Tuesdays With Danny: Bicol Express Night

Don't expect my Tatay to be available every Tuesday night. His weekly schedule includes a "session" with his friends, and that happens every Tuesday.

When the clock hits 6:30 P.M., my father will start to take out of the bottles of ice cold beer of the refrigerator. My father would usually bring pulutan, it can be pack of roasted peanuts, chicken or whatever it is that looks appealing in our fridge. There are days, however, when my father would request me to cook something for him. This version of Bicol Express is on the top of his list.

Pulutan, which comes from the word pulutin, is almost equivalent to “finger food.” But it has gone beyond a simple snack and a beer partner, pulutan is now served as an appetizer or sometimes as a main course. I bet that you will gladly settle for a plate of sizzling sisig and rice for dinner or lunch.

My father rarely goes home drunk from these Tuesday dates. But he is always giddy from all the stories and jokes he learned from his friends. He would often share these stories and jokes to my mother during their late dinner conversations. What happens to the pulutan? Of course, it’s all ubos.

This version of Bicol Express has not only graced my father and his friends’ inuman, but it has been one of the favorite ulam at home.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo pork
1 1/2 kilos tahong
Baguio beans
siling haba (finger chili)
bell pepper (a small one)
1 sliced onion
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 cups of coconut milk ( I just bought the P20 in the palengke)

Steps:
1. Cook the tahong. When they are done, remove the shells and set aside.
2. Slice the pork into smaller pieces. Cook onion, pork and the coconut milk together. Simmer until the pork is done.
3. Add the tahong and beans. Simmer again for a few minutes.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Add the chili. If you want to have something more spicy, soak the finger chili in salted water for a few minutes before cooking. If you want something less spicy, then make sure to remove the seeds before cooking.

Pinoy Roll

In the past few years, my older siblings and I have been responsible in preparing some of the courses for our Media Noche, it is also an effort to drive our mother out of the kitchen and let her have some good night sleep. Unfortunately, we usually fail on the latter part, since our Inay still manages to slip into the kitchen and put something on the stove.

On New Year's Eve of 2011 (or 2010, darn this memory), my older brother volunteered to cook the pasta and my eldest sister decided to prepare the pasta sauce. I was thinking about making some salad when my second eldest sister decided to make one. My Tatay, meanwhile, decided to grill some barbecue.

Good thing, my sister brought home a copy of Good Housekeeping cookbook (vol. 5). I saw Adobo Roll recipe and decided to try it. I used the left-over adobo and whole wheat tortillas instead of the burrito that the recipe called for. I have been making it ever since. During the Lenten season, I use the adobo-flavored canned tuna. You just have to make sure to carefully drain all the juices so the roll won't be soggy.

Here's the recipe!

Ingredients:
whole wheat tortilla
hoisin sauce/paste
pork adobo (shredded)
i medium sized cucumber (thinly sliced)
1 carrot (thinly sliced)
lettuce leaves (chopped)

Steps
1. Spread hoisin sauce over the tortilla wrapper.
2. Arrange the adobo, lettuce, cucumber and carrots on the lower side of the wrapper.
3. Roll and wrap tightly.
4. Cut into four and arrange. You could add additional hoisin sauce.