Happy Cooking # 1: Raccolta Penne in Salsa Rossa

Happy 2012!

I just want to share that I cooked my signature dishes this New Year's eve after so many years. I love food and I love cooking my own recipes or my own version of usual recipes but somehow I just didn't feel like cooking after my dad passed away some 12 years ago. It's the new year so one resolution of mine is to resume my affair with cooking (I hope to find the time and energy for it amidst my busy schedule).

Raccolta Penne in Salsa Rossa (Harvest Penne in Red Sauce)

For now, I want to share with you this healthy pasta dish that I created from scratch way back but I only deemed of giving it a name today and I will call it Raccolta Penne in Salsa Rossa or Harvest Penne in Red Sauce. It is a refreshing dish wherein you get to taste the fresh flavors of the crunchy vegetables, the meaty ground beef and the lip-smacking sauce.

You will need the following ingredients:

500 g. San Remo Penne Pasta

750 g. Del Monte Tomato or Spaghetti Sauce

50 g. Anchor Butter

500 g. ground beef

1 pc. medium zucchini, cut into chunky strips (same size as penne)

6 pcs. whole young corn, cut into chunky strips (same size as penne)

3 pcs. medium red tomatoes, remove seeds then cut into chunky strips (same size as penne)

1 pc. medium white onion, finely chopped

1 whole medium garlic bulb, finely chopped

1 medium can of button mushrooms, drained and sliced into flat pieces

3 tsp. brown sugar

3 tsp. Nestle Coffee-mate Powder Creamer

3 pinches of salt and pepper (or less or more depending on your taste)

To start, cook the penne pasta as instructed in the package. Remove from heat and strain/rinse under running water to cool and stop from being overcooked. Set aside.

For the pasta sauce, melt about 25 grams of butter on hot sauce pan. Add garlic and cook until light golden brown before adding the onions. Remove from pan and set aside. Next saute the ground beef until light golden brown and soft before adding the zucchini, young corn, mushrooms, and tomatoes. When vegetables are slightly cooked (still crunchy), add another 25 grams of butter plus the sauteed garlic and onions. Then pour a half cup of water to stop the sauteing and start the sauce-making. Put in the 750 g. of tomato or spaghetti sauce while stirring the contents of the saucepan. Add sugar to balance the acidity and add creamer to thicken the sauce. Stir constantly to blend all the ingredients. Lastly, add salt and pepper to taste.

Put penne pasta on a plate then pour the sauce while hot. Top with grated cheese if desired.

For non-meat eaters, this recipe can be done with tuna chunks and olive oil instead of the ground beef and red sauce, and it will still be yummy, I promise. My friends and former office mates have tasted the tuna version.

ENJOY! Let me know if you tried this at home, ok? :)

Filed under FLAVORS

My First Time at Old Vine Grille

In the many times I have gone to Eastwood Mall, I never once went past the mall entrance of the ground floor which is marked by one of fave restaurants, Momo. So when I was invited to dinner with friends in a place called "Old Vine Grille" (at the ground floor outer area of the mall), I couldn't picture where it was located exactly. After following the instructions from a couple of SMS messages, I arrived at the restaurant at last.

Old Vine Grille facade in Eastwood

The warm glow of the interiors

From outside, the Old Vine Grille evokes of a mix of Old World-New World feel -- the exterior is made of tall glass panels with the lighted restaurant sign resting on a bed of red bricks while the inside glows from the golden yellow walls adorned with modern and antique-looking paintings. Overhead, the ceiling is open and only partially covered by green wooden trellis, decorated with grape vines and pumpkin-shaped lamps.

The bar for wine, beer and cocktail drinks

Decorated walls of Old Vine Grille

Ceiling trellis where the lamp hangs with grapes

Old Vine Grille is such a cozy place to wine, dine and chat with family and friends. It even has a function room that seats a group of 12 if you want your gathering to be private. The staff are friendly, attentive and are well versed with the ingredients and description of the fusion of continental cuisine offered in the menu.

The private function room for intimate gatherings

The red-bricked wine display

For starters, we ordered fruit shakes and when the drinks arrived, we couldn't help but take photos of the colorful concoctions served in cute glasses with fresh fruit accents. Mine was the watermelon shake and it was so refreshing and naturally sweet.

Pineapple, Mango, Watermelon & Green Mango Shakes

For appetizers, the restaurant personnel recommended we first try the Pan-fried Foie Gras Salad. The rich looking salad was also rich tasting -- the foie gras was well cooked but juicy and the flavor was enhanced by the delish raspberry honey sauce and the still crunchy apple ragout.

Pan-fried Foie Gras Salad

Next we ordered the special Tessie Tomas Salad. Yes, you read it right, the salad was named after one of Philippines' great actresses, Ms. Tessie Tomas. We were told that Tessie Tomas, who frequented Le Souffle, requested a special salad mix from the chef who happened to be her good friend. So the chef put together a combination of roasted prawns, marinated salmon, and roasted shitake mushrooms with mesclun salad in a creamy Balsamic dressing and tada! the Tessie Tomas Salad was created. The greens were fresh and crispy; the dressing is flavorful as it is but was more more delectable by the roasted prawns and marinated salmon. I also love the generous serving of Parmesan flakes on top.

Tessie Tomas Salad

Since we were a big group, we decided that each one would order individually a dish that can be shared to everyone so that we can try several dishes in one night. And because the guys outnumbered the girls in the group, we ended up having several meat dishes and most of them steaks. I tried being a pesco-vegetarian for the past 3 years and it was only this year that I got back to eating meat (note: sparingly) so I was sort of apprehensive yet excited at the same time to try what my companions ordered.

The Steak and Escargot is quite a unique combination that I haven't encountered before. The US top blade steak seasoned with Cajun spices is well done and the escargot (snails) bourguignon is tender and the flavor evokes that of the sea. The dish is well complemented with the au jus (natural juice of the steak) and potatoes.

Steak and Escargot

The Steak and Shrimp has a sweet and tangy barbecue flavor, making the blackened steak top blade and barbecue shrimp so lip-smackingly good. The baked potato wedges are simply diving.

Steak and Shrimp

The Steak Tagalog is one soothing comfort food. The pan-seared US beef slices in soy-calamansi and onion sauce truly captures the Filipino beef steak flavor, only more refined. Served with potatoes and aubergine (eggplants) on the side.

Steak Tagalog

The Baby Back Ribs American Favorite Barbecue is super tender that the meat easily glides from the bone. The delicious sweet hickory sauce is heavenly and it added zest to the potatoes and baked beans.

Baby Back Ribs American Favorite Barbecue

For the more sophisticated diner, the Lamb Shank Pinot Noir is a must-try. I am not a fan of lamb but I love wine so this dish is interesting for me. The meat has that "melt-in-your-mouth" texture and has that strong wine flavor to it since the lamb was marinated in red wine, grilled and then braised. It is served with yummy mashed potatoes on the side, with roasted shallots and garlic for added flavor.

Lamb Shank Pinot Noir

The Baked Cream Dory is obviously a healthier option to the steaks but the dish did not leave us feeling short-changed because of the unique savory taste it gave, probably from the mushroom duxelles in tomato garlic coulis. The baked cream dory was perfectly paired with well-seasoned al dente angel hair pasta.

Baked Cream Dory

Another pasta dish is the Old Vine Pasta and given its name, it is one of the restaurants house specialties. Simply put, it is fetuccine tossed in mild spicy vegetable pangritata (pasta topping using breadcrumbs, in lieu of parmesan cheese) with prawns. The dish has strong galicky tomato flavor with just the right acidity.

Old Vine Pasta

Rice eaters can rejoice because they can try the best tasting fried rice in town, apart from Yang Chow. The Beef Salpicao Fried Rice is super tasty, well-cooked without making the rice dry. Good enough as a meal itself since the dish includes a generous serving of salpicao beef chunks.

Beef Salpicao Fried Rice

The Stir Fried Seafood Paella is another rice-based dish to look forward to. Like the salpicao fried rice, the rice is not cooked dry and the seafood ingredients are fresh as the dish does not emit a "fishy" aroma.

Stir Fried Seafood Paella

With the long list of food you have read by now, you'd think that we'd be full already and pass up on dessert. Admittedly, some of us don't have enough room left in our tummy for some sweet treats but we wouldn't want to regret not try at least 3 desserts that we can share among us.

The Belgian Chocolate Fondue is a fun way to share the guilt of eating dessert with family and friends. The melted belgian chocolate sauce is sweet and smooth and the thickness is just right to coat the marshmallow and assorted fruits that come with it.

Belgian Chocolate Fondue

For some local flavors, we ordered the Ube Cheesecake Brulee and the Banana-Langka Crepe Samurai. The Ube Cheesecake Brulee is a hands down winner as it disappeared rather quickly from its serving dish. Heaven on a plate, the ube cheesecake has that sweet-salty combination flavor, coupled with super smooth texture. Not to be outshined was the Banana-Langka Crepe Samurai which looked like a creme brulee on a round dish. One bite and you will notice the strong sweet langka flavor, made more intense by the caramel sauce. These two desserts were a sweet surprise because of the authentic Pinoy flavors prepared and presented as world-class temptations.

Ube Cheesecake Brulee

Banana-Langka Crepe Samurai

While winding down from the sumptous dinner, we took the liberty to ask the staff some information on Old Vine Grille. We were told that the Old Vine Grille has two branches already -- this one in Eastwood opened in February 2009 while the other one in Venice Piazza opened in November 2009. Old Vine Grille is a steakhouse that takes pride in their best-sellers called the Larry & Mau Steak and Barbecue creations, concocted by the owners -- Larry Cortez and executive chef Mauro Arjona, Jr. -- based on combinations they both enjoy and which they felt will also be enjoyed by others. Both Eastwood and Venice Piazza branches operate from 11 am to 11 pm on Mondays thru Thursdays; 11 am to 12 mn on Fridays and Saturdays; and 10 am to 11 pm on Sundays.

A cozy and relaxed dining experience after a busy day

I wanted to share this dining experience with my family so I'm going back soon to try their other offerings. Of course, I am ordering the unforgettable Tessie Tomas Salad and the Ube Cheesecake Brulee on my next visit but I won't be sharing them, my companions would have to order their own. :)

Filed under FLAVORS

Dreaming of New York...Pizza

Am a self confessed pizza and pasta lover and can easily survive on eating those for the rest of my life. I've tried Italian and Pinoy pizzas but never one from New York and so I was curious when I heard that a new pizza place just recently opened in A. Venue -- New York Pizza Palace (NYPP).

Inside New York Pizza Palace.

The feel of NY

The exterior is nothing unusual: all glass walls and doors, with an obscure lighted sign and alfresco tables. But once inside, I felt I was transported to a place that I've only dreamed about -- New York City, USA. I saw familiar street signs and NY icons (Times Square, Mulberry St., Coney Island, Grand Central, and Fifth Avenue, among others) on the walls of the interior but the main attraction was the LED ticker board splashed across the ceiling, showing actual New York Stock Market, sports scores and news that New Yorkers follow. Numerous TV monitors showed live footages, real-time happenings at Times Square and Fifth Avenue, being updated every 30 seconds. The "Empire State of Mind" video of Alicia Keys and Jay-Z plays at an hourly interval and every so often, the screens will show old movies that had the New York theme such as The Godfather series.

NY icons such as baseball player Babe Ruth, Yankee stadium and original yellow subway chairs, among others.

The LED board showing NY stock exchange results, sports scores and news.

Screens with real time NY scenes.

The ordering counter reveals more NY attributes -- the menu board looks like the ticketing panels of the Grand Central train station; colorful NY graffiti decorates the surface below the counter; and there were several manhole covers lining the pavement, mimicking the streets of New York.

Graffiti artworks and more NY reminders decorate the counter.

Surprise detail -- NY manhole replica.

The dream of NY

The tour stared with a story by NYPP chief operating officer Eric Orland, who introduced himself as a New Yorker by birth but lived in California. He has been on the hunt for great tasting pizzas but nothing can satisfy his cravings like New York pizzas. So he collaborated with Chef O'Connor to develop authentic NY recipes which he wanted to offer initially to the market in China until a Filipino-American friends suggested he try the market in the Philippines. The opening of New York Pizza Palace was the materialization of a dream that took 7 years to fulfill and this first branch in A. Venue, Makati Avenue, is just the beginning.

Their main offerings are pasta and pizza but they have a lot more for the discriminating palate of the working people of Makati City. Everything if made fresh (cooked as they are ordered as much as possible) and served hot. You can even view the pizza being made through a glass show window at the side counter and according to Eric, their pizzas are made with four different flavors each to ensure the quality as they are served.

Peek at the pizza show window to see how your pizza is being made fresh.

The taste of NY

For starters, their NYPP Sicilian salad was served -- a perfect combination of romaine lettuce, croutons, marinated steamed chicken, mango, grapes, diced tomatoes and cashew nuts tossed with their signature Sicilian dressing. The salad was delightfully refreshing and tasty, with the dressing made from the finest and freshest ingredients and did not come out of a bottle.

NYPP Sicilian salad

Next were their best seller pastas: Fettucine Alfredo Chicken, Penne with Grilled Chicken and Pesto and Seafood and Garlic Linguine. The alfredo white cream sauce was surprisingly light, not oily nor overly creamy but flavorful enough to offset the mildly salted chicken bits; penne pesto has fresh, earthy taste brought about by the roasted vegetables and mild garlic flavor; while the seafood pasta has strong garlic flavor and good mix of shrimps and squid rings.

Fettucine Alfredo Chicken

Penne with Grilled Chicken and Pesto

Seafood and Garlic Linguine

An interesting appetizer called Suppli, their signature rice ball stuffed with parmesan and cheddar cheese, fried to golden perfection and served with marinara sauce, is heavy enough as a main dish. Crusty outside and soft inside, the cheese and tomato sauce blend beautifully inside the mouth. Yum!

Suppli, originally an Italian appetizer

The Chicken Wings (NYPP's version of buffalo wings) are fantastic! The skin is crunchy like lechon skin and their very own sweet-chili winger sauce seals the deal.

NYPP Chicken Wings

Pizza is their main offering and so NYPP makes sure that every pizza is made right and every slice is served fresh. Eric told us that, "What makes good quality pizza is the crispness of the product. You can hear the crisp when they cut it." NYPP has 7 Classic Pizza flavors: New York Style Cheese, Pepperoni, Triple Meat Lover, Fire Grilled Vegetable, Wild Mushroom, Sweet Sausage and Hawaiian. The cheese pizza was mildly salty which is great because one gets to enjoy the chewy goodness of the cheeses without choking on salty flavor; the meat pizza, a triple delight pizza with ham, pepperoni and Italian sausage, was not greasy at all and the freshness of the tomato sauce can be tasted.

PIZZA!!! (clockwise from the top) Mini Meatballs, Triple Meat Lover, New York Style Cheese and Spicy Shrimp

As if the 7 classics are not enough, NYPP also developed their Signature Pizzas namely NYPP Vodka Pie, Spinach & Artichoke, Mini Meatballs, White Pie, Prince Street Clam, Eggplant Ricotta and NYPP Spicy Shrimp. My early favorites are: the spinach & artichoke, with mozzarella, romano, provolone cheese, breadcrumbs and basil leaves -- satisfying but light despite the thick spinach & artichoke mixture and cheese; the vodka pie, which actually has no alcohol but rather a mix of sauces including creamy tomato sauce and basil leaves; the eggplant ricotta, which has a rich cheese flavor from ricotta, mozzarella and romano cheese was made unique red bell pepper and breaded eggplant; and the white pie which has smoky herb flavor from the onions, bacon and thyme leaves toppings.

More pizza! (clockwise from the top) Spinach & Artichoke, White Pie, Vodka Pie and Eggplant Ricotta

NYPP may look and sound expensive but their prices are competitive in the pizza/pasta market. For those who can't have lunch outside their offices or for those who want to enjoy their favorite pizza, pasta, chicken, salad, appetizers and delicious desserts at home, NYPP delivers to your doorstep. Dial 720-5977 for delivery and feast like New Yorker.

Vroom! Vroom! Have your pizza delivered now.

Visit New York Pizza Palace for an authentic New York dining experience. NYPP is located at A. Venue, Makati Avenue, Makati City and is open from 9am - 4am daily. Please visit http://www.newyorkpizzapalace.com/ for more information.

Me and NYPP's 18" pizza