Slow Cooker Roast Pork with Dried Fruits

Melt-in-your-mouth, moist and delicious roast pork that you'll make over and over again. Use a different variety of fruits - dried giant raisins, apricot, plums, cherries, etc. It's your choice.

I love my slow cooker as it's a very reliable ally in the kitchen. While I have used it for a variety of recipes including desserts my favorite dish to cook in my crock pot is a roast. I love the result of melt-in-your mouth tender meat that is so moist and full of flavor as a result of long hours of braising. It just has never failed me so far and my family is always delighted with the outcome.

Chicken and Pork Adobo

To say that I love Adobo is an understatement! I live Adobo! The proof - this is my 4th version of this famous Philippine national dish and this may not be the last as I am always on the hunt for different versions of this Pinoy classic. This one is special though as this is my family's personal favorite.

Lechon Paksiw (Stewed Roast Pork)

Happy 2015!!! It seems forever since I last posted here. Please pardon my prolonged absence as my family and I have been on a much needed holiday here in the Philippines. As of this writing, my family are already in the US although I am still here in Manila as I still have some business to attend to.

Ginisang Munggo (Mung Bean Soup / Stew)

With beans, spinach, tomatoes and meat this hearty and healthy soup is filling and delicious!

Mung Beans or locally called "munggo" is considered a staple food in the Philippines especially in the provinces. Just a small amount of mung beans with added meat (like chicken, pork, or shrimp) or even meatless truly goes a long, long way and can easily feed an entire family. I think that's why it's quite popular. Not only can it feed a lot of people - it is also quite cheap and also very nutritious! If you're abroad, you can find mung beans either in the Asian section of your grocery or in any Asian store.

Wonton Soup

I am so glad that after several years, I made this truly tasty Wonton soup again today. It was just perfect for the arctic temperatures we have been having the past few days. I am equally delighted that even my kids enjoyed this and hubby especially loved it with rice. I tried it with rice the second time around and I fully understood now why he wanted to eat it this way. The rice soaks up the delicious broth and is so perfect to eat with the delicious wontons. Perhaps we will try it with some noodles next time. Hope this winter you will enjoy this comforting and flavorful soup. It will surely warm you up and make you feel so refreshingly good!

Sautéed Green Beans and Yellow Squash with Italian Sausages

Saturday is Farmer's Market Day in our area so to give my hubby some peace and quiet while he works at home, the tots and myself often make a trip to the market. We love to look at all the lovely produce that the vendors have on offer though I think my kids are really after the freshly made donuts that I usually get for them when we get there. As for me, I am always on the look-out for fresh and preferably organic veggies that I can use for cooking.

Shepherd's Pie (Filipino-style)

I love Arroz a la Cubana! It's a Filipino classic comfort food that arrived in our country by way of Spain. The Philippine version typically consists of rice, ground beef sauteed with vegetables such as onions, garlic, tomatoes, diced potatoes (or bell peppers) and carrots and served with a fried egg and fried plantains on the side. The meat-vegetable mixture for Arroz a la Cubana is not only flavorful, it's quite versatile too as I can use it to make other dishes to give them a distinct Pinoy (Filipino) flair.

Sinigang na Baboy (Lemony Pork Soup with Asparagus and Spinach)

It's been so long since I made Sinigang na Baboy (Pork in Sour Soup). This is a true Tagalog dish that is quite special because families would make this usually just on Sundays much like a Sunday Roast here in the US and UK. It may be hot and humid in the Philippines but despite that nothing beats a hot bowl of this delicious Pork in Sour Soup to help you cope with the muggy weather. It is true comfort food for any Filipino!

The Classic Pork or Chicken Adobo

If there is a dish that the Philippines is known for it's got to be Adobo. While the word "Adobo"  certainly has Spanish origins (the Philippines has been colonized by Spain for nearly 400 years), this particular cooking method and dish is indigenous to the Philippines.

Five-Spice Braised Pork Belly

Oftentimes, the simplest and easiest recipes turn out best! That is the case with this Chinese Braised Pork Belly. There is  nothing complicated at all in this recipe and yet it comes out so flavorful and delightful. It reminds me a little bit of the Filipino adobo, very simple, too and yet so wonderfully tasty.  

Classic Embutido (Filipino-Style Meatloaf)

Did you know that "Embutido" is the generic term for "sausage" in the Spanish language? I just learned this recently as I was doing some research on our latest post. I knew that the Pinoy Embutido was something based on a Spanish dish because we have been colonized by Spain for nearly 400 years so obviously we have a lot of Spanish influence in our cuisine.

Pochero (Pork/Beef Stew with Saba/Burro Bananas)

Sundays were very special in our family when I was growing up in our small island called Marinduque in the Philippines. Not only because that's the day that we all dress up and attend church but also because we know that Mom would have something special for us for lunch. It was always a much anticipated meal.

Ground Pork Menudo

 

It's been awhile since I posted a Filipino recipe so I thought that I will share one today. This is quite an old recipe which I posted on my old blog and you can see that with the photo - I didn't know anything about photo composition yet - point and shoot is what I did then! However, don't worry it would still look like this when you cook it - though perhaps a newer photo may do justice to the recipe.

Oven Roasted Lechon

Ask any Pinoy what they would like to see served in any fiesta or celebration and for sure, majority will tell you --- LECHON! That's pork roast for you - but it's not just your ordinary pork roast - it's an entire pig roast. It's not so much the meat that everyone goes crazy for, although it's definitely what I love, - it's  actually the crispy skin (like a pork crackling) that everyone wants to get hold of first. And you better be first in line or it's gone before you know it. :-) If you've ever had lechon - you'll know why. The skin is just crispy and crunchy when you bite it and is so full of flavor too (not to mention the fat and cholesterol -- so beware!!!). Of course, no lechon is complete with out the "sarsa" and traditionally, we rely on Mang Tomas (see photo) for the sauce to dip your lechon skin or meat in. I don't have a homemade sauce yet so for now I have been using Mang Tomas as my sauce but you can always just make an ordinary pork gravy to go with your lechon too.

While Lechon is not for the faint-hearted - well there's a lot of calories and fat in it for sure - I'd like to enjoy it on special occasions, after all even in the Philippines you don't eat this on a daily basis but usually for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries...etc. I have tried a lechon recipe before and though I was happy with it - the skin was not crispy at all. It was soft and not what you expect in a lechon - no crunch at all....

After scouring the internet, I found this super-simple recipe for Lechon sa Hurno (Oven Roasted Pork) and decided to give it a try hoping that as it promised it will give me the crispy skin that I desired. And, wow did it deliver! The skin was super-crispy - like a perfect pork-crackling and even after the next day - after I had placed the left-over roast in the fridge the skin retained it's crispness! How about that?

The only thing I wish to note is the high temp (450F) that it requires  towards the end of cooking - it may be a little too high - my oven was smoking after about 10 minutes so perhaps I will  try 425F next time to see if I can achieve the same results. Or perhaps I will shorten the time from 20-30 minutes (as the original recipe recommends) to only about 15 minutes or less so I don't burn the skin. But apart from this - it is a wonderful and very simple recipe that truly made a great Oven-roasted Lechon. Thanks to Filipino Recipe Site for a great and easy Lechon sa Hurno (Oven-roasted Pork) recipe. Next time you get a picnic ham, try this!

Ingredients 
1 (3 to 5 lbs.) fresh boneless shoulder picnic ham (uncooked)*
Salt, to taste

*I used a 3-pound shoulder picnic ham.

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a roasting pan.

Clean the pork ham/roast with running water. Pat dry with paper towels. Rub generously with salt all over. Note: If your roast has been pre-seasoned or enhanced then go a little easy on the salt. Eyeball it.

Transfer to a roasting pan and bake skin-side up. The length of time will depend on the weight of your roast. Generally, it's about 40 minutes per pound and that is what I followed for my picnic ham. For a 3 lb ham (give a take a few more ounces) it's about 120 minutes or 2 hours.

During the last hour, brush the entire skin/roast with fat drippings from the pan every 15 minutes. Do not skip this because this is what will help make the skin crisp. The original recipe mentions every 10 minutes but I only did about every 15 minutes and still came out great.

Thereafter, increase the oven temperatur to 450°F and continue to roast for another 15-20 minutes or until the skin has blistered and has turned golden brown. I only used a 3-lb ham so 15 minutes was sufficient but it would probably be longer for a bigger ham. The skin should be crispy.  The internal temperature reading using an instant-read meat thermometer should reach about 170°F.

Remove from the oven. Cover with foil and let stand for 5 minutes.
Here is the roast left standing for a few minutes. I actually forgot to cover it with foil but it still came out well.

 

Cut into serving pieces and place into a serving platter. Serve with the sauce of your choice and if you're pinoy - have it with some Sarsa ni Mang Tomas! You can also make a gravy using the drippings. Just add a little flour to thicken the sauce and season with salt and pepper. Delish! 

 

Perfectly cooked picnic ham roast! For the Pinoys, what they covet is not so much the meat but the delicious crispy pork skin! Enjoy your homemade Lechon!

 

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This recipe is featured at Weekend Potluck.



Cinnamon and Orange Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze

It's Valentine's Day and instead of offering another sweet treat I thought for a change I'll offer you dear readers something savory and simple yet elegant enough for a Valentine's Dinner - Cinnamon and Orange Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze. This is really a simple recipe and yet the meat comes out so flavorful and looks so pretty too! The sweet tangy flavors of the Balsamic Glaze add extra flavor dimension that works really well too. The bonus - while you are baking this your whole house will smell so nice - my little boy sad - "That's a lovely cinnamon smell mom, are you baking a cake?" He was surprised to find out it was actually pork! My whole family loved this and hope yours too!

If you wish to make two tenderloins - just double the recipe. I have a small family so even a small pork tenderloin is more than enough for us.

Without further ado - here's Cinnamon and Orange Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Glaze. It's as tasty as it looks lovely!

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Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon mild Chili powder
1 teaspoon ground Coriander
1 teaspoon dried Orange Peel
1/2 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 - 1 1/2 lbs Pork tenderloin
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Procedure

Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix together the olive oil, chili powder, coriander, cinnamon, salt and orange peel in a small bowl. Rub this paste all the over the tenderloin.

Bake the tenderloin in a preheated oven until the internal temperature reaches about 150F-155F (roughly 40-45 minutes) or to your desired doneness. I go for 155F 'cause am a medium-well done kind of person! It still comes out tender and easy to slice as you can see below so don't worry! :-) Remove the pork from the pan and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Transfer the pan juices into a small sauce pan. Or if you have an oven and stove-top safe pan, you can use that for baking and then for making the glaze too, for convenience.

Make your Balsamic Glaze while the meat is resting. In the sauce pan where the pan juices have been transferred - pour in the Balsamic Vinegar. Use medium to high heat and stir the mixture continually. Once the vinegar begins to bubble, add the orange juice and the sugar and continue to stir until the mixture has thickened and has a syrupy consistency - roughly - 6-8 minutes.

Slice the pork diagonally into medallions. Arrange in a serving platter and then drizzle with the Balsamic Glaze. Enjoy immediately! 

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Lumpiang Shanghai or Filipino Spring Rolls are traditionally made of ground meat (usually pork), minced onions, finely chopped carrots and seasoning all rolled up in a paper thin wrapper made with flour and water. It is sealed at the end either by using  a sticky beaten egg or plain water.

By the name it is given, you can almost guess that it has its origins in China though for some reason we haven't dropped the "Shanghai" at the end and continues to use it to this day. I suppose the reason for this is to differentiate this from the other kind of Lumpia which uses mostly vegetables (though occasionally with a little meat tucked in) as filling. So when you simply say Lumpia, people will tend to think you mean the plumper and bigger spring roll rather than the "Shanghai" which is a smaller and meatier one.

In the Philippines, perhaps next to Pancit, Lumpiang Shanghai has got to be the most common dish you will find in any kind of celebration - whether it be a wedding, birthday, reunion or a simple get-together. The reason is that it can be made in bulk and ahead of time! True, it takes a bit of effort to make it (fancy making spring rolls for an hour or 2?) but when you make a lot of it - you don't need to make other extra dishes because everyone goes for the spring rolls! Besides, since you can actually make this at least a day ahead or even weeks ahead if you freeze them, then it's actually a very practical dish to make. So despite some labor required it does save time in the end and less stress in thinking of what other dishes to prepare. So make a huge batch, freeze and serve it whenever you need it!

Of course Lumpiang Shanghai is best eaten with a sauce. I usually prefer the sweet chili sauce, the kind that you find in any Asian store. In the Philippines though, it is often served with our favorite ketchup - Jufran Banana Ketchup! Yes, such a ketchup exists and I love it!

I always pre-cook my meat fillings for lumpiang shanghai so I take the guess work out of the equation (did the meat cook properly? did I season the mixture enough?) and my mother always did, so I wanted to play safe too! It maybe a bit labor intensive this way, but at least you’ll be guaranteed the results and no need for the rolls to really soak up all the oil in the deep fryer. Nonetheless, there are lots of ways one can cook lumpiang shanghai and they can all turn out yummy, too. Here’s my version which has always worked for me (even my little tots love it). It’s easy enough to tweak to suit one’s palate. And yes, if you bring this to a party, you'll be the star, well - at least the dish will be! :-)

Here's a quick photo tutorial on how to make the spring rolls. Details of the method can be found on the recipe below. 

Then, fry and enjoy!!!

Don't forget to serve with some chili sauce or even ketchup will do.

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Lumpiang Shanghai (Filipino Spring Rolls)

By: Manila Spoon
November 28, 2012



That these are the best spring rolls is no exaggeration. Whenever I serve these Lumpiang Shanghai, they're gone in seconds. True crunchy deliciousness in every bite. Serve with a sweet chili sauce!

Ingredients

• 1 kilo / 2 pounds ground pork
• 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 small Onions, minced
• 1 big or 2 medium size Carrots, finely chopped
• 5-6 tablespoons Soy sauce or to taste
• 1 Jicama (Singkamas) or a small tub of Water Chestnut, finely chopped (optional – but I do love the extra crunch and flavor either brings!!!)
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Oil for frying (enough to cover the rolls)
• 2 packs of paper thin Spring Roll wrappers (can be found in Asian stores), thawed

Instructions

1. Heat a little oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Saute the garlic just until aromatic (less than a minute). Brown the ground pork in the pan and season with a little salt and pepper (just to give the meat a little flavor so go easy with the salt). Stir the meat to prevent clumping.
2. When the meat has changed its color add the onions. Cook for another 3-4 minutes or until the chopped onions have softened. Add the carrots and season with the soy sauce. Stir to mix. Lower the heat and simmer for about half an hour (to allow the meat to absorb the seasonings). At this point, I add the water chestnuts or jicama and just let it cook for another couple of minutes. Adjust seasoning to your taste. Set aside to cool down. Drain completely to remove any excess liquid. I use a strainer to do this. It should be dry and not dripping with sauce. 
3. Prepare the spring roll wrappers and have a small bowl filled water near you. Place about 1 heaping tablespoon of the cold pork mixture in one of the corners of the wrapper. Spread the filling into the wrapper horizontally. Roll the meat mixture towards the middle. Fold both sides inward to seal, then continue to roll until you have about an inch left of the wrapper. Using your finger, brush the edges with a little water to seal completely. Make sure it is tightly secured. Place the finished roll on a deep baking dish (casserole) with the sealed side downwards. Repeat until all the meat is gone. To ensure that the seal does not open while you are frying it, I keep the rolls overnight in the refrigerator. This way they seal properly and won't open when frying.
4. Before you heat the oil, take the spring rolls out of the fridge so it will be a little warmer when you fry it. (Others have fried it from frozen, I heard). Pour cooking oil (enough to cover the rolls) in a deep pan and turn heat to medium and let heat up for about 10-12 mins. (If you have a deep fryer, preheat to about 350 F). To make sure the oil is hot enough, test one roll and see if it browns quickly. Fry the lumpia in batches until they turn golden brown. This shouldn’t take too long if the oil is hot enough and because they have been previously cooked. Do not overcrowd the rolls to allow them to brown evenly.
5. Place the cooked rolls in a strainer with paper towels to drain the oil while the other rolls are cooking. Transfer the cooked ones in a serving dish. You may again wrap them in paper towels to extract any remaining oil.
6. To double the amount, cut the rolls in half. Serve with sweet chili sauce, a yummy chutney or even plain old ketchup as dip! Yum!

Yield: 60-80 pieces depending on the size
Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cooking Time: 30 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour

Sauteed Butternut Squash with Ground Beef/Pork (Ginisang Kalabasa)

When I was still in the Philippines and living with my family, this dish was on our table every week. We truly love squash in the Philippines and this particular dish can be found in any cafeteria or canteen all over the country. It's a favorite for lunch or dinner! It's also pretty cheap to prepare yet quite nutritious.

I am glad that I am not the only one who enjoys this dish. My husband who I thought would not enjoy this Filipino dish at all absolutely love this! My kids, especially William, love to eat this too.

Often butternut squash is considered more as a dessert ingredient or a side dish usually spiced with cinnamon and sweetened with syrup or brown sugar. However, butternut squash is actually a wonderful accompaniment to meat especially with pork or beef. It's natural sweet flavor complements the meat and marries well with seasonings such as soy sauce or fish sauce. The squash provides some sweetness to an otherwise very savory dish.

I use my Giniling Recipe (Ground Pork Sauté), a basic foundational recipe for a lot of Filipino dishes, for this one. Once you have made it, all you need to do is add the prepared squash and then cook it until tender. A very simple yet truly flavorful dish.


Ingredients

1 butternut squash (peeled, seeded and cut into inch-long chunks)

1 Recipe for Giniling (Ground Pork Sauté). Link here.

Procedure

If you plan to use the entire butternut squash, then I suggest using the entire recipe for Ground Pork Sauté. But if you plan to use only half of it, then half the Ground Pork Sauté should be enough. Adjust the amount of the ground pork recipe to how much butternut squash you wish to use.

To the cooked Ground Pork Sauté, add the butternut squash. Cook by simmering until the squash is tender about 10-15 minutes.

Another vegetable that complements squash is green beans or Asian long beans. If you wish to make this combo - cut the beans to about 2 inches in length and then cook it with the squash. Cook until the beans are tender but not mushy. Alternatively, you can opt to just use the beans on its own. The beans are an excellent accompaniment to the Ground Pork Sauté too!

Enjoy with steaming hot rice!

This is featured at Wednesday Extravaganza. and Weekend Potluck.

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Pork or Beef Menudo

I bought a big family pack of boneless pork ribs this week so I had been cooking Filipino food like crazy! Adobo, menudo, Asian Bar-B-Q ribs are just some of the recipes on my menu list.

This particular menudo recipe is one which my mom cooks for us especially when I am at home on vacation. She told me that to give the meat a really good flavor you need to cook it with fresh tomatoes and not just dump it with the tomato sauce. Also, she does not use tomato sauce (though that's fine if you prefer to use this instead) but ketchup 'cause it's a little sweeter than tomato sauce (at least the Filipino ketchup!) and enhances the flavor of the whole stew. Another technique that she told me is to make sure that you only put the ketchup towards the end of cooking so it does not overpower the whole dish but "enhance" it. So, my only contribution here really is adding a little lemon juice to perk up the dish - I think that and fish sauce really make this a yummy dish.

Think of this recipe as a basic guide and tweak the seasoning to your liking. This dish is so good that you won't even miss the liver pate that is added in traditional menudo. My hubby doesn't like  liver so am glad that I can make a delicious menudo without it! Thanks, Mom!


Ingredients

2.2 lbs/1 kilo pork (Pork belly, shoulder or boneless ribs), chopped into cubes (1 to 11/2 inch)
2 Onions, chopped
1 head Garlic (or 6-8 cloves), peeled
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 large Plum Tomatoes, chopped
2 Tablespoons Fish Sauce*
2 dried or fresh Bay (Laurel) leaves
1/2 cup Water
2 medium to large Potatoes, cubed
2 medium Carrots, cubed
1/4-1/3 cup Ketchup (pref. the Del Monte Tomato Ketchup brand)*
1 Red Bell pepper, chopped (roughly the size of the carrots and potatoes)
1/2 cup raisins (I end up using more 'cause I love raisins on anything!)
Brown sugar, to taste

*If you're not a fan of fish sauce you can replace it with Soy sauce (start with 1-2 Tablespoons) and a little lemon juice (2 teaspoons). You can adjust the taste to your liking. Fish sauce is great though. :-)

*You can also use tomato sauce.

Procedure

Place the pork cubes in a large pan or Dutch oven and let it cook in medium heat until it changes its color. No need for any oil as the meat will release some of its fat in the process. Add the garlic and onions and sauté. Season with a little salt. Continue to cook until the pork has browned (but not fried all the way) and the onions have softened.

Add the tomatoes and fish sauce and continue to sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the bay leaves. Cover and simmer on low until the pork is tender.

When the pork is already tender, add the water, potatoes and  carrots. Cook covered until the vegetables are tender. Add the sweet peppers, raisins and the ketchup (or tomato sauce). Cook for another 5 minutes or just until the raisins are re-hydrated and the sauce is fully heated through.

Adjust the seasoning to your taste. If it's a little tart, sprinkle some brown sugar to balance the taste. Don't make it too sweet as you have raisins to balance the sour and savory flavor of the other ingredients. It should just be a perfect balance of sweet, tart and salty! Have it with rice, of course!

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Ultimate Pork Adobo (Chinese Style)

If there is a dish that defines what Filipino cuisine is all about - it's adobo, the unofficial, national dish of the Philippine islands. There are as many versions of adobo as there are many islands in the Philippines. Perhaps not as many as 7,107 islands (the whole Philippine archipelago) but ask each Filipino family and each will tell you their own adobo recipe handed down from one generation to another differentiated not so much by the kind of ingredients they use but more on the style or technique in cooking the dish.

Adobo always has meat - that's the star of the dish. It can either be chicken or pork or a combination of both. While the name is of Spanish origin and is similar in some ways to the Latin/Hispanic "adobo" in the sense that meat is steeped in or immersed in a sauce and cooked in it, adobo in the Philippines refers mainly to the dish (as in Pork adobo) rather than a cooking technique. Typically, adobo is cooked in a soy and vinegar sauce with bay leaves, lots of garlic, black peppercorns (whole or crushed), and may be sweetened with a little sugar or even pineapple juice or syrup. Because of the long and slow cooking, the meat absorbs the delicious flavor of the sauce and is so good paired with rice. Normally, we cook a lot of adobo so we have left-overs which can be re-heated day after day. The longer the adobo stands (in the fridge of course, though in the olden times it's the vinegar that served as its preservative) the better the taste. When you have some left-overs (if you ever have some 'cause you may want to eat it all in one sitting - so more-ish!) serve it with fried rice and some fried eggs and you have a classic Pinoy breakfast - AD-SI-LOG - short name for Adobo (this dish) - Sinangag (Fried Rice) - and Itlog (Fried Eggs). Yummm!

For this particular version, I depart from the usual adobo (though I will be posting a recipe for the classic adobo in a future post). Here I am making an adobo without using vinegar - Chinese style. For this I am deeply indebted to my friend Rebecca who graciously shared with me the ingredients she used and the way to make it. After I tasted the adobo she brought in one of our Filipino parties, I just had to get her recipe. It's so good you won't even miss the vinegar! I have never made pork adobo any other way! For me this is the ultimate pork adobo. Even my husband (not really a big pork fan) loves this and never says no when this is on the table.

What I particularly love about this adobo is the addition of mushrooms. I have seen adobo with pineapple rings but never one with mushrooms and this gives the adobo even more depth in flavor and adds a lot in texture. I have tried many kinds of mushrooms -both dried and fresh shiitake, enoki, mini-portobellos and the common white button mushrooms. Any of them are great for this dish but the best for me are the fresh shiitake 'cause they are so meaty and fully absorb the flavor. If using dried shitake, don't forget to rehydrate them first before using and keep the liquid used in rehydrating them 'cause you can add that into the sauce for an even better flavor (if that is even possible with this already yummy sauce!).

So here goes the yummiest and easiest Adobo ever!

Ingredients

1 kilo / 2.2 lbs pork (get the part with some fat on it like pork shoulder, boneless country style ribs or pork belly)
Oyster sauce – 1 1/2 Tbsp
Brown sugar – 2 Tbsp (adjust to taste)
Soy sauce – 1/4 cup (I use Kikkoman)
Garlic – 6-8 cloves, minced or crushed or chopped (a small head of garlic may be used)
2 Bay leaves
Freshly ground pepper (or whole black peppercorns), to taste
8 oz fresh mini-bella/portobello mushrooms, or 2 - 4 oz shiitake mushrooms (fresh or dry)
A few drops of sesame oil (Very essential!)

Procedure

Clean the pork. Cut up the pork adobo style - about 1 1/2 - 2 inch cubes or chunks. They will shrink as they cook so I make it a little bigger. 

In a deep pan or a Dutch oven, mix the soy and oyster sauces, sugar, garlic and ground or whole peppercorns. Coat the pork with the sauce. Insert the bay leaves.

Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low until pork is tender between 1 1/2 - 2 hours. 

When the pork is already tender, add in the mushrooms. Continue to simmer until the mushrooms are cooked and tender about 5-10 minutes.

Add a few drops of sesame oil. Serve hot with rice.

Cook's Notes:

If using fresh Shiitake (4oz) - clean them quickly under running water or wipe the tops clean. Cut of the stem (can't eat them too chewy!) and then chop.

If using dry Shiitake (2 oz) - reconstitute/rehydrate the mushrooms in warm water for about 20 mins or until tender. Reserve the water. You may need to strain it first to remove any impurities and add it as needed if the adobo sauce dries up. This liquid is so full of flavor so don't throw it away especially if you like a more liquidy adobo.

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Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
(Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV)

Sautéed Ground Pork with Asian Long Beans and Potatoes (Ginisang Sitaw at Patatas)

 

 

Sautéed Ground Pork with Asian Long Beans and Potatoes...quite a mouthful, isn't it? I wish the English name of the recipe is as short as the Tagalog (Filipino) one. Oh well, we don't want to be lost in translation, right? J
Of late, I feel like I have been baking a lot (some of the recipes are still on the testing stage but hopefully will get uploaded later). That explains the few pounds I have gained this summer! So, I thought I better go back to my Filipino diet, mostly gluten-free of course, but unfortunately, involving lots of carbs. We do eat rice at least three times a day in the Philippines! And I have not included the rice snacks we have and an additional meal (yes, meal not snack) between lunch and dinner which, guess what, involves "cold" left-over rice  (sorry, the Tagalog name escapes me at the moment) paired with some meat-and-vegetable dish. Today, I wanted to have rice with my dinner. But what shall I have with it?

The other day I found some Asian Long Beans (also called "Snake Beans" - how scary!) or Sitaw (known as Kibal in my province) in the Asian store and, of course, I bought it. I only usually see this during summer so I took a bunch home to cook later. Not only did I find long beans, I even found the lovely purple ones! (Unfortunately, they lose their lovely color once cooked but the crunchy texture and delicious flavor are retained thankfully!)

Usually, I would pair this with my favorite veggie - the Squash! - but I didn't have any. The only vegetable left on my kitchen were a few pieces of red potatoes which really needed to be used right away. I thought it might be a weird combination for while we love potatoes and use them a lot in the Philippines, in my house we have never tried to combine it with Sitaw. Oh well, there's always a first time. And at least I'll finally know if they can go together. And they married perfectly in this dish! The starchy potatoes worked really well with the crunchy Sitaw. I loved the flavor combo and the texture which both veggies have imparted to the dish.

Of course, it won't be complete without the sautéed ground pork (Ginisang Giniling). The sautéed ground pork is always the base for many of our dishes especially in our household. I always combine it with veggies like squash, beans, cabbage, potatoes, etc. Here is a link for the Giniling recipe. 

Usually, I use about half of the Giniling recipe but feel free to use the entire one if you like. Just add more veggies!

Ingredients


Half the Giniling Recipe
1/2 to 1 whole bunch of Asian Long Beans (some bunches are bigger than others)
3-4 medium red potatoes
Extra soy sauce, salt or fish sauce to season the dish. Choose your fave seasoning!
Ground Pepper (may be added too)


Procedure

Rinse the beans and potatoes before using.

Snap the beans in 2-inch pieces by using your bare hands. They will naturally snap when you try to bend them. Easy! I also snap-off one of the ends of the beans (the rounded end not the tail).

Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes.

If you have just cooked the Giniling (meat is already tender and flavorful), you can immediately add these veggies to the mix and then cover and cook until tender roughly 10-15 minutes.

If not, warm up the giniling recipe first (if it's been cooked beforehand).
Once it begins to simmer or is about to reach boiling point, add in the vegetables. Spread them in the pan to get an even cooking. Cover and simmer as above for about 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the beans fully cooked yet still retain some crunch.

If it dries up, add some water and adjust the seasoning with either salt, soy sauce or to impart more flavor - fish sauce (But it is rather smelly so don't cover the pan until the lovely aroma of the fish sauce has disappeared, just a few minutes. Trust me, it's worth it!). I add ground peppers too for more flavor!

Needless to say, it's perfect with rice! Enjoy!