Pasta Bolognese

One of our all time favorite pasta dishes at home. 

Ingredients :
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves , minced
1 onion , finely chopped
500 grams beef mince (ground beef) OR half pork, half beef
1/2 cup dry red wine (sub water or beef broth/stock)
2 beef bouillon cubes
28 oz can crushed tomato
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tsp white sugar
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 dried bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Spaghetti noodles
cheese

Procedure:
Over medium high heat fry onion and garlic in oil until light golden and softened.
Turn heat up to high and add beef. Cook until browned.
Add red wine. Bring to simmer and cook for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pot, until the alcohol smell is gone.
Add remaining ingredients except salt and pepper. Stir, bring to a simmer then turn down to medium so it bubbles gently. Cook for 20 - 30 minutes (no lid), adding water if the sauce gets too thick for your taste. Stir occasionally.
Adjust salt and pepper to taste right at the end. Serve over spaghetti.

Empanadas de Pino

Empanadas De Pino are the iconic food of Chile. The word, pino, is derived from the Mapuche indigenous word, pinu, which means: pieces of cooked meat.

Ingredients: (makes 8 six-inch empanadas)
For the filling:
2 hard boiled eggs, quartered
8 pitted green olives
24 raisins
the pino:
1/2 pound round steak, cut into 1/8″ -1/4″ cubes
2 cups onion, small dice
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbs wheat all purpose flour
1 cup beef stock
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

For the empanada dough:
3 cups wheat all purpose flourAfter shaping the empanadas de pino, brush with an eggwash
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening (I use organic palm oil shortenin that is certified CSPO), melted
1 cup milk

For glaze:
1 egg
1 Tbs milk

Procedure:
1. In a skillet, heat the  olive oil on high heat and when it starts to shimmer, add the small cubes of beef.  Brown the beef for 4 minutes, stirring.
2. Add the diced onion and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Combine the water and stock in a bowl, add the flour and salt and whisk until the flour is completely dissolved.
4. Add the liquid to the skillet and scrape the skillet to remove all the browned bits.  Add the black pepper. Simmer on high for 10 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.  The mixture should not be runny.

Allow the pino to cool down, then place in the refrigerator for one day so that the flavors develop.

For the empanada dough:
5. In a large mixing bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder.
6. Add the melted shortening and milk and stir with a spoon to combine.  When the mixture is cool enough to handle, combine to form a sticky dough.
7. On a flat surface, knead the dough with your palms, vigorously, for 6 minutes.  You will see the dough become shiny and elastic.
8. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes, then divide it into 8 equal parts and mold them so that they look like little round pillows.
9. With a rolling pin, roll out the little pillows to 1/8″ thickness, so they look like disks with an 8″ diameter.  It’s exactly like rolling out a Texas Mexican flour tortilla.
10. Brush the edges of each disk with the egg wash.
11. Divide the pino among the four empanadas, placing 2 or 3 spoonfuls in the middle of each disk. On top of the pino place 1 quarter of a hard-boiled egg, 1 olive and 3 raisins.

12. Fold each disk into half-moons and tuck the edges to form a rectangle.
13. Brush the empanadas with egg wash and bake for 20-30 minutes until they are golden brown.
Serve hot.

Recipe from: adanmedrano.com

Beer-Braised Beef Short Ribs

An easy and savory dish made of beef short ribs. 

Ingredients:
1 pound beef short ribs
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 tbsps all-purpose flour
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, sliced
1 clove garlic
1 can San Miguel Beer
1 cup beef stock

Procedure:
Season the short ribs with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour until coated. Shake off the excess flour.
Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet. Cook ribs until browned on each side, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and set aside. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet; cook and stir until onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Return the ribs to the skillet and pour in the beer. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan, until all of the browned bits have mixed in with the liquid. Pour in the beef stock, cover and simmer over low heat until very tender, about 2 hours.

Recipe c/o : http://allrecipes.com/recipe/162690/simple-beef-short-ribs/

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff is a Russian dish of sautéed pieces of beef served in a sauce. From its origins in mid-19th-century Russia, it has become popular around the world, with considerable variation from the original recipe. This is my version.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound beef, cut into thin strips

1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)

1 can Jolly Mushroom

1 can Jolly Cream of Mushroom Soup

3/4 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/3 cup sour cream 

4 cups whole wheat or regular egg noodles , cooked and drained

Procedure:
Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook until well browned, stirring often. Remove the beef from the skillet.  Pour off any fat.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion to the skillet and cook until it's tender. Add mushrooms.
Stir the soup, milk, paprika and black pepper in the skillet and heat to a boil.  Stir in the sour cream. Return the beef to the skillet and cook until the beef is cooked through.  Serve the beef mixture over the noodles.

Tapa

Nothing beats eating tapa, sinangag at itlog for breakfast or tapsilog. I added sausage and atsara to make it more special. And here is Lutong Cavite's tapa family recipe.

Ingredients:
1 kilo beef sirloin, thinly sliced
soy sauce
calamansi juice
brown sugar
cooking oil
pepper to taste


Procedure:
Combine soy sauce, calamansi juice, brown sugar, and pepper in a bowl depending how you want it to taste and stir. Add the beef and massage. Keep overnight in the refrigerator or until you are ready to serve it.

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the beef and cooked until lightly brown. You can also add the marinate before browning if you want it to be a bit saucy.

Watermelon Beef Short Rib Sinigang

Watermelon Beef Short Rib Sinigang is sinigang na baka with slices of watermelon. The watermelon blended well with the sour taste of paasim that its like tom yum. 

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons cooking oil
1 kilo beef short ribs
1 tablespoon garlic, crushed
1 white onion, chopped
½ of whole watermelon (medium-sized), cut into chunks
5-8 pieces native tomatoes, quartered
4 pieces Gabi, cut into chunks
4 cups water
2 tablespoons Maggi Sinigang Watermelon Surprise
1 bunch sitaw
1 bunch kangkong
Patis to taste
Pepper to taste

Procedure:
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Sear beef short ribs. Set aside.
In the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, saute onion and garlic until translucent.
Add the beef, tomatoes, watermelon, gabi and water. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until beef is tender (about 1-2 hours).
Add sinigang powder mix and sitaw. Simmer until vegetables are cooked.
Add kangkong last. Season with patis and pepper.

#AllWeNeedIsMagic

Recipe Source: http://www.bitesized.ph/manam-style-watermelon-sinigang/

Beef Tapa

Tapsilog is an abbreviation for Tapa, Sinangag (Fried Rice), and Itlog (Fried egg).

Ingredients:

1½ lb beef sirloin, thinly sliced

5 tbsps Maggi soy sauce

calamansi juice (depending on taste)

minced garlic

salt and black pepper

Procedure:

In a container, combine and mix well. Add beef and put in a clear ziplock bag or container. 

Refrigerate overnight. In a pan, place 1 cup water and bring to a boil. Add 3 tbsp of cooking oil

Put-in the marinated beef tapa and cook until the water evaporates.

Beef Mechado

Ingredients:
1 kilo beef chunks
2 cups tomato sauce
3 onions, peeled and quartered
2 red bell pepper, sliced into thick strips
2 cups beef stock
3 laurel leaves
1/4 - cup vinegar or calamansi juice
1 cup soy sauce
Maggi Magic Sarap
pepper to taste
green peas

Procedure:
Combine the beef, tomatoes, soy sauce, bay leaves and beef stock in a casserole. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beef is almost tender.
Add the vinegar or calamansi and let boil for two minutes.
Add onions and bell pepper. Magic Sarap and pepper to taste.
Let simmer and stir occasionally. Add green peas before the sauce thickens.

Note: If you want faster cooking time pressure cook the beef with the beef stock.

#AllWeNeedIsMagic

Tacos

Tacos is a Mexican street food and appetizer which most most Filipinos love. Filipino tacos is composed mainly of 3 fillings: ground beef, sliced cabbages and cheese.

Ingredients:
2 cups ground beef
12 pieces taco shells
1 pack taco powder
1 small onion, diced
2-3 tbsp of oil
salt to taste
lettuce or cabbage leaves, sliced
banana  catsup
grated cheese

Procedure:
Heat oil in a medium pan over high heat. Saute onion. Cook beef until brown. Add taco powder and salt to taste. Cool. Assemble on taco shell - beef, lettuce, catsup and grated cheese. Serve.

Sinigang na Karne sa Labong ng Kawayan

This is my favorite sinigang with bamboo shoots eversince my childhood. 

Sinigang na Karne sa Labong ng Kawayan a unique way of sinigang with bamboo shoots. This one of the specialties in Cavite.


Ingredients:
7 cups rice wash or water
1/2 kilo beef with bone, cut into cubes
a dozen pcs tamarind (Sampaloc)or calamansi juice
1 large onion, quartered
2 tsps iodized rock salt
5 pcs okra
150 grams freshly sliced labong sa kawayan (bamboo shoots)
1 bunch kangkong, washed and individual leaves separated
1 finger pepper
1 tbsp fish sauce
salt and pepper


Procedure:
Boil tamarind to soften. Pound and strain all juices and set aside.
In a large thick-bottom casserole, put 2/3 of rice wash and beef. Cover. Bring to boil (remove scums as it arises). Put the next-three ingredients. Cover back on. Bring to boil. Then, decrease fire to low, simmer gently for an hour.
Remove ends of okra. Put in a medium bowl filled with water the leaves and tender stalks of kangkong. Set aside.
Increase fire to medium-high, add the okra, bamboo shoots, fish sauce, tamarind juice and the rest of rice wash. Mix. Cover and simmer. Add in kangkong leaves. Serve hot.

Sopa de Fideos

To start the new year this blog is sharing our version in Cavite City of something similar to beef mami.  

Fideos or Sopa de Fideo is originally a Mexican noodle soup.

Ingredients:
1 cups ground beef

1 onion, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bundle fideos

4 cups water

patis, pepper or vetsin to taste

Procedure:

Fry the garlic in hot oil till slightly browned. Saute the onions, add the beef, some salt and stir to blend well adding 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Now add the rest of the water and simmer gently. Add fideos. Season with patis, pepper or vetsin.

Beef Caldereta

Beef Kaldereta or Caldereta is one of the favorite Filipino tomato stew dish cooked during fiesta and special occassions. It is usually made of goat meat but beef version is more highly popular.

Ingredients:

1/2 kg beef, cut into cubes
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 small can liver spread
garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 large tomato, sliced
1 medium can tomato sauce
1 red bell pepper, sliced
2 chili peppers, minced or siling labuyo
water (amount optional)
salt and pepper

Procedure:
Add cooking oil in a preheated pan. Saute garlic, onion and tomatoes until fragrant. Add beef and saute until the outer parts turn light brown. Season with soy sauce and pour water. Simmer over low heat until meat becomes tender. When meat is tender, add liver spread and tomato sauce; stir until blended. Salt and pepper to taste. Add red bell pepper and grated cheese. Sprinkle with chili peppers and simmer for a few minutes.

Beef Pares

Beef Pares is an inexpensive street food that is wildly popular in the Philippines. Pares, which means "pair," speaks to the traditional way of serving beef pares: alongside garlic fried rice, or sinangag, and a bowl of beef soup.

Ingredients:
1/3 kilo beef brisket, cut into large cubes and boiled until tender
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small size onion chopped
2 pcs. star anise
3 tbsp cornstarch
salt and pepper
cooking oil

Procedure:

Combine beef, enough water and onion, simmer in low fire until tender, add water if necessary keep the stock. Heat wok over high heat with oil. Add garlic. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add beef chunks and continue to stir fry for 2-3 minutes on high heat. Put the stock and add the remaining ingredients and simmer again for 15mins. Add the cornstarch, stir until sauce thickens. Place on top of hot rice or fried rice.

Sinigang na Karne

Sinigang na Karne is a simple Filipino beef and vegetable soup in a sour tamarind base.

Ingredients:

8 cups rice wash or water
600 grams beef kenchi, cut into 2" cubes
a dozen pcs tamarind (Sampaloc)or calamansi juice
1 large red onion, quartered
2 tsps iodized rock salt
5 pcs okra (optional)
5 pcs string beans (optional)
1 medium eggplant, sliced in half and cut into serving size
1 radish, peeled and cut into serving size
1 bunch kangkong, washed and individual leaves separated
1 finger pepper
1 tbsp fish sauce
salt and pepper

Procedure:
Boil tamarind to soften. Pound and strain all juices and set aside.

In a large thick-bottom casserole, put 2/3 of rice wash and beef. Cover. Bring to boil (remove scums as it arises). Put the next-three ingredients. Cover back on. Bring to boil. Then, decrease fire to low, simmer gently for an hour.

Remove ends of okra. Cut the string into 3" length. Slice diagonally at 3/4" thick the radish. Slice the eggplant at 1/8" thick. Put in a medium bowl filled with water the leaves and tender stalks of kangkong. Set aside.

Back to the casserole, put the taro. Lid on. Continue cooking in low fire for 45 minutes.

Increase fire to medium-high, add the okra, string beans, radish, fish sauce, tamarind juice and the rest of rice wash. Mix. Cover. Cook until half-done. Add the eggplant and chilis. Cook for a minute. Add in kangkong leaves. Serve hot.

Callos

Callos is a legacy from the Spanish colonial era and popular Caviteñean dish before. This is a savory stew of ox tripe and leg is flavored with spicy chorizo de bilbao and traditionally served with olives.

Over the years because of high cost of ingredients and complexities in cooking fewer and fewer families cook this at home. This is a simple recipe version of callos.

Ingredients:
1/2 kilo ox tripe, cleaned
1 cup garbanzos
5 medium size potatoes, cut into small cubes
1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
2 pcs chorizo de bilbao, horizontally cut in thin slices
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup vienna sausage, sliced
2 pcs red/green bell pepper, julienned
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 medium onion, diced
3 pcs bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
Bring to boil ox tripe for about 5 minutes. Turn off the fire and let stand for another 5 minutes. Discard the water and wash them thoroughly with tap water. Boil again until very soft. Cut the ox’s tripe into bite pieces.
Sauté garlic and onion in a pan in olive oil
Except for the bell peppers, add all the remaining ingredients to the boiling ox tripe including the garlic and onion
Let it boil while stirring occasionally until the water resembles a thick stew.
Add the bell peppers on top of callos and let stay just for a minute.

Note: Sauce can be thicken with a little flour dissolved in small amount of water.

Morconitos

Morcon is a Filipino beef roulade made with thin sheets of marinated beef layered one on top of the other, then wrapped and tied around carrots, pickles, cheese, boiled egg, pork fat, and sausages. This is then cooked in seasoned tomato sauce. It’s been a tradition to make and serve this on special occasions like fiesta and Christmas. This is my version of mini morcons.

 
Ingredients:
1 kilo top round or sirloin beef, sliced and flattened ( about 4-5 pieces)
2 chorizo de Bilbao, cut into strips
2 whole sweet pickles, cut into strips
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 lareg carrot, cut into strips
3 hardboiled egg, quartered

For marinade:
5-6 pieces juice of calamansi
5 cloves garlic, crushed
ground pepper

For sauce:
garlic, crushed
white onions, chopped
tomatoes, chopped
about half a cup tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
beef broth
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
Pound beef to flatten with a mallet. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Remove beef from the marinade. Place the beef on a cutting board or large plate and arrange the carrots,chorizo, sweet pickles, bell pepper and eggs in alternate rows on top of the meat. Roll the steak carefully from one end to the other like a jellyroll and tie it securely with a string. In a large pan heat cooking oil and brown meat on all sides. Remove excess oil, add the marinade and enough beef broth to cover the morconito. Simmer on low fire till tender for about an hour or more. Remove from broth and cool. Discard string. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.


In another pan, sauté garlic, onions and tomatoes. Add tomato sauce, bay leaf and broth. Simmer until the vegetables are almost mashed. Season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over morcon. Serve.

Bistik

Bistik is a quick popular Filipino dish made with beef strips marinated in soy sauce and calamansi, fried until tender then topped with onions.




Ingredients:
2 pounds sirloin steak, cut into 1/4-inch pieces( Monterey brand is the best)
2 tbs calamansi juice
3 tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp ground pepper
salt to taste
1 cup thinly sliced onion rings (white or red)
1/4 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup water

Procedure:
Marinate the meat in calamansi juice, soy sauce, pepper and salt for 3 hours or more.
Cook onion rings in oil until transparent. Transfer to a serving dish, leaving the oil in the skillet.
Add the meat to the skillet and cook over high heat, stirring often, until tender. Transfer the meat to a serving dish.
Add marinade and water to the skillet, simmer for 10 minutes and pour over the meat and onion rings.

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I use to be a beef lover but the past few years I rarely eat red meat because of health reasons. How about you what are your favorite steak dishes?

Kare-Kare

Kare-Kare is a traditional Filipino ox tail and ox tripe stew with green beans and eggplant in a thickened with ground rice and peanut butter sauce. This dish is traditionally served in Cavite City on Sundays with adobo and kilawin as food terno.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo beef (round or sirloin cut) cut into cubes (for a more traditional kare kare, use cleaned beef tripe instead of beef)
1/2 kilo oxtail, cut 2 inch long
3 cups of peanut butter
1/4 cup grounded toasted rice
2 pieces onions, diced
2 heads of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons atsuete oil
4 pieces eggplant, sliced 1 inch thick
1 bundle Pechay (Bok choy) cut into 2 pieces
1 bundle of sitaw (string beans) cut to 2″ long
1 banana bud, cut similar to eggplant slices, blanch in boiling water
1/2 cup oil
6 cups of water
Salt to taste

Procedure:

In a stock pot, boil beef and oxtails in water for an hour or until cooked. Strain and keep the stock. In a big pan or wok, heat oil and atsuete oil. Sauté garlic, onions until golden brown, then add the stock, beef and oxtail. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Salt to taste. Add the eggplant, string beans, pechay and banana bud. Add ground rice and peanut butter. Cook the for a few minutes – Do not overcook the vegetables. Serve with bagoong on the side and hot plain rice.

Bulalo

Bulalo is a stewed beef bone marrow wherein the beef leg bones with marrow are boiled for long hours until the ligaments and meat just falls apart when you are eating it.


Ingredients:1 kilo beef shank (with bone and marrow) , cut in chunks
1 small head cabbage, quartered
1 small pechay
1 large onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 pcs large corn, cut into 3 pieces each
1 tablespoon peppercorns
Salt to taste
Fish sauce

Procedure:
In a stock pot, simmer the beef shank with salt, onion, and garlic for at least two hours and a half. Remove the scum that rises above the soup. Add more hot water if necessary. When beef is fork tender, add the corn, and peppercorns. Let stand for 5 minutes. Add cabbage and pechay. Flavor with fish sauce according to taste.

Serve hot with a mixture consisting of soy sauce and calamansi juice.

Beef With Broccoli

Beef with Broccoli or Beef and Broccoli  is a classic simple dish that is so easy to make.

Ingredients:

1/4 kilo sirloin, sliced thinly across the grain
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 medium broccoli head
1 tbsps cooking oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
little water
1 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tbsp water

Procedures:
Marinate the beef in soy sauce with salt and pepper for 15 minutes.

Trim the broccoli and break into florets. Blanch the broccoli in a pot of boiling, salted water until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly.

Heat a large frying pan. Add cooking oil and stir fry beef for 1 minute. Add the garlic and fry for another 1 minute. Pour in the oyster sauce, sugar, little water and the blanched broccoli. Bring to a boil. Pour in the dissolved cornstarch and cook until the sauce boils and thickens, 30 seconds.

Serve.