Consider giving cookbooks on Mother’s Day
Before anything else, I would like to shout out a big “Happy Mother’s Day!” to all the mothers out there: of course my own mother, Carmelita Vargas Salcedo, who has nurtured me with love and carbohydrates all these years; and especially the Inquirer’s own hot momma, Letty Jimenez Magsanoc, who “gave birth” to this food writer (I would not have been writing about food, otherwise). We love you belly much!
If you are still looking for a Mother’s Day gift for your mother; or your wife, the mother of your children; or your other “wives,” the mother of your other children (hmmm!), here’s an idea: give them cookbooks!
Since the way to a man’s heart—young or old—is through his stomach, you can tell your mother or your children’s mother that this gift is no less than the key to your heart. (Some of them are cheaper than flowers, too!)
Here are a few books that will surely get your wife to cook just like (or better than) your mother:
The Filipino Family Cookbook
Angelo Comsti—formerly of Spot.ph and now editor in chief of F&B Report—is a master of making lists. Upon the arrival of 2015, he got everyone clicking on Coconuts Manila, a relatively new website on Philippine news, with his piece “40+ New Restaurants That Will Rock Manila’s Resto Scene This Year.” Count on him to make a collection of recipes from some of Manila’s most prominent gourmets to create “The Filipino Family Cookbook.”
Reminiscent of “Memories of Philippine Kitchens” by Amy Besa but more approachable and less hifalutin, most of the recipes here are from the mothers or grandmothers of those asked to be a part of the book. So you will see the recipe of the mother of Sans Rival magazine editor in chief Ige Ramos for adobong pula, showcasing how Caviteños cook adobo; the recipe of the grandmother of Food Magazine editor in chief Nana Ozaeta for chicken curry, learned from an Indian cook; as well as the recipe of the mom of cooking show host Janice de Belen for “sweet, sour and spicy spare ribs.” As for grandmothers, food historian Felice Sta. Maria shared her lola’s recipe for brown sugar spice cake while author Comsti shared his own nana’s recipe for halo-halo. Truly a treasure trove of recipes in a compact book you can carry around.
Kulinarya
This is the best-selling cookbook packaged as a “guidebook to Philippine cuisine” edited by no less than Micky Fenix and written by Manila’s top chefs: Glenda Barretto, Conrad Calalang, Margarita Fores, Myrna Segismundo, Jessie Sincioco and Claude Tayag. It puts together the expertise of these six chefs and seeks to set the standard for the selected classic Filipino dishes that made it to their list.
My own mother personally prefers the very humble Aling Charing’s book as a guide to basic Filipino cuisine, after testing recipes to compare. But with Neal Oshima photos of Pinoy basics popping out of the pages of Kulinarya, this is certainly prettier as a gift for the aspiring home cook.
Slow Food and Savor the Word
After the legendary food writer Doreen Fernandez passed away, her friends led by Chef Myrna Segismundo and her “successors” Micky Fenix and Felice Sta. Maria put together a writing 
contest to encourage quality food writing. The result was the DGF (Doreen Gamboa Fernandez) Food Writing contest. One of the prizes from winning the contest was having your essay published in a book.
The books “Slow Food” and “Savor the Word” include essays of the winners, some of whom have proceeded to become professional food writers themselves (like yours truly!) Each essay is accompanied by a recipe of the dish discussed in the contestant’s essay. It’s a great effort to keep both food writing (the Doreen Fernandez way) and heirloom recipes alive!
Philippine Food and Life
Gilda Cordero Fernando (see her column in the Sunday Lifestyle section “Forever 81”) was apparently the “crush ng bayan” of her generation. I got this observation from no less than Inquirer senior analyst Amado Doronila, who confessed, laughingly, that she hit him that one time he tried to make a pass at her. (No one messes with Gilda!) Spunky, witty, yet with skin more flawless than singkamas, she was the ultimate dreamgirl … or so I heard and it’s easy to see why!
But more than a pretty face and a master of prose, Lady Gilda has been a genius in her own right in the kitchen, publishing “Philippine Food & Life.” This book, which will be reprinted by Anvil, explores the nuances of Philippine regional cuisines, with chapters devoted to specific provinces like Laguna, Pampanga, Bulacan, Ilocos Norte Camarines Norte and Sur.
The great thing about the book is that it is not just a compilation of recipes. Cordero-Fernando explores the culture behind each cuisine. The chapter on Laguna, for example, expounds on “good housekeeping in Pagsanjan”; the chapter on Albay, “the hot province” distinguishes spicy Bikolano flavors from the rest of the flavors across the nation; while Camarines Norte cuisine is labeled as “conservative.”
I also love the marginal notes such as “Cooking Secrets that Everyone Should Know” for tips like how to keep the pure white color of pastillas or how to prevent blood for dinuguan from coagulating. With a book like this, you are bound to be the ideal home cook.
Cooking With Coconut
One of the unique ingredients in Filipino cooking is coconut and this book explores various recipes using buko. So if you or your giftee loves cooking with or would like to explore the use of coconut, this is the book to collect. From laksa to galapong, Annie Pascual Guerrero has put together coconut recipes that have made it to the Filipino table.
Larry Can’t Cook
OK, so this was obviously not written by a mother or grandmother. Neither is it about a mother or grandmother’s cooking. It is a tribute to Larry Cruz, whose legacy includes restaurants like Cafe Adriatico, Cafe Havana and Abe. He is credited for having changed the landscape of the Philippine restaurant industry by upgrading Filipino food from Barrio Fiesta fare to chic restaurant level dishes.
The title was a result of a brainstorming session with Inquirer Lifestyle editor Thelma Sioson San Juan, as she shares in the introduction. When she told him that he should share with the next generation his knowledge on how to succeed in the restaurant business, he laughed and said, “And I can’t even cook … our title will be Larry Can’t Cook(!)” Food writer Ige Ramos emphasizes in the first chapter, though, “Larry’s passion for the pleasures of good food and convivial eating certainly compensated for any lack of ability to cook.” Larry is said to be able to detect, “even after one taste, a missing ingredient from any dish.”
I included this book because this book may be of great use to home cooks as it includes recipes most loved at his restaurants such as Abe’s binukadkad na plapla and crispy tadyang. More than that, it has Larry Cruz’ spirit, which is just overall inspiring.
Let’s Cook With Nora
This was reportedly the quintessential cookbook for the housewife of the ’70s and ’80s: the cookbook by the late great Nora Daza. It has over 150 recipes of Filipino favorites. But here’s something better: if you want to experience the cooking of Nora Daza as executed by her kids, Sandy Daza and Nina Daza Puyat, now chefs in their own right, head over to Sofitel to celebrate Mother’s Day.
Sandy is presenting his own recipes but Nina has shared with Sofitel two dishes from mom: Fried Mixed Seafood Crepe with Tartar Sauce or “Lumpiang Lamang Dagat,” a dish served at Daza’s Aux Iles Philippines, the first Filipino restaurant in Paris; as well as Chicken Relleno with Giblet Gravy, which Nina shares was served with their grandmother’s Russian salad during Christmas.
Sofitel will also be serving dishes shared by other gourmets like Suzette Montinola, Janice de Belen and Chef Ariel Manuel.
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One way to remember mothers—and for mothers to be remembered—is through recipes passed on from generation to generation. In this sense, recipes are like heirloom jewelry—something to be treasured forever. Hope these books inspire mothers (and fathers) everywhere, young and old, to create memories through their cooking. And if not … well, there’s always take out!
Happy Mother’s Day!
Recommended books available at National Bookstore.
For inquiries, visit the Anvil Publishing page on Facebook.
Sofitel Manila: For reservations for the Mother’s Day special at Spiral, call 5515555.
Follow the author @margauxsalcedo on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. Visit margauxsalcedo.com.
