My papa’s morcon! ❤
“The best way to cheer yourself up, is to cheer up someone else.”
This is what I have been eating at Christmas morning since I was a child. I grew up in a clan who loves to eat. It might not be seen in our bodies, though some of us really grew bigger than the rest. And this is my favorite of all times. My papa’s morcon. With pride I must say that I have been blessed with a father who is very caring, selfless and is very expert in the kitchen, not to forget mentioning that he is an artist in the true essence of being one. You might recall the name Al Cabral. Yes, he is that. A local illustrator who have been popular due to several short stories in the comics industry during the 70s. And he is my papa. The one who patiently cooks the yummiest morcon for me. Anytime he can. Each time I asked for it. =)
Clearly, I remember that papa cooks more often than my mama and the one thing I definitely miss is his morcon. He went home three years ago, and his presence is still felt in our home, in all corners. I thought then, each time I see friends and families losing a loved-one that moving on takes time. It doesn’t. There’s no such thing as moving-on. That is my personal opinion on losing a loved-one. Please do not take it negatively. We do not move-on like totally forgetting the person, no, we continue living our lives even he’s no longer physically around, and remember him and all the special memories we shared together. One of which is his special holiday dish – Morcon. And this is just one of his many specialties.
We often hold Barbecue parties almost every month, and my mother’s siblings will visit us and my cousins. My childhood is full of kilos of pork being marinated for days in time for that much awaited once a month Barbecue party. =)
He is an expert in cooking Leche flan too, Ube halaya, mechado, embotido, just name it. He can cook them, and he cooks good! As a matter of fact, all of my father’s siblings has their own specialty. They were trained to be that because as I’ve said the clan were all foodie! I even have an Aunt who bakes the best Brazo de mercedez I’ve tried. I guess we can consume the whole log like we’re starving kids. (–,) The minute we smell the scent of cooked batter patiently done by Mama La, as everyone calls her. We run to the kitchen fast to check if the baking is finished already. I missed childhood days.
They are a brood of kitchen enthusiasts from Pampanga. The home towner of this province in the Philippines has always been recognized to be kitchen gurus. And I guess it was somehow transferred to generations like a legacy.
Enough of my chattering. I am now sharing with you the recipe of this famous morcon. =)
Beef morcon recipe:
Estimated at 2 hours to cook.
Ingredients:
– 1 kilo beef yields at least 3 to 4 rolls (please ask the vendor to slice it thinly and mention that you’ll use it for morcon)
– 1/4 pork liver
– 2 pcs. chorizo de bilbao
– 1/4 kg. pork fat (cut into strips)
– 4 eggs (scrambled each as base of all the ingredients if yield of 1 kilo beef are 4 rolls, 3 eggs if 3 rolls)
– 100 grams of cheddar cheese (strips)
– 1 big size green and red bell pepper (strips)
– 2 large carrots (strips)
– 3 pcs. jumbo hotdog (strips)
– 20 pcs. celery stalks (3 inches length)
– 2 mini box of Sun maid raisins
– 50 grams of pickle relish
– Butter to spread on the beef
– 1 kg. tomatoes (chopped or osterized without the seeds)
– 1 pack 200 gms. tomato sauce
– 1/2 cup of soy sauce
– 1/2 cup of Kikkoman soy sauce
– 3 onions, chopped
– 1 head of garlic, chopped
– 2 pcs. bay leaf (big ones)
– 1 tsp. ground black pepper (better if freshly ground)
– salt and sugar to taste
– 2 cups of water
– string to secure the beef roll
Procedure:
BEEF ROLL
– spread the beef on a huge tray
– spread it with butter
– place the scrambled egg
– top with pickle relish and raisins
– arrange the fillings (all those in strips) accordingly (chorizo de bilbao, hotdogs, carrots, bell pepper, cheese, pork fat strips, celery stalks) for each beef strip
– carefully roll the meat and secure with threads (there is an edible thread for this if you want)
SAUCE
– saute garlic, onion, tomatoes & chopped liver
– When all four are cooked already, pour the water and soy sauce
– let it boil for 5 minutes
– place the rolls to the sauce and let it simmer, be vigilant to turn them around from time to time
– this will take more than an hour depending on the softness of the beef (you can try its’ softness by piercing it with a fork or cut a small strip and taste it to your preference
– if it’s soft already, you can pour the remaining ingredients: tomato sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and the bay leaf
– when cooked already, let it cool, remove the thread, slice them and arrange on your prettiest plates. Some pour the sauce on top. I usually pour the sauce first on the plate and arrange the beef rolls. Both works well. It’s all up to you. =)
This seems to be the hit every Christmas dinners that we’ve had all our lives. Everyone’s favorite! As we usually say, it is the star of the “Noche buena” feast! =)
Happy eating! ❤
On Purple Wings 