Just Another Day in Sabrina's Kitchen

Real food that's simple, easy and fun, yet big on flavor. Just another day at Sabrina's Kitchen. 

Sabrina's Kitchen is a weekly 30-minute cooking show on the Asian Food Channel hosted by one of Manila's food and entertaining enthusiasts, Sabrina Artadi. In her kitchen, Sabrina brings real home cooked comfort food to life with a cool bohemian flair that's just so much fun to watch, and better yet, taste. And keeping it real adds a distinct personal touch, as Sabrina's casual approach to her favorite dishes is "not too perfect or styled." Instead, Sabrina finds perfection in life's little imperfections.  Now that's cool. 

For Sabrina, cooking is the best stress reliever and therapy, and also the best time to be with family. A mother to two beautiful kids, bonding time revolves around home-cooked meals and the kitchen. Her extensive travels exposed Sabrina to different culinary cultures and flavors, and over time, developed a taste for Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. Good things are definitely cooking in Sabrina's Kitchen.

As we arrived in Sabrina's beautiful home, the lingering aroma led us to Sabrina's kitchen, and the kitchen becomes the stage for the coming feast. There's a cool vibe in the kitchen, as Sabrina effortlessly performs the finishing touches on the different components. Unhurried and with much ease, Sabrina paces each component until it's done just right. Slow comfort food, just as it should be. 

The meal begins with a refreshing iced tea with McCormick Rosemary, calamansi, honey and rum. On a summer day before a meal, just perfect, as I go for another glass. 

And lunch is served. Sabrina's Chicken Inasal, skewered grilled chicken presented on a banana bark. Can't get any cooler than that. A light, crisp outer layer, tender and juicy inside, with a sweet, flavorful glaze, classic comfort food served with Sabrina's cool touch. The addition of rum in the glaze gives it an almost cinnamon like sweetness that enhances the flavor of the chicken. And it's simple and easy to prepare.

A refreshing salad of romaine mixed with sweet mangoes and shrimps with a rich yogurt and mayo dressing. The sweetness of the mangoes, the creamy dressing, the savory shrimps and crisp romaine bring a medley of flavors and textures, just the perfect summer salad. 

Warm pasta, ready to serve. The pasta dish looked simple, but the flavors were simply awesome. Sabrina's secret? Homemade chorizo, shrimps and mussels, sauteed in its own juices, and with a little rum. And the herbed butter. The combination of flavors makes this pasta dish another winner from Sabrina's Kitchen. Simple recipes yet big on flavor. 

Chorizo, shrimps and mussels slowly simmer in the kitchen, and in just a few minutes, ready for the pasta.

Sabrina's richly flavored Herbed Butter, the secret behind Sabrina's cool pasta dish, ties all the different layers of flavors together. 

Top the pasta with a generous slice of the herbed butter, followed by the chorizo, shrimps and mussels, and you have one seriously good pasta dish. Homey and comforting, and with unbelievably rich flavors, it's a great pasta dish. Going for seconds? Absolutely. 

For dessert, Sabrina's kitchen fires up once more for crepes with a variety of fresh fruit filling, ice cream and Choc-Nut. Yup, Choc-Nut. Sounds good already. 

I go for Sabrina's crepes stuffed with fresh bananas, mangoes and chocolate ice cream sprinkled with Choc-Nut. And the best part? Sabrina's homemade dishes are quick and easy to do, with simple recipes for you to try at home. Check out the easy recipes below and give it a try...

The Ultimate Illonga Inasal 

Serves 4

Ingredients

• one Whole Chicken, cut into parts. 
• one cup banana ketchup
• 1/4 cup chopped garlic
• one bunch tanglad or lemongrass, pound leaves for maximum flavor
• one bunch guava leaves 
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup rum

Method

1.  In a large bowl, prepare the marinade using the above ingredients.

2.  Place the chicken to marinate for at least 20 minutes. 

3.  Heat up your grill or oven then cook for about 25-30 minutes.

4.  Insert bamboo skewers and serve on a banana bark for that cool Sinulog fiesta touch. 

Sabrina's Refreshing Mango, Dill, Wansoy and Romaine Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

• one cup ripe mango, finely chopped
• two cups romaine, chopped
• one cup tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup wansoy or coriander leaves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup dill
• one cup shrimps

Method

1.  Sautee peeled shrimps with salt and pepper for 5-10 minutes, then set aside to sool.
2.  In a large bowl, mix all the greens and vegetables.
3.  For the dressing, mix 1/2 cup yogurt and 1/2 cup mayo.
4.  Pour dressing to salad and toss.
5.  Top with sauteed shrimps.

McCormick Herbed Butter Pasta with Chorizo and Mussels Sauteed in Dark Beer or Rum

Serves 5

Ingredients

• one kilo mussels, cleaned and pre-boiled
• 1/4 cup shrimps, peeled
• one cup chopped chorizo, with paprika for added flavor
• 1/4 cup rum or half a bottle of dark beer
• one pack Angel Hair Pasta
• one cup melted Light Butter. Add half a teaspoon of oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic and 1/4 cup of freshly chopped parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Place melted herbed butter in a container and freeze. 

Method

1.  Sautee chorizo for about ten minutes, then add paprika, rum and garlic.

2.  Add shrimps and mussels (or any shellfish in season).

3.  To serve, place warm noodles on a plate and add a slice of the Herbed Butter.

4.  Top with chorizo, shrimps and mussels.

5.  Add Parmesan to taste.

Sabrina's Idiot-Proof Crepes
Makes Ten Crepes

Ingredients

• two whole eggs
• 1/2 cup flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp butter
• fresh fruits in season (mangoes, bananas, oranges, pineapples)
• Butter
• Rum
• Ice Cream
• Choc-Nut

Method

1.  Dip cotton in melted butter and rub in a non-stick pan before heating.
2.  Pour 1/4 cup of crepe mixture on the hot pan, rolling the pan to ensure an even coating.
3.  If there are hole in the crepe, don't worry, just cover it up by adding more of the crepe mixture.
4.  Once the crepe starts to form and bubble, add two tsps of fruit on oe side of the crepe, sprinkle some Choc-Nut, pour a little rum and a scoop of ice cream.
5.  As soon as the crepe starts to set, fold the other half over the fruit, ice cream and Choc-Nut forming a half-moon shape.
6.  Place the crepe on a plate and garnish with some fresh mint.
7.  You can try other fillings likes nuts or marshmallows, and other flavors like cinnamon. And remember, have fun!

It was great to to have a real home cooked meal again. Good food. Good times. Just another day in Sabrina's Kitchen. Special thanks to Sabrina Artadi, Angelo Comsti and AFC for an awesome lunch.

Catch Sabrina Artadi in Sabrina's Kitchen on AFC starting April 19, every Friday at 8pm, with replays on Saturdays at 1:30pm and Sundays at 8:30am. 

Note: All recipes courtesy of Sabrina Artadi.

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