CRAVING FOR ROASTED STRAWBERRY BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE

I recently had a craving for strawberries so I went to the supermarket. After satisfying my palate pangs, I still had a handful left. So I decided to make my own strawberry vinaigrette to use in the for salads in the next few days.

You can try this one out if you have strawberries to spare.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup strawberries
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp stone ground Dijon mustard 
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper

TO MAKE

• Prepare the strawberries by washing, removing the stems and cutting into halves.
• Preheat your oven to 425 °F.
• Get  baking tray and evenly position the strawberries.
• Place the strawberries in the oven.  The fruit will release its own juices. Roast until it caramelizes. That should be about 15 minutes for small Baguio strawberries, and 20 mintes for the big-sized ones.
• Once roasted, remove the strawberries and let it cool.
• Purée the strawberries along with the balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, stone-ground Dijon mustard, garlic and pepper. Make sure to include any strawberry juices in the baking trays.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

• Once the mixture is consistently smooth, pour it in a jar. 
• Keep refrigerated and serve cold.

Did you know that aside from being used as a salad dressing, vinaigrettes can also be used to baste meat? I wonder what the Rosated Strawberry Balsamic Viniagrette will be good for?

FOOD QUOTE OF THE WEEK

TRIED AND TASTED: ISAW BY LOLA OTE

When I crave street food but don't feel like pedestrian dining, I go to Lola  Ote's where barbecued street food are served churrasco style inside an airconditioned establishment. My favorite is the pork isaw (intestines), round bits of intestinal muscles, fat and mucosa marinated in  sweet soy and grilled in high heat that turns some parts into toasty bits.  I like it because there's no bitter aftertaste and it's not dry, the way most neighborhood barbecue stalls tend to grill theirs.

On the right is the isaw, beside it is the barbecued tenga (ears). The fat is tender and heart-clogging but the cartilege isn't boiled to melt-in-your-mouth tenderness. 

 LOLA OTE
Address: 24 Sgt. Esguerra St., South Triangle, Tomas Morato, Quezon City
Telephone: +63 9175217892/ 02 5430076

QUICKIE ON THE SIDE: ROASTED MARBLE POTATOES

Often, when friends come over, I often overlook the side dish that goes with the main course. Does this happen to you, too?

Here's an easy-to-make side that requires Herbes de Provence, a mixture of dried herbs commonly used in Southeast France. Though it sounds exotic, it's actually very easy to make and will surely impress your guests. Trust me.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 kg.   Marble potatoes
• 3 tbsp.    Olive  oil
• Herbes de Provence
• Salt and pepper

TO MAKE:

Step 1: Prep the potatoes. Wash the potatoes and let them dry on a rack.

Step 2: Make the Herbes de Provence.  Mix and grind: Savory, Marjoram, Rosemary, Thyme and Oregano. Savory or satureja is very hard to come by in the Philippines. You can substitute additional thyme and sage.

Step 3: Roast the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Mix in the Herbes de Provence and place the potatoes on a roasting pan. Coat potatoes with olive oil and, season with salt and pepper. Roast for  20 minutes, making sure it's tender before you take it out of the oven.

Serve with tomato-based meat or poultry dishes.

TRIED AND TASTED: DESSERTS AT ZUNI

Zuni is one of the posh restaurants you can find in Greenbelt 5. Well received by its Makati clientele for its wide selection of perfectly done meats and seafood, the restaurant has a relaxed yet elegant ambience. 

To get a 360 degree of the restaurant, just click on the pic to get linked to their website.

My friends and I found ourselves gravitating towards the restaurant after attending an exhibit opening in the nearby Ayala Museum. Since we were full, we skipped the entrees and went straight for the desserts.

The Zuni Obsession is a drool-worthy platter of moist chocolate cake with chocolate ganache served with assorted fresh fruits and vanilla ice cream on hippen mush. 

It's such a pretty dessert, you almost don't want to eat it. Almost. The cake was moist and not overly sweet and went well with the vanilla ice cream. It's a sophisticated version of brownie a la mode. What intrigued me was the term "hippen mush." It turns out, it's not mush but rather, masse as in hippenmasse, the baking term for a crusty wafer-like pastry shell that tastes like barquillos or an ice cream cone. Funny that they made the dessert so pretty but forgot to check the name on the menu. 

We also tried the Peach and Apple Crumble. Again, wonderfully plated.

 

The mini pie contained a mix of peach and apple and served with apple sauce, mini peach halves, mint leaves and a patina of powdered dark cocoa, which I believe was more for show than to tie in all the elements together. It's forgivable, though, since you could choose to skip the bitter cocoa since the tangy apple sauce was enough to balance the sweetness from all over.

Zuni Greenbelt

Address: Level 1, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Greenbelt, Makati City

Telephone:  +63 9175349197 / 02 7570361

Website:  http://www.zuni.com.ph

 

FOOD QUOTE OF THE WEEK

TRIED & TASTED: SAMBONG CHIPS

 

I guess the question on your mind is... what the hell is Sambong?

It is a flowering plant with the scientific name is Blumea balsamifera also known as subsub in the Iocos region and bukadkad in the Visayan provinces. It is often mistaken for sage (Salvia officialis) because of its similarly hairy leaves and medicinal properties.

It is usually used as a diuretic to treat urinary and kidney problems. But our forefathers also used it to cure common colds, diarrhea and wounds. These days, it is often turned into tea sold in many health stores.

Some people may have felt that medicinal tea is so boring. Eating chips would make more  people with urinary tract problems pee their pants in excitement. Great idea, terrible recipe. The flavor of the sambong overpowers everything. Every bite tastes like a tortilla topped with a spoonful of dried herbs. They tried to mask the overly herbal taste with a bit more salt and pepper but it only resulted to disastrous over seasoning. I do hope the makers of Sambong Chips would rethink and retest their recipe because we do need more healthy snacks.

 

I believe the Nikimat's label is produced by the same makers of Ocean Fresh Tahong Chips. Get linked by clicking here.