Beef Lumpiang Togue (Beef and Bean Sprouts Spring Rolls)

Normally in making lumpiang toge, pork meat is added.  This time I made my own recipe using beef instead of pork.  I have also added chicken broth cube and ginisa mix to enhance the flavour.  This has alwasy been my favourite since I was still a kid.  There would not be a Sunday when I would not buy this at that vendor near the trike waiting area.  They were really quite yummy. 

I have cooked this dish before but experimenting with my other recipe but my husband prefers this one though as the taste is better (which I definitely agree with). 

Ingredients
1/3 K beef, cubed and then cut thinly
1/2 c small prawns or shrimps
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium size onion, minced
2 c bean sprouts
1 small potato, cut into small cubes
1 medium carrot, cut into matchstick size
1/2 c green beens, cut diagonally but small size
1 chicken broth cube
1 ginisa mix
2 tbsp kikkoman soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Sear the beef just until a bit brown.  Remove from pan.
Sautee onions and garlic.  Put the beef back to the pan.
Add the chicken broth cube, ginisa mix, soy sauce and salt and pepper.  Stir for 3 minutes.
Put in the veggies.  Stir.  Add 1/4 c of water.
Simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from pan and wrap in your spring roll wrappers.
I was able to make 20 pieces of spring rolls using this recipe.

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Cantonese Sweet and Sour Beef

I usually use pork cubes in making sweet and sour meat but since I am saving the pork in the freezer for pancit on Sunday (my youngest daughter's birthday), I decided to use the beef this time.  I've had this before in a Chinese restaurant and the taste was really yum!  The only difference between the two is that the beef one has rice wine vinegar and spring onions.  Oh plus the way it is cooked.  You can compare it to my sweet and sour pork recipe in my past posts.  Both are delicious but have different tangy tastes.  This dish is less complicated to cook than the other one though.   I suggest that you cook both recipes and let me know which one do you like better.

Ingredients
1/2 beef, sliced thinly
1 375 g, pinapple pieces in tin
1 green capcicum, deseeded and chopped
2 stalks spring onions, chopped
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1/4 pineapple juice
1 tsp caster sugar
2 tsp cornflour
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp sunflower oil

Procedure
In a bowl, mix together the pineapple juice, rice wine vinegar, caster sugar, dark soy sauce and cornflour.  Set aside.
Pour the sunflower oil to the beef.  Make sure that the meat is well coated with oil.
Heat a pan. 
Fry the meat for two minutes.
Add in the capcicum, spring onions and garlic.  Sautee for another 2 minutes.
Add in the pinapple pieces.  Cook for another 2 minutes.
Pour in the juice.  Simmer until it starts to bubble.
You can add salt and pepper if you like.

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Meatball Tagine with Eggs

Tagine or tajine dish is of North African origin.  Morrocans and Tunisians have also their own version of this dish.  It was name as such after the name of the earthenware pot that they use to cook it.  In the Philippines we call this pot -- claypot (banga, balanga).  The difference between the tagine pot and the philippine claypot is the height of the pot.  Tagines have wider mouth and shallower than the Philippine claypot.  I think the Filipinos would agree that the aroma that's coming from the claypot adds a lot to the taste of the dish.  When we were still kids, our family would always prefer to use claypots and open fire (using kahoy or wood) because of the additional flavour the dish or even rice would get from the pot.  I think there are still small shops at the towncenter that sell this type of pots.

Tagine photo courtesy of  morroco.com

Filipino claypot courtesy of reflectionofasia.com

I've found this tagine recipe in one of the recipe books that my husband had subscribed for me.  I got interested because it seemed like it would really taste yummy...and not too much ingredients are needed.  The original recipe calls for a teaspoon of cumin but it is a strong spice, I decided to just add 1/2 cumin.  I do not have a claypot or tagine pot so I used the sizzling pan instead.  We all love the dish and it was so difficult not to finish the whole thing in one sitting.

Ingredients
Meatballs
1/2 k beef, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Tagine
1 large  onion, chopped into rings
1 tsp sugar
150 ml vegetable stock
1/2 cumin
4 tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs

Procedure
Mix all the ingredients for meatballs.
Roll into small balls.  Refrigerate for an hour.
Heat a sizzling pan.  Pour in the olive oil.
Caramelise onions with sugar until they are soft and transparent.
Add in the rest of the ingredients for tagine except for the eggs.
Cook for 15 minutes.
Add in the meatballs and cook for 10 minutes more. 
Switch off the stove.  Put the eggs in the dish.
Serve in the sizzling pan.

   
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Beef Asado (Family Recipe)

This recipe was hand down to me by my Nanang Osang + (a spinster grandaunt).  She taught me how to cook this way back when I was still in the elementary school.  She's one strict lady who really loved food to the max level!

In this dish however I had to use things that are available in my kitchen.  I cannot find calamansi or calamunding here in Australia so I had to use the juice of one lemon + vinegar.  Use your taste buds in balancing the taste closer to the taste of the soy sauce - calamansi mixture.  I had discovered that if you mix lemon and vinegar and then add them to the soy sauce the taste would be good.
Our original recipe also uses chicken breast (white meat part) and the legs.  The meat, potatoes and carrots are not cut too.  They are only sliced after they are cooked. The sauce will also be poured onto the serving plate.  I could have done the original way but having two little toddlers around me wouldn't give me much time so for the purpose of cutting back time, I did it the short cut way.

Ingredients
1/2 k beef round, cut into pieces
1 large potato, quartered
1 large carrot, cut into pieces
1 large onions, minced
5 medium onions, whole
1 tin tomato sauce or 4 tbsp tomato paste dissolved in 6 tbsp water
1 tbsp garlic, minced 
1 red capcicum, sliced diagonally
1/4 c soy sauce (I used marca pina)
juice of one lemon
2 tbsp  white vinegar

Procedure
Marinate beef, potatoes, carrots,  and medium whol onions in the soy sauce - vinegar - lemon mixture for at least 15 minutes.
Fry the potatoes and carrots first before the beef to avoid the pan having too much fat.  Fry just until about cooked.
Remove from pan and drain excess oil.
In another pan, heat 2 tbsp of oil from the the other frying pan.  Sautee onions and garlic.
Put in the meat, carrots, onions and potatoes.
Pour in the marinade mixture.  Add half a cup of water.  Boil until meat is tender.  You can always add a bit of water if you want but just make sure that you do not over dillute it.
Pour in the tomato sauce or paste - water mixture onto the pan.  Simmer for 10 minutes.
Serve hot.

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Herb and Juicy Burger

Burgers!  Each time I think of burgers now I can't keep thinking of the infamous "hamboorjer" of the controversial Filipino former COMELEC Chairperson Benjamin Abalos.  He said that his hamboorjer (sold at his nook in a golf course) is really worth dying for.  I wonder if Arroyo is also worth dying for if you ask him at how much he still support the ex president.  Anyways, back to the burgers, the recipe in this article is a personal one.  Since I have herbs in my pantry, I decided to experiment in mixing them together.  The result is quite yummy!  They are quite juicy and you can really taste the herbs in the patties.

Ingredients
1/2 k beef, minced
1 large onions, minced
2 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp garlic granules
1 tsp sweet basil
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp chives
1 tsp thyme paste
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground pepper
1 egg
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
1/2 c breadcrumbs
1 tin sliced pineapples
sliced tomatoes
grated carrots
slices of cheese
gerkins pickles
mayonnaise
ketchup
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dill paste

Procedure
In a bowl, mix basil, rosemary, thyme, chives, garlic granules, salt, pepper, grated cheese, egg, breadcrumbs, mustard and onions. 
Mix in the beef with your hands.  Make sure that everything is well mixed.
Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes.
Make a ball of meat mixture in a size of a baseball and flatten it in your palm.
Fry in a non stick pan until both sides are golden brown.
Remove from fire and place the burger patties in a plate lined with kitchen paper to remove excess oil.
Make the burger sauce by mixing 1/4 c mayonnaise, 1/4 c ketchup, dill and sugar in a small bowl.
Assemble your burger according to your liking.  I added grated carrots, pinapples, gerkins, lettuce and the burger sauce.  My husband added fried eggs to his burger.

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Pepper Steak

Pepper steaks are quite yum yum especially with rice or chips or mashed potatoes.  We had this last week and it's worth cooking it since my hubby and I really enjoyed the peppery taste in the steak.  The capcicum added a bit of sweetness to it too which made the steak tastes even better.  You can always buy cream fraiche in any deli/grocery shops by the way. You can also choose not to use the cream too. 

Ingredients

2 beef rib eye steak

2 tbsp butter

1/4 c red wine

1 tbsp peppercorns, coarse milled

1/3 beef stock (dissolve 1/2 beef cube in hot water)

125 ml creme fraiche

1/4 c red capsicum, minced

salt to taste

Procedure

Dry the steak meat with kitchen paper.

Sprinkle salt on both sides.
Press the peppercorns on each side.  Make sure that they stick to the meat.
Heat up oil and butter in a non stick pan.
Fry steak according to your liking.
Deglaze pan with beef broth.
Add the rest of the peppercorns and cream.
Put the meat back on the pan to coat it a bit.
Remove the meat from pan and serve.
You can also pour the remaining of the sauce onto the steak if you want.

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Nanay's Lumpiang Shanghai

Lumpiang Shanghai or spring rolls are of Chinese origin.  They became popular in the Philippines during the Asian Trade era when the Chinese traders started settling in the Philippines.  The term lumpia, is of Hokien origin -- lunpia.  It is interesting to note that this spring roll dish is very popular too in other Southeast Asian countries and each has its own version. 

The one that we have in the Philippines is more on the meat side than the other ingredients.  Usually the size is around 4 - 6 inches long and deep fried.  Although those commercial ones are quite smaller and had more meat extender for profit sake.  Most restaurants serve this dish and now even those small stalls are making big profits from this wonderful dish.

It is also a celebratory dish since it is present at most important celebrations like birthdays and Christamas or New Year.  My family loves lumpiang shanghai...and even my husband's family fell in love with it.  It is always one of the list of requests of my hubby for lunch and dinner.

I am not sure if you the other Filipinos cook it the way our family does.  This recipe is the one I grew up with and it has been around for ages in our family.

Ingredients
1 k beef minced
3 large onions, minced
2 tbsp garlic, minced
6 medium carrots, minced
1/2 c spring onions, minced
1 tbsp parsley
1 tbsp maggie savour
fish sauce to taste
Spring roll wraps (about 40 pcs)

Procedure
Heat up a pan and pour a bit of oil on it.
Cook the meat over medium fire.
When the meat is cooked, move it to one side of the pan.
Sautee garlic and onions and mix in with the meat when the onions become transparent.
Add in the carrots, spring onions and parsley.
Pour in the maggie savour and fish sauce.  Stir.
Cook just until the sauce has evaporated a bit.
Remove from fire.
Place 2 tbsp of the meat mixture on the one corner of the spring roll wrap.  Fold that corner, covering the meat mixture.  Fold the two sides corner towards the center covering the first flap.  Then roll towards the remaining corner.
Deep fry until golden brown.
Serve with your favorite dip.

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My No Fuss Easy to Make Embutido Recipe

Embutido is actually a meat roll dish or meatloaf which is an influence of the Spaniards in the Philippine cuisine.  The word itself is of Spanish origin which means sausage.  Through time this dish has evolved and adapted by many Filipinos.  It is considered to be a special dish that it is usually served on special occasion like Christmas, New Year, Birthdays etc.  A favorite dish that one really loves, no doubt.

Our Aussie friends fell in love with embutido when I made some a few months back and 3 of them got introduced to the dish on my daughter's birthday party last saturday.  My hubby was the one who would usually explain to them what an embutido is and what are the ingredients of this dish.  I guess by this time my hubby knows embutido by heart that he can cook them himself. 

Ingredients
1 k beef minced
1 c fresh milk
7 pcs white bread (cubed and edges removed)
2 large onions, minced
1 big red capcicum, minced
1/2 k hotdogs, minced
1/4 k hotdogs, sliced into strips (6 strips/hotdog)
1/3 c gerkins, minced (pickles)
3/4 c sultanas
4 large carrots, minced
2 eggs, beaten
8 eggs, hardboiled, each egg divided into 6 pieces
1 1/2  tbsp salt (depend on your taste)

Procedure
Dissolve bread into the milk.  Mix into the beef.
Add the rest of the ingredients except the hardboiled eggs and hotdog strips.  Mix well.
Place 3/4 c of the mixture onto a foil.  Flatten.
Place hardboiled egg slices and hotdog strips alternately in the middle of the meat mixture. 
Roll the meat making sure that the eggs and hotdogs are still in the middle  of the mixture.
Fold both ends of the foil.
Place the embutido rolls into a steamer.
Steam for 30 minutes (from the time the water boils).
Serve with ketchup or gravy.

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Spinach Fetuccini w/ Meatballs & Bolognese Sauce

I still have half of the uncooked spinach fetuccini from the last time I cooked a pasta.  This time I decided to use it for a meatball - bolognese sauce pasta. 

Normally, it is better to make your own chunky tomato sauce instead of using the ones in the tin but I did not have much time to spare this time so I decided to just use the one in tin.

One more thing that I have changed in the recipe is the all spice ingredient.  Since I do not have it, I used the mixed herbs instead.  The zuchinni is really yummy in a bolognese sauce, it adds a little bit of sweet taste to it.  I also did not add much red wine on it since I am not really a big fan of this type of wine.  I only added half a cup just to give a bit kick to it.  I used the dried basil instead of the fresh one since it's what's available in my pantry but if you want fresh ones, might be better.  Only remember one thing though, if you decide to use dried herbs instead of the fresh ones, make sure that you lessen a third of the original amount that you will be adding to the dish since dried ones are more concentrated.

Ingredients
meatballs or 500 g beef minced
1 onion, minced
1 tbsp garlic,minced
425g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 carrot, grated
1 zucchini, grated
2 tbsp mixed spice
1/2 c red wine
1/3 c fresh basil, chopped ( I used the dried ones)

Procedure
Sautee onions and garlic.  Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste, carrots, zucchini, mixed spice and wine.
Put in salt and pepper.
Bring to a boil.
Put in the meatballs.
Reduce heat and simmer until the fresh tomatoes are soft and the the sauce becomes thick.
Put in the basil and simmer for a few minutes.

Spinach Fetuccini
500 g
Cook according to packet instruction.

Serve with parmesan cheese on top.

Note: If you are using the dried basil, add 1/4 c or a bit less.

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Herbed Meatballs

I have been doing meatballs for years now since I arrived in Australia.  My mum-in- law makes wonderful and yummy meatballs which she would usually add to a sweet and sour sauce mixture.  I have always loved them. 

Another meatballs that I so love is that big one you get when you order the Spaghetti and Meatballs at Yellow Cab.  I tried to search about it and I've found out that that is the Swedish Meatballs.  I wanted to make that this time but when I checked the fridge, my hubby had used up all the cream!  So no choice for me but to do my own recipe of meatballs.  I chose which herbs to include in the mixture and lazy as I am in measuring, I decided to just 1 tsp for most of them and use the ever dependable crumb in one mix (white wings).

The result was really yummy and in fact my picky eater daughter had 4 meatballs while watching Barney.

Ingredients
500 g beef, minced
1 egg
1/3 c evaporated milk
1/3 c crumb in one mix (White Wings)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper, ground
1 tsp mixed spice
1 tsp chives
1 tsp basil
1 tsp parsley
2 tsp garlic granules
2 medium onions, minced
2 tbsp olive oil

Procedure
Mix all dry ingredients and milk in a small bowl.
Place the beef minced in a bigger bowl.
Add in the dry ingredients-milk mixture to the meat. Add one egg and mix thoroughly with your hands.
Form golf ball size meatballs and deep fry until golden brown. Set aside.

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Skinless Beef Longanisa (Beef Sausage)

I suddenly craved longanisa this morning so I checked the freezer if there is some meat there that I can use.  Here in Australia, sausages are quite famous and will always be included for barby (short for barbecue party).  They have a different taste from those longanisas that I am used to have in the Philippines.  Although, there was one time that my hubby was able to get me smoked bbq pork sausages which somehow has a similar taste to the garlic longanisa that I so loved still ours is still different.

I have made my first longanisa when I was in High School in Hagonoy in our Home Economic class.  I bought ground pork, salitre (saltpeter) and the sausage casing from the wet market in Hagonoy.  They were yummy and I remember bringing home some to share with my family. 

When I came to Australia, I believed I have made my own longanisa for 3 or 4 times already.  That means this is my 4th or 5th time.  This time I decided to use beef instead of pork.  I think, I did try beef before too and it was quite yummy and my hubby loved it.  I would add annatto for coloring this time though.  I don't use saltpeter because it was found to be carcinogenic.

Ingredients
500 g beef minced
2 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp oregano
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp juice of annato seeds
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

 Mix the ingredients in small bowl.

Add in the mixture to the beef minced in a bigger bowl.  Mix well using hands.

Form a ball similar to the size of 2 golf balls.  Make a log out of this and make sure that meat stick together. 

Place the longanisa in a container in a single layer.  Put in the fridge for 12 hours or more for better taste.
Fry and serve with vinegar and fish sauce or with fresh tomatoes.

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Pinoy Empanada

An all time Filipino favorite --empanada!  It is a stuffed pastry with minced meat, carrots, potatoes or anything that your heart and tummy desire.  The word empanda comes from the word "empanar" which means to wrap or coat in bread.  It has been in existence since the 1500s probably originating in Galicia, Spain and Portugal.  (wikipedia) It became popular too in Italy particularly in Sardinia. It was brought to the Philippines by the Spaniards when they colonized the country.

Empanadas have different variations when it comes to fillings and the sweetness of the dough used for pastry.  Philippines' pastry is usually sweet.  I love mine a bit sweet too even when I started making empanadas 8 or 10 years ago back in the Philippines.  Many recipes would usually ask for half a teaspoon sugar but I love adding a teaspoon and then experiment with the other components.  I am proud to say that this pastry recipe is tried and tested for a number of years.  I never had a problem with making them at all.

When it comes to fillings, as I have said, you can use anything you want -- corned beef, menudo, asado etc.  You can also imitate the famous Ilocos empanada recipe where they add mung beans, grated green papaya, chorizo and eggs (usually egg yolks).  I promise to post the recipe soon. They are quite yummy! When we went to Ilocos Norte in 2011 January, we were lucky enough to get a pension house near the plaza where the famous Ilocos empanadas are sold.  At just before sunset, we all went there to get a taste of this pastry with vinegar dip.  There were so many karinderias (small eatery) selling empanadas and mami and they are always next to one another so it was just a question of who can salestalk us to eat at their eatery (we were 12 people).  We decided to eat at the eatery before we got to the last one and oh dear were they sooo yummy!  Both empanadas and the mami were so delicious.  We really enjoyed every bite and every sip. 

In the Tagalog region we would usually add a minced meat dish similar to picadillo.  In my younger years, we would always buy those ready to eat ones from the bakeshop but gee some of them would have more potatoes than meat! That's why we would call them empatatas not empanada...hahaha!

My husband had manned the election here in our place (state election) last Friday and since he cannot come to eat, I decided to just bring him his food.  I brought him some empanadas and he shared them with our friends (who were also manning the election) and they all loved them!  They are all Aussies so the empanadas must be really good!

Oh anyway, try this recipe and savour every bite!

Pastry Dough

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp water, cold

1 piece raw egg

1/2 cup butter, cold

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

For the Filling
There is no written rule on what to add as fillings. In this dish I used the left over picadillo we had.

Egg Wash
1 egg white
1 tsp  milk

Procedure for the Pastry Dough
Mix the flour and all the try ingredients in a bowl.
Add in the butter.  You can use your hands or a pastry cutter in mixing the butter with the dry mixture. 
It should come together. Knead a little in a lightly floured surface. 
Form a big ball of dough. 
Butter lightly the bowl.
Place the dough onto the bowl and cover with a clingwrap.  Let rise for 30 minutes in room temperature.
Roll the dough into a log and divide into 12 pieces. 
Form 12 balls of dough.
Flatten onto a lightly floured surface with the palm of your hand.
Make the dough thin  and in a shape of a circle by using the rolling pin.  If you want to have the same size and shape of pastry, you can use a cookie cutter.
Place 1 tbsp of the meat mixture at the center of the dough. 
Fold the dough making sure the edges touch each other. 
You need to have a shape of a half moon.
Fold the edges starting from one corner using your thumb and forefinger.  Fold little by little (towards the direction of the meat) until you reach the other end of the pastry.
Place the empanadas in a baking pan or cookie sheet with 1 inch space in between.  You can place a baking paper on the pan if you want.
Brush the empanadas on both sides with egg wash.

Bake in 180C preheated oven for 25 minutes.

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Beef Stroganoff with Spinach Pasta

Beef Stroganoff is one favorite that my husband and I couldn't miss.  I have always loved the gravy like sauce of this dish.  We sometimes have this as our main dish with rice or pasta. 

Beef Stroganoff is a Russian dish which has its origin in Russia in the 19th century.  The name might have come from the famous, large and important family of Stroganov or  Alexander Grigorievich Stroganoff of Odessa or a diplomat, Count Pavel Stroganov. The first known recipe of this dish was published as early as 1861.  From then on, it has become popular throughout the world that many variations of this dish have been made. 

Ingredients.
1/2 k beef strips
1 c beef broth
2 cups button mushrooms, chopped
1 c onions, minced
1 tin of cream of mushroom soup (Campbells)
1 tbsp garlic
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp plain flour
1/2 c butter
1 c cream
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Marinate beef with soy sauce for 30 minutes.
Add the plain flour.  Make sure it is evenly distributed.
Heat a pan and melt butter.
Sear beef in the melted butter until brown.
Remove from pan.
Sautee onions and garlic until onions are transparent.  Put in the mushrooms. Stir.
Add in the beef.  Stir.
Pour in the broth and cream of mushroom soup.
Boil.
Pour in cream.  Simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove from fire.

Pasta
I've used the San Remo Spinach Fetuccine.
Cook according to package instruction.  I did it for 18 minutes to achieve the aldente texture of the pasta.

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Picadillo (My Version)

I am used to pork guisantes that we have in the Philippines and the karinderya style of ginisang baboy (minced pork)  with potatoes and carrots.  When I was in high school, we were only allowed to go out of the school at lunch time.  We would usually go to our favorite karinderya (eatery) across the Sun Theatre  then.  I cannot remember the name of the place nor the names of the cook and the food crew there but I know that they are related to one of my classmates, Monina from San Agustin.  Well anyway, this was the most saleable dish they had then. I think we paid Php2.50-3.50 per order and a little bit more if you want to have egg with it.

Mexicans have their own version of pork guisantes.  What I did with this recipe, I have married the two minced recipes from Mexico and Philippines.  The result was quite delicious.  It's worth to try this one friends.

Ingredients
1/2 beef, minced
2 medium onions, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 medium size, carrots, cubed (small)
2 medium size, potatoes, cubed (small)
1/2 c sultanas
1/2 c pitted green or black olives
1 medium size, capcicum, cubed (small)
1 c beef broth
30 g butter
1 tsp oregano
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure
Melt the butter in a non stick pan
Fry the carrots and potatoes just until they're a bit cooked.  Remove from pan.
Cook the beef until they are brown in color.  Remove from pan.
Sautee onions, garlic and capcicum.
Put in the beef, sultanas and veggies.
Add in the soy sauce, chilli powder, oregano, salt and pepper.  Stir.
Put in the olives.
Pour in the beef broth.
Add a cup of water.
Put in the tomato paste. 
Simmer.

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Stir Fry Szechuan Beef

Have you ever wondered how Szechuan Beef Stir Fry that you order at a Chinese Resto cooked?  It's not really that difficult.  Actually, the procedure is quite easy for anyone to follow even for a novice in the kitchen.

Szechuan cuisine originated in Sichuan, China.  The name Sichuan means heavenly country.  It is aptly named for its abundant fresh produce from its fertile land.  It is well known that the people from that place gives importance to good flavor and spicy dishes.  This was even mentioned in one ancient Chinese writing.  According to a culinary expert, there should be 7 flavors present in a szechuan dish --- sour, pungent, hot, sweet, bitter, aromatic and salty.  (wikipedia)

There are many variation of this dish.  In this recipe, I decided to add babycorns and snow peas to add more veggie flavor to the szechuan.  I also added a bit of sugar because I love the sweet taste battling with the hotness of the dish.  I also added sesame seeds to add more texture to it.

Ingredients
500 g beef, strips
4 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp szechuan peppercorn (if you cannot find this, just add a little bit more of chilli flakes)
4 stalks of spring onions, cut into 2 inches long
1 tsp plain flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
1 capsicum, strips
1 carrot, strips
200 g snow peas

Procedure
Marinade the beef strips with soy sauce, 2 tsp sesame oil, sugar and flour. 
Stir fry the veggies with the sesame oil, garlic, chilli flakes and ginger.  Remove from fire.
Stir fry the beef strips.
Return the veggies to the pan and stir them together with the beef.
Put in the spring onions and sesame seeds.
Serve.

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Slow-Cooked Beef and Mushroom Ragout

 Ragout is of French origin.  It is also called ragu in Itali.  The dish is a thick, hearty stew cook over low fire very slowly for a long period of time allowing all the ingredients to blend well with one another.

The term “ragoût” comes from the French ragoûter, which means “to revive the appetite.” Recipes for this stew dating back to the 1600s have been found in France, which suggests that people have been making it for a very long time, and by the 1700s, a very diverse assortment of recipes were being published. Some ragoûts are entirely vegetarian, for example, while others are heavy on meat, and some cooks introduce ingredients like cream to vary the flavor.

This was the first time that I cooked this dish and I was surprised of the mixture of flavor after slow-cooking it for 4 hours.  Yes, it is indeed a bit of a wait for the dish to cook but hey it's all worth it.  The taste is somewhat similar between the Filipino caldereta and afritada dishes.  The soup is quite thick and mouthwatering.  The best thing about cooking this dish in a slow cooker, is that you can leave it cooking by itself without worrying about it getting burnt while you are doing other things.  I love my slow cooker now hehehe.

You can serve this delicious ragout with mashed potatoes or rice or both.  Try my husband's yummy mashed potato recipe too.

Ingredients
500 g beef, cubed (chuck or blade)
6 baby onions or 2 medium onions (quartered)
200 g bacon, chopped
10 button mushrooms
100 ml beef broth
100 ml red wine
2 tbsp plain flour
1 tin diced tomatoes (400 g)
1/2 c frozen peas
2 tsp thyme
olive oil

Procedure
Coat the meat with flour (Use ziploc plastic bag to do this).
Heat the oil in the pan.  Put in onions, mushrooms and bacon.  Remove from pan when the onions are soft.  Put into the slow cooker.
Sear the beef on each side. Remove from pan and put into the slow cooker
Pour in the red wine and broth on the pan.  Simmer a bit and pour into the slow cooker.
Put in the thyme and tomatoes.  Add salt  and pepper (to taste).
Put the slow cooker on high heat and cook the ragout for 4 hours (8 hours if low heat). 
Put in the peas 10 minutes before turning off the heat.

Note: If you don't have a slow cooker, you can use a crockpot and cook the ragout for 9 hours.  If you opt for a less complicated way, you can use the ready mix ragout soup base of McCormick.  You can also replace beef with lamb, chicken or pork.

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Beef Soup Bones Mami

When I went to NSO, Quezon City years ago, I noticed this karinderia on wheels just across BIR.  It was lunch break and there were lots of people rushing to make their move in crossing the street. In a flash the rolling karinderia was full of customers.  I went near the place just to see what's there and I've found they're selling lunch meals and one of these was the Beef Mami.

I suddenly got transported in time in Sagrada.  Way back when we were still young, I remember there was a small table across the street from our house selling meals and the best seller was beef mami.  It was really delicious!

I don't  know why we weren't able to cook this dish in the house but instead we settled for those instant mami noodles.   I still prefer the homemade one with fresh veggies and lots of garlic. 

Craving for mami occupied my mind and tummy so I had to tell my hubby to get me some noodles.  I already have all the ingredients so it's not going to be a problem.

Cooking mami is just cooking nilaga except that you sautee onions and garlic for the first and just boil the onions with the meat for the latter.  Star anise is just optional so if you don't want the aromatic strong flavor of anise just don't add them.  My husband immediately knew that anise was in the soup.  He loved the soup and that made me real happy.

Ingredients
1 k beef soup bones
1 beef broth cube
3 star anise (optional)
1 medium onions, minced
1 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp fish sauce (or to taste)
1 bundle spring onions, minced
1 chinese cabbage, shredded
4 hardboiled eggs
pepper to taste
egg noodles
garlic granules (toppings)

Procedure
Tenderise the beef bones thru boiling.  Add the beef cubes.  The water you add would depend on how much you would like your soup be.  Add salt (just enough to your liking) and star anise  .  Set aside the meat and broth.
Sautee onions and garlic in a wok.  Put in the beef bones.  Pour in the broth and boil.
In a bowl, put some cooked noodles, shredded chinese cabbage and sliced eggs.  Pour the beef soup and put some beef on your bowl.  Top with garlic granules.
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Pinoy Bistek (Filipino Style Beef Steak)

One beef steak that I would always love to eat is the Pinoy Bistek that most Filipinos I'm sure would know how to cook.  It was my father who taught me how to cook this dish when I was just probably still in High School or Elementary.  I am not really sure but I know that I was quite young then.

This is also my nanay's favorite...so whenever she's here in Queensland, she would always request for bistek.  We normally use the calamansi or calamunding for the sauce mixed with soy sauce.  It's difficult to find this certain type of citrus fruit so we would use the fresh lemon juice extract instead.  To make the taste similar to the bistek we were used to have, I have to add a bit of vinegar.

Ingredients
2 pcs thin slice beef steak cut
juice of one lemon
1/2 c soy sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
1 medium size, onions, cut into rings
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced

Procedure
Marinate the beef with soy sauce, lemon juice and vinegar for 10 minutes.
Heat a pan and sear the beef on both side. Remove the beef and set aside.
On the same pan, sautee onions and garlic.
Put in the beef. Make sure that both sides are infused with garlic and onion juice. 
Pour in the marinade to the pan. Simmer for a few minutes.
Serve hot with rice.

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Easy to Cook Italian Beef Steak

This is an easy to cook beef steak recipe that I have made.  I would usually do an Italian steak using pork chops but there's no more pork in my freezer so I ended up cooking the beef one.

Amazingly, the taste is quite good.  It's an honest to goodness dish that I'm sure you and your family will enjoy eating.

Ingredients
2 beef round steak cut
2 tbsp italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Procedure
Marinate each side of the steak with olive oil, salt and pepper and the italian seasoning for an hour. Make sure that you pat each side with your palm to make sure that the marinade is infused inside the meat.
Use a non stick pan in frying.  Do not put oil anymore in the pan since the steak has olive oil.
Cook the beef to your liking. 
Click this ---> steaks for your guide to cooking steak

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Smoky Beer Burgers with Creamy Mustard Sauce

This recipe is a contribution of Justine, my former student in Miriam College.  She got it from Rachael Ray's recipes.  She tried and tested it on her palate and she said it turned out really good!  I would try this one someday too...probably this coming weekend.

Ingredients

2 pounds lean ground sirloin

• 1/3 pound smoked Gouda cheese, diced into 1/4-1/2-inch cubes
• 1 medium onion or 1/2 large onion
• 2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika (2/3 palmful)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (1/3 palmful)
• Grill seasoning, such as McCormick brand Montreal Steak Seasoning
• Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
• A generous handful of fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 bottle of beer (6 ounces)
• Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
• 1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
• 1/4-1/3 cup sour cream
• 2-3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 4 crusty Kaiser rolls, split and lightly toasted
• Green or red leaf lettuce, for topping
• Sliced sweet bread and butter pickles, for topping

Serves 4

Preparation

Pre-heat the grill over medium-high heat.
Place the meat in a bowl and add the cheese. Peel the onion and halve it, if using the medium onion. Grate about 3-4 tablespoons of onion directly over the meat into the bowl. Finely chop the remaining onion and reserve for topping. Add spices to meat: paprika, cumin and about 1 tablespoon of grill seasoning and/or some salt and pepper. Add garlic, parsley and Worcestershire and beer then form 4 large patties making them a little thinner at the center than at edges. Burgers plump when you cook them so this will prevent burger bulge. Drizzle a little EVOO over the burgers then grill about 4 minutes on each side for medium rare, 5 minutes on each side for medium and 6-7 minutes on each side for well done.
Mix mustard and sour cream with dill.
Serve patties on bun bottoms and top with lettuce, pickles, chopped raw onion. Slather bun tops with sauce and serve.

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