Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Kinox joined Grandparents Day Celebration in SM Mall of Asia



Last September 06 & 07, 2008, Kinox celebrated one of the most endearing hallmark events – the Grandparents Day in SM Mall of Asia. The theme for this years event named “Generations of Love”. The event is open to the public and revolves around an idyllic Town’s Fair ... cotton candies, balloons, caramel apples, popcorns, corn on the cob, hotdogs, jugglers, clowns and more... a fun day for the entire family... with Grandma and Grandpa also enjoying special pampering…
Kinox joined this memorable event wherein SM Mall of Asia considered the brand as one of their valued and preferred partners. It is also supported by the Senior Citizens Federation – National Capital Region. This Grandparents Celebration is a multi- media event. Kinox participated through a free cooking demo with Chef Nino Logarta of QTV 11’s Ka-Toque Lutong Barkada. Around 74 participants signed-up for free and had a chance to win some raffle prizes.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

CHEF NIÑO AND KINOX SIZZLES MAGICALLY WITH CREOLE COOKING DEMO

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.

Chicken, Bacon and Beans with Spinach Soup


Ingredients:
3tbsp cup extra-virgin olive oil
2tbsp unsalted butter
2tbsp flour (to thicken soup slightly)
500g boneless chicken, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
150g fatty baconsalt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 medium white onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons paprika
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste (optional)
1 cup white wine
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
6-8 cups chicken stock
1 bunch spinach washed, roughly chopped (about 6 cups lightly packed)
2 cups white/red beans, rinsed, boiled until tender
Parmesan cheese and parsley for garnish (optional)

Procedure:
Render the fat from the bacon until crispy and set aside leaving the oil. Add the onion to the pan and cook, stirring often, until just beginning to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add garlic, paprika and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in the flour and sauté for a few seconds. Add wine and tomatoes, increase heat to high and stir to scrape up any browned bits.
Add broth and bring to a boil while stirring constantly to prevent the flour from sticking to the bottom. Stir in beans, and the chicken. Simmer until the beans and chicken are cooked through.
Season with salt and pepper.
Easy Ratatouille with Spicy Sausage Baked Eggs

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
250g vigan/alominos longganisa or spicy chorizo, roughly chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 large zucchini, seeded and chopped
2 cans canned stewed tomatoes (seeded and chopped)
4 large eggs
1tbsp jalapenos/green chili, deseeded and chopped, to serve (optional)
1 bunch Fresh basil
Parmesan cheese for garnish
Procedure:
1. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large ovenproof frying pan and cook the onion for 5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the sausages and cook until the juices are released. Stir in the pepper, then the tomatoes and bring to a simmer with 100ml water. Cook for 12-15 minutes, until the pepper is soft and the mixture is thickened. Season.
2. Make 4 wells in the tomato mix. Crack in the eggs and bake for 3-4 minutes to set. Garnish with chili and serve with the cornbread.
Green Chili and Cheese Cornbread

Ingredients:
40g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
200g plain flour
150g cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
2 Jalapenos/green chilies, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tbsp grated Cheddar cheese
2 large eggs
150ml milk
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Procedure:
1. Make the cornbread. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan180°C/gas 6. Grease a 16cm x 25cm shallow roasting tin. Mix the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, chilies, cheese and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Beat the eggs, milk and 40g butter in another bowl, then gently mix into the dry ingredients. Pour into the tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden and cooked through.