Staying Connected

"You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead"
                                   From the Beatles Song “Two of Us”


While getting an education, I was never far away from home. In my elementary and high school years, the school I attended was just “around the corner”. The university where I finished my college and masterial studies was just two jeepney rides away. There was always time to go home for a hot lunch and occasionally, I would bring home classmates for some afternoon snacks. It’s a wonder how my mother tolerated my little unannounced “parties”.

The same can be said of my son and daughter—they were always home after classes. Although because of the distance and time constraint, they had to contend with cold packed lunches and canteen bought snacks.

And so it was. Until my daughter applied and got a generous grant for a masters degree at a university in the UK. I was happy for her but at the same time apprehensive. Will she be able to manage all on her own—so very, very far away from home? For one thing, I never doubted her mental capabilities and know she will be an outstanding student. She is very good at following directions and reading maps so getting lost would be a very remote possibility. She has the necessary housekeeping skills and she won’t go hungry as she knows her way around the kitchen. But there was a tiny nagging voice asking, “What if…”

Well my visit and three day stay at her dormitory was a reassuring eye-opener. My short stay allowed me to experience something new-- dorm-living. She shares a five-bedroom apartment unit with four other girls. Meeting them and being graciously accepted to stay with them made for a world of difference in knowing that my daughter was with good company. There is a laundry mat, a tiny grocery and canteen at the students’ lounge which is just a 5-minute walk away. Even better was the fact that my daughter could just order for groceries through the internet and the items will be delivered to her. Perfect for when the rains come and it’s too cold to be out. While with my daughter, she received a notice from the university clinic reminding her of a check-up she might want to consider. How good is that!

There was time for my daughter to show me a bit of the university and the town. Walking around the campus made me wish for better things for our own government operated universities back home.

The university town was once a very industrialized area, but much of the factories are silent and abandoned now. But by the way malls and shiny new business buildings are coming up in the center of town, it will just be a matter of time when things start humming again with commercial life— if it is not already humming.

As I looked back at my visit, I remember the most filling breakfast appropriately named Full English prepared by my daughter one morning for me;

the peacefulness around the university grounds;

the youthful chatter of passing students;

the serene picture of swans and ducks gliding on a pond outside my daughter’s apartment;

the old grave yard surrounding an Anglican church-- straight out of a vampire movie;

the Indian side of town with its many bridal shops,grocery stores, brick townhomes and  restaurants ;

and, the just-right carrot cake we shared at the cafeteria.

Fun too was watching the latest James Bond flick, “Sky Fall” together. The film had lots of London scenes. Every time a familiar landmark showed up on the screen, we would both poke each other. A fitting ending to my trip as I now could relate.

But more than anything, the short visit banished all the “what ifs..” There was no question about how my daughter would fare by herself. The question really was how I would fare without her.
                                            xoxoxoxoxox

Christmas is family. Whether near or far, we find ways to stay connected. And food is the best connector of all. The miles soon disappear with familiar food to feast on during the holidays. When I returned to Manila, I left my daughter two cold-busting dishes in her freezer. In return, I brought away with me my daughter’s supply of hazelnuts. My daughter saved me a slice of a Nutella Cheesecake she made with the help of a recipe she downloaded from the website of Nagella Lawson. It was divine and I had duplicated the dessert at home for my hubby, my son and close friends.

Christmas is sharing. So below are two recipes that could make it to your dining table. I hope you have enjoyed reading and maybe even trying some of the recipes I wrote about as much as I have enjoyed sharing my stories and musings with you.
Merry Christmas!
                                                xoxoxoxoxox
Top on my daughter’s to-do list for me was to cook up a batch of chicken arroz caldo (chicken rice porridge) and pochero or bulalo visayan style (beef shank soup). The idea was to cook lots and freeze it. So while she hurried off to her classes, I spent the morning cooking up these two cold-busting dishes. The challenge was to cook as much as I could given the size of the available pots in the kitchen. But by George, I did it!!
You too can cook this up at home and freeze it. When you want something piping hot, just throw it in the microwave and zap it. You can add the greens (pechay, bochoy, or cabbage) when ready to serve. They wilt very quickly.

Pochero

In a large pot, put together the following:

500 grams beef shank (the grocers only had shin, so that worked well)
2 thumb-size ginger (peeled and sliced)
1 medium size onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
5-8 Pepper corn (a dash or two of powdered pepper will do)
1 teaspoon Salt
Enough water to cover the meat

Bring this to a boil then lower flame and simmer until meat becomes tender. This was no problem as the beef was soft. If I bought the beef in Manila, I would have used a pressure cooker!

Peel and chop into chunky pieces the following:
1 cup of squash
1 medium size potato
1 ear of corn
Drop the corn into the soup and simmer for about 20 minutes. Then add the potatoes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Lastly, add the squash and cook until just tender but not “squashy” : )

Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Cool it down and divide into three or four freezer containers. When you want to eat this, just thaw it out and heat it up. Throw in some greens like pechay, bochoy or cabbage and slurp away.

Nutella Cheesecake (adapted from Nigella Lawson)
250 grams digestive biscuits (Mark & Spenser)
75 grams unsalted butter (soft)
400 grams nutella (at room temperature)
100 grams hazelnuts (toasted and chopped)
5 grams cream cheese (at room temperature)
60 grams icing sugar

Method:
(N Lawson used a springform pan to make a whole cheesecake. I decided on using 10 smaller molds)

Break the digestives using a rolling pin to pulverize them. Place the crumbs into a bowl. Add the butter and a tablespoon of nutella and mix away until it starts to clump. Add ¼ of your chopped hazel nuts into the mixture and continue to mix until you have a damp, sandy mixture.

Divide this equally into 10 small plastic molds. Press down into the base either using your fingers or the bottom of a small drinking glass. Place in the fridge to chill.
Beat the cream cheese and icing sugar until smooth and then add the remaining Nutella to the cream cheese mixture, and continue beating until combined.

Take the molds out of the fridge and carefully spoon the Nutella mixture over the base. Scatter the remaining chopped hazelnuts on top and place the molds back in the fridge for a least four hours or overnight. Serve straight from the fridge for best results.  (In my case, I wrap them up individually in pretty wrappers and curly ribbons and placed them in the freezer.  They are ready for the sharing season)

My daughter and I now has something of each other to keep us connected during the holiday season.

Home Chefs

My mother (MM) and my mother-in-law (MIL) are different in so many aspects. MM was a stay-at-home mom while MMIL reported to a desk job until 60. MM is a provincial lady and was relatively a babe in the woods when my father married her.



MMIL is a city girl, the only girl with 6 brothers and naturally the apple of her father’s eyes. MM is spirited and when properly encouraged, would oblige with a song or two. MMIL, although not shy, would rather stay in the background. MM subscribe to the art of “tough love” while MMIL is all tender and solicitous.



But despite their differences, they have two things in common: their love for mahjong games with close friends; and, their wide knowledge and cooking experience of tried and tested recipes.

I remember when I was newly married, how I would call long distance to either one of them when I needed to ask pointers in preparing a particular dish that my husband or children liked. Many times, the dish did not turn out exactly as expected and a scoop of ice cream would be the best consolation. Through all that cooking experiences, I have learned that to be good at cooking, like anything in life, one has to practice, practice, practice. Usually the first tries are so-so but in time, I received the words I long to hear: “This taste just like Mom’s/Lola’s”.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Much of what I know about cooking comes from MM and MMIL. I continue to draw much from their teachings to come up with daily meals served at home. And the great thing is, there will sometimes be two delicious ways to cook up a dish. What follows is such an example. Both delicious, both easy to prepare.

MM’s Roast Beef

2 Kilos round roast or chuck roast (Kasing in bisaya or Kalitiran in Tagalog)*
1 T calamansi/lemon juice
2 T Perrins
A dusting of grounded pepper
2 cubes of Beef Bouillion



Marinate the beef preferrably overnight in the fridge.



Drain the beef of the marinate juices and dry with papper towels. Then roll in some flour. Fry quickly in about 4 T of olive oil. Once brown, put in a baking dish. Set aside.

Add about 1 cup of water to the marinate juices. Include 1 chopped medium onion, two stalks of celery, and powdered garlic.



Pour over beef and bake in a 300 degree oven for about 3 hours. Baste the roast to prevent it from drying out. (If using pressure cooker, increase water to 2 cups)

Once done, reserve the drippings for gravy. Cut the roast to desired thickness. Serve with gravy, mashed potatoes, and buttered steam veggies.

Gravy

Add about 2 teaspoon of corn starch to 1 T of water. Set aside. Strain the drippings into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce thickens and clears up. Again— you will need to feel your way through. (that’s why you need to practice, practice, practice)



Note:
Beef cuts in my part of the world are not the most tender and can be expensive. If this is the case with your beef, opt to use the pressure cooker instead of the oven. It worked for me. Instead of the 3-hr cooking time, I only needed 1 hour with the pressure cooker. For my 6 quart pressure cooker, I made sure I had at least 2 ½ cups of liquid. So adjust as needed.


MMIL’s Mechado

1.5 kilos of round beef or chuck/ “kalitiran”
Have the butcher insert a strip of pork fat in the middle of your beef



1/2 c cubed pork fat
1 1/2 c chopped tomatoes
1 c chopped onions
1 Bay leaf
2 sliced cloves of garlic
6-10 whole pepper corns
1 pack of tomato sauce (250 g)
1 beef bouillion
Salt and pepper to taste
Water



Place all the ingredients into a pot with a tight lid. Add water to just barely cover the meat—about 2-3 cups.



Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer until beef becomes melt-in-your-mouth fork tender. This could be anywhere from 2 hours to 3 hours of very slow cooking. Once tasted, you will think you died and went to heaven. Just don’t make this too often or else you will indeed be heaven bound.



Note:
You may also use the pressure cooker for about 30 minutes to soften the meat. Then continue slow cooking for a shorter period of time.