Tomato, Garlic and Basil Pasta

I made this quick pasta dish for lunch today.

Here's how:

The main ingredients - 1 lb. Tomato, 1 head of Garlic and about a cup of Basil

Lightly press the garlic with the knife - don't crush. Just press it enough to make it easy to peel them. Then slice the garlic into small pieces.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Add salt and olive oil in boiling water. Thin pasta works best like spaghetti and angel hair. But I love linguine so I used it here. I used about 600g of linguine here. If the instruction says 11 minutes, cook no longer than 11 minutes. 10 minutes would be better since the pasta will still be tossed with the sauce later.

When cooked, drain pasta and set aside.

Make an X on one end of the tomatoes. That will make it easy to peel later.

Drop in boiling water and let sit for 30-45 seconds. Do not overcook!!! It will be difficult to peel and seed if they're overcooked.

Then transfer to an ice bath (a bowl of cold water with ice).

It is then easy to peel the tomatoes.

Slice in quarters (or half if the tomatoes are small).

Then take out the seeds. Set aside.

Meanwhile, roughly tear the basil leaves. This will bring out the flavor and aroma very subtly.

Here are all the ingredients. I added half a cup of grated parmesan cheese, half a cup of shaved parmesan cheese (I used a peeler for this), 1/4 cup of chopped parsley (optional) and 2 small pieces of hot chili peppers (they are small but very deadly hot!).

Saute garlic and chili peppers in olive oil until almost golden. (Next time, I'll use 2 heads of garlic - the more the better!)

Then add the tomatoes, basil, parsley, grated parmesan cheese and the pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with more olive oil if too dry. Top with shaved parmesan cheese. Add a sprig of fresh basil for garnish.

Dinner at La Cocina De Tita Moning

Last April 21st, the day after we got back from our Bicol vacation, Ariel and I had a post-anniversary dinner at La Cocina De Tita Moning in Manila. It was my 2nd time, Ariel's 1st. We booked our dinner and selected our menu (we picked the very heavy menu 10) weeks before. A restaurant staff called me early on the 21st to confirm our arrival that evening. Suffice it to say, I barely got through the day with excitement.

I picked up Ariel at 7pm (we were booked at 8pm). Yes, I drove that day because Ariel's office is in UN Ave. It doesn't make sense for him to drive all the way to Makati only to drive back to Manila for our dinner. So, I dropped him off to work in the morning and picked him up for our dinner.

We were welcomed into the patio with some drinks and queso de bola toast. YUMMY!

Ariel soaking in the old feel of the house

Lemon Grass Iced Tea and Queso De Bola Toast

Just before dinner, we were ushered into the main house for a tour of the place which is now converted into a museum.

The Camera Room

Some of the prized paintings - this one is by Juan Luna

The wedding gown of one of Tita Moning's daughters - I wondered how she was able to walk down the aisle in this, it was so heavy!!!

Some priceless heirloom China hanging on the wall

The table setting

Yours truly

The family room

I told Ariel to take it slowly as there's a lot on the menu. We have to pace ourselves, otherwise, we won't be able to enjoy everything.

Puree of Fabada with Wantons of Chorizo - sounds good, tastes even better)

White wine with our dinner

Ariel enjoying his soup (although hindi sya mukhang masaya dito)

Fresh Ubod and Lengua Cooked in White Wine

Paella

The cute bells used to call the servers

Cheese and Fruit Platter

Rice Pudding with Flambed Banana and Rosemary Chocolate Sauce (by the time, I was so full, I barely touched this yummy dessert)

Native Chocolate with Marshmallows

I wasn't able to take photos of the kangkong salad (my favorite!) and the poached lapu-lapu. I was surprised to see Ariel enjoying the Lapu-Lapu. He doesn't usually like poached, boiled or steamed food so I'm happy that he enjoyed it.


Oh, I have to mention that we were the only guests that night. Had I known, I would have convinced Ariel to come in period clothing. You know, the formal wear the old Illustrados wear for banquets. That would complete the Spanish-era dinner experience. Haha! I can just imagine the horror on his face!

Kanin anyone?

I saw this post in my drafts folder. I wrote this December last year but never got around to publishing it because I didn't have the pictures then. Now that I have the photos, you can read all about it.
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Who doesn’t like rice? The fragrant, perfectly white, sticky kind. The one that’s perfect with savory, fork-tender, slightly spicy, a bit oily, pork adobo. A must for every true blue Filipino dish – think laing, kare-kare, kaldereta, menudo. How can you not have rice with these dishes?

I thought Kanin Club was aptly named given that the dishes served in this restaurant are best enjoyed with steaming white rice. It was a bright Monday morning when Karen, Aileen, Ian and I drove to Sta. Rosa for a sumptuous lunch at Kanin Club. We were going to attend a wedding in Tagaytay and Paseo De Sta. Rosa was along the way. We just spent an hour or so in a Makati salon for hair and make up and we were already wearing our evening dresses when we trooped to Kanin Club. It was Aileen’s first time and my second. For Karen and Ian, well, let’s just say they are veterans. We ordered the bestsellers – Crispy Pork binagoongan, Crispy Pork liempo, Sigarillas express (cooked in coconut milk), binukadkad na plapla, mango salad, and a bowl of fully loaded rice. Just hearing the names of the dishes is enough to make our mouths water in anticipation. Not even the fear of blotting out our lipstick could stop us from enjoying our lunch.

Here are the mouth-watering dishes we enjoyed at Kanin Club (photo courtesy of Ian Reyes):

Binukadkad na plapla

Crispy liempo

Crispy pork binagoongan

Sigarillas express

Dips

We didn’t have time (nor tummy space) for dessert but I’ve tried some of their sweet endings before. The turon (sweet banana roll) is a must-try. Aside from the usual banana, it also has langka (jackfruit), ube (purple yam) and other yummy ingredients stuffed inside - reminds me of halo-halo. Try the turon ala mode if you want a scoop of ice cream. The fusion of warm turon and cool ice cream provides a uniquely delightful sensory experience. And you must try my personal favorite – banana fritters. A bite into the crisp coating and the sweet banana smell bring back fond childhood memories.

Kanin Club is located at Paseo de Sta. Rosa and is open daily from 11am – 2pm and from 5pm – 8pm.