MANILA, Philippines - We bought a pack of sweet corn and steamed it as a side offering at dinner. But nobody touched them. What to do? Turn it into a new dish the following day. This recipe for creamy chicken with sweet corn is a take-off from a dish we had done before, but in the absence of some required ingredients, we made do with what we had.
We took out from our freezer a 1.3-kg dressed chicken, thawed, cleaned and cut it into serving pieces, then rubbed it with the juice of two small calamansi, plus salt and pepper. We let it stand for about two hours in the refrigerator. Other ingredients, aside from the chicken and corn, are: a tablespoon of butter or margarine; half a head of native garlic, crushed; a medium-size onion, sliced; one Chinese chorizo, cut thinly on the diagonal; two slices of sweet ham, cut into small squares; 8 pieces of green olives, cut into threes; 10 pieces button mushrooms, also cut; two medium sized potatoes, cut into small wedges; one large carrot, also in small wedges; a teaspoon of Spanish paprika; and two tablespoons of cream or milk.
Scrape the kernels from the cob. Set aside. In a casserole, heat the butter or margarine, sauté garlic and onions. Put the chicken in and add paprika, then cover. Let simmer for three minutes, stir once. Add the kernels, chorizo and ham. Pour in a bit of the liquid from the olives and mushrooms so the dish does not dry up. Add the olives and mushrooms. Mix well, making sure the bottom does not get scorched. After a few minutes, add the potatoes and carrots. When potatoes are done, add the milk. Simmer for another three minutes. That’s the instant chicken recipe! For a stronger Spanish flavor, you may use chorizo bilbao (they now abound in supermarkets) instead of the Chinese variety.
We have been getting regular e-mails from Batangas. Apparently it has a very active group engaged in promoting their various activities, including the forthcoming “Ala-eh Festival Trade Fair and Exhibits” in Lipa City from Dec. 3 to 8 to highlight the Batangas Province Foundation Week.
The group is encouraging the business and cultural sectors of the province to participate and get the chance to bring to the attention of the rest of the country their products and services. In our childhood, the food of Tanauan, which we often remember and miss today, are matamis na mani (peanuts cooked in raw sugar), tawilis (rare small fish found in Taal Lake, super to crisp fry), suman (glutinous rice cake in coconut, wrapped in banana leaves), always accompanied by matamis na bao (coco jam) and the atun, a fish species unique to Batangas, which is like the Spanish tuna. Its flesh is white, lean, firm and very tasty but it is seldom found now, and is quite expensive. Some fishmongers would pass the talakitok as atun, but a connoisseur would always know the difference.
A recent price watch at Robinsons Tagaytay and SM Hypermart in the Mall of Asia yielded this comparative list. All weights recorded are by the kilo. At SM – Farm Fresh pork sinigang cut, P123; adobo cut, P170, menudo cut, P183. Carrots, P58; Star margarine, 250 gms., P96; Minola oil, 1.6 ltrs, P96; Magnolia Nutri-oil, 1.8 ltrs, P161.50; Purefoods corned beef, 380 gms., P113.50.
Incidentally, our attention has been recently called by some readers about mistakes committed by some of the chain’s cashiers in some parts of the country. Management should look into this.
At Robinsons – pork sinigang cut is P150 a kilo; chicken lollipops, P158; chicken wings, P138; bangus, P115; Minola oil (1 liter in plastic bag), P96; Century Mayo tuna spread, P19.85; Purefoods Chunky corned beef, 350 gms., P72.30.
One of the best light meals we’ve had is the fish fillet pomodoro at Delifrance in Alabang Town Center. It was fresh, crispy – perfectly done, at a very good price. The best tiramisu is at Bizu, also at ATC.
Have a good Sunday!
E-mail comments and questions to: lydia_d_castillo@yahoo.com.