Sweet Basil (also known as Italian Basil) is the most used herb nowadays. That’s why I have it in the garden so I can readily pick the leaves if I need to make pesto or just plain use the leaves in pasta. I particularly like it in Penne Pasta Alfredo with Shrimp or Chicken. Sweet Basil has many varieties. It is easy to grow from seeds or from cuttings. The rain we had in the past week or so helped the plants to be vigorous and green.
These was taken 9 days after the seeds were sown. The leaves are much broader and greener.
We have been using squash flowers for as long as I can remember in cooking. But the method is just simple. Removing the anthers first and then mixing it with other vegetables seasoned with fish sauce is the norm. But I found out that the popularity of using the flowers in the modern culinary…
Winged beans or sigarilyas in the Philippines is also known as Goa beans, Mauritius beans, asparagus pea and many other names. I only know this beans as sigarilyas in my hometown. It is a tropical legume native to New Guinea. It grows as a vine 3-4 m. in height. It is a perennial but can…
Kinchay or Leaf Celery (Chinese Celery) is a very versatile herb that we use for everyday cooking in the Philippines. It has the flavor and aroma that we like to impart in our local dishes like pancit, chop suey and soups.
Upo is one of my favorite vegetables. I practically grow eating this vegetable. My mom has a small garden in our yard and she always manage to grow upo by building a trellis for it to cling to. The trellis we call “palapa” is made of bamboo. It is build with four bamboo poles that…
Bixa Orellana Achuete is probably the most important ingredient in the Filipino cuisine. The bright red color that imparts in the food makes the food more palatable and presentable. It is most used in recipes that we inherited from the Spaniards like the dish we call “menudo” or the famous “paella”. Achuete is an evergreen,…