Don’t Get A Manila Peninsula Club membership card – it sucks, it stinks

My sister who’s based in Bacolod plans to check in at the Manila Pen one weekend this June. So I could spare her some precious pesos, I offered to inquire about booking her using my Pen Club card. In the process, I unearthed another can of worms where this card is concerned. You don’t have to know Calculus to figure out that all Pen Club members have been gypped by this card where room benefits are concerned.

4 CHEESE PLEASE WITH ALEX DE ROSSI

400 grams package Rigatoni Pasta

1/4 Cup Butter(100 g )

1/2 cup Cream

3/4 Cup grated parmesan or grana padano cheese (100 g)

3/4 Cup Taleggio cheese, cut in small cubes (100 g )

3/4 Cup Fontina cheese, grated (100 g)

3/4 Cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled (100 g)

Ajinomoto Umami super seasoning

1/2 k honey cured bacon

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley for garnish

 

Procedure:

 

1. Put cheeses in a big pot with butter, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with Ajinomoto super seasoning.

2. Cook on a low flame and mix well. When cheeses are melted add the cream.

Saute bacon till crisp and crumble or coarsely chop. Set aside.

3. While cheeses are melting, cook rigatoni in abundant salted water. Drain pasta and add to the pot with the cheese, mix over medium heat for 1 or 2 min.

4. Sprinkle with remaining grana and top with bacon strips. Serve immediately.

 I made the recipe above from Quickfire with some modifications. For one, I didn’t have tellagio cheese nor Fontina. So instead I substituted Raclette, Manchego and mozzarella for the two cheeses to come up with 1 and 1/2 cups of cheese including Gorgonzola and parmesan. I halved the recipe, you see.

Outcome: My husband liked it very much, my son gave it the thumbs up but he didn’t swoon. I found it salty, despite the fact that I didn’t put salt, just umami and white pepper. The texture of the parmesan was also too obtrusive. 

Next time, I think I will use a different set of cheeses. Maybe quick melt will do? Cheaper and smoother in texture.

To accompany the said dish, I had one schublig sliced and cooked and opened a small pack of smoked salmon. For these two dishes, I prepared a dill sauce without dill which I didn’t have in the pantry nor Rustan’s in its shelves. The dill sauce without dill consisted of mayo, Dijon mustard, white pepper and white sugar to taste. Also had some American bread transformed into garlic bread (used butter with crushed garlic). I’m more cost-conscious these days so where cheaper substitutes are available, I substitute. For the pasta dish, though, I chose to get special cheeses to test the recipe in its original form, or the closest possible.

Why was my menu the way it was? Over the weekend, I read an article on the Novartis GM (President?) in the Philippines. A German, he said that dinner time consists of cold food for Gemans, perhaps cold cuts, cheese and salads. Is that healthier, I wonder?

Back in 1980, when my sister and I visited Germany where two other sisters were based, we were invited to dinner by a German couple. That time I wasn’t into eating “sophisticated” food. I was so sad to see the table laden with smoked salmon, bread and greens. I took two slices of salmon and had them slide down my esophagus. I took one small leaf and swallowed it. That was quite an ordeal!

Novena to Saint Anthony for Any need

Today is the feast of St. Anthony of Padua, my patron saint. For that reason, I’d like to share with you the following prayer. (St. Anthony’s intercession is often requested by people who are missing something. I, for one, prayed to him last night when my son at midnight asked where his Bible was. He needed it for class at 8 a.m. today. I asked St. Anthony to help find it, saying I wouldn’t be able to hear mass this morning if it couldn’t be found as then the maid would have to look for it. My son found his Bible.)

The prayer:

St. Anthony,  you are glorious for your miracles and for the condescension of Jesus Who came as a little child to lie in your arms. Obtain for me from His bounty the grace which I ardently desire. you were so compassionate towards sinners, do not regard my unworthiness. let the glory of God be magnified by you in connection with the particular request that I earnestly present to you.

(State your request here.)

As a pledge of my gratitude, I promise to live more faithfully in accordance with the teachings of the Church, and to be devoted to the service of the poor whom you loved and still love so greatly. Bless this resolution of mine that I may be faithful to it until death.

St. Anthony, consoler of the afflicted, pray for me.

St. Anthony, helper of all who invoke you, pray for me.

St. Anthony, whom the Infant Jesus loved and honored so much, pray for me. Amen.

(I got the above prayer form the parish church. And just in case you’re wondering why I put in two images (got them from the Internet: google images), the explanation is thus: according to our parish priest, St. Anthony’s always associated with lilies because of his purity. He’s also associated with the bible because he was a preacher. Since I couldn’t find a stampita (image) with both, I decided to put two different ones. Happy feastday, St. Anthony.)