Aruga

Tina Santos

“WHEN WE STARTED Mom & Tina’s, my mom and I sold desserts. We also sold my mom’s crafts because she used to make flower arrangements and sew. It did well, so we expanded to a bigger place. I had to think of more food to sell, so naisip ko na lang the food that people like to eat in our house. Even the desserts started from basic recipes from my mom. I felt my mom and I were really partners because she taught me how to bake and we used family recipes.

I think if you’re part of this family, you’ll really like to eat. There’s no escaping. Growing up, my family would spend Sunday lunches with my grandfather on my father’s side and then Sunday dinner with my grandparents on my mom’s side. Both my grandmothers were very good cooks and for me, the Chicken or Pork Asado is representative of the food at home because everything was warm and cozy. My grandmother would fuss over us and she would not eat until all of us had eaten.

It’s a way of showing love to your relatives when you prepare food that they enjoy. Parang you receive so much love when you give food. You associate the food with the pleasure of your company. So I guess food is not only food; what you eat nourishes your soul.”

Pork or Chicken Asado Kapampangan

Servings: 4-5

Ingredients

2 kg whole Liempo or whole chicken

2 large white onions, chopped

1 head garlic, chopped

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 cup tomato sauce

3 pieces calamansi

2 tbsp cooking oil

10 cups water

Procedure

1. In a large pan, heat the cooking oil and brown the whole piece of meat in batches. Once browned, remove the meat from the pan and reserve for later.

2. Sauté the garlic and onions for a few minutesuntil they are cooked.

3. Add the tomato sauce, soy sauce, and water thenbring to a boil.

4. Return the meat into the pan again and lower theheat to cook it until tender.

5. Once tender, remove the meat again, leaving the sauce in the pan. Then, add the pepper and calamansi to the sauce and turn off the heat once it boils.

6. Slice the meat and arrange on a serving plate.Pour the sauce over it right before serving.

Ivory Yat Vaksman

“THIS DISH IS special because it was my audition dish for MasterChef Pinoy Edition. For the third screening, we had to come up with something worth Php 100 only. We only had 10 minutes to think and shop, so the easiest thing I thought of was pasta. It was the most Filipino thing — it’s under the budget and you can have it for breakfast. With that dish, I was saying, ‘You should let me in.’ I knew it was what I really wanted.

When my daughter Violet was in my belly, I kept on telling her, ‘Darling, this is our living; this is what your mommy does. Like Mommy, you’re going to work for food and chop onions at age seven.’ Even though she can’t see well, she can already smell the garlic and I try to explain the color of the food to her. I started eating healthy when I was pregnant even though I couldn’t eat anything I liked. I ate overnight oats and green foods, thinking that whatever I eat will make my daughter better. She is brave because she already has it in her blood. Violet Valerie Vaksman is going to be so famous; in fact, she’s going to be the only Miss Universe who can cook.”

Tuyo Pasta Aglio Olio

Servings: 4

Ingredients

10 pieces tuyo, filleted or flaked

24 garlic cloves

4 slivered ripe tomatoes, chopped

2 pieces siling labuyo, minced

1 cup olive oil

6 tbsp butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Water

500g uncooked spaghettini

Rocksalt for boiling water

Basil, chopped and saved as garnish

Parmesan cheese, grated

Procedure

1. Cook Spaghettini in boiling water according to packageinstructions. Don’t forget to add salt.

2. In a medium pan with low heat, add in olive oil and add ingarlic slivers and siling labuyo until the oil becomes fragrant,about two minutes.

3. Add in the chopped tuyo flakes and maintain low heat. Slowlyadd in the tomatoes, including its seeds and juices. Cook thetomatoes until the oil turns yellow or orange in color.

4. Strain the spaghettini and save a bit of pasta water. Add thepasta in the tuyo mixture, slowly ladle a little bit of pasta water,and toss altogether.

5. When the pasta water is absorbed, turn off the heat and addin the butter and parmesan cheese. Continue tossing and mixinguntil the pasta is evenly coated.

6. Transfer into a platter and garnish with more parmesan cheeseand basil. Serve hot.

Jose Salvosa

“IN 2005, MY mom brought my auntie’s barbeque place to Manila. Every summer, my cousins and I would work there to bus tables, clean the kitchen, and learn how to cook. My whole family has always been into food, so we all have our own opinions about it. When we cook at home and the food isn’t good, malalaman at malalaman kasi walang room for sensitivity, kaya we’ve built thick skins and learned to roll with the punches.

In a way, making Cochinillo is like taking care of your family — you will not get it right the first time. Puwedeng masunog yung tenga, puwedeng ang ganda ng kulay sa labas pero hilaw sa loob, or the meat can be golden but the skin soggy. I earned the right to cook this dish through my willingness to be patient. In a family naman, there’s a lot of imperfect people, and that takes patience from both you and your family. But if you are willing to go through the process of refining and preparing, the pain of waiting is worth the end result: love. When you share a dish of Cochinillo at the dining table and you see your family members smile and laugh, you realize it’s all worth it.”

Cochinillio

Servings: 4-5

Ingredients

1 whole suckling pig

Sea salt

Olive oil Lard/Pork fat

5-10 sprigs of Thyme

Procedure

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C for 30 minutes prior.

Jose’s note: If you don’t feelcomfortable butterfly opening your pig,ask your local butcher to do it for you.

2. Butterfly open the suckling pig to ensure the cooking process is even on all sides.

3. Cook the suckling pig in a large rectangle roasting tin. You will also need two or three cleanwooden slats that fit in the tin and where the piglet can rest so it is not in direct contact withthe tin or water.

4. Season the pig with fine sea salt and thyme and place it skin side down on the roasting tin.Pour an inch of water to the bottom of the tin, making sure the water does not overflow overthe wooden slats. Roast for 90 minutes.

5. Take the pig out of the oven and turn it skin side up. Remove the cooking juices from the roasting tin and add an inch of fresh water again. Prick the skin of the piglet with a fork in various places to avoid bubbles appearing under the skin while cooking. Brush the piglet with a mixture of lard and olive oil and return to the oven for another 90 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 200°C for the last 30 minutes of cooking.

6. Remove the suckling pig from the oven and transfer to a serving platter.

7. With a large spoon, drain the excess oil from the cooking juices and fine strain them. Checkif the juices have the right seasoning, if not, add salt and serve with the roasted pig.

8. The skin should be crispy while the meat is soft, which is why you should be able to carvethe suckling pig with a plate cutting through it. Garnish with thyme.