My Lolo's favorite dish was Bringhe, a Filipino take on the always festive Spanish Paella. Nobody ever cooked it at home, though, it was simply among our fiesta parties' most awaited dishes. And only Aching Zeny, our cook in Pampanga, could get the right mix of ginger, lihia, meats, and malagkit rice. Everyone else's was either too bland, too green, too yellow, or too dry. When Lolo passed and Aching Zeny retired, that was the beginning of the end of our Bringhe days.

Only one other person's Bringhe could match the Bringhe of my childhood memories, and that was Lola Pacing's. It was her one sure way to get balikbayan relatives to visit her at her cottage en route to Angeles, and her one sure way to score dollars in the process. Sadly, because of some family feuds (and sometimes, there are many in my family though they too pass), we no longer get a taste of Lola Pacing's Bringhe.

Last Christmas, I mentioned to Tati how much I missed Lola Pacing's Bringhe. She snorted and said with much conviction "I can do better." Mom and I tried her recipe last weekend, at it really is a better Bringhe.

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Tati's Bringhe recipe is a fusion of Filipino and Spanish and even, Italian recipes. Instead of malagkit, she uses Arborio or Carneroli, a nutty Italian rice (found at Santi's and certain Rustan's branches), and instead of Vienna Sausage, she uses Chorizo de Bilbao (the Marca El Rey kind). What makes it taste even better is the addition of seafood - crabs and shrimps - to the mix. The traditional Pampanga recipe makes use of only chicken and sausage. Of course, Tati won't cook it without using the secret seasoning - vetsin.

Here's Tati's email.

Dear Kim,

We celebrated Lolo's B-day also by attending mass in the morning and then we ate kebobs at a Persian restaurant nearby. Regarding the green bringhe. You have to saute chicken pieces in oil including gizzard, liver and chorizo de Bilbao..Add turmeric and coconut milk. Cook until tender and sauce is reduced. I'll saute the arborio in oil or butter, add a little lihia (the ingredient used in suman bulagta), then line rice cooker with banana leaf before I put the sauted arborio, Add the reduced coconut sauce from the chicken plus approprate amount of chicken stock. Cook rice according to rice cooker instructions. When rice is almost cooked, add and mix sauted chicken, boiled shrimps, boiled crabs,raisins and cover with banana leaf until rice is "inin". To serve, top with green peas, sliced pimiento and hard boiled eggs. The lihia will extract the green color from tha banana leaf'. Don't forget the patis and secret ingredient (vetsin) Correct seasoning, enjoy and happy eating!

Love,
Tati

Tags: my family can cook, recipes
Current Mood: indescribable

I love Greek food. Actually, I love anything with lots of spice. After reading an article on KC Concepcion's favorite restaurants where she mentioned Hossein's as the best kebab place in Manila, Ry and I tried it out and I was hooked forever. Here's my recipe for lamb souvlaki. It requires very little time to make and very few ingredients. It's a combination of 3 recipes I found on the net. It took me several tries before I actually got my mom to say "Sarap nito!" It's best served with Tzatziki (a yogurt and cucumber dip with lemon and garlic), buttered corn and carrots, and oven baked potatoes.

Tip: I think the secret to great souvlaki is really good Olive Oil, fresh lemons, and salt.

This recipe is for 1 kilo of Lamb (or any meat actually).

Marinade:

2 tbsp. each of Olive Oil (EVOO!), minced Garlic, & Oregano
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. fresh cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme

Mix ingredients together (you can add more EVOO) and pour on lamb. Let marinade 2 to 3 hours. (Warning: Don't leave the meat in the marinade too long. I did that once and never heard the end of it. The lemon kinda cooks the meat a little bit. :()

For the tzatziki: Mix 1 whole grated cucumber (peeled, with the seeds removed and water squeezed out with a cheesecloth) with 1 small tub of plain yogurt (Nestle, don't dare use low-fat!). Squeeze in a lemon, 1 tsp. of finely minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Some people add dill, but I don't really care for it.

By the way, I organized my closet today! All shoes are in plastic boxes and all I'm-so-over-them clothes are in the garage sale box. Whopee!

Tags: my family can cook, recipes
Current Mood: accomplished

My family loves to eat... and it shows. Nearly every family picture is filled with pudgy faces. Even at our thinnest, there's still meat on our bones. We may not always like it that way, but good food is just too much to give up.

Every family occasion is celebrated with food. Even when bad things happen, we console ourselves by eating. My parents know they're in business when they work with people who love to eat as much as they do.

I can cook, but not as well as my mom or Tati (who by the way is not only a chef from Napa but also an OB-GYNE - overachiever!). My repertoire is limited to pastas, a mean Osso Buco and Souvlaki, and the three most important soups every Filipino should know how to make to survive - Bulalo, Sinigang, and Tinola. But I've been wanting to learn my mom's specialties - Lengua Estofado (the BEST ever), Rellenong Manok, Callos (a day to make, but no one has ever come across this without having a second serving), and Paella (with no scrimping on the saffron).

Here's for a summer project, something to do while I'm spending the last few weeks bumming around the house: I'm compiling a list of my family's recipes, which can't be found in any cookbook, and whatever family stories I associate with them. That's definitely better than scouring youtube for episodes of Maging Sino Ka Man)

Tags: my family can cook, recipes
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