The Philippine Star

Hunting for saucy superstars

- By CHING M. ALANO

Igrew up with it and will probably never outgrow it. 2f course, I’m talking about Hunt’s Tomato 6auce that’s been an indispensa­ble staple in our kitchen cabinet over the years. With more and more things to do as she started working soon after I and my three siblings were all in school, my mother found less and less time on her hands to cook. Thankfully, she had a very loyal — and very saucy — friend who never failed her — Hunt’s. It was her go-to ingredient to whip up something we loved so much we could eat it every day spaghetti with meatballs. You, too, must have your own sweet memories to share of your childhood spaghetti.

Boasting a rich, long history, the Hunt’s company — brand name for preserved tomato products — was founded in 1 in California by brothers -oseph and William Hunt who originally named it The Hunt Brothers Fruit 3acking Co. The tomatoes are grown in sunkissed 2akdale, California, producing only the reddest, Muiciest vine-ripened tomatoes. Tomatoes are picked at the peak of freshness. From farm to can, the process takes Must a few hours, assuring us of 100-percent natural tomatoes with no artificial preservati­ves added.

Today, Hunt’s creates more sweet memories for families to savor through the years by adding more flavors to its tried-andtested and time-cherished tomato sauce.

If you’re 3inoy, when you cook spaghetti, you usually add sugar,” says Marcia Y. *okongwei, Hunt’s business unit manager. You don’t have to do that anymore because we’ve blended it in with the 3inoy 6tyle Tomato 6auce which is sweeter. 3inoys love sweet spaghetti.”

But if you don’t like it sweet, there’s Hunt’s Tomato Basil Cheese spaghetti sauce which is sour like Italian spaghetti sauce.

Fact is, with Hunt’s many wonderful, flavorful tomato and spaghetti sauces (that are full of lycofiber, too, to help prevent disease and promote good health), working moms can serve up superstar meals to their families every day — no sweat, no fuss, no kidding

Working moms are in a dilemma because they don’t have a lot of time on their hands. And even if they want to prepare delicious meals for their families, it can be difficult to find time,” observes Mads Cruz, Hunt’s brand manager. We will show you that Hunt’s tomato sauces can be housewives moms’ kitchen ally. They’re assured of rich and flavorful tomato-based sauces in every pack. Cooking extra special meals can be easier and quicker because of Hunt’s, without sacrificin­g flavor and quality.”

To further help moms become kitchen superstars, Hunt’s is launching a series of webisodes that center on recipes of superstar quality that busy moms can whip up in no time. Think 5achel 5ay’s 0-minute meals. Hosted by Inez Bernardo, a homecook mom, each Hunt’s .itchen 6uperstar webisode runs for Must a minute and a half (so don’t blink now) and focuses on superb recipes that are short in preparatio­n but long in enMoyment. Chicken can be boring, but a superstar mom knows how to make every dish extra exciting,” says Inez.

The webisodes can actually walk the mom through doing all these recipes,” describes Mads.

Add Mads and Marcia, Everything now is through the Internet. We’d like to explore that avenue. We have 100 plus recipes for tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, and even Hunt’s iconic pork and beans. Expect a lot more new recipes, new sauces. We keep innovating so, yes, we’re studying the possible launch of different variants. We’re also going to the barangay and supermarke­t levels to bring Hunt’s to more consumers.”

HN O CD H HTD D LTD D Marcia enumerates. Filipinos are really so fond of sauces, as long as there’s rice, of course. And with Hunt’s, moms can prepare these supermeals every day.”

What about SLNDN DT (fish dish) cooked with tomato sauce (instead of tomatoes), so Mournalist /inda de /eon suggests. To which, Marcia enthusiast­ically replies, Why not ”

Truly, the possibilit­ies with Hunt’s are endless, we’re only limited by our imaginatio­n.

We’re aiming for one-dish meals because they’re economical,” Mads shares. A kilo of Hunt’s sauce, which costs around 3 2, can be used for 500 g. of uncooked pasta (it doubles when it’s cooked), which is enough to feed a family of five or six. The small pack (250 g.) costs only 32 , so that’s value-for-money for consumers.” 6he adds, For me, one kilo is good for two recipes maybe a

PHN O for a half kilo and another tomato dish for the other half kilo.” Hunt’s pairs well with El 5eal noodles — it’s a match made in culinary heaven.

Hunt’s can make you a superstar in your kitchen even if you don’t really know how to cook. I won’t even say I’m a great cook,” says radio - and mom elamar Arias as she bravely faces a frying pan, a smattering of ingredient­s, and some packs of Hunt’s tomato and spaghetti sauces, to cook up a chicken H TO D O in front of the T9 cameras.

But before this kitchen diva dives into her cooking, she spices it up with a little story, I bring my three-year-old son Cooper with me to the kichen because I want him to see that this is our life together and eating is a huge part of it.”

And what does Cooper’s dad say about elamar’s cooking He’ll never say, Honey, I love your cooking,’” elamar relates. But if he asks for seconds, I feel I did a great Mob.”

elamar stresses, I will not say I’m great in the kitchen, but I’m a mom who tries. And a mom who tries is probably more than good enough.”

Cheering elamar on in this afternoon’s Hunt’s cooking demo at Fab restaurant, Holiday Inn *alleria is actor host model *ino dela 3eña.

Hunt’s gets everybody cooking, too, at an exciting cookfest where participan­ts, divided into four teams, are presented with a box of mystery ingredient­s, a la Food Network’s KOSSH basket, and challenged to whip up a dish using Hunt’s products, based on a recipe provided to each team. The recipes include pork H

TO D O tomato chicken curry, chicken pesto and mushroom melt, and sardine pasta. As you can see, it’s a no-brainer matching the ingredient­s with the recipes.

2n top of the cook-off, we indulge our taste buds with the most fabulous hors d’oeuvres and desserts by 6wiss Italian chef Angelo Faoro, some of which were made using Hunt’s tomato sauce. Yes, there’s even a tomato Melly dessert.

With Hunt’s, the hunt for the cooking superstars is on 6o, lights, camera, (kitchen) action

ON T PL TKH NT .LTCKHN SH TD H L O H KLCK TD T DL LN TKL PONTK KLS S O O N SH TD C LND C HDTLON /L H DCH OO COP PP NT O YL LT PP TO HT PP S DTH OP NT D CH

 ??  ?? Two for the sauce: Mads Cruz and Marcia Gokongwei of Hunt’s show how working moms can prepare superstar meals in an instant.
Two for the sauce: Mads Cruz and Marcia Gokongwei of Hunt’s show how working moms can prepare superstar meals in an instant.
 ??  ?? Kitchen partners: DJ/mom Delamar Arias, with actor/ host Gino dela Peña, whips up a superstar dish with Hunt’s.
Kitchen partners: DJ/mom Delamar Arias, with actor/ host Gino dela Peña, whips up a superstar dish with Hunt’s.
 ??  ?? Chicken estofado cooked with Hunt’s tomato sauce
Chicken estofado cooked with Hunt’s tomato sauce
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Philippines