An ode to women who love to cook

There’s a 1950s prewar house on Mayon Street in Sta. Mesa Heights, Quezon City, called Esmeralda Kitchen.

Esmeralda is a figment of Ann Añasco’s imagination, born of her desire to find a symbol to represent women who nourish and express love through food.

Esmeralda is her ode to women, especially her mom, Ela King, who cooked every single meal for her family, and made their birthdays memorable with home-cooked favorites.

To others, Esmeralda could be a tita, a lola or a friend who finds pleasure in having people in their kitchen to share the joys of food with.

Esmeralda is an extension of Ann, of her kitchen and her lifestyle.

Añasco’s home kitchen was, always and still is, an open kitchen, a hub where family, friends and pals of their children converge to enjoy a carefully prepared meal.

“Once I discovered my love for cooking, then came the joy of sharing the food I make,” said Añasco.

With that mindset, it didn’t take long until she became the perennial hostess for all gatherings and special occasions. She didn’t mind it at all. In fact, she loved it.

As such, opening an extension of her home kitchen that would allow her to showcase her celebrated creations for others to partake of, was not a far-fetched idea.

Going strong

Añasco pursued her dream of becoming a restaurateur after saving enough money from her clothing business.

Lady luck was on her side, and Esmeralda Kitchen is now two-and-a-half years old and going strong.

The quaint restaurant is often packed, such that reservations is a must.

I first learned of the restaurant when my former Xavier coparents told me that there was a new place in Quezon City that served food that was visually appealing and tasted good, and that I should give it a try.

It took a while for me to find the time to visit and when I did, it was solely for a quick stop during the heatwave when I had to have something cold before proceeding to my appointment.

I was happy with the cold concoctions I had. The La Mestiza was made of creamed binatog, white cheese, macapuno, lychee and nata de coco, finished with a generous shaving of milk ice. I also discovered a new favorite: the Ube Sweet Corn Turon Sundae that had sweet corn binatog, ube haleya and cheese spring roll. It came with a trio of sweet corn, ube and vanilla ice creams.

While I was there, I took note of the savory dishes for next time. A couple of months after my first visit, I was finally able to savor them.

Añasco takes pride in her food. She professed that each one of her dishes is made with no shortcuts. “It may be classic Filipino dishes but the flavors are enhanced and well balanced,” she said.

Gratitude

In my opinion, the secret to the success of her food lies in her personal touch. Her food is unique to her. Her flavors are clean, safe and mild. Regardless of what you order, they seem to go together, as not a single dish overpowers the other. Her plates are also nicely presented.

I believe people keep going back for more because no one can cook like Añasco—only her! She has managed to make her food a direct reflection of her.

Add to that, she is also always physically present—to man the restaurant, to check the food and to say hello to her clients. I was amazed that she is well aware of the reservations at the restaurant.

For someone with no prior restaurant experience, and who is a dentist by profession, she has made it in the realm of food, though not without challenges. Like many, she resorted to selling food trays and baked goods to keep afloat during the pandemic. It was just around that time that she was all set to open Esmeralda’s doors. She confessed that she was almost at breaking point, drained both emotionally and financially.

Today, she looks back on those days with gratitude—for friends, neighbors and clients whose patronage and repeat orders sustained her.

Moving forward, she wishes to do more private events at her restaurant while working on new dishes to further express her creativity. Cooking continues to excite and fulfill her, indeed.

From her kitchen to yours, Añasco shared her treasured sinantolan recipe—perfect, as santol is in season.

‘Sinantolan’

2 kg santol

1/2 c cooking oil

1 head garlic, chopped

2 red onions, chopped

2 pc siling haba, chopped

3 pc siling labuyo, chopped (optional)

5 pc tinapang galunggong (flaked and sautéed in oil)

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/4 c dinailan (shrimp paste); if not available, use bagoong alamang 1 liter coconut cream (kakang gata)500 ml coconut milk (second extraction)

Brining liquid:1 kg salt

2 liters boiling water

Combine boiling water and salt to make the brine. Mix well.

Peel 2 kg santol, remove seeds, and brine for 3–5 days to soften and remove sap.

Grate with a cheese grater. Using a cheese cloth, squeeze out water from the santol pulp.

Sauté red onions, garlic, siling haba, labuyo, bell peppers, till wilted.

Add dinailan, tinapa flakes and santol pulp, in oil.

Add coconut milk. Boil till reduced. Add the coconut cream.

Simmer till oil comes to the surface of the mixture (cooking until almost at latik stage).

Adjust patis and pepper to taste.

Best served with grilled fish or crispy fried fish.

Contact Esmeralda Kitchen at tel. 0917-8317533. Follow @iamreggieaspiras on Facebook and Instagram; visit reggieaspiras.com.