Some days I just decide to make a “refrigerator stew,” which only means I’ll dump all the leftover stragglers in the fridge into a pot and cook them on low heat, and with consistently good results. I had some chicken and andouille sausage in the freezer, and a handful of uneaten olives from a party. With my handy tube of tomato paste, I was all set.
Chicken and andouille sausage stew, side of garlic snap peas.
Surprise guests? A can of sardines in your pantry can turn that evening around. Of course, some cheese and crackers are always good to have around, but with a simple can of sardines in oil you can have a creative appetizer with that bottle of wine, with guests mopping up the sauce with their bread.
Crowd pleasing appetizer in three steps.
In a bind, it always helps to have some basic things handy to make a light and nutritious meal. For us it was a slab of frozen Alaskan salmon we’ve kept in the freezer for a few weeks, some endives (they keep surprisingly well), and other stragglers in the fridge.
Pretty, pretty, yum, yum: Seared crispy salmon and candied kumquat over avocado, endive, red radish, arugula.
It’s barbecue season again and it’s the time when we prepare our favorite barbecue recipes. Grilled pork belly (or inihaw na liempo) is a mainstay in our barbecues because of their ease in preparation and quick cooking on the grill. The only challenging part of cooking with pork belly is sourcing it. In order for us to get it sliced in a particular way, we get our meat from Hong Kong Supermarket and insist that they be cut lengthwise in 3/4 inch pieces. Sometimes they will object in true Chinatown fashion. Your job is to insist. 
Crispy skin and perfectly browned.
Grilled pork belly is a popular dish served in parties, beachside barbecues, or with liquor in the Philippines. With very few ingredients it is easy to prepare in the US if you have access to pork belly and Filipino soy sauce.
Grilled pork belly, sliced.
Recipe below. Continue reading
It was Easter and we wanted to feed our dear friends, so we brought over a pot of stew and some vegetables to prepare for dinner. We love feeding friends, especially those who love to eat what we serve, and are always open to some kind of adventure.
These friends once made us their twist on our own national dish, adobo with coconut milk! After much skepticism we were very much impressed and even entertained the possibility of including it in our arsenal of adobo variations.
Click on the captions for the recipes.
A bowl of vegetable sinigang
