Menudo

Copyright 2012 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

It came to my realization that I have not featured this dish yet. I was wracking my brain as to why and it came to me eventually. This Spanish-inspired dish has liver in it and my friends were not a big fan of liver. I used to eat a lot of chicken or beef liver but I have given it up lately since I now have issues with gout and liver of any kind and gout just do not mix. However, I'm glad I thought of this dish since I wanted to bring something to the office to share with my colleagues and this dish is the perfect choice to bring for potlucks.

This stew is made with pork that is marinated in calamansi or lemon juice prior to cooking which gives the meat an extra dose of flavor. I have made this dish a number of times but I skipped the marinating part until now. I have to admit that it does add another layer of flavor to the dish. I had to give up the liver component so I used canned liver spread to flavor the dish. I know, it is still liver albeit in paste form but the stew needs the liver to flavor the sauce. An alternative will be potted meat or some kind of meat paste to add a similar texture to the sauce.

Traditionally, the stew is served with a topping of grated processed cheese. Don't get me wrong by thinking that there are different choices when it comes to cheese so why settle for the processed variety? Well, the answer to this query is simple. It was the most readily available cheese in the market then. It was only recently that Italian and other European cheeses have become more available and affordable in the grocery stores here in the Philippines so the choice of cheese is now a matter of taste. Grated Pecorino Romano or Parmiggiano will be perfect choices for this stew if you can get hold of them. 

Menudo

2 lbs pork, 1/2-inch dice
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp calamansi or lemon juice
salt and pepper
3-4 bay leaves
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, diced
2 large carrots, 1/2-inch dice
3 potatoes, 1/2-inch dice
1 medium green bell pepper, deseeded and diced
1 medium red bell pepper, deseeded and diced
1/2 cup raisins
6 tbsp tomato paste
3-4 cups chicken or beef broth
1 tbsp fish sauce (optional)
grated cheese (optional)
3 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Marinate the pork by adding the brown sugar, soy sauce, calamansi or 
    lemon juice, a tablespoon of salt and a dash of pepper. Mix well and let 
    sit for about 30 minutes. 

2. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onions 
    and season with salt and pepper. Saute until softened. Add the bay leaves 
    and cook for another minute. 

3. Drain the meat (reserve the liquid) and in batches, add to the pan. Cook 
    until browned. Add the reserved liquid and the broth and bring to a boil. 
    Lower the heat to medium low and cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 
    hot water if the liquid gets low. 

4.  Add the potatoes and cook for another 10 minutes. Add the carrots and 
     raisins and cook until the carrots are tender but firm. 

5. Add the tomato paste and fish sauce if using. Mix well and check for 
    flavor. Adjust the flavor by adding more salt and a little bit more black 
    pepper.

6. Add the bell peppers and simmer for another 5 minutes. If the sauce is 
    too thick, add more hot water. Check for flavor and serve hot. Garnish 
    with your choice of grated cheese if desired.