Weekend eats: Morcon and Chicken Relleno

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,  Jack Frost nipping on your nose. Yuletide carols being sung by a choir, and folks dressed up like Eskimos........  Christmas is just around the corner, this is the time that we prepare a meal that shows our loved ones just how much they mean to us.  The best dishes usually appears on family dining tables during the Holiday season.

My mother in law and one of my mentors, Ellen Ingebrigtsen- Guerrero shares two of her signature dishes that are always present in our Noche Buena fare.

Chicken Relleno

1 whole Magnolia chicken, deboned

1/2 kilo ground pork

1/2 pc chorizo bilbao, chopped

1/4 cup chinese ham, chopped

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup pickle relish

3/4 cup queso de bola, grated 

(1/4  of queso de bola will be rubbed inside the chicken w/little vetsin while still raw)

2 pcs. calamansi, juiced and mixed with 2 tbsp soy sauce

1/4 cup onion, finely chopped

3 pcs eggs

1/4 cup butter for basting

salt and pepper

thread and needle for sewing 

1.  Preheat oven to 350 F

2.  Rub a little salt and pepper inside and out of the chicken, rub the inside of the chicken with mixture of calamansi and toyo. set aside

3.  Rub the inside of the chicken with 1/4 of queso de bola and vetsin.

4. Mix the following ingredients: ground pork, chorizo, chinese ham, raisins, pickle relish, queso de bola, onion, eggs and salt and pepper. Put mixture inside the chicken and sew it's opening. Place the chicken in a shallow pan and add enough water to cover half of the chicken. Put chicken inside the oven and bake for an hour.

5.  After 15 minutes, check and baste the chicken with it's own sauce using a ladle. 

6.  After 30-40 minutes, turn the chicken to the other side. Baste the chicken with butter to prevent it from burning.

7.  Baste the chicken with own sauce every now and then.

Sauce:  Thicken the sauce (from the pan drippings) with a little bit of diluted flour or cornstarch.

Note:  You may continue baking if you want a golden brown color. Also, you can serve the Chicken Relleno whole or sliced.

Morcon

1 kilo beef kabilugan or tapadera (sliced, size should be 4 inches by 4 inches)

2 pcs calamansi

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tbsp cooking oil

1 cup onions

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

1/2 cup tomato sauce

water

salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the filling:

1 can liver spread

2 pcs. Chorizo bilbao, cut lengthwise

150 grams queso de bola, sliced lengthwise

2 pcs. whole pickles, sliced lengthwise

1 big red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise

2 hard boiled eggs, sliced lengthwise

1.  Rub the beef slices with the mixture of calamansi and soy sauce. set aside.

2.  Get a sheet of meat, rub the inner side with liver spread.

3. Start arranging the filling then roll and tie like a log with a string (the ones used in crocheting).  make sure it is sealed.

4.  Heat oil then fry the beef on all sides. set aside

5.  Heat oil and saute onions and tomatoes, put the meat back and pour just enough water to cover the meat and let simmer for 1-2 hours.

6.  Add 1/2 cup tomato sauce in the middle of cooking time. Taste, you may add salt and pepper if necessary.  Cook in a very low fire until meat is tender.

To serve, remove strings and slice. you may pour sauce over or serve it on the side.

My mother in law has taught me a lot when it comes to cooking.  Just like me, she loves cooking for her family. I admire her passion and dedication in cooking, she reminds me of chef, author and television personality, Julia Child.  I think with my mom in law's collection of recipes, she could also have her own cookbook. As a matter of fact, she was invited in a cooking demo at SM City Bicutan entitled "Kitchen Recipes from the Heart".

I will be sharing more of her wonderful recipes soon..............

"Eating is really one of your indoor sports. You play three times a day, and it's well worth while to make the game as pleasant as possible".