Paksiw na Pavo (Turkey in Vinegar Stew)

I know I’ve been missing in action for a few weeks but other commitments superseded the blogging life. But, here I am now holding my belly as it aches and yells at me for over-eating. Ahhh, the wonders of holiday eating. We do tend to over eat this time of year and if you don’t, you get peer pressured into it: “It’s ok it’s just once a year!” I never really got that coaxing method. Maybe it’s just a way for everyone to ease ourselves into our obvious over indulgence. Or we are just all in denial

In the same fashion every year, the turkey in my house gets the cold shoulder. It’s usually passed over by the other more Filipino and quite honestly more flavorful affair. So what do you do with the left over turkey? Paksiw! Paksiw is a vinegar stew and is most associated with leftover lechon. In pre-refrigeration days, the vinegar-y stew preserves the leftover for a few more days. It’s a great cooking method and can be used with different meats. So if you still have some leftover turkey just paksiw it!

There wasn’t exact measurements when I made the paksiw. It was more taste as you go along. I had a lot of turkey left (~5lbs) so these were the ingredients and approximate measurements:

Left over turkey cut into bitesize pieces (I included the bones in the dark meat areas to extract more flavor)
12 cloves of garlic (just about one head) pressed and peeled
4 bay leaves
15 whole peppercorns
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup gravy
5 cups water (enough to cover the meat)
kosher salt to taste

Bring the mixture to a boil. Once it’s boiling, bring the heat to low and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until the meat has absorbed the juices. While it is simmering, taste the stew and adjust seasoning to your taste. I like the broth to taste with a slight sourness.

Eat Filipino Food!

Filipino Food Versions and Originals

Filipinos never fail to amuse people from different parts of the world. One example is the richness of Filipino cuisine with numerous foreign influences—Spanish, Chinese, and American, to name a few. Thus, most Filipino foods served on the table bear Spanish names like embutido or caldereta.

yummie embodito

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Moreover, Filipinos are resourceful and fond of experimenting when it comes to food. “Filipino versions and originals” showcases different international cuisines that Filipinos have created their own versions. These recipes are Filipino adaptations of Italian, Chinese and American cuisines. In addition, pinoy exotic foods are listed for an unmatched food adventure. If you are ready, then continue browsing the pages.

Nilagang Baka

The geographical location of the country results in high temperature especially during the months of March to May. However, Filipinos have the ability to easily adapt to their environment resulting into different Filipino drinks made from fresh tropical fruits. These drinks are easy to prepare ranging from hot, chilled, and alcoholic to non-alcoholic mixed with your fancied tropical fruits.

Traditional Filipino Breakfast food

Aside from being popularly known as warm and hospitable, Filipinos are known to have a sweet tooth. In fact, Filipinos have a wide variety of “kakanin” and desserts—rice cakes, cochenta, maize and many more. Most of these sweet foods are made from local fruits and crops grown in backyards.

Pansit Canton Guisado

Cooking is a skill. Likewise, it requires patience to learn the techniques to come up with a good cooking output. Also, it does not require formal education to be able to cook but a passion and willingness to learn. With proper sources of recipes, cooking is easy and simple as you can imagine.

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There are many websites that offer recipes. However, this website concentrates in giving recipes of your favourite Filipino foods and drinks, tasty and mouth watering. These recipes will help you prepare Filipino dishes from simple to adaptations of international cuisines. As you browse the pages, you will find recipes that are easy to prepare with ingredients that are widely available in supermarkets or made from left-over food. Aside from the savings you get by cooking at home, you will also get the assurance that the foods prepared are clean and fresh