Can't. Sleep. Will make Adobong Tahong and Tawilis Pasta.

I've been working 'til 3 AM and I have to be on the road by 8:30 AM again. Life's not particularly sucky right now, just tightly scheduled.  Last time I had a similar schedule, I slept through the morning and barely made it to my morning appointment. What to do so it doesn't happen again? Fight sleep with a little early morning kitchen action.

Here's a picture of the Adobong Tahong and Tawilis Pasta I finished a few minutes ago.

And now here's how to make it...

ADOBONG TAHONG AND TAWILIS PASTA

Ingredients:
1 can bottled Tawilis, drained and shredded
1 can bottled Tuyo, drained and shredded
500 grams of Adobong Tahong by Jaq's Kitchen (a small stall at the Salcedo Market)
400 grams of pasta (Linguini is preferred by Spaghetti will do)
1 can whole peeled tomatoes (about 500 gms)
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup bacon (not the honey cured kind), chopped
1 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, peeled and sliced
1 big onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 pieces red cherry peppers, finely chopped
a dash of dried basil
a dash of dried sage
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta as directed in the packet. drain and save about 1 cup of the pasta water.

Boil the bacon in about 1/8 cup of water and brown it in its own fat. Add 1/2 cup of olive oil to the pan and saute the onions and garlic. Add in the adobong tahong. Once it boils, add in the whole peeled tomatoes, sundried tomatoes and the shredded tuyo. Let it boil and then add in the pasta water, and the herbs. Reduce the sauce to a thick consistency over low heat. Just before the sauce reaches the consistency you want, add in half of the Parmesan cheese and the cherry peppers.

Once the sauce has thickened, in a separate pan, heat the remaining olive oil and add in the sauce. Mix gently. Add the pasta slowly and mix gently just so you cover all the noodles with the sauce. Put aside at least 1/2 cup of the sauce. Once the noodles have been evenly coated, plate and top with the extra pasta sauce, shredded tawilis and parmesan cheese.

For a little punch, drizzle some truffle oil. Mine s courtesy of my good friend and kindred foodie, Daki Fernando.

You can also add in some arugula leaves or whole Tawilis pieces for a prettier plating. 

Three-Cheese Linguini with Bacon Chunks

Sounds sinful doesn't it?

Well, it is. A. says it's so rich, every bite is like a slice of cheese.

I haven't finalized  the recipe yet as I may have to figure out what mushroom works best and if the olives and capers do belong in the recipe. Maybe it will work better with fettucini than the thinner strands of linguine.

BALUT at BLACK SOUP CAFE + ARTSPACE

Once a week, A. and our long-time friend E. usually eat out. We share a new experience and E. dishes out the latest showbiz chismis (gossip). A few weeks back, we made to it a small but cozy place along the booming Maginhawa street, Blacksoup Cafe + Artspace.

Black Soup Cafe

As I already had dinner, I got myself one of the more intriguing dishes on the menu, Hot Balut.  Although Balut has been featured in many shows as a curious (red: weird) Filipino food, it is quite common in other Southeast Asian countries. In Thailand it is called Khai Luk, Pong Tea Khon in Cambodia and Trung Vit Ion in Vietnam.

The boiled duck egg  is served, shelled chopped and sauteed. If you have a distaste for the unborn ugly duckling, then this dish will be a challenge for you to look at.

Hot Balut

Spiced with siling haba (green chili), garlic and onions, the balut remains tasty but after finishing it, I missed the experience of cracking the egg, drinking the hot salty liquid inside and putting salt before you open the egg fully and biting into the feathery flesh of the duck embryo.

As our friend dished out the latest story on a young actor turned away by a potential gay politician benefactor because of his scarred bum, we took turns tasting the different dishes we ordered.

The Blacksoup Greens was refreshing, a little bit on the sweet side which fits the Filipino palate.

The Lamb inasal was tender although the meat portion was too small and cut too thin. It was hard to really dig in to the dish. The Dalandan Salad on the side was absolutely refreshing, a perfect complement to the grilled meat.

Lamb Inasal with Dalandan Salad

We shared several pastas but the most memorable was the Vigan Longganisa, with the pasta strands coated in the orange oil of the Ilokano sausage and spiced just right. But again, the serving was too small.

Vigan Longganisa pasta

Although our palates were satisfied, the portions in Blacksoup Cafe + Artspace left our bellies wanting more.

Wasabe pasta fail

A few weeks ago, I had dinner at the Old Spaghetti House and ordered a Wasabe Alfredo Linguini. Something new that I wanted to take a pic of but my old phone conked out. Like my phone the dish  was a fail, though not of epic proportions. The wasabe kick came in three mouthfuls too late, the mango was slightly sour and the sauce was too watery. Tsk..tsk...tsk...

Vigan Longganisa Pizza and Pasta ai Frutti de Mare

Last night was spent drinking blue cocktails to celebrate the birthday of a friend who passed away last year. There was no singing of "Seasons of Love" nor any form of group prayer. Those who came gathered to simply enjoy each other's company, rejoicing the fact that we're still here, alive and wondering which road to hell the country is going to take in the next few weeks.

As we enjoyed our pizza and pasta, talk turned to the elections and the possibility of a failure of elections. The first time  the phrase "failure of elections" was said out loud, someone discreetly knocked on wood three times to ward off the bad vibe that came with the phrase. Like the possibility of death, everyone seemed to be thinking about it, talked about it in whispers and hoped to high heavens that it wouldn't happen soon. Nobody had the courage to go on a full discourse on the matter. As if silence would make the possibility go away.

I think this very Pinoy habit of turning a blind eye is one reason why we have earned a reputation as pushovers. We like to keep quiet until our patience runs thin and we are on the verge of a major meltdown. I do hope that tomorrow, those can vote will exercise their right to be heard.

I do hope talk of the elections and our country's future hasn't ruined your appetite yet because I'm sharing my recipes for the pizza and pasta dish we had last night.

Vigan Longganisa Pizza

                                                                  
Ingredients:
2 small Frozen Pizza crusts
250 gms or 4 packs of Kesong Puti (Cheese from Carabao's Milk), sliced
6 pieces Vigan Longganisa
4-6 pieces of medium-sized native tomatoes, sliced1 onion, sliced into rings, soaked in orange juice for 15 minutes

Procedure:

Thaw the frozen pizza crust.
Slice the tomatoes and place on top of the crust, covering as much crust as possible.
Crumble the Kesong Puti and place on top of the tomatoes.
Remove the onion rings from the orange juice, pat dry and place on top of the Kesong Puti.
Remove the ground Vigan longganisa meat from its casing and crumble on the pizza surface.

Pre-heat your oven toaster for 10 minutes at 250degrees. Bake the Pizza for 15 minutes,  the crust should be toasted and the longganisa should turn a darker shade.
Slice and serve.

Pasta ai Frutti de Mare (Pasta with the fruits of the sea)

Ingredients:
- 500 grams spaghetti (or linguini)
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes (approx 480 grams)
-  200 grams sun dried tomatoes
- 2 heads of garlic, finely chopped
- 4 onions, finely chopped
- 1 bottle tuyo fillet in olive oil, drained and shredded
- 1 kilo tahong (mussels), shucked
- 200 grams scallops, shucked

- 1 kilo halaan (clams), shucked (set aside a few unshucked shells)
- 200 grams squid, cleaned and cut into rings
- 200 grams shrimps, shelled
- 1 cup olive oil- 50 grams butter
- 100 grams olives, sliced
- a sprig or two of fresh basil, chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese, grated

Cook the pasta as directed. Drain and set aside.

In high heat, sautee the seafoods, one at a time, in succession, using butter, 1/ 4 cup olive oil, garlic and onion.

My order of things are as follows: Shrimps, squid, scallops, tahong, halaan.  As the sauteeing progresses, the sauce in the pan gets more watery. Do not add salt. Let the fruits of the sea cook in their own juices and cook them only until they change color. Be careful not to overcook.

Add the remaining olive oil and canned tomatoes. Bring to a slow boil then lower the fire and add the sun dried tomatoes. When the sauce has thickened, about 10-15 minutes later, sadd the olives and the shredded bottled tuyo (do not include the oil and other spices from the bottle). You want to use the tuyo as the main source of salt. Shredding it adds a different texture to the sauce. I would not recommend anchovies as a replacement though, as it gives a more malansa (fishy) taste to the dish.  Add pepper and more salt, if so desired.  Add the basil and the seafoods last. 

Take the pan off the fire and ladle half of the sauce into a bowl. Bring back the pan to the fire and add in your pasta. Mix gently. Add in more sauce, as needed. Put the pasta mixture in a serving dish and top off with the remaining sauce. Generously sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving.