"No Coffee"

The waiter finally and meekly had to admit they did not have coffee to serve after dinner. That was after making an excuse that they did not have cream. We said we would not mind that so he had to tell the truth that their coffee maker broke down. This was at Minggoy’s in the newly opened family-use complex that is Greenbelt 2 and 3. Don’t they realize that coffee is a must in restaurants, specially such as theirs? Anyway, we sent for coffee from a store nearby and we had it in a jiffy. Our point is, couldn’t the management have done the same? We spotted the waiter and the supervisor (manager?) in a huddle. But no, the big man was perhaps too big to apologize. What a pity, they have good food, but we may not be back there until we are assured they provide seamless service with customer-friendly management.

Greenbelt has indeed put on a new face, that of a cool resort-type, beautifully landscaped complex that makes one forget the ills and ugliness in this country. The buildings surrounding it now look like poor relations. We just wish they had (or will they have?) a supermarket.

Anyway, confined to home these last few days, we came up with some recipes we want to share with our readers. One is Mustard Splashed Tanguigue Steak. You need four pieces of the fish (P204 a kilo at ShopWise; four will cost about P83). Season with Lemon Pepper seasoning (Spice Time brand at Unimart) and let stand for at least an hour. Prepare your sauce by mixing 1 tablespoon McCormick Prepared Mustard, 250 ml Nestlé cream, salt and pepper plus 1-1/2 teaspoons dried parsley (you may use fresh, finely chopped). Set aside. Combine one slightly beaten egg and 4 tablespoons "4C" flavored bread crumbs (available at Price Smart). Mix well and coat the steaks with the mixture. Fry in low heat until fish is done. In a separate pan, pour the mustard mixture until it thickens a bit. Pour over fish and serve at once.

Another recipe is Re-invented Left-Over Steak. Make good use of what is left of your steak, specially if it is barbecue flavored. Cut into thin strips. Chop an onion and drain about 50 gms of green peas. Combine 2 teaspoons wine, 1 teaspoon nutmeg and 2 tablespoons water. Saute onions in a little corn oil, add beef, and the nutmeg and wine mixture. Mix well and cover. Simmer for a while then add green peas. This is a dish ideal for those who hardly have time to cook, since it won’t take 10 minutes to prepare.

There is a new type of honey dew melon, golden with the skin actually in a bright yellow shade. This is smaller than the normal fruit we find in the market and is actually much cheaper at P68 a kilo (at ShopWise). In a farm out in Antipolo we found the biggest lemon ever–as big as an avocado. Since lemon has been readily available, we have been using it more than calamansi. It smells sweeter as well. In fact, for the traditional Pinangat na Sapsap which we cooked recently, we sprinkled the juice of a lemon and to skip the cholesterol in most cooking oils, we laced it with Extra Virgin olive oil. Perfect! Pinangat is another way of doing Paksiw na Isda, which substitutes citrus for the traditional vinegar. Crush two finger chilis (the sinigang type) in your patis dip.

After a long while, we visited the Monterey Meat Shop along the BF wet market in Parañaque. Our friend, the ever smiling Tess, is still tending the store with an efficient male staff. We wanted some ready-to-cook food and this outlet is perfect, having had very good experiences with their barbecues. We got two pieces of the prepared Korean beef, soft and tender when done on a griller, and four pieces of pork, also marinated in the same sauce. A third purchase was a pack of adobo flakes, ideal breakfast fare. To enhance the flavor, we sautéd crushed garlic in a little corn oil and then cooked the flakes until they turned brown and crispy. Our final buy was beef tapa. All these for a little over P500. This selection of seasoned meat can reduce the stress we homemakers sometimes get from planning our daily meals, or when we are pressed for time.

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