Nilagang Pasku
(Serves 8-12)
Ingredients
1 k beef short ribs cut into 3-inch pieces along the rib
1 k pork ribs or belly (liempo) with ribs, cut 1”x 4” along the rib.
1 whole fresh chicken, approximately 1 k.
pig’s trotter, cut in 2-inch-thick pieces
1 ham bone or 100g Chinese hocsiu or ham hocks (Majestic Ham kiosks in supermarkets sell the bones separately when the ham meat has been sold)
1 whole garlic bulb, unpeeled but cut 1/2” off top to expose garlic pulp
2 bay leaves
1 tsp freshly crushed black peppercorns
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1 head cabbage, quartered
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2” pieces
2 pcs leeks, cut into 2” sticks
500 g potatoes, peeled and quartered
8 pcs saba bananas, peeled and cut into halves diagonally
Salt to taste
Procedure:
Using a large stockpot (at least 8-liter), put all the beef, trotters and pork ribs at the bottom with bones facing down. Add the whole chicken and ham bone on top. Add the garlic bulb, leeks, bay leaves and peppercorns and cover with water. Bring to a simmer, keeping the flame on low, making sure not to bring it to a rolling boil. Skim off any scum that rises. Cover with the lid and simmer for at least 2 hours or until bones are falling off the meat. Remove the meats with a strainer or slatted ladle and place in a serving platter. Be careful when lifting out the whole chicken to keep it intact.
Skim off fat floating on the surface of the broth. Place the potatoes, carrots, saba bananas and cabbage. Bring to a boil. After a minute, remove the cabbage. Continue cooking for another 3 minutes, then remove the carrots and saba. Cook for another 2 minutes or until the potatoes are done. Add salt to taste to the stock. Pour broth to another pot through a strainer. Press down with the back of a spoon all the onions and leeks from the stock. Reheat before serving. Pour some hot broth on the meat and vegetable platter to moisten the top. Serve it with soy sauce, kalamansi and Claude’9 XO chili sauce.
(Note: As in any meat dish, especially with tough cuts, the salt is placed last to hasten the softening of the meat when simmering.)
