One of my resolutions this year is to cook much more at home and I found myself craving a stew my mom used to make growing up in the Philippines. This stew is called “Nilaga”, which basically means “boiled” or “stewed”. It’s made with either bone-in beef or pork and vegetables. Very simple – you boil the meat (in our case, country-style ribs) in water to soften the meat, then throw in the vegetables, season with a bit of salt and simmer. For veggies, I used what I had in the fridge – onions, cabbage and potatoes from my farm share. Wish I had some green beans and eggplant! Important to have bones in the meat to flavor the broth nicely.
Nilaga is served over steamed white rice and Fish Sauce is used to add some saltiness to it. I love to drown the rice in the broth and drizzle it with a bit of the sauce. It’s a very simple dish, both in preparation and appearance but perfect for these wintery days and nights. Yum….my mom was delighted we had something Filipino to eat – will peruse those cookbooks for more.
This Joyous Life 