My love for good and well-prepared food never fails to evoke fond memories of my childhood, when my siblings and I first learned our way around the kitchen from our parents, who were both great cooks. Enjoying a good meal together around a big dining table was a strong family tradition, and it remains so in my own family today. This early fascination with fine food and its preparation became my lifelong passion.

I can say that my cooking style—casual, rustic and comforting—has evolved over decades of learning from respected teachers from the 1970s to the present, a home library of cookbooks and handwritten recipes, as well as interactions with friends, chefs and restaurateurs. Even my travel itineraries must be built around where to experience the best of the local flavors and where I could also take courses. Some of my most cherished trips were with my husband to international wine and food festivals that enriched me further.

Since I was a full-time, hands-on mother, I involved myself in my daughters’ school programs, eventually organizing a culinary club which culminated in a cookbook that featured our members’ beloved family recipes. All these experiences led me to cofound Angel’s Kitchen (@angelskitchenph on Instagram), a home café, and Mi Casa Gourmet Specialties store (@micasagourmetph on Instagram) in Greenhills. Thirteen years and midpandemic later, I am operating both businesses with my daughter Tina.

Like many during the quarantine, my family was presented with so much time to be together that allowed us to collaborate and recreate our favorite dishes, which has been such fun. Indeed, the kitchen is the heart of the home. Working, eating and sometimes dancing around the kitchen with my children bring so much warmth and joy to the soul.

Here are two family recipes that I hope your loved ones will enjoy, just as mine did.

Seafood Paella

1 kg medium mussels, cleaned2 kg large clams, cleaned

18-20 pc large shrimps, head and shell intact

500 g small squid, cleaned and sliced

1 kg crab claws

6 Tbsp olive oil

8 pc garlic cloves

2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped1 Tbsp fresh thyme

1 pc large onion

1 pc large red capsicum, finely chopped

1 pc large green capsicum, finely chopped

4 pc large tomatoes, finely chopped

2 pc chorizo Pamplona, 1 sliced, 1 chopped

½ c green peas

150 g Tyrolean bacon, chopped

2 tsp sweet paprika

1 pack saffron thread

3 c Arborio rice

6 c seafood broth (from clams, crab claws and mussels)

Salt and pepper, to taste

In batches, place clams, crab claws and mussels in water, cover and bring to a boil. Remove clams and mussels as they open, making sure they are only cooked halfway. Reserve six cups of broth. Stir in saffron and set aside.

In a mortar and pestle, make a paste of parsley, thyme, garlic and sweet paprika. Add ¼ tsp water to help combine.

In an 18-inch paella pan, heat olive oil and add Tyrolean bacon. Once rendered, saute onion, red capsicum, green capsicum, tomatoes until soft. Add chorizo, stir in rice and coat well for five minutes.

Pour all the seafood broth and bring to a boil.

Stir and rotate the pan occasionally for 10 minutes, then add the squid and the herb garlic paste.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Continue to cook until rice is not soupy but has sufficient liquid to cook the rice. Add green peas, cook for eight minutes.

Transfer to the oven, cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, just before serving, toss the shrimp in olive oil and salt and cook over the grill. Finish cooking the clams, crab claws and mussels over the grill and set aside.

Assembly: Arrange all the grilled seafood on top of the paella. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Salad Niçoise

300 g potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cans tuna chunks, drained

4 pc eggs

1 tub cherry tomatoes, halved

250 g lettuce

100 g French beans

100 g carrots, julienned (optional)

2 pc Japanese cucumber, julienned (optional)

100 g black olives, sliced

2 Tbsp capers

 

Lemon dressing:

3 Tbsp lemon juice

¾ c olive oil

3 tsp garlic, chopped

3 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a mixing bowl, whisk lemon juice, garlic, Dijon mustard, while slowly pouring in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

In a pot, bring water to a boil. Add the eggs carefully and let cook for eight minutes. Transfer eggs to an ice bath, then peel.

Using the same pot, add some salt to the water and cook French beans for two to four minutes and potatoes for 10-12 minutes until tender. Transfer to an ice bath, drain and dry off excess water with a clean kitchen towel.

Assembly: Slice eggs into wedges and arrange on a platter with all the other veggies. Sprinkle with sliced black olives and capers. Option to drizzle excess dressing over the veggies and serve the rest on the side.—CONTRIBUTED

 

The author is the proprietor of Angel’s Kitchen and Mi Casa Gourmet Specialties.

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