Celebrating the Art of Happy with Sabrina's Kitchen

Eight seasons of real flavors and honest fun, and there's more yet to come...

Sabrina Artadi celebrates the Art of Happy with the launch of Sabrina's Kitchen, now on its eighth season. Sabrina's casual culinary approach brings back the fun to cooking at home with her inspiring take on rich, vibrant and exciting flavors. Read on for a sneak peek at Sabrina's Kitchen's latest season...

Ever since I featured Sabrina Artadi and her show, Sabrina's Kitchen, on my blog back in 2013, I knew then that her spontaneous, fun and casual approach was like a breath of fresh air setting her apart from the usual cooking show (for more on that feature from five years ago, see my post, Just Another Day in Sabrina's Kitchen). A "non-chef" and food lover, Sabrina Artadi adds a fresh, new and real perspective on creating easy and "doable" dishes that's big on flavors. Now on her 8th season, Sabrina Artadi continues her culinary journey with Sabrina's Kitchen and you can expect even more tasty surprises woven with her familiar and infectious "happy" style.

Through all eight seasons of Sabrina's Kitchen, McCormick has been with Sabrina Artadi since the very first episode. It's a partnership that grows stronger each season, adding both spice and flavor to Sabrina's simple and easy culinary creations.

At the launch of Sabrina's Kitchen's eighth season at Batala Bar, a selection of local artisan craft beer added a celebratory vibe to the evening's festivities. With a bottle opener conveniently placed right next to the cold local craft beers, guests sampled some of the metro's best in an evening of good times and good vibes.

That evening, Sabrina Artadi shared her advocacy for local and fresh all-natural products, a cause shared by the owners of Batala Bar. It's a preview of what to expect in season 8 of Sabrina's Kitchen. Basti Artadi (L), Sabrina's rocker brother and lead vocalist of Wolfgang, hosted the evening's festivities.  

And what goes best with local craft beer?  Tapas, of course. But no, not your usual tapas as Sabrina Artadi laid out a refreshing array of inventive tasty bites using the freshest ingredients. It's tapas that can only come from Sabrina, prepared in her distinctive signature style. 

Like Sabrina's Tuna Belly in Mayo Cayenne Wasabi with Tempura Crisps, combining both flavor and texture in a seamless blend. The fresh, clean and briny notes of the tuna come through followed by a creamy layer of richness from the mayo infused with the subtle heat from the cayenne and wasabi capped by the crunchy crisps for that perfect finish. Just what you need for another round of ice-cold local craft beer.


The rich blend of spices and savory notes of the Turmeric Cumin Chori Rice in Saluyot Wraps delivered intense flavors tempered by the subtle sweetness and tartness of the fresh vegetables. It's this play on flavors using readily available ingredients executed in a creative manner that makes Sabrina just a joy to watch. 

Grab another ice-cold local craft beer and pair it with some Devilled Eggs with a spicy kick. The Cumin Turmeric Cayenne Devilled Eggs with Capers highlights delicately balanced flavors with just a whisper of soothing heat...

...while the bold flavors of the Chori Bagoong Old Bay Tapenade on a Bed of Kamote Fries brings sweet, salty, and savory notes to your palate that will have you coming back for more. It's one of Sabrina's surprising dishes, who knew that fermented shrimp paste, chorizo and Old Bay can deliver a delectable range of seemingly contrasting flavors that work so well together? Then again, that's Sabrina. And the latest season of Sabrina's Kitchen promises even more tasty surprises. 

For Sabrina, it's all about fresh flavors while keeping it simple in the kitchen. The Kani Purple Cabbage Curry Wasabi on Crispy Kropek takes crab sticks and crisp garden-fresh cabbage to a whole new and flavorful level with hints of curry and wasabi finished perfectly by crisp prawn crackers. Each crunchy bite bursts with intense flavors and textures. 

Even vegetables can be transformed to tasty tapas, just leave it to Sabrina. The Deep-Fried Baby Bell Peppers and Beans Topped with Crispy Old Bay Espada Flakes is yet another of Sabrina's fun and tasty expressions combining fresh vegetables, spices and seafood for unique flavors. With some of the best local craft beers on deck, guests were free to do their own beer pairings with Sabrina's tasty tapas.

That night, old friends from Pedro Brewcrafters introduced their latest brew infused with coffee, the Space Out Coffee Stout. The deep nutty notes of coffee and the bold malty flavors of the dark stout combine for another potential winner from Pedro Brewcrafters. One more round? Absolutely.

The wide and emerging diversity of local artisanal products were also celebrated at the season 8 launch of Sabrina's Kitchen. A coffee-infused cocktailfrom Hinelaban Farms (L) highlighted this movement, enjoyed by DJ Sanya Smith and Me-An Clemente of Yogo & Cream (R). Local is definitely the new premium. 

Sabrina Artadi continued to share her passion for local, indigenous and all-natural produce, and season 8 of Sabrina's Kitchen aims to showcase this emerging movement interpreted with tasty dishes. The new season of Sabrina's Kitchen takes viewers along with Sabrina's culinary journey of local flavors, celebrating the best local produce with each episode.

Later that evening, Sabrina Artadi shared the stage with some of the metro's best local craft beer brewers, with Nadine Fanlo of Pedro Brewcrafters and Carlo of Craft Point representing some of the finest local craft beers. It was a memorable gathering of old and new friends, brought together by Sabrina's Kitchen.

Here's a toast to Sabrina's Kitchen, to even more flavorful dishes, and to more good times and good vibes. Check out her social media platforms (see links below) for more updates on telecast schedules. And if you can't wait, here are some of Sabrina's recipes for tasty tapas that you can do at home...

Tuna Belly in Mayo Cayenne Wasabi with Tempura Crisps
Ingredients:

2 Cups cubed fresh tuna belly
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1/3 Cup Sesame Oil
6 Dashes Cayenne
1 Tsp. fresh Wasabi
1/2 Tsp. Black Pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.

Tempura Crisps:
1/4 Cup flour
1 Egg
1/4 Cup Cornstarch
Salt & pepper to taste
2 Dashes Cayenne

Mix all ingredients together.

Procedure:

With a small spoon, drizzle flour mixture over hot oil until it floats appearing like crisp rice puffs. Remove and place over paper towel to absorb oil. Sprinkle over the tuna and serve.

Turmeric Cumin Chori Rice in Saluyot Wraps
Ingredients:

1 Bunch Saluyot Leaves
2 Cups chopped Chorizo
2 Cups cooked Rice
1 Tsp. Turmeric
1 Tsp. Cumin
1/2 Cup Coconut Milk
2 Cloves chopped Garlic
Salt & pepper to taste

Procedure:

Saute cooked rice, garlic, spices, salt, and chorizo with coconut milk to incorporate all ingredients. Roll in saluyot leaves. Place in non-stick pot with 1/3 cup La Espanola Lemon Olive Oil and 1/4 Cup water. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes, serve with sliced tomato wedge with a squeeze of calamansi.

Chori Bagoong Old Bay Tapenade on Bed of Kamote Potato Fries
Ingredients:

2 Kamotes cut in wedges
1 Potato cut in wedges
1 Cup chopped Chorizo
1/2 Cup Bagoong
La Espanola Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
2 cloves Garlic
2 Tsp Red Onions

Procedure:

Place potato and kamote in boiling water for ten minutes. For tapenade mix, mix chopped chorizo with bagoong and saute in La Espanola Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Old Bay seasoning, add garlic and red onions and set aside. Deep-fry kamote and potatoes in a pot of olive oil and fry intil golden brown. Set aside and top with tapenade. Serve with McCormick Taco Mix Nachos and top off with julienned pechay.

Kani Purple Cabbage Curry Wasabi on Crispy Kropek
Ingredients:

1 pack Kropek
1 pack Kani (shredded)
1 small head purple cabbage (shredded)
1 Cup Mayo
1 Tsp. fresh Wasabi
1 Tsp. Curry
4 Dashes Cayenne
2 Tbsp. Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce

Procedure:

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients then place in a dish beside freshly made Kropek.

Deep-Fried Baby Bell Peppers and Beans Topped with Crispy Old Bay Espada Flakes
Procedure:

Shred 1/2 kilo fried espada into flakes and place in a bowl. Drizzle 1/2 tsp. of Old Bay seasoning and 1/2 tsp. oregano. Slice bell peppers and French beans and place in a pan with La espanola Classic Olive Oil. Saute lightly and drizzle with espada flakes before serving.