A new life to good ’ol macaroni salad

Do you have a simple recipe for a delicious macaroni salad? I’ve always wanted to make a good macaroni salad, but I never have the proper ingredients. – Lenny Flores, Production, Fil-Pacific

A good old-fashioned dressing for macaroni salad mixes together 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of sour cream. Layer this dressing with 1 lb. of cooked elbow macaroni. Add 4 Tbsps. sweet pickle relish and enough grated cheese.

You can even transform it into chicken macaroni salad by adding bits of shredded chicken breast! Hmmm… Just add some garlic salt powder and chicken broth to add some zing to the creamy salad. Some folks like to top it off with a heaping spoonful of sugar just to pique our taste buds. Mix thoroughly and enjoy.

* * * Help Me Make Chicharon At Home

Do you know how to make chicharon? I really love it, and I would like to make it at home. – Fradel Alarcio

Making crunchy pork cracklings at home is a bit dangerous because you tend to buy a lot more than you can finish and you tend to finish whatever you’ve prepared. So, having said that, we now proceed to actually preparing your chicharon for deep-fried heaven.

Pork skin is available at your local wet market wherever they sell pork belly or liempo. Just pick up a few chunks.

Pour cooking oil into a heavy saucepan, filling it until half full. Make sure that your pan is large enough to accommodate the length of your pork skin. You may want to chop it up, but this is best done before frying. The lid should also protect you from popping oil beads. So, always keep the lid on. Fry until crisp.

Here’s a doneness tip: It may not be readily apparent once the pork skin is done frying, so you’ll have to lift it out of the cooking oil and slice off an end to check for crunchiness. If your are satisfied, lay the fried skin on a piece of thick paper towel to drain the excess oil.

* * * A Repeat Performance For Yema

Can I have the recipe for yema candies? – Zeny Del Rosario, MySmart

Would you please provide me with the recipe for special yema? – Emily Matias

Please send me an easy recipe for pastillas and yema balls. – Sherylin Coa, NE, UST

My name is Rina, and I’m a third year CoE student at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. Can you feature a recipe for yema, just like the ones they sell at Red Ribbon and Goldilocks? The yema at Red Ribbon are soft and chewy, rolled into balls and coated with sugar. My tita in Honolulu is asking for a recipe. – Regina Quito

We’ve published pastillas and yema candy recipes in past issues, but due to insistent demand, we’ll reprint it here again.

Since yema candies are experiencing a comeback, with everyone just dying to taste those good, ’ol yema candies our grandmothers and aunts used to make, here’s a recipe straight out of Centro Escolar’s Filipino cuisine tome on nostalgic Spanish-inspired Filipino delicacies: Squash Yema.

Known for their meticulous attention to measurement and baking detail, CEU’s dessert calls for toasted pinipig (toasted immature rice) and chopped langka (native jackfruit) mixed together with a 1-1/2 cups of condensed milk. Set this mixture aside.

In another mixing bowl, combine 2 Tbsps. of butter, 1 cup of boiled and mashed yellow squash, 6 egg yolks and 2 Tbsps. finely chopped cashew nuts.

Add this mixture to the pinipig-and-langka mixture and cook over low heat until it thickens. Allow the mixture to cool.

Shape the mass into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar until each ball is evenly coated. Wrap each ball in colored, square-shaped pieces of cellophane. Tie with a glittery ribbon. Line them up in a native basket that’s been covered with sinamay.

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