KOREAN STYLE BEEF STEW

 

 

 Korean dish? maybe.... fusion dish? i think so. Makes me wonder if this really is a Korean dish only because every time i order beef stew at a Korean restaurant, presentation and taste varies.

I have been craving for this dish for the longest time. I remember ordering this dish at a Korean restaurant  back then. It was located somewhere Makati Ave. I can't remember the name of the restaurant probably it's not there anymore.

This is my version, totally based on how i remembered it. It's supposed to be beef short ribs, since i have chuck eye steak in the freezer waiting to be cooked, i decided to use it in lieu of short ribs.

The flavor is there but i think i can add something to make it more flavorful. I will make this again and perhaps add daikon and shitake mushrooms for the umami flavor. Add vinegar to balance the tangy, sweet, and salty flavor.

Ingredients:

3 lbs. chuck eye steak (Original dish calls for beef short ribs)
1 C brown sugar
1 medium cleaned carrot and cut on a bias about an inch size
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 knob of ginger (about an inch knob), cut into three pieces
3 pieces of Thai bird chili
2 pieces of star anise
1/2 C crushed pineapple or pineapple juice (add more brown sugar if pineapple is not available)
2 T sesame oil
3 T rice wine
1 C soy sauce
1 beef bouillon
3 C water (add if needed)
Garnish:
1/4 C sliced scallions for garnish
2 T toasted sesame seeds for garnish

1. In a dutch oven, sear the pieces of meat until brown.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients except the garnish (green onions and sesame seeds)
3. Bring to a slow boil check and add water if needed, making sure to taste and adjust the seasonings.
4.  Cook until meat are tender.
5. Add the sliced green onions and roasted sesame seeds for garnish.
6. Serve with steamed rice and kimchi.

HEALTHY POTATO SALAD FROM AROUND THE WORLD - DARING COOKS CHALLENGE FOR JUNE 2011

Before i start w/ my June challenge, i'd like to thank you all for the vote. Winning the Edible Container challenge was an honor and something i will cherish .

Now for this month's challenge, our host Jami Sorrento challenged us to come up with Healthy Potato Salad.  I'm so hyped, i made two kinds of Potato Salad. 

My first potato salad is something i made based on what i have in my pantry and refrigerator. Measurements on the ingredients are estimates so it'll all depend on the the quantity you will be making and do some adjustments.

I called my first potato salad, MEDITERRANEAN POTATO SALAD, just because of the ingredients. I love, love this salad and will be a keeper, The salad was served with grilled New York Strip Steak. 

Ingredients:
FOR THE SALAD:

1 lb. Yukon gold potatoes (cleaned)
4 varieties of olives (Kalamata stuffed with garlic, black olives stuffed with anchovies, red olives stuffed with jalapeno, green olives)*
1 T capers2 T parsley (washed and chopped)
1 small red onions (julienne)1 T roasted tomatoes (chopped)
1/3 C red bell peppers (chopped)
1 small jar of artichokes in olive oil (chopped)
1/4 lb. Bulgarian feta cheese ( crumbled)
1/4 lb hot sopressata (rolled and sliced thinly)
*The olives i used are all from the deli/olives and pickles cart. I bought 1/4 lb of each olives.

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE/DRESSING:

1/2 C White balsamic vinegar
1/2 C Olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper

1. Boil potatoes in a salted water until cooked for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender but not too soft. Let the potatoes cool.

2.  Mix and whisk well the vinaigrette dressing.

3. Peel and cut potatoes in cubes (bite size).

4. Assemble all the ingredients. Pour the vinaigrette little by little, taste as you mix the salad.Add more dressing if necessary.

5. Served the potato salad warm with grilled NY Strip Steak.



Oh yeah!!!!Flavor profile is awesome... like i said this is a keeper!!

Mediterranean Salad served with Grilled NY Strip Steak

Papas Rellenas Cuban Style

Well, isn't it obvious i can't get over the papas rellenas yet, i have to post another blog! This time i used Marina's recipe, who happen to be my dear friend and Food Editor of Taste of Homes. Her recipe is the Cuban version. Both papas recipes are similar w/ the addition of tomato sauce and sweet peppers for Marina's version. Oh and the shape, Peruvian is oval while the Cuban is round. Check my DC Challenge Papas Rellenas

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground beef or sirlion
1 small onion, minced
1 small green bell pepper, diced small
½ cup or more tomato sauce
½ cup thinly sliced green olives
½ cup dark raisins
Salt & pepper to taste
Paprika to taste
8 boiled Russet potatoes, mashed
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder
1-2 large eggs, beaten
1-2 cups seasoned bread crumbs


Fry ground beef, onions and bell pepper in pan.
Add tomato sauce and simmer until cooked.
Season meat with salt, pepper and paprika to taste.
Add olives and raisins if desired.
Stir well and let meat cool.
Seasoned plain mashed potatoes with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Place small amount of mashed potato into palm of hand (golf ball size).
Flatten potatoes into small round disc.
Add beef mixture intocenter of disc.
Enclose beef mixture with potatoes. (Make sure beef mixture is completely covered.) Gently dip stuffed potato ball into beaten eggs then into bread crumbs.
Fry until golden brown in a deep fryer or deep frying pan.
Potato balls may also be baked at 450 degrees until brown and crispy about 20 minutes.

TIP:

DO NOT ADD BUTTER OR MILK TO MASHED POTATOES.

The Daring Cooks March 2011Challenge: ¡Me Encanta Perú! - Ceviche and Papas Rellenas

This month's challenge  was hosted by Kathlyn of Bake like a Ninja . We tackled Peruvian dishes for this month which i enjoyed very much. She gave us the choice to do both Ceviche and Papas Rellanas or do just one . I opted to do both even if at first i was a bit iffy with ceviche. See, ceviche is not new to me, in fact i love, love them. Filipinos call it Kilawin or Kinilaw depending on w/c province you come from. There are two ways to prepare our version one is to add fresh coconut cream and the other one is just like the ceviche. I know that in order for you to make "Kilawin/Ceviche" it is imperative to have FRESH seafood, this is the reason why i was not sure if i could make the ceviche.

But then i thought of sashimi/sushi hhmmm...Yes!Yes! i can make my ceviche using sashimi grade seafood, so off i went to my favorite Japanese market and bought a little of the sashimi stuff, didn't even care about how expensive they were;) My mission was to do the challenge and to fix my craving! I haven't had kilawin/ceviche in yeaarrrssss!!!!  So, Thank You Kathryn for the push!

The Japanese Store i always go to! Clawson, Michigan.

THESE ARE THE SASHIMI SEAFOOD I BOUGHT. A BIT EXPENSIVE BUT IT WAS WELL WORTH IT!

TAKO (OCTOPUS) COOKED

SHIMESABA (MACKEREL)  

HOKKIGAI CLAM (SURF CLAM)

TSUBUGAI CLAM (PEARL CLAM)

THIS BROUGHT ME BACK LOTS OF MEMORIES.

Cheviche de Pescado (Fish Ceviche):


Ingredients

2 lbs. (about 1 kg) firm white fish (scallops or other seafood may be substituted)*
2 garlic cloves, mashed
1 chili pepper, minced (I USED THAI BIRD CHILI)
1 cup (240 ml) freshly squeezed lime juice (between 8-12 limes)
Fresh juice only, no bottled. Can use lemons in lieu of limes.
1 tablespoon (15 ml) (4 grams) (1/8 oz) fresh coriander (cilantro), finely chopped
1 red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Garnish: (DIDN'T HAVE THESE, I FIGURED I DON'T HAVE TO SINCE I SERVED MY CEVICHE W/ MY PAPAS)

1 large sweet potato
1 large ear of corn
Lettuce leaves

Directions:

1.Boil sweet potato and corn (separately) if using for garnish. Allow to cool. (Can be done hours or even a day in advance)

2.Wash and trim your fish. Slice into pieces between ½ inch (15 mm) cubes to 2 inch (50mm) pieces, depending on taste.**
3.Place fish in a non-reactive, shallow pan in a thin layer. Season with salt and pepper.
4.Combine lime juice, chili pepper, coriander and garlic. Pour mixture over fish. Stir lightly to expose all the fish to some of the lime juice mixture.
5.Put sliced onion on top of fish as it “cooks”
6.Let fish stand for 10 minutes.*** Lift fish out of the lime juice and plate individual portions ,**** garnishing with lettuce, slices of sweet potato and slices or kernels of corn if using.

* It is important to use high quality, really fresh fish. You can use previously frozen (I’ve been using it because I am too cheap to buy this much sashimi grade fish), but it’s not as good. The better your fish, the better your ceviche.

** The fish is going to “cook” in the lime juice – how thick you make the pieces will determine how much the fish cooks, so keep your own preference in mind when you are cutting the fish up.

PAPAS RELLENAS the other challenge w/c i also love. I loved them that i have to make it twice. Once again...thank you, Kathryn;)

Papas Rellenas (de carne):  DC  Challenge/ Kathryn's recipe


Makes 6
Ingredients

For the dough:

2¼ lb (1 kg) russet potatoes

1 large egg (I USED QUAIL EGGS)

For the filling:

2 tablespoon (30 ml) of a light flavored oil

½ lb (250 grams) ground (minced) beef

6 black olives, pitted and chopped (use more if you love olives)

3 hard boiled large eggs, chopped

1 small onion, finely diced (about 1 cup (240 ml))

½ cup (120 ml) (90 gm) (3 oz) raisins, soaked in 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water for 10 minutes, then minced

1 finely diced aji pepper (ok to sub jalapeño or other pepper – if you are shy about heat, use less)

2 cloves garlic, minced or passed through a press (if you love garlic, add more)

1 teaspoon (5 ml) (4 gm) (1/8 oz) ground cumin (use more if you like cumin)

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) (2 gm) (1/16 oz) sweet paprika

¼ c. white wine, water or beef stock for deglazing

Salt and pepper to taste




For the final preparation:

1 large egg, beaten

1 cup (240 ml) (140 gm) (5 oz) all-purpose flour
Dash cayenne pepper

Dash salt

1 cup dry (240 ml) (110 gm) (4 oz) or fresh (240 ml) (60 gm) (2 oz) bread crumbs (you can use regular, panko, make your own or use store-bought) (I USED PANKO BREADCRUMBS)


Oil for frying (enough for 2” (50 mm) in a heavy pan like a medium sized dutch oven)

Directions:

In order to save time, you can boil the potatoes, and while they are cooling, you can make the filling. While that is cooling, you can make the potato “dough.” In this way, little time is spent waiting for anything to cool.

For the dough:

1.Boil the potatoes until they pierce easily with a fork. Remove them from the water and cool.

2.Once the potatoes have cooled, peel them and mash them with a potato masher or force them through a potato ricer (preferred).

3.Add egg, salt and pepper and knead “dough” thoroughly to ensure that ingredients are well combined and uniformly distributed.

While the potatoes cool down before finishing the dough, you can make the filling:

1.Gently brown onion and garlic in oil (about 5 minutes).
2.Add the chili pepper and sauté for a couple more minutes.
3.Add ground beef and brown.
4.Add raisins, cumin and paprika and cook briefly (a few seconds).
5.Deglaze the pan with white wine.
6.Add olives and cook for a few moments longer.
7.Add hard boiled eggs and fold in off heat.
8.Allow filling to cool before forming “papas.”

Forming and frying the papas:
1.Use three small bowls to prepare the papas. In one, combine flour, cayenne and salt. In the second, a beaten egg with a tiny bit of water. Put bread crumbs in the third

2.Flour your hands and scoop up 1/6 of the total dough to make a round pancake with your hands. Make a slight indentation in the middle for the filling.

3.Spoon a generous amount of filling into the center and then roll the potato closed, forming a smooth, potato-shaped casing around the filling. Repeat with all dough (you should have about 6 papas).

4.Heat 1 ½ - 2 inches (4 – 5 cm) of oil in a pan to about 350 – 375° F (175 - 190°C).

5.Dip each papa in the three bowls to coat: first roll in flour, then dip in egg, then roll in bread crumbs.

6.Fry the papas (in batches if necessary) about 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Flip once in the middle of frying to brown both sides.


7.Drain on paper towel and store in a 200ºF (95ºC) (gas mark ¼) oven if frying in batches.

8.Serve with salsa criolla (or other sauce of preference) immediately.

PAPAS RELLENAS WITH SALSA CRIOLLA AND SEAFOOD CEVICHE. THESE WAS A PERFECT MEAL!!!!!

SALSA CRIOLLA: MY NEW FAVORITE SALSA ;)


Ingredients

2 medium red onions, cut in half and very thinly sliced (as half-circles)

1/2 chili pepper (your preference)

1 tablespoon vinegar

Juice from 1 lime

Salt and pepper to taste



1.Soak the onions in cold salt water for about 10 minutes to remove bitterness. Drain.

2.In a medium bowl, combine the onions with the rest of the ingredients, season with salt and pepper.

3.Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes for the onions to macerate and the flavors to combine

ASIAN BURGER SLIDERS

***FYI: THE FOLLOWING BLOGS ARE MY BLOGS FROM MYSPACE...I AM MOVING MY MS BLOGS HERE BEFORE I WILL TOTALLY LOSE THEM. YUP, MYSPACE HAS CHANGED, THEY ARE MORE ON THE ENTERTAINMENT NOW.  SO DON'T BE ALARMED THAT THE RECIPES ARE "OFF SEASON" DISHES.

BLOGGED DATE: AUG.12,2009


This recipe is my interpretation of Wolfgang Puck's ASIAN BURGER. I have a fascination w/ slider burgers so i made my patties small enough for Hawaiian bread mini rolls. I made spicy mayo and tomato, cukes and mango salad on the side.


***Warning*** THESE SLIDERS ARE MESSY BUT GOOD!


Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 lbs. ground beef

2 t curry powder

1 t sugar

2 1/2 T chopped cilantro

4 t scallions, chopped

1 C chopped garlic

2 Thai bird chilies, minced (substitute it w/ jalapeno)

1 1/2 t cumin powder

S&P

8 shitake mushrooms chopped

1/4 C teriyaki sauce

8 Hawaiian mini rolls.

Lettuce

Sliced small sweet or vidalla onions sliced into rings.



1. Mix all ingredients except for lettuce, sliced onion rings and the bread.

2. Take a teaspoon of the mix and fry to check if burger mixture needs more seasoning.

3. Form patties enough to fit in the mini rolls.

4. Cook patties in a hot pan until cooked through or about 5 minutes each side.


Assembly time:

1. Slather some spicy mayo mix on each side of the bread.

2. Arrange onions, tomatoes and lettuce and the burger.


Serve w/ Tomato, Cukes and Mango Salad.


Miracle whip or mayo + Korean red pepper paste = Spicy Mayo

TIP: Don't throw the heels of your sliced bread. I use them to absorb excess oil of the food i'm frying. Just like this burger patty. I like this better than using paper towels.

I used the brown tomato, it tasted just like a regular roma tomato.

We all liked this burger but I can probably add more curry powder and cumin next time.



BRUNSWICK STEW- APRIL DC CHALLENGE

Once again, i thought i will have to pass this month's challenge. I was just too busy and found a short time frame to go ahead and do the challenge since i had all the ingredients all ready.

This was a photo finish, i literally made this today, revelation day and it was worth it. Thank you, Wolf's Den for this wonderful challenge. 

Pls. check the RECIPE HERE . I did Recipe One- the longer version, but divided the quantity since the original recipe is just too much for us.

I used the combination of ox tail and chicken, the dark meat and the wings to be specific, because i wanted more flavor. I also left the ox tail as is, because i love to gnaw on those little boney "tails". I used all the vegetables required, i even bought some okra, in addition but totally forgot about it! It was already good sans the okra, anyways.  This was really good and will definitely make this again!

 

The obligatory spoon test! I don't know about you guys, but i had to gather the ingredients to the middle so it'll support my spoon=;).

Served the stew with steamed Jasmine rice.

 

MOUSSAKA

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 medium Aubergines (eggplants) (I PREFER SICILIAN OR 4-5 ASIAN EGGPLANTS DEPENDING ON THE SIZE.
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup olive oil

For the Meat Sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 pound (500g) ground lamb or beef
• 2 tablespoons dry white wine
• 13 ½ ounce (425g) can tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper

For the Cheese Sauce
• 3 ounces (90g) butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose (plain) flour
• 2 cups milk
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2/3 cup grated Romano cheese

1. Cut unpeeled eggplant into ½ inch (1 cm) slices. Sprinkle both sides with salt; stand in a colander 1 hour. Rinse in cold water, drain well. Squeeze out excess moisture with paper towels.

2. To make Meat Sauce: Heat oil in pan. Add onion and ground meat. Stir over high heat 10 minutes or until well browned and all liquid has evaporated. Add wine, tomato puree, herbs, cinnamon and pepper; bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer, covered, 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until liquid is reduced.

3. To make Cheese Sauce- (Mornay Sauce): Heat butter in small pan; add flour to make a roux. Stir over low heat for 2 minutes. Add milk gradually to pan, stirring until smooth. Stir over medium heat for 5 minutes or until mixture boils and thickens. Cook for 1 minute; remove pan from heat. Add eggs and cheese, beat until smooth.

4. Preheat oven to moderate (350 degrees F/180 degrees C). Heat oil in heavy-based pan. Cook eggplant a few slices at a time until golden; remove from pan, drain on paper towels. Divide eggplant into three. Arrange one portion over base of shallow ovenproof dish. Spread with half the meat sauce, second layer of eggplant, remaining meat sauce and eggplant. Spread Cheese Sauce over eggplant. Bake 45 minutes or until golden. Leave in dish for 5 minutes before serving.

ADOBONG BAKA SA GATA ( BEEF ADOBO WITH COCONUT MILK)

Adobo sa gata is another version of the famous Filipino Adobo. First tried this dish in San Pablo, Laguna. Never had this adobo version growing up, my mom always cooked the bisaya, Cebuano version ofcourse. Check the bisaya version HERE

3 lbs. cubed beef (chuck)
3/4 C white vinegar (Datu Puti is the brand i like, a Filipino vinegar made from sugar cane)
3 cloves of garlic (crushed)
2 pcs. bay leaves
1/2 T whole peppercorns

1 t each of ground pepper and salt
2 T fish sauce ( add 1 T first, taste then add the remaining fish sauce if needed)
1 can coconut milk ( 12 oz)
water if needed
**Vegetables (optional) but my mother-in-law always add vegetables to her adobo which i liked.
1 small green papaya or chayote, peeled and cubed
1 cup long beans cut about an inch size
1 large bell pepper ( i used red bell pepper) cubed.
1 piece of siling labuyo (Thai bird chili) optional

Season beef cubes with salt and pepper. Sear and brown the meat.
Combine the beef, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves and peppercorn in a saucepan.
Bring mixture to a boil and simmer about an hour or until meat is tender. Add water if necessary.
Add papaya or chayote, let it simmer until papaya is almost tender, then add the rest of the vegetables.
Add 1 T of fish sauce, coconut milk and the Thai bird chili if you want your dish spicy, bring to a boil.
Taste and adjust, add the remaining tablespoon of the fish sauce if needed.
Served with steamed white rice.

RENE'S FAMOUS QUESO DIP

Talk about potluck, tailgate party...this is the best! Easy and delicious, packed with flavor! Easy because you'll be cooking this in your slow cooker, packed w/ flavor ofcourse, it's my sister's recipe! Thank you Nang, this is always a score! ha!ha!ha!

**IF YOU DON'T HAVE A SLOW COOKER OR YOU WANT TO COOK THIS STOVE TOP JUST FOLLOW THE COOKING INSTRUCTIONS ON THE CAN LABEL

It's funny but true, i had no idea that Rotel is a brand. She calls this dip, Rotel, all the while i thought it's the name of the recipe until i found cans of Rotel by the salsa aisle at the grocery store and to top it all i saw the recipe at the back of the label. So, i tried and followed the recipe from the label, but it didn't taste like my sisters'. My sister's version is way better, she actually added some ingredients to kick the original recipe another notch, no wonder!

Aside from the basic ingredients which are a can of Rotel Diced Tomatoes, Velveeta Cheese, she adds a 1/2 lb. of  cooked/sauteed ground beef or more depending on how much you'll be making and a packet of taco seasoning. Her version made a whole lot of difference. A flavorful Queso dip!!! This sure is a TOUCHDOWN!!!

Stir and mix all the ingredients when the cheese starts to melt and this is ready.

Serve warm with corn chips

PRIME RIB

Yes, You can make your own prime rib even for a small family of 3! This is what we had for Christmas aside from the usual ham w/ pineapple glaze, potato and egg salad. Roasted asparagus with butter and garlic and drizzle of lemon juice.

Arrange the asparagus on a baking sheet, put cubes of butter and minced garlic on top of the asparagus then roast for about 15 minutes in the preheated 360 degrees F oven

This is a 5 lb. standing rib roast (3 bones). Bring the rib roast to room temperature before baking. Finely mince medium sized sweet onions, 4 cloves of garlic, parsley and rosemary. Season this w/ Montreal Steak Seasoning. Rub the meat w/ 3 T soften unsalted butter (room temperature), this will not only add flavor, moisture to the meat but this will serve as the paste to the seasoned spices you will be rubbing to the meat as well.

The bones will serve as the rack so i just used a deep casserole pan, i nestled the rib roast on top of the mirepoix and little of beef broth w/c later served as the au jus.

I found this great site about Prime Rib. It's thorough and detailed, i highly recommend that you check this site Cooking Perfect Prime Rib. I followed the instructions step by step and it came out perfect. Just exactly how we liked it. Medium to Medium Rare.

I deliberately left the crust because i like the flavor and see the first slice...i had to taste it! Yum!!! and oh the bones? We gnawed on it w/ gusto! yes, there.. i said it...lol!

This is how our Prime Rib came out after 1 1/2 hrs. in the oven at 375 degrees F with an internal temperature of 130. Took it out of the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes covered w/ foil, which had a carry over cooking. Final internal temp was 136 degree.

See!!! If i can do it you can do it!!! You can make perfect prime rib at home!