memoirs of an old man part 4

For those of you who have been following my ramblings here is the latest offering and i hope you will find it as interesting as the previous entries.We left Bohol and made our way by boat back to Cebu where we spent the night, before boarding another boat bound for island of leyte. Why leyte I hear you ask well it is like this my angel spent allot of her growing years there and wanted me to meet some of her relatives so i thought why not so off we go we boarded the ship and quickly found the cabin that we had booked and made ourselves comfortable. It was mid afternoon and the boat trip was going to be a long one which would get us there in the evening so we did our best to get some rest.

Leaving Cebu

sharing a portholeMy Angel at rest

Arriving at leyte at dusk was a terrific feeling the streets were alive with street stalls and people the human traffic was quite something. We accepted a ride on a trike from a fellow who makes his living taking fares from the jetty to the main street which is a fair sort of ride. I don't envy him in his chosen profession as it looked like extremely hard work from where i was sitting. But the locals were so friendly and this is the one thing that i have found all the way through the Philippines they were so helpful as when we got off the trike the rider motioned to another fellow who was standing on the side of the road and arranged that he help us get on the bus to Maasin. Which he did so readily after strapping ourselves in for the ride to Maasin we settled in for what was going to be a fair drive in the mini bus. Not long into the trip my angel was asleep on my shoulder i am telling you here is a woman who could sleep on a barb wire fence in the middle of a thunder storm, totally unbelievable. Onward through the night the bus made its way along what appeared to me to be some dangerous mountain roads at speeds that would make the boldest hold there breath all the while obeying the number 1 rule of Philippine roads ( use horn liberally and often). Yet my angel slept, go figure. Without a word off a lie this bus had the suspension of a Sherman tank and after watching the driver for a while i would say that it handled like one to.

The pension in Maasin.

After reaching maasin we caught another trike and asked the driver to take us to a pension as hotels in this part of the world are as scarce as teeth on hens. We got a room for the night and swiftly made our way out in search of food stopping into see the grand parents of my loveliness. The following morning determined to show me the town where she grew up my gorgeousness led me around and with the promise of another feed i followed willingly. there are many wonder full things to see in leyte and i would say that not allot of visitors to the Philippines get to see these as most dare not venture out of the tourist hotels but for those of us that do the memories last a life time. As we ventured out of the pension i knew immediately that it was Sunday as the sound of hymns and songs of praise filled the air as we followed the main street past the full gospel church. I felt many memories from what seems now to be another life time come flooding back as if it was yesterday when i played guitar in a gospel rock band.

Main street Maasin

The full gospel church

Contemplation of a feed
My Muse
After 2 breakfasts and a class of tang we went for a walk through maasin city and took in all the local landmarks and places of interest, i really enjoyed the markets as they were so different to what i am used to business over there seems so unfettered unlike here where there is so much red tape and so many rules and regulations. The buildings are such a contrast the old with the new side by side although there is by far more old than new at this stage but there are signs of development everywhere. The grandeur of the catholic churches in the Philippines is really something to behold and is a tribute to the way the Philippine people have taken to the catholic faith, it is inspirational the way they have embraced there belief system and made it an everyday part of there life and the signs are not only in the ornate buildings but in the people that you meet everyday in the Philippines.

Catholic church Maasin city

Town square monument Maasin

Meat and fish markets Town hall Maasin

Just love the transport solutions and the colour of the Philippines.

The contrast of old and new

After our walk we decided to purchase our contribution to the lunch and head off to see Nesa's grandparents Knowing that many relations would call bye Nesa suggested we get a little extra which to me seemed like a good idea. With this in mind we walked to the stall selling roast meats and promptly bought some roast pork and chicken to take as our contribution toward lunch, once again onto the motorcycle cab and off we go.

Food stall

Nanay preparing a home style chicken broth which was very nice i must say.

Lunch with Nanay and Tatay

Nessa was right many relatives came bye during the course of the afternoon and ate and talked and i met quite a few people as i sat on the front porch and relaxed. Nesa arranged a lift to a nearby church which was a must see if you are on leyte as it is at the top of a hill. The point of difference is that when you reach the top of the hill there is a large cave which serves as the church at one end it has large stained glass windows and a natural skylight in the roof, as you walk over the top of the cave there are several large statues which look out over the bay in the distance, to the rear of this you have a natural amphitheatre.Truly worth the long walk to the top of the hill.

Our lift to the hill

Cathedral entrance
Cathedral in a cave
Top of the hill

After leaving the cathedral to rest up awhile we decided to go back to Cebu early and booked a bus and boat for later in the evening after a quick dinner at jolly bee we boarded the Bus for what turned out another white knuckle ride through the mountains only this time in a bigger bus. I turned briefly and surprise, surprise Nesa was asleep again i have never seen anything like it i wish that i could have slept through the bus trip as it would have been better than going through it with my eyes open. My angel slept so soundly this time that i had to wake her when we got to the boat. Its four in the morning and our boat pulls into Cebu and we look for a place to shower and rest before heading for our next destination Davao.

4am in the morning Cebu

posted by Chefie

Father and son day out at the coast

A week in the planning we were to wake early primed and ready for a great time together the old man and the boy. I was just looking forward to spending some quality time with my son as this is a bit of a rare thing these days .You know how it is as they grow older the old man that was extremely suddenly becomes less and less cool, hehehehe. But i digress in my constant rambling, the truth is that we both slept in and the great early start that we planned went the the way of the dinosaur , it died a slow and painful death. We finally hit the road at about 10 o'clock as i looked across at my son i knew he was thinking the same as i was "we should be there by now." But we are not so onward we press we hit the highway and it is not long before we are reminded as to why we planned the early start in the first place, as the traffic slows down to a crawl and we inch along i am wondering what the poor people are doing on this lovely day, not sitting in a long line of traffic I'll bet.

A rare site the boy is finished grazing and emerges from his cave.

We hit the highway

My anguish is relieved as progressively the traffic begins to speed up and the further we get from Brisbane the faster it gets i look across at my son and with a knowing look we agree that life does not get any sweeter than this 2 mates on the road the wolverines on the stereo does it get any better i ask. The miles roll away like the many trees planted on the median strip past homes factories and amusement parks ever onward we roll.

The trees roll away,

Dreamworld amusement park,

Destination in site,

As the giant buildings begin to loom large on the horizon it fills one with a sense of wonderment at the capabilities of man kind these giant monoliths of our modern era prodding the sky as if to defy the gods. As the destination is in site our minds start to play on other things i of course being a man think immediately of my stomach and what i can fill it with, my boy on the other hand is very slyly checking out the young ladies in there tiny bikinis when he thinks the old man is not looking " does he really think i am that naive i laugh to myself and drive on. We cruise down tedder avenue all the while the boy is checking out the young ladies and i am looking for a feed.

Thai restaurant on tedder avenue southport.



The proliferation of Asian restaurants on the coast highlights the Australian fascination with most things Asian. Any way i digress once again, we cruise along the beach road as far as surfers paradise till we make our way back onto the highway and set a course for one of the southern beaches Burliegh heads sounds nice.


Along the beach road

Being a male of the species my sons attention soon turns from the girls to his stomach and what he can fill it with so we head for the town centre at Burleigh and make our way to the Burliegh heads bowls club as clubs in Australia are known as places to eat where you can get a good meal at a fair price away from the tourist oriented restaurants that are very expensive. Now if you are looking for a good feed in Burleigh heads i can thoroughly recommend that you not eat at the Burleigh heads bowls club. We ordered up a couple of steak sandwiches and as Lester took a seat i found the bar and ordered some refreshments. I arrived back at the table to find that our meals had just arrived and my son sharing my quick wit took one look at his steak sandwich and was heard to remark i thought i heard singing in the kitchen they were holding a memorial service for the steaks that they have cremated. Having left somewhat unfulfilled we made our way to the gelati bar and filled up on Italian style ice cream.

Onward to the beach as the surf was calling, after finding a place not far from the beach to park the car we made our way down onto the sand to feel the sand beneath your feet and the wind in your face and salt air in your lungs is there anything else on the face of this earth that can make a man feel so alive and young again.

The bear and his cub at play

Looking back to the Burleigh headlands


The waves roll in

After playing a while on the beach we decided to hit the surf even though it was a little overcast and cold once in the water was wonderful and the waves out the back were rolling in at about 4 to 5 feet and were quite rough i know this as i was trashed by this wave and as it struck from behind i lost my bandanna gone with the tide i guess.

Lamenting no mourning the loss of my bandanna,

After a few hours on the beach we decided that we have had enough of a good thing and started to make our way home stopping once only and where else would you stop but at the yatala pie shop home of arguably the best meat pie in Australia once again thinking of our stomachs. All fed we head for home and a warm shower and to put our feet up and laugh about the day.

Posted by chefie

My new year's resolution

Last year my new years resolution starts from myself, probably same with this year to come... This 2008 was spent with doing what i want to do...and as a result i tend to become liberated on anything especially on my health. Now, as this new year would come i would emphasize on my health and on my weight...getting more wieght than what i expected is not good...and i need to take my diet seriously...and would continue eating nutritious foods...and maybe will enroll myself on some fitness clubs and sports organiztion... next year would be a challenge and i know i can make it...and i will surely be happy on it... HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Year-end Party

This is the time to relax is what they say, time for mending stressful body and minds and get unwind by the music, food, and the people who participate in the said event....

Its 21st of december when the company that i have worked with celebrate our year end party, the venue was held at Waterfront Casino in Lahug, Cebu...the night filled with beautiful people, good music, great performance, and not to mention the styles and fashion on most people who attended the party...the motiff for this year was intensity red , and everyone is requested to wear something red! and so i made my own preparation as well... now, heres some pix to showcase the gathering...

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas

Hi everyone the old man is back but this time my angel has asked me to do a little something for Christmas so i thought i would share with you all what i am doing for Christmas this year. I will be enjoying a small intimate dinner for eight just a simple one this year. When you are thinking about a dinner or a lunch it is important that you do the first thing first and finish with style so i thought i would share with you a few things i have learned from my 16 years working in kitchens so are you ready strap yourselves in because here it comes.

The first thing i learned as a young apprentice was the principle of mise en place, this is a french term which quite literally means to prepare or to put in place with this in mind any occasion will be a success. So when i first thought about the Christmas dinner i thought i would first need to produce a menu so that i would know where i was going. For this one i decided to keep it simple but differant and stylish, not to much to ask i shouldn't think.

Christmas dinner menu,

• Roast Beef with garlic and rosemary jus,


• orange glazed ham with Cinnamon,


• Cranberry glazed turkey with apricots and walnuts,


• German Potato salad,


• Nicious salad,


• Rum soaked Christmas cake,


• Christmas short breads with lemon ice,

Now as you can see I certainly have my work cut out for me so i had better get my lazy little backside into gear and get started. I will make it easy on you and start from the top and take you step by step and weather you are a seasoned cook or an absolute amateur you will find this so easy i am sure. The first thing you need to do is choose a good piece of beef for roasting a nice piece of blade or rump preferably grain or grass fed with a small amount of exterior fat so that it will baste itself and the joint does not dry out to much in the oven.( always look for meat with a small amount of white fat distributed throughout the meat itself, as this will help to keep the meat tender during cooking and provide you with a nice tender roast)

Roast Beef with garlic and rosemary:

You take some fresh rosemary and garlic cloves and we remove the leaves of the rosemary and put them aside for later use take the stems from the rosemary and the garlic cloves and you pierce the beef with a small knife and insert several garlic cloves and the rosemary stems into the beef, this will infuse the beef with extra flavour. (These are to be removed prior to service.) Now it is just a simple matter of placing the beef into a pre heated oven at about 160 degrees Celsius for about 40 minutes for each kilogram of raw weight for a medium well roast. (check out the tips at the bottom of the page). When you believe it is done test the internal temperature with a thermometer the middle of the beef should be some where between 62-67 degrees. Now that the beef is cooked we need to start on the jus for this we place the oven tray that we cooked the beef in on top the stove after removing the beef but saving the pan juices as these will add flavour to the jus. Add 6 table spoons of butter to the pan juices on top the stove and heat to melt , to this we stir in 6 tablespoons of plain flour we cook this out over a low heat the flour will appear yellow but after cooking out will start to go white again when this happens you you slowly little by little pour in 2 litres of good beef stock continually stirring to avoid lumps in the jus once the stock is added and the jus has come to the boil add the rosemary leaves that you have put aside and simmer for several minutes.

Flavoured Beef,

Beef ready for the oven,



Beef is cooked,

Orange Glazed Ham with cinnamon:

Now that the beef is done we will look at the ham and for this you will need to start with a leg or shoulder of good smoked ham. To prepare the ham we first make an easy glaze for this you will need 2 litres of orange juice the fresher the better, one cup of brown sugar and two sticks of cinnamon crushed and broken. Bring the juice to the boil and add the sugar stir to dissolve adding the crushed cinnamon bring this to the boil and simmer for about 15 minutes to reduce slightly and intensify the flavour. Remove the skin from the ham and discard leaving a thin layer of fat on the outside of the ham, score the ham with a knife ( score is to cut a Cris cross pattern into the fat of the ham you them insert whole cloves into the ham where the score lines cross this looks really cool on the finished ham. place the ham into a preheated oven at 110 degrees for about 2 1/2 hours basting with the glaze at 10 minute intervals. use the remaining glaze as a sauce for the ham after bringing to the boil and adding a mixture of corn flour and water till the desired thickness is achieved. The timing on this one is not important as you are just setting the glaze so when you like the look of the ham pull it out of the oven.

Cranberry Glazed Turkey with apricots and walnuts;

Now that you have had some practice glazing a ham the turkey should be easy as the same principles apply just the glaze uses cranberry juice instead of orange juice and the turkey needs to be cooked in a moderate oven at about 180-200 degrees, the rest of the glaze and procedure is the same though. Test that the turkey is cooked though using a thermometer you need an internal temperature from the thickest part of the bird of about 65-70 degrees. To Prepare the turkey prior to cooking and glazing you simply combine 100 grams of rough chopped apricots, 100 grams of rough chopped walnuts, 6 slices of bread crusts removed and cut into small cubes, in a large bowl and add 3 egg and a trace of salt combine these with your hands while adding bread crumbs slowly to achieve the required consistency. The mix should come together to the point where you can form a ball and it will stay together without sticking to your hands. Wash the turkey and fill the cavity with the mix and truss by tying the legs together and folding the wings back under the bird ,so that it looks like the bird is relaxing place in a well oiled oven tray and cook glazing regularly.

Cranberry glazed turkey with apricots and walnuts,

That is the meats taken care of next we will attend to the salads i prefer to use salads as they can be served cold and when you have a few meats that need to be served warm the oven space is at a premium so a few cold dishes will relieve a lot of stress in the kitchen. Besides that here in Australia it is very hot at this time of year up around the 30 to 35 degree mark so the cool dishes are somewhat of a respite.

German Potato salad;

Dressing;

Put 4 egg yolks into a blender with a teaspoon of white vinegar and clove off fresh garlic chopped and a small amount of chopped oregano basil and parsley. Start your blender on medium and slowly pour in the olive oil to form a good suspension.( this is done very slowly so as to emulsify the oil and yolks with the vinegar so you must add very slowly and keep watch on it you take this to the point where it is just the thickness that you want it at for a mayonnaise when desired thickness is achieved season with a pinch of salt and cracked black pepper and half a teaspoon of sugar.This is done while tasting to achieve the required taste.

Salad

I allow here one and a half medium potatoes per person chop potatoes into cook able pieces i normally cut each into 12 pieces wash well and leaving the skins on boil till just tender taking care not to over cook. while doing this you also take a couple of rashes of bacon and cut into small squares and fry these off til crispy and set aside.Chop one shallot per person and 1/6 of a red salad onion per person. When the potatoes are cooked cool them with cold water ad mix with other ingredients and set aside in the fridge ready to dress closer to the time. When ready to dress toss the ingredients with a pinch of salt and a dash of cracked black pepper. Then pour onto a large serving platter and drizzle over the mayonnaise.

Nicous salad;

Dressing,

Place 6 teaspoons of vinegar into your blender along with some chopped fresh Basil,Oregano and garlic add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice start blender and slowly pour in the olive oil the once again emulsify pouring very slowly till the desired thickness is achieved.

Salad,

This is a very nice yet easy mix off ingredients and the amounts will depend on the number of guests and weather or not they are big salad eaters you know your guests best so use your best judgement here, i will just list the ingredients and leave the rest up to you.

• mixed salad leaves
• chopped seeded cucumber
• cherry tomatos
• boiled and peeled eggs (cut into quarters)
• cooked bacon (cut into large squares )
• red salad onion cut into half rings
• cooked and peeled prawns

Mix all the ingredients together and place onto a large serving platter decorate with eggs and bacon and prawns then store covered in the fridge till service. The dressing is served in a small jug and your guests can see to this themselves, this is to prevent the salad getting soggy.

Now for my favourite part the Christmas cake with lots of fresh fruit and a little alcohol to flavour. This is a little tricky so i will take a little longer with it so i do not loose you.

Christmas cake;

Group 1

• Currents 160 grams
• raisins 240 grams
• sultanas 240 grams
• mixed peel 100 grams
• butter 240 grams
• rum 400 ml
• bi carbonate of soda 10 grams
• a pinch of salt

Group 2

• grated apple 100 grams
• grated rind of 1 lemon
• flour 100 grams
• soft brown sugar 100 grams
• mixed spice 20 grams

Group 3

• 4 eggs

Mix the group 1 ingredients together and bring to the boil removing from heat when it has reached the boil. Allow this mixture to cool slightly about half an hour should do it. After it has cooled add group 3 ingredients to this mix and through. Mix group 2 ingredients together in a bowl and pour in the wet ingredients while stirring through. Line large cake tin and and pour the mix in leveling the top with a little water and your hand. bake in a pre heated oven at 165 degrees for about 2 hours testing with a skewer when you push the skewer into the centre of the cake, if cooked the skewer should come out clean. To prepare glaze place 1 half a cup of water in a small pot and pour in 1 half a cup of rum and 2 cups of sugar bring to the boil and reduce by 1 third. When the cake is cooked remove from the oven and brush with glaze keep glaze warm as you will need to return every 15 minutes to apply more glaze, repeat this about 4 times.

Fresh from the oven,

Turned out of tin,



Glazed Christmas cake,

Finished Christmas cake,

Short breads with lemon ice;
This mix will make approximately 25 pieces,

• Butter 225 grams
• castor sugar 40 grams
• icing sugar 25 grams
• vanilla essence 2 drops
• flour 250 grams
• salt trace

Sift flour and salt together, beat butter and sugar together to make a cream and add vanilla while beating gradually add flour while continuing to beat until mixture is light and smooth, use greased Christmas molds or free form with your hand the required shapes on to greased baking tray bake at 180 for about 15 minutes. remove from oven and allow to cool . mix 3/4 a cup of icing mixture with a teaspoon of melted butter one teaspoon of lemon juice and enough hot water to make a spreadable paste . When biscuits are cooled drizzle icing over the top.

Short breads ready for the oven,

Short breads cooked,



Short breads finished and iced,


Well that is my Christmas lunch sorted i wish you all the best with yours i will be back on the 20 th of December to post the pictures for this blog entry so till then have a happy Christmas and a happy and safe new year .

HELP FULL HINTS

1. Shortly after you put the turkey in the oven at about the time of the second basting,just pour a cup of water into the baking tin this will create a moist cooking environment and help to prevent the turkey from drying out and it will also prevent the glaze that runs onto the bottom of the pan from burning and making the pan difficult to clean keep an eye on the water so that it does not boil dry during cooking just top it up from time to time.

2. Turkeys can be a little tricky to cook so i will share some of my tricks with you as i go through the process myself, the average turkey will take about 2 hours to cook but do not take this as pure fact after the first 25 minutes with regular basting you will depending on your oven need to turn the turkey around as allot of ovens tend to cook quicker at the back of the oven after about 40 minutes check the colour of the bird if it is starting to get dark take it out briefly and turn the oven down to 150 degrees and cover it well with aluminium foil be for returning it to the oven. Check the temp of the bird after another 40 minutes in the cooler oven.

3. When testing the temperature of the turkey pierce the bird and put the thermometer down between the thigh and the leg as this is usually the part that is the last to cook through.

4. add 100 grams of chopped almonds to the shortbread mix and mix through it will just make them that little bit more special and Christmasie.

5.When you are preparing the beef score the back fat with a sharp knife and poke some holes into the meat so you can push the rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves down into the meat, then spray the top with canola oil or a good olive oil and season well with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

6. When it comes time to make the jus for either the turkey or the beef simply reserve the water and juices that are left in the pan after baking and use these as a base with the beef you add a little red wine to these juices and thicken with a mixture of water and corn flour to desired thickness while heating then bring to the boli, with the turkey you add some dried sweetened cranberries and some of the left over marinade to the juices and thicken the same way.

My christmas table

Merry Christmas and a happy new year from the old man and the boy,


posted by Chefie