This is pretty much like Eggs Diablo without the heat. This is one of the dishes I made to use up odds and ends in my refriegrator in preparation for the Big Move. It was actually pretty good and made a substantial breakfast for Spouse and myself.

To make this dish, I simply started a sofrito of garlic, chopped onions and chopped/deseeded tomatoes seasoned with just salt.  While it was simmering, I just dropped a few whole eggs and sprinkled some salt and pepper over it.  I then covered the pan and let it simmer till the eggs were done.

How do you make your Bolognese Sauce?  This is probably the oldest spaghetti sauce Filipinos are familiar with.  You might be wondering why I have that title on this post.  Its a tribute to a beloved aunt who is, undoubtedly,  the most colorful and vibrant among the sisters.  She had tons of bangles, baubles and beads, not to mention the real thing.  Every time I hear that song it never fails to remind me of her.

As a  kid, my now Australia-based Tita Mameng del Fierro made the best Bolognese Sauce.  She’s a home economics graduate from UST and is really the best cook among my mom’s sisters.  She’s the total homemaker and was very much  into sewing, crocheting, crafts, cooking, gardening and even cleaning. Her parties were so well-planned I always looked forward to them. Her table was beautifully spruced up and the food always predictably good.  The best part of all was when she stood at the top of the stairs with  a can of coins.  That was our signal to position ourselves because she’d throw the coins at us and we kids would scramble for every centavo.

Tita Mameng also supplied the whole family  with hand-embroidered throw pillow covers and pillow covers with the sweetest designs she copied from children’s coloring books, magazines and sewing books.  She also came up with her own designs, with swirls and twirls and pretty jewel colors. In fact, Tita Mameng used to be a linens supplier for the now defunct COD Department Store in Cubao. She eventually gave it up because the demand grew to a point where she had to expand.  But Tita Mameng still had her household to run and wanted to keep it a home-based business.  So she quit.

My first cousins will all probably remember the paper mache, faux jewel-encrusted  mirrors our parents got as a gift from Tita Mameng.  It wasn’t just square or oval mirrors too…but flower-shaped plywood-backed with several mirrors glued on it.  I believe my mom’s is still around somewhere at home.  Then there were the fruitcakes at Christmas.  So dark, and dense and drunk with brandy. She’d get started on her fruitcakes in October so they would be properly ripe by Christmas. Of course, as a child you didn’t appreciate it.  But now that our lives are lived in different continents, you miss it so your heart aches at Christmas when you get those far inferior fruitcakes.

Now in her 80′s, Tita Mameng likes to travel with her husband.  Last year, they were in Morrocco and Europe.  A few years ago, they went to Tasmania.  Their regular jaunts are Manila and Kuala Lumpur for shopping and of course for visiting family.  It was so nice to talk to her last time I was home.  She called my mom to say hello when we were all there.  Living with cancer for over five years now, she’s still bright and cheerful…just the way she’s always been.  I know she’s blessed because of this attitude she has and because she has always been so generous with herself, without expecting anything in return.

About the Bolognese pictured here, it’s my own version which is deliberately not too saucy.  But it packs a lot of punch and flavor with some sweet red wine and canned Italian tomatoes.   For some reason, canned tomatoes are better than fresh tomatoes for spaghetti, definitely more flavorful.  I also like a lot of freshly grated, stinky parmesan cheese to top my spaghetti and a sprinkiling of extra virgin olive oil on my noodles right after draining – no rinsing please.  Those two ingredients after the cooking give your dish so much more flavor.

I was looking for a good recipe for French Toast this morning and stumbled on this interesting piece from Daniel Rogov.  Mr. Rogov clarifies that the French Toast did not originate in France as I always thought.  It’s origins are in Albany, New York where a tavern keeper of the 16th century by the name of Joseph French came up with the recipe and  named it after himself.

After reading that, I really had no choice but to go with  Mr. French’s original recipe.  I then decided to dress it up with a bit of homemade orange and raspberry sauce.   It made one truly delicious breakfast.  Unlike most French Toast recipes I’ve tried, this isn’t sweet at all. The sweetness is provided by the sauce which is the way it was probably meant to be.

French Toast

3 eggs

3 tbsps. milk

1/4 tsp. salt

pinch of black pepper

several drops vanilla

4 slices white bread

unsalted butter for frying

Beat the eggs, milk, salt, peppper and vanilla

Heat a heavy skillet over medium high heat and add a tablespoon of butter.  Dip a slice of bread in the eggs, making sure to cover both sides.  Let the excess drip off.

Cook on both sides till browned to your taste.  Adjust the heat between medium to medium high and be patient or you’ll get a soggy middle.  Repeat with remaining bread.

This is served with a homemade raspberry and orange sauce and some orange slices.  You can also serve with maple syrup or honey.

Orange Raspberry Sauce

1 c. frozen raspberries

1/2 c. sugar (more if you want)

1/4 fresh orange juice

pinch of salt

Put all ingredients in a small sauce pan.  Cook over medium-high heat.  When it boils, bring down to a simmer and cook half-covered.? Reduce till there’s about half of the liquid left.

Strain on a sieve.  Keep this in a jar in your refrigerator for pancakes, ice cream or dessert toppings.

I had my first taste of mango salsa at a restaurant in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.  It was the site of the old Trawler Restaurant which Spouse visited years ago.  We were there in early December last year and just went around the Shem Creek area trying to locate the old place but it was gone.  According to a local we finally stopped and asked directions from, the Trawler was sold almost a year ago and the new owners reopened with a brand new name.  Big Game I think it was.

The food they served was good and we virtually had the place to ourselves that rainy day.  The place is built by the creekside, with a large part of it over the creek. There are other large restaurants in this area, mainly serving seafood and the cuisine of the region called low-country cooking.

Regrettably, I wasn’t into blogging then, so I took no photos.  It’s a pity because the Shem Creek area is so pretty.  And the food we had at Big Game was plated very well….and tasted fantastic too.

I ordered a fish taco which came all wrapped up in a warm tortilla shell.  Inside was blackened fish with a colorful and fragrant mango salsa.  I’ve always wanted to replicate the dish and did so tonight.  For this post, I’ll do the Mango Salsa first then tomorrow, you’ll get the Fish Taco recipe.

Mango Salsa

1 c. diced fresh mango

1/4 c. roasted red peppers, drained and diced

1/4 c. green bell pepper, diced

1/3 c. minced red onion

1? jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 tbsps. cilantro, chopped

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

Mix everything together and let sit covered in the refrigerator an hour before serving.

Bottled salsas are certainly very convenient to keep in your refrigerator. It’s also more convenient than making your own if you’re in a two-person household.

But sometimes, you stumble on some really good organic tomatoes and just have to have the homemade stuff.  This recipe I made uses Roma tomatoes and came out excellent because of the sweetness of the tomatoes.

You cannot keep this salsa in the fridge for longer than a couple of days.  You can use it in various ways and other recipes however.  An acquaintance at work once taught me a simple salsa and chicken recipe.  It was pretty easy:  put some boneless, skinless chicken breasts in your slow cooker, dump a whole jar of your favorite salsa, set to cook on low for 8 hours and leave for work.

Homemade Salsa:

10 medium-sized Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 small white onion, finely minced

2 small garlic cloves, finely minced

handful of cilantro sprigs, chopped (more if you want)

1 small jalapeno pepper, finely minced

juice of 1 lime

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and chill in the refrigerator about 2 hours before serving.  Keep in your refrigerator only for 2 days.

Use it up to accompany your breakfast omelette or a store-bought roasted chicken dinner, for chips or for the next taco dinner.