Howdy everyone! Hope you're all doing well, and cooking and eating well as well. So many wells. Ha ha. Anyhow, thought I'd share another recipe that is a favorite of my various nephews and nieces. It's called igado, from the Spanish word higado, with a silent H, meaning liver.
This dish is not made of pure liver though, so I'm not sure why it is called igado. Or perhaps because it has liver in it, and they did not know what to name it, so they just named it igado. Anyhow, I have no idea as to how this dish originated or where it was first cooked, I just know that when I am cooking it and they come in through the door, everyone exclaims that they can't wait to eat.
Too much talk? Here's what you need for the recipe:
1 kilo of pork shoulder, what the butchers call 'kasim', cut into thin slices, the fat separated from the meat
1/4 kilo pork liver, cut into thin slices
2 small pieces of carrots, julienned
2 pieces bell pepper, julienned
1 onion, sliced thinly
5-6 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
around 1/2 cup soy sauce
around 1/8 cup white vinegar
2-3 pieces of bay leaf, torn
black pepper
And as usual, as is my practice, here is the finished dish, so that you can see whether you decide to cook it or not.
So what I do first is before cutting anything, I blanch the meat in a pot of boiling water. This helps remove all impurities. When the meat has cooled down, I cut it into thin slices. As a tip, always cut your meat across the grain, and not along it, so that your meat is tender when cooked.
I separate the fat from the lean meat, and I cook the fatty cuts first, rendering the fat. I just put the pieces in a pan, and in low heat, cooking until the oil comes out and turns a little golden brown. In the picture you can see the fat coming out already.
When the meat is done, I add the onions and garlic. Saute for a few minutes for the flavors to be infused.
After that, add the rest of the meat including the liver. Mix and stir until the meat is no longer pink.
At this point, add the torn pieces of bay leaf and add about a teaspoon of black pepper. Mix.
After a couple of minutes, add the soy sauce and the vinegar. As for the soy sauce, I suggest that you add it sparingly at first, that way you can add more if it is not salty enough. But as for the vinegar, you only put it one time. Adding more later will give you the taste of pure vinegar, and not infused with all the other ingredients.
After it comes to a boil, cover it and turn the heat to low and simmer until almost all the juices have evaporated, remembering to stir from time to time so that the sauce is evenly distributed all throughout. The process takes around 15-20 minutes, so while that is happening, you can do other things. Multitasking.
After a while, you may want to taste the seasoning and add what is lacking. If it needs more soy sauce, then this is the time to add more.
Right before all the juices have evaporated, add the carrots. Mix and cover. There should still be enough sauce to cook the carrots, and since you are cooking it under low heat, there is no problem that it will get burned. I also use a non-stick pan to avoid the meat from sticking into the pan.
This is also the time to have a taste. At this time, if it is not salty enough, I no longer add soy sauce, what I add is salt. If it is too salty, and that is why I advised to use the soy sauce sparingly, you can add a little bit of sugar to balance the taste.
After around 5-7 minutes, the carrots should be almost cooked or already softened. Add your bell pepper, mix and cover for a few minutes. At this time, your kitchen should be filled with the aroma of this dish, and I can't even begin to describe it. What I know is that your stomach will begin to grumble asking to be fed!
This is what your dish should look like when it is cooked. Make sure the bell peppers are not overcooked. They taste best when they are still a bit crunchy. You are done cooking! Yay!
Put the finished product in a serving bowl, and you're ready to eat. Perfect partner is of course piping hot rice! Bon appetit!
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