Foot and Fire

Pochero de Cebu is another cooking rendition of the favorite Bulalo which features a soup made from boiled large bones of cow with marrows inside. As I can recall pochero here in Western Visayas is a thick soup with some meat cooked with white beans, bananas and camote or potatoes and cabbage. But this Pochero de Cebu is actually a bulalo with sweet corn and some green vegetables such as string beans and pechay. I am not sure whether the name really represents its origin but perhaps it really came from Cebu as Cebuanos serve milled corn in lieu of rice. Here is the steamy hot bowl of Pochero de Cebu....

By GERLIE M. UY FOR LUNCH. Pito ka klase sang panakot para sa laswa. The tradition among "experts" in laswa is that one has to have an odd number of ingredients in order for the laswa to taste good. We describe the mixture "sampat" here in Negros Occ. 1 L to 1 1/2 L water 2 medium ripe tomatoes onions dried fish or dilis (Balingon) (may use dried shrimp, if desired) about 100 g squash (kalabasa), cubed about 100 g Papaya or Kapayas, sliced about 100 g string beans (snake beans), sitaw or balatong, cut into an inch long about 100 g okra three handful Malunggay, Moringa or Balungay leaves three handful Saluyot or Tugabang leaves, slice a handful of Ampalaya or Amargoso leaves salt or fish sauce In a casserole, bring to boil the water with ripe tomatoes, onions and dried fish. Add the next four solid ingredients. To get the desired slimy soup, add this early a portion of the Saluyot (Tugabang). Let cook. Adjust flavor with salt or fish sauce (patis). Add the rest of t...

By GERLIE M. UY Bamboo Shoot or Tambo is made into pickle or achara. 24 cups young bamboo shoot, matchstick 1 liter can vinegar  Reserved pineapple juice Spices: salt and ground pepper 5-6 cups brown sugar 3-4 thumbs of ginger, matchstick 1 whole clove of garlic, crushed and sliced 5-6 medium red onions, sliced lengthwise turmeric powder Vegetables: 20 -24  pieces Stringbeans, 1 inch long 2-3 pcs eggplant, sliced lengthwise into eight and cut crosswise, abou 1 inch long 6 -8 pcs medium carrots, matchstick 1 300ml pineapple chunks (juice reserved) Glass Jars for storing  Prepare the bamboo shoot by blanching the same in boiling water for about five minutes. Drain and Set aside.   In a wok, put the vinegar, pineapple juice, and all the spices. Blend with wooden laddle to dissolve sugar. Cook in medium to to high heat for about 15 minutes. Let boil until the liquid tastes sweet, sour and spicy. Adjust taste with salt and pepper. Add the vegetables. Cover and let c...

 One day, I forage in the fridge and found two unrelated vegetables, a bundle of string beans and a cabbage. Well, since emergency, aside from hunger, is the mother of all kitchen concoctions, I made a stir-fry from these two never-been-matched-before vegetable. Usually, stringbeans are for pinakbet while cabbage are for chop suey but now I matched them and they blended so well. Here is the STRING BEANS AND CABBAGE STIR FRY. <p><p><br><br>TH<br><br><br><br&gt...