Abi Balingit
Cookbook Author of “Mayumu”, Baker, Blogger, creator of The Dusky Kitchen
On this recipe
I thought this was a good recipe because I feel like the ethos of what I like to make in desserts is sweet, savory, and/or different combinations of those things. A lot of Filipino food that I love is naturally very sweet. In traditional Filipino spaghetti, which is usually for birthdays and special occasions, the meat that’s mainly used are Filipino hot dogs. They’re like a bright, artificial red color, and they’re hard to find in Brooklyn or anywhere that doesn’t have actual Filipino grocery stores. So that’s why I’ve used kielbasa!
Stockton is surprisingly very agricultural and rural sometimes, even though it’s a city. We even had a Future Farmers of America—that kind of background. And that was always so hard for me because I was always knew what I liked to wear, and what I like to do is just so influenced by Tumblr. Through the internet, I found out about really cool people that made me feel like it was possible to dress like this. I didn’t have a lot of fun clothes because I was always getting hand-me-downs from all the girls in my family. My cousin in SoCal always wore things like Hollister and Abercrombie—not things I would personally wear, but I had to out of necessity. I would also raid my mom’s closet for 80s types of things and my dad’s too because I loved big, oversized denim and button-ups.
On recipe development
Recipe development can also be kind of tricky, because it’s (in some ways)very scientific because of trial and error, and you have to make sure it can be duplicated in the kitchen. And so I think for me being a home cook first, and not being classically trained like a chef has been beneficial because a lot of the time I think in the ways that everyone else (who are also home cooks) and for writing a cookbook, that’s really, really important because you want your recipe to be as accessible as possible. I have an idea in my mind that these flavors could work or XYZ seems to make sense. I have a notes app—I just write constantly in my iPhone. I’m really not a person who takes physical notes very often.
Sometimes it’s helpful to look at other recipes that have done what I’m trying to do. What is the process for other people? And what do I want to make different? I think that is also kind of key. Nowadays, recipe development asks why does this need to exist? That’s a question that I had to answer a lot in the cookbook process.
Once I actually get the ingredients, I go in the kitchen and I write down the process. It took me 10 minutes to do this, or I’ll start cutting up the onions. That’s important to know. And then the spices and the seasonings, tasting them throughout the process and getting a second opinion, is all very helpful in the kitchen.
On fashion + food
I love color and I love different textures and flavors of food. I feel the same in the way that I dress with different physical textures, but also different patterns and prints that can mix & match, but work well together. I think a lot of it is now very trendy, everyone is wearing food prints, or that “Lisa Says Gah” collection.
A lot of what I gravitate toward, for instance, is upcycled hand- towels that feature vintage embroidery. It’s fun to see how that can be transformed into a piece of clothing. I love headpieces, I had to wear something on my head for you today! A lot of the aprons that I wear have really fun, graphic prints—those types of things that make me smile. If it doesn’t make me smile, I don’t want it!
Abi’s Filipino Spaghetti Sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
14 oz kielbasa, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch coins
1 small yellow onion, sliced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground beef
1 (15 oz) can of tomato sauce
1 (6 oz) can of tomato paste
1 (12 oz) bottle of spicy banana ketchup
8 oz of beef bone broth
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound uncooked pasta of your choice
Shredded mild cheddar, for garnish
Fresh basil, for garnish
In a Dutch oven, drizzle olive oil and cook kielbasa coins until they’re golden brown over medium-high heat, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Using tongs, place the browned kielbasa on a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
Put onion and garlic in the Dutch oven and cook until softened, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Add the ground beef, breaking it up and stirring frequently. Cook until it’s browned. Drain the fat.
Stir in the tomato sauce, tomato paste, banana ketchup, and bone broth.
Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to medium. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes.
Add the browned kielbasa and stir so that they’re evenly distributed in the sauce. Cook for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until the sauce thickens. Once it’s done cooking, turn off the heat and season with salt and pepper to your liking.
Boil water in a large pot and cook the pasta according to the directions.
To serve, place cooked pasta in a bowl and cover it with a generous heaping serving of the sauce. Top with fresh basil leaves and shredded cheddar cheese.
