Noche Buena with Kapuso stars

Noche Buena, literally meaning “a good night” in Spanish, is essentially a family get-together where culinary traditions are enjoyed in a hearty banquet. So what do Kapuso stars put on their Noche Buena table?

Chef Pablo “Boy” Logro prepares his finest recipe for the Noche Buena feast. “Roast beef prime ribs with mushroom red wine sauce,” said Chef Boy, whose culinary know-how covers a wide array of intercontinental dishes. For 10 years, he served as a personal chef to the sultan of Oman, and led a team of international chefs to curate menus for visiting world leaders and monarchs. “Once a year lang ang Christmas celebration, that’s why I cook the best quality of dish for my family, most especially for Noche Buena.”

Meanwhile, Mikael Daez, the host of Saksi’s food segment Midnight Express, named a rich, meaty dish as his family’s main entrée. “Steak!” Mikael, who is a self-confessed foodie, said. “(We have a lot of) European boys in the family, so kailangan mabigat ang ulam.”

For several Kapuso stars, the Christmas season is synonymous to a traditional holiday staple: The Christmas ham. Cavite-born Louise delos Reyes agreed, “May pinupuntahan kami sa Cavite na binibilhan namin ng ham. Alam ko nang Christmas ‘pag pupunta na kami ng Cavite para bumili ‘nun.”

Unang Hirit and Mars host Suzi Entrata-Abrera shared her family’s penchant for “ham and quezo de bola.” She also mentioned a few Yuletide staples: Potato salad, macaroni salad, fruit salad, pandesal (breakfast bread rolls), as well as dinner table favorites “menudo (a tomato-based pork stew with sliced carrots and pork liver), barbeque and roast pork.”

Mars co-host Camille Prats named a local brand of ham favored by several generations in her family. The brand typically serves Chinese-style cured hams. “Syempre ‘yun na yung traditional ham namin kasi ‘yun yung favorite ng parents ko na na-pass down na to us. Then we have pandesal to match the ham or toasted bread and fruit salad.”

Camille further shared her mom’s Christmas recipe of “asadong manok” — a chicken dish bathed in a mouthwatering paste of tomato sauce and soy sauce: “She cooks that every Christmas dinner lang. All-year-round bihirang-bihira namin siyang matikman, upon request lang, pero every Christmas night, iyon ‘yung hinahain niya.” Also in the front lines is her mother’s “famous spaghetti that we all love and enjoy as a family.” Aside from Mars, Camille is part of GMA’s upcoming Afternoon prime series Wish I May set to premiere in January next year.

Like Camille, Benjamin Alves considers the universally-recognized pasta dish as a Noche Buena staple. “We always have Filipino spaghetti in our family,” said Benjamin, who prefers the sugar-kissed Filipino recipe to the otherwise herby Italian variety. Filipino spaghetti is often cooked in tomato sauce or banana ketchup, and laced with sugar, hotdogs, and ground meat. “Even now when I eat it, naiisip ko lagi family, and just being together for Christmas.”

Because of You actress Bettinna Carlos recalls her grandmother’s Pollo Negro. “It’s roasted chicken with castañas (roasted chestnuts), sausages and green grapes. Everything about it spells Christmas!” Pollo Negro is Latin American in origin, literally translating to “blackened chicken” in Spanish.

Little Nanay lead star Kris Bernal wholeheartedly agreed, highlighting her family’s preference for local dishes. “Our staple food during Noche Buena are Filipino dishes like kare-kare (oxtail stew cooked in peanut-based sauce), dinuguan (pork blood stew) and grilled seafood.”