What Lies Beneath The Surface…

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Before you click the jump to the rest of the article, can you guess what lies below this crust of homemade breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, chopped Italian parsley and extra virgin olive oil?

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Callos ala Madrilena made with lechon patas, several chorizos bilbao, slices of Tennessee ham and garbanzos. Yet another heart stopping dish. UTTERLY SUPERB! Very high on the unctuous-ity scale. I am about to go on another “James Bond” diet for several months, pulling back from meats and eating more vegetables and fruits, and my brain resists such diet thoughts so aggressively that it “forces” me to cook things that I might miss dearly while on the diet. :) Hence the rash of lechon related posts, steaks, etc. of the past week or so…

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I made the Callos ala Madrilena before, and the detailed recipe can be found here, but for this version, I used leftover lechon patas instead of fresh patas, and I added garbanzos after reading comments on the last post on this topic. In addition, sister’s description of a callos dish she had at a starred restaurant in Paris with breadcrumb crust made me try that twist with fabulous results. This is a small cazuela, and fit only 1/5th the callos I cooked the other day (I sent the rest out to friends and family), and after the callos spent the night in the fridge, I placed it in a cazuela and heated it up for 10 minutes in a 400F oven and took it out of the oven. Next, in a bowl, I mixed about 3/4 cup of homemade bread crumbs (not too finely blitzed), 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan, a tablespoon or more of chopped Italian parsley, freshly ground pepper, and several tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. This mixture was carefully placed all over the top of the warmed callos and placed back in the oven under a broiler and watched carefully to ensure that it browned but didn’t burn…

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The results were absolutely delicious! The light crust of breadcrumbs and cheese gave an unusual textural twist to the incredibly unctuous and rich stew of tripe, chorizo and lechon within. This was all “laman” and not much filler or saucy sauce for the sake of sauce. Excellent by itself, or great with some toasted bread, even steamed rice… Just add a touch of sherry vinegar and/or olive oil for that last burst of flavor if you desire. Now, if I could just keep chanting “James Bond was 168 pounds, James Bond was 168 pounds”… heeheehee. :)

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53 Responses

  1. Can’t wait to read your posts on your diet of veggies and fruits. With my high uric acid and cholesterol count, I just eat my way vicariously through your yummy concoctions daily! Great way to stimulate my senior citizen neurons. I love the engaging tips on cooking rich dishes that mostly remain in my fantasy,too. More power to your blog,MM. It’s a daily ‘must’ for me!

  2. This is one reason I like this blog…..MM always experiments with old recipes…tweaking here and there….for a totally new dish!For me, you are truly a good cook because you are not limited by a recipe and can get by with what is available in your pantry!Good job!

    MM, with all the rich dishes you had this holiday,and on your way to your 2010 diet and exercise, please dont forget to share your “getting fit” regimen with us too so we could do the same! :)

  3. I bet James Bond doesn’t eat as well as you do! The pics look delicious, the smell of this dish must be intoxicating.

  4. Pwerte kanamit sa itsura pa lang daw matulo na ang luha ko. Sigurado gid ko nga kun makatilaw ko sini malipat gid ko sang akon ngalan.

  5. Artisan, if MM gives you a sample, don’t forget to call me! I’ll never forgive you if you don’t! hahahaha

    Lee, if we ever get to taste this, we will also forget your name…

  6. Mama Mia,
    The breadcrumb/cheese/parsley crust is good on top of pasta dishes like zitiwith tomato sauce, macaroni and cheese, or try it on lightly steamed veggies like asparagus, or on creamed cauliflower, or on braised cabbage and also on dutchesse potatoes.etc.
    But it brings callos up a notch!

  7. the top crust is good enough for me, inside is a bonus! my boy will love this since he likes Callos, but this is screaming “high blood”! hehe…MM, maybe next time you could consider selling per tray some of your great-for-party dishes like this one so we can order na lang and get to taste your recipes :-)

  8. Mmmmm callos (sa Ilonggo ‘bindunggo’)… James Bond, who? Anyway, again: Mmmmm callos…

  9. My guess was sliced fresh ripe tomatoes. Try this same yummy topping with tomatoes for your 007 Diet, MM. I can also see this topping on a ratatouille for your all veggie alternative.

  10. Maliban sa sarap MM, gusto ko din yang ginamit mong plato (Parang ginagamit yan ng mga chef sa Egypt at Morocco) Nice post MM.

  11. Oh My Gulay !!!! Tripe is my favourite offal. A pie of Tripe…a la Haggis !!! Great Balls of Fire !!! Yeah MM Looking forward to the Veg Diet dishes…Way to go Man !!!

  12. MM,
    I did try to guess as you said before clicking on the read post… and I was right about the lechon in it.

    As my husband would comment on my watching the food shows on TV…`I get fat just watching all these shows!’ Now, reading your blog everyday…I am gaining weight with all these yummy dishes that you make!!! It looks delish…

  13. I was right! Before I read the entire post, I answered your “guess” question: Zubuchon! ;-))

    I used a similar topping when I made baked/roasted whole “cabocha”. Halfway into the roasting, I scooped out the soft flesh, leaving enough to keep the “shell” firm, cooked the roughly chopped squash & sauteed it with pancetta, garlic, onions, ground Italian sausage meat, S&P, thyme & rosemary. Stuffed back into the “cabocha” shell. Baked a few minutes more. Then put similar topping as above & placed under broiler for a couple of minutes or so!

    If you take out the sausage meat and/or the pancetta & maybe instead/replace those w chopped green veggies, then this could be a great vegetarian dish, might even be included in a ‘meatless’ healthy diet such as the one you’re about to embark on!

    Good luck!

  14. thank you to everyone who gave their suggestions!

    i’m guessing there’s a similar recipe out there that makes use of chicken,
    beef or fish… looks like i have some researching to do…

    thanks again!

  15. Mama Mia…Like you, I HAVE TO stay away from artery blocking dishes, no offense, MM!….or my hubby will never talk to me again (maybe not a bad idea?!?)…so I will sub fish and cook it like bacalao with the sofrito as your base like MM’s callos…or a seafood one with prawns, halibut chunks, king crab meat or lobster meat (or monkfish is a good sub for lobster meat)…more like cioppino with a little broth. I think this is “heart healthy” too!

    If you want chicken, may I suggest a Hungarian dish called Chicken Paprikash? …olive oil and then a little garlic, lots of onions and caramelize them, add diced green and red peppers, and saute them..add paprika and then your diced chicken…season with salt and pepper and a little water or chicken broth and simmer until done. Lastly add some smoked sausage and spaeztle….those little dumplings which is just like a really wet pasta dough and passed through a grater with really large holes. My boys just love this dish!…then top it with MM’s breadcrumb topping and bake.

    I hope this helps you too!

  16. This is one of those dishes that I will have my kids try first before I tell them it is *tripe*. :-) Hopefully they will not suspect until they get their fill…

  17. awesome. just take care of your health okay. looks so delish.temptingly good to eat but for now i will just be contented with the lovely photos as i have to watch my cholesterol and hpn and stones..hope you can write a book too cant wait for it .tnx for the lovely photos.

  18. Hi MM! Will try out this new twist. We have our own family recipe of callos which is quite similar to yours. Ours though, has it origins from the chef / cook of the former Guernica’s who my dad, a former banker, be-friended. Hehehehe…. :-)

  19. fantastic blog for the foodies like me…keep it up marketman! zibuchon sundays have become a ritual…

  20. I heart callos, my mom’s style. It just has to have tripe, cheek, red bell pepper, tomato paste, chorizo de bilbao or bilbao powder.

  21. I don’t know that dish, but my first thought was Lechon, some kind of pork. You are definitely the Pork Man of Cebu. No wonder Bourdain loves you.

  22. Looks amazing. I love callos, and the breadcrumb topping is great idea. I’d love to see your version of cassoulet.

  23. FM, Mrs. MM makes the cassoulet in our home, see this post here, where she uses a Gourmet Magazine recipe from 2002. You could top cassoulet with this breadcrumb mixture as well… Vicky, thanks for the link. Glad so many people seemed to like this one dish… :)

  24. wow. this post makes me really want to give callos a try. thank you, MM. and might as well have bettyq’s chicken paprikash down the line too. we love chicken dishes. thanks bettyq.

  25. OMG MM, I used to eat this when I lived in Madrid as a student years ago. You could get it any time of day in a bar, where they served it in straight sided pottery dishes, like tapas. This, and a coffee with a shot of brandy, constituted many a breakfast. Wicked!

  26. I was checking the archives when I saw this post. That topping sounds delicious and I’ll be making callos this weekend with your topping instead of my planned kare kare to finish off the tripe I have in the freezer. I will also make Betty Qs Chicken Paprikash which sounds delicious as well. Thanks MM and Betty Q.

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