This the traditional Adobong Pusit which I avoided like the plague when I was young till I learned how to make it in a different style. Now I love ‘calamari’ aka squid specially Paella Negra. You see, I am not fond of sour foods in general. When I learned how to temper the sourness in foods, then I began to like and appreciate sour food. Ingredients: To cook the squids: 500 grams fresh squid (pusit) – small sized ones 1 whole bulb of garlic – crushed 1/4 cup white vinegar (coconut or palm) 2 tablespoons calamansi juice or lemon juice 1/4 cup water 2 teaspoons salt To stew the squids: 2 tablespoons cooking oil 1/2 cup squid broth 1 head garlic – crushed 1/2 cup chopped onions 1/2 cup fresh tomato – chopped 1 lady finger chili (siling mahaba) Procedure: Detach the head of squid from the body. In the tube part, clean the squid by removing the plastic looking spine; be careful with the ink sac that is found at the bottom part of the head. Gently remove the sac, which looks like silver beads and place in a tiny bowl; set aside. Remove any dead fish or other sea creatures found (you’ll be surprised to see what you find – like baby clams, baby crabs and the like) in the the cavity. Do not remove the fat, which looks like gelatine and do not remove the skin of the squid. Rinse with water, drain, cut into 1-inch circles and set aside. With the tentacles, remove the teeth, which looks like a small tube (it’s hard). If the tentacles are small, leave whole, if its big, slice lengthwise in half. Rinse and drain. Set aside together with the rings. In a non-corrosive sauce pan (glass, clay, non-stick, or ceramic), over low fire, put in the vinegar, water, calamansi juice, garlic and salt. Bring the mixture to a slow simmer then add the squid rings and tentacles and simmer for about 15 minutes. Remove from fire, drain out the squid, save liquid and set aside. Rinse non-corrosive sauce pan and place over low fire. Sauce garlic and onions in oil till the garlic is light golden tan. Add the saved ink sacs, and using the back side of wooden spoon, crush the ink sacs. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Add the broth from the simmered squid and the siling mahaba; simmer for another 5 minutes. Add the squid rings and tentacles and simmer for another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust by adding salt, pepper or patis. Serve with hot...

Ox tongue is one of the cheapest cuts of meat nowadays because it takes a few hours to prepare and cook it; but one must remember there is hardly any part of the tongue that you discard. It has a different flavor from the other cuts of beef but with the addition of some herbs and spices, it has its own savory flavor. How to clean the ox tongue: In a pot that can totally submerge the ox tongue, fill with water and bring to a boil. Place the ox tongue in the water and let cook for half an hour. Remove the ox tongue from the liquid and remove the white membrane that surrounds the ox tongue. If membrane is hard to remove, return to the hot liquid and continue to boil for another 15 minutes. Keep doing this till all the white membrane is removed. In the USA, Australia and other countries, the ox tongue is already clean; this step is not necessary. Ingredients: 1 ox tongue (its around 1 plus kilo) water to cover tongue in a pot 2 bay leaves 10 whole peppercorns 4 pieces cloves 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon tomato paste 2 onions – quartered ¼ cup soy sauce Garnishing: 100 grams mushrooms – cut into four (sauté mushrooms with 2 tablespoons of olive oil 1 carrot – cut into small squares and blanch in boiling water for 5 minutes ¼ cup green peas Sauce: 2 tablespoons flour 2 tablespoons butter 2 cups of cooking liquid 1 piece beef cube 1 tablespoon red wine salt and pepper to taste Tenderizing the ox tongue: In a pot, place ox tongue and add water till the tongue is fully submerged. Add the onions, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, salt, tomato paste and soy sauce. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 1 hour. Remove ox tongue from cooking and liquid and slice into desired size. I prefer to slice them into ¼-inch thick oblong pieces. Return the ox tongue into the cooking liquid and continue to simmer till the ox tongue is tender. Remove the ox tongue from the liquid and arrange in a baking dish. Make the sauce. Sauce: In a small sauce pan, over low fire, place the butter and flour. Using a wire whisk, stir the butter and flour till the smell of the flour doesn’t smell raw. Pour a fourth cup of cooking liquid into butter/flour mixture and stir well till well blended. Continue doing this until all the liquid (2 cups) have been added. Continue simmering for 5 minutes. Remove from fire and pour on top of ox tongue. Scatter mushrooms, carrots and peas on top of sauce. To make...