Tayo na sa Antipolo

It may not be Maytime yet, but it is never too early to visit the old church where the Virgin of Antipolo and Good Voyage is enshrined. Thus early one morning a fortnight ago, we went east and took up the invitation of our friend Nena (she who makes the luscious banana cakes) to visit Antipolo, not only the church but its market, which is reputedly one of the cleanest in the country.

After an early snack of hotcakes and coffee, we went off to M. Quezon Street in the downtown area, conveniently parked and walked our way to the market, making sure we used the sidewalk because tricycles ferried passengers in such a frenzy they could easily cause broken bones and limbs, if one is not careful.

The best time to go to this market is shortly after 7:30 a.m. when the fresh catch start to arrive. The market is comparatively clean, but not that clean. The seafood section is wet and therefore muddy. The vendors are very customer-friendly and we specially commend Mang Narcing who sells bangus (the small ones at P80 and big ones at P100 a kilo). In our haste to get the right sized-bangus for sardines which a friend wanted to make, we did not realize that his fish were slightly bigger than what we needed and we ordered three kilos. Further down, three vendors away, our kitchen assistant noted some smaller ones. We were therefore in a predicament, but Mang Narcing was gracious enough to take back his bangus and our faith in the good nature of the Filipino was strengthened!

Shrimps were selling from P220 to P350 and the very fresh dulong at P80 a kilo. The latter was so fresh it even smelled good. They were perfect for Gourmet Dulong which is made with lots of garlic and olive oil or even for the more traditional omelet. The crabs were ma-alige and sold at P160 a kilo, while squid was tagged from P110 to P120.

At the meat section we got beef tenderloin at P240 a kilo untrimmed, therefore by the time we took off the fat and litid, we lost a few grams and therefore the price did not come out much cheaper.

Most vegetables sold in Antipolo come from Baguio and they cost less in this market. Small carrots at P20 a kilo, cabbage at P26, beans at P55. There is a timbangang bayan on a center aisle, near where the meat is, but at the time of our visit it was still padlocked. We were told municipal staff open this after 8 a.m. But our hostess guarantees exact weights. The market spills out to the other side of the block, on F. Manalo Street, where mostly vegetable and fruit vendors are. We did not notice any kakanin.

At the church ground there is this steel structure which is called "Pasalubong Center", where lots of cashew nuts (P70 a kilo for the big ones and P50 for the slightly crushed), suman sa ibos flavored with nangka (P100 for three bunches of eight pieces each bunch), bocayo, calamay and matamis na mani are offered. Aling Maring is the lady to look for.

We are now into experimenting on cakes, specially English cakes. This is because we just got A Little Book of English Tea, which contains recipes for not only cakes but bread, biscuits and sandwiches that are perfect to serve with tea (or even coffee). Here is a recipe for a Banana Walnut Loaf. It is cake-y in consistency and is not very sweet as some of this kind are likely to be. This keeps for days and can be spread with butter if preferred.

Pre-heat oven to 220° centigrade. You need 1/2 cup margarine, 2 eggs, 3/4 cup brown sugar (use the muscovado), 2 1/4 cups self-rising flour, 2 ripe bananas (crushed), 1/2 cup chopped walnuts , 1 tsp. baking powder and 2 tbps milk. Cream the margarine, add the sugar gradually. Then add the bananas to the mixture, and then the eggs one at a time. Fold in the flour, baking powder and walnuts. Pour mixture into small greased loaf pans, which should have been lined with wax paper. Bake for approximately one hour or until done. Let cool before taking out of the pan.

Lydia D. Castillo’s e-mail address: [email protected]