TBK Gives- the preparations for the Christmas lunch part 3

Lechon Manok, from the PanlasangPinoy.com website

The next dish for me to try out on our Christmas menu was Lechon Manok and who better to help me out than my online friend Panlasang Pinoy! MK introduced me to his website when we cooked Kare Kare together in Dubai last year and I have used it a lot since. He gives you all the ingredients and you can print the recipe or watch the video and he will take you through step by step what to do.

He explains the popularity of this dish and how easy it is to buy in the Philippines:

"If you are in the Philippines, you can be considered lucky enough because lechon manok is available almost everywhere. Chances are that there are several stalls/stores near your place that sells this yummy food and they all compete with each other in terms of quality and price. Andok’s, Baliwag, Sr. Pedro, and Chooks-to-go are some of the popular names when it comes to lechon manok"

Source: https://panlasangpinoy.com/lechon-manok-recipe/ ( accessed 16.10.22)

When I first moved to Palawan, I was buying Lechon Manok every other day from a stall down the road from me - "Wow Davao" before I bought a cooker! It was always hot and juicy. My oven has a rotisserie, but this is the first time I have made my own Lechon Manok!

Here is the actual recipe:

https://panlasangpinoy.com/lechon-manok-recipe/

Marinading my chicken in water with onions, bay leaf and lemongrass overnight

After 90 mins roasting. I need to get the rotisserie working in my oven next!

Next dish on the menu to try and make was Macaroni salad, the favourite of another of my scholars. Again, it was new to me, so I searched the web, and this is what I found:

https://www.ladyschoice.com.ph/recipes/classic-macaroni-salad.html

Jhoanna got the ingredients and I set to work

It really is an easy dish to make. You shred some chicken breast and cook it and then measure out the salad macaroni and cook it. While it is cooking chop the onion, carrot, cheese and add to the cooled cooked macaroni in a bowl. Finally fold in the 470 ml od Mayonnaise and ass sugar, salt and pepper to taste. Chill (the Macaroni salad, not you!) and serve:

My Macaroni salad, another menu item tested ready for 10.12.22

I had intended only to try two dishes this week as I am also preparing recipes for the new recipe book that will appear online from 15 January on the TBK Facebook page. Choosing my own recipes was easy, as I have 8 lever arch files of recipes now, plus 3 scrapbooks and maybe 30 recipe books! Getting recipes from the guest chefs was a lot harder! Special thanks to Chef Arnel for getting his in first and giving me two recipes instead of the one I asked for!

Elay gives Jhoanna's sweet spaghetti the thumbs up

However, I had our weekly misunderstanding with our procurement department (Jhoanna) and instead of buying spaghetti for my Spaghetti Bolognaise she bought sweet spaghetti sauce! As it was also on the Christmas menu, I got her to show me how to make it. She put the sachet in a pan over a low heat and to the premade sauce added Banana catsup and a head of garlic and some condensed milk. I had to stop her from breaking the pasta in two, so it fitted in the pan but at least she knew to add oil and salt to the pan of boiling water. Elay and Jhoanna tasted the sweet spaghetti (too sweet and "plastic" for me) and declared it a success, whilst I prepared my wholewheat spaghetti and my Bolognaise sauce which I have been making since 1978!

Jhoanna's sweet spaghetti

So that means I just have the Turkey, Cranberry sauce and Brussel sprouts to source and test out before 10 December- any ideas please email me on Thebritishkabayan@gmail.com