Summer Approaching

February 13, 2014 § 1 Comment

We’ve been experiencing cold climate of record-breaking proportion (relative, of course, to my part of the globe) since the start of the year. This wonderful weather seemed to have followed us from San Francisco, where I spent my Christmas break with friends and family. They say though that summer officially starts right after the Chinese New Year. And true enough, a few days after the lunar calendar started, the temperature began rising.

Although a cold front has hit the country again this week, last week was particularly warm and humid. I’ve also been spending a lot of time at work, and the heat and exhaustion averts my desire to sweat out in the kitchen.

And so my new cast iron Panini grill has come to the rescue several times last week. I love my Panini on focaccia, but any kind of bread will come out a winner really.

A few nights ago, I layered generous slices of Milano salami (I always have those on hand), sliced brown mushrooms (sautéed in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper), and arugula on whole wheat focaccia bread.

Then off it went to the grill, pressed into this gorgeous sandwich. Yummy!

Not Quite There Yet

February 28, 2012 § 5 Comments

Exhausting weekend. No, I have not moved yet but my paintings and most of my furniture has though. I spent most of last Saturday general cleaning and planning which wall the paintings go.

“Tama na ba ma’am, Is this alright? “Baba pa, taas pa, medyo kanan pa, lower, higher, a little more to the right…” – an example of the weekend I had with the workers.

The grease trap under the kitchen sink leaked, flooding the kitchen. The drain in the balcony is clogged, the range hood doesn’t have a socket nearby, the lights are not bright enough… problems one wouldn’t know or notice until one is about to move in, I reckon. It was so exhausting but satisfying at the end of the day. Seeing that I’m almost there make me jump for joy.

A glimpse of my unfinished living room

While the recent purchases are settled in their own little corner in my new flat, there are the existing things that I own that needs to move with me. That is no doubt, stressing me out. Imagine the packing and the unpacking.

I’ve weeded out stuff that I don’t need over the past months. I’ve sold some, given away many and ate at home so much. Truth to tell, I’ve stopped stocking up on food. I’ve been consuming stuff from the freezer and the cupboard (which would mainly be canned and bottled products). The less you have, the less you’ll need to transfer, yes? I’ve made some progress… I’ve consumed the last of my canned tuna and with it I made a quick lunch just to get us by.

Tuna with Fried Kesong Puti

I used this recipe sans the arugula and mushrooms.

You will need:

1 can tuna in Olive Oil
½ a tablespoon capers, slightly crushed
A dash chili flakes (optional)
A few strands fresh dill, (I snip it with a scissor)
Any bread will do; I used English Muffins but Ciabatta or sliced baguette will do just fine.
Kesong Puti (Filipino fresh cheese), sliced

What you do:

Sauté the capers with a bit of oil from the can until it start to crisp.
Stir in the tuna with half of the oil from the can, adding more depending on your preference (I like mine drier).
Add the dill and let it simmer for a minute. Season with chili flakes, salt and freshly cracked pepper.
Meanwhile, pan-fry the sliced cheese in hot oil until golden brown.
Spread tuna mixture on your choice of bread and top with the fried kesong puti.

Enjoy! And being a new member of the Kulinarya Cooking Club (yay!), I was inspired to fuse in a Filipino ingredient on this dish. It has inspired me too to learn to cook more Filipino dishes. In my attempt to whip up new dishes, I’ve neglected our own native dishes along the way. So here’s to more Filipino (inspired) dishes on this blog. 🙂