Hubby did it again, a pork ribs roasted in a coal for three hours (imagine that? lol). He was trying to duplicate the crispy skin of a Pork Lechon and was very successful in doing so. Just look at the photo and this was for our lunch last Saturday. The dipping was a Mang Tomas Lechon Sauce (sarsa).

The pork belly weight more than 2 kilos and was marinated in soy sauce, salt and pepper overnight and stored in the refrigerator. It was roasted in an open coal fire for three hours, rotated occasionally for even cooking and to prevent burning.
This is also a recommended alternative to Pork Lechon this coming Holiday season.

Inspired by Chef Sandy Daza’s Asian Meatloaf, we did our own version minus some of the ingredients like bacon, ground beef, Chinese chorizo and banana catsup, since we used what was available in the kitchen plus the Lee Kum Kee products from the gift bag. The sauces did make a big difference on the taste of our meatloaf, making it more flavorful.

Here is the ingredients:

• 500 grams ground pork
• 250 grams mixed veggies (available at the supermart)
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 med. size onions chopped
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp garlic sauce
• 2 eggs

Procedure:

1. Mix all the ingredients together and place in a llanera, here we used 3 llanera (leche flan mold).
2. Steam for 1 hour.
3. Let it cool before removing from the mold to keep the meatloaf intact.

Tip: Use katsa or clean cloth covering the mixture while steaming to prevent the moist from dripping into the mixture.

This recipe is a complete healthy meal. With meat and veggies combined. Nice for this cold weather.

For the meatballs ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo ground pork
• 2 med. onions chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped carrots
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp. flour

For the soup:

• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 med. onion chopped
• 200 gms.  cabbage chopped
• 2 tbs. (patis) fish extract  (or as preferred saltiness)
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper
• cooking oil
• 2 pork cubes

Method:

1. For the meatballs, mixed all the ingredients, get 1 tbsp. of the mixture and form into a ball. Set aside
2. For the soup:

• Saute  garlic, then onion till caramelized.
• Add 2 to 3 cups of water and pork cubes, simmer.
• Now add the meat balls and continue simmering until the meatballs are done.
• Add carrots and cabbage, season with fish extract (patis) and ground pepper.
• Cook until the veggies are half-cooked, to retain the color and crispness.
• Serve hot with steamed rice.

Variation: You can add miswa or  thin flour Chinese noodles to the soup.

Longaniza is one of the favorite food for “pambaon” or packed food to bring in school, offices or even for picnics and outings, as it is readily available in your favorite supermarkets and meat stores, because of  its delectable taste and easy-cooking preparations. Just boil it in a little amount of water to make sure it is thoroughly cooked then fry. A little amount of oil is enough since it has its own fats and can be release by pricking with fork. If you want a home-made Longganiza, this is actually easy to prepare and you can control the taste based on your preference.

• 1 kilo ground pork, you can add or separate the fats
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 black pepper (ground or powder)
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/4 tsp. salitre (salt peter) (optional)
• 1 tsp. paprika for color
• sausage casings (available in meat market)

1. Mix everything in a bowl except the casings.
2. Tie one end of the casing.
3. Fill the casing of the mixture about 2-3 inches, then tie with a string each end.
4. Same procedure until the whole casing were filled.
5. You can store them in the freezer for future use.
6. Cooking instructions above.

Variation: You can add more or lessen the amount of sugar and garlic. Me I prefer with lots of garlic..

This recipe is very simple almost the same as Pork Menudo, the only difference is I didn’t use tomato sauce but canned peeled tomatoes.

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo pork belly (liempo) – cut into cubes
• canned tomatoes med. size
• diced onion
• belle pepper
• minced garlic
• grounded black pepper
• 1 pc bayleaf
• salt to taste
• 2 med. size potatoes (optional)

1. In a shallow pan, saute garlic onion, and bell pepper, then add the canned tomato and bay leaf, crushed the tomatoes until it soften.
2. Add the pork and simmer until the flavor of the sauteed veggies sipped-in on the pork.
3. Add about 4 cups of water, cover and continue simmering until the pork is tender.
4. Add potato and continue cooking until potatoes are done and the sauce thickens.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

Variations:

• Use pork liver as additional ingredient and add on the latter part of cooking.
• Add carrots as additional veggies.