April 2006
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Day April 25, 2006

Entries 4 Total

Filipino Lengua, Tongue Stew

Apr 25, ’06 9:25 PM

I returned to Chinatown and easily picked up tongue or lengua [leng-gwah]. I picked the veal’s tongue because, well, the pig’s tongue looked like a part of the male anatomy. There is another Spanish-influenced dish, lengua estofada, but I wanted a dish that was more appropriate for spring, so I decided to make something lighter. My mother watched me cook and gave me simple instructions from what she could remember from her aunt, my Apong.

When I unwrapped the tongue, this massive muscle was in front of me and I thought, How the hell do I peel the skin off? After boiling it for about an hour, the skin actually turned white. It looked like a small foot than a tongue! Peeling the skin off was as easy as taking off a sock. Weird, I know, but you’ll see what I mean when you try it.

Ingredients:
1 veal’s tongue, washed thoroughly with salt under cold running water
3 fresh green chili peppers
1 red onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 large tomatoes, halved and sliced
2 tbsps soy sauce
a handful of parsley, finely chopped
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Simmer tongue in a large pot of water, about 1 hour. Remove from pot and let cool enough to handle. Peel skin from tongue and trim gristle. Cut into 1/4-inch slices.
2. In a large wok, sauté garlic and onions. Add chilis. Add tongue pieces and brown both sides. Stir in soy sauce and tomatoes and cook until soft. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until tongue is tender. Season with salt to taste and sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Related post/s:
Offal in Filipino cooking
Where to buy veal’s tongue

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Filipino Bopis, Pig’s Heart Sauté

Apr 25, ’06 9:24 PM

For a less challenging dish, I skipped over the cow’s penis at Dynasty Supermarket and opted for the pig’s heart instead. I could have used pig’s lungs, too, but they weren’t available during my visit. Moving away from Spain, I chose bopis [boh-peace] to show the Chinese influence in Filipino cooking. The ethnic Chinese settled in the Philippines even before Magellan set foot in 1521. If the Spanish military did not beat the Chinese (and the Japanese, the Dutch and the British, too), the country would have more similarities to China than Spain. Of course, no colonizer had to tell us that bopis is enjoyed with a cold bottle of beer.

Ingredients:
1 pig’s heart, thoroughly washed, boiled, minced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 onion, finely chopped
4 sprigs of thyme
a handful of parsley, finely chopped
3 green chilis, sliced
1/4 cup of beef broth
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 small radish, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup vinegar
salt, pepper, oil

1. In a wok, sauté garlic and onion in hot oil. Add heart and season with salt and pepper and chilis. Cook for 5 minutes until golden brown.
2. Add vegetables and vinegar. Boil without stirring. Add beef broth and simmer until liquid evaporates. It’s perfect when you’re scraping brown bits from the bottom of your wok.

Related post/s:
Offal in Filipino cooking
Where to buy a pig’s heart

Comments (2)

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Apr 25, ’06 9:19 PM

Adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
3 thin slices of mozzarella cheese
a handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped
sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp grated orange zest
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 450º. With a paring knife, cut a slit along the thick side of each breast to form a pocket.
2. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl except for the cheese and the oil. Spoon mixture into breast pockets. Insert cheese last. Close pockets using 2 to 3 toothpicks per breast.
3. Rub breasts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet and roast until well browned, 35 minutes. Let the chickens rest before removing toothpicks and serving.

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Seared Tuna with Lemon Relish

Apr 25, ’06 12:39 PM

Adapted from an Everyday Food recipe using salmon

Ingredients:
tuna steak
1 bag of baby spinach
a handful of parsley, finely chopped
slivered lime zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
salt, pepper, olive oil

1. Place raisins and lime zest ribbons in a bowl with hot water.
2. Sear tuna. Heat a frying pan, add olive oil. When oil is hot, fry tuna until tender but still pink in the center, about 2-3 minutes per side. Remove and drain on paper towels.
3. Drain and discard water from the raisins and lemon zest. Add lemon juice, pine nuts, parsley and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Make a bed of spinach on each plate and place tuna. Spoon lemon relish on top.

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