{"id":1849,"date":"2010-08-06T12:32:33","date_gmt":"2010-08-06T18:32:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/driftlessappetite.com\/?p=1849"},"modified":"2010-08-06T12:32:33","modified_gmt":"2010-08-06T18:32:33","slug":"itlog-at-ampalaya-eggs-bitter-melon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/driftlessappetite.com\/?p=1849","title":{"rendered":"Itlog at Ampalaya (Eggs & Bitter Melon)"},"content":{"rendered":"\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"rss\"<\/a>

Have you ever had seen or heard about this\u00a0warty looking vegetable?\u00a0\u00a0The ampalaya<\/a> belongs\u00a0to the same family <\/a>as pumpkins and watermelons.\u00a0 Unlike pumpkins and watermelons, ampalaya is\u00a0extremely bitter.\u00a0 Recently, I brought a couple of pieces home from my grandparents’ garden in Illinois.\u00a0 When I was young it was “Leslie finish your ampalaya before you can leave the dinner table.”\u00a0 Believe me, it was a lot worst than what some American kids have to go through with brocolli.\u00a0 After many years, I finally grew to love the last of the basic tastes, bitterness.<\/p>\n

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There are five basic tastes<\/a>:\u00a0 sweetness, sourness, saltiness, savoriness (umami<\/a>), and bitterness.\u00a0 The first taste humans love is sweetness which you can observe in candy crazed children.\u00a0 As we evolve our palates seek more and more\u00a0complex tastes.\u00a0 Some people\u00a0are extremely sensitive to bitterness so they might avoid the flavor completely, even as adults.\u00a0 The ampalaya is very healthy and rich in vitamin C, vitamin B, zinc, potassium, and it’s also low in calorie.\u00a0\u00a0Current research<\/a> has suggested that it\u00a0may also help in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes.\u00a0 I have seen them sold at the Madison farmer’s market<\/a> if you’re brave enough\u00a0to try it.<\/p>\n

Tippy Top Organic<\/a> Garlic<\/em><\/p>\n

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To make this meal even healthier, I decided to add some garlic from Tippy Top Organic Orchard<\/em>.\u00a0 They\u00a0are incredibly pungent and huge (that’s a penny for scale).\u00a0 Each clove being\u00a0twice as big as my thumb.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fresh Farm Eggs & Sliced Garlic<\/em><\/p>\n

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RECIPE <\/strong><\/p>\n

Itlog at Ampalaya<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/em><\/p>\n