Nilagang Baka (Beef Stew in Clear Broth)

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Honestly, I was thinking of making Corned Beef and Cabbage for this special day, but after looking at recipes and realizing that I needed to "cure" the beef for the recipe, I decided to scrap the idea and make Nilagang Baka instead. It has been a long time since I had it, anyway, and the beef bone marrow in the fridge was just begging to be cooked.

Since hubby doesn't care for bone marrow, I had it to myself. Of course, you can only eat so much before you start feeling your arteries clog up, so I ended up having to heat and reheat the marrow for several meals until it disappeared from the bone. Literally. Oh well. It made for  a tasty broth. 


What you need:

1 1/2 lb beef brisket, cut into bite-size pieces
beef bone marrow 
5 red potatoes, quartered
2 carrots, sliced about 1/4 inch long
1/4 cabbage, cut in smaller pieces 
1/4 pound green beans
1/4 Vidalia onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
3 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns

beef bone marrows galore!

 
 What to do:

In a large pot over high heat, place bone marrow, add about  6 to 8 cups of water and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover pot and let simmer for for about an hour. Make sure to remove the scum that rises from boiling meat.

Add in your beef brisket, peppercorns, garlic and onions. Continue simmering for another hour. When the liquid has reduced to half, season with patis. Remove the bones and place in a covered container.

Add green beans, potatoes, and carrots. Let cook for about 5 go 8 minutes, then add in the cabbage. Cook for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with steamed rice.


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Not a big fan of beef bone marrow? Skip the part and just boil the meat in beef broth.
2. Some recipes call for plantain. I didn't do so because it would add some sweetness - like pochero.
3. Use baby bok choy instead of cabbage.
4. Substitute salt for fish sauce.
5. Use fish sauce/salt sparingly! Always use seasonings to taste.

Read more »

Beef Bulgogi

This is an attempt to copy my mother's Beef Bulgogi. When we had it "mom's way," beef bulgogi was wrapped in lettuce leaves and was eaten as an appetizer of sorts. I wanted it to be the "star" of dinner so I served it as the main course - along with rice, of course!

This recipe is a bit sweet, but the steamed rice pairing tones the flavor down and gives you a hint of sweet and a hint of savory. I think I like it better than the store-bought sauces - I control the ingredients I put, and less chemicals. Yay!


What you need:

1 pound top round steak, sliced thin 
1/2 Vidalia onion, cut in rings
1 mandarin orange fruit cup
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar (depending on your taste)
3 cups of water
3 tablespoons pineapple juice
3 tablespoons cooking wine
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
canola oil for frying


What to do:

Easy peasy! Just combine all ingredients except  the canola oil. Mix well. Let marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes. Overnight is better!

Heat about a tablespoon of canola oil in a non-stick pan. Fry the beef slices until slightly brown. Pour in about a third of the marinade and cook for a few minutes more. Remove from heat and serve with rice.


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. I used a fruit cup because I didn't have oranges. Use fresh ones if you have any.
2. Cooking wine works great, but sake gives it a better flavor.
3. Green onions are also great in this dish!
4.  I originally used 1/2 cup sugar in this recipe but found it a bit too sweet. Cut down a bit, or try the sweet version!  :-)

Read more »

Corned Beef Hash

 

Silly as it may sound, "canned corned beef" is one of the foods that I miss eating. I used to take it for granted when I was still living in 'Pinas, only having it when there is no other option. But since living here in the States, I have yet to try canned corned beef. Not for anything, we just like eating "fresh" for a change. The lesser chemicals in it, the better. (Wish I could do that with cake!)

Hubby probably got tired of hearing me say "I want corned beef" so he got some for me a few days ago. Not the canned variety, though. It was from the deli. I have to admit, my first thoughts were "uhmmm... this isn't corned beef. Corned beef comes in cans." But after tasting it, it was indeed corned beef. Only fresher. :-)

So I prepared it the way I know how - "guisado." Here, this dish is called corned beef hash. However they call it, it was yummy!


What you need: 

1/2 pound corned beef slices (I used Boar's Head)
1 medium-sized potato, peeled and cubed
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 of a large Vidalia onion
1 tablespoon (about 2 sprigs) of fresh thyme
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
salt and pepper, to taste
beef broth (optional)


What to do: 

Chop corned beef slices and set aside. Place the cubed potatoes in a pan and add just enough water to cover them. Boil the potatoes for about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat butter in a wok or large pan over medium-high. Saute garlic and onions for about a minute, then add chopped corned beef, fresh thyme and boiled potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat. If it seems too dry for you, add a bit of beef broth. Serve hot!


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. This is a great recipe to make for leftover corned beef and cabbage dinners!
2. Yes, I over-potatoed. I didn't want to eat it with rice so I just put more potatoes in it. Use less potatoes if you wish.
3. Add a dash of dried oregano for a deeper flavor profile.
4. Substitute butter with canola or vegetable oil.

Read more »

Saucy Beef Picadillo

 

I was thinking of something to make with my ground beef, and I remembered a certain blog post of my friend Kuya Dennis. His blog is actually one of the few cooking blogs that have Tagalog instructions, and reading it is like a (food) trip back to the Philippines, since he features Filipino food. I decided to try a dish he featured in his blog - Picadillo.

I had to substitute some ingredients because there are items that I can't get here in the US. I also had to veer away from the traditional "dry" Picadillo because hubby wants his dishes saucy. I don't blame him - I like mine with a little bit of sauce, too.

I think it is awesome that this is a one-pot dish. I am not a big fan of doing dishes (particularly pots and pans) so anything I can do to minimize the usage of these utensil would really make me happy. 

Anyway, the dish turned out great! Even my picky father-in-law enjoyed it. I made a big batch and we ate them to the last morsel. Yes, it was that good that we didn't mind eating it for days! ;-)


What you need:

1 lb ground beef
1 russet potato, diced
2 carrots, diced
1/4 cup peas
1/4 Vidalia onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole green bell pepper, diced
1 can (454 oz) tomato sauce
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 tomato, cut in wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
hard boiled eggs, for garnish 
fried plantain slices, for garnish


What to do: 

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute garlic, onion and fresh tomatoes for about a minute. Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned. 

Add fresh thyme and potatoes. Mix well. Pour in the tomato sauce, and the rest of the veggies. If it seems to dry out, add water, about half a cup at a time.  Lower the heat and let simmer for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Serve with hard boiled eggs and fried plantains.

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. If using dried thyme, use less. Maybe just a teaspoon since the flavor of dried herbs are more concentrated.
2. Use quail eggs instead of regular-sized eggs! They're bite-sized and fun to eat. Higher in cholesterol, though.
3. When dicing veggies, make sure they are roughly the same size so they would cook evenly.
4. Instead of water, add beef broth to make your dish saucy and tasty.
5. Hubby suggested I add green olives or raisins next time. 
 

Read more »

Garlic Meatloaf

This dish was actually a happy accident. Before I left for work this morning, I pulled out ground meat from the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw. When I got back, I realized that I took out the ground beef instead of the ground pork that I meant to cook. 

So I made the first thing that came to mind - meatloaf. There are a million meatloaf recipes online, but I decided to tweak Alton Brown's recipe (yeah, I'm an Alton geek!). Being a "science" guy, his recipes are always complicated (not to mention the ingredient list is almost always impossibly long), but I haven't made anything of his that didn't taste good.  So I decided to copy his meatloaf recipe. With a 5-star rating from 713 reviews, I could bet my left leg that it was good.

Thyme from my garden

I read several reviews and realized that his recipe might be a tad spicy for us, so I planned on toning it down. Also, I didn't have garlic croutons at hand (original recipe called for it) and was too lazy too make some, so I did some substituting. I was really happy with how it turned out. The meat was very flavorful, and the glaze was just so yummy that I had to make another batch as dipping sauce.

Nope, not from my garden  :-(

What you need: 

1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
6 tablespoons bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
dash of powdered cayenne
dash of crushed red pepper
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1/4 Vidalia onion
1 carrot
3 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 egg

For the glaze:
1/4 cup ketchup
dash worcestershire sauce
a squirt of sriracha
1 tablespoon honey


What to do:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a big bowl, combine breadcrumbs, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, crushed pepper and thyme leaves. Set aside.

A food pro just makes life a bit easier!

Using a food processor, finely chop onion, carrot, and cloves of garlic. Add the chopped veggies to the breadcrumb mix, along with the ground chuck. Add the egg and season with kosher salt. Mix well with your hands, being careful not to squeeze the meat. 

packed tight!

Place this mixture in a loaf pan, packing it tight so the meatloaf would hold its shape. Flip the loaf pan on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and place it in the preheated oven.

Flipped loaf pan

Remove the loaf pan and...taaadaaaa!

Meanwhile, make the glaze. Combine all the glaze ingredients in a bowl and mix well. When the meatloaf has been cooking for 10 minutes, brush the glaze onto the meatloaf with a basting brush. Continue cooking for about 30 more minutes, or until the temperature of the meat reaches 155°F. Let sit for a few minutes before slicing.

glaze + meat = deliciousness!

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. A food processor will really come in handy for chopping stuff. However, you can always do it the old-fashioned way - with your hands and trusty knife!
2. If using dried thyme, just use 1/4 teaspoon. 
3. Yes, there are a lot of peppers in this dish. If you think this would be a problem, lessen the amount of cayenne. 
4. For the glaze, I just used about 4 drops (yes, drops!) of Sriracha. Add more if you can take the heat.
5. I know what you're thinking - one egg would probably make a dry meatloaf. But it actually worked. Alton Brown mentioned something about using just one egg in meatloaf - I didn't catch it, though. I might have to watch that Good Eats episode to find out why.
6. This recipe did turn out garlicky. If you are not a big fan, just use one clove of garlic!

The aftermath

Read more »

Dan Dan Noodles

Yes, I roasted the peanuts and burnt some! :-(

This version of Dan Dan noodles doesn't really resemble the traditional one which is covered in spicy chili sauce. I didn't want it to be too spicy (aka Americanized), so I tweaked it, of course. 

A bit of trivia for you - did you know that dan dan is actually a shoulder pole? In the early days, peddlers would carry their wares (noodles, in this case) on a bamboo pole over their shoulders and sell them on the streets. This particular type of dish originated in Sichuan, and is still enjoyed there (and all over the world!) up to now.


What you need:

3 bundles of udon noodles
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound ground beef
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon chili oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
4 teaspoons tahini 
1 teaspoon peppercorn
pinch of sugar
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons sliced green onions


What to do: 

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl of ice water. Let stand until cold. Drain well and set aside.

Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef, season with salt and pepper and stir. Cook for about 2 minutes. Add ginger; continue cooking until beef is browned. Stir in beef broth, chili oil, vinegar, soy sauce, tahini, peppercorns and sugar.

Simmer until sauce thickens, about 7 minutes. Pour beef mixture over the noodles. Garnish with peanuts and green onions. 


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. Traditional dan dan noodles use pork (use chicken stock with pork)
2. If using fresh ginger, use about 2 tablespoons.
3. Sichuan peppers would go great with this dish (I didn't have any so I used regular peppercorn).
4. Want it really spicy? Add more chili oil.
 

Read more »

Shish Kebab with Tahini Sauce

The term "shish kebab" is a Turkish word that means "skewer" or "roast meat." Over the years, it has included roasting veggies to add more flavor and variety to the dish.

In Filipino, food skewered on a stick is generally referred to as "barbecue," but it is usually pork or chicken rather than beef. 

Truth be told, I made this dish because I don't want to waste the tahini we bought  when we made hummus. It went very well with the meat, and made the dish really delish!


What you need:

For the kebab
1 lb sirloin, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, cut into wedges
1 red bell pepper, cut into squares
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoon + 1/2 tbsp canola oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the tahini sauce
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
dash of salt
1/4 cup Tahini
3 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoon water


What to do: 

Prepare the dish by combining garlic, lemon juice, 2 tablespoon oil, salt, allspice, cinnamon and pepper in a large ziploc bag. Place the beef and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Mash garlic and salt in a bowl using the back of a spoon until paste forms. Whisk in tahini, lemon juice and water. Refrigerate prior to use.

Preheat grill to high. Remove beef from the bag and discard the marinade. Brush onion wedges and bell pepper pieces with oil. Thread beef slices onto skewers, followed by the veggies. Grill for about 5 minutes, or until desired doneness. Serve with tahini sauce.


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. Traditional shish kebab has a lot more spices - coriander, paprika, cumin, etc. I just used the ingredients that I thought would suit our taste buds.
2. Make sure the beef cut is tender - chewy meat is not "good eats".
3. Not a fan of tangy sauces? Reduce the amount of lemon juice to half.

Read more »

Kibbeh with Yogurt Garlic Sauce

Aside from Asian cuisine, Middle Eastern/Mediterranean also top our list of favorite food. There's something about how they eat - it seems to be a little lighter, healthier, and simpler. Although I must say, this dish that I made was probably a poor example of what I just said.

Kibbeh is a dish made of ground meat and rice or bulgur. According to Wikipedia, the word kibbeh comes from the Arabic word "kubbah" which means ball. However, for some reasons, all of the kibbehs I have had in restaurants were shaped like a football. It is but natural, of course, to make mine in the same shape. ;-)

Fair warning - this is probably one of the hardest dishes I have made. It was just so difficult to make those football shapes since there was no binder (the recipe didn't call for eggs). I promised myself I wouldn't make this again unless my family's life depended on it. If ever we have a craving for kibbeh, I would just make a trip to our favorite Lebanese resto. 

Don't let me scare you from trying, though. The dish was so good and tasty. I tweaked Emeril's recipe from here. And the yogurt garlic sauce went beautifully with the dish. It was so well worth the effort!


What you need:

For the shell:
1 cup bulgur wheat
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup roughly chopped yellow onions
1 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the filling:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup almonds, roughly chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Canola oil, for frying
yogurt garlic sauce (recipe follows)


What to do: 

To make the outer shells, cook bulgur wheat according to package directions. Make sure to drain them in a strainer and press to remove excess liquid. Set aside to cool.

Using you food processor, blend the beef, onion, cumin, salt and pepper to a paste. Add bulgur wheat and mix well. Process again until you get a smooth consistency. Add ice water if it seemed dry. If your food processor is small (like mine), you might have to do it in batches.

To make the stuffing, brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions, salt, allspice, pepper, and cinnamon. Stir well. Remove from heat, then add the almonds and stir again to distribute ingredients evenly. Set aside to cool.

To make the dish, use about two tablespoonfuls of the raw meat-bulgur mixture and form round  balls. Flatten the balls a bit and make a semi-hole down the center of each ball with your index finger. Stuff each ball with about one tablespoon of stuffing. Press down on the sides to enclose the stuffing and shape into an egg with pointed ends. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Heat Canola oil in a deep frying pan over medium. Add the kibbeh balls and fry until brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and let drain on a cooling rack. Serve with yogurt garlic sauce.


Yogurt Garlic Sauce 

What you need: 

1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced fresh mint leaves
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt until smooth and creamy. Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk to combine. 


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. Aside from beef, you can also use lamb.
2. Fine bulgur is best to use (I used medium).
3. The original recipe called for pine nuts. Since they are sooooo expensive, I substituted with almond.
4. Some recipes used mint leaves in the shell. Do so if you please.
5. Serve the dish with traditional labneh instead of the sauce.
6. Wet your hands frequently when shaping the balls.

Read more »

Beef Soup with Soba

Soba, or buckwheat, is a type of thin Japanese noodle.  Udon, on the other hand, are thick wheat noodles. Truth be told, I haven't the vaguest idea what buckwheat was until I started playing the game Harvest Moon. Actually, I learned a lot by playing that game, and now even my husband is hooked to it (and yes, son too!). 

But this post isn't about the game (although I would gladly tell you more if you're interested!).  Its about this delicious dish that I got from Women's Health Magazine. And around the time I was making this dish, I saw a rerun of Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" where he featured a person making noodles the "traditional way." According to the show, he is the last person to do so, as it is a dying art. I can't blame them... it is painful to even watch. It consist of kneading the dough by mounting on a bamboo pole and... uhmm... well, just watch this to find out (wait for the 1:58 mark). But remember, I warned you!

Back to the recipe (I have been sidetracked so many times!). It calls for shaved beef, so I used my trusted mandoline slicer to slice the beef ever so thinly. BIG MISTAKE. My arms hurt like I just played tennis with Rafael Nadal! Next time, I would stick to having our local butcher shave the beef for me. The dish itself was very easy to make, it was the prepping that took some time.

Shaved beef

What you need: 

4 cups of beef broth
3 cups of water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
6 oz shaved beef
1 teaspoon sesame oil
6 oz dried soba noodles
1/2 cup green onion, slivered
1/2 cup carrots, shredded or shaved
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
4 lime wedges


What to do: 

Boil about 8 cups of water in a big pot. Add the noodles and cook per package instructions.

In a separate pot, combine water, broth, and soy sauce over medium heat. Add the beef, then  let simmer. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, divide noodles into bowls. Ladle beef broth into individual bowls and top with beef slices. Garnish with carrots, cilantro, lime, and green onions.

My bowl. Hubby got the fancy red one. ;-)

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. If you are gonna shave the beef, do not thaw it completely - it would be easier if the meat is still a bit frozen as you can handle it better.
2. To make shaved carrots, just wash them thoroughly, then run a peeler on the skin. 
3. You can use other noodles for it - udon, somen, whatever you have!
4. No lime? Use calamansi!
5. DO NOT try to make noodles like the guy in the video. Or if you do, let us know how it turned out! ;-)

Read more »

Ropa Vieja

A few nights ago, we had old clothes for dinner - and it was delicious!

That meal was actually Ropa Vieja, which literally translates to "old clothes". I did a bit of research and found out that it was called such because the shredded beef in the recipe resembles old tattered clothes. All I can say is - this was the best old clothes I have ever had!

I looked at a hundred or so recipes of Ropa Vieja, and every recipe has something different to offer. I ended up just taking bits and pieces from each one, but I also tried to stay with the traditional way of preparing this Cuban dish. I even made Red Beans and Rice and Tostones to go with it. So good... 


What you need: 

1 pound flank steak
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
1/2 green bell pepper, cut into strips
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons thinly sliced pitted green olives
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon (Goya) adobo powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sherry
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 cups beef broth
1 fresh tomato, diced
2 bay leaves 
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon olive oil


What to do: 

Coat a pan with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Brown your steak by cooking, one side at a time, for about 2 minutes.  Remove steak from pan and set aside.

Place a pot or large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil, then saute onion, garlic, and bell peppers for 7 minutes, or until tender. Stir in olives, salt and pepper, oregano, and adobo powder. Cook for 30 seconds, then stir in red wine vinegar and sherry, scraping pan to loosen brown bits.  Cook for about 2 minutes, or until liquid almost evaporates.

Stir in broth, tomato, and bay leaves. Add the brown steak and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until steaks are very tender.

Remove steaks from pan and shred with two forks. Return the shredded beef in pan and add cilantro. Serve with rice and fried plantains.


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. You can use 1/2 tablespoon tomato paste instead of a fresh tomato. It might also make your sauce a bit thicker.
2. Traditional recipe calls for more cilantro. I used only a bit because cilantro has a very strong taste. 
3. If you don't have adobo powder, use ground cumin instead. 

Read more »