Vaginal Realm

A lazy ass. That's what I am on days that I get out of bed at past 11am to watch TV and eat a late lunch, of which I'm too bummed to even cook a decent meal. So what's a lazy ass like me to do when the tummy suddenly wants activity? Whip a wicked lazy ass pasta, that's what to do. =)

Now, though this pasta is very simple to prepare using whatever leftover you have in the fridge, it still tastes pretty decent and should I say filling. Serve with toasted bread rubbed with raw garlic and drizzled with olive oil before popping in the oven and *poof* you got a filled tank.

For this recipe I recommend using a strand-type pasta. With that I mean either spaghetti, angel hair, linguinni, fetuccini, or any other pasta that comes in strands, as opposed to bit-type pastas like fusilli or macaroni. This way you'll have a variety of textures in your plate instead of having a carb-packed salad for a meal. And even though I mentioned you can use leftovers, make sure that they are still in good condition. Remember, food is fresh, trash is spoiled.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil - now don't hesitate to use large amounts of this. It's actually good for you!
1 head of garlic, crushed or minced
1 medium white onion, diced
whatever leftover meat you have (beef, chicken, fish, shellfish, squid, the neighbor's cat)
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced to strips (optional)
1 can Molinera crushed tomatoes
1 cup white wine
2 cups (approx. two handfuls) of fresh basil leaves, dicing is optional
1 cup mint leaves, diced (optional)
black olives, sliced into rings (optional)
Grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Put olive oil in pan over medium heat. Olive oil should not be too hot as it tends to burn. Sautee garlic and onions until the latter becomes transparent, after which add meat and continue sauteeing until cooked. Add mushrooms, crushed tomatoes and white wine, bring to a boil uncovered then simmer with cover on for about 15-30 minutes depending on the type of meat used. Add basil leaves, mint and olives, then cover again for 5 mins. Add salt and pepper to taste. Pour over freshly cooked pasta and sprinkle grated parmesan cheese on top. Serves 4.

If you're feeling fancy, add some sundried tomatoes. The reason why I chose to add the basil leaves when it's almost done is because I love the texture of firm leaves in any meal. This dish is all pasta and meat so it's good to add another variety of texture and color, and basil actually tastes more pungent in its raw form.

Happy eating! =)

Labels: food bits

It's been a while since I last made an entry for my foodie series. Yeah I know it doesn't compare to Anton's Awesome Planet or Dessert Comes First, but I don't intend to make this site a traveler's guide what with this blog's unsocial nature and all. *grunt*

When things hot pot, the first thing that comes to a Manileño's mind is Tong Yang. I used to like Tong Yang about, oh, 10 years ago. The last time I was there was last summer when I suffered a billion-intensity migrain attack less than 30 minutes after the meal. The food was good while you chew it and not after you digest it, for apparently the broth has too many MSG in it for flavor (as all the ingredients you put in the pot is raw and unseasoned, the MSG does well for flavor). After that incident I swear I'd never go back there again unless a cure for AIDS is available over-the-counter.

And so the hunt for the worthy hotpot/shabu-shabu hole begins. There's Mini Shabu Shabu in Rockwell (and also in SM Manila, I think) but I don't really find the place worth the money. You just get your usual fare of raw food + broth combo without the soul-soothing after-taste. So last night, while thinking for an alternative to my sashimi-craving, Penha and I decided to traverse Pasay Road to find a shabu-shabu bar, only to find Ha Shin Lou intimidating with all that nifty interiors and expensive cars parked out front. In short, mukang mahal. Not being frugal but I just wasn't in the mood for fine dining then, and I actually refuse to believe that the best tastes in the world always always come with a hefty price tag. So we gave Ha Shin Lou a pass, and walked back towards the direction of Makati Avenue.

At the corner of Makati Avenue and Pasay Road just outside San Lorenzo gate stood quietly Tian Tian Hot Pot, a ragged-looking chinese restaurant that, well, serves hot pot. The sign was missing apparently due to typhoon Milenyo, so they had a temporary banner displayed out front. I have always been curious about Tian Tian and actually wanted to go inside a couple of times, and a couple of times I forgot to actually try. The outside facade doesn't offer much to stimulate the grumbling stomach, barely through the glass door you could see the aquarium where eels, cherry snappers and other sea creatures patiently await their doom. As we went through the door we were crossing our fingers that the menu would not chase the livelihood away from our wallets, and boy, WERE WE SURPRISED IT DIDN'T! The pot looks like it has endured many years of glorious dining, being divided into two for not one but two kinds of broth (as it is for many old-school hot pots), one for plain broth and another one for sate or spicy. Dining inside were chinese folks who seem moneyed but no qualms in eating in places like this as long as it serves good food, and apparently this place does. The interiors looks like it has seen better days with its yellowing walls and lack of decor, but I just couldn't care!

Now, the dining experience. The usual condiments can be availed for free upon sitting down, namely garlic (chopped raw or toasted), ginger, spring onions, and chili peppers. Plus a saucer of special soy sauce. Then the attendant starts filling up the pot with broth, and instantly you could smell the devilish aroma of the sate. They'd give you a sheet of the entire menu and a pen where you'd tick the items you wish to order, and one by one they start serving them on individual plates. Because I was hungry and he was hungrier, we ordered not much:

• Squid
• Pork slices - served in a bed of pechay tagalog
• Beef slices - served in a bed of cabbage
• siomai
• kailaan (chinese broccoli)
• black mushrooms
• white mushrooms
• sea cucumber
• young corn
• pechay baguio

Flowing broth is already included (meaning bottomless soup for the pot).

Each serving is quite hefty. Imagine the kailaan serving is big enough for one whole serving in a chinese restaurant (read: isang order). The veggies cost P90 per plate, beef and pork and perhaps chicken as well costs P130, and everything else priced in between. Quite reasonable, I must say. All in all, we were sick full to our throats, and there was plenty left to feed another person. Plus pineapple juice and coke in can, total bill: P1,500. Like P500 per head, it costs the same as eating in Tong Yang, without the MSG. That's soul food for you, bebeh!

We could've saved a lot more if we only knew the pork and beef slices already came with veggies so we'd forget asking for the pechay baguio and kailaan. Plus, we refused to order rice and go on an all-ulam frenzy. :) We also weren't sure how big each serving was, so we ended up ordering more stuff than we can gobble. All in all, I'd say a satisfying meal for two would cost about P700.

The verdict? I'M DEFINITELY GOING BACK THERE!!!

Labels: food bits

This is actually going to be a first of many sequels to my post Food Glorious Food, so I've decided to make it a series. I can talk about food forever, anyway (see love handles for proof).

Today, being the snotty kid that I am right now, I wanna talk about comfort food. Comfort food makes us feel warm and fuzzy -- it fills the stomach and soothes the soul. Usually I crave for my comfort food when I'm sick, tired of eating MSG-packed entrees from fancy restaurants (common to city dwellers like me), or just feeling low in spirit.

Without further adue, here is my personal list of edible ways of coping with stress:

• Lugaw (Rice Porridge) - hands down, no contest. The simplicity of this dish is perfect for cramped minds longing to be relaxed. No complications. Just sticky rice and water and a bit of spice, and voila! Instant comfort food, without the guilt too.
• Ligo spicy sardines in tomato sauce - this goes well for my palate when I have just continuously dined out for lunch and/or dinner. I prefer to eat this sauteed with a bit of garlic and onion, and served with fried rice. Gives a break to my wallet too, since it costs only about, uh, P13 pesos per can (I think).
• Chicken sopas - literally the local version of chicken soup. I prefer eating hot soupy dishes anytime, and nothing beats a home-made sopa to satisfy my cravings. Good for inducing perspiration, too, for times when I have to sweat my fever out.
• Cup Noodles - having mentioned my preference for soups or broth-based food, cup noodles definitely go in the list. These were my favorite breakfast before heading out for school back in California, and my aunt and I would have a relentless debate whether to just pour hot water or place it in the microwave. Hey, I'm just following instructions. Cup noodles then tasted better than those easily accessible now, but what the heck, I'm still a sucker for it. My ideal comfor food in the office when served lunch is not that appealing.
• Fresh vegetable salad with vinaigrette dressing - works after I go on an unhealthy eating binge. Sort of like a general cleaning when dust and other particles have started to take its toll. I go on a salad marathon for a few days every now and then.

*ACHOO!*

Now, if you would excuse me while I heat up a mushroom soup casserole in the stove.

Labels: food bits

I love having lunch at pancake house. It's one of those few places where I can enjoy a sumptuous lunch while reading the daily paper, albeit crowded at peak dining hours. Give me a quaint spot, a cup of tea and The Inquirer to enjoy after lunch and I'm happy as a clam. Not to mention a light price tag -- well, light enough for outside dining.

Resto hopping has become an adventure for me. Scouring the city for newly opened dining spots always have me rubbing my hands together in anticipation. No, not just the fancy glitzy type; as long as the food is great and the place (and the utensils, too) is clean, expect me to be the first in line.

Now, I've been to many eat-outs but I'd like to recap my favorite spots in case I get into one of those dilemmas of itching to gobble good food but don't know where to go. Those places called "kahit saan" or "ikaw bahala" are the worst suggestions for a hungry person.

These are my pocket-friendly hole-in-the-walls:

• Sinangagan - just a little off of McArthur Highway in Lolomboy, Bocaue. Their bulalo in unrivalled, IMHO. Servings come in medium and large sizes. When they say medium-sized is good for 2, they really mean good for 4. One medium-sized serving of bulalo: P180
• Almerz - a house converted into a lowly sizzling house near UST dapitan side. Serves the best effing sisig on that side of the metropolis. And with their bottomless gravy policy, who could argue? Sisig with rice (good for one): P50
• Mang Jimmy's - in UP. Used to have bogus combos that made us coming back in the first place: 2+1, 4+2. And eat all you kanin. Also serves yummy sisig topped with mayonnaise. One sizzling plate of sisig = P100 (relatively cheap since it's bottomless rice and proportions are meant for sharing)
• Wai Ying - in Salazar St., Binondo. Serves wicked chinese food since, well, it's in Binondo and owned by chinese. An order of steamed tofu is P40, chao fan is P35, and a noodle soup bowl of roast duck is, can you believe, P75? Try ordering the same at Oody's and they'll charge you P210 plus VAT plus service charge, and it's not even half as good as Wai Ying's.
• Buddy's - almost every office in Makati knows about Buddy's, what with their bilaos of pancit being the main order for office gatherings. I'm not a pancit person, though, so I dig their moist sisig and creamy leche flan. Half order of sisig plus rice (good for one): P90
• S.R. Thai Cuisine - with 2 branches near UST. Why do I love it? Rice + meat + whole chili STRIPS + some weird thai sauce + chili sauce = happy me. :) One order of chili pork/beef rice = P65
• Lugawan sa Pasong Tamo - open 24 hours. Serves delicious lugaw (rice porridge) for P6 per bowl. I have no interest knowing what they put in there and what makes it yellow. Eating with you are the tricycle and jeepney drivers and other members of the DEF classes. Haven't gotten a case of LBM or amoebiasis after eating there, so I guess the food's pretty safe. Lugaw is one of my comfort foods, and it's a good choice of grub after a night-long drinking spree.

So there. Hopefully I'll have time to make sequels to this entry. Haha, what can I say? I love food. ^_^

Labels: food bits