Have some -PATATIM

I recently had lunch with the entire family to celebrate my father's birthday. The restaurant we chose, was a personal favorite, because of its' good food and ambiance. One favorite dish is the PATATIM or Stewed Pork Leg, which was the star of "Papa's Birthday Feast". This very simple dish, cooked into perfection using different kinds of sauce, is what would make one go back for seconds and thirds...and order extra rice too. We even cook this at home. This is what home cook meal is about and I want to share the recipe for this, so you too can try it at home.

PATA TIM INGREDIENTS:

1 whole Pork (front or hind-your choice) tip: get the one's with bigger upper meaty part
1 pc. Star anise (sangke)
4 tbsp. Hoysin sauce (optional)
½ cup Dark Soy sauce
1 cup Brown sugar
2 cups Root beer (optional)
1 tsp Sesame oil
2 tsp Corn starch dissolved in ½ cup of water
1 pc Medium size Chinese cabbage
6 to 8 pcs Shitake medium mushrooms (optional) soaked on hot water
for 30 minutes then drained
1 pc. large carrot
baby corn

PATA TIM PROCEDURE:

1. Boil the pork pata for about 45 mins in salted water. Drain and let cool.
2. Deep fry in vegetable oil until golden brown. Let it cool
3. Place the fried pata in a casserole. Add about six (6) cups of water
4. Add the star anise, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and brown sugar.
5. Place in high fire until it boils then reduce the fire to low and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the pork leg is very tender (almost falling off the bone). Remember to add the carrots,baby corn and shitake mushrooms after 30 minutes of simmering.
6. Check the level of the water in your casserole. The sauce should be 1/4 of the casserole when done. Add the cornstarch and water mixture. Simmer until the sauce thickens.
7. Add the Chinese cabbage and simmer until it is tender. Add the sesame oil.
8. In a serving dish, place the pork leg in the center. Place the vegetables on the side.Pour enough sauce on the pata. Serve hot.

I Adore - Alexandre..Farewell

Some call it maturity, others term it mellow...It's that point in your life when you prefer a quiet environment to unwind, rather than going to clubs. This I call -ME time. And Alexandre-French Bakery Bistro and Lounge in The Fort gives me just that.

My love for Paris, and the Eiffel tower outside the cafe is reason enough to draw me inside the lounge, its' homey feel was too hard to resist...


I ordered the succulent pistachios macaroons and a croissant..

paired with a cup of my favorite coffee, in a mug that says...

Lounging in this place, is too relaxing, you could forget that you've been staying there for hours. That's why it pains me when I heard that the cafe has finally made its' curtain call and said goodbye to its' clients.

Thank you, Alexandre, for giving me a taste of Paris...

Mercato Centrale

After it's opening late last year, Mercato Centrale has now become a famous destination for foodies all over the metro.. I headed off to Mercato a day after it was launched and I keep coming back on every weekends that I could, and it never cease to impress me with its' wide spread of food and even organic stuff to suit any one's needs. It has moved into a new location, still in The Fort, just at the back of St.Lukes near MC Home Depot and S&R.

Different food stalls, so foodies and clients would have a wide array of choices.

While going around and checking out the stalls, you can sample the food products, because each food stall offer food tasting.

Tables and chairs are provided for customers to relax and dine at the same time. You can even share your table with a fellow foodie and gain friends.

Oh and this is where I got a sampling of my personal favorite-DQ Ice Cream. The day I was there was the day that they brought back their Dive Bar.

And these mochi's are sooo good :)

Mercato now has it's counterpart in the South, it's called Soderno. Check it as well.

HOME IS.....

HOME is where BOKLAN chicken,pancit and siomai can be found...

This was what the status on my Facebook wall was, right before New Year. Posted this along with this picture...

...and truly a vacation in my hometown, in Bicol won't be complete without a visit to this restaurant aptly named BOKLAN, the meaning of which I don't know, but for sure their owned by a Chinese family and they serve all these three famous Chinese staple. The food is prepared and cooked upon order,for guaranteed freshness...

On Chocolate Chip Cookies

And my most favorite of all ......CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES...I am addicted to it--soft and chewy, crisp and crunchy, it doesn't matter....I just love 'em.

Somehow, these cookies have been comfort food for me, and perhaps the reason why I try to have a stock of 'em at home, so I can grab a bite whenever there is a need to....hahaha....It not just eases my hunger, it also makes me feel relieved whenever I am down and blue. Every bite of it soothes and relaxes me...and for reasons I could not explain--it makes me feel better.
Perhaps that's the magic of these cookies...it gives you a rush bite after bite after bite, making you forget your heartaches, and your diet..hahahaha..but I guess that's exactly my point-these cookies make you feel so good, that you do not feel guilty adding up calories into your already plus size body....[call that, reasoning for over stuffing..but come on, get real....I know you've had episodes like these in your lives:)]

Mom's Revel Bars

My Ma was here the first week of May. Not seeing her for the most part of the year, my siblings and I often get excited everytime she comes here. We had all the reasons to. First, she would always bring us fresh seafood and delicacies that you can only find in our hometown. The past few visits, though she added Revel Bars to her usual list of "pasalubongs". She brought some for us so she can let us taste her latest creation and she seems to be enjoying it when she sees us eating them with so much gusto. A very good cook that she was, she started telling me the recipe so I can do it myself. Just like when we were so much younger. I can say that we both share the same love for cooking and baking. I can't believe that the recipe was just so simple, I whipped one already last weekend. My siblings seemed to love it, they even brought some for their office mates.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup margarine, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1 pc egg

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup oatmeal

1 tbsp cashew nuts or walnut, chopped

100 g semi-sweet chocolate, grated 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 can (234 g) Fresh Cut Crushed Pineapple, drained

Procedure:
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Grease a 7”x7” pan. Set aside.

CREAM margarine and brown sugar. Add egg, beating well after addition. Add vanilla. Set aside.

COMBINE flour and baking soda. Add to the margarine mixture. Mix well. Fold in oatmeal and nuts. Press 3/4 of this mixture at the bottom of the prepared pan. Spread DEL MONTE Fresh Cut Crushed Pineapple over crust (oatmeal mixture). Set aside.

MELT chocolate in a double boiler. Blend in condensed milk. Pour over crust. Cover and freeze for 15 minutes. Divide remaining oatmeal mixture into 6 portions. Press lightly onto pan to partly cover the chocolate topping. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool and chill for 3 hours. Cut into bars.

Loving Becky's Kitchen

I was on the look out for some baked goodies that I was planning to give to my colleagues. I didn't want to give out cakes from the bakeshops that's already known to everyone. What I wanted was some home baked cakes and goodies...that would make it more special. Becky's Kitchen came to mind...I've heard it a lot of times, knew how to get to the place, but just didn't have the time to do so before. I called up their Valle Verde Branch first, to ask for the prices. They have very nice staff - who nicely answered my pricing queries. I had about 13 cakes and goodies in my list, and a few questions about the sizes and number of pieces per box, but I never heard their staff grumble. That was a good sign. Their cakes are at very reasonable prices. Their whole round cakes are at Php400-Php500 only. Most of their cheesecakes are at around Php550. Now, isn't that a good price and the products are all mouth watering ! I bought one whole Swiss Chocolate Cake , tried a slice of Potato Almond Crunch, a box of Walnut Brownies (32pcs), and a box of butterscotch bars(32 pcs). All of these and I still have a change for my Php1000. Whew! If you wanna try out their delectable cakes and goodies visit them at these branches:

Becky's Kitchen
Community Center, Suha St.,
Valle Verde I, Pasig City
Tel: 671-7606
Or
1061 P. Ocampo cor. Bautista St.
Singalong, Manila
Tel: 525-1648, 523-4245

A piece of advice: Go there early. Or better yet call them ahead of time to reserve. Their products are usually sold out, easily. That's Becky's Kitchen!

Tuna Pasta

Was looking through some old photographs last night and saw the picture I had with some officemates during a team party. It was pot luck so I brought this tune pasta, which has been a family favorite. It was a hit for my team mates before the party was over they were already asking for the recipe. I was even receiving text messages from the others who have heard of it. It is just a twist to the usual spaghetti or fettuccini alfredo that many are used to, just substitute meat with tuna.

Tuna Pasta

1 kl pasta (fettuccini or spaghetti noodles)
2 cans all purpose cream
1 small can evaporated milk
2 cans tuna in brine or spicy (you can combine both)
1 can button mushroom (sliced)
Parmesan cheese (shredded)
½ cup butter
½ cup chopped onions
½ cup chopped garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley for garnishing (chopped)

How to do it:

Cook pasta according to package instructions or until al dente.
In a pan, sauté onions and garlic until light brown stir in mushroom and tuna.
Pour in all purpose cream, cheese and season with salt and pepper.
Pour the sauce on your pasta garnish it with parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Bon Apetit!