Three… two… one… I’m back!

Nope, not from St Louis. I’ve been back to General Santos City for over a month and it’s only now that I’ve had the chance inclination to blog.

Yesterday was graduation day at UP Los Baños, but I couldn’t attend my the rites (yes, finally, the PhD graduation). But it doesn’t mean there is no celebration. Later this evening, just a simple dinner with a couple of friends. The Los Baños celebration will have to come later, when I get the chance to go back.

What’s cooking now? Still prepping the ingredients for pork spring rolls, tuna fillet in some kind of sauce (still have no idea!), fruit salad and bam-i.

Meanwhile, I’m enjoying some leftover pasta and shrimps I cooked the other night, a dish inspired from iVillage/food. It’s actually a recipe by Emeril’s but since I don’t have all the ingredients, I made do with whatever I have in the pantry. Would have wanted to try Emeril’s Essence but I’m not sure if it is available where I am.

While I’ve been offline in the food blogging world for the past few months, I haven’t stopped cooking and reading food sites. iVillage/food is one of the few sites I have enjoyed browsing through, cooking whatever strikes my fancy. You could go Asian or Pasta, or like me whose tastes leans toward spicy food, there is a category all its own. Plus, the sight is pleasing to browse to, as well as easy to navigate.

Spicy Shrimps and Pasta

225 grams spaghetti

1 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped

100 grams peeled and deveined shrimps

1 tsp chili flakes

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup pasta water

salt and pepper to taste

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions. While pasta is cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Heat oil in a pan and add the garlic. Stir a few times then add a pinch of salt, a generous amount of pepper, and the chili flakes. Stir a few seconds then add the shrimps. Stir fry till shrimp is cook. Remove shrimps from the pan. Add the tomato paste and pasta water and cook till sauce is thick. Add the cooked spaghetti and shrimps, stir well  and season to taste with salt and pepper.