Coming back from a trip to Tagaytay, I chanced upon a roadside fruit stand where I bought some pineapples and the vendor offered to sell me some yellow ginger while explaining the health benefits of this root crop. I began to experiment by using the root plus the pineapple I purchased and came up with chicken adobo. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
1 kilo chicken (chopped)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup soy
1 slice pineapple (chopped)
3 cloves garlic
1 tspn black pepper
1 tspn salt
1 yellow ginger sliced thin
2 cups water
Directions:
In a pot, mix all the ingredients and heat to a boil. After boiling for 10 minutes, put the heat on medium for 40 to 45 minutes until liquid is reduced and oil is formed from the chicken fat. Turn off heat and chicken is ready to serve.
Tucked away in the back
of the Cliffhouse across
Yellow Cab in Tagaytay is
Fire Lake Grill, owned and operated by Chef Huang. I ignored the restaurant specialties which were grilled steaks so I opted for
the Lamb shank braised in mirepoix on a bed of risotto (P1200). To compliment the meat, I ordered the grilled Chilean seabass on a bed of sauteed greens (P900). Their dessert was to die for which was a mixture of the senses, a home made coconut ice cream laid on top of a sugar crusted cone placed on a bed of seared pineapple (P250). Fire Lake Grill was chosen as one of the top 10 restaurants in Tagaytay...it was quite a heavenly experience!
Located at the back of the Mall on Boracay Station 2 is the wet and dry market where tourists on a budget, can find fresh meat and seafood. Around the market are "Dampa" restaurants where you can have them cook for you whichever way you want your food done. The average price is around P150 per kilo. The best way to maximize your budget is for you to ask them to utilize every means, like for example using the crab broth to make crab and corn w/cabbage soup by requesting them to charge you a minimal fee for that purpose.
Situated along the stretch on Hi-way 3, across the "white house" of Sen. Mar Roxas, is People's Park, where a covered area are rows of stalls called "Dampa" that sell fresh seafood items and cook them as you order, to locals and visiting tourists alike. Each menu item sells an average price of P150, enough for 2 persons and ordering 3 menu items would be a feast.
A kilometer away from People's Park is Hotel Anto-nio where across the front desk is a small Thai restau-rant that serves great Thai delicacies such as Tom Yong soup, Seafood Curry and Shrimp Pad Thai. The chef is a Thai national who is married to a Filipino.Menu prices are very reasonable and ranges to around P150 to P200 per dish.
Calderon, in San Juan is a small but quaint tapas bar situated in an off beaten path ion Calderon Street at the corner of Abad Santos. It is one of the many small restaurants operated by Angela Melo (daughter-in-law of the former justice), interestingly enough, I enjoyed the authentic tapas. They also import, re-package and sell chorizos which you can find in most of their meals. Above is their famous Sopa de Gallo consisting of Fava beans, beef stew and vegetables. Below is the tripe menudo and Gambas. Along
with a basket of garlic bread and a jug of Sangria, these alone will fill your pallate!
For holidays and special occasions, this recipe is a hit that goes well with any meat dish like ham, turkey, roast beef, roast pig or any seafood. Some people like it with red beets but I prefer it without.
Ingredients:
1 kilo russet potatoes
2 large red delicious apples
1 can of pineapple chunks
1 large carrot
1/4 kilo boneless chicken breast
sweet pickle relish
1 large Spanish onion
Mayonnaise
Salt & pepper to taste
Recipe:
Peel and boil potatoes ala aldente and the chicken until cooked and set aside to cool. Slice the carrot into thin pieces and blanch for a minute and dip in cold water. Peel the apples and with the cooked potatoes, cut into cubes the size of pineapple chunks and put in a large mixing bowl along with the pineapple chunks. Dice the carrots and onion and mix place in the mixing bowl along with the others. Add about four tablespoons of pickle relish, and about 6 to 8 tablespoons of mayonnaise and gently mix altogether. Add some salt and pepper to taste.
Using simple ingredients, this Chinese recipe is great for any occasion. It is a meal by itself and does not need a lot of attention.
INGREDIENTS:
1 Pata (pork leg about 1-1/2 kilo)
3 cloves garlic
1/2 tspn. whole black peppers
3 star anise
3-4 tablspns. brown sugar
1 laurel leaf
2 tblspns. soy sauce
6 black mushrooms
5 pcs. Taiwan Pechay
2 tablspns. corn starch
1 tspn. salt
Recipe:
Place the pork leg in a pot and add some water to cover the pork. Add the garlic, laurel leaf, salt, soy and start anise and boil for an hour with the skin facing down.
After an hour, turn the leg over and add the brown sugar on the skin. Continue boiling (medium heat) for another hour and a half or until the pork is tender. Then set the pork aside and boil the mushrooms and the pechay until tender and set aside.
With the liquid in the pot, add a half cup of water diluted with corn starch and continue boiling until the sauce thickens. Arrange the veggies on a semi deep platter and place the pork leg on top. Pour the sauce and serve.
