A delightful dish for Sto. Niño’s feast

OUR ANCESTRAL home along Santiago de Vera Street in Tondo was just a stone’s throw away from the Sto. Niño de Tondo Parish Church. Our grandparents were deeply religious and were involved in all the religious activities, especially during the Feast of the Sto. Niño celebrated every third Sunday of January. I was told that church services during the Japanese occupation were held in the house of our grandfather, Don Primo Arambulo, when Japanese Engineering Corps took over the church. And I discovered that this is documented in the History of the Sto. Niño de Tondo Parish Church.

When I was little girl, I was always in awe every time I observed how the Infant Jesus was “dressed” with reverence before the Feast in our home. The golden, curly hair was also replaced as needed. Today, I still have and treasure the golden, curly hair of the Sto. Niño I have kept in our altar at home.

The celebration of the Feast of Sto. Niño de Tondo was purely religious then that consisted of the nine-day novena and highlighted by a grand procession, and devoid of the tribal dancing that is now depicted in the spectacular Sinulog Festival in Cebu City. But it was a very festive occasion with colorful buntings adorning the streets. The Sto. Niño de Tondo Parish Church Plaza was filled with food stalls, carried over from the Christmas season. There was a carnival with shows and rides like the Ferris wheel and carousel (chubibo). Every household had a festive table laden with the best Filipino food. Our family always prepared a sumptuous feast for religious personalities, relatives and friends. The classic Chicken Galantina is always at the center of the festive fare. I have carried on this tradition of cooking Chicken Galantina during the Feast of Sto. Niño over the years.

My mother has taught me how to de-bone a chicken, which I have passed on to my trusted helper, Linda. Now she debones chicken with speed. Linda has a small, slim knife she has kept for many years for deboning chickens for special occasions. She has also learned the art of mise-en-place when I have to cook my Chicken Galantina. But I do the actual stuffing, sewing up and wrapping/tying the stuffed chicken in thin cheesecloth, ready for simmering in chicken broth.

Chicken Galantina

You will need:

1.2 kilo chicken, deboned with wings clipped and thighs tucked in and openings sewn up to form an oval form when stuffed

½ kilo lean ground pork

1 cup finely diced ham

½ cup finely diced spam

3 pieces Spanish chorizo

in can finely diced (Purefoods)

1/3 cup sweet pickle relish

½ cup finely diced carrots

1/3 cup finely sliced green olives

1 small can liver spread or pate

1/3 cup grated parmesan

2 eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

Thin cheesecloth and string (to wrap and tie the stuffed chicken)

Chicken stock, celery, peppercorn and desired herbs to boil the stuffed chicken

Procedure:

In a big bowl, mix the ground pork, diced ham, spam, Spanish chorizo, pickle relish, diced carrots, sliced olives, liver spread grated parmesan, eggs, salt and pepper

to taste.

Stuff the mixture into the deboned chicken and sew the opening. Wrap in cheesecloth and securely tie with string.

Place in a deep cooking pot with enough chicken stock to cover

the wrapped stuffed chicken. Add celery, peppercorns and herbs. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour. Cool completely before taking the wrapped stuffed chicken out

of the pot. Chill in refrigerator

for several hours before serving.

Note: This is best served with Chicken Potato-Carrot Salad with Mayonnaise dressing.