What do you know, homemade longganisa!

Ever since I found out that I'm pregnant, I became way too conscious about what I eat and betchabygollywow it's not the easiest thing in the world for a foodie like me!  Apart from the fact that I miss sashimi (and other yummy raw food), ham (and all those deli meats), and coffee (the third menu link on this blog's header!!!), I also can't gain too much weight - and I thought I already had the license to eat whatever's preggers-friendly to my heart's content.  I never thought it would be this limiting.  In our recent trip to Manila, my Mom told me that all these were nonsense!  Ha!  When she was pregnant, she ate everything - even the biggest fish with the highest mercury content - and we sisters turned out just fine, I think (hmmm, if she were more cautious then, I would've been a genius hehehe).

One of my cravings lately is longganisa.  Actually, tapa, tocino, and all those connected to the "silogs". Unfortunately, these wonderful stuff contain sodium nitrite, which is a kind of preservative apparently dangerous for pregnant women and this article will tell you why.

After years of trying, and having a pregger's worst nightmare happen in the last year, I will do everything in my power to take all precautions and make these limitations work for me.  I am bigger than you, longganisa, and I can easily take you down.  Hehehe.  So... in my nauseated moments in bed, I found myself browsing through you-tube instructional videos of all-natural, skinless longganisa!  And it's actually easy (calling Spanish Pinay).

Ingredients:

- 1.5 lbs ground pork (I used the lean kind in my goal to be healthier)

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp freshly-cracked black pepper

- 1 head of garlic minced

- 2 tbsp vinegar

- 1/3 cup annatto (atsuete) seeds juice (soak the seeds in water)

Just mix all ingredients together and roll them in cling-wrap, about 1 inch thick and 7-8 inches long.  Let it cure in the fridge overnight.  In the morning, cut into three pieces, and remove the cling-wrap.  Fry in vegetable oil (or olive oil) until it caramelizes and becomes golden reddish brown.  Serve with garlic rice, fried egg and tomatoes.  Even better, dip in seasoned vinegar, like my favorite Pinakurat.

Yup, I couldn't believe I just made my own longganisa.  It was actually good - comparable to McDonald's skinless longganisa, but more garlicky, like a skinless Vigan longganisa.