It was far from the lutong barkada, but Chef Niño Logarta of QTV 11’s Ka-Toque demonstrated his love for food for the soul, in the Kinox Cookware cooking demo class. With home cooked dishes that boasted of a little Creole twist, the afternoon was turned out to be a little bit more spicy than expected.
Starting off with the Chicken, Bacon, and Beans with Spinach Soup, the aroma of the bacon alone wafting in the room was enough to leave the participants wanting more. Start by setting the bacon aside after rendering the fat until crispy. Using the bacon oil, add onions and stir often until it begins to brown. Add the garlic, paprika, crushed red pepper and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant.
Mix in the flour and sauté for a few seconds then add the wine and tomatoes. Add broth while stirring constantly to prevent flour from sticking in the bottom. Stir in the beans and chicken and season with salt and pepper; add the spinach right before serving, and garnish with parmesan cheese and parsley.
“I like my dishes a little wild and unexpected, not to much put together – always leave room for a little magic to happen,” says the young and dynamic chef.
Next dish on the list was no less savoury with the Easy Ratatouille with Spicy Sausage Baked Eggs. Heat olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan and cook onions until softened. Stir in the spicy sausages and cook until juices are released.
Chef Niño recommends longganisa, if you want more local flavor. Stir in the pepper and tomatoes; cook until pepper is soft and the mixture thick. Make wells in the tomato mix and crack the eggs in the open spaces. Bake to 34 minutes to set. Garnish with chili.
The last dish to complement the French Creole mix is the Green Chill and Cheese Cornbread. Mix flour, cornmeal, baking powder, chilles, cheese, and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk, and butter, then gently mix into the dry ingredients. Pour into tin and bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Baking tip, according to the Chef: Grease the pan before putting in the oven.
Chef Nino advises to start up cooks, “Mix it up a little. Inject a little something out of the ordinary and innovate. The best chefs are always those who follow their instinct.” The Kinox Vienti series is the best cookware for the job. Sculpted entirely in high-grade stainless steel, Vienti is remarkably comfortable to hold with its ergonomically designed handles that stay cool during the long periods of stove-top Creole cooking. Its super bonded base is extremely durable against scraping and delaminating, which also makes it a suitable use for the oven.
“I like to eat good food without spending too much money,” says the Chef when asked how he started. “But I basically had a fondness for cooking.” His philosophy, “If you don’t cook, you don’t eat. And when you don’t eat, you die,” he says with much gusto and life.
The Kinox Vienti collection is available in all SM department stores.
SPICING IT UP. Chopping spicy sausages for the soup can be quite an affair. Chef Niño advises that spicing up a dish adds serious flavour to the dish and an exotic sense of flair. One can use spicy Hungarian sausages, or even the humble longganissa for local flavour.
TORCHING THE EGGS. When time is of the essence, Chef Niño suggests torching the eggs in the Easy Ratatouille with Spicy Sausage Baked Eggs to save on time and get the perfect texture.
PAYING ATTENTION TO TEACHER. Students listen closely to the teacher-chef as he explains the ins and outs of basic cooking.
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