CALDERETA

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds Beef, Chuck or Sirloin, cut in 2 inch cubes 2-3 cups beef stock

6 small potatoes, quartered

1 red bell pepper, cut in strips

1/2 cup sweet peas

1/2 cup olives

1/2 cup liver spread

1/2 cup vinegar

3 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoon pepper

1 head garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons cooking oil, for sauteing

dash of Tabasco Hot Sauce(optional)

LIVER GRAVY INGREDIENTS (Optional)

1/2 pound beef liver, ground 2 tablespoons vinegar

2 tablespoons breadcrumbs

1 cup beef broth

salt and pepper

PREPARATION TIME : 15 minutes(Marinating time not included)

COOKING TIME : 40 minutes

1 Marinate the beef in vinegar, 1/2 head garlic and 1 tablespoon salt for at least an hour or overnight.

2 Saute the garlic and onion. Add the beef and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.

3 Put in the tomato sauce, cook for another minute, then add the beef broth. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

4 The potatoes go in next, cook for about 8 - 10 minutes or until both the meat and potatoes are tender, then add the red bell pepper.

5 If you are making the liver gravy from scratch, cook the above liver gravy ingredients in a pan until thick.

6 Mix in the liver spread or liver gravy, and season with the rest of the salt and pepper, sugar and hot sauce.

7 Add in the sweet peas and olives and bring to a boil.

8 Serve with rice.

COOK'S TIPS

You can use the Spicy Sauce Mix (Caldereta Mix) found in Asian markets. All you will need are beef, broth, veggies and liver spread, and follow the cooking instruction from the package. Pre-cook the potatoes in the microwave to cut down the cooking time. Put the quartered potatoes in a bowl, drizzle with a little oil, cover with a clear plastic wrap, and pre-cook in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. You can omit the olives and sweet peas if you don't like them. But add a little green bell pepper for a nice green contrast for dish presentation.

Mechado

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds Top or Bottom Round Beef Roast, cut in 2-3 inch tubes 1/2 pound Pork Fat, cut in strips

5-6 Potatoes, cubed

4 cloves Garlic, minced

1 medium Onion, chopped

1/3 cup Vinegar

1 - 2 cups water

2 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 small can tomato sauce

1 pc. Bay Leaf

Salt and Pepper

3 tablespoons cooking oil

PREPARATION TIME : 15 minutes

COOKING TIME : 60 minutes

1 Insert the pork fat by gashing the beef through the center. Season generously with salt and pepper.

2 Sear or brown the beef in a hot deep pan with 3 tablespoons oil. Brown all the sides and remove from heat.

3 Using the same pan, saute the garlic and onion.

4 Add the meat back in with the vinegar, bay leaf, tomato sauce and enough water to cover about 2/3 of the meat.

5 Simmer for 30 - 40 minutes, then put the potatoes in and cook for another 10 - 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.

6 To serve, slice the beef about 1/2 inch thick, arrange the potatoes on the side and top everything with the sauce.

BENG'S COOKING TIPS

You can use a skirt steak for this recipe, roll the 1/4 inch thick steak with the pork fat in the middle, then secure the roll with a twine as you would a morcon.

Searing or browning the meat before braising seals the moisture in and adds to the flavor of the sauce.

PINOY BEEF STEAK INGREDIENTS

2 pounds lean beef, cut 1/2" thick 3 medium onions, cut into rings and separated

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil or any cooking oil

PREPARATION TIME : 1 hour

COOKING TIME : 30 minutes

1 Mix the lemon juice and soy sauce. Steep the beef in the mixture and let it marinate for 30 minutes inside the refrigerator.

2 When the beef is ready, wring out the excess liquid and set aside.

3 Heat up the oil in the pan and fry the onions for 2 minutes, it should be half-cooked and not translucent. Remove the onions, and set aside, leaving the oil in the pan.

4 Pan-fry the beef in batches, cooking it for about 2-3 minutes per side. Once they are all done, add in the marinade, water and ground pepper. Let it simmer for 3 minutes.

5 To serve, place the onions on top of the beef like garnish. Perfect with a plate of hot white rice.

COOK'S TIPS

For a more tangy Pinoy beef steak, marinate the beef for up to 4 hours. To easily cut the beef, place it in the freezer it for 2 hours until it is partly frozen. You

will be surprised to find how much easier it is to cut.

For a more tender Bistek, try to slice the beef on a bias, or diagonally across the grain.

If the beef is a little tough, pound it with a mallet or with the back of the knife to make it tender. You must do this before you put the beef in the marinade.

Escabeche

INGREDIENTS

1 piece Grouper or (Lapu-lapu) 1/4 cup All-purpose flour, for dredging

salt and pepper, to season fish

1/2 cup vinegar

1 cup water

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 c water

2 tablespoons cooking oil, for sauteing

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, cut in strips

1 thumbsize ginger, grated

1/2 cup red and green pepper, sliced in strips

1 carrot, cut in strips

PREPARATION TIME : 15 minutes

COOKING TIME : 30 minutes

1 Season the fish with salt and pepper. Dredge it in flour and deep fry.

2 Mix together the vinegar, water, brown sugar and soy sauce. Set aside.

3 Heat up the pan with oil, saute the garlic and ginger.

4 Put in the onion, carrots and the red and green bell peppers. Cook for a minute.

5 Add the vinegar mixture from Step 2 and bring it to a boil. Do not stir until it comes to a boil.

6 Add the dissolved cornstarch, stir and cook until the sauce becomes thick.

7 Put the fried fish on a serving platter and pour the sauce on top.

8 Serve with rice.

BENG'S TIPS

You can use any type of fish that you like, or even ready-made battered fish fillets found frozen in supermarkets.

For a healthier alternative, poaching instead of frying the fish is more advisable.

Paksiw

INGREDIENTS

1 piece Milkfish or Bangus, scaled, cleaned and cut in serving sizes 1 Long Chili Peppers, sliced diagonally

1/3 cup Vinegar

1 thumbsize Ginger, sliced in strips

1 medium Onion, chopped

1/3 cup water

1 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon White Pepper

PREPARATION TIME : 10 minutes

COOKING TIME : 10 minutes

1 Put all the ingredients in a pan and bring to a boil. Do not stir.

2 Turn the heat down and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the fish is done. Turning the fish over to the other side is necessary if the pan you are using is too wide and the fish is not totally immersed in the liquid. Flip the fish over during halfway through the cooking process.

3 Serve with a plate of rice.

(Learn more about COOKING RICE, THE FILIPINO WAY.)

BENG'S TIPS

You can use Galunggong instead of Bangus. Try to watch the cooking time as it is not as meaty as the Bangus, thus, tends to cook faster.

Do not stir the vinegar mixture in Step #1 so the vinegar will not taste fresh and very tangy.

Handle the fish delicately so it doesn't fall apart when you are flipping it over or when plating the dish.