STILL feeling a strong hangover from my Baguio trip this weekend (July 5 to 7, 2013), which my husband and I spent at Le Monet Hotel, a posh boutique hotel that stands right beside The Filling Station inside Camp John Hay… The hotel’s PR director, Ana Mendoza, was a perfect host, both inside and outside the hotel. We went out a lot and, yesterday morning (Sunday, July 7, 2013), right before our trip back to Manila, we went to the market to buy some stuff to take back home with us. I was going to buy just lettuce and carrots, I said, but when Ana took us to the market’s “hangar,” where the vegetables were incredibly cheap, I went crazy and bought not just lettuce (Php40 per kilo) and carrots (Php20 per kilo) but also talbos ng sayote (Php13 per big bunch), lemon (Php70 per kilo), Baguio beans (Php25 per kilo), avocado (Php70 per kilo) and parsley (Php8 for a big bunch).
So, this morning, when I woke up missing Baguio, I prepped two bunches of talbos ng sayote and made Ginisang Talbos ng Sayote with shrimps, tomatoes, garlic and onion. Simple dish but warm and comforting when Raff and I devoured it with steamed brown and black rice (my mix!) and fried baby bangus (which I also got in marinated form at the Baguio Market) in packs of 7 pcs. bangus for Php55 per pack. Incredible Baguio! And thanks to Ana for showing me where to get these great foodie finds.
2 big bunches talbos ng sayote
2 tbsps. cooking oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pc. red onion, sliced thinly
1-1/2 pcs. tomatoes, cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup shrimps, peeled and deveined
1 sachet Maggi Magic Sarap (or more)
1 cup water
1-2 tbsps. soy sauce
ground black pepper to taste
1. Pick the talbos ng sayote and peel off hard skin from the stalks near the tips. Discard the hard stems. Wash well.
2. Heat oil in wok, and sauté garlic and onion, followed by tomatoes and shrimps.
3. Add talbos ng sayote. Stir-fry.
4. Season with Maggi Magic Sarap (*you can use other brands of ginisa mix, chicken powder or plain salt), pour in water, add soy sauce and adjust taste with chicken powder or salt and pepper.
5. Do not overcook.
