The Anatomy of Lechon

My sister Joy passed the Nursing Board Exam in February and had her Thanksgiving Party last Saturday. Since I couldn’t go home, I just called her up and asked what food were served to the guests. She said, “oh, you should be here, I know you’d love the adobo, pork chop, pancit, shrimps, crabs, salads, etc.. and of course, the crispy lechon. You know naman nanay when it comes to preparing a bash, she goes all the way man jud. “ Sigh. I missed eating lechon.

When I was about to ask Mark to buy me lechon for lunch (so as not to deprive my craving which I qualified as "paglilihi"), the SMS came like an apparition, “manang, if you happen to crave for lechon, forget it, it’s bad for the baby, you know, it’s fatty.” Ahhh, when it rains, it really pours. So I didn’t try to push my luck for the reason that I don’t want to harm my baby in any way.

But mind you, luck was on my side because yesterday, after Mark and his staff had their field exercise in Talisay, they brought.. guess what?.. lechon for lunch! Yes! Lechon.. slurrppy.. finally. I couldn’t resist the temptation because its smell was too good for me to deny. And so I ate with my hands like everyone else seated at the long table and I ate with gusto, wiping out everything including the bones (our cat had its own fair share as well). It was indeed bad for my health but certainly good for my soul. However, I promised to myself not to eat lechon as often as I want to because it’s really rich in fat and cholesterol.

Yet it’s hard not to yearn for it especially I’m living in the Queen City of Lechon (errr.. the South). Cebu’s lechon is really the best in the country, you know. It’s crispy, tasty, and flavorful. It’s said that Cebuanos in the lechon business guard their methods and recipes like gold that’s why one can find the yummiest lechon only in Cebu.

In Market Manila (my favorite source of food insights), it is said that the secret lies on the tanglad (lemongrass) which is stuffed inside the pig (it explains why it smells so enticing) and the pig skin is rubbed with knorr sinigang mix, salt, pepper, and olive or canola oil. Or herbs are injected to the meat and then the skin is basted with milk or soda or coconut milk. Also, Cebuanos use native pigs and they roast them gradually over open fire until it's tender inside. They put into effect the virtue of patience well that’s why their lechons are crispy to the bones.

Well, enough for lechon baboy talk today. I’m now wanting another roasted delight, another Cebu’s best - lechon manok! Hmmmm. Sr. Pedro here I come!

Iloilo Homemade Delicacies

Mark was in Iloilo for the past two days and when he came back this early morning, he brought me delicious Iloilo’s homemade delicacies. Yippie! I looove eating Ilonggo’s chow like lapaz bachoy and pancit molo as they always satisfy my craving for exotic palate, and with their delicacies, my sweet tooth is certainly indulged. Ilonggos really live to their standard – daw namit gid ya ang pagkaon!

And so, to my heart’s content, I munch with gusto these mouthwatering treats..

Pinasugbo - made of sugar, banana saba, sesame seeds, and margarine. Saraaap!

Piaya (read as pi-ya-ya) - made of enriched wheat flour, vegetable shortening, butter, sesame seeds, honey, and salt. Honesty, I don't like it much but my husband does.

Barquillos - made of banana, brown sugar, and sesame seeds. Crunchy!

Biscocho - made of enriched wheat flour, cane sugar, palm oil, margarine, skim milk powder, iodized salt, and yeast. This is my most favorite because once you crunch one, you'll ask for more and more and more. It's super tasty!

Aside from being known to delectable foodstuffs, Iloilo also prides of having very malambing people. My younger brother Jai is married to a beautiful woman from Jaro, Iloilo and boy, she's a sugar! So whenever I think of Iloilo, I always get lost with some sugary thoughts!

Christmas Recipes

What comes to mind when you think of Philippine Christmas? Food! That’s what. In our family, we always have ham and queso de bola as centerpieces for holiday dinners.

This year, I decided to be frugal that’s why I won’t have queso de bola. However, I will definitely serve ham because we got one as a giveaway from Phil. Navy. Besides, it is economical and I can stretch it to several meals from a main course. I’m talking about ham barbecue, ham sandwich, ham omelet, and so on. Ham can essentially star in any meal.

Since it’s going to be a busy day tomorrow, I already have prepared and studied the recipes that I’m going to cook for the first time.

Ham Barbecue

1/2 kilo ham (cubed)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup barbecue marinade
2/3 cup pineapple juice
1 tbsp cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tbsp water)
1 cup pineapple tidbits
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper

Place the ham in a greased slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine all other ingredients; pour over ham and stir well. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until heated through. Serve on buns.

Chicken Macaroni Salad

400g macaroni noodles
2 pieces medium sized carrots
1 big chicken breast
500 ml of mayonnaise
1 can (836 g) pineapple chunks or tidbits
1 big white onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup sweet pickle relish
3 hardboiled eggs, diced
1 cup diced cheddar cheese
1/2 cup raisins
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook macaroni noodles according to package cooking instructions. In a pot, boil carrots in water for 15 to 20 minutes or until cooked. Drain carrots and let cool. Peal skin then dice. Boil chicken breast in water with salt. Drain chicken breast, then shred in 1 inch lengths Drain pineapple chunks or tidbits. Combine all ingredients while adding salt and pepper, to taste. Refrigerate, and then serve.

Fried Calamares

3/4 kg calamares (squid)
1/2 kg flour
1 liter olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Remove the squid heads, tentacles, ink bags, fins and skin. Wash them thoroughly under running water, drain them and slice them into rings. Salt, dredge in the flour, and shake them one by one to remove excess flour. Fry them in plenty of hot oil until they begin to turn golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!

Spaghetti ala Jane

Mark and his two cousins fired some powerful “toys” at the firing range yesterday. I expected that they would be ravenous after they were done with their physically consuming hobby and so I armed myself with my dependable cookbook to prepare for them a sumptuous feast.

Also, I took this particular time to experiment a dish that I never tried cooking before. I figured that they as starved Y chromosomes wouldn’t mind if it tasted awful as long as it looked appetizing enough.

I chose spaghetti – Filipino style. I varied some ingredients and instructions from the cookbook so as to claim it as mine.

Here's the Spaghetti ala Jane:

(leftover)

Ingredients:
1/2 kg. spaghetti noodles
1/4 kg. ground beef
1/4 kg. ground pork
1/4 kg. hotdogs, diagonally sliced
1 kg. tomato sauce
1 bottle of banana catsup
3 pieces laurel leaves (bay leaves)
1/4 cup brown (brown is sweeter)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 head garlic, minced
3 tablespoons of cooking oil
1/2 cup of water
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated cheese

Cooking Instructions:
1. Cook spaghetti noodles according to package instructions.
2. In a sauce pan or wok, sauté garlic and onions in cooking oil.
3. Add ground beef, ground pork, laurel leaves, bell pepper and water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add tomato sauce, catsup, salt and pepper to taste then let simmer for another 5 minutes.
5. Add brown sugar and hotdogs. Continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Serve with the cooked spaghetti noodles and grated cheese on top.

The whole cooking process made me tired but I guess it was good for a first try nonetheless.

Bohol Native Delicacies

Aside from our world-renowned scenic spots, rich heritage, warm hospitality, and festive fiestas; we, Boholanos, take pride in our delicious delicacies as well.

Come take a bite...

Torta - a sweet cake made of flour, lard and eggyolks. Boholanos love to serve tortas to visitors during fiesta celebrations.

Peanut Kisses - unique delicacy that looks like a miniature of the Chocolate Hills. It is made from selected high grade peanuts, roasted and processed, with all natural ingredients, that comes out crunchy in every bite.

Calamay - a sweet concoction of ground sticky rice, sugar, coconut milk, vanilla and some peanuts. It is sold in smooth coconut shells that are sealed shut by a characteristic band of red tape. Great to eat in its own, and also with rice or bread.

Suman - made from glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, and steamed in banana leaves. It is served wrapped in banana, buli or buri palm leaves and usually eaten sprinkled with sugar.

Maruya (banana fritters) - traditionally made of saba bananas dipped in butter, fried and rolled in granulated sugar. (I basically grew up eating maruya during break time in grade and high school days.)

Broas (ladyfingers) - sweet crunchy snack made of egg yolks, confectioner's sugar, flour and vanilla. It's a must-have when you visit Bohol. Yummy!

I Left My Heart in Candijay

After the romantic garden wedding of Kenneth and Nina at Chateau de Busay last Saturday, Mark and I went home to Candijay for two days.

I was so excited to feel the breeze of my beloved hometown once again!

Firstly, we had dinner in Cogtong with my family. We feasted on Nanay Daisy’s cooking – deep-fried crabs, vinegared fish, grilled bangus, adobong baboy (seasoned pork), native chicken in coconut milk with lemon grass, and for the dessert, the mouthwatering fruit salad!

My mother is irrefutably the best cook in the world! Just to think of the feast she prepared for us makes me want to go home right now.

The following day, we spent some quality time with my widowed mother-in-law in Sagumay. (By the way, Mark and I are from the same town. We were classmates in high school as well.) Mama Doring, though not much of a good cook, managed to treat us with the yummiest adobong native chicken (more delicious than nanay’s) and fried shrimps; with the mixture of red vinegar, chili, kalamansi and salted fish as sauce. It is something that I look forward to every time I am there.

Then we went driving along the countryside (as we always love to do). I forever love the lush mountains; the green fields of rice, corn, camote, and many other crops; the serene riverside; and, simply the whole laid-back environment.

We also went to Ubay to buy dried danggit, my favorite pure tableya (unsweetened chocolate from cacao), and calamay (concoction of sticky rice, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, and some peanuts) as pasalubong for our friends and neighbors in Cavite City.

I miss home. I miss my family especially my nephew, NJ. Sigh!

One thing for sure, wherever I may go, my heart will always be left in my beloved Candijay.

>drivin' around

>dried fish
>hanged to ripe

>the dam
>so heavenly

>visiting the dead
>shooting with an air gun

>the window
>askal andrew

>the landmark
>the roadside

Let's Get Fishy!

One of my multiple roles as a wife is to do research work for my husband. Last night, he asked me to search for local fish names that he would use for his assignment. Then i discovered the informative blog entitled "Wyatt Kitchen". Not only i got the info that i wanted but also i found some recipes and cooking essentials which i desperately need. Here are the pictures and names of the local fishes that i'm most familiar with:

Bangus - Milkfish

Tilapia - St. Peter's Fish

Dilis - Anchovy

Tanguigue – Spanish Mackerel

Tambakol –Skipjack Tuna

Tulingan - Frigate Mackerel

Dalagang bukid – Yellow Tail Fusilier

Banak - Broad-mouthed Mullet

Chabita, Hiwas Bilong-bilong – Moonfish

Samaral / Danggit– Rabbit Fish

Hito - Catfish

Alumahan – Big Mouth Mackerel