MANILA, Philippines - Chef-instructors from the Center for Asian Culinary Arts (CACS) reveal their go-to dishes when they’re looking for a quick lift from the rainy-day blues.
Gino Gonzalez, program director of CACS loves creamy asparagus soup. “I like to make mine extra-special by putting in a generous helping of Magnolia Gold Butter, and with fresh asparagus.”
China Cojuangco, chef instructor, loads up on grilled cheese sandwiches. “I grew up making mine by melting a slice of butter on the grill pan, and letting it seep into the bread and the melted Quickmelt cheese.”
Junjun De Guzman, head pastry chef-instructor, is a corned beef-on-rice person. “My quick pick-me-up treat is sautéed Purefoods Corned Beef in oil, garlic, and a bit of cabbage and potatoes with a steaming cup of rice.”
Toto Erfe, chef-instructor, gets a longganisa fried rice fix. “I’m a certified longganisa addict, so there’s always a stash of Monterey Meatshop Longganisa in the fridge. Chopped into bite-size bits, I fry them in Magnolia Gold Butter and onions, and when the fatty juice seeps out, I flash fry the rice into it. This goes really well with eggs—whether they’re sunnyside up or made into an omelette. ”
Agnes Borromeo, pastry chef instructor, feels better after a few chocolate cupcakes. “I have a chocolate monster at home, so when the weather’s grumpy, I take out Baker’s Best Margarine from the pantry, heat up the oven and whip up a batch of chocolate goodness, which my son and I munch on while watching his favorite cartoons.”
Lawrence Zafra, chef instructor, likes his sweet-style spaghetti. “I’m a fan of Pinoy Spaghetti. The beauty of this dish is that I can have it anytime, and I never scrimp on the meat. I sauté the ground meat with huge cuts of Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs, then toss the pasta in with grated cheese.”
Red Espiritu, chef instructor trainee, likes to carbo load on creamy carbonara. “Hit pause on whatever it is you’re watching, heat up some all-purpose cream, chopped onions and Purefoods bacon bits and then pour it over cooked pasta. This dish is best shared with a special someone.”