Cooking While Waiting and More Experimenting

The new closet is going to be delivered today. Since we're practically stuck in the four corners of the condo, we decided to finally clear up the ref of foodstuff to make way for new ones. First I got rid of the tomatoes by turning them to pasta pomodoro with lots of garlic. by lots I mean I had three-quarters of a head crushed and the quarter of it sliced then stewed the tomatoes with tomato juice, canned tomatoes, and seasonings till I get the taste I like.

The event at SpaRga had us taking home fresh herbs as giveaways. I got mint, tarragon, and oregano, and they seem to have made its home in the condo's quadrangle (perks of having our unit at the lower floor so I could just go out and pick from our herb pots). Now I want a basil pot now so I have a full fresh supply of basil. I just found out that basil grays out days after buying them, even if they're kept sealed.

As soon as the closet guys arrived and installed the closet, we had a lot of free time, and free space I got all giddy at the sight of the new closet.

Now I have an excuse to have more dresses since there's more space! :P

Anyhow, weekly grocery shopping was next so we headed over to Rustan's Rockwell for fresh produce and supplies since we haven't been to Rockwell. Turns out the fruit department in Rockwell is different from the one in Glorietta so I wasn't able to get my Dizon strawberries. I was able to get fresh lemongrass to make lemongrass drinks, vegetables, and pasta.

I went over the deli and grabbed some cheese and a piece of Italian sausage since I'll be experimenting on sandwiches tomorrow for breakfast. I told them to keep it plus-minus 100 grams since I just do small servings anyway. I love Rustan's for slicing them for me so it's more convenient. They asked if block or slice, I was like just slice, so I get a sliver of 100 g instead of a slab of cheese that I don't know I'll finish. Didn't know that slice meant to slice them conveniently to thin sheets.

Turns out though I'll be experimenting on grilled cheese when I got home.

Whole wheat bread drizzled with olive oil and a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar. Fillings were gruyere cheese, slices of sausage, and a strip of mozarella before grilling both sides in a pan griller (my second overused piece of kitchen equipment next to the nonstick frying pan and the coffee maker).

Cheese to the extreme come dinnertime with leftover pasta pomodoro and grilled steaks. I thought I'd jazz the steak by topping it with slices of mozzarella cheese and honey barbecue sauce. Eating in is so much cheaper than eating out. The only not fun part is cleaning up. Then again, paying the tab isn't that fun either. By the way, I placed the mozzarella slice on top of the steak when it's already on the plate (not on the pan) still hot, so it melts on the meat's heat. The texture is interesting and it provides a certain richness without the sharp flavor. I like mozzarella. It's mild and it can be addicting.

Since I already made what I'm supposed to experiment for breakfast, I need to get creative for a breakfast meal tomorrow. By the way, I followed no recipe book. Everything is at the top of my head. The mozzarella on steak was very random really, I just thought of putting the slice there when I wanted more color on my plate for picture purposes. But it worked well, didn't it?

A Mighty Meal That's (Not Just) For The Man Of The House

A slab of thick, juicy, steak is always alluded to guys. Somewhat, steak seem to be a guy thing. It was my late grandfather who introduced me to steak telling me it's best eaten medium rare, or rare, rather than cooked well-done. When we used to have our Sunday lunch, I would order the same thing as he does, and try to finish it without a morsel left. He prefers it medium rare. I would try the same, trying it medium-well at first and then medium, which is how I still like it up to this day.

I tried turning vegan and sorta suceeded a few years back, only to turn to meat-eating due to practicality (They do not serve veggie burgers in fastfoods here in the Philippines) plus my love for sashimi and seafood and Don Galo tapsilog. Health consciousness plus a family history of hypertension and high blood pressure and personal preference has made me avoid meat when I can. I found this quite easy since it's hard to find a decent steak anywhere, I can't cook meat, and the only person I know who cooks steak really well prefers is well-done.

This time, I break the rule a bit, thanks to Arpee who dragged me along to Melo's and told me that this I have to go or I would miss half of my life. As Melo's Steakhouse has been famous to serve certified Angus Beef and has steak that would make me forget my name, I complied. And so I did, forgetting cough and colds. Fortunately, my taste buds started coming back and my sense of taste has not numbed. Going to Makati from my place has been horrid due to the traffic but for a good slab of steak, telling myself that it's my birthday I could eat what I want. I met up with Eric first at Starbucks where we proceded to Melo's Jupiter.

As the event started, we were served chicken liver pate as an appetizer. The guys went around and asked us how we wanted our steak done. Despite Arpee telling me to go for medium rare, as he would tell me to, I went for my classic preferred medium and asked him that I would just try from his medium rare. We were shown a powerpoint presentation on the various grades of steak, the best forms of steak, and even the kinds of steak. Practically, it was steak 101 and a short history of Melo's. It was that I found how the famous Wagyu beef came about with the cows being pampered and humanely treated (*whew!* no torture here). We were shown the mouth-watering steak dishes from the humongous slab of porterhouse steak to the thin strip of sirloin steak (all Wagyu, nonetheless) and also, we were served the star of the event:

This I present to you, is Steak ala Dad.

This is the latest creation of Melo's cooked up just for the special men in our lives - all the dads in the world. Yet you don't need to be a dad to actually love it (I loved it and I'm a girl!). Imagine this -- Melo's signature Wagyu Tenderloin (zoiiiiing!) wrapped in bacon (double zoiiiing!!!!) seasoned with Al Funghi Porcini Sauce on a bed of tasty mashed potatoes and vegetables that are crisp and not soggy.

I tried the steak first with the bacon. The steak practically melted in my mouth. It was chewy and I was able to swallow it without choking myself. It was easy to slice and even without bacon, the steak itself was flavorful. When I tried the medium rare, I was quite satisfied that it was still warm on all areas and it didn't have any "fresh blood" taste. I told Arpee the reason why I avoided medium rare was that I did try medium rare before from a certain restaurant yet I wasn't happy with it because it had that distinct "fresh blood" taste and it was cold on the inside. Definitely this one I tried that night was really good steak.

Aside from our very own Steak Ala Dad, we were also served slices of steak that were presented to us. I found the rib eye the most flavorful of all. The striploin won me over, having the slice and leanness that I wanted. As a refreshing treat, four of Melo's signature cakes were served.

The mango cake was light and refreshing and provided perfect balance to the heartiness of the steaks.

Not that I'm giving up my love for greens. I did end up munching on the vegetable sidings from time to time, but of course, I would enjoy a treat like this once in a while. The Steak Ala Dad is a perfect father's day gift for the man of the house, but give yourself a chance to enjoy it too once in a while, since I also did. I might try going medium rare just like my grandfather did then.