Bart Guingona has just finished filming a Romanian film. The actor also recently guested in a couple of teleseryes. “But I am busiest now preparing for the Philippine Night Show of the Dubai World Expo in February 2022, which I am producing and directing,” he told Lifestyle.

Guingona also spends a lot of time in the kitchen, making his own bread and pasta, and experimenting with sugar-free desserts. In this week’s Food Slambook, he takes us into what he calls his “messy” kitchen.

Food confessions

As an eater, I’m . . . very eclectic and adventurous.

My favorite thing to eat at home: I don’t really have one favorite, but will munch on anything from chicharon to salami Milano to a piece of fruit, depending on what’s within reach.

As a cook, I’m . . . very eclectic. I love to experiment. I start off with a recipe, say by Ottolenghi, and then I improvise from there. As a baker, although I love making the sinful stuff, I also love experimenting with sugar-free stuff. I love it when people don’t realize that what they’re having is sugar-free!

My specialty: Kare-kare! I just recently made a yummy tiramisu and a sugar-free coconut bounty wrapped in dark chocolate. I also love making stuff like Hainanese chicken, osso bucco, yam som o and tom yum, pata tim, lechon Macao, rolling my own pasta to make ravioli or linguine, etc. Oh, and did I mention I’m an eclectic cook?

If I can only eat one food every day for the rest of my life, it would be . . . Pasta, I think. Or rice. Both of which are loaded with carbs and sugars and force me to go to the gym regularly.

One food I will never eat: I haven’t yet encountered something I wouldn’t eat. The fried grub in the Chiang Mai night market had the texture of beef marrow that’s turned into sebo, and I don’t think I’ll be craving for that anytime soon, but offhand, I can’t think of anything else that would repel me enough to keep me away for life. Oh, wait. Monkey brains? Stewed bats? Shudder.

My guilty pleasure: Carbs! Loads and loads of it. Pasta, rice, chips, the occasional sweets

My favorite midnight snack: Salami Milano

Favorite food delivery app/service: Grab. Only because it’s the first one I tried and just didn’t feel motivated to look elsewhere.

Kitchen raid

If you were to walk into my kitchen today, you would see . . . a mess. I am thawing out liempo cubes and chicken thighs to cook adobo for tonight. My pantry is now a mess. I keep promising myself I would straighten it up but always get overtaken by inertia.

Kitchen gadgets/appliances I can’t live without: My Bosch stand mixer for baking, my Black & Decker food processor, my Cuisinart mini food processor.

What’s always in my refrigerator: My jams. I have made kamias jam, orange marmalade, preserved lemons, which are delicious but none of which I eat. Haha. I think they will occupy a permanent space in my refrigerator.

What’s always in my pantry: 00 flour for when I make my own pasta and pizza, erythritol and xylitol for when I make the sugar-free stuff. Tonic water for when I drink vodka tonics while cooking (LOL)

Favorite . . .

Bread: I bake my own.

Cheese: Parmigiano-Reggiano, Grana Padano, feta

Butter: The cheapest unsalted one I can find. Usually Queensland (value for money!)

Milk: I’m lactose intolerant but once in a while I will have some lactose-free Cowhead milk.

Coffee: Nespresso when on a machine, Cordillera Arabica from Eeffoc2020 when on a French pressRice: DinoradoPasta: I make my own but in a pinch, Barilla

Mayo: Hellman’s or Tesco’s French-style mayo. Or the one I make

Fruits: Pomelos, persimmons, mangoes, avocados

Veggies: Sitaw, kangkong, romaine

Herbs and spices: Wansoy, oregano, cumin, kosher or sea salt

Bacon/hotdog/sausage/ham: Libby’s Vienna sausage

Cooking oil: Any canola oil, extra-virgin olive oil (usually La Espanola or Contadina)

Soy sauce: Coconut brand

Vinegar: I have tons of vinegars: Heinz white, Bragg apple cider, Datu Puti, lots of artisanal sinamak, pinakurat, paombong, pinya.

Canned products: Spam, Del Mar Tuna in water, various brands of stewed tomatoes, various brands of sardinasFrozen food: Sosing’s longganisa, Auring’s tapa, veal adrio from Santi’s

Snacks: Popcorn, chips, chicharon, salami, ham

Drinks: Vodka, tonic water and the occasional beer

Other favorites: Pampanga Pride taba ng talangka INQ