Grilling season & Filipino BBQ is coming soon...I hope!

No, I've not quit this little hobby of blogging.  But I certainly have not posted in quite some time, for which I greatly apologize...As per usual, finding the time in my nonstop schedule that includes family, work, play, and poor sleep, makes it rather challenging to keep up with creative entertaining sumptuous entries to share with you here. Furthermore, BIGGER things are on the horizon for me & my little family that have kept me busy as of late...but I digress...

Anyway, yesterday, actually this entire weekend was rather lovely. With company ranging from a visit from dear loving Grandma Maryann with her yummy oatmeal chippy cookies in tow & fun friends with their cutie-patootie toddling boy who is walking up a storm over for a Pizza Friday Night, to a Saturday deli lunch and playdate with the cool family of friends from school, to a lazy Sunday morning girly-girl playdate with dance friends, and finally the rest of Sunday afternoon playing with our great neighbors, watching the kids dig for fossils in the next lot over's backyard, and seeing Elena & Katrina enjoy the warm weather, Spring was definitely in the air...but perhaps short-lived...It's Monday & cloudy & 46*F & the Girlies are home sick with colds...(sigh).  Aside from the teaser of this weekend, I was really inspired to Spring clean my mind & my palate (my house will have to wait ~ ha!). With the thought of warmer weather just around the corner also comes the thought of finding fresh local produce soon enough at nearby farmer's markets or just using my keen and picky eye at other grocery establishments to pick the most impeccable unblemished fruit & veggies I can find.  And in addition to eating healthy foods from the fruit & veggie categories comes the opportunity to make delicious protein courses with the aid of the lovely grill.  I absolutely love grilled food: meats, poultry, fish, veggies, & fruit (pineapple & nectarines on the grill...WOW!). So, when I was at the store most recently, I was inspired & determined to grill something delicious this weekend. I craved the Filipino BBQ marinaded meats & "salsas" that harkened me back to my childhood of being fed quite well (hence my super duper girlish figure ;) with such sweet & savory tastes. So as I shuffled my way around the grocery store's perimeter (btw, healthier choices tend to be located in the perimeter [fresh produce, protein, dairy] vs. the "junk" food-/comfort food-laden aisles [chips, sugary cereals, boxed foods]...interesting, eh?!), I found myself filling my cart with heads of broccoli, ruby red radishes, and lean though mammoth pork chops specifically to whip up a Filipino flavored "grilled" meal.  I had every intention of having Alex help me pull the grill out to grill the chops, but alas I waited a day too late, and the weather was way too chilly for either of us to be standing outside while waiting for the deliciousness to cook up...But I would not give up...I wanted my chops to be Filipino BBQ'd, and so shall it be. So, I whipped up my version of Filipino BBQ marinade to dress the pork chops in before the grilling part were to come to fruition.  Here's my take on the marinade not with exact true measurements, as it's all about how it tastes in the end, but anyway, approximate measurements for the audience: (if you Google "Filipino BBQ Sauce or Marinade, essentially the same ingredients pop up...)

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 apple cider or white vinegar
• 1/4 cup red wine (not typical, but I think this is how my Aunt/Te rolled)
• juice of 1 large lemon
• 1/2 can of citrus soda (usually the traditional recipes call for 7-up, but since I had nary a can of such, I used a 1/2 can of squirt...it served it's purpose)
• 5 Tbs. brown sugar
• salt 
• freshly ground pepper
• 3 garlic cloves
• medium sized shallot (in place of diced onion, which is traditional)
• 3 Tbs. ketchup or Catalina dressing (my preference, since I'm sometimes weirded out by ketchup)

This isn't my aunt's (Te) exact version or "timpla" as she would say (I think hers includes pineapple juice & ginger minus the ketchup), but essentially it still produced the sweet/sour/tangy marinade that helps to create delectable Filipino BBQ/grilled meats. But I will eventually get her exact measurements, ingredients--basic & secret--in order to get the same awesome taste that I remember & love.

Okay, so onto the grilling part...Like I had mentioned, since it was way to chilly to grill outside today, and I already had colds scampering through my house, I used the next best option for indoor grilling, my stovetop grill pan.  After the chops had marinated in the scrumptious sauciness of the Filipino BBQ for some hours, I transferred the ready chops to a sizzling hot grill pan.  After about 4-5 minutes on each side, beautiful grill marks appeared and I was happy.  I knew that I couldn't/shouldn't cook the big chops just in the grill pan for the amount of time that would be needed to cook them thoroughly, so after searing the chops on each & every side with gorgeous grill marks I transferred them onto a tray that lay atop a sheet pan to be headed into a 350* oven for about 60 minutes.  And ayan (loosely translated as "there you go" in Tagalog), I had myself the Filipino BBQ Pork Chops that I was determined to make to help me get psyched and ready for grilling season even if it was 46*F outside following what was a warm weathered weekend.

To accompany my Filipino BBQ chops, I made another fave of mine that often accompanied the chops or Filipino BBQ that my Aunt/Te would make:  (Radish) Sisig.  Now, for those of you who don't know what sisig is, let me just say that traditional Filipino Sisig is, well, less than delicious sounding. But I suppose to some palates and foodies, perhaps, traditional sisig is something you might see getting raves on Chopped, Top Chef, No Reservations, or Iron Chef for its sassiness, its exoticness, its ingenious use of ALL parts pig...To each their own, I say...I mean I'm Filipino, but in this case my tame American palate dominates, and I don't think I will ever have sisig in its truest form...It's too exotic for me. When I ask you to check out the link on Sisig, I ask that for my version you only take into account the 1st part of the definition provided by the wikipedia site, and that's all I mean to suggest with the tame vegetarian version of sisig that I'll eat: "to snack on something sour"...My preferred version of sisig does not entail me eating parts of a pig that I feel should not be eaten--bleh! Anyway, so my radish sisig goes something like this:

• Slice up a bunch of radishes into paper thin rounds
• Cover the sliced radishes in salt & let sit for about 5-10 minutes to let out the moisture and bitter/peppery taste of the veggie
• Squeeze out the excess liquid from the radishes as much as you can
• Throw in 2 stalks of thinly diced green onions
• Throw in 1 large tomato all diced up too
• Cover the mini "salsa" in about 1/4 cup soy sauce
• Follow that with 1/4 cup white vinegar
• Add a pinch of salt just in case
• Drizzle 1 tsp. of sesame oil over the mix
• Mix & toss and let meld in the fridge for some time
• Oh, just as a "warning" let me just say after the flavors of this "salsa" meld, it smells less than scrumptious, but it is actually quite refreshing and delicious.

When it's time to eat, pair the Filipino BBQ Chops with some of the refreshingly piquant Radish Sisig over a spoonful of steaming jasmine rice, and repeat repeat repeat until satisfied.

I can't wait til it's truly Spring & Summer so that the real grilling can begin and the aroma of Filipino BBQ skewers of pork, steak, and chicken, can waft through the warm air outside.  I can't wait to pair it with my Radish Sisig or steamed broccoli or roasted corn or some other fresh produce.  In the meantime, I'm glad this past weekend inspired me to think Spring and think of the goodness of grilling.  Spring can't come soon enough! Til then, happy nom nom nom to all!