The Omnivores' Diary

Just had to catch up with college friends. We were pushing our luck so we decided to try places we've never been before. And where do you think we headed out? To UP Teachers Village! Started dinner with nicely cooked pasta from Tomato Kick then ended it with a sweet note from Friuli. Seafood Marinara (must-try! really creamy and seafood is cooked nicely) We ordered 2 kinds of pasta plus their seafood  salpicao Loved my squid-ink pasta! Good, but I personally don't like sun-dried tomatoes. Friuli Trattoria's desserts After-eight (I already love mint so this is a must-try for me) but I fell in love with Friuli's Tartufo! <3 Friuli Trattoria 79 Maginhawa St., Teachers Village, Quezon City (632)434-1416 Tomato Kick 55 Maginhawa St. UP Village, Quezon City (02)489-5503

My Grandma Felicidad who is 87 years old (and will be turning 88 this September) had been a very good cook during her prime. She never lets us eat in fastfood chains if she could help it. We were always served with home-cooked meals- even exotic dishes that I wasn't able to cook yet (ginataang kuhol/snails, sinampalukang talangka/ little crabs, adobong salagubang/beetle). My favorites though were her "tinumis/dinuguan" and her "palarusdos/bilo-bilo". I was an avid fan, that's why (I guess) I studied the art of cooking myself. It is sad to say that now she can no longer remember whatever dishes she had prepared for us before. She can only say "ang galing na magluto ng apo ko". As gratitude for her love for me, I now am taking advantage of the opportunity to cook for her. She can't eat as much (loss of appetite) nor chew hard food, so I make it a point whenever I cook for her that I only give her what she wants (mostly veggies) in the form sh

Langka (Jackfruit) , according to Wikipedia, is n ative to parts of  South  and  Southeast Asia , and is believed to have originated in the southwestern rain forests of India. It is considered as the   largest tree-borne fruit.  Langka from our very own backyard Here in the Philippines, we use the fruit for a variety of cuisines. Ripe- it can be eaten raw or added as a topping in our Halo-Halo, a favorite summer delicacy. It may also be found as a flavor for ice cream, main ingredient for tarts or even cakes. Grandma used to make "Minatamis na Langka" (sweetened jackfruit) just by cooking the fruit's flesh with brown sugar. Unripe jackfruit can also be eaten. We usually cook it with chili and coconut milk to make a dish called "Ginataang Langka". I would have to cook some for you one of these days.. It is one of my favorites! Aside from the flesh itself, jackfruit seeds are also edible- My grandmother used to boil it with a bit of salt until it soften