BART GUINGONA’S OTHER STAGE IS HIS BUSY KITCHEN
Actor-director makes his own bread, pasta, and both sinful stuff and sugar-free desserts
Bart Guingona has just finished filming a Romanian film. The actor also recently guested in a couple of teleseryes. “But I am busiest now preparing for the Philippine Night Show of the Dubai World Expo in February 2022, which I am producing and directing,” he told Lifestyle.
Guingona also spends a lot of time in the kitchen, making his own bread and pasta, and experimenting with sugar-free desserts. In this week’s Food Slambook, he takes us into what he calls his “messy” kitchen.
Food confessions
As an eater, I’m . . . very eclectic and adventurous.
My favorite thing to eat at home: I don’t really have one favorite, but will munch on anything from chicharon to salami Milano to a piece of fruit, depending on what’s within reach.
As a cook, I’m . . . very eclectic. I love to experiment. I start off with a recipe, say by Ottolenghi, and then I improvise from there. As a baker, although I love making the sinful stuff, I also love experimenting with sugar-free stuff. I love it when people don’t realize that what they’re having is sugar-free!
My specialty: Kare-kare! I just recently made a yummy tiramisu and a sugar-free coconut bounty wrapped in dark chocolate. I also love making stuff like Hainanese chicken, osso bucco, yam som o and tom yum, pata tim, lechon Macao, rolling my own pasta to make ravioli or linguine, etc. Oh, and did I mention I’m an eclectic cook?
If I can only eat one food every day for the rest of my life, it would be . . . Pasta, I think. Or rice. Both of which are loaded with carbs and sugars and force me to go to the gym regularly.
One food I will never eat: I haven’t yet encountered something I wouldn’t eat. The fried grub in the Chiang Mai night market had the texture of beef marrow that’s turned into sebo, and I don’t think I’ll be craving for that anytime soon, but offhand, I can’t think of anything else that would repel me enough to keep me away for life. Oh, wait. Monkey brains? Stewed bats? Shudder.
My guilty pleasure: Carbs! Loads and loads of it. Pasta, rice, chips, the occasional sweets
My favorite midnight snack: Salami Milano
Favorite food delivery app/service: Grab. Only because it’s the first one I tried and just didn’t feel motivated to look elsewhere.
Kitchen raid
If you were to walk into my kitchen today, you would see . . . a mess. I am thawing out liempo cubes and chicken thighs to cook adobo for tonight. My pantry is now a mess. I keep promising myself I would straighten it up but always get overtaken by inertia.
Kitchen gadgets/appliances I can’t live without: My Bosch stand mixer for baking, my Black & Decker food processor, my Cuisinart mini food processor.
What’s always in my refrigerator: My jams. I have made kamias jam, orange marmalade, preserved lemons, which are delicious but none of which I eat. Haha. I think they will occupy a permanent space in my refrigerator.
What’s always in my pantry: 00 flour for when I make my own pasta and pizza, erythritol and xylitol for when I make the sugar-free stuff. Tonic water for when I drink vodka tonics while cooking (LOL)
Favorite . . .
Bread: I bake my own.
Cheese: Parmigiano-Reggiano, Grana Padano, feta
Butter: The cheapest unsalted one I can find. Usually Queensland (value for money!)
Milk: I’m lactose intolerant but once in a while I will have some lactose-free Cowhead milk.
Coffee: Nespresso when on a machine, Cordillera Arabica from Eeffoc2020 when on a French press
Rice: Dinorado
Pasta: I make my own but in a pinch, Barilla
Mayo: Hellman’s or Tesco’s French-style mayo. Or the one I make
Fruits: Pomelos, persimmons, mangoes, avocados
Veggies: Sitaw, kangkong, romaine Herbs and spices: Wansoy, oregano, cumin, kosher or sea salt
Bacon/hotdog/sausage/ham: Libby’s Vienna sausage
Cooking oil: Any canola oil, extra-virgin olive oil (usually La Espanola or Contadina)
Soy sauce: Coconut brand
Vinegar: I have tons of vinegars: Heinz white, Bragg apple cider, Datu Puti, lots of artisanal sinamak, pinakurat, paombong, pinya.
Canned products: Spam, Del Mar Tuna in water, various brands of stewed tomatoes, various brands of sardinas
Frozen food: Sosing’s longganisa, Auring’s tapa, veal adrio from Santi’s
Snacks: Popcorn, chips, chicharon, salami, ham
Drinks: Vodka, tonic water and the occasional beer
Other favorites: Pampanga Pride taba ng talangka INQ