sautéed with a sofrito of garlic, scallion, and tomato before being brought to the table.
Makes 3 tablespoons
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions (scallions), white parts only
1 small clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons diced tomato
1 tablespoon shrimp paste
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the green onions (scallions), garlic, and tomato. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until the vegetables soften. Add the shrimp paste and cook for another minute until heated through. Season with pepper. Serve in a small bowl.
Serving suggestions: Odd as it may seem, bagoong is a classic condiment paired with sour green mangoes, although I equally enjoy it with sweet ripe mangoes. Filipinos are hugely keen on the salty-sour or salty-sweet flavor dynamic that makes this dish a popular snack. Dab a little bagoong on boiled or fried plantain bananas. Add a small dollop to your pickled dishes such as Achara (page 62). Straying from Filipino cuisine, bagoong monamon (anchovies and scad) is very versatile and works wonderfully in dressings for Caesar salad, Niçoise salad, and potato salad. Mix bagoong monamon with softened butter or cream cheese, spices, and herbs for a quick cracker spread. A dash of bagoong monamon with sherry, mustard, lemon, and parsley makes a great pan sauce for steak.
Curry-Tomato Sofrito
This unique, curry-flavored sofrito works double duty as both a flavor base and a sauce. The tomatoes are slowly baked in the oven with garlic, curry, and plenty of olive oil. The result is a rich tomato sauce instead of the classic sofrito paste.
What I love about this sofrito is its easy versatility paired with noodles, ladled on grilled chicken, or even topped on fish such as Milkfish with Pili Nut Stuffing (page 124). For a quick noodle dish, heat the sofrito with fresh basil or mint and toss with pasta. For a quick seafood dinner, heat the sofrito with a little seafood stock and add clams or mussels to the pan. Cover and steam until the shells open and serve with lemon and crusty bread.
Makes 3 cups (750 ml)
2 pints (575 g) cherry tomatoes, stems removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green onion (scallion), finely chopped
¼ teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon yellow curry paste or curry powder
½ cup (125 ml) olive oil
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Place all the ingredients in a medium baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour until the tomatoes have completely collapsed and released all of their juices. Cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Edam Butter
Makes ⅔ cup (75 g)
2 oz (50 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup (25 g) finely grated Edam cheese (substitute gouda)
1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon salt
Dash of freshly ground black pepper
Combine the butter, Edam, Parmesan, honey, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Spoon the butter into a ramekin or small bowl. Serve at room temperature with Suman Nga Baboy, or Steamed Rice Cakes (page 28). Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Toasted Garlic and Garlic Oil
In Filipino cuisine, there’s no such thing as a little garlic. Present in our sofrito, marinades, and dipping sauces, raw, roasted, or sautéed, garlic is one of the essential answers to flavorful food.
Transformed by a little oil and heat, toasted garlic is commonly sprinkled on dishes as a finishing condiment to add an extra boost of flavor. Filipinos often serve toasted garlic as a topping for rice porridge (page 50), or fried rice (page 79), but I find it a versatile ingredient sprinkled on top of casseroles, soups, salads, even mixed into my spice rubs for chicken or pork.
Makes approximately ¼ cup (15 g) toasted garlic and 1 cup (250 ml) garlic oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup (250 ml) olive oil or vegetable oil
8 to 10 cloves garlic, chopped
Pinch of salt
Heat the oils in a small skillet and warm over low to medium heat. Add the chopped garlic. Cook and stir the garlic until it has lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Pour the garlic and oil through a fine sieve over a bowl, reserving the garlic oil. Dry the garlic on paper towels. Cool the garlic and infused oil. Store separately in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Five-Spice Vinegar
Filipinos are addicted to the amazing versatility and indelible zing of vinegar. Not just reserved for pickling or preserving, vinegar is an essential flavor component in dishes ranging from marinated kilaw (raw fish, similar to seviche) to slowly stewed adobo (a national Filipino dish) to refreshing sinigang, hot and sour soup. For an all-purpose vinegar, I prefer the native coconut or palm vinegar that is readily available in Asian markets and to my surprise even carried in select chain grocery stores. Coconut and nipa vinegars are mildly acidic and leave a clean finish with just a hint of sweetness. Most important, they do not overpower the food, allowing the ingredients of your dish to shine.
This recipe infuses vinegar with the bold flavors of five-spice to add a wonderful dimension to certain dishes such as the Scallop Kilaw (page 64), Salmon Kilaw (page 73) and pickled vegetable Achara (page 62). Using a combination of the five individual spices over five-spice powder will allow you to control the infusion of delicate flavors while keeping the color and texture of the vinegar intact. If at all possible avoid five-spice powder for this recipe. I go through a lot of this vinegar, so I add my spices directly to my bottle of vinegar. For smaller batches, simply use a glass jar to hold the vinegar and spices. Once all the vinegar is used, add more without replacing the spices. The spices will impart their flavors through 2 to 3 steepings.
Makes 2 cups (500 ml)
2 cups (500 ml) coconut or palm vinegar
2 pieces star anise
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
5
