The CookMobile » Stews and Casseroles

Pork Menudo

Lalaine — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 04:07:47 +0000

When one says menudo in California, a peppery Mexican tripe and hominy soup is usually what comes to mind but although our Filipino menudo may share the name and reflect Spanish influence as well, no two dishes can be so unlike in ingredients, preparation and taste. The menudo recipe below leans more towards sweet than spicy, and is a far colorful stew with its chunks of pork, liver, potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, garbanzo beans, raisins and rich tomato base.

Most interpretations of Filipino menudo call for canned tomato sauce but I find the use of fresh tomatoes brings a special ommmph to the quality and flavor of the dish. I do, however, add a half a cup or so of tomato paste at the last minutes of cooking for a deeper color and thicker consistency. If you are one of those with aversion to liver, omit and proceed.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 lb boneless pork shoulder, sliced to cubes
1/2 cup liver, sliced to cubes
5 tomatoes, finely chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
1 medium-sized potato, peeled and cubed
1 medium-sized carrot, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup bell pepper (red, green or both), cubed
1/4 cup raisins
3-4 cups water
2 to 3 tbsps vegetable oil
1/2 cup tomato paste
salt and pepper

Procedure

In a wide sauce pot, heat oil. Lightly brown potatoes. Remove and set aside.

Saute onions and garlic until translucent and aromatic. Add pork and continue to saute until lightly browned.

Add tomatoes and continue to cook, occasionally mashing tomatoes with back of spoon, until softened and juices are released. .

Pour in water. Allow to boil for about 3 to 4 minutes. Cover pot, lower heat and simmer until meat is tender, around 20 minutes. Stir in tomato paste.

Add garbanzo beans, raisins, potatoes and carrots. Continue to simmer for around 3 to 5 minutes.

Add liver and bell peppers. Simmer until liver is cooked and sauce has slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Truly Pinoy Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Adobong Swordfish

Lumpiang Shanghai

Ginisang Sardinas at Miswa (Sardines and Vermicelli Stew)

Lalaine — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 03:34:06 +0000

It is a learning adventure, this food blogging. Not only am I discovering foods outside of the Filipino cuisine, but I am also finding that there is more to the Filipino cuisine than adobo. In my quest to discover fresh meal ideas for the blog, I often find myself steering almost every conversation I have towards food. It was in one such conversation that I discovered from a Filipino nurse at work that it is customary in some areas in the Philippines to add miswa noodles to sauteed sardines. Whaaat? I’ve had miswa noodles, of course. And canned sardines I occasionally prepare when I am pressed for time and want something simple for dinner. But never, not even while I was growing up in the Philippines, have I tried the marriage of these two ingredients in a dish. However, the fact that I’ve never heard of this before is not at all suprising. The Philippines is home to at least a dozen Malayo-Polynesian-speaking ethnic groups, and each have their own regional sub-culture of auxiliary dialects, traditions, practices and cuisine.

Miswa are Philippine noodles made with wheat and eggs. As the strands are very slender and delicate, these type of noodles cook in less than five minutes after addition to soup or broth. The adding of the noodles to sardines might have been born from the frugal efforts of a homemaker to extend the viand and further the number it will serve. Sardines is an affordable protein source in the Philippines and by adding miswa noodles plus more broth, the portions meant for two, can now easily accomodate five. For whatever reason this dish has been concocted, I am glad I discovered the delicious comfort it brings to my table.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

2 cans (15 oz each) sardines in tomato sauce
1/2 onion, finely sliced
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
2 oz miswa noodles
2 cups water
salt and pepper
vegetable oil

Procedure

In a sauce pan, heat vegetable oil. Saute onions and garlic until tender and aromatic. Add in sardines. With back of spoon, break sardines into desired pieces.

Pour in water and allow to a gentle boil. Add in miswa noodles and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Truly Pinoy Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Kalabasang Ukoy (Squash and Shrimp Fritter)

Adobong Sitaw

Beef Pochero

Lalaine — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:17:06 +0000

If there is ever a clearer display of how diversified the Philippine cuisine is, I believe it can be found in the many ways the pochero recipe is interpreted from one Filipino kitchen to another. Google the recipe and different food websites will provide you with different variations~from the basic Nilaga-style version enhanced simply by the addition of tomato sauce to the more traditional adaptation completed with chorizo bilbao, garbanzo beans and a spicy eggplant and/or calabasa accompaniment. What appears to be the common and constant denominator of all these versions is the addition of saba bananas which lends to the pochero a subtle touch of sweetness.

Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless beef shanks or 2 lbs beef ribs, cut to serving portions
2 cups tomato sauce
2 medium-size kamote , peeled and quartered
2 ripe saba bananas, peeled and cut to portions
1 bunch pechay, end trimmed and leaves separated
1/2 medium size cabbage, sliced to four
7 to 8 pcs french beans (bagiuo beans), ends trimmed
1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1-2 chorizo de bilbao
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
vegetable oil
water
salt and pepper

Procedure

In a sauce pot, heat a small amount of oil. Brown saba bananas for around 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add more oil as needed. Saute chorizo bilbao for around 2 to 3 minutes. Remove and set aside.

Add more oil as needed. Saute garlic and onions until aromatic. Increase heat to high. Saute in beef until lightly browned. Pour in tomato sauce. Pour in around 5 to 6 cups water. Allow to boil, then lower heat. Simmer meat until tender, adding more water as necessary to maintain about 6 cups of liquid.

Return chorizo bilbao to stew. Add in kamote and saba bananas. Continue to simmer for around 5 to 6 minutes until tender. Add in garbanzo beans, french beans and cabbage. Continue to simmer until vegetables are tender but crisp. Add in pechay leaves. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes until pechay is slightly wilted.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with spicy eggplant.

Spicy Eggplant

1 whole head garlic, peeled and minced
4 medium size eggplant
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 jalapeno or 1 thai pepper, finely chopped
salt and pepper

Boil eggplants until tender. Peel and mash along with one piece of the cooked kamote.
Combine vinegar, garlic, sugar, jalapeno or thai pepper, salt and pepper. Pour over eggplant, combine well and heat mixture thoroughly.

Truly Pinoy Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Pork Adobo (Pampanga-Style)

Ginisang Pusit (Squid in Tomatoes and Onions)

Ginisang Munggo at Chicharon (Mung Bean Stew with Pork Rind)

Lalaine — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 08:20:36 +0000

Although mung beans require an hour or so of boiling to soften, the actual sauteing and “putting” together of the soup takes a mere 10 to 15 minutes. This ginisang munggo soup recipe is a regular at my table as not only it is a nutritional powerhouse but at .89 cents a pack for dry beans (which can easily serve 12), it is also possibly the cheapest source of protein you can find.

Makes 6 Servings

Ingredients

1 cup dry mung beans
5 to 6 cups water
1 pkg crispy pork rind (chicharon)
1 bunch spinach
1 onion, chopped
4 to 5 cloves garlic, crushed
5 to 7 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fish sauce (patis)
vegetable oil
salt and pepper

Procedure

In a deep sauce pot, combine dry mung beans, crushed garlic and water. Boil beans until softened and green skin splits. Add more water as needed, allowing around 2 to 3 cups of water in the pot at all times.

In another deep sauce pot, heat vegetable oil. Saute onions and the minced garlic until tender and aromatic. Pour fish sauce. Continue to cook for around 1 minute.

Pour in softened, cooked mung beans with its broth. Add about 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Add in chicharon or pork rind. Lower heat to simmer until crispy pork rinds soften and some of their natural oils has seeped into the broth.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add spinach leaves. Cover pot with lid and turn off heat, allowing steam from hot broth to cook spinach.

Serve hot paired with rice and fried fish, if desired.

Truly Pinoy Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Chicken Tinola

Ginataang Gulay (Vegetables in Coconut Milk)

Lamb Caldereta

Lalaine — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 07:26:08 +0000

Calderata is a regular in Filipino fiestas and is also a favorite companion to beer for drink-happy Pinoy hubbies. The meat used is usually beef or goat. However, in this recipe I am using the lamb chops that I’ve had for a couple of weeks in my freezer~forgotten, until today. When I prepare calderata, I usually take the lazy way out and use convenience sauce mixes. For .89 cents or so a packet, they are a very welcomed time saver. But this stew-like dish is not really very complicated to make~it starts just like afritada and completes with the addition of liver spread and cheese.

UPDATE: I”ll be submitting this lamb calderata recipe to the Thursday Soup or Stew Night hosted by Ruminations.

Makes 4 Servings

4 lamb chops or 1 lb of lamb shank, cubed
5 cups water
2 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 carrot, peeled and cut into cubes
1 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
1/4 cup green bell pepper, seeded and sliced to strips
3 tbsps liver spread
2 tbsps cheese, shredded
1/4 cup green olives, pitted
3-5 pieces gherkin pickles (sweet and petite)
1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsps catsup
1 bay leaf
vegetable oil
salt and pepper

In a pan, heat oil. Saute onions and garlic until aromatic and tender.
Add in lamb and saute until lightly browned.
Pour in water, add bay leaf and jalapeno. Cover pan and allow to simmer until meat is tender. Pour in tomato sauce and catsup. Continue to simmer.
In a separate pan, heat additional oil. Lightly brown potatoes and carrots.
Add browned potatoes and carrots to the pan with lamb.
Continue to simmer until vegetables are tender and sauce is slightly reduced.
Stir in liver spread and cheese.
Add in olives, bell peppers and pickles. Continue to simmer for an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until bell peppers are of desired texture.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Simple Beef Stew

Lalaine — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 06:48:10 +0000

Last night, I went to the Artesia, California branch of Lee’s Sandwiches to take pictures of the place. Since I am a regular customer of their vietnamese sandwiches and a great fan of their pocket-friendly prices, I wanted to share a little view of the restaurant here. But what can I say? I came for the pictures and left with four 10-in sandwiches and two 2-ft long baguettes instead. I am certainly not one to resist the aroma of freshly-baked bread! And what goes best with freshly-baked baguette but a steaming, hearty bowl of beef stew? That’s exactly what I had for lunch today~beef stew and bread.

My first intention when I started the beef stew was to make it vietnamese-style, adding ingredients such as lemongrass and brown sugar. But since I didn’t have the complete components of the vietnamese recipe and it was too cold for me to take a trip to the store, I made a simple version of beef stew. And boy! was it delicious! I used the crunchy and chewy baguette slices to sop up the delicious beef stew sauce from my bowl!

UPDATE:
I am submitting this recipe to HOMEGROWN GOURMET #4: Stews and Casseroles as my first entry to the event hosted by Greedy Gourmet. Michelle is right on the dot with this event! What else to temper the chills of winter but with a steaming serving of stew? What warms the heart more than the aroma of a homemade casserole?

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat, cubed
1 cup tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 potato, peeled and cut into cubes
1 carrot, peeled and cut into cubes
salt and pepper to taste
water

Procedure

In a deep sauce pot, combine beef stew meat, onions, garlic and bay leaf. Add enough water to cover meat. Simmer until tender, skimming any scum that accumulates on top. Add more water in 1-cup increments as needed.

When meat is tender, add tomato sauce. At this point, beef juice in pot should be around 4 to 5 cups. Continue to simmer, until sauce slightly thickens.

Add potato and carrot cubes. Continue to simmer until vegetables are cooked, and beef stew meat is fork-tender. Mash one piece of the cooked potato in the pot to help thicken the sauce.

Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with thick slices of baguette.

Beef and Veal Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Beef Pochero

Beef with Mushroom-Cream Sauce

Chicken Afritada

Lalaine — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 04:55:53 +0000

My daughter, Liane, who is 16 years old, is my biggest support in this www. com endeavor. She also happens to be my loudest reality check call. I asked her today to log into my website control panel so I can start editing. I was busily sauteing when her voice boomed into the kitchen-”Mama, you had O (like zero, zilch, nada, wala) page visits on 11/2/2007 and 10 today (these 10 are probably because of me checking and editing pages!). Well, what can I say? What is there to visit? I have but 10 recipes posted and all but 2 pages! Ok, ok. I admit I’ve been arriving short of my goal of 5 to 10 posts a week! It’s not like I haven’t been cooking. I cook everynight. It’s just that I thought sinigang pork, or ginisang mung bean, or even this chicken afritada we had last Friday are so familiar every filipina aunt and sister knows how to cook them. But I realized we all have our own little tricks in the kitchen and they are all worth sharing. Good example is this chicken afritada. I don’t use canned tomato sauce as called for by most recipes. I use fresh tomatoes, lots and lots of tomatoes! So, there! I am posting every dish that comes out of my kitchen!

A few hours ago, I defrosted an almost 4-pounder cut-up chicken. I cooked half as curry and the other half as afritada. Both dishes work with the same principle-the sauteing with onions and the addition of potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers. Chicken curry is put together by coconut milk and chicken afritada by tomato sauce.

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

2 to 3 lbs bone-in chicken, cut into serving pieces
6 to 8 large tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 small onion, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into cubes
1/2 small red bell pepper, sliced into small squares
1/2 small green bell pepper, cut into small squares
3 to 4 cups water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp fish sauce
salt and pepper

Procedure

Heat oil in skillet. Fry potatoes, then carrots until lightly browned. Remove and set aside.

Saute onions and garlic until translucent. Add chicken parts and lightly brown for around 8 to 10 minutes. Pour in fish sauce. Continue to cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Allow natural oils to seep through.

Add tomatoes and continue cooking, mashing tomatoes with back of spoon. Juice from chicken and tomatoes will seep through. Skim scum that may accumulate on top.

Add water. Allow to a hard boil for 3-5 minutes. Cover and lower heat. Simmer until meat is tender, and sauce is reduced and slightly thickened. Stir occasionally.

Add potatoes and carrots. Continue to cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add bell peppers. Simmer for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.

Serve hot.

TIP:
Green peas can also be added, if desired.

Chicken and Poultry Recipes in The CookMobile Archive:

Herbed Chicken with Feta Cheese and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Mini Bacon-Ranch and Pico de Gallo Pizzas

Pork Pozole

Lalaine — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 01:48:17 +0000

Pozole, as described by Wikipedia, is a stew-like dish made with hominy, choice of meat cuts, chile, seasonings and garnishes such as cabbage, onions, lemons and radish. It is tradionally served in Mexico on Christmas Day as a “celebration of life’s blessings”. Well, I truly am grateful to be inside my warm, safe home!

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients

3 lbs combination of pork shoulder meat bone-in, neck bones and ham hocks, cut into serving sizes
5 to 6 pcs dried california chile
2 cups canned white hominy
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 bunch radish, sliced
1 cup cabbage, sliced to shreds
2 limes, quartered
1 bunch cilantro, stalks discarded and coarsely chopped
salt and pepper
water

Procedure

In a deep pot, Boil pork in water with garlic and quartered onion until tender, adding more water as necessary. Remove garlic and onions from pot and set aside.

Remove ends and seeds of chiles. In another sauce pan, boil chiles with around 3 cups of water until soft. Run in blender with garlic and onions from the pot of pork until pureed. Using a fine mesh sieve, run the boiling liquid through pureed chilis to obtain color and flavor. Discard chili pulp and set aside liquid.

Add hominy and continue to cook until hominy are of desired texture. Pour chile liquid onto pork stew. Continue to simmer for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle on bowls and serve garnished with cabbage, sliced radish, chopped onions and cilantro.
Squeeze in lime juice and add hot sauce as preferred. Serve hot with corn tostada.

Recipes from Across the Border in The CookMobile Archive:

Papas con Chorizo Omelet (Potatoes and Sausage Omelet)

Shrimp and Vegetable Soup