are numerous Chinese restaurants in the country, Katrina said their food sets them apart from the rest. “The food is different. The taste is modern with a hint of traditional,” she said. Sweet and spicy are the main flavors of the dishes, with a subtle hint of ginger. The ingredients are imported from China and Taiwan, and Chinese chefs lead the kitchen operations.

The same modern-and-traditional theme is carried over in the Greenhills outlet's interiors which incorporate metal (steel), fire (lighting), and earth (flowers) elements. Their Mall of Asia branch, opened in 2011, is more traditional, said Katrina. Opening this month is their new branch at SM City North EDSA's The Block, and next year, they're going to be in Fort Bonifacio as well, no doubt covering all areas to satisfy xiao long bao fans in the metro.

Whatever it is you order, though, make sure to get the Aloe Jelly in Honey Lemon Juice as your drink. Now that to me is a winner. – YA, GMA News


Lugang Café is at 115 Connecticut Street, Northeast Greenhills, San Juan City, with tel. no. (02) 775-7599.

source: gmanetwork.com