What’s cookin’ with AHA: Salad Nicoise

AHA Chef Jinggay Merilleno shows how to prepare Salad Nicoise.

AHA Chef Jinggay Merilleno shows how to prepare Salad Nicoise.

He failed to drizzle the lemon chantilly onto the lamb because he only had a minute to plate the dish before a group of foreign judges.

Comfort food warms the heart and fills the tummy. It may be a pizza with the works or mud pie with whipped cream and chocolate sauce.

The idea to open a restaurant in Makati serving Filipino food came about after the owners wondered why Filipino restaurants that open abroad are always greeted with much fanfare.

During my sister Cory’s recent visit to Manila, she told me about this recipe which she often makes for her grandchildren, Vanessa and Santi, back in Sydney where they live. It’s so easy and tasty, and the kids simply love it.

It was years ago in Iloilo when I learned about how Norway and the Philippines were connected. It was at a resort where we ate the specialties of the province. On the beach, instead of swimmers, were a group of lifesavers. It was explained that those were students at John B. Lacson Maritime School, and the school was in partnership with Norway’s maritime industry.

My family allowed me to sit back, relax and enjoy Mother’s Day. Instead of the usual me in the kitchen, I called a good friend, Greek chef Anthony Kouroutsavouris to prepare an authentic Grecian feast for us.
Whenever I hear the words Pampanga cuisine, there is one family name that comes to mind: Tayag.

Beetles, caterpillars and wasps could supplement the diets of billions of people globally and help feed livestock, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said on Monday, calling for more investment in edible insect farming.

AHA Chef Jinggay Merilleno shows how to prepare Panna Cotta with Mango Coulis.

Ecotourism. Extreme adventure tourism. Spa tourism. Medical tourism. Agritourism. And now, make way for food tourism.