neck bones

Confession Of An PT Addict

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I confess !
I am a lifelong PT addict, ever since I was a child and my mother fed me my first dose of PT ………
I will eat PT (pig’s tails) with gusto, in whatever guise you set them before me – braised in soy sauce, salted, fried, in stews, souse, soups, or just by themselves with bread and condiments, as shown here.
For today’s lunch, one bucket of 5 lbs was the exact right amount for Bella and me to pig out (pun intended). Of course, there are a lot of bones, so the actual amount of meat is not really that excessive (well, maybe a little……).
One might call this a case of “PT Overdose” 🙂
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Excerpt from an article by Chichi Wang on Serious Eats :
” I want to make the case that pigs’ tails contain everything desirable in the pig, and in exactly the right proportions. Unlike ox tail, the tails of pigs come with the skin intact so that each segment is a perfect cross-section of skin, fat, tendon, and meat.
Fried or roasted, the skin of the tail is chewy and crisp, with a gelatinous layer underneath. Tail flesh is fork-tender like that of the neck bones, but meatier than trotters. There’s a modest amount of tendon around each bony hub–just enough to make the gnawing enjoyable, but not so much as to distract from the whole. All in all, a Pigs tail is a little porky universe unto itself. “
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– Looks like I am not the only “PT Addict” 🙂
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Bon Appétit ! Life is Good !
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Click here for more PT on ChefsOpinion
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Confession Of An PT Addict

serve with fresh pretzel bread (laugenstangen), hot and mild chilies and mustard (or fresh horseradish if available)

a bucket of heaven……

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: one bucket of heaven……

: rinse the tails overnight, simmer in fresh water, fresh-ground black pepper and onions until tender, usually between 2 and 3 hours; after one hour, check the water – if it is salty, drain and add new water, if needed, repeat

: serve with fresh pretzel bread (laugen stangen), hot and mild chilies and mustard (or fresh horseradish if available)

: Confession Of An PT Addict

: Confession Of An PT Addict

: Confession Of An PT Addict

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Pork Sinigang (Sinigang na Baboy)

Yesterday I had a long-standing wish fulfilled 🙂
(Mind you, there are “BIG WISHES” in life and then there are “small wishes” This was a small wish, but nevertheless, I am happy that it finally came through)
For years, I wished there’d be a good Filipino restaurant in my neighborhood, but there is only one that I know of within a few miles around, and frankly, that one sucks!
I don’t want to go into details, but believe me, if it would be halfway decent I would still go there. I have tried it three times, but all three times it was VERY disappointing, so I stopped going there and gave up hope. Whenever I needed a Pinoy food-fix, I had to prepare it myself.
So yesterday I went to do some errands in a close-by shopping center to which I have been going for more than 15 years. Much to my surprise, I saw a “new” restaurant named Manila Grill&BBQ tucked away in a corner. (I asked an employee how long they’ve been open and he said more than two years)
I had never noticed it before, maybe because what sticks out on the sign is Grill & BBQ, so one does not quickly associate this with Pinoy food………..
The place is very clean, simply but nicely appointed and the employees are very friendly, attentive and professional.
The food, THE FOOD 🙂 – it was absolutely delightful, very authentic, nicely presented and wonderfully tasty. The prices are moderate and overall, it was one of the best lunch experiences I had in any restaurant in Miami in years.
You can read more about it here: Manila Grill & BBQ, Pembroke Pines, Florida
So now, back to the dish at hand, Sinigang Na Baboy
Sinigang is a sour soup native to the Philippines. Beef, pork, shrimp, fish, and even chicken (sinampalukang manok) can be used. The one featured here today uses pork as the main ingredient. One can use boneless pork, though bony parts of the pig known as “buto-buto” are usually preferred. Neck bones, spare ribs, baby back ribs, and pork belly all can be used.
The most common vegetables used are egglant, okra, onion, green beans, tomato and taro root.
The most common souring agent is tamarind juice, (sampalog), but if not available, you can use calamansi, lime, lemon, guava, bilimbi (kamias), green mango, pineapple, and wild mangosteen (santol) To go an even easier route, you can buy instant “Sinigang Mix” ready to add to the stock while cooking. (For my personal taste this is too salty and not sour enough)
Today I went to look-up the sinigang I posted before on ChefsOpinion, but much to my surprise I could not find a single post, although I cook sinigang quite often. I then checked my folder of unpublished posts and low and behold, there was a bunch of pics of a sinigang I cooked about 6 years ago but never published. Looking at the quality of the pics I understand why I hesitated, but what the heck, here it is:
Sinigang na baboy from the distant past 🙂
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Masaya Ang Buhay ! Kainan Na !
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Sinigang Na Baboy (Pork Sinigang)

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Preparation :
To read instructions, hover over pictures
To enlarge pictures and read instructions, click on pictures
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: pork-cut of your choice (I love pigs-tails), kosher salt and hot chillies to taste

: add sliced ginger, onions, scallions, tomatoes and garlic

: simmer all until pork is tender but NOT falling apart, remove pork, set aside, strain soup into a new pot, season the soup with the souring agent of your choice (I used tamarind juice), add the pork back into the soup, add the vegetables of your choice

: (I added cabbage, radish, scallion and tomato) , simmer for 1 minute, remove from heat, check/adjust seasoning, serve with steamed rice and patis (fish sauce)

: Sinigang Na Baboy (Pork Sinigang)

: Sinigang Na Baboy (Pork Sinigang)

: Sinigang Na Baboy (Pork Sinigang)

: Sinigang Na Baboy (Pork Sinigang)

: Sinigang Na Baboy (Pork Sinigang)

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Kare Kare

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So, everybody and their mother have the one, the only, the very best Kare Kare recipe. Of course, having lived in the Philippines for almost five years, I have my very own “best” recipe.
As for the protein, the most common is ox tail, but of course you can substitute it with any protein you like, even omit it completely and make a vegetarian version. The most important part of Kare Kare is the peanut sauce, of which a million of fine variations exist 🙂 (and maybe some not so fine)
Here now is my humble version of this wonderful dish:

Saute beef neck bones, seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper, in peanut oil until browned. Remove bones, reserve. Saute chopped carrots, onions and celery until caramelized, return neck bones to the pot, cover with water. Add lots of garlic paste, a handful of rice, a good amount of turmeric, a few annatto seeds, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook slowly for about two to three hours or until meat is tender. Add a large amount of peanut butter and simmer until sauce has thickened. Add Patis and calamansi juice, check /adjust seasoning. While the meat simmers, blanch zucchini batons, eggplant batons, whole chilies and baby bok choy, shock in ice water, drain. When the stew is done, add the vegetables to it and simmer until vegetables have heated through. Serve with white rice.

Mabuting Gana ! Buhay Ay Mabuti !
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Kare Kare

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Kare Kare

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Kare Kare

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Preparation :
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saute beef neck bones, seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper, in peanut oil until browned

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remove bones, reserve

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saute chopped carrots, onions and celery until caramelized

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return neck bones to the pot

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cover with water

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add lots of garlic paste, a handful of rice, a good amount of turmeric, a few anatto seeds, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer

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ook slowly for about two to three hours or until meat is tender, add a large amount of peanut butter and simmer until sauce has thickened, add patis and calamansi juice, check /adjust seasoning

cook slowly for about two to three hours or until meat is tender, add a large amount of peanut butter and simmer until sauce has thickened, add patis and calamansi juice, check /adjust seasoning

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while the meat simmers, blanch zucchini batons, eggplant batons, whole chilies and baby bok choy, schock in ice water, drain. When the stew is done, add the vegetables to it and simmer until vegetables have heated through. Serve with white rice

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