MANILA, Philippines - Tapas, callos, bacalao--there is no question that Spanish cuisine has found its place in many Filipino tables, especially during times of celebration like Christmas.
Two of the most popular dishes that have become the "stars" of Filipino feasts are the paella and the lengua.
Paella (pie-ay-ah) actually refers to the "cooking utensil" used to cook the rice dish. According to the La Paella website, the dish originated from the peasants of Valencia who "use the paella pan to cook rice with easily available ingredients from the countryside: tomatoes, onions and snails."
The lengua, meanwhile, is made from beef tongue that has been braised with tomato sauce, garlic and seasoning.
Don Anastacio De Alba of Alba's Restaurant was kind enough to share with us the recipes to his lengua and paella dishes.
The dean of Spanish cuisine in the Philippines recently launched a collection of his recipes through "The Alba Cookbook." It is part recipe book-part memoir as 50 of his most popular recipes and practical cooking tips share space with his life story, photos, poetry and philosophy on life and cooking.
Here, without further ado, are two of the recipes his well-loved dishes.