Divine Competition

The Rev. Leo Patalinghug, Who Uses Food To Minister To His Flock, Was Shocked To Find Himself In A Fajita Faceoff With Chef Bobby Flay

"A fajita is basically just the Latin American version of an Asian's egg roll or a Greek's gyro or a Turkish shawarma," he says. "What I tried to do with this to make it special was bring in different cultural flavors into one. Which is kind of my style of cooking anyway."

Patalinghug traces his interest in food to his Filipino heritage, but says he was exposed from childhood to a broader cuisine. For the fajitas, he says, the ingredients ranged "from ginger to soy to something sweet to some texture with vegetables, some wine, even household items like ketchup. I think there might be 13 ingredients in this marinade."

He has agreed not to divulge who won "Throwdown" - typically, it's Flay's opponent - but he's willing to describe his own work.

"There was definitely an element of Filipino there," he says. "This fusion fajita takes on a little bit of the sweet tanginess of Asia, there's some robustness, there's a mellowness from France, there's a creamy component, there's a spice from Southwest flavors.

"It was very fun. It was smooth, and at least I can say the camera crew liked the food a lot."

Watch it

The episode of "Throwdown With Bobby Flay" featuring the Rev. Leo Patalinghug airs at 9 o'clock tonight on the Food Network. Patalinghug is planning to host a party to watch the program in the parking lot of Da Mimmo Italian Restaurant at 217 S. High St. in Little Italy.