Kulinarya Cooking Club: A Birthday Dish

 
It's about 5 in the morning and it has been pouring rain for days outside. We patiently waited for the the 'signal' to inform us whether it was a 2 or 3.  If it was a 3, that meant that there would be no school for that day.  On my 5th birthday.

What exactly is this signal we kept our ears open for?  During the rainy season in the Philippines, typhoons and tropical storms come and go.  The storm signals let the public know the strength of the storm, the severity of the winds, and the amount of rainfall.  Signal 2 was a common occurence, but 3...well, 3 was our equivalent of a snow day.  But not once did I ever get a 'snow day' or Signal #3 on my birthday.

Every year, I remember dreading my birthdays because it always rained.  I remember never letting myself be excited for them because something would always ruin it.  Sure, I love the rain now, but to a little girl, rain might as well have been the end of the world.  The end of the world until I got my hands on my cake, that is.

Today, as I look out the window, I did not watch out for heavy rain nor waited patiently for a storm signal.  Instead, I looked at the smoke billowing from the city buildings - a sign that it was bitterly cold out.  I curled up in my bed, nursing homesickness, quite happy that I didn't have to be out in the -30 Celsius weather.  It's been so cold  that even I, the prairie girl, have cocooned herself in her apartment.

I thought to myself, nilaga would be the perfect for this weather.  Nilaga is a meat soup (usually beef) that is so simple, yet so amazingly good.  Its basic ingredients include beef bones, onions and scallions, and whole peppercorns.  Then a combination of these vegetables are added: potatoes, cabbage, saba bananas (or plantains), sweet corn on the cob, cauliflower, carrots, and/or sweet potatoes.  It is eaten with rice and with a sawsawan (dipping/side sauce) of something salty and sour.  We use either fish sauce (my fave) with kalamansi or soy sauce with kalamansi.  If only I could just go downstairs and find a potful of it steaming already in my ma's kitchen!  But alas, I am a world away from home.

This month's Kulinarya Cooking Club's challenge is to create a dish that we would love to have on our birthday.  Well, since I seem to call on the rain gods one too many times, I figured they might be less angry with a bowl of nilaga, no?

So it's not exactly party food, but I'm trying to get over missing the comforts of home and appease the winter gods here.  Besides, I dislike pancit (typical Filipino party food) and I've already posted on lumpia shanghai.   I peeled myself from my bed, bundled up, and braved the elements for some ingredients so I could slurp on some steamy hot soup!!  Now tell me, who wouldn't welcome a nice bowl of warmth on their birthday? 

Beef Nilaga

1 lb beef marrow bones or beef neck bones or a combination of the two
stewing beef (optional)
1 medium onion, quartered
4 scallion stalks, cut into 4-inch lengths (save a few for garnish)
1 medium russet potato
1 medium sweet potato
1/2 cabbage head, sliced into 3-4 inch pieces
1 cup cauliflower, sliced
3 carrots, cut in 1" pieces
whole peppercorns
fish sauce
salt

Fill a large stockpot or dutch oven halfway with water and add the beef (bones and meat), quartered onion, scallions, carrots, peppercorns, and some salt (about 1 tbsp).  Cover and let it boil for 2 minutes. After the first boil, lower the heat to medium-low and skim the frothy scum (as per Jezebel) that have risen to the surface.  Let it simmer for at least 1 hour (longer if you have time..I didn't).

Once the meat is tender, taste the stock and add salt/fish sauce to taste.  Add the potatoes first, as they will take the longest to cook.  Simmer for another 15-20 minutes.  If you are using saba bananas, plantains, or sweet corn, add them with the potatoes.  I couldn't find sweet corn, sabas are a rare find here and I forgot about the plantains.  Add the cabbage and cauliflower right at the end, as they'll become soggy if overcooked (blech!).

Serve with rice and whatever salty sawsawan you prefer.

Who needs presents on their birthday when you got bone marrow?  Now, this I can get excited for, rain or snow :)  That and my birthdays no longer await storm signals :P

***

 

"Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney (Australia), who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colourful cuisine."

"Each month we will showcase a new dish along with their family recipes. By sharing these recipes, we hope you find the same passion and love for Filipino Food as we do."

You don't need to be Filipino, nor in Australia (clearly) to join.  Only requirement is passion and excitement over this wonderful cuisine that's more often misunderstood by outsiders.


The current members are:
Kath - http://www.acupcakeortwo.com/
Trisha - http://sugarlace.com/
Trissa - http://trissalicious.com/
Olive - http://www.latestrecipes.net/
Caroline - http://whenadobometfeijoada.blogspot.com/
Ninette - http://bigboldbeautifulfood.blogspot.com/
Peach- http://www.thepeachkitchen.com/
Althea- http://www.busogsarap.com/
Asha - http://forkspoonnknife.blogspot.com/
Malou - http://www.impromptudiva.com/
Cherrie - http://sweetcherriepie.blogspot.com/
Acdee - http://acdee.blogspot.com/
Valerie - http://www.acanadianfoodie.com/
Sheryl - http://crispywaffle.com/
Divina - http://www.sense-serendipity.com/
Anna - http://www.anniesfoodjournal.blogspot.com/
Dahlia - http://www.energychef.blogspot.com/
Joy - http://joyjoycreativeoutlet.blogspot.com/
Maribel - http://www.foodgeek.webs.com/
Tressa
Jen - http://www.jen-at-work.blogspot.com/
Pia - http://bisayajudkaayo.blogspot.com/
Malaka - http://thegrandinternational.com
Mimi - http://lapinchecocinera.blogspot.com
Erika - http://ivoryhut.com/
Kat - http://twitter.com/alanokat
Lala - http://thislittlepiggywenttothemarket.blogspot.com/
Selfie - http://eats.sefiebee.com/
Connie - http://homecookingrocks.com/
Oggi - http://oggi-icandothat.blogspot.com/
Katrina - http://lardonmyfrench.blogspot.com/
Rochelle - http://www.whydiss.blogspot.com/

*if I am missing anyone, please feel free to leave a comment so I can update the list*

Front row

I've always been a Bikram second row kinda gal, rarely dabbling in the front.  One day,  I was asked to trade places with a first timer and suddenly, I found myself right smack front and center.  Eek!   And because of a studio promotion (like a Groupon or something), there's been a lot of newbies.  Again, I was asked to trade mat real estate.  So after that, I've decided to just go with it and get jiggy at the front row.  And I never looked back (literally!).

But really, who am I kidding?  I love the front row, not because I like looking at myself in the mirror, but because it seems easier to tune everyone out when they're behind you.

Other reasons include:

• I'm usually surrounded by regulars who could probably hold triangle all day and enjoy doing it as I watch in horror or pain or both.   Great inspiration.
• It challenges you to do all the postures because you know that if you sit down for a break, it'll cause a wave behind you and others may follow suit.  
• You can't hide from the instructors or half-ass your way through class because they see everything.
• Fans are directly above our studio hot room's front row.
• The only fidgeting you see is your own, no one's in front of you.  So no choice but to stop.
•  The only time you see the speedo-dude's dingling dangling berries are during standing seperate leg stretching pose, if he's on your right.  If not, you're totally safe.
• You worry less about how you look because no one is in front to compare yourself to (we all do it..sometimes!)
• You fart on people but they can't fart on you.

So next time you're in class, try the front row (if you haven't already).  I guarantee a fart-positive, dingling dangling berry-free space.  Unless, of course, they're your own.  Then by all means, let them dingle and dangle!

Ok, now if only I can get myself to class...

Vanilla Bean Extract

One of the things Asian women have been blessed with are these genes that make us look younger than our actual age.  No, I'm not saying that to boast but to tell a short story.

My driver's license has expired a few months ago, and because of my laziness, I had no proper carry-around-everyday identification (passports are too precious).  I haven't really been ID'd lately so I figured I will be fine until my new license arrives, forgetting the fact that in certain lighting, I look like I'm a high school kid.

And of course, since losing my wallet, I've been ID'd left and right.   Like today.

I had these vanilla beans waiting to be bathed in some vodka and brandy so they can make the best extract for all my baking needs.  But of course, I needed some brandy first.  So off I waltzed to the liquor mart without a second thought.  Because you know, I haven't been 'under age' since forever ago.  Before the cashier rang up my tiny bottle (not even a mickey!), he asks for my ID.  I swear I heard crickets because I just looked at him blankly with wide eyes after I said I didn't have any. 

Surely he cannot possibly think I'm there to buy alcohol illegally, right?!?  If I tell him I need it for baking, will that make him even more suspicious?  Ok, breathe.  I have to make my extract, damn it.  Doesn't he know it takes moooonths!!!  He's Asian tooooo.  He should know--

'How old are you?'

'Uh, 28.'

'Ok.  We have to ask if you're under 25.  Since you're not...$7.45.'

'Oh!  Debit.'

And I hurried outta there like I was on fire.

So before any mishaps got in the way, I dunked  the pods into their respective alcohol baths and hid them from civilization and sunshine for the next few months. 

A bit of research seems to point me towards 3 beans for each cup of alcohol.  The bottles I had lying around to put the vodka in was 200 ml and so was the brandy.  Three beans should make for a decently potent extract, I hope.  I only had 9 at hand and I needed the other 3 for something else, so 6 it is!!

Split them in half (or cut in a few pieces as some recipes suggested) and put them in the alcohol of choice. 

If you're soaking them straight from the bottle like I did with the brandy, make sure you take out about 1 tbsp of alcohol because the beans will make the bottle overflow.   Tightly cap them and keep away from sunlight.  I hid them in the back of my bedroom closet (LOL) so I won't keep looking at them in the kitchen cupboards.  I'm not even a social drinker at my drunkest, but let's be real, even I wouldn't be able to resist vanilla brandy.

After handling the beans, my hands smelled so good that I rubbed them on my scarf to pass on the wonderful smell.  Now it's just a waiting game!  At least I have a nicely scented scarf and my youth to keep me happy until the vanilla extract is ready.

Oh and don't worry, nature has a way of 'balancing' things out.  Somewhere in us Asian women's middle ages, we hit some kind of a wall and suddenly, we look like we skipped a midlife crisis and headed straight to retirement.  Unless, of course you do Bikram yoga :p  Haha, I'm only half kidding...

Here's Sefie, a Kulinarya Cooking Club sister who made her own vanillla extract, with much more vanilla beans!  Follow her countdown as mine will be hidden for a very long, long time in the closet :)

That night on 34th Street

This year, I decided to go to NYC for the holidays, a much needed break.  No emails, no work, no obligations.  It was filled with food, family, fun, and frolic as I try to do with every visit there.  This time around, I wanted to be a 'tourist' - see the sites, hear the sounds, and take it all in like it was the my first time.  I wanted to see the penguins of Coney Island, the music of Broadway, and the food of all the 3 boroughs all over again through different eyes.

While waiting for the subway on 34th Street, just as I had done many times 6 years ago after work, I looked at the dirty, dingy walls, the sullen and tired people dressed in black, the cold blizzard snow left behind on the tracks by trains gone by.  I was standing on the platform when I suddenly remembered these words from an article by Julie Daley titled 'Old Woman, Wise Woman, Powerful Woman: The Beauty of Aging' I read days before I had left for my trip:

"The crone is the woman who no longer sees herself only in relation to others, but as a woman unto herself, a woman who stands alone in the center of her own beingness, in the center of her own truth, and from this center relates to the people in her life from what is real for her."

Amidst all the food, fun, and frolic, I realized something was different.  This trip was not the same as the others.  Then it hit me.  I had outgrown the city.  Or rather, I had outgrown the 'me' of the 6 years past.  I expected to see the city the way I remembered it and in a way, it was all very much the same.  The buildings, the subway, the ferry, the lights, the shops, the people.  But it didn't feel the same. 

The dirty, dingy walls, the sullen and tired people dressed in black, the cold snow left behind on the tracks by trains gone by - the me of six years past would've taken this all in, brought it home, and let the dirt, the cold, and the tiredness seep into me.  But that night, I stood there watching, as if through a looking glass - where no cold nor smell nor sound could get to me.  I was not the same.

I also decided that even though I was surrounded by family and friends over the holidays, I wanted to ring in the new year alone.  The me of 6 years past would've done everything not to be alone because people just aren't supposed to be alone on New Year's.  I was not the same. 

So on December 31, 2010 at 11:59 pm, I stood outside in the middle of the deserted, snow-clad streets of Brooklyn, looking up at the stars, and welcomed the new year.  The me of 6 years present "stood alone in the center of her own beingness, in the center of her own truth, and from this center relates to the people in her life from what is real for her."  I flew across the Great Lakes to be with friends and family for the holidays, only to find myself alone on New Year's Eve and it was the highlight of my trip.

I didn't get to see the penguins (transportation was spotty at best due to the blizzard), see any shows (some shows just..couldn't go on because of the blizzard), find any mind blowing good eats (sorry, blueberry jam is NOT 'blueberries'), drank champagne (water is cool too), or kissed anyone at midnight (options were limited so no thanks), but I did come home with the words I remembered that night on 34th street:

"The crone is the woman who no longer sees herself only in relation to others, but as a woman unto herself...in the center of her own truth." 

I may not yet be a 'crone', nor even 'old' at 28 years of age, but I think that that is a perfect sum up to one of the most difficult but memorable years ever.

Looking foward to more food, more Bikram yoga, and more fun!!  I cannot wait to see what 2011 has in store for me!!  What are you looking forward to?

Are you ready for me, 2011?

I'm sitting in the dark at 3:38 am trying to dig out the lessons of 2010 and figuring out how to face 2011. As much as I think I can prepare for the next year, I know deep inside that I can never really prepare for the unknown.

But I say one can plan, yes?

This year, I hope to fulfill most, of not all, of the goals I've set out for myself. Small, doable goals.

This year, I hope to spend more time on the things that make me happy, like yoga and food.

This year, I really want to focus on myself, no matter how selfish it may become.

This year, I plan on staying put and fall in love with my apartment all over again.

This year, I will grow leaps and bounds because I worked my ass off in the past 12 mos.

This year, I will choose to be alone. In many sense of the word.

This year, I will see more of the world even if I never get on a plane.

This year, I will work even harder than the last.

This year will be bigger and better. Are you ready for me, 2011? I look forward to discovering you.