Food of My Friend: Ginataan with Squash and String Beans
When I asked my Facebook friends for recipes to share, the first enthusiastic response, complete with a recipe, was posted by my former student, Christi Santos. Since I don't have a big Filipino food repertoire, I was really excited to try this one.
Today's cast of ingredients. Note to self: when cutting a chunk off of a vacuum-packed piece of meat, slit it over the sink, drain the juice and then cut the chunk. Yeah, it was a mess.
Onion and garlic went into a couple of tablespoons of hot vegetable oil and lightly sautéed until the onions were transparent.
The recipe didn't specify what cut of pork. I had a large pork loin that I cut a chunk off of (see above note to self). When the onions were tender, I added black pepper and then the cubed pork. Because pork loin is so lean, I also added a bit more oil.
The pork was cooked till it was no longer pink. Beef broth was added and the mixture was brought up to a boil.
Coconut milk was added and when the mixture returned to a boil, I lowered the heat, covered the pot and left it to simmer for about 10 minutes--pork loin doesn't take long to cook and get tender.
The recipe called for 2 cups of coconut milk. I find it so annoying that canned coconut milk comes in weird amounts. 13-1/2 oz. is more than a cup and a half but less than the 2 cups I needed. So I still had to open the second can and since I don't have a recipe, at the moment, that calls for 10 oz. of coconut milk, I put the rest into a marked Ziploc and put it in the freezer.
Butternut squash is great but it is a little awkward to peel. It has a thick rind and it has both a long narrow neck and a round, squat bottom that's full of seeds. It smells a lot like pumpkin. The cubed squash was added to the simmering liquid, the pot was covered and cooked till tender. About 8 minutes.
My Mom bought me this peeler from a Food Show. It is very, very sharp and removes the rind of the squash with no problem. I am always terrified when I use it and am extremely mindful of my fingers!
I had string beans already washed and trimmed in the freezer so earlier in the day I pulled them out to thaw in the fridge. While the squash simmered, I cut the beans down to approximate 2" lengths.
When the squash was fork tender, I added the bagoong! Woo hoo! I might be weird but I really love the smell of fish-based items; bagoong, patis, smoked fish...to me, that smell is the promise of something tasty!
The beans were added to the pot and simmered for about 5 minutes. The bagoong is plenty salty so you definitely want to taste it before you add any extra salt.
Add some rice and you have a one-pot dinner that is both satisfying and comforting. We were all surprised at the subtlety of the flavors; bagoong is quite powerful but it is toned down by the coconut milk. The coconut's creaminess is offset by the beef stock. Tom felt it was a bit rich for his taste but he is not a fan of coconut milk in curries and soups to begin with. I notice he still ate the whole bowl though...
Thanks, Christi! 5 turtles for you and your ginataan recommendation!
Here is the promised link:
Pork ginataan
Today's cast of ingredients. Note to self: when cutting a chunk off of a vacuum-packed piece of meat, slit it over the sink, drain the juice and then cut the chunk. Yeah, it was a mess.
Onion and garlic went into a couple of tablespoons of hot vegetable oil and lightly sautéed until the onions were transparent.
The recipe didn't specify what cut of pork. I had a large pork loin that I cut a chunk off of (see above note to self). When the onions were tender, I added black pepper and then the cubed pork. Because pork loin is so lean, I also added a bit more oil.
The pork was cooked till it was no longer pink. Beef broth was added and the mixture was brought up to a boil.
Coconut milk was added and when the mixture returned to a boil, I lowered the heat, covered the pot and left it to simmer for about 10 minutes--pork loin doesn't take long to cook and get tender.
The recipe called for 2 cups of coconut milk. I find it so annoying that canned coconut milk comes in weird amounts. 13-1/2 oz. is more than a cup and a half but less than the 2 cups I needed. So I still had to open the second can and since I don't have a recipe, at the moment, that calls for 10 oz. of coconut milk, I put the rest into a marked Ziploc and put it in the freezer.
Butternut squash is great but it is a little awkward to peel. It has a thick rind and it has both a long narrow neck and a round, squat bottom that's full of seeds. It smells a lot like pumpkin. The cubed squash was added to the simmering liquid, the pot was covered and cooked till tender. About 8 minutes.
My Mom bought me this peeler from a Food Show. It is very, very sharp and removes the rind of the squash with no problem. I am always terrified when I use it and am extremely mindful of my fingers!
I had string beans already washed and trimmed in the freezer so earlier in the day I pulled them out to thaw in the fridge. While the squash simmered, I cut the beans down to approximate 2" lengths.
When the squash was fork tender, I added the bagoong! Woo hoo! I might be weird but I really love the smell of fish-based items; bagoong, patis, smoked fish...to me, that smell is the promise of something tasty!
The beans were added to the pot and simmered for about 5 minutes. The bagoong is plenty salty so you definitely want to taste it before you add any extra salt.
Add some rice and you have a one-pot dinner that is both satisfying and comforting. We were all surprised at the subtlety of the flavors; bagoong is quite powerful but it is toned down by the coconut milk. The coconut's creaminess is offset by the beef stock. Tom felt it was a bit rich for his taste but he is not a fan of coconut milk in curries and soups to begin with. I notice he still ate the whole bowl though...
Thanks, Christi! 5 turtles for you and your ginataan recommendation!
Pork ginataan
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