Pansit-Sotanghon (Vermicelli Noodles)     
Serves: 15 - 20

WINNER: Socorro M. Bannister, 206-763-0432
Ms. Bannister is married and has five children. Her mother taught her to cook. Her hobbies are cooking and gardening. This dish is a family favorite. It's best served with barbecued chicken.

8 cups water
1/2 pound pork loin
1/2 pound chicken breast
1 teaspoon peppercorn
5 whole cloves garlic (total)
salt and pepper to taste
1 pound vermicelli noodles
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 pound shrimp
3 cups cabbage
1 cup carrots, cut into strips
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce

Cooking Method:

1. Bring 8 cups water to boil, add 1/2 pound pork loin and 1/2 pound chicken breast with one teaspoon peppercorn, 2 whole cloves garlic and salt to taste. Boil until tender, drain and slice meat into strips. Set aside broth.

2. Cover 1 pound vermicelli noodles with water and soak until tender. Cut noodles and drain them completely.

3. Saute 2 cloves garlic, 1 medium slice onion, then add pork and chicken strips (from #1) and 1/2 pound shrimp and ground pepper. Add 3 cups cabbage and 1 cup carrots cut into strips. Do not add water. Set aside.

4. Saute more garlic, more onion, 1/4 cup oyster sauce, 1/3 cup soy sauce and 6 cups of reserved broth (from # 1). Bring to boil, add noodles, cover and simmer until cooked.

5. Mix #4 and #3.

Rellenong Bangus (Stuffed Milkfish)
Serves: 15 - 20

WINNER: Antoinette G. Angeles, Monroeville, PA
Ms. Angeles has a Ph.D in Food Science. This dish is a staple of "fiestas" and special occasions in the Philippines, using the largest "bangus" available which can sometimes reach 2 feet long.

1 whole bangus (milkfish) 1-1/2 to 2 pounds dressed
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt (for boiling fish)
2 tablespoons corn oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped fine
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup potatoes, diced fine
1/2 cup carrots, diced fine
1 small can early baby peas
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon melted butter or oil

Cooking Method:

Pound fish body to soften. Slit back to open. Remove backbone. Scrape fish flesh with a spoon, being careful to keep skin intact. Marinate skin (with head and tail) in soy sauce, lemon juice and pepper. Set aside.

Meanwhile, boil fish flesh with 1/4 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt until color of flesh changes. Cool, then pick bones. Saute garlic in hot oil until brown. Add onion and tomato sauce. Simmer 3-5 minutes. Add potatoes and carrots. Stir-fry over medium heat until vegetables are tender. Add peas, raisins and cooked fish flesh. Season with salt and pepper. Cook about 5 minutes more. Add beaten eggs, mixing well. Let cool. Stuff fish skin with mixture and sew back openings. Brush with melted butter or oil. Bake at 350 degrees 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Chicken with Pineapple and 7-Up
Serves: 4 - 6

WINNER: Chris Santos-Brosnihan
Ms. Santos-Brosnihan learned this recipe from her mother while growing up in Taguig, MetroManila, a Tagalog region of the Philippines. It was a family favorite. With a little variation, she made it her own. She browns the chicken before simmering, while her mother does not.

Ingredients:

1-3/4 pound chicken, cut into serving pieces (approximately 2-3 inch pieces)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 cup diced onions
1 tablespoon dried ginger
1 tablespoon cornstarch (dissolved in 1/4 cup water)
1 cup cooking oil
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 cups pineapple chunks
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup of 7-Up soda

Cooking Method:

Lumpia, Pampango Style (Vegetable Spring Rolls)
Serves: 30-36

Winner: Blanca G. Calanog, Ph.D-Food Science, Carmel, IN

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, sliced
1 pound pork, sliced small and thin
2 cups sweet potatoes, cubed 1/2 inch
2 cups red potatoes, cubed 1/2 inch
2 cups green beans, cubed 1/2 inch
2 cups carrots, cubed 1/2 inch
3 cups cabbage, shredded
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
Philippine lumpia wrappers (thin egg roll wrappers)

Cooking Method:

Using a 6 to 8 quart saucepan, saute garlic in oil. Add onions and sliced pork. Cover and cook until meat is tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add sweet and red potatoes, cooking until slightly tender. Add green beans, carrots and cabbage. Mix well. If needed, add broth. Continue cooking with occasional stirring until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat. Drain in a colander and cool.

Separate wrappers from each other. Keep covered with a damp cloth. Place 2 to 3 heaping tablespoons of cooked mixture on a wrapper. Fold once horizontally. Next, fold in both ends and roll. Wet edges with water to seal. Deep-fat fry. Serve hot or keep warm by placing on a hot tray, uncovered. Makes 30 to 36 egg rolls.

Serve with a dipping sauce of vinegar, salt, pepper, and crushed garlic. May be frozen before frying. Lay egg rolls in a single layer on a cookie sheet, allowing space between each. Freeze. When frozen, pack together in a plastic bag.

CQF Relleno (Philippine Stuffed Chicken)
Serves: 10 - 15

WINNER: Carmencita Q. Fulgado, Ph.D
This dish may be served cold and with gravy from drippings. Cook two at a time and keep one in freezer for future use.

Ingredients:

1 chicken (2-1/2 to 3 pounds)
1 teaspoon salt for cleaning
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 hard cooked eggs, halved
1 small can Vienna Sausage

Stuffing:
1-1/2 pound ground pork
1-1/2 pound ground beef
1 chorizo de Bilbao (Spanish sausage) chopped finely
3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup raisins
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 package frozen sweet peas, thawed
salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Method:

Debone chicken for stuffing. Rub skin with salt and wash off with water. Marinate in soy sauce and lemon juice. Set aside but turn chicken at least 2 or 3 times while preparing remainder of ingredients.

Mix ingredients thoroughly for stuffing. Fry a tablespoon of mixture and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stuff chicken with mixture. Arrange halved eggs and sausage in center and sides alternately. Sew up opening. Re-shape chicken and place in baking pan breast side up. Arrange legs and wings correctly. Loosely cover pan with aluminum foil. Bake in 350 degree oven for 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until "cake test" is passed. Baste with marinate mixture 3 times during cooking. Check color when almost done; remove foil if necessary and continue baking until brown. Cool and slice.

Pampango Cured Pork (Tocino)
Serves: 4

WINNER: Rosario E. Gaddi of Aberdeen, NJ
Ms. Gaddi is personal Assistant to the Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific United Nations Development Program. She is originally from Iloilo City, Philippines. Her hobbies are cooking, baking and ballroom dancing.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 pounds pork shoulder or rump, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Cooking Method:

Mix salt and sugar together. Lightly press both sides of each slice of meat on this mixture. Stack up in a clean container. Cover with a paper towel and set aside to cure at room temperature 1 to 2 days or until a little sour to smell.

(Note: You can speed up curing by sprinkling 2 tablespoons vinegar over mixture.) Store in refrigerator (up to a week) until ready to cook.

Wash briefly with water. Put in a saucepan. Add a little water (about 1/2 cup). Boil until tender and almost dry. Cook in its own fat or add a little oil to fry. For a variation, you can substitute chicken for the pork. Serve with garlic fried rice and fried or scrambled eggs.

Laing Gabi Pinangat (Taro Leaf Wraps)
Serves: 4-6

WINNER: Salvador Portugal, 412-681-3126
Mr. Portugal is a commercial artist/photographer. He learned this recipe while helping his mother who owned a restaurant in Legazpi City in the Bicol Region.

1 pound or 8-10 medium-sized leaves of gabi, include stems if possible
2 pounds shredded gabi leaves, include chopped stems (dried packages are available from Oriental stores)
2 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk
3/4 cup your choice of diced pork, shelled, chopped fresh shrimp or salmon
1/4 cup tinapa or smoked fish, optional
2 tablespoons bagoong (salted fish, preserved krills or small shrimps) or 1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon ginger root, fresh and finely chopped (or powdered ginger)
1 tablespoon minced garlic clove (fresh is preferred over powder)
1 small hot pepper (red or green), chopped into pieces, or crushed or powdered or 1 teaspoon powdered black, red or cayenne pepper.

Cooking Method:

Slightly thicken 1 can coconut milk in an open pan for 2 minutes. Add your choice of diced pork, shrimp or salmon pieces; gabi stems and leaves; bagoong; all of the spices; and tinapa into the mixture. Cook over slow heat for about 8 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened. Set aside.

Spread gabi leaves on a platter. Put about 2 tablespoons of the mixture into each leaf. Pour 1 teaspoon of the coconut curd (from other can, uncooked) on top of mixture before wrapping. Fold the leaf on 4 sides and tie with its own stem if available and reinforce with a small string or thick thread around 4 sides ending with a bow on top for easier handling or individual serving. (This also prevents accidental opening of the wrap while cooking)

Cook the wraps in the remaining coconut milk in a covered saucepan for about 8-10 minutes over low heat, until most of the liquid evaporates, leaving just enough moisture on the wraps. Serve hot with rice.

Shrimp Exotica
Serves: 4

WINNER: Rafia Q. Shah

Ingredients:

Cooking Method:

Make a paste of ginger and garlic in blender, adding some water. To this paste, add salt, black pepper powder, red chili powder & soy sauce. Wash shrimp under running water and pat dry with paper towel. Marinate shrimp in large bowl adding the paste of ginger and garlic, salt, red chili powder & soy sauce for one hour.

Deep fry shrimp and set aside on a plate. Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in skillet; add cinnamon. After a minute, add green onions and fry about 5 minutes or until tender. Add chopped tomatoes, cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Then lower temperature and add fried shrimp and salt to taste. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of grated coconut on top of shrimp and let simmer on low heat until the gravy become thick. Transfer this to a serving dish lined with lettuce leaves. Garnish with chopped cilantro and lemon wedges on the side.

Pork Barbecue Philippine Style
Serves: 6

WINNER: Amaryllis Garupa Selk

Ingredients:

Cooking Method:

In a bowl, mix soy sauce, garlic, vinegar, brown sugar and ketchup. Add pork cubes and marinate at least overnight. Heat grill until hot. With bamboo skewers, thread pork cubes and place on grill, turning each side until browned and well done.

Cocido or Nilaga
Serves: 5 - 6

WINNER: Marivic L. Gaddi of New York, NY

Ingredients:

Cooking Method:

In a deep pot, cook together the first 12 ingredients. Simmer until meats are almost tender, skimming off fat as it rises to top. Add the remaining 5 vegetables. Simmer until vegetables are tender.

Remove meat and vegetables with a slotted spoon and arrange attractively in sections on a large platter. Serve soup on the side to be dished out in soup bowls.

Zarzuela Chicken Adobo
Serves: 4

WINNER: Jerry P. Valmoja
Mr. Valmoja enjoys cooking gourmet foods, theater, opera, ballet, Broadway shows and ballroom dancing.

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (approximately 4 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup white wine
40 cloves skinless garlic
3 bay leaves
4 slices fresh ginger
1 medium size shredded onions
sprinkle of the following: salt, pepper, whole rosemary, thyme, basil, fennel seed, and paprika

Garnishes:
parsley, sliced oranges, and whole cherries

Wash chicken, pat dry with paper towel and rub with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add chicken, turning each side until medium brown. Add 5 cloves garlic, cook until slightly tender. Turn off heat. Insert 35 garlic cloves, bay leaves and ginger inside chicken opening.

In a bowl, mix together olive oil, soy sauce, vinegar, wine, onions, garlic, bay leaves and ginger. Put chicken in an oven roasting bag. Pour half of mixed ingredients inside chicken, the rest on top of chicken. Seal roasting bag.

Roast chicken in a glass casserole dish for 1-1/2 hours until golden brown at 350 degrees. Serve whole roasted chicken on a white platter, pour liquid on top. Garnish attractively with parsley or mint sprigs, sliced oranges and whole maraschino cherries with stems. Serve with rice, herb pasta and vegetables.

WINNER: Peter Nepomuceno
Mr. Nepomuceno is a network systems analyst. His hobbies include cooking and watching movies. He learned this recipe from his mother.

Ingredients:

2 pounds beef (or ox) feet
1 can whole kernel corn
salt to taste
1 small onion, diced

Cooking Method:

Clean the beef (or ox) feet thoroughly. (Baking soda does the job best.) Place the feet in large slow cooker. Add onion, corn including juice, and enough water to cover the meat. Cook for about 8 hours in slow cooker on high. If you overcook, meat will be very tender and soft. You want the meat to be a little firm to bite. When done, season to taste. You can use garbanzos or peanuts in place of corn.

Tips: You can use beef feet in kari-kari or callos recipes. Also good with lugaw.