Ginataang santol

Katulad ng nasabi ko na sa isang post ko, lahat na lang ng puwedeng gataan eh gagataan ng mga Bicolano. Pero abuso ba sa imagination at creativity ang nakaisip na gawing masarap na ulam ang santol? Eh prutas po ‘yon na madalas ay saksakan pa ng asim.

Well, as I have also concluded before, the availability and abundance of raw materials, coupled with necessity, led the Bicolanos to create a unique and delicious ulam out of a sour fruit with humongous seeds in the center.

Another name for the dish is sinantolang “anything”. Anything can be isda, hipon, baboy, or nothing at all. Kapag walang ibang halo kundi santol lang at “balaw” (the Bicolano’s version of bagoong), ginataang santol siya.

This original recipe is da bomb. Grabe sa sarap. The last time na nakakain ako ng  ginataang santol na may balaw eh 5 years ago, noong buhay pa ang lola ko. We used to eat it with pinasingawang isda. Grabe, langit.  I wouldn’t dream of trading it for a burger or a  steak dish, o kahit na ano pang dish.

Imitation crab salad

Kung hindi ito totoong laman ng alimango, ano ‘to? Syempre, kailangang mag-research at baka kung ano na ang ipinapasok natin sa bibig natin noh. GME (google mo Ella) muna ang byuti ko.

Ito po ay gawa sa laman ng isda, usually Alaska Pollock, which has a very mild taste. The processing starts with skinning and boning of the fish. Then the meat is minced and rinsed resulting in a thick paste called surimi. The word means minced fish in Japan which developed the techniques in making it over 800 years ago.

The finished surimi is shaped into chunks or tubes and cut into sticks or large flakes. It is cooked to give it the texture of real crab meat. Caramel, paprika and annatto extract are used to coat the imitation crab to give it the reddish color of genuine crab meat.

Nutritionally, surimi is not different from crab meat although it is lower in cholesterol. At puwede pang kainin ito ng mga allergic sa crabs or shellfish kasi isda nga siya. My sis Ana can eat imitation crab meat but not real crabs (allergic siya).

Make your own pizza

Mahal ang pizza pie. Kung ayaw nating mabitin, we order family size, P600++ easy.  If you make your own, you can have 4 thin crust family size pizza for a little more.  Hala, tara nang magtipid, guys.

You will need:

2 packs of ready made thin pizza crusts (2 pcs per pack)

You can get this from the bread section of major supermarkets P98  (2pcs). The small wheat bread I will use for my little pizzalets P40+

4 sachets Del Monte instant pizza sauce (your choice of Italian, sweet or spicy flavor)

1/2 K ground round, browned in olive oil and seasoned with salt, pepper and worcestershire sauce

1 big can of whole mushrooms thinly sliced