It’s February.  Love is in the air. Are you starting to feel it?

Kung hindi pa, maski may date man o wala, let’s celebrate love by sharing our love thoughts.

What special dish/food makes you think of love and why? It might be bulalo because that’s what your husband wants for his birthday every year. Perhaps, it is ensaimada which you bring to your kids as pasalubong every pay day. Kung ano man yan, mura or mahal, if it translates love, it’s worth sharing.

Write your response as a comment in this post.  Each comment will serve as an entry for this contest. Multiple responses from one person are acceptable.

Qwekqwek.com, in partnership with Phgifts.com, is giving away 5 sets of Valentines’ gifts to our lucky members who will be drawn from all the entries. The deadline of submission is Feb 12 (Sun) 11:59 PM. The winners will receive the prizes on Valentine’s Day (Feb 14).

This contest is open to everyone but the prizes can only be delivered within Metro Manila area. Should you win, please select a family member, friend, colleague or any loved one residing in Metro Manila as the recipient of the prize. Delivery will be free.

Gift prizes include:

• 2 sets of 2-dozen Rose Bouquet
• 2 sets of 1-Dozen Rose Bouquet
• 1 set of 1-dozen Teddy Bear Bouquet

Special note:  We’re reserving one prize for the one with the loveliest and wittiest response.  Time to bring out your Miss Universe Q&A skills.

Kung mapadpad ka sa San Francisco, hindi mo ma-mi-miss ang Pilipinas.  Sankatutak ang mga Pinoy.  As in, everywhere, sa malls, parking, 7-11, airport, banyo, sa freeway, sa tulay, sa gubat, lol.  At kung maraming Pinoy, marami ring kainan at tindahan.

My San Francisco friends brought me to Patio Filipino during my last visit there. The food is outstanding, according to my standard at least. Actually, my standard is pretty simple – if a dish can make me eat more than 2 cups of rice, then pasok sa banga.  Ganun lang.

Cheat sheet when eating here:

• A plate of dish here  is meant to be shared, unless you want to join Biggest Losers soon.
• A bit far from downtown San Francisco so you need a car. I think you can take BART but still a long and winding walk from the station to the resto
• This is a typical Filipino restaurant where the exhaust is not sufficient so you will surely smell like food.  Bring extra shirt if you plan to hit the clubs after eating here. Or umuwi ka muna at maligo.
• Price is reasonable, especially when you share the food.
• Chicharon bulaklak, a little salty, but that’s why it goes well with a cold beer, no?
• Binagoongan, love!  But the burping afterwards, hate! But you should definitely try this.
• End with a dessert- first, to get rid of the oily and garlic-y aftertaste, and second, their desserts are just damn good. Ube ice cream, hello?
• Don’t rush, eat slowly, savor the garlic and smell the steam from the sisig, maski minamadali ka na ng mga waiter.  You’re a paying customer so take your time. Manigas sila, kakahintay.

Oh well, tatakawakin ko lang kayo.  Look at these gorgeous and hearty plates!

The holiday is over, sad to say.  But we’re glad to hear amazing food stories and photos from our readers and friends. Check out some of the photos shared by our friends in qwekqwek.com’s event last Christmas.

Ooops, before I forget.  Our winner from the “Ang Star ng Christmas Handa Ko” facebbok event is IAN TECSON.  Congratulations!

All food photos posted on the event are numbered. Then a random number between 0 and the total valid entries is generated using the online Random Integer Generator.

We don’t have to wait for the next holiday to whip up our best dishes.  Let’s make every weekend special by cooking our specialties and sharing it to our family and friends. Cook more, eat better this year!

More of God’s blessings to us all this 2012!  Thank you for supporting Qwekqwek.com!

Ingredients:

1 package sinigang mix
water, just enough to cover meat

1 kilo pork; cut into chunks
1 onion; sliced
4 tomatoes; sliced
1 radish (labanos); sliced
5 string beans(sitaw), cut in 2” length
1/2 cup kangkong leaves (river spinach)
4 pieces gabi (taro); peeled and cut in halve
2 whole siling haba (long green pepper)

Procedure:

In a saucepan or stock pot, boil pork until tender. Add onion, tomato, and packed tamarind . Add gabi until tender and thickens the soup. Simmer, then add radish and string beans. When tender, add kangkong leaves. Season with fish sauce according to taste.

If you are my age or older, perhaps you will remember Maricel Soriano’s movie “Pepe en Pilar”?  Ito ung sumali si Pilar, played by Maricel, sa TV contest at nanolo siya  ng trip to San Francisco. I can’t remember the details of the story but what’s memorable with this movie is that it was mostly shot in San Francisco, CA. This is the first time that I learned about this beautiful place and thought that maybe someday I would get to visit as well.

So dumating na ang aking panahon at nakarating na rin ako sa San Francisco. Unlike Pilar na nag TNT sa pelikula, legitimate naman ang aking trip to San Francisco.

I love San Francisco primarily because of the food scene. It is home to so many fabulous and famous restaurants and food places.  Not to mention, there a lot of Filipino restaurants in the area such as Jollibee, Chowking, etc.  Then there is Napa/Sonoma Valley where countless vineyards can be found. But one thing San Francisco is most known for is its seafood. And the best place to get the freshest of the fresh – at Fisherman’s Wharf.

So buhay turista, lakad-lakad maski umuulan, picture-picture ng pali-paligid. The wharf is so alive, vibrantly colorful, delicious and beautiful, overall. I wish I could capture in the pictures the smell of fresh chowder and the aroma from pots full of steaming crabs and oysters.  Maglalaway kayo sa sarap – as in!

Kung mapadpad kayo sa Ameica, well, this place is worth visiting.

Sinong makakatangi kung yayain kang mag breakfast sa Max’s at ganito ang makikita mo? Yes, isang masagana at mamantikang Pinoy breakfast buffet dito sa Max’s sa San Francisco.

This is a sure cure to hangover from previous night’s festivities. Max’s breakfast buffet offers popular Filipino breakfast fares from daing, tocino, scrambled egg, longganisa, sinangag, lugaw, garlic rice, paksiw, itlog na maalat (salted eggs), etc.

Hold on, I’m a little confused here.  These are the same food we eat for lunch, merienda and dinner.  :)  Oh well, I have no issue with that. Regardless, the calories are all worth it, especially when you’re craving for some authentic Pinoy tastes when you wake in the morning.

Sa panahong malamig, hindi lang kayakap ang kailangan mo – mainit na sabaw din.  Maraming Pinoy, kasama na ako dun, ay lumaki sa sopas. Sopas na may manok, pasta at gatas. Meron din  gulay at maraming bawang. Pak! Sarap!

My grandma used to make this a lot whenever she ran out of ideas on what to make for dinner. This dish is a typical Filipino soup that is a complete meal in itself. It has protein, starch and vegetable in one meal. It is popular, perhaps, because it is inexpensive to make and highly nutritious. Here’s how I make my “sopas”.

NOTE:  I usually separate the pasta from the soup to prevent the noodle from being overcooked. I love the pasta al dente even after some time. However, you can always dump all the pasta into the soup when cooking to make things simpler.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lbs chicken quarters
• 10 cups water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon salt

• 1 lb shell pasta

• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion
• 1 large carrot, thinly sliced
• ½ head cabbage, chopped
• 1 chicken bouillon
• 2 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 (400 ml) can of evaporated milk

• 1 head garlic, toasted
• 6 stalks of green onion, chopped
• Or kinchay if available

Directions:

Prepare the chicken.  Put the chicken ingredients in a stock pot and boil for 30 minutes. Get the chicken out, cool and shred the meat. Set aside the chicken. Spoon out the bay and discard.

In the same pot and using the same liquid, cook the pasta according to package direction. Scoop out the pasta using a metal strainer and set aside. Save the stock for later use.

In a separate pot, heat the oil on medium and sauté onion until translucent. Add the carrot and cook for 2 minutes. Pour the stock, milk  and bouillon.  Season with fish sauce and pepper.  Bring to a quick boil, about 7-10 minutes.  Then, add cabbage and cook for 2 minutes more.  Turn off heat. Put the shredded chicken, toasted garlic and green onions.

To serve, spoon some pasta into a serving bowl and ladle soup into it.

Filipino tomato-based beef stew with liver spread. Sarap!

Ingredients:

• 1 kilos stewing beef, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 6 whole peppercorn, crushed
• 3 tsp. cooking oil
• 2 tsp. salt
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/2 green pepper, cut into strips
• 1/2 red pepper, cut into strips
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. Tabasco
• 1/2 tsp. MSG
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 3 tbsp. oil
• 1 small can peas (8 oz.)2 oz. liver sausage or 3 oz. can liver spread

Procedures:

1. Marinate beef in a mixture of vinegar, peppercorn and garlic for 1 to 2 hours. Drain. Brown in hot oil a few pieces at a time. Set aside.

2. Sauté onions in remaining fat in skillet until soft but not brown. Return the pieces of beef to skillet. Add tomato sauce, bay leaf, salt, MSG, sugar and hot water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours or until beef is tender.

3. Add red and green peppers and Tabasco sauce. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes more. Add liver paste and green peas. Stir and cook another 5 minutes.

We started our 3^rd day with an Arab feast for brunch prepared by hubby. He cooked hummus, baba ghanoush (or baba ganush or baba ghannouj or baba ghannoug), kofta balls and tomato salsa. Winner talaga magluto ng Arab food si Vergel! We couldn’t deny it in our faces, all we could say was “Mmmm ang sarap!” sabay subo ng kofta balls na sinawsaw sa baba ghanoush. In fairness, he has already perfected these Arab dishes, which I will share the recipes with you later.

We toured the city again in the afternoon. We searched for Jamie Oliver’s restaurant called Fifteen, but couldn’t find it. We almost gave up on our search, but thank God for the internet, we found out that the resto’s name’s been changed to The Kitchen Cat. And so we went all the way to Collins st. just to get a taste of one of V’s idols’ menu. We checked out the menu at the entrance, but found it expensive with meals from AUD 25-35. So nagmuni-muni muna kami kung tutuloy ba kami, and finally, we’d decided to order for the 2 cheapest appetizers and the cheapest entrée and share the bill among the 3 of us. V was so excited he rushed inside the resto, parang si The Flash lang. I was only 2 steps going down the stairs (my foot was killing me, pinanindigan kasi ang boots), pabalik na si V with his puppy dog eyes and slumped shoulders, coz the waitress told him they’ll only open in an hour pa! So he just took photos of the place, masabi lang na nakatapak sya sa loob ng restaurant ni Jamie Oliver. If you wanna check out their food, here’s their address — Basement 115-117 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000.

We headed to Crowne Plaza for dinner. We just had the usuals at Bistro Bar – seafood platter, potato wedges, pork ribs and carbonara. The meals cost AUD 15-25 per meal. Food was okay, nothing special.

Our friends brought us to the best dessert place in Melbourne, Brunetti near Lygon st. Actually, for me it’s the best dessert place I’ve ever been to. Promise, walang exagg. We even had to wait for 20 minutes to be seated, pinipilahan talaga, so malamang masarap talaga. My friends said that it’s always like that in Brunetti, but it’s totally worth the wait. Finally, we got our seats and our friend ordered macarons, trio mousse and chocolate cake. I’m not a fan of sweets, but their macarons were foodgasmic! Napakasaraaaap!!! And their drinks were equally rich, creamy and yummy. I didn’t see the menu prices coz it was all ordered and paid for by our friend. But I saw in the internet that the meals are below AUD 15 each. Napakamura nito para sa kaligayang ibibigay nito sayo. You should definitely visit this place — 204 Faraday St. Carlton, 3053.

Madalas kasama ni lugaw, minsan kasama ni kanin at kung minsan naman kasabay ni RedHorse.  Ito ang tokwa’t baboy. Pang almusal, merienda, ulam sa hapunan at pampulutan. Di kamahalan at madaling kainin, kaya paborito  ng maraming Pinoy, especially kung mahilig ka sa baboy. Para sa mga baboy lovers out there, tagay tayo para sa tokwa’t baboy.

Tokwa means tofu while baboy means pork in Filipino. This is a simple mash up of boiled pork parts such as belly and ears and fried tofu soaked in soy-vinegar sauce.  There’s the crunch of fried firm tofu and ear bones, the succulent melting fats of the pork belly and the sweet-salty-tangy flavors in the sauce- all the good stuffs in a simple and inexpensive dish.

Ingredients:

Meat:

• 1 ½ pounds pork belly
• 1 ½ pounds pig’s ear
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 4 bay leaves
• 10 pepper corns
• 2 tablespoons salt
• Water, just enough to cover the meat

• 2 pounds extra firm tofu
• ½ cup oil

Sauce:

• 1 cup rice vinegar
• 1 cup white wine vinegar
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 head garlic, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper

How-how?

Prepare the meat.  Put all the meat ingredients in a big stock pan. Boil the pork and ears until tender, about 1 hour. Remove the meat and set aside to cool for a bit.  Then slice the meat into bite-size pieces and put in a big bowl.

Fry the tofu in batches until crispy brown on the outside.  Start with medium high heat but adjust to medium or lower later on so as not to burn the tofu quickly.  Drain excess oil in paper towel.  Then cut into bite-size squares.  Add to the bowl with the pork.

Combine all the sauce ingredients in a separate small bowl.  Add more sugar if you prefer it sweeter.   Stir well to melt the sugar and salt. Pour the sauce over the tofu and meat.  Mix thoroughly to distribute the sauce. Let it rest for 30 minutes, covered, before serving. Garnish with green onions, parsley or chives.