This weekend, I had decided to try making pressed pork after being inspired by Gordon Ramsey's recipe . And I am also on the chapter of food presentation (plating) and garnishing. So with both in mind, I decided to take up a personal challenge.
Before going to my son's place, I decided to stop by the deli/butcher shop to get that slab of belly. Then there were chicken necks that were on sale for fifty cents a pack (of 10 pcs or more) which were irresistible, so I got that as well. From there, I went to the oriental market a block away, and got a few more ingredients.
My grandkids met me with shrieks of joy, upon entering their apartment. I was wondering if they were happy that I came to visit, or was it the expectation of their "something" (pasalubong) that is often the case when I come. Nevertheless, I am always happy to be with my brood.
While putting away the purchased stuff in the pantry, I saw a can of coconut milk and a half mound of panela sugar (pressed muscovado). I decided to make 'latik' to pair with the plantain bananas I just bought. I didn't want to wait on top of a stove, so I placed the can of coconut milk and the panela sugar (oh! I chopped it up of course) into my 3 quart slow cooker. Every now and then I would just stir, if I remembered.
Then the purchased slab of pork I pre boiled with the regular seasonings, such as bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, etc..etc... I didn't follow Ramsey's own recipe with the wine and chicken stock, but I placed some of my own secrets as well. After simmering the pork to make it tender, the slab formed into a huge mound. This is the part where you take off the meat and put some weight like a block wrapped in aluminum foil, and leave it for a couple of hours. Then I cut it up into perfect squares and then baked it.
Halfway into the baking, I saw that the meat was turning rich brown and not the pale golden as I was expecting. So I took it off the oven and was going to fry half of it and the other half, I would make a humba style plating with that rich gravy sauce. The cuts in themeat were so nicely done and this was really what my experimentation was all about. Appearance. I asked my husband to make the pieces smaller for frying (lechon kawali style)...and...before I knew it, he had cut up every piece---so! there goes my humba experiment. And this is how the unexpected L-kawali style looked like.
Before going to my son's place, I decided to stop by the deli/butcher shop to get that slab of belly. Then there were chicken necks that were on sale for fifty cents a pack (of 10 pcs or more) which were irresistible, so I got that as well. From there, I went to the oriental market a block away, and got a few more ingredients.
My grandkids met me with shrieks of joy, upon entering their apartment. I was wondering if they were happy that I came to visit, or was it the expectation of their "something" (pasalubong) that is often the case when I come. Nevertheless, I am always happy to be with my brood.
While putting away the purchased stuff in the pantry, I saw a can of coconut milk and a half mound of panela sugar (pressed muscovado). I decided to make 'latik' to pair with the plantain bananas I just bought. I didn't want to wait on top of a stove, so I placed the can of coconut milk and the panela sugar (oh! I chopped it up of course) into my 3 quart slow cooker. Every now and then I would just stir, if I remembered.
Then the purchased slab of pork I pre boiled with the regular seasonings, such as bay leaf, peppercorns, garlic, etc..etc... I didn't follow Ramsey's own recipe with the wine and chicken stock, but I placed some of my own secrets as well. After simmering the pork to make it tender, the slab formed into a huge mound. This is the part where you take off the meat and put some weight like a block wrapped in aluminum foil, and leave it for a couple of hours. Then I cut it up into perfect squares and then baked it.
Halfway into the baking, I saw that the meat was turning rich brown and not the pale golden as I was expecting. So I took it off the oven and was going to fry half of it and the other half, I would make a humba style plating with that rich gravy sauce. The cuts in themeat were so nicely done and this was really what my experimentation was all about. Appearance. I asked my husband to make the pieces smaller for frying (lechon kawali style)...and...before I knew it, he had cut up every piece---so! there goes my humba experiment. And this is how the unexpected L-kawali style looked like.
While my husband was frying the pork, my latik was almost ready. I then took out the plantain bananas from the pantry. (A few years ago, my aunt taught me how to substitute boiled saba bananas. Just get a ripe plantain banana, cut off the ends, wrap it in clear plastic wrap and microwave for 3 minutes or so. And bwalah! Nilat-ang saging!)
Oh! and by the way, the chicken necks, I just marinated it with lots of garlic, salt, pepper and a dab of cumin. Then fried it after the lechon kawali batch.
The fresh rice, I mixed with a little cumin and the spicy bagoong that was in the bottle, and boy! was this really so delishhhhhh! Ma-anghang na ma-alat...or something. The chicken was just crispy and you can make kitkit the bones.
Traditional cuisine service had always been presented on platters or casseroles, where the service staff often portions pieces and then transfer it to the diners plates. Until recently, nouvelle cuisine wanted to control the appearances and arrangements of the food they prepared until the last detail.
The chef is not someone who just fills your stomach, but is also an artist. The diner always start to eat with his eyes. First impressions are always important. The sight of food stimulates our appetites, gets those gustatory juices flowing and pushes us to dig in. If a chef took so much effort into making his creation look good, then, one can imagine the effort he also took in preparing it.
Whether one is a cook or a chef, his main concern is when a diner comes in excited to try their concoctions and leaves happy to talk about it. That is all that matters.
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