Kare-kare Like No Other

By marie | Published May 17, 2012

It was exactly how I remembered it.
The first time I enjoyed Sylvia’s kare-kare was during a friend’s birthday treat. We made our way to a residence quietly tucked in the cool, rolling hills of Silang, Cavite.

As a way to fight boredom in her retirement, Sylvia whips up wonderful home cooked specialties for small groups. What may have started as a way to break the monotony is now a busy activity, word-of-mouth being her best advertising.

Our appetizer was a Sylvia signature — her smooth, delicate chicken liver pate. A teaser taste of what was to come… in about 45 minutes. Our group of 14 feasted on Hawaiian chicken… Baked lapu-lapu… Pasta…and Kare-Kare. The chicken had a grilled, smokey finish and was flavorful to the bone. This plus pasta hefty with toppings was a winner with the kids. Her Lapu-lapu fillet was gently baked in olive oil, with roasted garlic and topped with chiffonade of basil for the extra oomph.

All I truly cared about was the kare-kare of real ox tail, rich with peanut, rice and annatto gravy. You know a lot of love went to this dish teeming with umami. Kare-kare is NOT kare-kare without the veggies slathered with that yummy,yummy sauce. To complement this was the pre-requisite sweet-salty bagoong alamang and thin slices of unripe mango. Rice is never an option. Diet be damned– galit-galit muna kami. (diet and I were temporarily not on speaking terms). I savored every spoonful and much as I tried to deny that I ate myself silly, the evidence was clear on the table napkin.

Just when you thought you were absolutely full and could not possibly get another bite, Sylvia brought out this lovely, lovely, LOVELY crown dessert of pavlova. Meringue base, filled with light whipped custard and topped with fruits that scream summer: golden sunshine-y mangoes, big chunks of banana and cubes of jewel-like kiwi. Suffice to say it was the perfect ending.

Kalamunda as they called their 2 hectare paradise, is every camera-happy person’s dream. A pocket garden here and there… a couple of real sheep some meters away…a walkway that is covered with vine of beautiful exotic flowers… When we arrived and after our meal we took lots and lots of pictures.

Husband and wife, Carlos and Sylvia Miguel were such amiable and charming hosts who took care of us. It’s as if we went to visit a dear, dear friend or favorite aunt. Soon, it was time to go home. We gave each other our usual long goodbyes, obviously not wanting the day to end.

You can call her and discuss the kind of menu that you want. For an even more special treat, Sylvia makes lechon de leche– a young suckling pig that she feeds with corn and milk 2 weeks before. I’m seriously considering that for my next major milestone.

Sylvia Jacinto-Miguel

09178810032

Grillin’ Hot Summer Ribs

By marie | Published April 30, 2012

No other cooking speaks summer to me but barbecue aka inihaw. A day at the beach or on a picnic in never complete without it as the aroma and the sizzle builds up one’s appetite. There are a couple of restos where the barbecue ribs are tops, but I also enjoy them at home because the meat is heftier and big to the bite. I pick the meat cut myself which is either a rack of baby back or country style which I can cut into “riblet’s”. That way, we can eat with our fingers without a care in the world.

I’m calling this recipe Amboy—a post-war term meaning “American Boy” which is what they used to call Filipinos who are Americanized or grew up in America. Amboy, because I’ve added some pinoy twist to this American favourite.

It goes well with sides like corn, potato or macaroni salad, coleslaw or chopped salad. But like true-blue Pinoys that we all are—no matter how American our rib feasts may be, it is never EVER complete without rice.

Amboy BBQ Pork Ribs

Basic Rub

2 kilos pork ribs
2 T sea salt
2 T packed brown sugar
1 T sweet or hot paprika
2 T finely minced garlic
1 t cayenne pepper
1-2 t cumin powder
1 t chili powder

Put all ingredients in a bowl and stir till well blended. Rub the mixture on the prok ribs and wrap in thick aluminium foil to marinate. You don’t really need an open pit grill, an oven will do. Bake in the oven for about 1.5 hours at 250 degrees F.

Cook’s Tip 1: I learned from a Chef that wrapping in aluminium foil cooks the ribs without drying it out and lets it hold its form as it becomes tender.

When cooked, generously brush ribs with your BBQ sauce, and this time keep the foil open or finish it off over charcoal grill. Slather for another 2 times, until the sauce caramelizes and sticks to the rib—so to speak.

Cook’s Tip 2: Don’t grill or bake the sauce with the meat because the sauce contains sugar which can burn easily during the cooking process. This might result in a burnt exterior but raw interior.

BBQ Sauce

2 T butter
1 medium onion, finely minced
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 ½ t chilli powder
2 T fresh calamansi juice
2 T Worcestershire sauce
4-5 T dark brown sugar (If you have honey–bring sugar down to 3 T, and add 2-3 T of honey)
1 c tomato sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: chilli flakes or 2 pcs of chopped siling labuyo (bird’s eye chilli)
If you chance upon “liquid smoke”in bigger supermarkets, add 1-2T in the mixture.

Saute onion and garlic in butter over low heat, until onion is transparent and garlic is light yellow. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to cook over low heat. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes until sauce is thick.

A Feast of Family Heirloom Recipes– Lillian Borromeo’s Living Legacy

By marie | Published April 22, 2012

Thank God for extended vacations! Just when you thought Holy Week was over, an extra holiday mercifully happened. And so our stay-cation allowed us one last food trip.
Along with dear friends, we made our way to Mexico,Pampanga to the home of Lillian Borromeo. A gracious lady who met me with a smile, a beso and a hug. A lunch spread was waiting for us on a buffet table cum banggerahan.

First, a pitcher of pandan water greeted us. No sugar, just the natural flavor of pandan. It sort of cleansed the palate, getting our taste buds ready for the feast. Atching Lillian prepared an array of traditional Calutong Capampangan (Kapampangan dishes): If my memory serves me right, we had: Suam na Mais (corn soup)Bobotung Asan (Steamed bangus in Tangle Sauce), Sisig Antiguo (Kapampangan Traditional-style Sisig), Ensaladang Paku (Fiddlefern Salad), Bringhi (Kapampangan style of the Spanish Paella), Fried Itu with buro (Catfish with fermented rice), Mixed veggies akin to chopsuey, a tokwa dish, Bulanglang (stew of backyard veggies), Tidtad (Kapampangan’s version of the pork blood stew or dinuguan) and Embutido . I think Atching was worried we’ll eat the table off, she added chicken adobo for good measure. For dessert, there was a bowl full of summer fruits, Panecillos de San Nicolas (San Nicolas Cookies) and Tibok-tibok (milk custard).

Hailed as the guardian and steward of Kapampangan Cuisine, Atching Lillian unselfishly shares her recipes by teaching in school, through a regional television show and as of late through her book ” Atching Lillian’s Heirloom Recipes “.

While I love all of it, my top choices are Tidtad, Tokwa, Sisig and Bringhi. Tidtad is not like the dinuguan I grew up with where the pork blood is part of the sauce or sabaw. Instead, they add clotted pork blood and sliced into cubes, resembling liver. I tried to balance all that porky goodness with the veggies, which could not possibly be eaten without rice!

Unlike other dining by appointment- this includes cooking demo, further adding appreciation to the culinary history not only of her family but of Pampanga as a whole. A few steps away is her personal museum she calls Cusinang Matua (Old Kitchen). Here, you will see a bric brac of her family’s history. Most interesting are the cooking implements, wooden cookie molds, antique rolling pins, copper pots that she inherited from her mother and grandmother.

She showed us how easy it was to make San Nicolas cookies from mixing to gently kneading the dough to flattening it on the cookie mold with a rolling pin. The Kapampangan Brazo de Mercedes aka Brazo de Mais or Brazo de la Reina is distinct because of the creamed corned incorporated in the custard filling. This sort of reminds me of the corn maja blanca, only a bit richer because of the egg yolks. We also got to pipe the meringue with strokes that mimic the corn kernels when cooked.

What was thrilling for me was the use of her antique wooden cookie molds thereby making panecillos exactly the way they were made three centuries ago. Her collection of wooden cookie molds is inspiring me to start my own. Seriously.

We tried making our own cookies and ate the newly-cooked Brazo de Mais right there and then. I tried the other mold for making Dulce Prenda aka Hopiang Kapampangan or La Naval Pastry. Basically a deeper mold so you can put a ball of yema as filling. And to un-hinge it, you have to whack it hard on the table. THAT was fun.

The place is unpretentious, the way you would partake in a fiesta in someone’s backyard in the province. In truth, Atching Lillian is a celebrity in her own right—being a Maya Cookfest winner, a TV personality, a guest chef in hotels among other things. And yet, she is so unaffected, a lovely storyteller of the topic that she is most passionate about: Calutong Capampangan.

For those who would like to have a piece of this experience, there are reproductions of wooden cookie molds for sale. I did one more step and got myself her cookbook, with her autograph, of course!

Needless to say I am going back, and this time to try her breakfast fare.

Call her for your next foodie trip: 09157730788

“Friend” her on facebook: Key-in Atching Lillian Borromeo

DIY Yoghurt: homemade and healthy

By marie | Published April 12, 2012

Yoghurt is a family favorite—default breakfast with bananas, sprinkled with crunchy cereal or granola… default snack by itself and whatever is in the fresh fruit bowl… it also makes for creamy fruit shake with lots of ice…

As a kitchen helper—it’s my marinade for tandoori or the base of sauces like refreshing tzatziki or garlic yoghurt for grilled seafood and meats.

Every time he buys a pack of six, to my husband’s surprise he finds there is barely any left for him after 2-3 days. Plus, it is expensive. Because of this I decided to take matters into my own hands! I googled yoghurt recipes. Last year I wasn’t successful. But about 2 months ago I was—and consistently so. At an estimated P85.00 only per batch!

I am not a trained chef nor am I a food chemist so pretty much all that I do comes from experimenting, trying, failing and trying again. I enjoy the learning process and when I get the “aha” moment—I get pretty excited.

So…what is the most important thing I’ve learned?

I learned that it’s important to have a cooking thermometer. For the simple principle that:

a.)You have to prep the milk to make it ready to accept yoghurt bacteria. If it’s too hot, the important bacteria that make it tangy, curdled and healthy will die.

b.)You have to keep it in a warm environment for the yoghurt bacteria to thrive

That’s all there is to it!

Step 1:

Invest in 2 food grade plastic containers. The smaller 1 should at least have a capacity of 1 liter. It must be able to fit in a much bigger container. Both should have tight covers/seals.

Invest in an ordinary cooking thermometer, which is usually used for frying and candy making—about P250.00 to P275.00, available in kitchen stores and department stores, home section.

Ingredients:

1 liter of milk, can be whole milk, fresh milk or low-fat milk
1 container of plain yoghurt, with live bacteria. Flavored ones usually have sugar, fruits and other additives that make it ineffective.

Step 2:

Pour milk in a clean pot, preferably thick bottom. Heat the milk slowly until the temperature reaches between 180-190 degrees. There should be small bubbles rising at the sides. It SHOULD NOT reach boiling point or the milk will boil over and burn.

Step 3:

Once it hits the desired temperature. Transfer the pot and let it sit in a container or bowl with water and some ice to bring it down to 110 degrees.

Step 4:

If the milk is too hot, the bacteria in the yoghurt will die. At 110 degrees, it is ready to accept the bacteria. Stir in 4-5 T of plain yoghurt. Transfer mixture to the smaller container and seal tightly. Then transfer this inside the bigger container.

Step 5:

In the meantime heat water until boiling point and pour in bigger container, thus submerging the milk mixture.

Seal the big container and wrap with an old thick towel. Let it sit in a warm corner in your kitchen.

UNUSUAL TIP: If you don’t plan on using your oven or microwave, you can put it inside to keep it warm longer. Keeping the environment warm, allows the bacteria to multiply.

After 12 hours. You will see that the milk has curdled. At this point, you can add sugar or honey to sweeten it.

NOTE: You will find that this is a bit watery since this is pure and not commercialized as there are no thickeners and additives. If you want it thicker like I do, strain with cheesecloth to remove some water content.

When I’m happy with the consistency, I transfer it to reusable plastic containers either as plain or with fruit puree, depending on what’s in season.

NOT HARD AT ALL. CONSIDER THIS:

If you make it the night before, the process takes less than 30 minutes. Let it sit as you sleep the night away. By the next morning, the straining and transferring to reusable containers take all of 20-30 minutes only.

Homemade, healthy and right on the budget!

Estofado ni Aida

By marie | Published March 27, 2012

My Mom took up Home Economics as her first course in college in the full conviction that “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”. Though cooking was not her thing, it was for all intents and purposes a strategy to snagging the right man.

To be fair, she did get the man… who just happens to cook better that she does (that’s what she said). After years of marriage and practice, she has passed on to me very important tips and techniques to making reaallly good adobo… crunchy as opposed to soggy yet oily turon… pichi-pichi that’s firm yet chewy…

Add to that a few dishes that I think serve as her signature which I really love. Among those is her Estafadong Baboy or Stewed Pork. It’s really easy to do—almost as simple as adobo, only sweet and made unique because of saging na saba, also referred to as cooking bananas or plantains.

I’m not sure of its origin, but I assume it is a Filipinized version of a Spanish dish. Makes sense that it is a Tagalog dish where saging na saba abound.

Mom prefers it all liempo or pork belly because it gives you a fatty, sticky sauce which is a killer. For this recipe, I toned down the liempo with some kasim or pork shoulder. I like it better when the bananas are over ripe as it makes the sauce sweeter and counters the sour-salty marinade of vinegar and soy sauce. So I’m sharing one of my mom’s signature dishes which are among my childhood favorite.

Ingredients:

¼ k liempo, cut into cubes
¼ k kasim, cut into cubes
¼ c soy sauce
½ c vinegar
½ T whole peppercorns
2 laurel leaves, torn into pieces
3-4 T sugar
6-8 pieces saging na saba/plantains
½ c water

Marinate the pork in soy sauce, vinegar, pepper corns and laurel leaves for thirty minutes.

In a deep pot, put sugar on low heat and let it caramelize. (This is the secret!) When it turns golden, add meat and marinade. Put on cover and turn the heat on high. When it begins to boil, add water and the bananas then turn down the heat to very low. Keep the cover on and let it simmer. Stir once or twice so the banana and sauce really meld together.