I am the Captain of My Sauce

I am like Marg Simpson. Homer's wife put PINEAPPLE in everything she cooks. I put them in my sandwiches, cakes, fried rice, stews and salads, whether fruit or vegetable. I grill it too with tomatoes. And of course in my drinks. I just love it. In my first few years as a Kindergarten teacher. I went to a 1 week training with some Early-childhood Educators from Israel. The training was in CDO 6 hours or so travel from my city. One of the places we visited on that training was the DOLE Pineapple Plant. We saw how they were planted, harvested, prepared and canned. I do not know what it has to do with Kinder Training but I was fascinated even more of these multi-eyed spiny fruit. Can't get enough of it. There was a time though that I developed reactions to eating this fruit but I persisted anyway. I think the small ones you can find in the Philippines are the best. Even in our US Trip I still crave for Pinya. After Disneyland's Tiki Room experience (which I think was the most boring of the lot-) I asked Rich to get me some Dole Whip Float. It was great! And when I am in the Philippines, Jollibee's pineapple juice is the first thing I order.

June 18, 2011

One of my most loved memory was watching every cooking show on TV with Mama in their bedroom. Between Falcon Crest and Dynasty, we'd talk about what rosemary would have smelt like, or oregano. We enjoy lifestyle show segments of Sylvia Reynoso-Gala, Nora Daza and others. Later on Yan Can Cook and the delicious Ming Tsai came in. There was also this unforgettable English dude who was such a slob! We couldn't understand why his programme was not axed but we still watched him anyway. Most of the times grimacing at how he used the same teatowels to wipe the slosh on the floor and the sauces on the pots. I guess those were the years when TV Food Regulation was not that strict. I remember Mama would always say the best ingredients are fresh produce and love, then I would add:  also pag-ampo na way mahilo haha! (and 'prayers' that no one would get food poisoning).

I love channel surfing and the only ones that never fail to capture my attention are Cooking shows. Many years later I would enjoy Nigella, Rachael Ray, Martha Stewart, Jamie Oliver, Maggie Beer, Maeve's Food Safari and Fast Ed of Better Homes and Gardens. I even watch The Iron Chef, complete with subtitles  :-) Recently out of curiosity I watched a Greek reality show on SBS. Amateurish but hey, they were cooking and eating, so for  a week I spent half an hour a night watching it. It was okay but not enough for me to follow the next season.

My early exposure to these shows paved a way for my love affair with Masterchef. For 3 seasons now, 6 nights a week I watch it. On the dot @ 7:30 pm. Religiously. Almost to a point of wearing my Sunday's Best. : - )

I love my food but I have some food that I would be happy not eating for the rest of my life. I can be called picky because I do not like lamb. I am not used to it and I think I will not get used to it. It also makes me feel drowsy after eating. I don't care about Chorizo Chipotle. I do not know why but I just don't. I do not like Indian food, their bottomless use of different spices makes me sneeze, gag, itch and at times faint. I do make my own version of Tandoori chicken but I use the spice sparingly and put in more Filipino loving. I like it better that way. My brother King said : Tandani Chicken na jaon. Aye.

Because of my reactions to different spices it is safer for me to stick with the South-east Asian variants I grew up with. Garlic, onions, lemon grass, tamarind, kamias, anis, paminta and atsuete (our own version of saffron minus the exhobirant price tag)  are all very familiar to me and I use them all the time without any mishaps :-)

And who could ever forget this group of Visayas/Mindanao pineapple traders who has this truck laden with the sweetest pineapples? They travel around and the way they cut and peel the pineapples is just short of breath-taking. Like scimitar welding warriors, they peel and slice a fruit with exact precision in 25 seconds flat. Add 2 seconds and it is in a clear plastic bag. 100 eyes removed, sliced and cut lengthwise, ready to eat. I wonder if they still exist.

I have a story related to that too. 17 years ago, when I was serving as an LDS missionary in Lapu-Lapu island in the Visayas. My American companion Sister Jen Cagle. and I spotted the pineapple truck. I told Sister Cagle this is a once in a lfetime experience. We bought a couple and the young men on top of the truck proceeded to show their RiverDance way of peeling the pineapple. Sister Cagle was amused and shocked at the same time! Wow.

Then one man asked us:

"Where are you from"
"She is from the US, I am from Surigao City"
"Surigao City?"
"Yep"
"What part?"
"Amat-Diez "
"Oh, ila Mayor! Kahamok ijo ido! Hadlok kami!"
(roughly translated: I know that address, we are scared of your dogs)...

Hahahaha my companion who was already shocked nearly fainted.
"How can people know you so well Tandz? Even here!"
***

Back to my pineapple love affair.

I also would like to think that one of the reasons for this fascination is the frustrated Hawaiian in me. I wanted to be married in the Laie Temple. I love kalachuchi. Even though I did not make it to the cut to Hula in Grade 3, I asked Mama to buy me grass skirt. AND I think Lilo and Stitch rock.

When Richard and I were newly married he used to work in the biggest entertainment venue in Melbourne. He was the bar man. I use to work with him from time to time. The workers and patrons there thought that my twang was American Accent. I have rolling R's. Rich got tired of explaining to people I was from the Philippines (where's that again? - cue 'rolling eyes') so one night he just said I was from Hawaii. That stopped them. Cool, if only someone was able to teach me how to girate to Hawaii 5-O theme.

Oh I almost forgot, MasterChef.

I am so into this show. I live tweet and my tweets must be witty enough to be retweeted by some people, but then again they might just as well be idiots who do not have anything else better to do.

I easily get so involved with the shows I watch. I hated all the opponents of Alicia Florrick, I do not think Horacio Caine is OA with his sunnies, I laugh with the ladies of DHousewife and love obnoxious Dr House. I know all the Offspring people. I like to think Nigel, Cat Deeley and NapiTabs are my close friends. I am also brushing up my Español to like Gloria in Modern Family. And the news, don't get me started, I even watch Bandila reruns. :-)

In Masterchef Australia - I know Gary, George and Matt so well. I even now know Matt Moran who guest judge. And Adriano 'freakin-Zumbo! I can close my eyes and can tell who was tasting which. Hah! I even know that one judge looks like a handsome toad. Well, I chose what I watch so as not to waste my emotions, so Masterchef is shortisted.

It is a roller coaster ride. I love the parts where they are actually cooking but HATED the part when contestants think they are the default speaker for the show. I do not care what is your opinion. Go back to your bench and cook! (Sun and Dani I am talking to you!)

Like all blood sport I like the underdogs and the quiet unassuming ones. Kumar in this season is Aussie/Indian/Bangladeshi gentleman in his 60's. He is short and sweet like all grandpas. He reminds me of Yoda. Inspite of his background he does not even like curries! Hurray! I am so glad that no one is going to be a one-hit-curry-wonder this season. Remember Jimmy? (Nah? Me neither). But I do feel for Kumar. He got shoved so many times just trying to get his ingredients. I would not let my father join this competition, but then again my father is not Yoda.

I have my favourites but they change from time to time. There was even that fraction of a second when I actually liked Dani! OMG moment there. Thank God it passed. I have to be extra vigilant now. She has this voodoo thingy air that when she laughs she actually thinks she is cute! *Repulsive shudder* And he whose name should not be uttered lest he becomes more famous than he deserves: the one who was able to sneak in a smartphone. Oh gee, crime induced cuisine!

The show though gave me inspiration to create something special in my kitchen. Even if I have nothing fancy in my pantry I am able to create something that makes Richard smile. That is all the result I need.

Yesterday, I started my day slow. I did the laundry and cleaned the kitchen. I read news for a while. I love news from all over the world. My world. Philippines, Australia, Time and CNN.

Then a virus hit me. Before I knew it I was checking the avocados in the supermarket. I looked and I had a half full trolley in front of me. It feels surreal! I was actually beamed from my couch to Coles! I had ham hock, lentils, apples, puff pastries, eggs, chocolates of all kind, I was on a roll! I sort of remembered wanting to bake brownies at one point of the day, but what I have here are the makings of a pagan feast.

So just that afternoon I was able to make:

Apple Strudel

Apple pies
ginormous double nut chocolate muffins
chocolate cupcakes
super creamy-fragilistic egg & potato salad (with pineapple of course!)
humble pan fried steak with soy garlic jus
caramelized carrots

and sour cream mash potatoes

 

 

 

 

All between the hours of 1:00 pm and 3:45 pm! Wow even I was impressed! Just where did this drive come from? Was it MASTERCHEF?

Absolutely.

As I am pretty sure there was not a rat on my chef hat. I followed the tricks I learned. Mise en place ( meez ahn plahs) - had my ingredients prepared and ready to go before I start cooking. Wait til I do en papillote, en crute, etc! But I might leave it like that as I want to grill my steak not torture my tongue.

Amazing how much you can do when you put your mind to it. And to think that there were numerous occassions when I refuse to lift a finger to fry an egg! But this time I was slicing, dicing, julliene(ing? =), beating, peeling, etc etc! Like some unseen force was guiding me. (Yoda was it you?) I even cleaned up after! Yes Virginia, even the pots and pans were scrubbed.

Rich and I sat down for an early dinner at 5:00 pm. The food was great! The steaks were medium to well done, just as I like. Rich would have medium rare but hey... :-) The mash was oh so creamy. It was restaurant quality!

I felt that I can compare it to Mama's Fiesta spread. Right then and there I wished we were together again in our round table. In Amat Diez. Mama would be so proud of me and I would regal everyone that Rosemary does not smell any better than our tangyad and oregano is not as indespensable as our duyao.

I miss home.

But Richard is my home now, he is the chef in this family. I am only an apprentice but today, he not only smiled, he beamed.  I was able to prove that when I set my mind to it,

I can be the Master of my Wok.