magnum

Magnum? No, not the gun, particularly not the caliber .357 single bullet that downed Ninoy Aquino. Magnum. It's the latest summer craze in the Philippines. Magnum, the ice cream. That oh-so-yummilicious rich vanilla-flavored and chocolate-coated ice cream bar that oozes with pure delight and goodness...! It's been around most of the world for some time, but it's only now that it was formally introduced in da Pilipins, and boy, do Pinoys go gaga and crazy over it, eating it is kinda status symbol. I tend to say this is like having those expensive coffee concoctions just for the heck of being called "sosyal" or high "class." Yessir, slurping down Magnum Ice Cream is like gulping down Starbucks coffee, well, for some, you simply indulge to get "in."

(Photo credit: foodbeast.com)

So, do we have a recipe? Of course, we can't be lucky to have the Magnum recipe itself, for a song. But you can make the same ice cream if you want, and be your own. Just the other day, me and my daughter made a very delicious mango and apple ice cream (you only need some milk, cream, some egg yolks, sugar, and other flavorings blend it over with the fresh fruits in a food processor, then freeze it overnight, and presto you have your ice cream the next day, sweet and frozen for you to dig into and start licking and slurping! yeah, and just last night, we made a honey dew ice cream, heh-heh!)

(Photo credit: Quick and Dirty in the Kitchen) 

(Photo credit: A Taste of Koko) 

(Photo credit: A Taste of Koko)

But anyway, how about these ice cream recipes from the Ice Cream Park!

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roast goose

I always am fascinated with a goose, a goose dish, that's it. It's rare, meat and/egg are kind of scarce. It's not readily available in the local market, not common as chicken. It's not bred for mass production. It's rarity and thereby its high price might be reasons enough that it became a kind of delicacy, and even exotic just like duck (like Peking duck). But once I tasted goose stew or a tinola a ganso (boiled goose, soup, with green papayas and chili leaves) and it's so unforgettably delicious and wickedly tasty that I wished it was a regular fare. Of the roasted goose, I have yet to encounter. And so with a roasted duck. The elaborate preparation and the roasting is essentially the same, goose and duck, I guess so. A chance of a lifetime, especially if it's done as palatable as these:

(Photo credit: worldisround.com)

(Photo credit: wikipedia.org)

(Photo credit: simplyrecipes.com)

Why don't we try to roast or own roast goose? We'll follow some recipes at Simply Recipes and at Wrightfood!

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escargot

Escargot, anyone? Don't be intimidated by the name. Or by the *right* way it's said or pronounced. Exoticism at its best. French and a kind of gourmet food. But those are just snails. Kuhol. Bisukol. Shells we use to pick usually in some shallow freshwater. As a child, I used to gather black snails in the rice fields, ponds, lagoons. My mother would then boil it with lots of ginger and lemongrass. Or cook it in coconut milk. A delicacy but not an exotica for us then. But of course, it's a kind of exotic fare for those who didn't yet try. Or for those adamant. How about treating your local kuhol into a gourmet escargot with the recipes below?

(Photo credit:  steamykitchen.com)

(Photo credit: mrsmartinezravesandrants.blogspot.com)

(Photo credit: blauearth.com)

Try this escargot with garlic, butter and a splash of cognac at the Steamy Kitchen, or this old Pinoy recipe of the quintessential ginataang kuhol at the BlauEarth blog.

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longanisa

Who doesn't love sausages or chorizos? Pinoys love it, and they have their own longanisa (longganisa, langgonisa, longaniza). Pork sausage, that's it. Perfect for breakfast, or in any meal time for that matter as it could serve as an appetizer to your main dishes. It can also be grilled or barbecued on stick and consumed as a snack. And it serves as a hearty delectable filling for empanadas like those ones in Vigan and Batac in the Ilocos. There's a lot of longanisas in the Philippines, almost every town or province has their own variation of this ground pork and garlic mix foodie. And here are some four of the most popular....

Vigan Longanisa. Photo credit: nomorewhitecoats.blogspot.com 

Batac Longanisa on stick. Photo credit: Leilanie Adriano

 Lucban Longanisa. Photo credit: pagkaing-filipino.blogspot.com

Ybanag (Tuguegarao) Longanisa. Photo credit: skiptomalou.net

Tuguegarao longanisa is not as popular as that of Vigan's or Batac's, but it has it's own distinct flavor and texture that's uniquely delicious. I want to try making it, join me, the Ybanag Longanisa recipe at the Skip To Malou! blog is worth a try!

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crab claw

I always crave for crabs, crab meat, crab fat, and mostly for its claws with which thick shells shields delicious meat. I love the task of cracking it open, and ate morsel by morsel the succulent and fragrant white meat. I love crabs simply steamed, as is, because it's sweeter and juicier and tastier. I especially like freshwater mud crabs locally grown (fattened) or in the wild in the lagoons and rivers in Cagayan, especially in Buguey area. Big and fat crabs with lots of crab fat and bulging with crab meat.

Photo credit: foodspotting.com

Photo credit: eatfirstthinklater.blogspot.com

Photo credit: rasamalaysia.com

Besides steamed crab, I also love crab chili and others. How about a sweet and sour crab claws from Rasa Malaysia? Let's try this out!

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unlaid, "immature" chicken eggs

Really, really missed this! Unlaid eggs (actually egg yolks) still intact, with different sizes, from almost mature to the tiniest morsels, and without shells, inside the chicken. When I was a child, we used to "quarrel" with my siblings over this delicacy every time my mother butcher and make a tinola out of an egg-laying hen. When the tinola is ready we'll hunt for the little and tiny shell-less eggs and egg sac in the bowl or right in the pot. This is a real kicker, so delicious and tasty--I especially love the egg sac. And I'm used to it. But now, it has been ages since I remember I saw or consumed one, because we are now used to buying "45-day white" chicken by the parts (wings, breast, neck, back, thighs, legs, liver, etc.).

Photo credit: marketmanila.com

Immature chicken eggs with its egg sac. Photo credit: casaveneracion.com  

Chicken adobo with immature eggs. Photo credit: marketmanila.com

Dry chicken adobo with immature eggs. Photo credit: Gina Bumatay Cayaban

I'll scour the local market soon and see if can chance upon a "native" free range she-chicken for sale. I just hope I can find a really laying hen although I'm not sure if any folk will sell an egg-laying hen.

Besides, tinola, i'll try those adobo and arroz caldo recipes offered by Casa Veneracion. How about you?

Meanwhile, here's an article form the The York Times about unlaid eggs consumption.

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