Showing posts with label Beef. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beef. Show all posts

Pineapple Sweet and Sour Meatballs

03 February 2009 Labels: , , , , 6 comments

Sweet and Sour Meatballs
PINEAPPLE SWEET AND SOUR MEATBALLS
This is one of those fast meals that I whip up when I don't have much time to spend in the kitchen. What's nice about this recipe is you can skip making the meatballs from scratch and use the frozen Italian or Swedish meatballs in the freezer. Of course, if you're feeling like Martha Stewart, then by all means, go ahead and make it from scratch. :o) I found the original recipe online but tweaked it to suit my taste. I added catsup (the sauce needed more color), lessened the brown sugar (too sweet) and vinegar (too sour), etc. That's what's good about cooking, you can change a recipe according to your taste. Here's my final (for now) recipe:


Pineapple Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Meatballs:

1 lb ground beef
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup panko or bread crumbs
1 small onion, minced
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Lightly oil a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. Mix the ingredients for the meatballs. Shape into small balls and bake for 30 mins or until fully cooked.


Pineapple Sweet and Sour Sauce:
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1 med carrot, sliced thin (so it will cook quickly)
1 red bell pepper, cut into squares
1 small onion, quartered
3/4 cup pineapple juice (you can use the juice from the pineapple chunks)
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup catsup
3 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/3 cup water
salt if needed

While the meatballs are in the oven, prepare this sauce. In a medium sauce pan, mix pineapple juice, water and soy sauce. Bring to boil. Add the vinegar but do not mix. Bring it up to boil then mix. Add brown sugar and catsup and mix until the sugar is dissolved. Throw in the carrots, onions, pineapple and red bell pepper.
Add the cornstarch/water mixture a little at a time thoroughly mixing after each addition. Stop adding the mixture when it's at the consistency you prefer. Try the sauce and add salt to suit your taste.

You can serve the meatballs mixed in with the sauce or serve the sauce on the side. You can pair this with steamed rice or cooked pasta.

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Mexican Taco Pie

31 January 2009 Labels: , , , , , 2 comments


MEXICAN TACO PIE

My family loves Mexican food. I always make beef Tacos, Enchiladas, Carne Asada and Chimichangas. I wanted to make something new so I tried this recipe. I made a couple of modifications to suit my family's taste. You can make this sans refried beans. If you like salsa, then by all means, add it as another layer.

Mexican Taco Pie
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can Refried Beans
1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies
1 pkg. taco seasoning 1 pkg. flour tortillas
2 c. shredded shredded Mexican mixed cheese
1. Grease a pie pan with oil. Pre-heat the oven to 350 deg F.
2. Saute onions in a little oil. Add ground beef and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook until brown. Strain the cooked ground beef to take out excess oil.
3. Return to heated pan. Prepare the taco seasoning according to the directions on the packet. Add to the cooked ground beef. Simmer for 5 minutes. Set aside. 4. Place two pieces of tortillas on the bottom of the pan. Spread some refried beans evenly on the tortillas. Follow with the ground beef. Sprinkle some green chilies on top, then the Mexican shredded cheese.
5. Place two more pieces of tortillas on top and repeat with the refried beans, ground beef, green chilies, cheese. Do this until you reach the top of the pie pan. 6. Sprinkle some extra cheese on the top to get a crunchy topping or you can place one layer of tortilla then the cheese if you want an extra crunchy top.
7. Bake for about 30 minutes when everything is all bubbly and crunchy.
8. Let cool for 5 minutes and slice. Serve hot.


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Osso Buco - My Favorite Italian Dish

08 November 2008 Labels: , , , , 8 comments

KusineraUSA Osso Buco

I've seen this dish prepared by TV chefs all the time but have not tried cooking it. While in Italy last summer, I tried Osso Buco for the first time at a restaurant in Florence named La Bussola Ristorante Pizzeria and I was in heaven. You can see in the photo below that it was served with steamed rice and the sauce La Bussola Osso Bucohas A LOT of tomatoes. I love tomatoes so I didn't mind it at all.

If you're not familiar with Osso Buco, it is a regional dish from Piedmont in Italy. It is made with veal shanks although if that is not available, you can substitute beef shanks instead. For the dry white wine, I used Chardonnay since that's what's readily available in my fridge. I also used canned tomatoes.
This recipe is from Epicurious.com and I found it to my liking. It is the classic version of Osso Buco. I omitted the orange zest since I don't remember tasting it in Italy., You can also use the crockpot in cooking this. You only need to brown the shanks and saute the veggies on the stove top first before adding all of the ingredients to the crockpot. This recipe is a keeper. It is as close to the Osso Buco I had in Florence and I will definitely make it again.

CLASSIC OSSO BUCO
4 pounds (1.8 kg) veal shanks, cut in 1 1/2-inch ( 4 cm) slices
1/4 cup (30 g/1 oz) flour
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter

2 onions, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 bottle (375 ml) dry white wine
a 14.5-ounce (435 g) can plum tomatoes, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
grated zest of 2 oranges (I omitted this)
1 cup (250 ml/8 fl oz) veal stock, more if needed

1. Heat the oven to 350°F (176°F/Gas 4). Put the flour on a plate, add generous amounts of salt and pepper, and coat the veal slices, with flour, patting to remove the excess. Heat the oil and butter in a sauté pan or frying pan big enough for all the veal slices to touch the bottom. Add half the slices and brown them over quite high heat, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn them, brown the other side and remove them to a plate. Brown the remaining slices and remove them also.

2. Lower the heat to medium, add the onion and carrot and sauté until golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour in the wine and boil until reduced by half, stirring to dissolve the pan juices. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, orange zest, veal stock, salt, and pepper. Immerse the veal slices in this sauce — the liquid should come at least halfway up the sides. Cover the pan and bring it to a boil.

3. Braise the shanks in the oven until the meat is very tender and falling from the bone, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Stir from time to time, gently turning the slices, and if the pan seems dry, add more stock. At the end of cooking, taste and adjust seasoning of the sauce. Osso buco can be cooked ahead and stored up to 3 days in the refrigerator, or frozen. Keep it in the pan ready to be reheated on top of the stove.

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Beef with Broccoli

10 August 2008 Labels: , , , 8 comments

Someone emailed me and asked me for a quick recipe that can be made with vegetables and meat. This is my 'fall back' dish whenever I'm in a rush or just too lazy to think of what to cook for dinner. This very basic dish can be made with any available ingredients in your fridge. For this recipe, I used beef tri-tips and broccoli. I blanched the broccoli in boiling water for one minute to keep the bright green color. You can adjust the amount of oyster sauce depending on your taste and the kind of chicken stock you use (canned stock are already salty.)

2 long strips of beef tri-tip, sliced thinly about 2-in. long
2 bunches of broccoli, cut into pieces and blanched for 1-min. in boiling water
1/4 onion, sliced thinly
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tbsp Oyster sauce (Lee Kum Kee brand, for example)
2 tsp Chinese rice wine (or sweet rice wine like Mirin)
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 tsp sesame oil
pinch of chili pepper flakes (optional)
1 tbsp canola oil

Mix oyster sauce, rice wine, sugar, cornstarch, chicken broth, sesame oil and ground pepper, set aside. Heat oil in a large pan or skillet. Saute garlic and onions over medium heat until limp. Add beef strips and chili pepper flakes, cook until no longer pink (this cooks quickly since it is sliced thin). Add broccoli pieces, and cook until broccoli stalk is tender but still crunchy, about 4 minutes or less. Add the sauce mixture, stir and mix until it thickens, about 1-1/2 minutes. Serve with steamed rice.

Tip: I purchase the family-size beef tri-tips pack and use the FoodSaver vacuum system to re-pack it in small portions, each pack is just enough for one dish.
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Beef Caldereta

05 May 2008 Labels: , , , , 10 comments

Caldereta As with most Filipino food, Caldereta originated in Spain. They have the same dish and almost all the ingredients are similar with the exception of Cinnamon stick, which is called for in the Spanish recipe. This dish can be made with beef, goat meat or even chicken. I prefer using beef for my version of Caldereta. Some recipes call for the use of vinegar as a marinade, along with salt, garlic and pepper. This is advisable if you are using a tough part of the beef as vinegar acts as a meat tenderizer.

Browning the beef as the first step of the cooking is very important. Do not use a non-stick pot or pan for this since you want the brown bits that stick to the bottom of the pan. These will add a lot of flavor to your Caldereta (or any kind of beef stew). Instead of tomato sauce, I prefer to use tomato paste (about 2-3 tbsp depending on how much water you add and how much sauce you want at the end) since I find that the resulting sauce has more depth and flavor. It is also important to let it simmer for a long time since this will allow all the flavors to meld and make the sauce thicker (you don't want a sauce that is watery).

The nice thing about Caldereta is you can omit some or most of the ingredients. As long as you have beef and tomato sauce, you'll still end up with a good dish. It's okay if you don't have liver sauce or olives or green peas. I for one do not add green peas, just because dh does not like it. If you like a Caldereta with a kick, add some chili pepper flakes or chili peppers.

This recipe is a combination of recipes from my mom, aunts and cook books. You can tweak this recipe to accomodate your taste

BEEF CALDERETA
Coooking Caldereta
2 lbs beef cubes
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 can tomato sauce
1 3/4 cups water
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
additional 2 1/2 cups water Caldereta
3 medium-sized potatoes, quartered
1 large carrot, chopped
1 red Bell pepper, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup canned liver spread
1/2 cup green peas
1/2 cup whole olives (optional)
Chili pepper flakes (optional)

- Marinate the beef in soy sauce, garlic and pepper for at least 1 hour. Drain and reserve the marinade.
- Heat the oil in a large pot.
- Fry the beef cubes until brown in all sides. Set aside.
- Add the onion and saute until limp. Caldereta
- Pour in the tomato sauce, water, Worcestershire sauce and reserved marinade.
- Bring to boil and then lower the heat to simmer until the beef cubes are tender (approximately 1 1/2 hours). Add more water if needed. You should end up with an oily and thick sauce just like what is shown in the photo at the right. Skim the fat off the sauce.
- Add potatoes and carrot, cook for 10 minutes.
- Add Bell pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ingredients. Add salt if needed.
-Serve over rice.

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Pepper Steak

01 May 2008 Labels: , , , , 7 comments

Pepper Steak over Egg Noodles

There are days where I don't know what to cook for dinner. Have you ever had one of those days? You have a lot of choices that you don't know for the life of you what to make. Those are the times when I get 'bold' and try new things. This recipe was on the bag of the egg noodles and it turned out very tasty. It is so easy to make and does not take a lot of preparation time.


I used beef tri-tips for this recipe and sliced it thinly so the cooking time is shortened. I also reduced the amount of water, beef bouillon and cornstarch since I only need to cook for 2 adults and 2 kids. Any kind of pasta will work for this dish, use whatever you have.
PEPPER STEAK OVER NOODLES
1 lb. boneless beef round or shoulder steak, sliced thinly
1 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp salt
1 medium sized onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 cups boiling water
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 green or red Bell pepper, cut into strips
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
3 fresh tomatoes, sliced
4 1/2 cups wide egg noodles, (6 oz) uncooked
-Cook egg noodles according to package directions; drain well. Set aside.
-Brown meat in oil in large skillet; season with salt.
-Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is tender.
-Add meat and cook 1 minute.
-Dissolve bouillon cube in 2 cups boiling water; add with Worcestershire sauce to the meat. Cook until meat is tender.
-Add Bell peppers and simmer 5 minutes longer.
-Combine cornstarch and 1/4 cup water; gradually stir into meat mixture.
-Cook, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens and begins to boil.
-Add tomatoes; heat through.
-Serve pepper steak over noodles.
4-6 servings.


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What's My Steak? Bistek

28 April 2008 Labels: , , , , 15 comments

Filipino Beef Steak

You would think that having been living here in the US for 19 years, I would swear off eating Philippine beef steak. Uh-uh, I still crave for Bistek as I call it from my younger days. I like the salty sauce on top of piping hot rice and the crunchiness of the onions with the beef. They say that this is the poor man's steak, I don't know about that since beef round and tenderloin are so expensive.

The type of soy sauce that you use is crucial to this dish. Use soy sauce that is not too salty. I find that Silver Swan brand is too salty for me so I use Marca Pina. I have not tried using Kikoman Lite Soy Sauce for this but I would guess that it will turn out fine since it's not too salty like the original. Using Vidalia onions is also recommended since the sweetness of these type of onions complement the saltiness of the sauce. If you are using a part of the beef other than the round, I suggest you pound the beef slice with a mallet or something similar to tenderize it. I remember my mom using the back of the knife to pound the beef, so it's not cutting through the meat. As with any cooking recipe, this can be tweaked according to your taste.

PHILIPPINE BEEF STEAK "BISTEK"

1 lb. Beef round or tenderloin, sliced thin
1/2 cup soy sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
ground pepper
1 big onion, sliced across so you'll end up with rings

1. Mix soy sauce, ground pepper and lemon juice in a big bowl.
2. Add the sliced beef and mix with your hands. Let sit in the fridge for 30 min.
3. Heat oil in a big pot.
4. Fry the onions up to the consistency you prefer. I prefer my onions to be soft, some like it crunchy. Set aside.
5. Fry the beef but do not over cook. Remember that the beef slices are thin so it does not take long for it to cook. Over cooking the beef will result in tough and dry meat. Set aside the cooked meat while you're cooking the rest of the meat.
6. Pour the sauce in the pot and cook for 2 minutes.
7. Arrange the beef slices in a serving bowl and put the cooked onions on top. Pour the cooked sauce over the meat and onions.
8. Serve over hot rice.

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What's In My Palayok? Kare-kare

17 April 2008 Labels: , , , , 10 comments

Kare-kare

How I wish I have a palayok in my kitchen. No, I'm not going to use it for cooking since my range is electric. :( I am going to use it for presentation. (Note to self: bring back a palayok from my trip to the Philippines next year). How dramatic can you get if you serve Kare-kare in a palayok? That's how they used to do it in Kamayan and Barrio Fiesta restaurants.

I have some Bokchoy and Chinese green beans in the vegetable crisper and thought of making Kare-kare. I have not cooked it in more than a year so what better time to do it than now. Lucky for me, Ox tails are readily available in our local supermarket. I guess I have to thank the big population of Portugese in the area. :) Make sure you also have Bagoong before you even think of cooking Kare-kare. It is just not complete without it, it is like eating Prime Rib without the Au Jus.

There are two ways to cook Kare-kare: the long way and the easy way. The easy way is using Mama Sita's Kare-kare mix. It's okay, just tweak it to your taste. I for one like the taste of the ground toasted rice. This recipe has been tweaked a little. I got it from the cookbook by Laquian and Sobrevinas.

KARE-KARE ( Meat and Vegetable Stew in Peanut Sauce)

2 1/2 lbs. Oxtail
1 1/2 tsp salt or fish sauce
1 tbsp oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1/2 cup atchuete water (1 tbsp atchuete seeds and 1/2 cup water)
2 cups broth (from the oxtail)
3 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp ground toasted rice
1/2 lb. Chinese green beans
1/2 lb. Bokchoy
1 med. eggplant, cut into pieces

- Place oxtails in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender.
- Soak atchuete seeds in water for 30 min. Stir and press on the seeds to extract color. Strain and set aside.
- Heat oil in a skillet and saute garlic and onions. Add cooked oxtail and 2 cups broth. Add salt and atchuete water. Simmer for 15 min.
- Take a cup of the broth and stir in peanut butter and toasted rice powder. Add to the pot and bring back to boil and simmer for another 5 min.
- Add green beans and eggplant. Cook another 5 minutes. Add the bokchoy and cook for another 5 min.
- Season with salt or if you prefer, bagoong.


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Prime Rib, A Meatlover's Delight

05 April 2008 Labels: , , , , 3 comments

Prime Rib You would think that the best Prime Rib I've ever tasted was in some fancy restaurant in San Francisco or Boston. It wasn't. Dh and I were visiting friends in Kingman, Arizona and we went to this restaurant on top of the mountain. It is not a fancy schmanzy restaurant with waiters dressed in black-tie. It is just your run-of-the-mill mom and pop run place. But wait till you try their Prime Rib, it just melted in your mouth. THE BEST!

After that experience, I've always been in the hunt for the perfect recipe. I'm an avid-watcher of Alton Brown's show 'Good Eats' on the Food Network. He did a show on Prime Rib. If you've watched Alton, you know that he uses a variety of techniques. Some of his techniques and/or tools will make you scratch your head and wonder if that will really work. This is one of those shows, he used a terra-cotta pot to cover the meat. If I had a clean one with no plants in it, I would've probably tried it too. But then, I don't have a clean one so I just used a regular roast pan with a cover.

I cooked this standing rib roast for Easter Dinner. I bought a four-bone roast which is more than enough for our family. I adjusted the cooking time since we want our meat medium. The ends of the prime rib came out medium-well which is just right for the kids.

Dry-Aged Standing Rib Roast


1 (4-bone-in) standing rib roast, preferably from the loin end
Canola oil, to coat roast
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper, to cover entire roast

1 cup water
1 cup red wine
4 fresh sage leaves

Preparation Three Days Before Cooking:
Remove any plastic wrapping or butcher's paper from the roast. Place the standing rib roast upright onto a half sheet pan fitted with a rack. The rack is essential for drainage. Place dry towels loosely on top of the roast. This will help to draw moisture away from the meat. Place into a refrigerator at approximately 50 to 60 percent humidity and between 34 and 38 degrees F. You can measure both with a refrigerator thermometer. Change the towels daily for 3 days.

Turn the oven to 250 degrees F.

Remove the roast from the refrigerator and rub with canola oil. Remember to rub the bones with oil, as well. Once the roast is completely coated with oil cover the roast with salt,about half a teaspoon per bone.


Next, rub with freshly ground pepper to coat the surface.

Place the roast over a glass bake-ware dish slightly smaller than the length of the roast. This will catch the drippings needed for the sauce.

Finally, place a probe thermometer into the center of the roast and set for 118 degrees. Put the roast and the bake-ware dish into the oven. Turn the oven down to 200 degrees F and roast until internal temperature is achieved.





Remove the roast and turn oven up to 500 degrees F.

Remove the lid and re-cover with heavy-duty foil. Allow the roast to rest until an internal temperature of 130 degrees F. is reached.

Place the roast back into the preheated 500 degree F oven for about 10 minutes or until you've achieved your desired crust.

Remove and transfer roast to a cutting board. Keep covered with foil until ready to serve.

Degrease the juices in the glass pan. Place the pan over low heat and deglaze with 1 cup of water.

Add the wine and reduce by half.

Roll the sage leaves in between your fingers to release the flavors and aroma. Add to the sauce and cook for 1 minute.

Strain and serve on the side.


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My Filipino Comfort Food - Nilaga

16 February 2008 Labels: , , , , 21 comments

Beef Nilaga

Nilaga

This has been my favorite since I was a child in the Philippines. It is called 'Nilaga' which translates to 'boiled' in English. This is made with either beef, chicken and sometimes even pork. My fave is beef nilaga but we try to eat healthy so I used chicken instead.




It is a very easy dish to make, if you mess it up, I suggest you stay out of the kitchen. LOL



Put the meat in the pot with water and some peppercorns and boil until tender. For veggies, it is preferable to use Bokchoy (also known as Pechay) or cabbage with some potatoes and string beans. For seasoning, I use fish sauce (what can I say, I'm Tagalog. LOL).



How about you? What is your favorite comfort food?


Nilaga


Cooking time: 1 to 2 hours

1 lb. beef, cut into 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" cubes

3 potatoes cut the same size as the beef

1 bundle Bok choy, cut in halves

1/2 small cabbage, cut in 2

fish sauce, to taste

8 peppercorns

6 cups water


In casserole bring water, beef, peppercorns and potatoes to boil. Take out the potatoes when it is fork tender and set aside (after about 10 minutes). Simmer for 1 hour or until the beef is tender. Add the cabbage and the bokchoy. Do not over cook the vegetables. Add fish sauce.


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