Jan and I both come from families that put a premium on ensuring that nothing goes to waste in the kitchen and the dining table. In military school, my father was told to lick his plate clean while Jan’s father came from a poor family and food was scarce, so there was always the need to utilize every edible bit. Sometimes my father-in-law went to bed with nothing but water in his stomach.
On regular days in our own household we try to make sure we carry on with the food values we were taught as kids. We try even harder on the days following the usual Filipino Christmas and New Year feasts.
This year, the concept for one of Jan’s holiday leftovers recipes is inspired by Food Magazine. The original recipe by Jill Sandique featured couscous. Ours are filled with bits of holiday ham topped with cheese.
Ingredients:
2 leaves lettuce, finely chopped
1 pc. hard-boiled egg, finely chopped
½ white onion, minced
1 cup diced Christmas ham
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 pc. cucumber, peeled
½ cup thin slices of queso de bola
Procedure:
1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl except for the cucumber and queso de bola.
2. For the cucumber cups, cut most of the cucumber into ¾ inch slices and remove the core. Cut an equal number of ¼ inch slices. Place the thicker cut on top of the thinner cut.
3. Fill the cucumber with the mixture and top with the thin slices of queso de bola.
Wife’s Verdict: Quick, simple and feels healthy. After all the Christmas binging, this is exactly what you’d want to snack on.
Jan’s Quip: “Back to dieting.”
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