Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Wilmar cooks pork belly sisig



5 lbs. pork belly
1 bulb garlic
1 ginger rhizome
1 to 2 medium onions
5 or more serrano chilis
salt
black pepper
bay leaves
2 lemons
butter

Fill pot of pork belly with water. Season water with salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Boil for 45-60 minutes or until tender. Remove from water and pat dry. Mince garlic and ginger and set aside in one container. Chop onions and set aside in separate container. Chop chilis and set aside in separate container.

Prepare grill (charcoal or gas). Grill pork belly pieces on all sides until they are crispy. Remove from grill, let rest for a few minutes, then chop up in small pieces and put in a large bowl. Add onions (save some onions for later) and chilis. Squeeze in the juice of two lemons and mix well, then let sit covered for about 30 minutes.

Prepare cast-iron griddle. Working in batches, lay down a pad of butter, then soften about a tablespoon of the minced garlic and ginger on the griddle. Add about 1 lb. of the sisig mixture onto the griddle and don't move it for a few minutes to get the bottom crispy. You can serve straight from the griddle or set aside in a container, squeezing some lemon juice prior to serving.

The whole process took me maybe 4 hours.



I have never made sisig before in my life, so if there's something I'm missing, let me know. This is my first attempt at it, and boy was it hard work!

Our sisig turned out just mildly spicy and mildly sour. If I were to try this again, I'd go for 6 or 7 Serrano chilis per 5 pounds of pork belly. Also, I'd use the juice of 2 lemons, PLUS add some vinegar too to make it more tangy. Otherwise, I was pretty pleased with the outcome. It was remarkably porky!

This is the third episode in a row that I've used pork. I think I have a problem...

Friday, March 11, 2011

Wilmar cooks linguine alla carbonara



1 lb. dry linguine
4 eggs
grated romano cheese
bacon
chopped garlic
flat-leaf parsley

chop bacon in small pieces. start a pot of boiling water for your pasta. season your water. in a large saucepan or ceramic dutch oven, start rendering your bacon over medium heat. when it's almost done, get your pasta started and cook for 1-2 minutes LESS than what the box says.

in the meantime, prepare your liquid ingredients by beating eggs in with romano cheese. for 4 eggs, use about 2/3 cup romano cheese. when your bacon is done, kill the heat and add garlic to soften. your pasta should be ready by now, so immediately transfer the pasta from the boiing pot to the saucepan, stirring well to get the bacon fat well incorporated with your noodles. if the sauce is getting too thick, add pasta water to make it more workable.

serve with some freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley and more romano cheese.



Randomly had a craving for some pasta, so we went ahead and made linguine alla carbonara. It's traditionally made with salted cheek meat or also pancetta, but we went with bacon because bacon is awesome. Also, if you get carbonara at a restaurant you'll probably notice they use cream, which makes it more of an alfredo. I did my best to be more faithful to the dish and decided to stick with eggs and cheese only. Enjoy!

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Wilmar cooks adobo carnitas



2.5-lb pork shoulder (or larger, up to 5 lbs.)
1.5 cups vinegar
1 cup soy sauce
chopped garlic and garlic powder
black pepper
bay leaves
banana leaves

in a large bowl or tupperware, apply garlic powder and pepper to pork. then add a LOT of chopped garlic. incorporate ingredients well by rubbing. add vinegar and soy sauce and bay leaves. cover and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours. remove pork from marinade and place in crock pot that is lined with banana leaves. cover with more banana leaves in a snug package. set your crock pot on HIGH for 4 hours. when it's all ready, remove from the crock pot, tease with fork, and brown on a fry pan before serving. it's also recommended to salt your pork when it comes out of the hot oil to make it extra porky!

makes great taco/burrito/french fry topping! carnitas fries ftw.