PANCIT

I have written many times before about my Philippino girlfriends up in the Arizona White Mountains and our Zumba Class. We have so much fun together and Ginema and Tess have become really close friends. Last week we had them and their hubbies over for dinner. Tess and Les have a great love story. Les was a military man and saw Tess across a crowded dance floor and decided right there to marry her. It must have worked, cause they are now together 53 years! There was just one problem with that little gal. She couldn’t cook! So Les began cooking, begging and pleading Tess’s mother for good Philippino dishes. He said she would reluctantly give them to him but always left something out…..but as time went on she realized his intentions were pure, and now he has turned into a fabulous cook. To our house he brought Flan. So creamy and delicious. We got into lots of talk about dishes, and I had just been to a potluck where Ginema brought a wonderful noodle dish called Pancit. Rice noodles, shrimp, cabbage, and a fabulous sweet/salty sauce. Les knew how to do it, so he sent me the recipe.

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PANCIT

1 lb. Chicken thighs or breasts, or shrimp or pork (bite sized)

1 package rice noodles, softened in warm water then sautéed with some a cup or 2 of chicken broth added. (you will add all together at the end, so don’t drain off the broth)

1 medium onion, sliced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup julienned or sliced carrots

1 cup celery, sliced on a thin angle

3 Tbs. soy sauce

2-3 Tbs. Patis, a fish sauce used in the Philippines, Cambodia, Thailand, and other Asian countries (I substituted regular Thai fish sauce, due to hubby allergies)

optional: julienned green beans and chopped cabbage

saute onion and garlic in oil. Add meat, sauces, and saute till done. set meat aside in another container. In the same pan add the vegetables and cook, adding chicken broth a little at a time, till tender. ***this is where I went my own way on the recipe. I put everything together in a big pot and tossed, cooked a few extra minutes with some chicken broth (about one cup). And served in a pretty bowl will eggs and green onions for garnish

3 hard boiled eggs for garnish plus green onions

I liked soy sauce on mine! NOTE TO VEGETARIANS: this would work well with Tofu as the protein!

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