It’s only 10 days before Christmas and we’ll all
be busy in the kitchen to prepare for Noche Buena! Don't know what to cook? Let me share to you some of my Christmas
recipes. Yes, I do have! For those who don’t believe that I cook, here
are the proofs that I do!
I’ve been cooking since I was only 11 years old. Prior to that, I loved helping in the kitchen
that I even got my arm burned when I was only 6 when I forced my yaya to let me
fry. But I was not traumatized. In fact, I was challenged that I had cooked
paella at the age of 14! I am so proud
of that because I don’t have proper trainings in cooking. I just learned by myself. And maybe, being a good cook is part of the genes that I inherited from my Kapampangan lola, Pacencia Naluz De La Torre.
Without further ado, here are my Christmas specialties that I
perfected for ages!
Barbequed Spareribs
You will need:
1 kg pork spareribs, cut up
1 pc medium onion, chopped
1 pouch 200 g tomato sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp calamansi juice
¼ cup prepared mustard
3 tbsp sweet chili sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 stalk leek, sliced
Here’s how:
1.
Preheat
oven at 3750F. Season pork
spareribs with ¼ tsp iodized fine salt and ¼ tsp pepper.
2. Mix
all ingredients except pork. Shake in a
covered jar to blend well. Pour into
meat and marinate for 1 hour. Transfer
into a baking dish. Bake for 45
minutes. Turn once. Bake for another 20 minutes. Garnish with sautéed vegetables if desired.
Fiesta Humba
1 kg adobo-cut pork
5 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup vinegar
¼ cup pineapple juice
Peppercorns
Laurel leaves
Salt to taste
Here’s how:
1. Mix
all ingredients except brown sugar in a casserole. Heat to a boil. After boiling, add the brown sugar and simmer
in low heat for 20 minutes or until pork releases its own oil.
Hamonado
You will need:
½ kg pork pigue
5 cloves
garlic, crushed
½ cup sugar
2 tsp rock salt
1 tsp praque powder
1 cup pineapple juice
Peppercorns
Salt to taste
Here’s how:
1.
Combine
sugar, salt, and praque powder. Rub
mixture on pork.
2.
Marinate
pork in pineapple juice overnight.
Simmer meat in marinade for 1 hour.
For a tastier result, use a crock pot.
Chicken Pot Roast
You will need:
1 whole chicken
8 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup flour
1 large onion, sliced
4 stalks green onions, sliced
2
pouches 200 g tomato sauce
Laurel leaves
Salt and
pepper to taste
Here’s how:
1.
Rub
chicken with garlic, salt, and pepper.
Sprinkle with flour and brown all sides in a little oil. Place in a cooking pot.
2. Add
¼ cup water and remaining ingredients.
Simmer over low heat for 55 minutes, turning chicken occasionally.
Grilled Tuna
You will need:
1 kg tuna belly
Calamansi
juice
Butter
Salt and
pepper to taste
Here’s how:
1. Wash
tuna with a little calamansi juice. Season
with salt and pepper.
2. Grill
in butter and serve with a variation of sauces like mustard sauce, sweet chili
sauce or ketchup.
Baked Macaroni
You will need:
300 g Elbow
Macaroni, cooked per package directions
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pc medium onion, sliced
200 g ground beef
1 pouch 250g spaghetti sauce
½ cup cheesed, grated
Salt and pepper to taste
White sauce:
2 tbsp flour
¼ cup evaporated milk
¼ cup water
1 pc beef bouillon cube
1 tbsp margarine
Here’s how:
1.
Sauté
garlic until brown. Add onion and
beef. Cook for 1 minute. Add spaghetti sauce, ¼ cup water, salt, and
pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside.
2. White
Sauce: Mix all ingredients until flour
is dissolved. Cook over low heat,
constantly stirring for 5-10 minutes or until thick.
3. Blend
spaghetti sauce with cooked elbow macaroni.
Arrange in a square pan. Pour
white sauce all over and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake in preheated oven at 3500F
until cheese melts.
Carbonara
You will need:
400 g pasta,
cooked per package directions
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pc medium onion, sliced
200 g ham,
diced
100 g bacon, fried and crushed
100 g mushroom, sliced
½ cup evaporated milk
½ cup all-purpose cream
¼ cup water
2 tbsp flour, dissolved in water
¼ cup parmesan cheese
Grated
cheddar cheese
Salt and
pepper to taste
Here’s how:
1.
Sauté
garlic and onion. Add ham and
mushroom. Pour evaporated milk,
all-purpose cream, water, and dissolved flour.
2.
Add
parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper to taste.
3.
Mix
with pasta and top with bacon and cheddar cheese.
Fruit Crêpe
You will need:
Crêpe:
2 tbsp melted margarine
2/3 cup flour
¾ cup evaporated milk
¾ cup water
3 pcs egg, beaten
½ tsp rock salt
Filling:
1 can 850g fruit cocktail, drained (reserve
syrup)
1 tbsp sugar
Here’s how:
1.
Beat
all ingredients for crêpe until smooth.
Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2.
Brush
Teflon pan with oil, then heat over medium flame. Pour ¼ cup crêpe batter into pan. Tilt to cover bottom. Cook for 2 minutes until top is set. Lift edge of crêpe then invert. Cook other side for 1 minute. Repeat procedure with the remaining
batter. Stack each piece between layers
of wax paper to prevent it from sticking to each other. Set aside.
3. Simmer
fruit cocktail syrup and sugar for 15 minutes.
Set aside. Spoon ¼ cup of fruit
cocktail across the center of each crêpe and roll. Pour syrup on top of crêpes.
Of course, Christmas won’t be Christmas without
ham in the table. I just purchase cooked
ham in the grocery. I garnish it with
cloves and bake it in the oven with pineapple juice and cinnamon. The hint of cloves and cinnamon brings out
the real taste of the ham.
Food cocktails are also my masterpiece because
these add more color to the table and don’t forget the Keso de Bola, fruits,
wine, cakes, and candies! Then you’ll
surely have that sumptuous Noche Buena everyone is excited for! Never mind the budget and the calories. Splurge and indulge for the celebration of Jesus’ birth only comes once in a year! Have a festive Christmas, everyone!
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2 comments :
:)♥ it..thnx sa mga recipes..
yer welcome. tnx much 4 reading!:)
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