Here’s how to spend a happy no-waste holiday
Lechon needs attention
Those lucky enough to receive a whole lechon should assign one person just to slice and serve the roasted pig. The belly (liempo) should be cut out first or it will be soaked in the lechon’s greasy (but flavorful) drippings. The belly fat, separated from the skin and meat, can be set aside in the ref and added to the oil when frying potatoes to add flavor. Lechon head and feet are great when cooked like pata tim or pares.
Lechon ribs, with thick chunks of meat, make for tender and delicious BBQ spareribs when broiled or baked bathed in BBQ sauce.
Shanghai filling
Cooks often run out of lumpia wrapper and are left with cowls of seasoned ground pork. When this happens, get wanton wrappers and cook fried wantons. Or drop the filled wantons into boiling noodle soup.
Dinuguan from sisig
The sight and smell of sisig sizzling on a hotplate make the humble chopped pig parts stand out but leftover sisig sizzles no more. A creative solution is to convert it into everyone’s favorite merienda—dinuguan. Start by boiling pig mask in water seasoned with vinegar and salt. Cool, then slice into small dice. Simmer mask and sisig together with pig blood. Boil for five minutes, then season with salt and vinegar. Cool and
For pulutan (bar chow), the Chizmosas, tuna kinilaw with pig’s ear chips, goes well with any cocktail or beer. Some of the other dishes worth ordering are the cochi summer rolls, shredded cochinillo wrapped in rice paper with mixed greens; caulifries, essentially guilt-free French fries that replace the potato with cauliflower; lengua mushroom sauce, beef tongue so tender it melts in the mouth; and keep in refrigerator overnight. Reheat the next day, adding more vinegar and chili peppers. This can last several days in the refrigerator. This recipe also works for leftover bopis.
The opening spread for a long feast should have carbs, greens, protein, and fruits.
From Italian to Mexican
Tomato-based Italian pasta sauce readily fits into the popular bar chow nachos.
In a big bowl, layer torn lettuce leaves, seedless sliced cucumbers, sliced tomatoes, grated cheeese, crisp tortillas, and drizzle with sauce. Sprinkle with Tabasco and serve with more tortillas. lightly-buttered deep fried chicken. For carbohydrates to match your proteins and ulam (mains), there’s chorizo paella, seafood paella, salted fish fried rice, and garlic rice available.
The cocktails are revelatory too. My favorite is the guavarita, a medley of guava, calamansi, and tequila, which has a slightly sweet flavor and an herby aftertaste. Apart from that, I also found the whiskey sour and gin basil smash quite nice. With its excellent cochinillo and concoctions, the latest iteration of Cochi is full of promise.
Cochi, A Feast of Flavors is found at Unit 1, Ground floor, Verve Residences Tower 2, 27th Street corner 9th Ave. BGC, Taguig City, Metro Manila. 09352101341