Fried pork belly is pretty easy to cook. There are different versions of burong liempo but this is how my relatives in Batangas prepare theirs as I recall. The common ingredient is pork and lots of salt. You can also use other cuts of meat, but choose the fatter cuts and preferably with the skin on.

"Buro" in Filipino means ferment. The pork in this version literally gets fermented in the vinegar and salt solution. The fermentation also serves to preserve and tenderize the meat. The garlic and the pepper add a fragrant and savory component to the fried pork.

Ingredients :

1/2 kg. thick cut pork belly (about 4-5 pieces)
2 tbsp. rock salt
1 tbsp. crushed garlic
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 cup vinegar


Procedure :

1. Mix all ingredients together, make sure the pork is salted generously
2. Let pork marinade for at least 2 to 3 days before frying. You can let it ferment in a cool area of the kitchen or in the refrigerator but do not freeze it.
3. Fry pork in a pan with just enough oil to coat the bottom. The pork will start rendering a lot of fat once it fries. If you use a non stick pan then there is no need to use cooking oil.
4. Cook each side of the pork belly until light brown. You'll notice that your 1 inch thick liempo will shrink once it starts rendering fat. Don't let it get toasted too much.
5. Serve with your favorite dip and lots of plain rice.

Until next time!

I'm really not a big fan of pinoy style spaghetti. I prefer pancit sotanghon or palabok over it. I am fan of Italian style meat sauce though, the type you use on spaghetti, lasagna and baked macaroni.

This is my version of ragu. I followed the long cooking process but tweaked the ingredients a bit. I used what I had on hand. I did not use any tomato paste or sauce. I opted for the fresh tomatoes. The only shortcut I applied was using beef stock cubes instead of actual stock.

Ragu is traditionally simmered for hours. This long cooking time ensure that the flavors are drawn out of the ingredients and this results in a tastier sauce.

In one of my previous attempts I added some apples I had in the fridge. That turned out quite well too. You can tweak the vegetables in use but the long cooking process is what's important.

Meat Sauce Ingredients :

1/2 kg lean ground beef
1/4 cup minced pork fat (or ham fat)
4 cups chopped or minced tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped or minced onion
1 cup chopped or minced cucumber (traditionally carrots and/or celery is used)
1/2 cup chopped or minced bell pepper (optional, again my addition)
1/2 cup chopped or minced garlic

1 tsp ground black pepper
2 pcs bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried oregano or 1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 beef stock cube
salt to taste
1/2 cup milk (optional)
1 tbsp olive oil (optional
1/2 cup chopped smoked ham meat (optional)

Procedure :

1. Prepare all ingredients. If you have a blender available, you may use that to mince the vegetables.
2. Heat some oil in a pot. Once it's hot, add chopped pork (or ham) fat. Keep stirring until chopped fat starts to sizzle.
3. Sautee garlic and onions in pot. Keep mixing to avoid burning the spices.

4. Once onion is translucent add ground beef and minced bell pepper. Add pepper and 1/2 tsp of salt.
5. Stir mixture until beef starts to brown. Add bay leaf, milk and olive oil.
6. Once mixture starts to boil, add chopped vegetables and optional chopped ham.
7. Add 2 cups of water and beef stock cube. Set heat to low.
8. Keep sauce simmering until vegetables have dissolved into the sauce.

9. Simmering will take at least 2 hours  to a max of 5 hours (the longer the better). Keep adding water as needed. Do not let the sauce dry out.
10. Once vegetables have dissolved into the sauce, stop adding water and stir mixture continuously until desired thickness is reached.
11. Add salt and pepper to taste. Do this after the sauce has thickened as the evaporating water will concentrate the saltiness.

Pasta cooking instructions :

Here is how I prepare nice firm pasta from packaged noodles.

1. Heat water in a pot. There should be enough water to cover the pasta when it is added.
2. Add a tablespoon of cooking oil.
3. Once water boils, add pasta and let it soften up in the water.

4. Set heat to low  and let water simmer for at least 2 minutes. Stir occasionally.
5. After 2 minutes, pick up 1 strand of spaghetti from the bottom of the pot and bite it. If the center is still brittle, let boil for 1 more minute.
6. If the pasta strand is chewy in the middle, turn off fire and drain pasta.
7. Toss pasta in olive oil, make sure most of the strands are lightly coated.
8. Let pasta stand for 3-5 minutes depending on quantity.

9. Serve with your choice of sauce and top with grated cheese.

I hope you enjoy cooking this for your Friends and Family. I know I did.

Until Next time!

** 060710 uploaded a different pic of the same dish.

It's June and the rains have started to come. I've decided to finish my Nacho post to open the month right.

Nachos originated from Mexico, one of the country's Spanish era trading partners. We have imported a lot from them; avocado, sayote, tamales, even the word "palengke". 

However, it wasn't the Mexicans but the Americans who introduced Nachos to the Pinoy food scene.

I had my first taste of real nachos at Miggy's in BF Resort Las Pinas. They used chips made from corn meal. The salsa was fresh but a bit dry, and their cheese sauce was served warm and gooey. 

My version came about from several attempts and various feedback from friends and co-workers. It's the first recipe that I have standardized the measurements for.

Salsa Ingredients :

1 cup finely chopped semi-ripe tomatoes
1/4 cup finely chopped white onions
1 tbsp lemon or calmansi juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1 tsp tabasco / chili sauce (optional) or 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp finely chopped cilantro (optional)

Procedure:

1. Wash and slice each tomato into 4 pieces, scoop out the seeds then place in a strainer to drain excess liquids. Chop tomatoes to desired size.
2. Peel onion and chop finely.
3. Mix all ingredients together, adjust salt and spices to taste.
4. Refrigerate before serving. Keep extra salsa in the refrigerator when not in use. It is ideal to consume salsa while tomato is still firm to bite.

Cheese Sauce Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup** grated cheese, cheddar is preferred, but filled / quickmelt cheese is ok
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2 packs 250 gram pack of All Purpose Nestle Cream or about 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped green bell pepper (optional)

Procedure

1. In a sauce pan over low fire, mix all ingredients together.
2. Keep stirring mixture until grated cheese melt and it becomes smooth.
3. You may add water or milk to adjust consistency.


You can serve the salsa and cheese dip on the side of Nacho chips or as a topping over the chips. I recommend trying out different nacho chip brands. I personally prefer chips made from corn meal. You can also use the dips with regular flavored corn chips, but the flavors may not blend well.

Until next time!

**PS Add more cheese to suit your taste. If you're using local cheese, 1 small box : 2 packs of Cream is recommended.

Ground meat (mince, giniling ) is a very versatile ingredient. I always have a few cups in the freezer. I usually add it to sauteed vegetables, soups, and pasta sauces.

Here's something I cooked the other day. I can't recall if I had seen this recipe somewhere but I wanted to find additional uses for curry powder. I added the okra for some fiber and texture.

Ingredients :

1 cup ground beef (you can use pork)
5 pcs okra, chopped into bite size portions
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped white onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp curry powder
1 tbsp hot sauce

Procedure:

1. brown ground beef on a non-stick pan.
2. add chopped garlic and onions, mix well.
3. once garlic browns, add the chopped okra.
4. add curry powder, white pepper and hot sauce, mix well.
5. add salt to taste
6. set heat to lowest setting and cover pan.
7. remove from heat once okra has cooked.

Serve with warm white rice or fried potato cubes. Enjoy!

Untll next time.

This is a continuation of my Anawangin post. I was there on May 1 and 2.

You will see several islets once you reach Pundaquit's beach area. Two of the larger ones, Capones and Camara, can be reached by boat.

Camara is known for a sandbar that is visible during low tide. This sand bar connects it to another islet. You can catch a glimpse of it on the San Marino tuna commercial.

We were unable to visit Camara since the tide had turned and the direction of the waves made it difficult to approach by boat.

Capones island was surveyed and chosen to be a light house location during the Spanish colonial times. Succeeding governments knew the importance of the location and upgraded the site facilities over time.

The lighthouse performed a critical task, guiding ships traveling along the western coast of Luzon. The current structure contains a solar powered automated lighthouse.

There is an abandoned compound with sturdy stone buildings on top of the island. The old dilapidated structures used to house the lighthouse keepers.

The rocky beach of Capones isn't very inviting, however there were a few hardy beach bums who set up camp there.

We had to leave the island before sunset as it was difficult to disembark in Anawangin cove in the dark.

It was a fascinating trip, with a lot of pleasant surprises along the way. I really enjoyed this trip and I am planning to come back before the current year ends.

Until next time!

The small cove of Anawangin can be found near the town of Pundaquit in Zambales. It boasts of a pine tree covered beach with sand primarily composed of ash fall from the Pinatubo eruption. It is a quiet and peaceful piece of Philippine coastline...  except it seems during summer weekends.

The last time I visited Anawangin cove was 2 years ago. It wasn't summer vacation season then and Anawangin was just starting to become popular  destination to non trekkers on the internet.

Once the instructions on how to get there had become widespread online, the "off-the-beaten-track" aspect of the beach understandably disappeared.

Despite the crowds, the vibrant charm of Anawangin cove was still present. Don't mind the tent city that usually grows around the communal bathing and toilet areas. You can still enjoy the attractions of the place.

The pine trees are still there and the crystal clear waters of the cove still crashes it's waves on the grayish white sand of the beach.

You can hike the hills surrounding the cove (although be sure to have lots of water and sun block ready, the sun will toast you quickly and the warm wind will sap your energy faster than the hike itself).

I also found a nice snorkeling spot at one end of the cove. The rocks there offer various small fishes a place to congregate and feed. Nothing as spectacular as the big coral reefs, but it will still give you the feeling of swimming in an aquarium. It is always nice to see fish in their actual habitat swimming around and very much alive. Bring some old bread and crumble it in your hand. Scatter it around and watch the fish swarm around the crumbs in a feeding frenzy.

The stream that flows out into the cove is still there, though the waters aren't as clear or the depth as enjoyable, but the landscape was as photogenic as ever.

I look forward to visiting Anawangin again but definitely not during the summer season. The relaxing peace and quiet of the cove takes it's own vacation when the crowd of human vacationers arrive..

The group that organized the trip, Discovery Bug Travel ( FB page ) had all the essentials covered. They are composed of veteran trekkers and know their stuff well.

Our Infamous itinerary included a visit to the Capones Island Lighthouse. We were also suppose to visit the Camara Island but it had gotten late and the waves weren't too friendly on the approach to the beach. I'll post details of our visit to the lighthouse next.

Take care in your travels.

Update: This is a link to old photos from 2008 Anawangin visit. 

My blog is going through a dry spell and it's not because of the summer heat.

I'm occupied these days with moving out of the house and to my new apartment. I've almost finished transplanting myself. The nachos recipe post should be in before my upcoming Anawangin trip.

The pic above shows my new space saving stove shelf. Hopefully after I've finished moving, the apartment will be just as neat.

Until next time!

I spent April 13 and 14 in Punta Fuego in Nasugbu, Batangas. My fiancee's family has a beach house over there that they rent out  - Forest Cove Beach House.

The first thing I noticed was how quiet and peaceful it was. The only sounds in the background were birds chirping, geckos and the occasional pump boat. No campaign jingles and traffic noise there.

We brought some cooked food with us to save time.  I brought some ingredients to make nachos and I also tried making some fillet mignon. The fillet was over done and best left forgotten. The nachos turned out great though, thankfully. I'll have the recipe for that on the next post.

I hope you guys are also enjoying your vacation and out of town trips. I have another one lined up for May 1 and 2. It's an overnight camping trip to Anawangin Cove in Pundaquit, Zambales which includes side trips to Camara and Capones Islands. Send me an email on ka_fredo@yahoo.com if you're interested.

A small but pleasant surprise was how strong the signal for smbro was in the area. It beats the signal quality I get at home for my usb plug-it. I haven't tried globe's tatoo yet, but the mobile signal strength was at full bars for both networks. This comes pretty handy if you want to do some quick blog updates or need to call overseas using Skype.

For inquiries about the Forest Cove Beach house, please check their Facebook page here.

Ginataang tulingan is regular lunch fare at home. For this batch,  I jazzed it up a bit by frying the tulingan first. I also  let the broth get reduced to an oily sauce.  Nothing fancy here but the additional steps made for some tasty lunch.

Ingredients :

1/.2 Kg medium sized tulingan (small size tunas)
2 cups coconut milk

1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced onion
2 tbsp chopped spring onions
1 pc long green chili

Procedure :

1. Fry fish in oil until brown. Set aside

2. Sautee garlic and onion. Once onion is translucent add 2 cups coconut milk

3. Once the coconut milk starts to simmer, add fried fish, chili and chopped ginger.

4. Let the ingredients simmer until coconut milk is reduced to less than 1/4 cup. You may simmer further to get an oiler sauce. Do not let the sauce brown.

5. Serve topped with chopped spring onions.

I hope you all enjoy this classic Pinoy ulam. You can follow the same process for other types of fish, just make sure you adjust cooking time or the fish might get too soft and fall apart.

Until next time!