Seafood Pasta

The seniors among us still identify Ginisang Munggo (sauteed mung beans) with Fridays, having been raised to abstain from eating any meat on Fridays throughout the year. So we ate tuyo (dried salted fish), paksiw (fish stewed in vinegar), pinangat (fish steamed with salt) and plain tinapa (smoked fish). Monotonous, uninspired meals that we were supposed to bear with as good Catholics.

Since those growing up years, many things have changed, including Catholic rules for meatless Fridays. In 1967, Pope Paul VI relaxed what was once the year-round meatless Fridays rule.

MEATLESS FRIDAYS RETURNING -- Changes are once again in the air, as meatless Fridays are getting re-introduced by bishops in several countries. In May 2011, the Catholic bishops of England and Wales decided to bring back Friday abstinence from meat.

This might likewise also be the way of life for Catholics in the United States, where it has been observed that many Catholics already abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday and all the Fridays in Lent and Good Friday.

This sacrifice is not enough for Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, who would like to make the “no meat on Fridays” a year-round regulation. At their 2011 meeting in Baltimore, the Catholic bishops of the United States were asked by Cardinal Dolan to help sell the year-round meatless Friday idea to the faithful.

PENANCE BUT NOT DREARY – The whole meatless Friday concept revolves around penance and sacrifice. As a cook and grandmother of a dozen kids, I feel the idea could be introduced to the young without making them feel they are being tortured or punished. After all, there are people like me who prefer seafood over meat, and consider fish meals rewards.

My kitchen rule is: stay away from the dull and ordinary; serve the kids what they consider are treats, such as dishes similar to fast food: pizza, deep-fried stuff, chips, Lumpiang Shanghai, and pasta.

Before you flinch at the thought of expensive ingredients, let me convince you that these dishes can be prepared at home without breaking your budget.

BREAKFAST FEASTS – This is the easiest meal to handle; the secret is to stay away from the rice-and-ulam Pinoy meal concept. There are many breakfasts you can serve without meat in them: pancakes, French Toast, Congee (Arroz Caldo without meat), Mami, Fried Rice.

French Toast is easy. Scramble one egg, add 1/4 cup evaporated milk and ¼ cup water. Soak four Tasty Bread slices in the mixture until all liquid is absorbed. Fry bread slices in vegetable oil flavored with a bit of margarine. Serve with jam, syrup or fruit preserves and fresh fruit on the side.

For an Oriental morning treat, our favorite is Congee, or what we Pinoys call lugaw (rice soup). Normally considered a “poor man’s meal” by many, it can be the most nutritious and addictive meal-in-a-bowl.

I normally start with leftover rice that’s been sitting in the freezer; frozen cooked rice takes faster to break down once boiled in water. The rice simmers in very low heat, stirred constantly to prevent scorching that could make the soup bitter. Once the rice kernels break down and the gruel is thick, the fun begins; it is time to add ingredients according to what one wants and what’s available. Consider the plain lugaw as a blank canvas waiting for colors.

Before anything else, one flavors the Congee with slivers of ginger, fried garlic and onions. For Lent, my father used to add dried clams, which he made by sun-drying shelled, steamed halaan caught in the mouth of the Zapote River.  These days, I use either fresh clams or steamed clam meat from the freezer.  Without clams, I resort to hibe (dried small shrimp) which can be bought retail in small sachets at all wet markets.

EASY MEATLESS SNACKS -- Monte Cristo Sandwich is filling and a breeze to make, as it is nothing more than a French Toast with filling. Start by making a sandwich of tuna and cheese, sardines and cheese, or plain cheese with vegetables such as roasted tomatoes, fried onions and peppers. Dip the sandwich in an egg-milk batter (just like French Toast) and pan-fry in a margarine-vegetable oil mixture until light golden brown on both sides. Serve in wedges with fruit at home, or pack for school and office baon.

A similar meal/snack is pandesal pizza, made by filling split bread with mashed canned sardines, sliced tomatoes and vegetables (fresh or fried) and melty cheese. Bake the filled bread in an oven, toaster, or hot thick pan with cover until cheese melts. My kids who work at call centers on the night shift heat this up in the office microwave for their midnight snack.

PAELLA – A seafood Paella incorporating squid, clams, mussels and fish would make a perfect one-dish meal. During emergencies when more people than expected show up at parties, I have even successfully resorted to shortcuts by stirring tomato sauce, clams, mussels, chicken powder, paprika, fish fillet and crabs into cooked rice in a rice cooker, which provided enough heat and steam to cook everything perfectly.

To make Paella gourmet-type presentable, sprinkle any chopped green herbs on top, and arrange wedges of peeled hard boiled eggs.

CREAM SOUP DOES WONDERS – The most versatile ingredient in my kitchen is Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup, which I often resort to when at a loss for meal ideas. For meatless meals, canned cream soup has provided me the perfect base to create hundreds of curries, chowders and gravies.

For French Onion Soup, I stir a can of soup into lightly brown onions, add a can of water, and serve the soup topped with a slice of bread toasted in the over with grated cheese.

Fish curry is a snap: stir-fry sliced fish fillet, add cubed boiled potatoes and carrots, a tablespoon or two of curry powder; add the can of soup when the curry starts emitting flavors. Stir until smooth and add enough water to desired consistency.  Season to taste. This recipe could be used for shrimp or crab curry as well. Serve topped with chopped parsley or green onions.

ADAPT REGULAR RECIPES – When facing a blank wall, simply adapt regular non-fish recipes by substituting ingredients. Perfect examples are Lumpiang Shanghai using fish or shrimp instead of meat and Fish with Tausi and Deep Fried Tofu.

NEW FISH PRODUCTS – Century Tuna has new products that use fish in traditionally meat recipes such as tocino, tapa and hotdogs. My grandchildren like them.

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