FOOD QUOTE OF THE WEEK

TRIED & TASTED: SUMMER BURRATA SALAD AT GINO'S BRICK OVEN PIZZA

Garden salads are definitely more fun to eat if they come with something calorie-laden  like cheese. 

This is definitely a non-dieter's salad.

This Summer Salad from Gino's Brick Oven Pizza is a mix of greens, prosciutto, pine nuts, parmigiano reggiano, dalandan dressing and a small burrata.  You simply break the burrata's outer shell made of mozzarella and let the creamy mixture inside flow slowly onto your greens. Squeeze a little of the dalandan to add that tangy twist.

Burrata, which has about 90 calories, is said to have originated from Altopiano delle Murge, a rocky plateau found in the south of Italy know for its marble quarries, olive orchards and cattle. This artisanal cheese is considered as pasta filata  or stretched curd cheese  and was first produced around the 1920's out of the Piana Padula farm at Castel del Monte by signor Lorenzo Bianchini Chieppa. He wanted to save cream inside a sack made of scraps of shredded mozzarella.

 Traditionally,  the burrata is wrapped in leaves of asphodel. This was to make it look prettier and also as an indication of how fresh the cheese is. If the leaves lost their bright green color, then the cheese is more than a day old. I found a video from the Culinary Institute of America that shows the modern burrata production process.

Ginos Brick Oven Pizza

2/F K2 Building, 341 Katipunan Avenue, Loyola Heights, Quezon City
Telephone: 02- 2257462/ 02-2121212

Cheap Pizzas and the Stupid Things I Did In My Youth

In my freshman year in college, whenever I felt a little lost and needed time for myself, I always watched a movie alone. Well not entirely alone as 8 slices of cheap Hawaiian Pizza would always accompany me along with a large drink of soda.

I would have some sort of tradition. I would sit myself in the middle aisle, wait for the lights to come down, open the box of pizza and eat the first slice by the time the first trailer comes up on the silver screen.

Every bite of the  thick, chewy dough smothered with tomato sauce, processed ham, cheese and crushed pineapple tidbits was a reassurance that the food, the cinema and the movie, no matter how crappy, were all my choices. I was in that age when proclaiming my independence was top priority. 

I used to do a lot of crappy shit in my youth like going home drunk and shoeless, skipping classes to watch Joey de Leon and Rene Requiestas movies and asking my dad for extra money for some non-existent school project. I would never call my mom if I was coming home late (no mobile phones back then); volunteer to sing in a karaoke bar while the hosts make fun of me and wear patched leather pigskin bustiers  (heavily padded) to classes. My juvenile self back then thought that all the fun I chose to have were signs of independence. 

Looking back now, they were merely follies of my youth.  I was one of them artsy fartsy bohemians who thought she could change the world.

That was 20 years and twenty pounds ago.

The world has indeed changed. Kids can now SMS their moms to tell them they'd be coming home late and even send an MMS for some photographic proof of where they are and who they're with. Kids don't go to movies unless they're Hollywood blockbusters with some robot, superhero or blood-sucking vampires. And when they do, these calorie-counting kids can buy just a slice of pizza to take with them to the movie house.

  

Recently, I bought a whole Hawaiian pizza for myself at the supermarket. I never got to finish it though because as much as I wanted to relive my youthful days of independence, I realized I had to lose all the pounds I gained from years of eating pizzas by myself.

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.

Off Days and Pinoy Pizza

There are some days when things just don't seem to work for you. That day used to always be Monday for me. But now that I've gone freelance, it surprises me that Tuesdays, Wednesday, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and heck, even Sundays can be off-days.

It is  on such days that our tiny kitchen is filled with dirty dishes and leftovers are called lunch. One recent easy to cook snack on my off days is my recently discovered Pinoy Pizza. You can vary the ingredients, depending on what's available. I have put in my recommended alternatives below the recipe.

Pardon me if this intro is short. it is an off day, after all.

Pinoy Pizza

Ingredients:
2 small Frozen Pizza crust
250 gms or 4 packs of Kesong Puti (Cheese from Carabao's Milk), sliced
2 Itlog na Pula (Red Eggs), sliced
1 medium-sized boneless Tinapang Bangus (Smoked Milkfish), crumbled
4-6 pieces of medium-sized native tomatoes, sliced
150 gms Queso de Bola (Edam Cheese), grated

Procedure:

Thaw the frozen pizza crust.
Slice the Kesong Puti into 1/4 inch thick slices. Wipe away any liquid.
Place on top of the crust covering as much crust as possible.
Place the sliced tomatoes on top pf the kesong Puti.
Crumble the Tinapang Bangus and layer on top of the tomatoes.
Add another layer of sliced tomatoes
Sprinkle the grated Queso de Bola generously.

Pre-heat your oven toaster for 10 minutes at 250degrees. Bake the Pizza for 10-15 minutes or until the crust edges get that toasted look or turn dark brown.
Slice and serve.

Alternatives:
For Kesong Puti- Cream Cheese (but if you use this, use the Queso de Bola sparingly)

For Tinapang Bangus- Bottled Spanish Sardines or Tawilis (take out the bones and feel free to sprinkle a little of the oil on top of the Pizza

For Queso de Bola- Cheddar

For Itlog na Pula: Sorry I haven't found a suitable rd egg altenative. What you can do though, is to take out the pizza  5 minutes before it's fully cooked, crack a raw egg on top (you can use quail eggs, too)  and put back the pizza in the oven.

For the frozen Pizza crust- you can use white bread or pan de sal cut in half.

You can also add:
- onion rings (best if marinated in pineapple juice or honeyed calamansi juice for at least 30 minutes
- Pineapple tidbits
- Chili flakes (sprinkle after taking the Pizza out of the oven)