You remember that I visited my sister in Chicago? Well, it was so sweet of her to cook for me. Being unfamiliar with her kitchen, I am utterly useless as a cook. Presenting my sister, Lorna, a guest blogger for today. Yes I know, the recipe is not Filipino style of cooking but my sister is a Pinoy cooking for me, so please do not send me emails saying “This recipe is not Filipino food”.

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When Noemi visited us in Illinois in October 2008, my husband bought some fish fillets fresh off the butcher’s table at a local supermarket. In honor of Noemi’s visit, I created a recipe that reflected my love for Fish Sinigang but with an Italian twist — and perfect for the busy cook in the home.

I may never completely turn vegetarian (not yet, anyway!) but I can certainly try with being a pesco-vegetarian. A vegetarian food pyramid was actually created to motivate healthy eating.
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Posted: November 29th, 2008 under Recipes, Seafood.
Comments: none

I have been receiving quite a few emails requesting for a Humba recipe. I remember Humba quite well as I grew up eating this tasty dish in my growing years in Cebu. The tausi or black beans created quite a distinct contrast to the sweetness of the pork. It’s been quite a while since I cooked Humba. It was actually the readers’ emails that inspired me to cook it today for lunch. Let me show you a few emails that inspired me to cook it today.

Samantha : “First of all I think it is really neat to have somebody like you who can help some of the filipinos here in the states who are craving for filipino food but don’t have the recipe’s on how to cook for their favorite dishes. I am one of those filipinos here in the state. I am from Cebu and I really need a recipe for a good “HUMBA.” I remembered my Mama fixed all the times when I was very young then. I tried to cook humba here in the state but there is something missing and I don’t know what it is. So, if you can help me I would really appreciate it.”

Then a father with three kids wrote “it’s just a few days ago that i got back into cooking after several years of buying stuff from the restaurants, fastfoods, carenderia….this time, i had no choice but to give it up since my children (3 of them) are staying with me after spending 2 years with their mom.

i was kinda looking for the recipe for the cebuano “humba”. i hope you have it in your list.”

This Humba is dedicated most especially to both of you and to all my Cebuano readers who miss Visayan dishes or YOU, if want to try Humba for a change. There are many versions of Humba. In some recipes, the whole pork is cooked first before cutting into serving pieces. In this recipe, we will cut the pork into serving pieces.

Ingredients

1 kilo Pork Pigue (Pork Ham), cut to serving pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vinegar
1 sprig of oregano
1 bay leaf
2 Star Anise (optional but I love the star anise twist to the Humba flavor)
1 teaspoon pepper corn

3 tablespoons tausi or salted black beans

1/2 cup of banana blossoms (for a nice decorative touch)

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Posted: November 23rd, 2008 under Pork, Recipes.
Comments: 7

Chicken Relleno or Stuffed Chicken. Relleno comes from the Spanish word “Rellenar” which means “to stuff. The chicken is stuffed with ground pork, ham, vegetables, hard boiled egg, etc. and then baked. Here is a favorite dish which I want to share with you. The hard part is in the deboning but once you’ve mastered it, stuffing the chicken shouldn’t be too hard.

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Posted: November 17th, 2008 under Filipino Food, Noche Buena, Recipes, chicken.
Comments: 2