Filipino Embutido

Filipino Embutido
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Kate S. Jordan.
Total Time
2 hours
Rating
4(125)
Notes
Read community notes

This recipe for embutido, a festive Filipino meatloaf featuring ingredients that appeared in the Philippines during the American occupation, is adapted from Emma Phojanakong. She often prepares it as a stuffing for chicken; inspired by that, this recipe features a simple citrus-and-soy-spiked chicken sauce to go alongside. Serve it with watercress and steamed white rice, but it also makes great next-day sandwiches.

Featured in: The Rich Tradition of Filipino Embutido

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Ingredients

Yield:6-8 servings
  • 4large eggs
  • ¼pound Edam cheese, grated
  • ¾cup finely diced smoked ham
  • ¾cup fresh or frozen peas
  • cup raisins
  • ½medium onion, finely minced
  • 4canned Vienna sausages, thoroughly mashed with a fork
  • cup sweet relish
  • 3tablespoons ketchup
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • pounds ground pork
  • For Sauce and Serving

    • tablespoons calamansi juice (or combine equal parts lime and orange juice with a pinch of orange zest)
    • 3tablespoons soy sauce
    • 3cups best-quality low-sodium chicken broth
    • 1tablespoon cornstarch
    • 3tablespoons butter, cut in chunks
    • 1bunch watercress.
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

472 calories; 32 grams fat; 14 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 29 grams protein; 999 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 300. Put 2 eggs in a saucepan, and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, cover, turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove eggs, and place in cold water to cool, then peel and cut in half lengthwise.

  2. Step 2

    In a large mixing bowl, beat the remaining 2 eggs, and combine with the cheese, ham, peas, raisins, onion, sausages, relish, ketchup, salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Fold in the ground pork, then mix it with your hands until thoroughly combined and the mixture starts to stick together. Heat a dry frying pan over medium heat, and cook a spoonful of the mixture. Taste the mixture, and add more salt or pepper if needed.

  3. Step 3

    Line a large baking pan with greased foil, leaving some overhang on all sides. Spread the embutido mixture into a rectangle about 12 by 17 inches. Place the boiled egg halves in a line down one of the long sides of the rectangle. Starting from that edge, lift the foil to roll the meat mixture — with the eggs — over itself, and roll all the way to the other side to form a cylinder (like a jelly roll). Pat the embutido to create a uniform shape, and wrap the foil tightly around it, crimping the ends to seal.

  4. Step 4

    Place the foil-wrapped embutido in the center of the pan, and place in the oven. After 45 minutes, remove the embutido and turn on the broiler. Unwrap the foil and let embutido rest for 10 minutes, then broil until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Let rest 3 minutes, then slice.

  5. Step 5

    While the embutido is roasting, set a small saucepan over medium-high heat and combine 3 tablespoons calamansi juice, soy sauce and broth. Simmer until reduced by half. Thoroughly combine the cornstarch with the remaining calamansi juice and whisk into the sauce. Bring to a boil, and when it is thickened, remove from heat. When embutido is cooked, reheat sauce over medium heat until steaming, then whisk in butter, one chunk at a time, to emulsify.

  6. Step 6

    Serve embutido on a platter with watercress and sauce, with steamed white rice on the side.

Ratings

4 out of 5
125 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

My Ma's embutido does not have cheese or instant meats in it (Vienna sausage or red hotdogs). It's pure ground 80% lean pork. I do recall she would mash 1 boiled plantain meat and stir it in the raw embutido mixture. There must be carrots and red bell pepper. The raisins and green peas are always a given.

The sauce is too complicated. Just add soy sauce to calamansi or lemon juice to taste. That's it! Or banana ketchup, which is also authentic.

This is a much loved recipe in the family. However, it is dry on the 2nd day. I made Melissa Clarke's Vegan Mushroom Make-Ahead Gravy and it made the meatloaf sensational. Family members put the gravy on the meat and on the accompanying pasta.

excellent recipe! Loved it! Special, different and great looking when sliced. The recipe made a huge "jelly roll" ! Plenty of leftovers!

My Ma's embutido does not have cheese or instant meats in it (Vienna sausage or red hotdogs). It's pure ground 80% lean pork. I do recall she would mash 1 boiled plantain meat and stir it in the raw embutido mixture. There must be carrots and red bell pepper. The raisins and green peas are always a given.

The sauce is too complicated. Just add soy sauce to calamansi or lemon juice to taste. That's it! Or banana ketchup, which is also authentic.

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