MS. NORMA CHIKIAMCO LAUNCHES HER COOKBOOK “THE RECIPES I LOVE”

Love for food naturally runs through our veins. We talk about food all the time – sharing passed down secrets from our lolas, telling stories of how so-and-so’s Kare-kare won her mother-in-law’s heart, and even arguing whose chicken pastel or lasagna is better. The latest restaurants and the newest recipes are surefire topics that can start any conversation. Whenever a cooking show is out, our eyes are glued to the TV. Food magazines have taken advantage of this trend, and these have been flying off the shelves. And what our grandmas and mothers have been doing in their pastime is pretty much the same today – we tear pages off magazines, intently copying the ingredients flashing on the TV, and printing interesting recipes from the internet, then pasting them all in a notebook we call “my favorite recipes.” I can imagine famed food writer Ms. Norma Chikiamco doing the same thing. Travelling all over the world, meeting culinary gurus, discovering new ways in cooking – in short, being surrounded with food all the time as a profession – must have really made Ms.Norma, fondly called Omay, fill dozens of notebooks through the years. And true enough, Ms. Omay has a collection of scrumptious recipes up her sleeve.

Last May 16, Ms. Omay invited Theo, the cookbook’s food stylist, and me, along with her friends and guests, to the book launch of her newest cookbook “The Recipes I Love” held at PowerBooks Greenbelt. Published by Anvil, the cookbook is reminiscent of what personal “cookbooks” are – the ring bind, clean pages, and spaces for notes looks like a dolled up notebook. Ms. Omay shares how the 60 dishes in her book are her personal favorites, many of which she has served in parties, family dinners, and small get-togethers. As much as she loves to share food, she also enjoys sharing how to make them. Some are easy, some requires more skill; but all are definitely heavenly. I particularly love the super easy chocolate cupcakes and the cold rice salad, which Ms. Omay gladly served to the guests along with her other best-rated dishes.

Ms. Omay has been known for her award winning story books, articles, and magazines. She currently writes for Philippine Daily Inquirer and has headed several cookbook projects here and abroad. But her book, “The Recipes I Love,” lets us take a peak to another side of Ms. Omay. Fun, cheerful, loving, passionate... These are just some of the things we’d find out about her as we bring to our own kitchens her well loved recipes she dedicates to everyone who has touched her life. Happy cooking!

Resultado Gourmet Designs Co. food styled the dishes in The Recipes I Love. For more information, contact Theo Zaragoza at 0916-740-83-19 or theo_zaragoza@yahoo.com. Check the company website – http://www.resultado.com.ph/.

By: Samantha Ramos-Zaragoza

BOOK REVIEW: Around the World in 80 Plates

by: Samantha Ramos-Zaragoza

Having to be born in a diverse fusion of Asian, European, and Western cultures, the Filipino appetite was once effortlessly satisfied with a method of cooking we usually know as “a-bit-of-everything.” Although the combination of all led to a rather unique cuisine we call our own, globalization has awaken in us the necessity to unearth genuine gastronomic gems.

Many say that the Filipino palate has only matured lately owing to the sudden culinary boom in the last decade. But I see it rather as a shift, more than a change, of our innate ability to discern what is palatable and what is not. We have merely set our fiery passion for food in the right track.

Indeed, this is a going trend in the industry – pleasing effectively the sophisticated taste of Filipinos or die trying. From restaurants, cooking shows, cookbooks, and food products, our quest for authenticity precedes our simple prerequisite to enjoy life.

Upon scavenging for the latest culinary find, I came across Unilever Foodsolutions and F&B World magazine’s Around the World in 80 Plates: Authentic Culinary Passions from the East and West cookbook. I was astonished to uncover how this small and handy book is a comprehensive top-quality compilation of world cuisines. It is, definitely, one-of-a-kind. Locally and even internationally produced cookbooks have tried to combine recipes from 30 or so countries but have always presented dishes we all know too well. Chicken Satay from Malaysia, Foie Gras from France, Paella from Spain, Beef Bulgogi from Korea… you’d probably go “Duh?!? Why don’t I just google these recipes?”

Around the World in 80 Plates distinguishes itself from the rest by not only conducting intensive research, but actually consulting 36 seasoned international chefs immersed in particular cuisines and fields. The result is a collection of unfussy to challenging recipes that feature dishes we probably have never heard of!

The title says it all – freshly discovering what countries have to offer at every flip of the page allows one’s senses to travel. Supported by chic and scrumptious photos, the words come alive and simply urge one to dust off the frying pans and get going. From start to finish, the book is filled with chefs’ tips, guides, and solutions any newbie cook can easily comprehend.

Around the World in 80 Plates is available in bookstores nationwide for only 195 pesos. Grab a copy and take a tour of 27 countries without leaving your seat.

Around the World in 80 Plates: Authentic Culinary Passions from the East and West photos food styled by the Resultado Gourmet Designs Team. Contact Resultado at (0916)740-8319, (02)492-0210, (02)842-9480, and theo_zaragoza@yahoo.com. Visit their websites http://www.resultado.com.ph/ and http://www.resultadofoodstylingco.blogspot.com/.