Burnt Lumpia: Filipino Food | Filipino Recipes | Culinary Hijinks

Coconut Eggnog with Coconut Moonshine

Aside from baking a couple of fruitcakes, wolfing down some arroz caldo, and scoping out the neighborhood Christmas lights, there's another holiday tradition that gets my insides all warm and fuzzy: Eggnog!

I know not everyone is an eggnog enthusiast, but I suspect that's because eggnog haters have never imbibed in the homemade stuff--'tis a shame. But to me, it wouldn't be Christmastime if I didn't whip up a pitcher or two of some frothy creamy nog from scratch.

And this year, I decided to stray from my usual straight-up eggnog recipe consisting of cream, milk, eggs, and a Santa-sackfull of bourbon and decided to instead Pinoy-ify my potent potable by adding coconut milk and fortifying the nog with a healthy dose of lambanog.

Lambanog?

Oh, I'm glad you asked. Lambanog is a Filipino moonshine made from the sap of a coconut tree. Add lambanog to some coconut milk eggnog and you've got yourself some high-octane coconutty goodness in a glass--something I like to call LambaEggnog.

Mmmmm. Pormanteau.

Queso de Bola Fondue

Every year around this time, a Dutch cheesemaker begins wringing his hands in anticipation of a huge financial windfall. With a high-off-his-rocker smile on his face, the Dutch dairy wizard loads a huge cargo container full of crimson globes--balls of aged edam cheese covered in red wax. The giant bounty of salty cheese is then loaded onto a ship bound for a port thousands of miles away.

The destination? Manila.

As the cheese-carrying ship dissappears over the Atlantic horizon, the Dutch cheesemaker jumps in the air and clicks his wooden heels together as he pictures the millions of Filipinos that will soon be enjoying his cheese at their Christmas dinner tables. He laughs maniacally and clipity-clops to the nearest head shop to celebrate.

*****

OK. So the above scenario has probably never really occurred--I just like to think it has. But there is a little bit of truth in the above story. Edam cheese from Holland really does make an appearance on many a Filipino dinner table at Christmastime. But we refer to the cheese as "Queso de Bola" or ball of cheese, or cheeseball. And although Queso de Bola is technically Edam cheese, the export to the Philippines is specially formulated for the Pinoy palate--the Dutch add some extra salt just for us (perhaps we can blame them for our gout).

Queso de Bola is usually served at Christmas Eve festivities (Noche Buena) and paired with anything from ham, to pandesal, to ensaymada, and even tsokolate.

And luckily for me, Queso de Bola is readily available here in the States. I found the Marca Pina brand of cheese at my friendly neighborhood Filipino grocery store, and I believe the Marca Pina brand is a preferred brand in the Philippines.

The cheese itself is firm with a sharp, rich and nutty flavor, though not as salty as I thought it would be. While nibbling on a few pieces of my cheeseball and drinking a cold San Miguel, I figured I'd do something a little different with the rest of the cheese--I'd make fondue!

Adobong Sili (Chile Pepper Adobo)

It's been said a few times before in this space, but it bears mentioning again: almost anything can be made into a Filipino Adobo. As long as you have a braising liquid consisting of vinegar, soy and/or salt, garlic, bay leaves, and black peppercorns, a tasty adobo you should have. Of course, we Filipinos veer toward the meaty side of things when throwing something into the adobo braise.

In fact, you might remember adobo from such meaty blog posts as Chicken Adobo (Yes, Again), Unforgettably Fatty, and the Burnt Lumpia classic, Wingin' It, Filipino Style. But even things like squid and water spinach do a good adobo make.

And, as I discovered at my grandmother's most recent Thanksgiving feast, even chile peppers can be adobo'd!

Sinigang na Lechon

Despite nearly 20 wide-eyed, watery-mouthed, hungry Filipino porkaphiles hacking away at a whole-roasted pig this past Thanksgiving at my grandmother's, there was still plenty of pork to go around after everyone's forks and spoons were laid down.

Nope, my family could not put away 200+lbs of porcine goodness in one sitting, which was fine by me because the only thing better than lechon is leftover lechon. What to do with leftover lechon?

Well, on many an occassion I've been known to drizzle some good olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper on some leftover lechon meat and then throwing the whole lot on a hot grill--juuuust for a minute or two until the meat is branded with grill marks and the skin re-crisps.  Mmmm, almost as good as new.

And then there's always Paksiw na Lechon: a tasty stew of roast pig leftovers simmered in vinegar, sugar, spices, and lechon liver sauce.

But for this go-around, I decided to utilize my latest bounty of lechon in a pot of Sinigang. Sinigang is a sour soup that often contains fish, shrimp, or pork. Sinigang is also perhaps the most beloved and comforting of Filipino comfort foods. So I figured what could be more comforting than a Sinigang chock full of lechon?