October 10, 2017 In All recipes, Vegatables

POMELO AND THAI HERBS SALAD

[ezcol_1fifth]  [/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_3fifth] THE EXPERIENCE IS BETWEEN EATING A SALAD AND DRINKING A COLD GLASS OF GATORADE I don't eat salads. I think that's quite self-evident on this blog.  But even a non-salader like me feels a tinge of excitements as pomelo season approaches, the citrus giant with enormous and voluptuous pulps that burst with sweet, floral and faintly bitter juices resembling a lemony grapefruit.  For the record, I'm not a fan of grapefruit, which is why I'm not particularly excited about pomelo's potential as a stand-alone fruit course.  But what gets my buzz going is its potential to be a fantastic savory treat. Pomelo is rarely too sweet, and it carries an uniquely floral and bitter note that blends wonderfully with other more robust or rich-tasting ingredients that seek a refreshing medium.  Take herbs salad for example, flavorfully too sharp and aggressive most of the times to be a dish on its own, but together with pomelo, it becomes a juicy and rounded symphony tapping on all the right notes in a cascading, orchestrated tempo.  First thing that hits the senses is the pungent saltiness of the fish sauce and shallots anointed with olive oil, which escalates along the individually distinctive sharp bites

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September 29, 2017 In All recipes, Bakery/Pastry, Dairy

SIMPLE YET SURPRISING AMSTERDAM PANCAKE

[ezcol_1fifth] [/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_3fifth] I KNOW IT DOESN'T LOOK MUCH. I PROBABLY WOULD'VE BYPASSED IT IF I WASN'T STUCK IN AMSTERDAM. BUT I'M GLAD I WAS. AND I KNOW YOU WILL, TOO I've been to Amsterdam. For a total of 18 hours. I don't know what people do during an overnight layover in a city they know nothing about, and I knew nearly nothing about Amsterdam. I've since learned that there is plenty to do in Amsterdam, and I deeply regret not knowing this sooner, for Amsterdam is considered the "weed capital" of Europe. If only I'd known that sooner. At least I can still go to Organic CBD Nugs online and get the CBD that I want from there. Next time I go to Amsterdam, however, I will definitely be going to a so-called "brown cafe". Additionally to brown cafes, pancakes seem to be a big thing. What did I know about "Amsterdam pancake", or as I later found out, pannenkoeken? Not much, really, aside from that it's starkly different from the verticality of normal stacked pancakes. I have since learned, however, that this is what pancakes are like in Europe, and normal pancakes are, in fact,

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September 13, 2017 In All recipes, Poultry, updated recipe

WORLD PEACE CURRY, AND HAPPENS TO BE GLORIOUSLY DELICIOUS

SOUTHEAST ASIAN AROMATICS, KOREAN CHILI PASTE, INDIAN SPICES, GREEK YOGURT, ITALIAN SUN-DRIED TOMATOES, CHINESE ANISES, AND IN THE END, A LITTLE PUSH OF ALL AMERICAN CHEESE.  AN OTHER-WORLDLY CURRY THAT TASTES LIKE THE PINNACLE OF HUMANITY [ezcol_1third] I'd like to introduce you to world peace curry.   Why?  Because curries are better than humans.  Curries know how to coexist in unity.  Even though at a glance it feels like an impossibility, a chaos without logics, a discord of competing self-interests and cultural clashes, but curries always find a way to be the most delicious repeal of our disbelief.    Don't believe me?  I put it to the test.  An unlikely coalition of southeast Asian aromatics, Korean chili paste, Indian spices, Greek yogurt, Italian sun-dried tomatoes, Chinese anise seeds, and in the end, an intrusion of American cheese?!   It should end in war but instead, it rejoices slowly and bubblingly in a lusciously rich, creamy, intensely aromatic, complex yet beautifully balanced alliance of flavors, savoriness and tang.  It tastes like the pinnacle of humanity, our best hope for world peace even against our cynical judgements.  And also, perhaps most importantly, the best you'll ever put in your mouth. [/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third_end][/ezcol_1third_end] [ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third_end][/ezcol_1third_end] [ezcol_1fifth]  [/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_3fifth] [/ezcol_3fifth] [ezcol_1fifth_end]

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August 14, 2017 In All recipes, Meat, Seafood

PORK CHOP W/ TUNA-SANDO SAUCE

  MAKE THIS RECIPE RESPONSIBLY, OR NOT AT ALL [ezcol_1third] I haven't eaten tuna for almost 10 years.  Except one time in Hawaii when/where it was responsible.  Unless you've been living under a rock, or conveniently turning a blind eye, you should know exactly what I'm talking about. It is estimated that by 2050, a large number of species of wild fish, tuna especially, will be gone.  That statement was made more than a decade ago.  It still stands.  Are we better than locusts?  The question is, are we worse? So why am I, a hypocrite on all accounts, posting a recipe that involves tuna?  Because I see it now no longer as a question.  But instead, an opportunity. I first came across the inspiration of a "tuna-sando sauce" from an espisode of Mind of A Chef on Gabrielle Hamilton, where she made the Italian dish maiale tonnato, thinly sliced pork served with a mayonnaise-based sauce flavored with canned tuna.  I was instantly intrigued.  It was one of those instances where, without actually tasting something, I felt certain about its sublimity, the velvety texture of a sauce that is the sum of all that is awesome about a tuna sandwich but minus the bread and the gritty mouth-feel,

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July 27, 2017 In All recipes, Soup, Vegatables

PAPPA AL KIMCHI POMODORO, KIMCHI TOMATO BREAD SOUP

[ezcol_1half] A HYBRID BETWEEN THE CLASSIC TUSCANY BREAD SOUP AND KIMCHI JJIGAE, SERVED HOT OR COLD If you follow my Instagram, you'd know that I have a barking barfing fur-child to attend to (yes, still).  So I'm quickly leaving you this recipe, which is a fantastic way to use up any day-old breads, or any over-proofed-thus-deflated breads in my case, which happens a lot these days.  It's a hybrid between pappa al pomodoro, the classic Tuscany bread soup, and kimchi jjigae, the national anthemic stew from Korea.  You can serve it hot with the AC blasting, or chilled and cold at the next rooftop party ya'll kids are so good at throwing nowadays.  Relaxed, soothing and comforting, unlike my life as we speak.  So go now.  Have some fun for me. [/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end][/ezcol_1half_end] [ezcol_1half][/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end][/ezcol_1half_end] [ezcol_1half][/ezcol_1half] [ezcol_1half_end][amd-zlrecipe-recipe:156][/ezcol_1half_end]

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July 14, 2017 In All recipes, Bakery/Pastry, Condiments

CHI SPACCA’S FOCACCIA DI RECCO, OR THE CLOSEST YOU’LL GET TO IT AT HOME

DOLLOPS OF FRESH COW'S MILK CHEESE COCOONING IN BETWEEN TWO PAPER-THIN FILMS OF UNYEASTED DOUGH, AND BAKED INTO A BALLOONED AND BLISTERED PIE WITH CHEESE-FILLED UNDERGROUND CHAMBERS. [ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third][/ezcol_1third] [ezcol_1third_end][/ezcol_1third_end] [ezcol_1half] What is obsession?  When is it helpful and when does it get silly? Ever since that episode of Chef's Table on Nancy Silverton, I've been dwelling, not upon, but inside this subject. The episode, of course, celebrates a chef's willingness to spend an inexhaustible amount of effort to close that last short climb between what is already a great dish to a conceivably perfect one.  A distance too short and steep no doubt, for most to commit.  But to Silverton, especially when it comes to breads, being obsessed is not a question of should or shouldn't, but do you have what it takes?  I am, however, at least not today, talking about the theoretical aspect of obsessions.  Instead, I'd like to bring forth the physical one that I was sent into after watching her episode. During that show, there was about a 30-seconds scene showcasing a flatbread-looking pie, a glowing golden-brown mirage.  Captivated by that glimpse, nothing but a glimpse, without even knowing what "it" actually was, I plunged into a months-long pursuit from grasping what

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June 26, 2017 In All recipes, Bakery/Pastry, Dairy, Sweets

MY PERFECT LEMON POPPY SEED CAKE + CAKE CRUMBLE LEMON CREAM POPSICLE

[ezcol_1fifth]  [/ezcol_1fifth] [ezcol_3fifth] INSIDE EACH GOLDEN SLICES OF THIS SPIRIT-LIFTING CAKE, IS A PIECE OF MY OWN HEAVEN. AND IF I MUST BE NITPICKING FOR A FAULT, WELL, TO THAT I HAVE A SOLUTION, TOO. I wasn't really contemplating on a cake recipe.  I always feel a little self-doubt every time I throw one out there, after all, I have about as much credentials on cakes and baking as a dog on dating advice.  But over the last week, I wanted to bake a lemon poppy seed cake for a couple of friends coming over for coffee, and to my surprise as well, I couldn't seem to find a satisfactory answer in the worldwide web with all its might.  OK, given that I didn't really look past beyond page-3 on a Google search, but as far as I'm concerned, if it's not on page-1, it might as well not exist in this world, and I went to page-3!  Page 3!  Can't say my research wasn't thorough. There's of course, lots of lemon poppy seed cake recipes out there.  And they probably all possess certain qualities that satisfy each maker's niche, but for me, each and every one seem to have one or two imperfections.

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