Hart's D'sire

My favorite time of the year during my younger days I spent with my cousins in Bogo at the house of Mama Ted's and Papa Taling. There, my skills of cooking labtingaw was put to test.

LABTINGAW
Ingredients:
3pcs.bayleaf
a dash of black pepper
3 pcs lemonsito
4pcs anduhaw fish
1/2 cup kikoman sauce
Mix all the ingredients in a dish big enough to accommodate 4 pcs of medium size anduhaw fish. After 30-40 minutes you can now sun dried the marinated fish or you can also fry the fish after.

LABTINGAW, this is now the most loved and favorite dish among local Bantayanon. Their are two varieties of this viand. First one is pureed with salt at a certain minutes of time and sun-dried. Second one is marinated with soy sauce and other spices and sun-dried for a certain period of time.
How to cook this? Simply fry this just like any dried fish, but the taste is simply amazing and you could not stop your self from eating lots of rice.

Mama's favorite...

When Tata was still young he loved to eat this after lunch and during summer vacation this is his most favourite panghimagas, ube halo2x.

At a very tender age of seven my Tata introduced me to the fascinating world of cooking. This is all about me, my family's favorite food.

I am an island girl by heart, I love the salty smell of wind that always ruffles my unruly hair, I always and never forget the nightly "bugtungan" with my two other siblings then while my Lola Iyay or Lola Pepang browsed through my hair and lulled me to sleep.

When I reached grade 5, my Lola Pepang always tags me along with her to Botong gamay to collect rental fees from those people who are living in the islet. Sometimes, I wonder why of all her apo's it is only me she asked me to go with her. It is only when she died that I come to realise that she's giving me a heartfull of beautiful memories of the islet. From Momoy Takla, to Nong Cadio, and to the time when Bantayan was eaten out by fire and Botong became the safety place for us.

Lola Pepang and Lola Iyay's influences run through my veins of how it moulded my philosophy in life but still I am the only daughter of Cesar Sr that's why there is a trace of my father's personality in me of which most of the times misunderstood by others.

I speak from the heart, but my love language to the people I cherish and love is cooking.

My Tata always tells me me, to never be afraid to share your recipe, for it is a gift that you need to share.