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! 

Provencal chicken: poulet mistral le prieure

In which it all comes down to the garlic

One thing that Lee and I share as far as early childhood experiences are concerned is growing up with garlic as a kitchen staple. Both our families simply could not do without garlic in most meals. It was only natural that this affinity should be carried over into our studio apartment kitchenette, requiring us to stock up regularly on this spice for all our kitchen endeavors, both familiar and experimental. It was only a matter of time till my curiosity about all things French would lead me to try out food from Provence, specifically this one dish with a name that could only come from that part of the Midi. 

This dish, at least under this particular name, has been documented in “Bistro Cooking” by Patricia Wells. I thought at first that this dish was named for the cold northwestern wind that blows from the Rhone Valley to the Meditteranean, which helps give Provence its distinctive climate. As it turns out, this dish has a somewhat more literary naming story, and has been said to be named for the French poet Frederic Mistral (1830-1914). 

Other iterations of this recipe go by the name “chicken with 40 cloves of garlic” (translated roughly into poulet aux quarante gousses d’ail)…for reasons we will soon find out. 

The recipe that Mme. Wells has documented requires the following ingredients: 

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 whole chicken, rinsed and divided into 8 serving pieces
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 40 large garlic cloves
• ½ cup dry white wine (Cassis is recommended for this one)
• ½ cup chicken stock, preferably homemade

We made the following tweaks for reasons of space, time and economy: 

• Instead of a whole chicken we simply got chicken drumsticks. We’ve also tried this recipe with chicken thighs, which work just as well. 
• We had to omit the wine. Using cooking wine or wine vinegars is a no-no!
• Instead of chicken stock we found some vegetable bouillon, which we dissolved in a cup of hot water
• We used about 25 cloves of garlic. 

How to make poulet mistral le prieure: 

1. Peel all the garlic first. Please do not use pre-peeled garlic for this, as much of the flavor will be lost before cooking. This is the most laborious step, but it is worth it. 
2. Season the chicken beforehand with salt and pepper. Let sit a few minutes
3. Heat the oil and the butter in a deep frying pan or skillet. When this mixture is hot, add the chicken pieces and cook on one side till golden brown (but not scorched). Turn over to brown on the other side; this usually takes about 5 more minutes. 
4. Lower the heat to the medium setting. Add the garlic cloves to the pan. For maximum flavor nestle the garlic cloves in a single layer under the chicken pieces. Saute while shaking the pan frequently to keep the garlic from getting scorched. Keep this up till the garlic is lightly browned and the garlic aroma has been released. 
5. Slowly add in the stock and the wine (if using it). Shake the pan and scrape up any bits of garlic that have stuck to the bottom. 
6. Cover everything and let it all simmer for about 10-15 minutes, till the juices run clear when pricking a piece of chicken. 

This dish can be served on top of hot rice or potatoes. Personally I think that this would also go well with bread, which can be dipped in the garlic sauce. Contrary to what one may think, the garlic flavor is not overwhelming at all; the taste permeates the chicken very subtly. This dish has become a favorite of mine to make owing to its relative simplicity. Hopefully with more time and space for prep, I can try out more dishes from this iconic French region, and expand our culinary experiments a little further. 

New Year’s Eve special: Chicken a la Basquaise

Au revoir, 2020! To send off this ‘interesting’ year, we decided to make something a little special for New Year’s Eve dinner. For some time, I’ve been very fascinated with French cooking, particularly with regional specialties. It was only fitting that I’d try my hand at something from the south of France, specifically the French Basque Country.

Enter in this take on chicken a la basquaise. We based this mainly on a recipe compiled by Maurice–Edmon Sailland “Curonsky”, a French gastronome who selected some recipes that are now in a book “Traditional Recipes of the Provinces of France”.

Curonsky’s ingredient list for chicken a la basquaise (good for four) is as follows:

• 1 chicken, 2 to 2 1/2 pounds
• olive oil
• 4 tomatoes
• 6 green peppers
• 1/4 pound sliced mushrooms
• 1/4 pound diced smoked ham
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (to garnish)
• 2 thinly sliced pimentos (to garnish)
• salt and pepper

We had to make some crucial revisions for this recipe however:

• In lieu of a whole chicken, we got 6 chicken drumsticks
• Owing to a charcuterie crisis, we could not find smoked ham. We did find 100 grams of Parma ham instead
• We’re pretty sure that Curonsky had 4 rich, European salad tomatoes in mind, but we had to make do with about 8 small native tomatoes.
• Owing to practicalities, we skipped the white wine and garnishing

The steps for prepping and then cooking chicken a la basiquaise are as follows:

1. As part of prep time: skin the tomatoes. This can be easily accomplished by cutting an ‘x’ into one end of each tomato (use the end opposite the stem), and plunging the tomatoes into boiling water for about 25-30 seconds. Then remove the tomatoes from the boiling water and immerse in ice water till cool. After this, the skin should readily be peeled off. After skinning the tomatoes, remove the seeds and juice, then chop up the pulp. Curonsky recommends however crushing the pulp to make a sauce.
2. Split and chop the peppers, remove the seeds
3. Dice the ham and slice the mushrooms, if you haven’t done so already
4. If using whole chicken, divide it into quarters, Separate each leg and wing (or paa and pecho) into 2 pieces
5. Season chicken with salt and pepper, saute in oil in a heavy casserole or pan for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Add the tomato pulp, peppers, mushrooms, ham, and white wine to the chicken. Cover and continue cooking for 25-30 minutes. It is important to give this a stir every now and then to promote even cooking of all the ingredients….or to keep them from charring on the bottom of the pan
7. Take the chicken out of the pan using tongs, arrange on a plate. Pour the sauce (the vegetables and ham) over the chicken. Season with additional salt and pepper if desired
8. Garnish with parsley and sliced pimento.

Obviously we did not follow all these steps, mainly in the interest of time and economy. But we still ended up with a very rich and actually keto–friendly chicken dinner. I can only imagine how it would have tasted if we did use the white wine! All in all, this relatively simple dish was a great way to round out 2020. To more eating and cooking in 2021!

Crepe Amelie

A good many people would consider crepes as desserts or heavy snacks. We at Team Glasses feel that this is oversimplifying such a wonderful creation that has gone far beyond being an unusually thin pancake. After all, if one can eat pancakes (fixings optional) for breakfast, who’s to say that crepes cannot be given the same treatment? With this in mind, we searched for a café or crepe restaurant that would be open on a sleepy Saturday morning—and it so happened that Crepe Amelie would fit the bill.

We ventured here on a sleepy Saturday morning, when much of Poblacion would still be recovering from a traffic-filled, rainy payday Friday. Even at just past 8am, the café was already open and ready, smelling deliciously of butter and freshly brewed coffee. The ambiance was mellow with soft yet upbeat French music, a perfect contrast to the stark grays of the concrete jungle beyond the windows. After some mulling over the fairly ample menu of crepes, sandwiches, pasta, and all-day breakfasts, we decided to try the Roast Beef crepe, the Breakfast Quesadilla, and hot chocolate.

The Roast Beef crepe is one among a selection of savoury crepes, filled with meat, vegetables, and seafoods instead of dessert fare such as fruits, creams, and syrups. This particular crepe featured thinly sliced roast beef covered with a dill sauce, with roasted potato wedges on the side. The mildness of the crepe was the perfect backdrop to the flavors of dill and beef. Despite its richness, it was not heavy or overly cloying to the tastebuds, making this perfect for a light meal. The only thing missing was a small serving of fresh green salad to cleanse the palate. Nevertheless, we struck gold on this dish.

On the other hand, the Breakfast Quesadilla was a crepe filled with bacon bits, egg, cheese, and tomato, and covered with baked beans. This heftier creation was not as spicy as its Tex-Mex name would suggest; on the contrary, it was mild and sweet, and friendlier to the Filipino palate. I never thought that a soft crepe would be a great substitute to a crisp and toasted tortilla, but this meal certainly had me convinced of this interesting alternative.

As for the hot chocolate, it was exactly what we like in a respectfully made cup of hot choco. One sip brought to mind the words deep, dark, and earthy. There was certainly no skimping of ingredients in the making of this concoction.

Crepe Amelie also offers a selection of salads, pastas, cakes, and even yogurts for diners who may fancy something else besides crepes, or who wish for a main course to go with a dessert creation. It is enough to have diners coming in, regardless of the early or late hour. We definitely will keep this place in mind for those fine dining days in the Poblacion area!

The Food Score: 4.5/5: The selection of dishes caters to all palates, but some of the flavors are a little on the bland side. That aside, the food is filling, and hefty enough for hungry solo diners but just the right size for diners who wish to share the meal.

Ambiance/Service Score: 4.5/5: The ambiance is a perfect contrast to the busy atmosphere of A.Venue and Poblacion, but the service here could be a little more prompt at times. Nevertheless the staff are very courteous and accommodating.

GERD Score: 4.5/5: While there are selections that are less than GERD-friendly, there’s quite a numerous selection of food choices to go along with one’s own condition, from savory or sweet crepes to some yogurt.

Epilepsy Score:  5/5: There are crepes and other dishes here to serve most dietary restrictions. Can’t have processed meats? There are vegetarian selections available—and we don’t mean just the salads! There are also non-caffeinated drinks for those who cannot stomach coffee.

Team Glasses Score: 4.5/5: Crepe Amelie does a great job at making a chic dish such as crepes accessible and palatable to the Filipino taste. All bugaboos aside, this was a very satisfying breakfast experience.

Cafe Mediterranean (the Alexander the Great Special Part 1)

The Cafe Mediterranean

The Alexander the Great special (Part 1)

Apart from food, one of our shared passions happens to be World History. We decided that for this month we’d pay an ironic tribute to one of the most celebrated conquerors of ancient history, Alexander the Great, by writing about restaurants featuring cuisines from end to end of his empire. Well what better place to start other than the Cafe Mediterranean?

The Cafe Mediterranean features Greek, French, Italian, and Turkish cuisines, to name a few.  The ensuing variety in the menu is something I have always appreciated, since there are choices for snacks or appetizers, as well as entrees and platters for a small gathering. On our latest visit here, we were joined by some of Lee’s immediate family, thus giving us an opportunity to try out platters and group meal selections. To start off our dinner we chose a sampler plate of four appetizers: kofta (lamb and beef meatballs), tapenade (minced olives with olive oil and capers), labneh (strained yogurt), and foule (fava beans with olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice). The kofta in particular was flavourful and juicy, while the tapenade’s sharp tartness was perfect for whetting our appetites for the rest of the meal.

For our entree, we ordered two different platter sets: the gyro platter with beef, tuna, chicken, and falafel, as well as the kebab platter with chicken, beef, fish, and kofta kebabs.  These platters were also served with sides such as hummus, tabbouleh, and salad. We also ordered biryani rice and couscous to accompany our food instead of the usual pita bread.  The meats were all lightly seasoned, cooked just right to retain their natural flavour and juices. The falafel in particular was a treat; when served warm its crisp outer crust readily gave way to its delicate, slightly sweetish chickpea interior. However the biryani was a little wanting in terms of flavour, but certainly not in quantity. In fact these two platters were more than enough to satisfy our party of 6.

This visit, and our other ventures to Cafe Mediterranean, have never been disappointments. One feature of Cafe Mediterranean is that is a “Restaurant Against Hunger”. Diners can order from a special menu of Syrian dishes, and proceeds from these sales are donated for the welfare of Syrian refugees. This is their way of paying it forward and at the same time, providing excellent food nonetheless.

So would Alexander the Great himself have partaken of this sort of meal (or at least its precursors?) Heaven only knows, but certainly food this good is worth traversing an empire for.

The Food Score:  4.5/5. The slight problem with the biryani aside, the food here was filling and very satisfying in terms of taste and quality. The serving sizes are reasonable, and their drinks selection (especially the yogurt drink lassi) is a treat.

Ambiance/Service Score:   3.5/5. Unfortunately the service, at least in this particular branch, is not attentive. It took a while for us to call the attention of the staff if we needed something. The ambiance of this restaurant is relaxed and casual, though it can only go so far given its location in a busy mall.

GERD Score: 4.5/5. Thankfully, the place has plenty of selections for people who have heartburn. Most of the dishes here are grilled, not fried which is a plus. However, the one thing everyone has to note is that the quantity of food per order can be a bit much for a single person, so to be on the safe side, share and just add one extra order of bread.

Epilepsy Score:  4/5. Spices and some flavourings used in the dishes here may trigger some sensitive diners. Some of the dishes use preserved meats (such as the pizza) so it may be best to give these a pass or at least some thought before ordering.
Team Glasses Score: 4/5. If one is looking for authenticity, this may not be the place to go. However for us, since we just want some good Mediterranean themed food to share, this is definitely one location we are returning to.