Oven baked Lechon Belly

Nothing excites a Filipino party goer more than seeing a lechon on the table. The king of  a buffet throne, the crowned jewel and the Belle of the ball . It's  the epitome of the Philippines' festivities . 

The whole roasted pig, glistering in its own fat with the aromatic steam seeping between the crackling skin , watering mouths, wowing eyes and promising heart -clogging goodness  .

 Now that Christmas is at our doorstep and everyone feeling all jovial and festive, pictures of it is all over the Internet , ever present in many ,many celebrations and parties. As a matter of fact, every December , my hometown even celebrates a food Festival dedicated to this Filipino specialty.

Behold! The Lechon Festival!

I feel home sick and left out just by looking at it and  grease- stained smiles of those who had it. Since I can't possibly order a whole pig and my oven in nowhere near big enough to accommodate a whole swine, I decided to make a smaller but never the less just as delicious version using just the pork's belly. 

It was my first time making  Lechon at home and I was pleasantly surprise that it turned out so good. The skin was so crispy , it stayed crunchy  the next day! The best part is, it tasted of home. This is going to be a very merry Christmas after all. 

Just listen to this crackling sound. It's almost as good as listening to Christmas carols.

Triple Chocolate Brownie

I once came across a rather heated discussion about how Brownies ought to be.  Crumbly or Chewy?  It's astonishing how passionate  some people can get when it comes to their food. 

It reminds me of how Jamie Oliver almost  started civil war in Spain after adding chorizo to his  Paella and tweeting about it.  Fortunately for me, being a mere mortal/unknown blogger, I do not fear being the receiving end of somebody's wrath  for bastardising a national dish. (^_^)

So back to the Brownie question. Crumbly or chewy? To compromise,  my friends , is the key to good foods and world peace. Why settle for one gustatory gratification when you can have both? Take this brownie recipe for example, the sides and top is both crumbly and crisp, yet once sliced, it is a gooey, fudgey and chewy. The best of both worlds.

Ingredients:

250 g dark chocolate

200 g butter

50 g coconut oil

3 eggs

200 g brown sugar

50 g white sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

130 g flour

30 g cocoa powder

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

150g  of your favourite, chocolate chip 

 Whisk together eggs, white and brown sugar and vanilla until well combined

 Put a heat-proof bowl over a pot of steaming water. Melt butter, coconut oil and chocolate together. Once chocolate mixture is smooth and lump-free, take bowl from the heat. Rest for 5 minutes.

 Whisk egg mixture into the chocolate mixture.

 Sift flour, cocoa and salt and fold into the chocolate mixture .

 Add in the chocolate chips. Stir! Stir!Stir!

Bake in a preheated oven ( 180°C) for 20 minutes.
Allow to set for about 20-30 minutes before slicing.

Best eating warm as it is or with a scoop of your favourite ice cream and sauce. Yum!