Beef Caldereta

This is one of the so called luxury Filipino dishes due to its prime delectable cuisine taste. Together with the right mixture of seasonings and tomato sauce. This recipe really stands out on occasions. Pork can also be used as an alternative, but beef brings out the taste. Another so called technique for this recipe is to let it chill in the refrigerator for a couple of hours after cooking and let the thick sauce sink into the meat. Then re-heat and serve.

Toi's Beef Caldereta

• 1 cup bell peppers cut into strips
• 1 cup grated cheese (or use cheese spread)
• 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
• tabasco sauce
• bay leaf, 3 large pieces
• salt, peppercorns
• mushroom, potatoes and carrots2 cups beef broth (1 beef cube dissolved in hot water)
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup tomato paste
• 2/3 cup liver spread

Cooking Directions

1. Boil the beef in the beef broth and pineapple juice, with the onion and a dash of salt and about 20 pcs of peppercorn. Let it simmer until the beef is tender.
2. Saute garlic, when almost brown, add the beef.
3. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste.
4. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the bay leaf, bellpeppers, carrots, mushroom, and potatoes.
6. If the sauce is too thick, add water.
7. When the potatoes and carrots are cooked, add the liver spread and cheese.
8. Add tabasco sauce.
9. Season to taste.

Tip: Chill in the fridge, until the sauce seeps into the meat. Re-heat and serve.

Pork Barbeque

Ok from pulutan, let us now turn our attention to charcoal cooked food. Imagine the chunky juicy taste of food cooked in natural charcoal, smoked to perfection. One of my all-time favorites is Pork Barbeque. This is one of our family recipes and I'm sure that it will keep your mouth watering. Keep this recipe handy on your vacations.

Toi's Pork Barbeque

• 1 kilo pork, for best results try the liempo part.
  
• Bamboo sticks (skewers)
  
• soy sauce
  
• 1 medium garlic, minced
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup of calamansi juice or lemon juice, whichever is available in your country.
  
• 1/2 cup of Sprite or 7up, whichever is available
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons of brown
  
• 1/2 cup of banana catsup

Cooking Directions

1. Cut pork into thin, long slices , separate the fatty skin part to be used later.
2. In a large mixing bowl, marinate the port with the soy sauce, minced garlic, chopped onions, calamansi juice, ground pepper, sugar, banana catsup and the soda.
3. Mix well and keep in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (turning occasionally).
4. Clean up the skewers and at least scrape off the wood splinters to avoid burning the barbeque during cooking.
5. Kebob! Place the pork in the skewers, place the fatty skin part first, that should be the placeholder for the rest of the port.
6. Over live charcoals, barbeque the pork on skewers until cooked - turning every few minutes on each side and basting the leftover marinate on the barbeque.
7. Serve and Enjoy! Goes well with beer!

Pork Kilawin (ceviche)

Speaking of beer drinking sessions. An event would never be complete without this oh so yummy pulutan, "pork" kilawin. Kilawin is derived from the word ceviche which pertains to food that are mostly prepared and marinated by citrus fruits and vinegars. As we all know, this recipe has many variations from fish up to red meats. So lets start preparing this delectable recipe.

Toi's Pork Kilawin

• kilo pork
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup Vinegar
• onions, chopped
• cups of water
• teaspoon salt

Cooking Directions

1. Place pork in a large casserole, toss in a pinch of salt.
2. Bring to boil for 20 minutes until the pork is tender.
3. Remove pork and slice into small pieced while still hot.
4. In a large mixing bowl, place the pork and add in the vinegar, soy sauce and the chopped onions.
5. Serve immediately! and enjoy

Baked Tahong (Mussels)

Whenever there is a beer sessions. A good pulutan should always be present. One of the best seafood pulutan that we always love is the Baked Tahong (mussels). First, tahong is really cheap and its easy to cook in just a snap. Add in a few seasonings and there you go, an instant cuisine to accompany your beer drinking session.


Toi's Baked Tahong

• 2 lbs clams in shell
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 medium onion minced
• 1 small tomato minced
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded quick melt cheese
  
• cheese
• calamansi or lemon slices
  

Cooking Directions

1. Clean the clams, remove the half upper shell. Prepare baking tray by putting aluminum foil and thinly cover with salt. Line up cleaned, opened clams.

2. Prepare the garnish in a small bowl, mix minced garlic, onion, and tomato with a dash of salt and pepper. This will be the garnish.

3. Garnish opened clams with the mix and add some cheese at the clam tops.

4. Put in oven at 350 F, and bake for 15-20 mins.

5. Serve immediately with freshly squeezed lemons. This can serve as appetizer.

Pork and Beans Stew! - Nilaga lang with beans!

Another one of my favorites. This is a Nilaga recipe variant and the main ingredient is white beans. It blends perfectly with the pork pata broth. Also the white beans add thickness to the broth which makes it ohh so tasty. This is very much perfect on cold and rainy seasons. Add a few leafy veggies such as Cabbage or Pechay and we're good to GO! If you want a different variation, you can use other beans such as black and red ones.

Toi's Porn and Beans Stew!

• 1/4 kilo white beans or sitaw beans (tip, soak in water overnight)
  
• 1/2 kilo of pork pata, choose the hind part since its meatier
• 2 medium onions, peeled and diced.
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  
• 1/2 cabbage or 1 bundle of pechay, sliced
  
• crushed pepper for seasoning
  
• fish sauch (patis)
  

Cooking Directions

1. Boil the pork together with the beans in medium fire until both are soft and tender. Continue to add water as needed. (tip, place a metal spoon, this shortens the boiling time). Add a few pinch of salt. 2. In a different pot, sautee the garlic together with the onion and then add the pork. 3. Add the boiled beans together with the broth. 4. Add pepper, and then bring in the cabbage. Add some fish sauce to taste. 5. Simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve and Enjoy!