Post # 300 : An Ode to the Past

A post written some time around this time, some time ago... when these fingers flexed to write more than usual!

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Early Morn

Melbourne sleeps peacefully...not stirring despite the noisy clicking of my keyboard... it appears to be lulled still by the birds' constant chorus outside.

I opened the windows and let the breeze in, and if i closed my eyes it doesn't take much for the mind to be in the middle of a forest, where there is peace, fresh air, harmony, and a cup of coffee.

It's 4:51am and my notes are still waiting for my eager fingers... but the smell of paper didn't quite appeal as much as the scent of this new beautiful day.

As I enjoy the odd hours of a weekend and the solitude in my living room, an unknown winged one decided to share my space. It stayed in a distance, hovered around and then left me alone again. I liked it.

Traces of brown sugar kept me high still. Flashes of expressive eyes and sunrise somewhere come to a corner of my mind. I let it stay there. Broken fragments of thoughts scattered in my head begin to form another picture. I let it merge unhurried.

A deep inhale. There's always time to pause and breathe in.

Again I hear the birds' song - i think they're rejoicing for my shallow appreciation for life's little moments like this.

Good morning.

**

And indeed, there's always time to pause and breathe, and be grateful of the wonderful things that life brings. The ingredients vary - some find it easy, some find it hard, some need a little luck, a little nudge, and a lot of sacrifice and hard work.

Happy holidays everyone. :)

**

Pigging out at the Fiesta

Every year, Filipinos in Melbourne gather for the Philippine Fiesta of Victoria. Just like back home where towns or barangays would have their special day of celebration (we'd look forward to it because the main street would be closed, meaning more room for playing games!), this one happens every November for two days (Saturday and Sunday). This particular event has been going on for 26 years now here in Victoria.

In this event we have successfully filled our stomachs with all the nice Pinoy food made with pork like dinuguan (sample recipe here), lechong paksiw - a stew made with leftover roasted pork with a special gravy and vinegar, menudo - pork meat and liver in tomato sauce, pork bbq (Pinoy blend tends to be on the sweeter side), bopis - minced pork lungs and heart sauteed in onion, garlic and chillies.

foreground - bopis and rice, with laing (the grayish/greenish-tinged veggie dish made with sundried taro leaves, minced and cooked with coconut milk)

top left - dinuguan

top right - menudo

lechon paksiw

summer cooler - a drink called "sago't gulaman" - "sago" refers to the tapioca balls and "gulaman" is gelatin, usually colorful and cut into cubes, mixed with a sugar syrup made from brown sugar, and served with ice

pansit - noodles

carioca - skewered balls made with glutinous rice and milk. the balls are deep fried, coated with brown sugar.

The program was of course composed with karaoke singing contests, beauty pageants (Miss and Mrs. !) and some celebrities. Several stalls of migration agents, real estate and Pinoy merchandise also found their spot in the big hall at the entrance of Melbourne Showgrounds, this year's venue.

Previous Filipino food dose from the fiesta here and, a bit disappointed that this spiced vinegar wasn't sold this time!

And what could be more Filipino than this?

Aussie soft-serve ice cream. And gelati :)

a Baby Dora. ??!

La Plaza de Mercado

Running on its fifth year, the La Plaza de Mercado, hosted by the Queen Victoria Market, provides a lively Spanish/Latin American 'market within a market' setup, complete with a live band and the delectable Spanish treats that will is always a hit particularly for meat lovers.

which way to go?

Various stalls from Spanish/Latin American restaurants around Melbourne filled the air with the aromas of their lovely food. This stall (from Los Amates) was selling Chilaquiles - layers of softened tortillas, chicken, cheese, refried beans, topped with sour cream or salsa verde.

Was expecting a bit more heat from this dish that sort of looks like a mess -
but do not be deceived -
it was definitely delicious

Several interesting refreshments such as the hibiscus water and horchata - rice water (or more like rice milk) flavored with cinnamon were also available and could not be missed in their huge containers lined up on the table, a big splash of color promising to quench any thirst!

take your pick!

refreshing horchata

And this Spanish treat would not be complete without churros, the "Spanish doughnuts", fried dough with crisp ridged exterior, often served for breakfast in Spain.

yum!

Other delicious smelling dishes include the seafood and chicken cazuela, served in huge pots and with a wedge of tortilla ('potato omelet').

*

Mi fin de semana...
fui a un fiesta "La Plaza de Mercado"
con mi novio,
amigo y amiga.
Domingo en la tarde comi chilaquiles y bebi horchata!

*

Ham?

Playing post Christmas catch up, a little pestering has brought me to finally post the recipe for the “ham” portion of the Sample Christmas Dinner post.

This version of ham is an Irish tradition. The ham in question is cured in salt brine before being cooked and served for the Christmas table. In Australia this is known as “pickled pork”…you don’t want to know the effort it took to unearth this fact :)

Once one has procured a ham or piece of pickled pork the method of preparation is as follows:

Soak the ham in water overnight. This is to help remove excess salt.

The next day drain the ham, place it in a pot with fresh water and bring to the boil. Discard the water, cover in fresh water and again bring to the boil. Discard the water cover with fresh water and add the following:

2 Carrots (chopped)
1 Onion (quartered)
2 Celery stalks (chopped)
2 Bay leaves
6 Black Peppercorns (whole)

Bring to the boil again and simmer the ham for 25 mins per 1lb/550g. Remove the ham from the water and allow to drain/rest. The ham is cooked at this stage and can be served as is.

Some prefer to remove the rind, score the fat, cover in sugar and breadcrumbs, stud with cloves and brown in the oven. I don’t, hence this is all you’ll get :)

A Sample Christmas Dinner

Having grown up in the Philippines, Christmas dinner highlights meant hamon (ham, from the spanish word jamon) and keso de bola (literally "cheese ball", from spanish queso meaning cheese, and "bola" for ball). The ham is usually store bought, with a sweet honey glaze, and the red ball of Edam cheese. Having turkey was not a usual thing in our household, so don't even ask if we had cranberry sauce.

This year, despite being several days early for the actual Christmas dinner, was an introduction to Christmas dinner, European style.

parsnip fries baked in the oven, leg of turkey, baked potatoes, and ham

This year's ham was made of a particular store bought pickled pork which was only discovered after quite some time of asking around (inquire through your butcher!), boiled with herbs and spices for a looooong time, but with extreme caution on the cooking time as the preference would still be slightly pink pork, as overcooked pork tends to be dry. Turkey was the best part - roasted in the oven until the skin was crispy and the meat moist and tender.... perfect with those potatoes, with a slight hint of pepper. Together with parsnips, this meal is not for the faint-hearted, make sure to wear elastic-waisted pants to make room for a lot of food!

Just a sampler, this one. With 3 days to go before Christmas, all that can be thought about is food actually!

Mandala

Another Christmas gift came in the form of a voucher to a restaurant called Mandala. Being nearby, its menu has been quite familiar and had been meaning to give it a try, hence the much appreciated gift removed all excuse to procrastinate the exercise.

The menu is asian, but one cannot specifically say where exactly from asia, as it has different varieties that would suit almost everyone. Wonton parcels, crispy fried pork, apple chaat, to name a few - the starters sounds like a mix of indian and chinese cuisines. We sampled the asian anchovies with pickled vegetables and salt and pepper squid. The anchovies were wok tossed but unfortunately lacked the crispiness, but was easily forgiven because the spices and flavors were quite exquisite and nicely combined with hints of turmeric, spring onions and tomatoes. The squids were cooked just right and served with a dipping sauce that tasted similar to particular chinese vinegar. For the main dishes, a whole snapper served with blackberries (and some other berries like strawberries & blackcurrants) was quite a pleasant surprise. The soft shell crab with pickled plums, salad greens and toasted peanuts was also just sublime, making the palate a distinct playground of flavors. A much recommended dish, which you can have either with rice or roti, and a bottle of wine from the diverse selection of drinks.

whole snapper with blackberry and ginger chutney, and soft shell crab

The servings were quite big but in the spirit of Christmas the dessert cannot be foregone - hence the choice of Mandala Melt. Made of whipped mascarpone, cherries, pistachio nuts, and strawberries, it was an elegant finish to the meal.

Mandala Melt

And being slightly addicted to coffee, a long black made of organic beans sealed the deal. It was official - this restaurant will be visited again to try the other delectable sounding dishes in the menu. And yes, very much willing to pay for it the next time around.

Christmas Pudding

For those away from home the build up to festive periods often brings about a little homesickness and the wish to reach out to those in far away lands. One way to help fill the gap is to surround oneself with distant sounds and smells that evoke memories of times past. For this particular exile this usually takes to form of food and drink :)

With Christmas fast approaching the advent of a rainy weekend brought about the perfect opportunity to indulge in the preparation of one of my particular favourites, Christmas pudding…..Irish style!!!

A wide and varied recipe search amalgamated with memories of recipes past brought about the following concoction:

170g self-raising flour (if you can get Odlums, excellent!!!)
225g white breadcrumbs (slightly old will do)
340g dark brown sugar (muscovado is best)
450g currants
225g raisins
225g sultanas
115g mixed peel
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
115g glace/maraschino cherries, quartered
55g ground almonds
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
1 grated apple – skin on (preferably granny smith)
1 tbsp dark treacle
225g grated suet (or melted margarine or butter…margarine was used in this case) + more for greasing
3 eggs
90ml Irish Whiskey (Jameson here)
300ml Guinness

For the adventurous a couple of drops of Tabasco sauce add a nice little departure from tradition. If in doubt, perhaps best to leave out :)

Mix the dry ingredients together, thoroughly. Then add the wet, again mixing thoroughly.

Tradition has it that everyone in the household takes a turn at mixing; going it alone will soon expose the wisdom behind this particular tradition :)

The consistency should be wet (see above). Add more Guinness/Whiskey if not wet enough…more breadcrumbs if you go too far the other way.

When finished grease a couple of one litre/circa two pound pudding bowls, filling each to just under the rim with the mixture. Take a big piece of grease proof paper, fold in half and then fold back on one side leaving a 50mm flap in the middle. Do the same with tin foil. Place the grease proof paper over one of the bowls, taking some kitchen string to tie it tightly in place under the rim.

Repeat with the tin foil by placing it over the grease proof paper. Finally tie a string handle to the outer string; this is used to lift the pudding in and out of the steamer.

Repeat the above process for the second bowl.

Now for the easy bit. With the Whiskey and Guinness still within arms reach have a toast to the puddings….just one mind you!

Back to work!! Place each pudding in its own pot, add boiling water to three quarters the depth of the pudding bowl and place a tight fitting lid on the pot. Simmer for between six and eight hours.

When done lift the puddings from the pots, set aside and allow to cool.


If you can’t wait until Christmas then a sneak preview can be had by slicing the “muffin top” from over the top of each pudding.

Repeat the grease proof paper and tin foil steps again and stow away safely.

On the day itself the puddings will need to be steamed again, only for two hours this time. When done remove the puddings from the pudding bowls (upside down on a plate…to state the obvious).

Serve flaming (more whiskey), with your choice of cream, custard or brandy butter.