Pasta/Noodles
Litratong Pinoy: Kayumanggi
Salamat at nagkaroon muli ako ng pagkakataon upang makalahok sa linggo-linggong challenge ng Litratong Pinoy.
Heto ang aking lahok para sa linggong ito na may tema na KAYUMANGGI.
Ito ang aking nilutong pansit noong isang araw para sa aking tanghalian. Nagustuhan ito ng aking mag-ama. 
Aking ilalathala ang paraan ng pagluto nito sa aking food blog.
Cooking with Andre: Pinoy-Style Spaghetti with Meatballs
I have noticed that Andre shows interest in cooking. He sometimes imitates what I’m doing in the kitchen. One time, while I am in the market, his dad saw him beating an egg using a bowl and a wire whip. The funny thing is that he put the whole egg in the bowl with the shell on and mixed them together. So, I decided to let him participate on my cooking occasionally. I will share with you our first time to cook together.
A few weeks ago, I decided to cook Spahetti for dinner. But, this time, I decided to cook Spaghetti with meatballs the Filipino style. Why the Filipino-style? It is because we don’t like our spaghetti to be too sour like those sold in the restaurant. Also, instead of using parsley, I used kinchay. I asked Andre to help me with my cooking and he agreed willingly. I asked him to form the ground meat into balls just like the clays he used to play in school. Andre said, “Parang clay mommy! (Sabay tawa)”. He enjoyed it as well as I did because it’s a great time for bonding and it kept him busy.
Here are the ingredients:
MEATBALLS
500 grams ground beef
fresh bread crumbs from 6 tasty bread
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup water
1 large onion, minced
2 tbsp garlic, minced
1/4 cup kinchay, minced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 pcs eggs, beaten
TOMATO SAUCE
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 small onion, minced
1 can crushed tomatoes, 28 oz. can
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 beef cubes
¼ cup sugar
500 g UFC sweet style Spaghetti Sauce
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs, milk, and water. Allow to steep for 3 minutes.
2. Add the ground meats, onion, garlic, kinchay, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
3. Mix until just combined.
4. Add the eggs and mix until blended.
5. Cover bowl with a cling wrap and allow mixture to rest for at least an hour.
6. Roll into balls and fry meatballs over medium heat in oil until browned and finish off cooking in the tomato sauce for another 5-7 minutes.
8. For the tomato sauce, sauté the onion and garlic in large sauce pan.
9. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and spaghetti sauce.
10. Add the beef cubes, sugar, salt, and pepper.
11. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cook until thickened approximately 30 minutes.
12. Put the meatballs and let it simmer for another 2 minutes.
13. Mix the sauce with cooked pasta and top them with cheese and fresh parsley.
Here are some of the photos during the preparation. 
Clam with patola and miswa soup
With a mother who has a thyroid problem, we grew up eating seafoods, such as clams because they are a good source of iodine. My mom cooks them by sautéing them in oil, ginger, garlic, and onion. She lets the clams simmer in a few minutes until the shells are slightly opened to avoid over-cooking.
As promised, here’s the recipe for my previous entry, a nutritious, simple, and budget-friendly dish.
Here’s my version of cooking clams: Clams with patola and miswa soup
Ingredients:
- 1 kilo of fresh clams
- A thumb-sized ginger, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 medium patola, chopped
- 2 cups water
- A bunch of miswa
- Salt and pepper
Procedure:
Sauté ginger, garlic, and onion in oil. Add in the clams and water. Let them simmer and add miswa. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off fire. Serve hot.
Cost: less than P100