PORK MENUDO FILIPINO CLASSIC

A festive season is coming and food, a lot of food will be flooding our tables this season. It's a year of gift giving, loving and eating. Today's featured dish is almost always present when it comes to traditional Filipino cooking. This dish is cooked and served along with other famous dishes such as adobo, kaldereta to name a few. Check out the ingredients and see my version of this dish.

INGREDIENTS:

1 kilo pork belly (sliced/Menudo Cut)

1/4 kilo pork liver

3 medium size potatoes sliced

2 medium size carrots

Bell peppers

minced garlic and onions

soy sauce

fish sauce

bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste 

tomato sauce

water

calamansi

PROCEDURE:

1. Marinate pork in soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste, calamansi and bay leaf.
2. While the meat is marinating, fry the potatoes and carrots until cooked and tender. This procedure allows the vegetable to stay firm and not saggy for a better food presentation.
3. When the meat is ready to cooked (30 minutes of marinating over seasoning could be enough time but you can always do this ahead like marinate it overtime) saute it with garlic and onions.
4.  Add a little amount of fish sauce to taste, water and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or until the meat is tender. 
5. Once the meat is tender, add the pork liver and allow to cook. Remember not to over cook the liver as it will tend to be hard and chewy. 
6. Add the tomato sauce immediately and other remaining ingredients.
7. Serve and enjoy!

BEEF SALPICAO FILIPINO CLASSIC

Today's featured dish is a  Filipino dish cooked and served traditionally as main menu or viand or as an appetizer served with beer or wine during special occasion. Well the word "Salpicao" varies in usage and meaning from different region across the world, like in Portugal, Salpicao means sausage made of beef meat and in Brazil, they mean salad containing beef as part of the main ingredient. In the Philippines, when we say Salpicao, we basically mean, beef braised to attain perfect tenderness  and fried or sauteed in garlic and some seasoning. And then topped with crispy garlic to conclude the perfect dish. I will show you how I do my version and hope you try one for yourself too!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Kilo Bottom Round Beef - I use this part but make sure you are able to cut the meat across the grain and remove those connective tissues to make the meat more tender when braised
3-5 Cloves of Garlic minced or more depending on your garlic addiction ( I'm a self proclaimed garlic addict), I use plenty of it, it's healthy anyway
2-3 Tbs of Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tbs Soy Sauce
1 Table spoon brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1 liter beef stock
Water and cornstarch 
Oil for frying

PROCEDURE:

1. In a pan, put some oil and fry the garlic until brown and crispy ( do not burn the garlic as it'll ruin the taste of your dish). Set aside
2. On the same pan, saute garlic until it's partially cooked then add the beef.
3. Pour in the beef stock and let it simmer for about an hour over low heat. (you can use pressure cooker but make sure it's not overcooked, you don't want to end up cooking a corned beef right?)
4. Once the meat is tender, season with Worcestershire Sauce, Soy Sauce, sugar,salt and pepper to taste. 
5. Once the seasoning is already well blended, you can fry it over a hot oil until it turns golden brown. Drain and set aside. This step is already up to you if you want to fry it or just leave it as it is. You can skip the frying if you want to.
6. Serve and topped with crispy garlic and steamed rice. Enjoy!