Kulinarya Cooking Challenge--FILIPINO-SPANISH DISHES

The Philippines was colonized by Spain for 300 years and their influence in Filipino culture is very much felt in food and religion--I don't want to talk about religion, because this is a food blog so let's focus on food. Even if the Spanish conquistadores have left for many many years, they have left an indelible mark on Filipino cuisine, many of our food have Spanish names and we have very similar dishes. Whereas in classic European cooking they use mirepoix which is a combination of carrots, onions and celery, we use tomatoes, onions and garlic which has been passed on to us by our Spanish colonizers. And one very good example of this is Pochero.

For this month's Kulinarya Cooking Challenge, I made Pochero, the Filipinized version of the Spanish Cocido which is a very similar stew made of chickpeas, potatoes and meat. When I was growing up, we didn't really cook pochero a lot because everyone wanted Nilaga which was a simpler stew made by boiling meat, cabbage, beans and potatoes--kind of like pochero but without the chickpeas and tomato paste. So it was really a treat if pochero was going to be the main dish. That's why I really wanted to cook this, I wasn't disappointed--the combination of the meats and the sausage with the rich tomato soup was delicious!

POCHERO

Chicken thighs 2 pieces

Beef round, cubed 250 grams

Chorizo de Bilbao 1 piece, sliced

Tomatoes, diced 2 pieces

Onions, minced 1 piece

Garlic, minced 3 cloves

Tomato paste, 1 tablespoon

Spring onions, 5 stalks sliced

Red Bellpepper, 1 piece, diced

Cabbage, small quartered

Beans, cleaned and sliced

Potates, 2 boiled

Chickpeas, canned, drained

Salt and Pepper to taste

In a medium pan, cover beef and chicken with enough water and bring to a boil with the spring onions. Cook until beef is tender. The chicken may be taken out first to prevent it from getting too soft and breaking apart. Strain the broth and save for later. Set aside the meats.

In another pan, saute tomatoes, onions and garlic until onions are translucent and the mixture is fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, add the sliced sausages also. Pour in the strained broth. Add the meats and let it simmer. Add the vegetables, season with salt and pepper. Do not overcook the vegetables. Serve hot with rice.

Kulinarya was started by a group of Filipino foodies living in Sydney, who are passionate about the Filipino culture and its colorful cuisine.

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