My trusty Menudo

COMFORT FOOD -noun(part of speech) home cooked food or dishes or those associated with ones childhood

It's 11:30 p.m. Mavie and I are having our usual chat in bed before bedtime in our soon to be renovated place of Zen. She was somewhat making fun of me starting my own blog, but she quickly countered when she noticed I was starting get teary eyed by her relentless teasing(hehehe), she told me that It's great to put my thoughts onto paper in this case the net ! During our chat we stumbled on the topic of "comfort food" and what food or dish would pick us up and put a smile on our bloated faces. Food that will make us wipe your tears and "umo-onseng"(dad's favorite term of runny nose hehe)sipon away? Food that you never get tired of eating for 10,000 years 3 times a day, 365 and 3/4 days a year? Mavie was so quick

to answer banana split! or brownie ala mode! Then all of a sudden she stood up and went out of the room, then came back with a plate of peanut butter sandwich on wheat bread(naks health buff!! hehe) and half a bottle of tropicana apple juice. This inspired me to write another blog this blog: My Trusty Old MENUDO-my ultimate comfort food.

MENUDO-is a Spanish inspired Tagalog dish. It's a pork, liver,and potato stew that has lots of variations to prepare. You can have it with liver, you can also add: peas, carrots, raisins, bell pepper, hotdog and even chick peas...but the best menud

o for me, the menudo I never get tired of eating is the simplest one my late lola goya's(my mom's mom) recipe..just plain cubed pork kasim , crushed garlic, tomatoes, potatoes, calamansi, toyo, and laurel.

GOYA's MENUDO RECIPE

(THIS IS AN APPROXIMATE OF THE ORIGIN

AL RECIPE..MY LOLA NEVER USED TO MEASURE HER STUFF . )

1 KILO PORK KASIM OR DE-BONED LIEMPO (CUBED 1/2 IN)

4 LARGE RUSSET POTATOES (CUBED 1/2 IN)

12-15 PCS. MEDIUM SIZED TOMATOES (CHOPPED)

2 TBSP GARLIC (CHOPPED)

3-5 LAUREL LEAVES

3 PINCHES OF PEPPER (GROUND)

10-15 PCS CALAMANSI (SQUEEZED)

3/4 CUP SOY SAUCE

PATIS (TO TASTE)-OPTIONAL

1- 1 1/2 CUP WATER.

*MARINADE PORK WITH CALAMANSI JUCE AND SOY SAUCE AT LEAST 30 MINS BEFORE COOKING.

*MAKE SURE TO SAUTE EVERYTHING WELL ..

My first memories of having menudo was more than 26 years ago! I was a 4 yr. 0ld little boy in my fit sando and fit shorts(not because it was trendy at that time but because I was a bit big boned when i was a kid!heheh) sitting on my favourite wood and iron chair my

lola had in her dirty kitchen.I remember her on a rainy weekday after we have watched sesame street, preparing her mis-en-place for the dish. I'd usually help her wash the potatoes and place them in a bowl with water after she cut it for it not to discolor . I will then set up my plate sit on my chair and wait for the menudo to cook. I'd usually fall asleep on the dinning table and be awakened by the smell of perfectly cooked menudo. My lola will then scoop me a heaping serving spoon of steaming white rice and smother the potatoes and sauce on the rice. She would then cut the pork chunks to smaller pieces which I always stop her in doing because i like to have big pieces of meat to chew(i don't know why..heheh).I would then hold on to just my spoon and shovel away! From then on I knew I fell in love with MENUDO!

I love menudo ! I can eat it everyday! heck! I can even eat menudo on

a full stomach! When me and my siblings were younger I remember having a menudo day for dinner. Every wednesday night was menudo night at home. I will make sure there would be leftovers for the next morning and hopefully for next day's lunch.

It was just recently when I made my first menudo on my own. Weird huh?! knowing that I'm a chef and I don't even know how to make my favourite dish! I know how to prepare it, what's in it and all but I really didn't want to learn to cook it on my own.Maybe I was scared that if I learned how to make it I'd end up eating nothing but menudo everyday, or I might be serving nothing but munudo to all my clients at the restaurant! hehehe. Well, maybe I just really wanted to remember my menudo as my lola's menudo my mom's menudo...simple, full of love, warm, always comforting, and always hitting the spot...You, what's the story of your favourite

comfort food?