Satisfaction can be had from the simplest things such as perfectly made churros dunked in thick chocolate, tasty sausages, or good bread and a glass of creamy milk.
On a cool and overcast Saturday morning, I met with Marc Puigtio, a native of Barcelona and one of the owners of Don Churro at Salcedo Market where I had my fill of their churros, one of the best I have tried outside Spain.
Freshly made, crunchy-crisp on the outside, soft on the inside. The churro was perfect—with its slight hint of salt, it struck a perfect balance once dipped in the lusciously thick, silky, dark, lightly sweetened hot chocolate.
Don Churro makes use of local ingredients, except for the oil that they import from Spain. Its chocolate is from Davao and is unbelievably deep in flavor, wine-y and rich.
Each bite was a delight. I savored every churro and on my third, I noticed there was hardly a trace of oil on my fingers or even a slight hint of it, on my tongue.
If I cannot be at Chocolatería San Ginés in Madrid, Don Churro for me is the next best thing.
Visit Don Churro at Midnight Mercato at The Fort and at the Salcedo and Legaspi markets. For catering needs, call Marc at 0926-7117270.
Sausages galore
While waiting for Marc, I went around the market and visited my good friends Myleen and Colleen Huenefeld of Calidad Española (tel. 5856366), makers of Spanish chorizos.
The sisters never stop improving on their sausages, it seems. They made me try their reformulated products. I had butifarra blanca which is much better than it was then and their butifarra fresca, a white sausage that is perfect for breakfast, paired with pancakes or waffles.
I had a bite of their diablitos, thin spicy chorizos pan-fried in olive oil. For those looking for good pica-pica to go with a cold glass of beer or glass of wine, I say, try this.
But it was their new morcilla (blood sausage) formulation that I loved. This version is a lot creamier, onion laden, with a pudding-like consistency. When you get the chance, try making an omelet, a revuelto de morcilla.
Sausage omelet
Beat four eggs in a bowl. In a frying pan, put a tablespoon of olive oil and one thinly sliced white onion. Caramelize the onion. Slice half a morcilla and remove it from its casing. Crumble the meat and add to the caramelized onion. Cook this for two minutes. Add a few raisins and pine nuts. Turn up the heat and add the beaten eggs and continue to cook as you would an omelet.
While making my rounds, I stopped by the stall of The Breadery where I sampled a couple of interesting breads. I particularly liked their Early Grey, a tea-perfumed bread that’s soft with a nice chewy texture from the raisins and walnuts.
Another product I liked was the truffle bun. I can imagine how delicious this will be when warmed and dabbed with good-quality butter or a nice liver paté, or used to sandwich thin slices of roast beef.
Targeting a specific market
I learned from Thomas Pohang, director of The Breadery, that their breads are handmade and created to particularly satisfy the Asian palate both in texture and taste.
“We use natural yeast to make our bread. There are many benefits to using natural yeast. It can help control heartburn and acid reflux, lower the glycemic index, and slow down
digestion to make you feel full longer. These are just some of the many benefits of using natural yeast.”
What impressed me was their list of offerings. It was obvious a lot of fun went into the process of their baking. A kimchi bun, anyone?
The Breadery is at UP Town Center, Katipunan; Emerald Mansions, Emerald Avenue, Ortigas; and Salcedo Weekend Market every Saturday, 6 a.m.-2 p.m.
Japanese milk
Milk Man sent me a bottle of the most sinful milk. It was everything milk should be—rounded, thick, sinfully rich, tasty, creamy, delicious… There are not enough adjectives.
It has the consistency of a thinned-out milkshake with a tinge of sweetness. I was told it is processed following Japanese standards and technology.
I am not a milk drinker but, as I write this, I have had two glasses, tricking myself to believe I need to keep drinking to best be able to describe it to you.
Milk Man (tel. 0927-8335000) delivers every Friday. The milk comes in one-liter bottles. Orders must be placed via text before 11 a.m. Thursday.
My cooking class schedule is now available. For inquiries and reservations, call 4008496, 0908-2372346, 0917-5543700, 9289296.