Let’s find out…..

MAMMA MIA!!!!!

]]> http://unofficialcook.com/general/unofficial-cook-in-the-making/feed/ 0 http://unofficialcook.com/general/larry-j-cruz-my-first-boss/ http://unofficialcook.com/general/larry-j-cruz-my-first-boss/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 07:14:58 +0000 Mita http://unofficialcook.com/general/larry-j-cruz-my-first-boss/ [Continue Reading]]]> LJC. He was my first boss. It was a shock to hear about his death last Monday.

LJC was the first true bon vivant I met. The year I worked for him was before the LJC Restaurant Group was even formally named although they already had a string of restaurants open in the Philippines and in Washington DC. That was the year Karihan Karitela and Cafe Adriatico-Hong Kong were opened. It was an exciting time and I was so young – everything was just so new to me. Your first job is always your baptism of fire and it was for me…I still shudder when I recall how dumb I was back in those days.

LJC: Hello Mita, what did you do today?

Me: Sir, you won’t believe this…I typed ONE letter the whole day today.

LJC: Ummm….I’m not paying you to type one letter a day….

Is it any wonder I didn’t stay on long as his secretary, with my boss mostly in the US on vacation! I was promptly moved to the Marketing department. But I learned so much working for LJC. He was involved in every phase of conceptualizing, menu-planning, recipe-testing, building and construction and marketing of each and every single restaurant he opened. Everyone knows he was also a former journalist and government press officer and avid antique collector before he became a restaurateur so there was nothing that escaped his watchful eyes. I learned just by watching and listening and boy did I lap it all up.
If there’s any one person I cannot separate from LJC when I think back, it was his father. Ambassador Emilio Aguilar Cruz, Lolo Amba as his family and all his employees called him, was LJC’s best friend and probably the biggest influence in his life. It was always a pleasure seeing those two men interact – more than father and son they were mentor and student, best friends. LJC had a reverence and respect for his father like nothing I’ve ever encountered. That truly was a special relationship.

I remember LJC, like his father, had that curiosity for new technologies. You might guess my age if I tell you one story to back me up…but here goes…

When cellphones were just introduced in the market, LJC promptly got one and was on and on about how wonderful it was he could conduct business while sitting in his car weaving through the infamous Manila to Makati traffic of those days.

Lolo Amba on the other hand was so fascinated by a photocopy of my hand I had tacked by my desk and asked if it was a fax copy. He went on about how wonderful fax was and how easy communicating had become. Sadly, I lost contact with them before the internet and email. I always wondered how Amb. Cruz would have felt about it all. He would have been a great blogger if he ever got into it.

LJC’s mother, Fely de Jesus-Cruz or Lola Ising as we called her, was another fixture in those days at Bistro Burgos. She’d come by usually in the afternoons and sit by the restaurant patio. I loved talking to her and listening to her stories of when she was a young wife and mother. She was a published writer too so her stories were all very interesting and brought me to an era I never experienced.

Those days, it seemed LJC was always in a hurry…he had this purposeful shuffle, with both hands in his pockets, walking from his car to his office in an old converted garage right next to the old Bistro Burgos. I’d spy him from the second floor window of my office and before I even had time to prepare he’d be barging in with an energy that always surprised me.

He’d be on the phone with his daughter first…then he’d have his stereo playing classical, jazz or broadway music depending on his mood, and conduct his business in just a couple of hours with people coming and going through my office it made my head spin …and then he’d be off again…to one of the restaurants most probably.

LJC’s passing has left a big, gaping hole in Philippine society. He was a forceful influence not just in the restaurant industry or publishing or urban renewal. In a way, you could say his influence spanned a couple of generations of restaurant patrons in the country and raised the bar for what to expect when you enter a restaurant….spoiled us all if you will.
As each and every person walks into any restaurant bearing his name in the future, they will be welcomed into Larry Cruz’s world…a wonderful, soothing world of the best food and and music, set against an ambiance only Larry Cruz could dream up.

My favorite part is his colorful and over the top description.   You just have to read the whole article to appreciate it.  Might I also suggest reading it out loud like you were reading a book to pre-school aged kids…his words really work better if you do.

Here’s the excerpt:

“Two resplendent golden yolks sit in the center of the plate, each supple and taut and pregnant with primeval nutrition, each aching to burst forth with creamy yolk-manna and drown the silken bed of egg white underneath.

Just next to your eggs nestles an amber pile of crispy-buttery hash browns under four searing-hot strips of salty marbled bacon that have been draped decadently over the top, rippled and shiny with a sheen of still-sizzling fat.

A pair of white-toast triangles, buttered and hot and crunchy only at the edges, hover at the edge of the plate, begging to be dipped into the waiting yolks, which, by now, you’ve dotted with drops of Cholula hot sauce.

It’s a promising picture of potential, an Edward Hopper breakfast tableau, suspended, waiting, eager to explode from a thing of beauty into a thing of deliciousness.

Grant your toast triangles that final wish and dunk them into one yolk, then the next, coating the corners with the liquid gold before you swipe them over your tongue. You won’t be disappointed (as you would be at so, so many other breakfast specialists in Denver) by tough, rubbery yolks or worse, cold eggs; instead, you’ll be rewarded with the rich, protein-heavy, soul-satisfying flavor of egg.

Once pierced, the yolks slowly, agonizingly slowly, release their ooze onto the rest of the plate. It bleeds into your hash browns and glazes your bacon strips, transforming the once-perfect tableau into a messy, irresistible, totally alive plate of gobble-me-down breakfast.

And gobble it down you will.’

A year ago, we were in beautiful Colorado Springs staying warm indoors and heating up the kitchen with my cooking.  This year, I’m back in the tropics where I belong. My cooking activities have decreased quite a bit, not only because of the heat but also our eating so much less because of the heat…there’s also my mom who lives close by who always invites us over for meals.  Who can say no to Mama?

Thank you to everyone who came by, browsed, left a comment or just found this site by accident.  It amazes me how many people have been through here at one time or another…and from so many places, some of which I’ve never even heard of before. One time, I actually took out a map to look up where in the world the Faroe Islands is located!

Sincerely, thank you.  I feel so honored that my sometimes awkward words about  my kitchen successes and disasters, my memories and my cuisine were read.

I have been so busy after our big move from the US to the Philippines, with a million and one things on my plate, and unfortunately neglected this blog…again.  Mea culpa. 

One of my resolutions this year (aside from the recurring “to-lose-weight” resolution) is to go back to regular blogging.  How often?   I can’t say right now, I have a million and one things to get done – still!    

In the meantime, here’s a photo of my 2-year old nephew in his jammies I want to share with you.  I took him away from his mom one morning before Christmas and brought him home with me.  He looked so cute in his jammies as he plucked a Christmas ball from our tree, I just had to take the shot.  I’ve sent this photo to friends as my E-Christmas card and also posted it in our family’s Yahoo Group.   

Please accept my sincerest wishes for a Blessed, Happy and Peaceful 2007 to everyone who comes by this blog.  A Happy and Prosperous New Year to All Of You!

Lani of Chibong Chika Lakwatcha ATBP posted a comment on my previous post about the fish frying pan I got from Ebay.  She noted the difficulties of making purchases from Ebay  as a resident of the Philippines.  Those difficulties will extend to other US internet shopping sites including Amazon, Barnes & Noble or the bigger retailers like Target, Old Navy, Pottery Barn, Walmart , etc.  Then there are the gourmet shops like Tienda.com for everything Spanish you can think of – even Jamon Iberico that was previously banned in the US.  Oh and there are the  kitchen equipment/supplies stores some other food blogs have featured and which you may have checked out in the past.

First of all, most sellers only ship to a US address.  If they ship worldwide, then shipping costs could be prohibitive.  Another problem, until recently anyway, was opening a Paypal account.  Things are moving in the right direction for Philippine shoppers however.  Paypal is now providing some service to Philippine residents. Please check out this post from Yugatech’s blog which has more details about what Paypal offers.  So, one hurdle down…what’s the next?  Shipping.  Well, there’s a perfectly legitimate way for you to receive purchases you yourself made through US internet shopping sites without begging your relatives living here to help you out.

Your solution is to sign up with Manila Forwarder to get a US shipping address.  They can receive your shipments for you in their LA offices. Since they operate a balikbayan box/cargo freight business, you will receive your purchases when you want it shipped to you in the Philippines, right at your doorstep and without passing our notorious postal system.  How’s that for service?  It’s like balikbayan shoppping without even leaving the bayan!

Spouse told me about this  in the past and I never really took it seriously until we decided it was time to move back home.  I’m no internet shopping addict, but I’ve made my fair share of purchases.  I knew I was going to miss internet shopping and intend to sign up for this service when we are scheduled to stop at Manila Forwarder this month.  Then I got that comment from Lani and thought maybe I should dig deeper into this.

I placed a quick call to Manila Forwarder’s 1-800 number and spoke to this nice young lady named Joy Jamlang.  She said they’ve had the service for almost 3 years now.  When I asked her if people are lining up for it, I was surprised that they only had between  20-30 customers using it.  Then again, it’s not so surprising because it’s Filipinos living in the US who are more aware of this company.

So let me say for the benefit of those back home who haven’t heard of this company, Manila Forwarder is very reliable and offers various services to US-based Filipinos.   I have used their balikbayan box service a few times and never had a problem.  Spouse has also spoken to the owner, Manny Paez, in the past and found him him to be an amiable, energetic and reasonable man to deal with.  They also have offices in the Philippines.  That means there are actual people you can bug if you have a problem.  Joy was even kind enough to give me their telephone numbers in Valenzuela City, 358-8061/294-4891.  We intend to use their freight cargo service for our move, and we also intend to buy our Manila-bound tickets through their travel agency. 

If you are interested in this service they offer, what you need to do first is make sure your credit card is acceptable for international transactions. Most Mastercards and Visas are, but make sure with your bank. Then email  Manila Forwarder and inform them you want to make an internet purchase.  It will be up to you whether you want the item shipped right away or stored until you have enough for a balikbayan box.  Maybe you can round up a group of your friends for an internet shopping spree and have everything shipped to one Philippine address to cut on shipping costs. 

Let me be specific, I have yet to try this service.  I will though. And when I do, I will write about it again – good or bad.  Is there anyone out there who is currently using this service?  I hope you’ll give us some feedback.

Please take a minute to pray for those who perished on this day, five years ago….in New York City, in a field in Pennsylvania and in the Pentagon.

Please also pray that God in His infinite wisdom will  grant the world peace and true understanding despite all our differences.

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I got a pack of frozen blueberries after reading they are just as good for baking as fresh blueberries.? Blueberries are expensive this time of the year but I wanted to start the year right by getting more of the Super Foods in our diet.

Okay, part of the reason I chose frozen over fresh is because?I?m a confirmed tightwad.? Even if fresh blueberries are available at the supermarket, I?m buying them frozen at half the price of the fresh ones just because I? find it ridiculous to spend twivce as much?for something that should have the same nutrients and give me the same results in my cooking.? I found a Bluberry Muffin Recipe online that didn?t use a lot of sugar and came out tasting really good.? Here?s that recipe:

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TIP:? Stay away from shortening sprays.?Most of them have chemicals (Propylene glycol)?that can seriously harm you and your family over time.? Use muffin paper liners instead.

This is my Eldest Sister’s own recipe for a white pasta sauce that’s proven to be a hit with ANYBODY who was fortunate enough to taste it. It’s very rich.  It’s earthy.  It goes well with soda, if you’re a kid, as well as it goes with a glass of very cold white wine if you’re an adult.

My nephew’s friends from elementary thru college will remember this dish.  They had an uncanny ability to show up at my sister’s place whenever she was cooking this. And boy, could they eat it up!

When we were experimenting on a small-time food business, my officemates in ABS-CBN went crazy for this dish as well.  And when I moved to the US, I prepared this for Stepson and his girlfriend.  She doesn’t eat mushrooms…but this dish…she just went gaga over it.

We don’t have a name for it.  We call it White Spaghetti because we always make it with spaghetti noodles.

Unfortunately, I cannot divulge the recipe. It’s not mine to give.  Several people have asked me for it, but I just had to decline.

But, here’s a list of all the ingredients:  bacon, garlic, dried shiitake mushrooms, cream, italian seasoning, parsley and plenty of parmesan cheese.

After more than a week of sleep-deprived nights and days, I’m still not all 100% here and have neglected my blogging and cooking.  So I decided to write this piece to help me get back on my usual schedule  and heal this heart that feels divided between two countries…

What a time we had!  All we did was shop, cook, eat, play with the babies and use the unbearable heat as an excuse to camp out  in our mom’s old bedroom in air-conditioned comfort.  It was such fun just lounging around with familiar faces and voices filling your consciousness…and marvel at the babies and the older pamangkins’s accomplishments.

The best part was gathering around the dining table (that cannot fit us all now) and sharing familiar food prepared by Mama or this or that sister.  We had Mama’s pinakbet with tons of homemade chicharon to satisfy everyone; nilagang baka with good, old-fashioned grass-fed beef and canned Purefoods Chorizo de Bilbao; Sinigang na Ulo ng Isda with the ‘busting at the seams with fat’ “mamaling” and only the freshest vegetables to accompany it; “dinengdeng” with that fresh fish bagoong flavor you can never get from a bottle that’s been sitting in some Asian store in the Continental US of A – loaded with fresh Ilocano vegetables like “himbabao”, not frozen mind you.  

The lechon manok sold a few blocks from our place was to die for – so succulent and juicy and not as fat as what you’ll get in any US grocery…and the longganiza and chicharon from good, old Aling Lucing was even better than my mind could conjure in my moments of pork fat and pork skin deprived days which I regularly have living here.  The Pancit Malabon sold behind the church is still the same – perfectly prepared and seasoned.  So was the Pancit Canton from the neighborhood Chinese restaurant….cheap eats that always go a long way.

Oh and the ice cream…familiar flavors like sweet corn and quezo.  Heck, the dirty ice cream man came by and I even stopped him.  The bibingka (rice cake) lady too….with her authentic sticky rice cutchinta and her excellent cheese-topped puto you could easily tell was made only from good rice grains ….my parents do live in Bulacan after all.

And buko juice….bought from the “buko man” who comes by every morning as sure as the “balut man” will come each night.  The buko was so fresh and naturally sweet, perfect to quench your thirst and your longing for everything familiar!