Chefs on Parade 2013: Modern Contemporary Filipino Cuisine 3-course set menu entry of St Therese MTC College Iloilo City

Can I tempt you with this roulade of beef caldereta with embutido stuffing? Chef Miner del Mundo actually did that to me two Saturdays ago when I showed up at La Fiesta Hotel for a culminating activity of his culinary team from St. Therese MTC College. They were preparing for the biennial Chefs on Parade competition which will took place a week (from then) and I had the gastronomic pleasure of having to sample three sets of their contest "pieces" totalling 11 dishes.

This Modern Contemporary Filipino Cuisine set is described as A modern family style presentation of contemporary Filipino cuisine that combines the chosen main ingredient with other local ingredients. Live cooking of a three-course set menu of three (3) portions each consisting of one (1) appetizer, one (1) main dish and one (1) dessert served family style. (Read More).

For this the team's appetizer was Seafood longganiza with Visayan Adobado sauce (atchuete-coocnut cream and native vinegar) with turnip and cucumber salad on bago-ong dressing. Prawns, pan grilled squid inasal, kalkag grouper and green mango kinilaw, coconut creme

Ilonggo cooking and ingredients have greatly influenced this entry as seen with the use of adobado sauce, kalkag and inasal cooking technique - which are very common anywhere in the region. But I almost have totally forgot everything the moment I had the seafood longganisa.

It was freshly made (the mixing, seasoning, and finally cooking) right then and there as they were also practicing the live cooking demo which is among the contests they entered. The aroma was so appetizing that I never wasted time tasting it. It was very delicious! I could have eaten 10 pcs if there were that many serve then. The spices and seasoning gave it the familiar longganiza aroma and taste at first bite.Then the texture of chunky shrimps and fish becomes evident and you know its not the usual longganisa you've had.

That set up my mood for more food and the the main dish which is a roulade of beef embracing an embotido (filling) then smothered with tick caldereta sauce. For presentation purposes only a minimal amount of the sauce was placed but there was a big extra bowl that I took delight on.

I also loved the side dish it came with, a sort of mashed sweet potato. It was light that it balanced the heavy caldereta making it just a balanced meal. But on its own (sweet potato timbale) it was very good that I finished one serving (and would have asked for more LOL.)

Finally a trio of dessert. Glutinous Rice Skewer on Muscovado Caramel Sauce and Ensaymada Leche Flan Pudding with marinated fruits. While the first two desserts are on teh sweet side the fruits balance the taste buds with some hints of sourness that makes everything tastes sweeter the next bite.

And saving the best for last, I still can't get over the ensaymada leche flan pudding which has "sort of" leche flan base and ensaimada top OR maybe like ensaymada with leche flan "sauce". It's a heavenly yet sinful dessert that even just looking at the photo, you know how sweet and delicious it really is. Its one dessert that would make you confess after eating it but no matter how sinful it maybe, you'd find it a gastronomic pleasure to repeat committing it again.

Note: This set menu of St. Therese MTC College shared the Gold Distinction (with ISCAHM) in the 2013 Chefs on Parade competition held at SMX at the SM Mall of Asia.

Ready-to-cook Pancit Molo balls

It was only today that I remembered buying a pack of ready-to-cook pancit Molo. Locals are fortunate to buy them at groceries here saving them time, money and effort in the tedious preparation of pancit Molo. Anyway every pack of the RTC pancit Molo has the balls and the lang-lang . Its the balls that entice the buyers and the lang lang that "dictates" the price and weight. For this blog entry, I opted for the AR brand (150 grams for PhP 21) since they had the more photogenic combination at that time though I'm more partial to the Cares brand. Separating the contents makes you realize that what you actually bought but for that price, it's already a bargain, can be cooked in many ways and can serve 2-3 people. It is then up to you what you can make out from a pack or more. For this preparation, I used 2 chicken broth cubes and just estimated the amount of water. Upon taste test I added a pinch of salt, a dash of pepper and few drops of soy sauce. I boiled the lang

Ultimate Ilonggo Favorite: KBL Kadyos, Baboy, Langka

K.B.L. or Kadyos, Baboy, Langka is the ultimate favorite dish of most Ilonggos. It is also one of the most missed native dishes as kadyos and the souring ingredient, batwan , are hard to find when outside of the Ilonggo region. Basically, it is boiled/stewed pork dish owing its "deliciousness" to the combination of the soft and tender pork, the tamed sourness of batwan and the malinamnam na sabaw . One of the "secrets" of the malinamnamn na sabaw , is the fact that the pork, whether just the plain meat or pata (hocks) are first grilled or broiled. This gives the broth a rather smoky taste that makes it more appetizing.. Learn how to make the Ilonggo dish KBL (Kadyos, Baboy, at Langka) with the recipe below. Ingredients 1 kilo Pata (pork hocks) or pork cubes, GRILLED and sliced into bite size pieces 1 unripe Jack fruit, cubed 2 cups pigeon pea (kadyos) 6-8 pieces batwan fruit (or tamarind powder) 1 piece pork broth cube (

A new flavour for the Dinagyang 2011 Food Festival

Aside from the dances, drums and colorful costumes, Dinagyang also means food and Iloilo City has a lot to offer during this 3-day event. The festival brings them to the streets with the much awaited Dinagyang Food Festiva l . For four days, major streets in the city are lined with food stalls and kiosks that everywhere one turns it all about food. As this article states, major streets in Iloilo City will have a food festival there will be plenty of places to indulge in during D inagyang 2011 . ILOILO City's world-famous Dinagyang Festival will turn the spotlight on Ilonggo cuisine this year. Tourists are encouraged to try chicken barbecue the Ilonggo way and other tasty local dishes during the festival. There are also the world-famous Ilonggo delicacies and other concoctions to bring home after enjoying the Dinagyang ati-atihan and Kasadyahan competitions. Not only that. The 1s t Iloilo Convention and Visitors Bureau (ICVB) International Food Festival 2011 will attempt t

Valenciana

A close relative of paella, this dish originated in Valencia, Spain and probably brought by the Spaniards when they colonized the country. Always a staple in family gatherings, this yellow rice is a complete meal in itself, with pork, chicken, liver, chorizo, shrimps, bellpeppers, peas and raisins to name its basic ingredients. RECIPE Saute your choice meats and vegetables. Cook malagkit rice with turmeric and broth cubes then mix sauted meat and vegetables when almost done. Garnish with hardboiled eggs and onion leaves.

SIDRO: Iloilo's very own gourmet doughnuts

Just listening to Isidro Panizales Jr. animatedly talking about his life before and after being a “doughnut-preneur”, is like the different flavors of Sidro Doughnuts . Each variant seems to reflect different aspects of his almost three decades of living in America. From his work in corporate America for more than 10 years to that one little spark of deciding leaving work to pursue his delicious passion – life is like a box of doughnuts! IN A DOUGHNUT HOLE Sidro is an offshoot from the name Isidro but as Sid says, it’s a tribute to his father. The first Sidro Doughnuts came out of the kitchen and delivered to one lucky doughnut-phile on Dec. 18 last year. It comes in two sizes – Junior Doughnuts which at 30 grams each are perfect for parties and occasions. But if you can’t enough, there are the Regular Doughnuts which is more than 3x at 100 grams and comes with more toppings and flavours. Choose among nine specially concocted creations - Bugnay Berry, Calamansi, Dulce

FLAVOURS OF ILOILO

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