Tilapia in Cider Vinegar Sauce

Sometimes our culinary experiments lead us to come up with intricate and rich dishes, while other times they lead us to try out simpler things. This busy morning was one of those days leading up to the latter. After a quick survey of our available ingredients (including half a bag of frozen tilapia fillets), I brought out again “Bistro Cooking” by Patricia Wells to look up a quick and easy recipe for fish fillet. 

The recipe written as Le Turbot Au Vinagire Cidre can be used for just about any flatfish, not just turbot. This dish originally hailing from Normandy, France, requires the following ingredients: 

• 1 pound flatfish fillets
• ¼ cup best quality apple cider vinegar
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste (if using salted butter, go easy on the salt). 

Although turbot, flounder and other flatfish are traditionally used here, this lends itself well to delicately flavored fish such as tilapia. Cooking goes as follows: 

1. In a steamer, boil about 2 cups of water over high heat. Place the fish fillets in a single layer in the steaming basket, then reduce the heat to medium. Cover, then steam for about 5 minutes or until the fish is just opaque. 
2. In a small saucepan, bring the apple cider vinegar to boil over medium-high heat. Add the butter a few pieces at a time, whisking or stirring constantly. Take the saucepan on and off the heat if necessary, just to make sure the butter will not burn. Stir in all the butter till the sauce is smooth, then add salt and pepper to taste. 
3. Arrange the fish on a platter, then pour the sauce over. 

12 tablespoons of butter may sound like a lot, but it is necessary to take the acidic edge off the boiling hot vinegar. I thought at first that I did not have to add this much to the sauce, but one whiff of it (after adding just three tablespoons of butter) had my eyes watering! 

Since we do not have a steamer, we improvised by making an aluminum foil ring to sit in a large pot of water, and placed a small plate of fish on top of it before covering. Simple, and good!

Soupe Aigo-Saou

After several weeks of rich chicken and beef dishes, it was about time that we at Team Glasses ventured into cooking that would be lighter on the palate. For our week of easy and light fare, we bought more vegetables as well as a packet of fish fillets. On one of the weeknights when it was my turn to cook, I decided to try out another French recipe known as soupe aigo-saou. 

Soupe aigo-saou also hails from Provence, the same region that has given the world that famous seafood soup known as bouillabaisse. Soupe aigo-saou is also made with fish, but is less complicated to put together than its renowned counterpart. The recipe, as documented in “Traditional Recipes of the Provinces of France” by Curnonsky, requires the following fresh ingredients to serve 4-6 persons: 

• 2 pounds white fish
• 1 sliced onion
• 2 chopped tomatoes
• 6 potatoes cut into quarters
• 1 and a half tablespoons salt
• A dash of pepper
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• Bouquet garni (this recipe calls for parsley, celery, and a bay leaf)
• Slices of bread
• Olive oil

I made a few alterations to this list, thanks to the availability of ingredients in our little kitchen: 

• The recipe doesn’t specify what kind of white fish is best to use for this soup. I went with using tilapia for this soup, owing to its delicate flavor. 
• In lieu of chopped tomatoes, I used about two tablespoonfuls of ready made tomato sauce. If there had been passata on hand this week, that would have been a great alternative too. 
• I changed the bouquet garni to include the following: basil, rosemary, and a single bay leaf. 
• In lieu of French bread…we used monay sliced into halves. 
• Owing to some mischief involving our pepper mill and a very curious cat, I had to use garlic powder for further seasoning later in the recipe.

Now on to make the soupe aigo-saou!

1. Prepare the bouquet garni. A traditional French bouquet garni is made from fresh herbs tied together with a fine string before being added to a soup or stock. Since we had dry herbs on hand, I simply tied them up in a gauze ‘spice bag’. 
2. Slice the fish into bite sized chunks. Arrange in a pot with the garlic, onions and potatoes, season with salt and pepper. Add enough water to cover all the fish and vegetables, and then some. Add the bouquet garni and the tomato sauce. Boil all of this for about 20 minutes. 
3. Arrange the bread slices in soup bowls, allotting about two for each person. Pour some olive oil over each slice and then season well with pepper (or garlic powder in this case). 
4. Once the soup is done, pour some of the soup liquid over the bread in each bowl. Serve the fish and potatoes separately. 

The French would also suggest serving the fish and potatoes with a homemade aioli or garlic mayonnaise. 

How did this take on soupe aigo-saou turn out? We found that the sweetness of the monay bread went very well with the mildly tart flavors of the soup. Lee has declared this dish to be perfect for adding into our repertoire of rainy day fare. Its simplicity and ease of preparation definitely make it a plus for our weekdays! 

Sunday finds: Kapoke

Kapoké

For a good many people, the idea of eating ‘raw fish’ is equated to eating Japanese specialties such as sushi, sashimi, or our local Pinoy kinilaw. More finicky folks may insist they are eating fish tartare. In recent years though, a new food craze has given these Asian classics new life.

Poké (pronounced as poʊˈkeɪ) has its origins in Hawaii, where it is usually served up as an appetizer. The main base for poké is raw fish or seafood, mixed with onions, soy sauce, sesame oil and other seasonings. Innovative chefs have made new poké combinations with varying sauces such as the infamous Sriracha, and new toppings such as mushrooms and mangoes. One such enterprise here in Metro Manila is Kapoké, a friendly weekend stall enterprise that allows customers to also experiment with their own combinations for poké.

One breezy Sunday lunchtime, we found Kapoké while exploring a weekend market near our usual haunts. And on their menu, we had to choose the different parts of our customized poké meal. Being first timers in the art of the poké, they were more than happy to guide us along with crafting our bowl. Every bowl is composed of a base (salad greens, sushi rice, and plain rice), your choice of fish (tuna, salmon, or a combination), and a selection of toppings and condiments like green onions and sesame seeds to esoteric ones like chicharon bits, nori, and wasabi mayo.

Unlike other very strongly seasoned fish dishes, our poké bowl turned out to be light and refreshing. We selected sushi rice with salmon, cabbage, green onions, sesame seeds and chicharon bits, topped with wasabi mayo for a subtle kick. It was right on the money with how most ingredients did not overlap the other. The wasabi wasn’t overpowering and was still able to enhance the flavor of the salmon, while the greens and seeds gave it a crunchy texture. One nitpick is that the sushi rice could have used a bit more mirin-rice vinegar to further stand out. This aside, we definitely enjoyed our shared bowl during that lovely Sunday lunch, and we look forward to trying more poké combinations in the near future.
Kapoké can be found each Sunday at the Legaspi Market, located at Herrera st. cor Legazpi and Salcedo V.A. Rufino St, Legazpi Village, Makati City.

A quaint experience at Happy Garden Cafe

On another solo adventure, I decided to walk the quieter streets of Jupiter. Moving past Makati avenue, amidst the unlit streets, I found myself seeing a garden of sorts and a sign that says ‘Happy Garden Cafe’. Stepping inside, it’s like a rustic white patio with mismatched tables and chairs, giving the feel of dining just by your own garden.

Although I was the only patron there for a Saturday dinner at the time, the place was lively because the staff were hard at work preparing for someone’s birthday party the next day.

The menu is varied with usual fares but with cheerful names like Delightful for how you like your eggs done in the French Omelet sets, to Transformed for chorizo and egg pizza. For my dinner however, I went with Mucho which consists of a pompano fillet with shiitake and caper sauce, along with some steamed vegetables and cauliflower rice (an upgrade from the rice pilaf that accompanies this dish).

Mucho

Personally I’ve never tried cauliflower rice, which I have come to enjoy with its texture and different flavors melding together. And the steamed carrots and broccoli helps balance the palate. However, the main star of the dish, which is the fish, is lackluster. Yes, it was cooked with the right amount of juiciness and texture to make it a somewhat enjoyable meal. But, when the caper is the only thing one can taste distinctly, perhaps some adjustments can be made with how the fish is seasoned.

For anybody with green thumbs, they also have some plants on sale outside that’s good for any garden. In summary, I’m ambivalent about my meal here at Happy Garden Cafe, but there’s definitely room for improvement food-wise. It’s a good place to bring the barkada in for a simple lunch or dinner away from the hustle and bustle of Makati avenue or the central business district.

Food Score: 3/5. In some ways, there were upsides and downsides to the meal I had, but objectively, it was well-created and I did somewhat enjoyed the meal. However, it has to be said that flavor is important too and I found that part to be lackluster.

Ambiance / Service Score: 4/5. The service was more or less attentive to my needs and the place had a casual dining feel to it, which should be better for the mornings and with a group of people with you.

GERD Score: 4/5. An upside is that there are plenty of options for anyone dealing with heartburn with their different menu items. And my Mucho meal was rather nice and filling without triggering burping episodes.

Epilepsy Score: 4/5. Like many establishments of its kind, this cafe uses natural methods and seasonings for its dishes, thus making them friendlier for diners who may be triggered by preservatives. As bland as the dishes may seem, at least they are safe to eat.

Team Glasses Food Score: 4/5. Even with its miscues in terms of flavor, Happy Garden Cafe is still a place one can consider when in the Jupiter area and looking for a filling plate of healthy food that suits our respective conditions.