Beef short ribs "steak" v1

So we had beef short ribs but I was asked not to turn it into a stew. Here's attempt number 1 at making a "steak" using a for-braising beef cut. I'm basically using the dry-rub technique more suitable to pork ribs, then pan-frying with butter to get a good crust. 

Ingredients

1/2 kilo beef short ribs, preferably in 1 large piece

smoked sea salt

paprika 

peppercorns, ground and whole

3 bay leaves

1 clove garlic, crushed

butter

1. Use salt, ground pepper, and paprika to make a dry rub around the beef. After about 30 minutes or so, put 1 cup of water in the Instant Pot and throw in the bay leaves and some whole peppercorns. Place beef inside the pot on a trivet and Pressure Cook on high for 45 minutes then NPR. You should have a clean-off-the-bone tender piece of beef that is devoid of crunchy texture. That comes in the next step

2. Let the beef rest and cool down (do step 1 in advance).  Heat up some butter in a pan, add garlic (and herbs if you have any), and brown the beef until you get a good crust on all sides (you can also try a peppercrust at this point). 

3. Optional: After the beef is well-crusted, make a sauce out of the flavourful bits in the pan. Leave a few tablespoons of butter/oil on the pan and add some flour to make a roux. Deglaze with wine and add a bit of broth. Simmer until desired thickness.  

Yeah -- potatoes and parsnips whatever -- we'll have it with rice and maybe some coleslaw to keep it suitably Western. 

Update: I now kind of get why the dry rub-pressure cook-fry/bake method doesn't really work for beef short ribs. The meat dried out too much, and was actually better before frying. So that wasn't a resounding success. But the gravy I made from the post-pressure cook liquid was awesome. 

Next in the Galley: Marosszéki Heránytokány

So I ordered 2 x 500g of beef brisket with the intention of making Tass Kabab e Aremaneh. Instead, what arrived as 500g of beef brisket and 500g of pork ribs. I'm pretty sure Iranian tass kabab will not be very authentic if I use pork, so I looked for a stew recipe that contained both beef and pork. I found this dish (recipe from here and here), which is apparently claimed by both Hungarian and Romanian cuisines. Seems the distinctive flavour will be coming from paprika (because Hungary, of course), marjoram, caraway, sautéed mushrooms, and sour cream. Interestingly, there is no garlic anywhere in this dish and wondered if a link with Transylvanian nobility of the literary kind is the Romanian side of the dish. Of course, I plan to make this using the Instant Pot.  

Ingredients

500g beef brisket, cubed

500 pork ribs, cubed

bacon or Speck, chopped

1 onion, chopped

button mushrooms, sliced

a pinch of caraway (or fennel) seeds

1/2 teaspoon marjoram

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1/2 cup water

1 cup white wine

sour cream

canola oil (something neutral-tasting)

salt and pepper to taste 

1. In the Instant Pot, press Saute and sauté bacon then onion in oil until brown and aromatic. Add paprika mixed with water and bring to a simmer for a few minutes. 

2. Add beef, pork, spices, and wine and Pressure Cook on high for about 50 minutes then NPR. While pressure cooking, in another pan sauté the bacon and mushrooms until mushrooms are browned and lose a bit of moisture. 

3. After pressure cooking and meat is nice and soft, press Saute and reduce the sauce until desired thickness. Stir in sautéed mushrooms and bacon. Simmer a bit. 

4. Before serving, fold in some sour cream to enrich the gravy. 

Usually served with a crusty bread or baked potatoes, but we will probably have this with steamed rice. 

Estofado de ternera al vino tinto malbec

My take on an Argentinian beef stew using short ribs and Malbec wine. 

Ingredients

1 kilo beef short ribs, bone-in

2 carrots, diced

2 celery sticks, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic bulbs, smashed

3 sprigs fresh oregano, hand-crushed

3 large bay leaves

2 cups red wine (I used Argento Malbec 2016)

2 cups beef broth

knob of butter

olive oil

fennel seeds

peppercorn

ground black pepper

salt (I used Maldon Smoked Sea Salt)

1. Gently salt the beef. Heat the olive oil and butter in a pan. When it's smoking, sear both sides of the beef. Place beef inside the Instant Pot container. 

2. In the same pan, fry some fennel seeds and ground pepper until you can smell them. Then sauté the onions and garlic until fragrant. Add in the celery. Then add in the carrots. When they are nice and fragrant, put them in the Instant Pot container with the beef. 

3. Put 3/4 cup of the wine and 3/4 cup of the broth in the pan and deglaze any oily, buttery browned bits on the bottom. Place in the Instant Pot container. 

4. Pour the rest of the wine and broth. Add in the peppercorns, bay leaves, and sprigs of oregano. Slow Cook for 4 hours. This is to extract the most flavour from the ingredients. 

5. After the slow cook, check softness of the beef and taste of the sauce/broth. Season the broth as needed and, if beef is not yet fork-tender, Pressure Cook as needed (maybe 30 minutes on high pressure). Afterwards, on the Saute function reduce the sauce to desired level of thickness; season as needed.  

Serve with potato puree or, to be truly Argentine, pasta. Of course, we had it with rice. See the dish here.

Next in the Galley: Mechado

MOM'S MECHADO

Literally how my mom used to make it.  

Ingredients: 

1 kilo beef threaded with pork fat
garlic, onions and tomatoes, minced
1 small can of tomato sauce
potatoes and carrots, cubed
2 laurel leaves
1/5 to 1/4 cup soy sauce
ground pepper

Actual email: You can get a 2 lb. (a kilo) slab of beef, insert pork fat in the middle (in Manila, i'd get it from Rustan's or SM supermarkets prepared that way). You can thickly slice it and put in a pot. Mince garlic, onions and tomatoes, then place on top of the meat. Add a small can of tomato sauce. Add water using the same small can. Add pepper and soy sauce, around 1/4 cup. See, am not into measurements so be careful in adding too much soy sauce at once. When beef is almost done, taste.
Better to cook it slowly. Enjoy!


NINANG ETANG'S MECHADO (from Positively Filipino)

Ninang Etang's Mechado leaves required threading of the fat to the cook's imagination.  From "Recipes of the Philippines" by Enriqueta David-Perez, pioneer food editor of Manila.  The book was in its 19th print as of 1973.

Ingredients: 

1 kilo beef, lean
4 big onions, whole
1/2 cup vinegar
Strips of pork fat
1 can tomato sauce (small)
6 potatoes, cut in halves
1/2 laurel leaf
2 tbsps. fat
1 tsp. pimenton
Salt to taste

1. Insert fat strips lengthwise in beef.

2. In a deep pot or pan, place the meat, laurel, tomato sauce, vinegar, salt to taste and water to cover.  Cover and simmer until tender.

3. Add potatoes, onions and pimenton and continue cooking.

4. When most of the broth has evaporated and potatoes are cooked, add the fat and stir well.

Serve meat sliced crosswise.

Next in the Galley: Cemita Poblana

I want to make this sandwich for the Boy. Ok, for myself, but the Boy will surely like it too. Recipe is from here, but modified for my circumstances.

Ingredients

beef, pork, or chicken cutlets (e.g., Taiwanese chicken chop or German Schnitzel)
avocados, halved, pitted, and sliced
cemita buns, sesame-seed buns, or brioche buns, halved
string cheese, divided
raw onion rings (about 1/4 inch thick)
chioptle chiles or pickled jalapeños
fresh cilantro leaves
extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1. Spread avocado slices on bottom bun halves. Top with fried cutlets. Mound half of the cheese on the cutlets.

2. Arrange onion rings on top of cheese. If using chipotles, tear into pieces and arrange on onion rings; alternatively, arrange pickled jalapeños on top of onion rings. Top with cilantro and mound the remaining cheese on top. Drizzle with olive oil.

3. Close sandwiches and serve right away.

Had to make do with what I could find at the neighbourhood FairPrice. No sesame seed buns or brioche buns, so used whole wheat burger buns instead. Replaced with Oaxaca cheese with Bega Stringers and the nopales with cilantro. The Boy loved it: https://www.instagram.com/p/BrZ6qC6BdnL/

Next in the galley: Tass Kabab e Aremaneh

From: https://arianabundy.com/tass-kabab-e-aremaneh/

TASS KABAB E AREMANEH
AROMATIC LAMB CASSEROLE WITH TOMATOES, PRUNES AND CINNAMON

My mum makes the best Tass Kabab. I don’t know what it is about hers. It is such a simple dish yet hers has all the juices and fragrance that can come out of cinnamon, meat, tomatoes and prunes. She would layer all the raw ingredients – including the meat, so no searing involved – then let it cook slowly while we did all sorts of things around the house. We knew the dish was done when the air was filled with the scent of caramelised onions, cinnamon and meat.

Tass Kabab is similar to a Moroccan tagine with its sweet and sour combination. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the juices left on your plate and some sharp torshi (pickles, page 84).

2 tbsp olive oil
2 large onions, sliced in 1cm (1/2in) whole rings
1kg (2lb) de-boned leg of lamb or stewing beef, cut into 5–7.5cm (2–3in) cubes
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 5cm (2in) discs
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 7.5cm (3in) pieces
4 tomatoes, sliced
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp salt
few twists of pepper
10–12 Persian unpitted golden dried plums or pitted prunes
2 tbsp butter
juice of 1 small lemon or 1 rounded tsp powdered Omani lime (or more, to taste)
1/2 tsp saffron threads, pounded and dissolved in 2–3 tbsp hot water

This recipe works best in a heavy cast-iron pot, but a regular casserole will do. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan. Begin layering the ingredients. Start with the sliced onions: spread some out on the bottom of the pan. Then add a layer of meat, onions again, chopped garlic, carrots, potatoes and the tomatoes, sprinkling the layers with a little cinnamon powder, turmeric and salt and pepper and adding a few plums or prunes as you go.

Once all the ingredients are used up, add the rest of the oil, the butter and the lemon juice or powdered lime.

Cover, place on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, then lower the heat to its lowest setting and let the casserole cook gently for about 45–60 minutes or until the meat is fork-tender. Add the saffron liquid 10 minutes before the end of cooking time.

I like to put the pot on the table and let everyone help themselves. Serve with some bread – and watch out for the plum stones!

TIP: If you don’t have any plums or prunes or want to try a variation, substitute fresh apples or quince (with their skins on). Cut them into large chunks or wedges so they keep their shape while they cook. They will become soft, aromatic and add a sweet tang to the dish.

You can also substitute 1½ tbsp green advieh mixture (page 204) for the individual spices.

My first (and so far only) attempt: https://www.instagram.com/p/BgJRwv3lAAQ/

Treffpunkt

Means "meeting place" in Austrian. It's also an Austrian deli/restaurant along EDSA that I've been seeing since the 1980s as a kid. We used to live in Las Piñas but most of our relatives were in Quezon City so we we'd pass by the place on our way to reunions.

I've always wondered what was there. Good thing they have a very informative website here, which looks like it was designed in the 1990s. Not that I'm complaining since it has everything I needed to know.

Now to actually visit the place.

Mom's Meatloaf Recipe

Yeah, it's been a while since my last (non-)post. It's not as if anyone's reading this blog anyway. Oh well.

Here's my mom's meatloaf recipe, which she began making sometime in the late 1980s, then stopped, then made it again in the mid 1990s. When I was single it was sort of a staple since it's very easy to do and keeps/reheats well. My Dear loves it, and I guess it contributed to how history eventually turned out. Resulting in Lucas. Hehehe.

This recipe is supposed to be a family secret of sorts, but I'm posting it anyway. Given this blog's active readership, I figure it'll remain a secret for some time to come.

Ingredients:

1/2 kilo ground pork or beef (or both)
1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup (Campbell's just tastes better)
2 eggs
about 1 cup bread crumbs (optional)
1 garlic, minced
freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
soy sauce (to taste)
whatever you feel like chucking in (more on this later)

1. Thoroughly mix everything together. By hand. In a big bowl.

2. Aside from the basic ingredients, feel free to chuck in any other spice or minced ingredient you want. For flavourings I've used curry mixes, Old Bay, Cajun spices, and Italian seasoning. Minced ingredients I've used include olives (green and black), onions, chorizos, salami, hotdog, spam, Mexican chiles, and even sweet ham. Just remember to do (1) so everything is a homogeneous slurry.

3. Cook. As a bachelor I actually microwaved this for 35 minutes in a glass dish covered with wax paper-- it came out with gloriously burnt edges. But if you're more comfortable with steaming or baking, go ahead.

Serve with your choice of carb.

Of Corned Beef, Fasting, Salmon, and Chorizos

This week marks two major food events-- St. Patrick's Day and Holy Week-- both being Christian holidays and unintentional food days.

St. Patrick's Day is known for copious pints of Guinness and corned beef with cabbage. While the pints are truly St. Paddy's Day "fare", this article says that corned beef with cabbage is more of a stereotype. Speaking of corned beef, there is no corn (i.e., maize) in corned beef. The term "corned" refers to the old method of dry-curing beef with grains-- or corns-- of salt. Nowadays, corned beef is cured in salt water (process called brining), but the name has stuck.

Of course, this week is also Holy Week, so there will be no corned beef in Catholic homes on Friday. So when should Catholics really fast and abstain? According to the Code of Canon Law (Can. 1248-1253), "abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday", while abstinence is to be observed on "all Fridays". Note, however, that the bishops' conference (in our case, the CBCP) has final authority to determine what fasting and abstinence entail (Can. 1253). From what I remember of catechism, Catholics (at least Filipino Catholics) may substitute fasting or abstinence for some other act of piety or charity. In my experience, though, fasting is the first penitence to be substituted for piety as abstinence becomes an excuse to enjoy an all-seafood feast.

Speaking of seafood, I am the happy owner of eight 16-ounce fillets of smoked Alaskan sockeye salmon. I have four preferred ways of eating them: as is, in an omelette, with pasta, and sauteed with potatoes. The fillets are smoked and packed by Kasilof Fish Co.; their website-- ILoveSalmon.com-- perfectly describes me. Aside from the eight smoked fillets, I have six cans of salmon chunks and seven fillets of frozen salmon. Salmon ranks up there with bangus and fatty sardines as my all-time favourite fishes. One guess what I'll be abstaining into this coming Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

Come Easter I'll be all fished out and will be raring to go back to meat. I currently have a pack of Campofrio jamon serrano and a can of La Noreñense Asturian chorizos in my pantry, and I'm looking for the perfect time (and recipe) to open them. As I said in a previous post, I think Spanish cured meats are the best of their kind out there. The Italians come close with their salami, pepperoni, and prosciutto, but chorizos, salchichon, and jamon still have a slight edge. I heard somewhere that the Spaniards concocted their great pork dishes and cured meats after the Reconquista, celebrating their freedom to eat pork after kicking out the Moors. Well, that's at least one unambiguously good thing that happened as a result of all those wars.

Sushi Nights and Steak Dinners

Whenever I go to the Bay Area, I make a list of restos to visit and dishes to taste-- Masu for sushi rolls, Joy Luck for dimsum, Red Robin for burgers, La Petite Camille for banh cuon, etc. The list often changes and is subject to whim, but there are always a few constants-- dishes I have to taste each and every Pacific crossing because, well, they're just too damn good. Two of those constants (see title) are courtesy of my brother-in-law, Chef Richard.

Sushi Night is all about California-style rolls and nigiris, which are Richard's specialties. The actual composition of the rolls depends on whatever was just bought at the supermarket, usually Suruki Supermarket in downtown San Mateo. Mainstays are unagi (roasted eel), maguro (tuna), toro (fatty tuna), and shake (salmon), usually combined in some combination with avocados, nori (seaweed sheets) and sushi-meshi (vinegared rice) to make the sushi rolls. Those red dots you see in the picture are drops of sriracha, a Thai chili sauce, which can also be used to make spicy tuna.

Another meal I always look forward to is my Steak Dinner. Now, I usually avoid beef and other red meat, but I drop my beef abstinence for special dishes, and this is one of them. Unlike most American steaks, this steak needs no sauce to make the meat taste better. There's really nothing better than perfectly-cooked marbly beef just off the griddle/pan/oven and onto your plate. I like my steaks medium rare, a little pink in the centre and very juicy. Richard says he doesn't make good steaks-- nonsense, since his steaks are some of the best I've had, and I'm not saying this just to be nice. Much better than the steak I had at Outback, really. On the picture you'll see my steak topped with herbed butter, on a bed of peppered brown rice and steamed vegetables (hey, we need something healthy to counter the steak).

Other great dishes I've had the pleasure of savouring include roasted vegetable antipasti, stuffed mushrooms, chicken breast in veloute sauce, beef stew, clam chowder, eggplant parmigiana, the list goes on-- all of them superb hits. There have been a few misses from time to time, of course, but Richard would be the first to call them misses. He sometimes dabbles in the catering business, so far limiting himself to small parties (20 people or less) in the Bay Area. I'd add his contact information right about now for would-be clients, but so far my Sis (Richard's wife) hasn't emailed me the contact info they'd like posted here. ;) When/If she does read this post, you'll see the info in the comments section below. Do contact them if you happen to be in the Bay Area and are thinking of having a small party.

Grams Diner

I tried Grams Diner last Sunday. Yes, it's not exactly a hole-in-the-wall type of place but I've never tried it before, mainly because it's very rare that I crave American food when I'm here in the Philippines. I heard good reviews about it and I was in the mood for Red Robin-type burgers, so I tried it last Sunday. I went to the branch at The Loop.

The decor was nice-- typical 50's diner. I got the Cuban Burger (P175) with a side of fries (P45) to go. The burger comes with a small side of salad which, frankly, I can do without. They boast of a half-pound patty so I was expecting it to be big and hefty; to my disappointment, I found that they flatten the patty in that particular burger. I chose the Cuban Burger because it had pickles and Dijon mustard, but I wasn't aware of the flattened patty. I think they should clearly indicate this detail in their menu. I was also unimpressed by the amount of fries I got. To be fair, the fries were actually good-- real potatoes with enough crunch.

So what's my assessment? Not as impressive as I thought it would be, but it deserves a second visit (I'll steer clear of the Cuban). The menu actually looked good and the service was nice. Maybe I'll try the Classic American Burger next time, or the Philly Cheesesteak.

By the way, if you're gonna be an American diner, do bring on the fries.

The Roast Beef of Old England

No, this isn't a recipe for roast beef. The Roast Beef of Old England is an English patriotic song composed by Henry Fielding in 1731.

The word beef comes from the French boeuf. Credit the Norman Conquest of England for introducing this word to the English language. Otherwise, we'll have such delectable dishes as Roast Cow, Corned Cow, and Cow Stroganoff.

The Roast Beef of Old England

When mighty Roast Beef was the Englishman's food,
It ennobled our brains and enriched our blood.
Our soldiers were brave and our courtiers were good
Oh! the Roast Beef of old England,
And old English Roast Beef!

But since we have learnt from all-vapouring France
To eat their ragouts as well as to dance,
We're fed up with nothing but vain complaisance
Oh! the Roast Beef of Old England,
And old English Roast Beef!

Our fathers of old were robust, stout, and strong,
And kept open house, with good cheer all day long,
Which made their plump tenants rejoice in this song--
Oh! The Roast Beef of old England,
And old English Roast Beef!

But now we are dwindled to,what shall I name?
A poor sneaking race, half-begotten and tame,
Who sully the honours that once shone in fame.
Oh! the Roast Beef of Old England,
And old English Roast Beef!

When good Queen Elizabeth sat on the throne,
Ere coffee, or tea, or such slip-slops were known,
The world was in terror if e'er she did frown.
Oh! The Roast Beef of old England,
And old English Roast Beef!

In those days, if Fleets did presume on the Main,
They seldom, or never, return'd back again,
As witness, the Vaunting Armada of Spain.
Oh! The Roast Beef of Old England,
And old English Roast Beef!

Oh then we had stomachs to eat and to fight
And when wrongs were cooking to do ourselves right.
But now we're a . . . I could, but goodnight!
Oh! the Roast Beef of Old England,
And old English Roast Beef!