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| A salad platter. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
Cooking lessons used to be given at home by Moms or Lolas or an Aunt...relatives in the clan known for their cooking/baking prowess or by someone who just came from cooking school abroad. The cooking lessons learned from them are considered priceless!
Summer is definitely here in the Philippines, cooking lessons are in season. Go. It's time to learn things you'll never unlearn.
At times, friends would ask me for the best place to send their kids to learn how to cook or bake. I go through my mental list of Summer class offerings and recommend to them the more interesting lessons. For kids, it would be Japanese - sushi making because it teaches simplicity, cleanliness, exactness (every sushi has to be the same size), color and flavor combination, and overall, Asian discipline. The older foodies will do well in cooking more difficult stuff like steaks, sea bass, and other expensive ingredients or in mastering cooking techniques like caramelization, sauce reduction, butchering, etc..
Those who have plans to pursue a chef's life can start with the basic cooking lessons and learn sauces from scratch. There are numerous culinary schools in the country indicating that the industry is healthy and expanding.
SEAFOOD SALAD
You will need:
1 kg musselss, cooked and shells removed
1 kg squid, cleaned, sliced and blanched
1 kg shrimp, peeled and blanched
1 pack arugula
1 pack broccoli sprouts
Dressing:
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp minced capers
salt and pepper to taste
To make dressing, mix all ingredients together. Season with salt and pepper. Toss dressing and seafoods together. Arrange arugula on a plate, top with seafood and top with broccoli sprouts.
THAI BEEF SALAD
300 gms sirloin, sliced thinly (1/4" thick)
1/2 pack assorted greens
1 pc cucumber, seeded then cut into strips
3 stalks celery, cut into strips
1 pc carrot, peeled and cut into strips
1 cup cherry tomatoes, cut into half
Toppings:
2 tbsp green onion, chopped
1/4 cup fried shallots
1/4 cup fried skinless peanuts, coarsely chopped
Dressing:
2 tbsp peanut oil
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp chili flakes
To make dressing, mix all ingredients together. Season and sear both sides of sirloin in a hot pan with a little oil and place in a bowl. Pour some dressing to the beef. Arrange the salad ingredients on a plate and pour in dressing. Toss to mix. Top with seared beef, green onion, peanuts and fried onion.
ENSALADANG MAMARANG NG TAGAYTAY
You will need:
25 g oyster mushroom
25 g button mushroom
25 g fresh shitake mushroom
25 g enoki mushroom or straw mushroom
15 g salt and pepper
10 g red radish
2 tbsp lambanog (coconut wine)
5 g spring onion
5 g red and green pepper
40 g Tagaytay greens
For the Pili Nut Vinaigrette:
2 tbsp virgin coconut oil
10 g crushed pili nut
1 tsp calamansi juice
10 g shallots (small dice)
honey
mustard
wasabi
Blanch all mushrooms. Soak them in cold water for 10-15 seconds. Drain then set aside. Mix all the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
Put the vinaigrette ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add virgin coconut oil, honey, mustard, wasabi, and salt and pepper to taste.
Toss the mushrooms and greens in a salad bowl with the vinaigrette dressing. Arrange them on a plate and serve with garnish of orchid petals.
GREEN NATIVE LEAF WITH PURPLE LEAF AND CLAMS
You will need:
50 g alugbati (Malabar spinach leaves)
50 g pako (fern) leaves
120 ml coconut cream
10 g shredded fresh coconut
1 tsp Tabasco
2 tbsp soy sauce
5 g garlic
5 g onions
3 g ginger
500 g sea clams
For the Fruits Vinaigrette:
1 tbsp chopped mango, melon and strawberry
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp virgin coconut oil
1 tsp calamansi
1 tsp lambanog
salt and pepper
For the garnish:
1 pc lavosh bread
1 pc lemon wedge
1 pc chili
Here's how:
1. Blanch alugbati and pako young leaf in boiling water for about 10-15 seconds. Transfer to cold water then drain. Set aside.
2. Prepare all the remaining items in a mixing bowl. Clean the sea clams. Blanch them in salt and calamansi juice until the clams open.
3. Wash them in cold water then set aside. Prepare the dressing with fruits in a mixing bowl then toss with the greens.
4. Arrange the greens and clams on a plate with lavosh bread.
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