Tomorrow is Father’s Day. How do we celebrate the day in this pandemic?
“At home,” my nephew Polonggoy replied while placing an arm around Peetong, his dad. My niece Ellen replied, “That’s where, Pol, not how!” We decided to entertain Peetong, as a Pre-Dad’s Day thing, with a game we created and play often: “What goes well with...”
This being a food column, the natural selection was a no-brainer. I’m also offering this column as a food greeting to all dads out there. Uncle Gustave chose the category: Cucumber.
Krystalle, my other niece, said they can be topped on pizzas. My Aunt Tita Blitte and nephew Pannon prefer them on sandwiches. “Me, burgers,” he said. Cousin Dona said, “Raita it is.”
Here’s how: Mix plain yogurt, chopped cucumber, minced green or bulb onions, minced cilantro and salt. You may add lemon juice, cumin, coriander and chilies.
Raita is an excellent dip for soft tortilla, roasted meat and vegetables. It can even be used to marinate lamb, beef or chicken.
FOR DINAMITA. We best use raita as dip for dinamita, a spicy finger food made with siling espada or green finger chilies: Choose big finger chilies. Slit open and carefully remove the seeds.
Stuff the cavity with cheese sliced into sticks, and ground beef mixed with grated carrot, minced garlic and onion. My aunt cooks the beef first to avoid having unevenly cooked stuffing during the process.
Cut lumpia wrappers into two. Use each half to wrap stuffed siling espada. Deep fry until golden brown.
SALSA. “Cucumber pairs well with tomatoes,” Dona said. It is an obvious choice at home.
Dona selects young cucumbers, decoratively peels them to create stripes. She removes the seeds, dices them and then pats them dry using kitchen towels. Next step, seed and dice red and orange tomatoes (no visible green on the skin), and set aside.
We make our salsa with balbangaan or semi-ripe mangoes, peeled and diced. For dressing, mix vinegar, salt, a bit of sugar and pepper. Sometimes we add a glug of olive oil. Beat to mix well.
Do not drown the salsa with dressing. A little goes a long way. Chill the salsa, and the dressing in covered containers. Add before serving and toss well to incorporate dressing.
BOATS. My nephew Pannon likes cucumber boats. We fill cucumber halves with tuna or chicken salad. Served cold, they make for refreshing and crunchy snacks or accompaniment for fried or grilled food.
JUICE. Blend cucumber, orange and watermelon for a thirst-quenching partner for dinamita with raita, cucumber salsa with grilled chicken, and cucumber boats between bites. Here’s a cucumber “salud” to our dads!