Julia

Let's sing a song of love for Julia. It's her birthday today.

JULIA by John Lennon

Half of what I say is meaningless
But I say it just to reach you,
Julia

Julia, Julia, ocean child calls me
So I sing a song of love, Julia
Julia, seashell eyes, windy smile, calls me
So I sing a song of love, Julia

Her hair of floating sky is shimmering, glimmering,
In the sun

Julia, Julia, morning moon, touch me
So I sing a song of love, Julia

When I cannot sing my heart
I can only speak my mind, Julia

Julia, sleeping sand, silent cloud, touch me
So I sing a song of love, Julia
Hum hum hum...calls me
So I sing a song of love for Julia, Julia, Julia

Beef Tongue In Mushroom Sauce

beef tongue with fresh crimini mushrooms

Ox, beef, or pork tongue stew is a popular dish in the Philippines because Filipinos love their offal. When I first saw and tried this dish as a child I was freaked out; it felt like I was eating my own tongue. I never ate nor cooked the thing again until about 5 years ago and this is only the second time I made this dish. I sliced the meat and fried them a little before briefly cooking in the sauce as opposed to stewing the whole tongue in the sauce.

It takes a long time to boil the tongue but it came out very tender and delicious with baby portabella/crimini mushrooms. Next time I'll pickle some pork tongues for Italian style sandwich.

Beef Tongue In Mushroom Sauce
1 beef tongue
water
1 medium onion, quartered
1 small carrot, scraped and sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon salt
¼ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon flour
2 cups sliced crimini
1 bay leaf
2 cups reserved stock
salt and ground black pepper to taste
a few sprigs fresh thyme leaves

• Rinse tongue in water, brush well, and place in a large pot, then add water to cover. Turn heat to high and boil tongue for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse the tongue again in water. Rinse the pot, put back the tongue and add water to cover. Boil tongue with onion, carrot, bay leaf, salt, and black peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 2 - 3 hours or until tender. Transfer the tongue to a cutting board, tent with aluminum foil and set aside to cool. Strain and reserve the stock.
• Peel and discard the tongue's skin. Cut the meat into ¼ to ½ inch thick slices. Heat 1 tablespoon butter and fry the slices until light brown.
• Melt the remaining butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion until well browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and saute an additional 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and bay leaf and saute 2 minutes longer. Add the flour and stir fry for 2 minutes. Slowly add the reserved stock, stirring frequently. Then add the tongue, reserved stock, and thyme. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning. Serve hot with steamed rice.

Lasang Pinoy, Sundays: Saba Con Hielo

saba in syrup + shaved ice = chillin' snack

During my two pregnancies in the perpetually hot and humid Philippines, I had saba bananas in syrup with shaved ice and milk almost every other day to cool me off. Not halo-halo which is too rich, just sweet saba, ice, and milk. I could have eaten just milk and sugar on shaved ice and I would probably have been happy anyway. Ripe saba banana, in my opinion, is the only kind of banana that pairs very well with shaved ice and milk.

I added tiny tapioca pearls and used half-and-half for a creamier richer cold treat

yummy saba con hielo

Lasang Pinoy Sundays is a weekly food photography meme, Pinoy style, hosted by SpiCes. Let's CHILL!

Weekend Herb Blogging: Green Tomatoes And Apples Hazelnut Crisp

A week ago strong winds broke a branch of one of my tomato plants bearing a few green tomatoes. Since there wasn't enough to fry I sliced them and together with two granny smith apples I made them into a fruit crisp. The flavor combination of slightly tart apples, sweetish tomatoes, and hazelnuts is amazing, very very yummy.

These green [yellow variety] tomatoes are surprisingly sweet and there isn't a hint of tartness. Being a tomato fiend (I love to snack on tomatoes since I was a small child) I could eat them regularly straight from the bush or in desserts.

sweet and crunchy green (yellow) tomatoes

Green Tomatoes And Apples Hazelnut Crisp
2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced
2 medium green tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar, more if you prefer it sweeter
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
¼ cup all purpose flour
6 tablespoons dark brown sugar
¼ cup cold salted butter, diced
1 cup roasted hazelnuts
2 - 3 tablespoons Nutella

• In a small bowl mix the apples and tomatoes, drizzle with lemon juice. In another small bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon rind, then sprinkle all over the fruits. Toss mixture gently to coat fruits. Transfer into a baking dish. Bake in a preheated 375 degree F oven for 20 minutes.
  
• Prepare the topping while the fruits are baking: In a food processor, pulse together the flour, brown sugar, and butter. Add the hazelnuts and process until nuts are chopped fine. Refrigerate until needed. Sprinkle evenly on top of fruits and bake for another 15 minutes or until nicely browned and crisp. Remove from oven and let rest for 2 minutes.
  
• Spoon Nutella in a disposable icing bag and pipe thin strips on top of crisp. Serve warm or at room temperature.
  

I'm submitting this post to Weekend Herb Blogging which is being hosted this week by Dhanggit. For more info on how to join this weekly event visit Haalo's blog.