Getting ready for Christmas is a big part of the fun of the holidays, especially if you know where to get the most delicious dishes for your dinner table.
Here’s our list of food-to-go dishes to help you celebrate a stress-free party. From traditional ham to bacalao to pot roast beef, these dishes will make you truly feel the warmth of the season.
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Galantina de Manila
What: The traditional Chicken Galantina just got better, with stuffing of lean ground pork, premium chorizo de Bilbao, green peas, carrots, raisins and cheese with chunks of chicken thigh fillet and strips of bacon for better flavor. This is packed in a disposable aluminum loaf pan and steamed for an hour. It is served with raspberry sauce, giving this meat dish the perfect, fruity and tart counterpoint.
Price: P850/loaf (12 slices). Order three days in advance. For pickup only.
Maker: Dorothy Ferreria
Where: Panay Avenue, Quezon City; tel. 9618682
Assorted Holiday Ham
What: Ham is synonymous with Christmas. So, kick off the party season with a delectable spread of holiday ham, starting off with the traditional Chinese-style Leg of Ham that is extra-
juicy, tender meat with just the right sweet-salty-sour flavor. The Chicken Ham is stuffed with glutinous rice, mushroom, pork, Chinese chorizo, hibi (local dried shrimp) and chestnuts. It’s a complete meal in itself. The Chinese-style Boneless Ham, a bit salty on the side, is best served as filling for sandwiches or as topping for French bread. A slice or two of honey-cured American Ham makes for a great party pica-pica, ham steak and spaghetti. The holiday ham with golden brown glaze is cured with special herbs and spices and naturally smoked.
Price: Chinese-style Leg of Ham P1,050/kilo (minimum of three kilos); Chinese-style Boneless Ham P650/kilo (minimum of one kilo); American Ham P450/kilo; Chicken Ham P450 with additional P150 for stuffing. For pickup and delivery for bulk orders.
Maker: Josefina’s Ham, Jolly Boy Best Foods Corp.
Where: 87 Kanlaon St. cor. Maria Clara St., Sta. Mesa Heights, QC; tel. 7402024, 5144448, 7434238 or 0917-8448160
English Steak and Mushroom Pie, Baked Salmon
What: If you want to throw a fantastic holiday dinner party, better not miss these two important savory dishes on the table: English Steak and Mushroom Pie, and Baked Salmon. The steak pie is beef braised in Cervesa Negra, blended with vintage cheddar, mozzarella and portobello mushroom, and covered with homemade puff pastry. The Baked Salmon, or gratin au saumon, is Norwegian salmon topped with rich and creamy bechamel sauce and baked to seal in the goodness. It comes with buttered baby potatoes.
Price: English Steak and Mushroom Pie P1,500 (good for 10-12 persons); Baked Salmon P1,800 (one kilo salmon fish). Order five days in advance. For pickup only.
Maker: Delice Private Catering (Nicole Acorda)
Where: Pickup point in Tiendesitas in Pasig City and Trinoma in Quezon City; tel. 0949-9016263 and 6979133
Angus Beef Belly in Adobo Sauce
What: Add a Pinoy touch to your festive meal with this Angus Beef Belly in Adobo Sauce, smoked Angus beef belly marinated in adobo sauce and slow-roasted for four hours. It is best
served with corn on the cob on the side.
Another holiday treat are these barbeque-flavored Buffalo Wings.
Price: Angus Beef Belly in Adobo Sauce P2,480 (good for 20 persons); Buffalo Wings P1,588 (good for 20 persons). Order a day in advance. For pickup and delivery.
Maker: Mad for Pizza
Where: 2/F Il Terrazzo Blg., Tomas Morato Ave., Diliman, QC; tel. 3740589
Bacalao con Natas
What: Need to jazz up your Christmas spread? Add this Bacalao con Natas, a smooth savory treat of bacalao flakes cooked in cream, mixed with potatoes and served with melba toast. The typical salt cod is soaked in milk for several days, then sautéed and flaked.
Also worth trying are the Prawns Thermidor with hollandaise sauce, Roast Beef and homemade Kesong Puti and Alugbati Salad.
Price: Prawns Thermidor P1,700 (good for three persons); Homemade Kesong Puti and Alugbati Salad P750; Bacalao con Natas P2,500. Order two days in advance. For pickup and delivery.
Maker: Chef Jessie Rockwell Club (chef Jessie Sincioco)
Where: G/L Amorsolo Square, Amorsolo Drive, Rockwell Center, Makati City; tel. 8906543 or 8907630
Pork Belly Jambalaya
What: It may not be the usual holiday fare, but Pork Belly Jambalaya is a complete meal that everyone will love—a merry mix of pork belly, sausage, bell pepper, onions, celery, rice and
secret cajun spices.
Jonathan Beam has also prepared Banh Mi for pork lovers. It’s a slow-roasted pork belly with specially made cajun spice, black sesame Japanese pickles, cucumber Sriracha mayo, julienned carrots and green onion, and garnished with cilantro. The sandwich is best served with kettle-cooked potato chips in three flavors: truffle, cajun spice and sea salt.
Price: Jambalaya P1,600 (good for 6-8 persons). Banh Mi P1,200/four sandwiches. Potato Chips P200 for truffle flavor and P150 for sea salt and cajun spice. Order two days in advance. For pickup only.
Maker: Clean Slate (Jonathan Beam)
Where: UG/L, Vernida 1 Condominium, 120 Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village, Makati City; and Baker’s Dozen Bazaar, Rockwell, Makati City; tel. 0916-6185443; www.facebook.com/cleanslateblog
Roast Angus Corned Beef
What: This magnificent roast of Angus beef is perfect either as viand or sandwich filling. It’s soft, juicy and almost buttery in taste. The Plaza also has its famous Premium Baked Ham, a four-decade-old secret family recipe. From fresh tender pork, it is cured in a special formula, lightly wood-smoked with assorted herbs and spices, then oven-baked and glazed.
Price: Roast Angus Corned Beef P2,500/kilo. Available daily. For pickup only.
Maker: The Plaza (Millie Reyes and Karla Reyes)
Where: 4/F Rustan’s, Makati City; G/F Bldg. A, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City; Petron Square Dasmariñas, Edsa corner A. Arnaiz Ave., Makati City; and Petron La Vista, Katipunan, QC; soon to open in Petron La Vista, Katipunan Ave. corner Mangyan Street, QC; tel. 7290001/02, 8908446, 6379261, 0917-5387384, 8434267, 0933-4638583, 6236454 and 0917-5024267
Diplahan Lechon Belly
What: This bamboo-skewered lechon belly is marinated in secret herbs and spices for 24 hours and slow-cooked in charcoal for two hours. The crispy golden brown belly is served with
homemade vinegar and not with the typical liver sauce. This one-of-a-kind lechon known as lechon na maalat (salty) uses only organic native pigs, which have lesser fat content. The lechon is named after a town, Diplahan, in Zamboaga Sibugay.
Price: Lechon Belly P3,000/five kilos (good for 20-25 persons). Whole Lechon P7,500-P8,000/25-28 kilos. Order one day in advance. For pickup and delivery.
Maker: Diplahan Lechon (Jotle and Luisa Viray)
Where: Masinag, Antipolo City; tel. 0917-8268017 or 0917-8268010; www.facebook.com/diplahanlechon
Paella Ilustrado
What: Contrary to the traditional practice of using saffron to color and flavor paella valencia, Ilustrado’s paella is Filipinized by using annatto oil and paprika to color the dish, which is peppered with meat and seafood.
Other must-tries from the famous Intramuros restaurant: Palabok with Bagnet, thick luglog noodles covered generously with a rich sauce made from shells of prawns and finished with slices of bagnet, crushed chicharon, boiled eggs and spring onions; and Chicken Relleno Al Ilustrado, roasted chicken relleno served with the Ilustrado sauce of honey, lime and ginger.
Price: Paella Ilustrado P995 (good for 8 persons); Palabok with Bagnet P995 (good for 10 persons); Stuffed Chicken ala Ilustrado P1,350/whole chicken. For pickup only.
Maker: Ilustrado Restaurant (chef Bernice Pimentel)
Where: 744 Gen. Luna St., Intramuros, Manila; tel. 5272319 and 5273674; www.ilustradorestaurant.com.ph
Bangus Sardines
What: Bangus Sardines are a light alternative to baby sardines, slow-cooked in olive oil, capers, olives and brandy. With a hint of spiciness, it is a good dish for the health-conscious. It
also keeps well-refrigerated so you can have it for Noche Buena and again the next day or the day after.
Another festive dish, this time for meat-lovers, are Swedish Meatballs braised in rich, wine reduction cream sauce. Reminiscent of yesteryears and packed with homemade goodness.
Price: Bangus Sardines P1,250/order (each order has 18 sardines and serves 10 or more); Swedish Meatballs P1,100/order (each order has 20 meatballs and serves 10-12 persons). Order two days in advance. For pickup only.
Maker: Margie de la Rama of Omee Heritage Cuisine
Where: White Plains, QC; tel. 9128466, 0915-5073648 and 09496791997
What’s Cookin’ Holiday Spread
What: If you’re entertaining a crowd, you’ll need to have these dishes for a fun-filled Yuletide party. Pot Roast Beef is succulent, tender beef cloaked in deliciously rich gravy with mushrooms. Kare-Kare has a thick, savory toasted peanut sauce with oxtail and tripe and served with homemade bagoong. Callos has a touch of spiciness and loads of texture from oxtail and tripe, garbanzos and chorizos. Chicken Pastel comes in rich, creamy sauce encased in a pie crust. Chicken Honey Blend is like your favorite Chinese-style chicken, roasted and served with a sweet sauce.
Price: Pot Roast Beef P1,250 (good for 10 persons); Kare-Kare P1,100; Callos P900; Chicken Pastel P1,050; Chicken Honey Blend P850; Rum Cake P685; Blueberry Cheesecake P1,458; and Oreo Cheesecake P685. Order two days in advance. For pickup and delivery to selected areas.
Maker: Diana Ang Uy of What’s Cookin’ Kitchenette (formerly Simply Delicious Catering)
Where: 90 Gen. Ordoñez St., Brgy. Concepcion II, SSS Village, Marikina City; tel. 7181846, 2117121, 0917-7909813, 0917-5776635 and 0915-9100125; www.facebook.com/whatscookinkitchenette
Pinoy holiday feast
What: Leave it to Barrio Fiesta to give you the grand holiday feast of traditional Filipino favorites: thick and nutty Kare-Kare, Crispy Pata with soy-vinegar dip, Prawns Thermidor, Roast
Pork for meat-lovers, creamy Carbonara ala Mateo and Paella Rice packed with clams, squid, shrimp, mussels, crab and served with one whole milkfish on top.
Price: Crispy Pata P690 (good for 5-6 persons), Kare-Kare P385 (good for 3-4 persons), Barrio Fiesta Rice P430, Roast Pork with Gravy P1,214 (good for 15-20 persons,
For pickup and delivery. Order two days in advance.
Maker: Barrio Fiesta Greenhills/Fiesta International Catering (Manuel Tamayo and Corazon Ongpauco-Tamayo)
Where: Barrio Fiesta, Edsa cor. Rochester St., Greenhills, San Juan City; Dela Rosa Carpark 2, Makati City; tel. 7267836 and 5719842
Food for the Gods
What: Consider this your holiday meal finale. This date bar is rich and tasty with real chunks of walnuts, but is surprisingly less sweet and oily compared to commercial varieties. Anne Marie Therese Velasquez aimed to regulate the sweetness of her dessert for her husband, Roberto, who’s a diabetic. “This is also good for senior citizens like me who enjoy not-so-sweet baked goodies,” she says. She also uses no preservatives. Since Velasquez started baking Food for the Gods last year, it has been a favorite pasalubong by friends and relatives from abroad, and has reached as far as Canada, the US, United Kingdom and Singapore.
Price: Food for the Gods P320/box of 15 and P180/box of 8. For pickup and delivery to selected areas.
Maker: Anne Marie Therese Velasquez
Where: 1 L. Castillo St. cor. N. Ramirez St., Brgy. Don Manuel, QC; tel. 7232981 and 0917-5949514
PHOTOS BY JILSON SECKLER TIU
