After Charice, Arnel Pineda invades 'Oprah'

ABS-CBN News

After Charice, it was Arnel Pineda’s turn to impress Oprah Winfrey, one of the world’s most powerful women today.

Pineda and the rest of the members of the American rock band "Journey” recently guested on Oprah to promote the group’s latest album, “Revelation.”

During the show, Journey's Filipino front man could not believe that he was being interviewed by no less than Winfrey herself.

"I'm facing you (Winfrey) right now. You are [one of the] biggest [names] in show business and I'm facing you. It's like… I'm not allowed to be here but I'm here. And I thank God for that," he said.

The show featured Pineda’s journey “from total obscurity to recapturing the voice of one of the greatest bands of our time."

Pineda’s rags-to-riches story has inspired many people around the world. His life story will be made into a film titled "Don't Stop Believing: Every Man's Journey." The biopic will hit the big screen next year.

The Filipino singer was discovered on YouTube by Journey’s guitarist Neal Schon. Jonathan Cain (keyboard), Deen Castronovo (drums) and Ross Valory (bass) were equally impressed when they first watched him on YouTube performing Journey’s “Faithfully.”

Cain said: "Neal contacted us. I checked the YouTube video just like he said. And there he was singing. And I said, 'The guy got great pipes, does he speak English?’ And, ‘How are we going to get him to the stage to check him out?'" Cain said.

Valory said he had “goosebumps surplus” when he first heard Pineda sing.

Castronovo was also blown away by Pineda’s voice. “It was frightening just to hear that voice come out from that little guy. We couldn't believe it. It’s just so strong. And the best part about it was just how humble the man was, how humble human being, beautiful heart."

For Pineda, being part of Journey still feels like a dream.

"I've seen enough pain and poverty in the Philippines. I've never been that big. All I wanted was to be able to get out of it -- the pain and the poverty - and live decently everyday," he said.

He said touring around the world with his band mates is “amazing, unbelievable and fantastic.” “All the superlative words that you can utter.”

He admitted that he felt the pressure when the band played in the Philippines early this year. “There was a big responsibility and thank God I pulled it off.”

And now that he is making lots of money, Pineda said he bought a home for his family and set up his own foundation to help poor Filipinos.

Journey's Manila concert is now available on DVD in the United States.

Longganisa chorizo, favorite Filipino breakfast

Longganisa is widely available in most supermarkets and wet markets. Even the skinless variety is not difficult to find. Longganisa is native sausage. The seasonings vary depending on the regional origin. Lucban and Vigan longganisa are garlicky, for instance. Then there is the sweet longganisacalled hamonado. Longganisa comes in various sizes as well. Some are made with beef or chicken instead of pork. Sweet or spicy, small or large, longganisa is a popular Filipino breakfast item. If there is a tapsilog for the combo of tapa(fried beef strips), sinangag (fried rice) and itlog (egg), there islongsilog for longganisa, sinangag and itlog.

To make longganisa, you will need:

1 kilo ground pork, 10% fat

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon rock salt (or 1 1/2 teaspoon fine salt)

1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon black peper, ground.

Instructions:

Blend all the above ingredients.

Roll a small amount of the pork mixture in a 4 1/2 inches x 3 inches wax paper

Store in the freezer for 3 hours or until ready to cook.

When ready to cook, heat oil in a wok or frying-pan.

Unwrap the sausages and fry in batches in hot oil until fully cooked.

Drain on paper towels.

Garnish with spring onion, if desired, and served with rice and tomatoes or Garlic-Vinegar Dip.

These sausages can also be frozen until needed.

Makes 18-20 sausages

Preparation time: 30 mins + 3 hours chilling

Cooking time: 30 mins

Sorbetes, the Filipino ice cream

Sorbetes is a Filipino version of ice cream usually peddled from street carts in the Philippines. It is distinct from the similarly-named sorbet. It is usually served with small wafer or sugar cones and recently, bread buns.

Ice cream was introduced in the Philippines during the time of the American invasion when refrigerators and other cooling devices were introduced. While American ice cream was made with cow's milk, using the milk of the carabao, a kind of water buffalo, resulted in a cheaper product which became known as "sorbetes." Both kinds of milk are widely used today. Coconut milk and cassava flour are two other ingredients used that make sorbetes unique from ice cream made in other countries. Flavors also varied from the usual natural fruits such as mango, avocado, coconut to flavors imitating commercial ice cream such as chocolate, cookies and cream, cheese, mocha, etc.
The sorbetes industry competes with commercially available ice cream from giant companies operating in the Philippines such as Magnolia and Selecta, which also started peddling their product in the streets in more sanitized carts.

Sorbetes is peddled by sorbeteros using colorfully painted wooden carts which usually can accommodate three flavors, each in a large metal canister. Peddlers get their carts from makers scattered around the cities of the Philippines in the morning and walk the streets the whole day, calling consumers from their houses by ringing a small handheld bell.
The wooden cart has two large wooden wheels at the front part to easily push the cart though latest carts are already attached to bicycles.
The cart is stuffed with shaved ice sprinkled with salt to produce a lower temperature around the metal canisters and keep the sorbetes frozen longer.
The whole sorbetes cart is also available for private gatherings when negotiated with the sorbetero. It is usually cheaper that buying gallons of ice cream to be served to guests.

Peddlers of sorbetes provide several serving options. It may be served in a small plastic cup, a wafer cone, a sugar cone or a bread bun, at varying prices. A serving can include one flavor or, for no extra charge, a mixture of available flavors.
Sorbetes is usually consumed as a snack while travelling. It can also be served as dessert.

Wikipedia.org

Delicious, easy pork roast that everyone raves about

1 kg. pork

1 cup soy sauce

1 head garlic, minced

1 onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup of calamansi juice or lemon juice

1/2 cup of 7up, sprite or beer (optional)

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

3 tablespoons of brown or white sugar

1/2 cup of banana or tomato catsup

In a mixing bowl, marinate the cut pork with the soy sauce, minced garlic, chopped onions, calamansi juice, ground pepper, sugar, banana catsup and the soda or beer (this tenderizes and adds flavour to the pork)

Mix well and keep in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (turning occasionally).

Place roast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees for 2-1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160-170 degrees. Let stand for 15 minutes before slicing. Refrigerate or freeze remaining pork (may be frozen for up to 3 months).

Sweet and sour salmon and red snapper, never taste like this before

It's a rainy morning and getting up out of bed is hard, you know the kind that it's lazy to get up in times like this. Still, I tried to get up and my wife gave me a hot coffee to wake my senses up. Good thing she really knows my kind of blend. We also had a nice talk and coming up to cooking this recipe of hers today. You might want to try this too.

All you need is:

500 g fleshy salmon and red snapper fillet

salt and pepper

1 tbsp cornstarch

3 c oil for deep frying

for the sweet and sour sauce:

1/2 c rice vinegar

dark brown sugar

dash of salt

1/2 tbsp fine strips of ginger

for the garnish:

1 onion, finely sliced (or 12 stalks of onion leaves, cut into 2-inch lengths)

1 small carrot, julienned

a thumb-sized piece of ginger, julienned

1 tbsp. of sesame seed oil

Make the sweet and sour sauce. Place the vinegar and sugar in a small pan and set over medium heat. Cook without stirring until the sugar dissolves. Swirl the pan and boil over medium heat for 15 to 25 minutes or until syrupy. Add the salt and ginger during the last five minutes of cooking.

While the sauce cooks, prepare the fish. Heat the cooking oil in a wok or frying pan. Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Season the fish with salt and pepper, rubbing on both sides. Dust with cornstarch.

When the oil is hot enough (it should start to emit some smoke), deep fry the fish over high heat until golden and a light crust forms on the outside. Flip the fish when the underside is done and fry the other side for even cooking and texture. Scoop out the fish and drain on paper towels. Transfer to a serving platter and scatter the prepared garnishes on top. Pour the sweet and sour sauce over the fish and vegetables.

Heat the sesame seed oil in a small pan until smoking. Pour over the fish and vegetables. Serve at once.

Congratulations to RP pastry chefs

Philippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 22:28:00 09/09/2009Filed Under: Lifestyle/Food

THE PINOYS did it again!

Members of The Pastry Alliance of the Philippines (PAP) brought home awards from the recent Asia’s 1st Culinary Cup held at Siam Paragon Exhibition Halls in Bangkok, Thailand.

Penk Ching (Pastry Bin) bagged the silver medal for her gorgeous “Vases of Luck” under the Freestyle showpiece category. The outer vase was deeply carved and cut through with a design of flowers and leaves, revealing another vase inside.

The inner vase, which can be rotated, had the Chinese characters symbolizing “Luck, Prosperity, Longevity and Happiness.” It was festooned with an intricate filigree of floral scrolls to provide texture to the flowers and petals.

Peachy Juban (Shortcrust Cake Shop) got the bronze medal for the Dress-The-Cake. Her “Pavo Mehndi” featured a hand-molded peacock on gold-stamped fondant. It was a well-researched piece reflecting Indian culture: The peacock being India’s national bird, the paisley a popular Hindu figure and Mehndi the art form of applying henna tattoos.

All these were executed within two hours in live competition. The only thing pre-baked was the bare cake. Icings had to be colored, molded, applied and piped on the spot. No golds and silvers were awarded for the event.

Pixie Sevilla-Santos (Forget-Me-Not Specialty Cakes) received a diploma for her “Hot Chocolate Chili Mousse and Mango Coconut Cheesecake” in the Live Individual Plated Desserts. It was an unparalleled effort to prepare and plate two desserts from scratch in only one-and-a-half hours.

Chocolate mousse with chili was a play on the senses. The coconut base was a perfect match to the creamy cheesecake.

The winning members were led by Buddy Trinidad, PAP president, and James Antolin, PAP vice president.

The competition was also participated in by representatives from Australia, China, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Holland, Hong Kong, Israel, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, United Arab Emirates and United States of America.

Snapper in sour soup

There are lots of different versions of sinigang or sour soup. In the province where I came, it is usually with "bangus" or milkfish and lots of vegetables like string beans, "kangkong" or river spinach, tomatoes, green finger pepper and raddish. Each soup have different bases, these includes tamarind or sampalok, calamansi or Philippine lemon citrus, guava and santol. There are also lots of instant commercial sour seasoning cubed or powdered like Knorr sinigang.

A very simple and quick Filipino dish.

A recipe example that we had this lunch:

1k maya maya or red snapper

100 g mustard

4 tomatoes

80 g raddish

2 pieces green finger pepper

200 g sampalok (tamarind) or 20 g powdered tamarind seasoning

2 onions

4 cloves of garlic

3 tbsp of patis or fish sauce

1 l of rice wash or water

Instructions:

Boil sampalok in water until the shell shows cracks. Let cook then peel off the shells and with a strainer pour sampalok (including water) into a bowl.Gently massage the sampalok meat off the seeds, strain again.

In a pot, saute garlic and onion then add the tomatoes. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Add rice wash or water then bring to a boil then simmer for 5 minutes. Add the fish, remaining vegetables and fish sauce. Let boil for 5 minutes. Do not over cook or else the fish will fall apart.

Serve piping hot.

Tip:

Instead of sampalok fruit (tamarind), you can substitute it with the powdered tamarind seasoning.

Enjoy!

Rellenong bangus recipe

We went to the market this morning and found some fresh milkfish from Dagupan. Known for delicious taste and a popular table fare, we decided to try one of my wife's generations-passed recipe, the rellenong bangus. Here is an example of the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 big bangus (milkfish)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 onion, chopped

2 tomatoes, diced

1 egg

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 small carrot, finely chopped

1/4 cup soy sauce

4 tablespoons of cooking oil

ham, finely chopped

raisins

cooked peas

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Scale and remove the intestines of the bangus.

With a very sharp knife, slowly remove the meat of the fish from the skin through the opening cavity below the head. Remove the spine by snapping off the bone at the base of the tail and head. Use a long spoon to scrape all the meat from the skin.

Marinate the head and skin in lemon juice, soy sauce and pepper.

Boil in 1/2 cup of water the bangus meat with some salt for 5 minutes.

Sauté the garlic and onions until slightly brown then add the tomatoes and carrots until tender.

Add the chopped ham, cooked peas, raisins and the bangus meat to the mixture. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add a beaten egg to the sauté and mix well.

Stuff the mixture inside the bangus skin and head. Sew the cavity if needed.

Fry in oil until golden brown.

slice slightly diagonal (1 1/2 inch thick) and serve.

There, I hope you like it. Fresh milkfish is best found in the Farmer's market in Cubao, Quezon City.

Milkfish, one of the treasures of my homeland

Milkfish, Chanos chanos (Forsskal), locally known as "bangus" or "bangos", is the predominant species being cultured in the Philippines . Hundreds of years ago bangus was grown in ponds along coastal areas. That was the beginning of fish fanning. Bangus is a popular table fare among Filipinos. To the biologist, it is an innately sturdy fish, being able to adapt and thrive even in the confined, unnatural environment of the fishpond. This characteristic is not often found in most other fish species.

Milkfish production represents one of the main sectors of the nation's fishery industry .Fish culture is distinct from the marine and inland capture fisheries in that its research and development is like that of animal husbandry which requires a different approach. Aquaculture is concerned with such inputs as seeds, land, water, fertilizers, chemicals and feeds. Its research involves the determination of the physiological requirements of the culture species and the development of culture methods from laboratory to commercial scale. Aquaculture development requires government assistance in providing credit, extension and training and other incentives.

Milkfish is a traditional culture species, and has been studied for along "' time. But there is still much to be studied about this fish and its culture to understand and gain greater control of factors that favor its growth and production.

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Milkfish is the only species in the Family Chanidae and is most closely related to carps and catfishes. Milkfish lives in the warm waters along the continental shelves and around islands in the Indo-Pacific.

The adults are pelagic, schooling, migratory, large (to 1.5 m, 20 kg), and mature sexually in 5 years. Spawning takes place near coral reefs during the warms months of the year, and populations near the equator spawn year-round. The pelagic eggs (1.1-1.2 mm in diameter) and larvae (3.5 mm at hatching) stay in the plankton for two weeks. The larvae then migrate onshore and are caught by fine-mesh nets operated along sandy beaches and mangrove areas; these "fry" are 10-17 mm long and used as seedstock in grow-out ponds, pens and cages. Juveniles in the wild live in mangrove areas, coastal lagoons, and even go upriver into lakes; they go back to sea when they get too big for the nursery habitat, or when they are about to mature sexually. Juveniles and adults eat a wide variety of relatively soft and small food items, from microbial mats to detritus, epiphytes, zooplankton, and feeds.

Milkfish farming is a centuries-old industry in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Taiwan. It has been slow to modernize and now faces challenges from competing aquaculture species and the present economic realities. The domestic market is large and the export market may soon expand.

Source: Teodora Bagarinao, SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department

squash, anyone?

Traditional Filipino foods, our cuisine has a humble beginning. My grandmother used to tell stories about how did these foods existed. I was so amused; she knows a lot of our traditional food recipes using just simple ways of cooking. While she was cooking and telling the story I wonder if she could have been working as a chef, she would have a lot of customers, but luckily for me, she just shared her talent to us. She also told us about when the Spanish arrived in our shores and on how we were introduced to a different style of cooking that’s why we have big influence in the present Filipino dishes that serve in every homes of the Filipinos today. Like pochero, morcon, mechado, paella, estofado, callos, caldereta and menudo can be traced to Spanish cooking. Also some of the popular baked goods like pan de sal, ensaymada and leche flan. Chinese cooking also a have a big influence to our dishes like noodles that we have a version today, we called it pancit. Other Chinese-inspired dishes are kikiam, siopao, siomai and lumpia shanghai have been a favourite and become a part of Filipino way of life. Our cuisine can be best described as a mixture of the eastern and western influences; it provides an array of rich flavours, spices and colour which made our cuisine so delicious, irresistible and unique. Now I’m missing my grandma’s cooking like this one in the picture, Shrimp gambas with squash and string beans in coconut milk. Delicioso!