Raymond, puwede nang ihanay kay Sandy Daza

NITONG pagdating ng pandemya na lumukob sa sansinukob, nag-kanya-kanya ng diskarte ang mga tao.

Ang iba, nilugmok ng depresyon. Ang iba, lumaban nang todo.

Kaya marami ang inspirado sa singer-aktor na si Raymond Lauchengco.

Natuklasan niya na in captivity, mapalilitaw ang creativity. Ngayon, umalagwa na ang kanyang Ikegai Art na sinasadya sa kanyang tahanan for his one of a kind art pieces.

At ipinagpapasalamat nga niya ang pagka-tengga sa bahay nila dahil ang padre de familia eh, marami ring nagawa katuwang ang kanyang reyna.

Pati kusina napakikialaman niya. Ibinahagi ni Raymond ang pwedeng gayahing recipe niya ng Callos. Na binudburan pa ng hugot at emote.

Ang kusinerong Inglisero!

“Kusinero Raymond is back and would like to share with you his secret callos recipe. 

“Cooking callos is much like getting to know someone and falling in love- you must take your time and savor each moment, treating all the ingredients the way you would a pretty lady you are set to woo-gently, sweetly, and with respect. You must let it bring out the romantic in you.

“So let’s talk about food (and love), Spanish-style.

“Here is my thesis: It’s all in the sauce- the flavors, the textures, the mystique, the mystery, all the guilty pleasures, they’re in the sauce. The sauce is like the love that binds all things together and exalts.

“Take callos for instance: There’s nothing beautiful or special about ingredients like beef tripe, tendon, and hoof. But once they stew deeply and fully in a good sauce, the luscious union between them and the sauce transforms them from the ordinary to the extraordinary.

“So what’s in this delectable sauce, you wonder? I’ll tell you in a moment, but first let me tell you how to prepare the meats— you don’t, well not really. You merely soften their will like a persevering suitor does his lady love. You do this by placing them in ‘agua hirviendo’, and fragrant spices for three hours, no less.

“If you don’t like long courtships, I will not judge you. Go ahead and bring out the pressure cooker to reduce the amount of time the meats spend on their first date to a third. All roads lead to Rome anyway.

“Once the meats are softened to submission, delicately trim them down to bite sizes so the different textures make your tastebuds gush in delight later on.

“Now for the sauce.  Bring out a bottle of good wine (why would you cook with something not fit to drink?) Pour yourself a generous glass of red or white and enjoy a few sips. You will need it for all the prepping that is to come.

“Peel as many heads of garlic as you think is plenty and when you’re done, peel some more. There’s no such thing as too much of that pungent, spicy flavor that mellows and sweetens with low and slow cooking. Then mince all that beautiful garlic as thinly as you can to release its heady juices. 

“Have another sip of wine.

“For as much garlic that you prepared, do the same with half the amount of onions. Then sauté the onions and the garlic in olive oil to set the scene for the love affair about to commence.

“Once the garlic and onions release their intoxicating aroma, finish your glass of wine because it’s time to add the scrumptious fruit of the flowering plant that belongs to the nightshade family—Tomatoes. These juicy, red orbs rich in umami come in all shapes and sizes from small cherries to large heirlooms. But unless you live on a farm in the south of the Iberian peninsula, feel free to use the diced variety of Spanish tomatoes that come in a can.

“Introduce the tomatoes to the garlic and onions, and before they become inseparable, serve yourself another glass of wine, then take the bottle and pour the remainder (or as much as you’re willing to part with) in the pot. 

“You are now deglazing- pouring in a cool liquid to release all the brown bits from the bottom. These brown bits are your flavor elves that work magic.  They’re better known as ‘fond’, which is French for ‘bottom’. Comprenez-vous? Oui.

“And since that’s about all the French I know, let’s get back on topic because there is a love story waiting to unfold. (Now would be a good time to stream Luis Miguel ballads in the kitchen).

“As you let the alcohol from the wine evaporate from the pot, get another pan and fry some of your best Spanish sausage. These heavenly, fat-laden delights that originated from Catalonia come in different varieties: chorizo, botifarra, salcichon, morcilla, botillo, and androlla. Let’s say we pick morcilla, or if you prefer a little more kick, spicy chistorra. If you can’t decide between the two because you’re buzzed from the wine, then go ahead and use both. Once fried in its glorious fat, add them to the pot.

“Now you have the beginnings of a sauce, albeit sour and bland at this point. But not to worry. Add chicken stock, cleanse your palette by drinking water (enough with the wine for now), and taste the work in progress.  Balance the sourness with a sprinkling of sugar. Mind you, it shouldn’t be sweet. The sourness and the sweetness should co-exist equally.  Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Leave it to simmer for a while so that the flavors embrace.  Now taste it again. It’s much better isn’t it? Tweak the flavor some more if you like because whatever the flavor of the sauce, will be the flavor of the meats. That’s the kind of suitor a good sauce is— it’s all, or nothing at all.

“When you are satisfied with the balance of sourness and sweetness, and when you begin to taste a little saltiness, stop – don’t go on down on one knee and propose just yet, there’s still some getting to know you that’s left to do.  Put all meats into the sauce, and stir slowly and gently.  Let the plot thicken before introducing the rest of the characters-olives, pimientos, and chickpeas. These will amplify the romance that is stewing.

“Then finally, the most exciting part of the chase, that moment when everything stops and an angelic choir sings ‘aaah’ as you open the box that bears the ring (or Spanish saffron, in this case), which you release into the luscious stew.

“This final step is the crowning glory of the sauce.  And you must resist every temptation to scrimp on this costly detail because the scarlet stigmas you are consummating with the sauce are from flowers that are delicately plucked by hand.  Each flower has only three threadlike strands which must be gently removed and toasted to dry. Saffron has been coveted by kings like gold for centuries, and its earthy sweetness a subject of many a poet’s pen. 

“Let everything simmer some more to deepen the complex Mediterranean flavors.

“Go ahead. Taste it. All the glorious flavors of Spanish love and romance in one divine dish.

“Now turn up the music, dim the lights and open another bottle of wine. And if you haven’t yet, go find someone whom you’d like to fall in love with you to share this culinary wonder.  If you can’t find that special someone right away, don’t give up, the callos will taste even better in a day or two.”

Ang husay at ganda naman ng pagsasalarawan. Next to Sandy Daza sa kanyang Casa Daza sa Metro Channel, dapat na rin yatang magkaroon ng cooking cum art show itong si Lauchengco!

Patikim kapag nagawa niyo na ang Callos ala Lauchengco, ha!

HARD TALK!
ni Pilar Mateo