Beef Kaldereta

Kaldereta is a classic Filipino dish which can be used to cook goat, beef, pork, chicken and even fish but my favourite one is always using beef. There’s something about that rich sweet and sour goodness that just hits the spot for me!

The secret is to always use the tough cuts of beef, specially for long hours of slow cooking to get all their flavors, searing them properly then slow cooking lots of onions and garlic till caramelized and freshly boiled, pureed chicken livers (not the canned ones - it makes a difference!). Using beef stock or beef stock mixed with a can of beer is a recommended option if you have more time! Once you had a taste of this, you’ll be hooked!

Ingredients

1 kg of stewing beef (brisket, short ribs or boneless shanks)
400g of white onions (or more), finely chopped
250g of tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 cup of finely minced garlic
4 red capsicum (2 finely chopped; 2 cut in wedges for garnish)
1/2 cup of tomato paste
1 – 2 bay leaf
salt to taste
4 tablespoons of olive oil (NOT extra virgin olive oil)
250g of chicken livers (cleaned, boiled and pureed till smooth)
4-5 potatoes (washed and cut into wedges)
12 green olives (stoned or pitted)
3/4 cup of frozen sweet peas
2-3 birds eye chili, chopped (reduce if you cannot take the heat)
chopped parsley for garnish
cooking oil for deep frying the potatoes

For seasoning: Salt, Pepper, Tomato Ketchup (Banana Ketchup)

Instructions

Cut the beef into 2 inch chunks.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy sauce pan or casserole for cooking the stew. Over high heat, brown the beef chunks, in batches – be patient and take care to brown all the sides. Searing the beef chunks is an important step! Set aside the seared beef chunks.

Using the remaining oil, add the chopped onions first, slowly cooking them on medium heat and constantly stirring them until they turn slightly light brown in colour. At this time, take care to use the onions to scrape the caramelized brown bits from the beef off the base and sides of the casserole or pan (this is the flavor!). Do not rush this process, the flavor base of the stew comes from your caramelized onions!

Add your garlic and stir for a while, then add the tomatoes, bay leaf, chili peppers and chopped bell peppers. Cook until the vegetables are soft then add the tomato paste. You can then add your seared beef chunks at this stage – mix well.

Pour in about 2-3 cups of water (you can replace this with beef stock or mix in a can of San Miguel beer!) stir well and bring to a boil.

Lower the heat, cover and simmer for two hours or until the meat is fork tender. Stir occasionally during cooking. If the sauce becomes too dry before the meat is cooked, add more water (beef stock or beer!), about half a cup at a time.

While the beef is simmering, prepare the potatoes. Wash, peel and cut them into wedges. Heat enough cooking oil to deep fry the potatoes. When the oil is hot enough (adding flour will create lots of sizzling bubbles), add the potato wedges and cook until golden. Drain and set aside.

When the beef is cooked, add the fried potatoes, chilies, peas, olives, wedges of bell pepper and mashed chicken liver. Simmer for about 5 minutes.

At this stage, you can adjust the seasonings to your liking. The Filipinos love to add ketchup and extra salt at this stage but if you can get yourself the popular banana ketchup, feel free to use it to add flavor! Add the chopped parsley and simmer a little while just before serving your guests! Serve hot on steamed rice! Oh yes!

Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs: Make your own!

One of the challenges of being a university students is budgeting. We tend to eat according to what's in season and whatever's on specials. I remembered us stocking 10kg of cheese because they were half price! One of the ways to save costs for cooking is to make our own spice mix and special ingredients. It's definitely cheaper than buying one of the pre-made ones and you can bet that yours will be all natural, healthier and tastes better than supermarket bought ones . You can also buy yours from gourmet shops that specially sell good quality gourmet food but they are usually out of the average Uni student's budget range.

Now this time, I will share with you one of my favourite for coating my food. It's got a nice bite and flavour to it: Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs. We use bread crumbs for many things and I am sure most people love to coat chicken pieces or other foods with bread crumbs; bake them in the oven or deep frying them. This one will taste better baked. You will need something to blend the your dried bread - I use my trusted Shimono to process my bread crumbs. There are other methods too - just takes more time.


Here's the recipe:

Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Leftover bread slices

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dired basil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

Save leftover bread and dry it (either out on your counter or in the oven at 250F for about 15 minutes) until completely dry and crisp.

Using your food processor, blender, or by rolling with a rolling pin between sheets of waxed paper, make fine bread crumbs.

Save these crumbs. They are useful in a wide variety of ways.

When you have a large amount, take out 2 cups and mix with the remaining ingredients noted above. Store in an airtight container in your refrigerator and use within 2 months.