beef caldereta

Caldereta, whether it's pork, chicken or beef, has been a staple in our family, so when ze hubby and I got married, the dish has been part of my cooking repertoire. I can't remember when I was taught and who taught me to cook caldereta, but I've been doing it the same way ever since I started to cook in my mom's kitchen. My way doesn't involve the use of tomato sauce. Just soy sauce and Reno liver spread. Luckily, ze hubby likes my version.

When my mom gifted me with a Filipino recipe book though, I began cooking my dishes, including caldereta "properly." So far, this cook book hasn't failed me. All of the dishes I cooked following the recipes in the book has been a success. I actually made my aunt, who lives in the US, to purchase one for their home.

Enough talk. Here is the recipe for yummy, super-good-with-rice beef caldereta. Try it and have your mini, one-dish Filipino fiesta at home.

Ingredients

1.5 lbs stewing beef, or brisket cut into 2-inch chunks

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 tsp peppercorns, crushed

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 potatoes, quartered (I added 1 carrot cut into cubes)

1 onion, sliced

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup hot water

1tsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1/2 green bell pepper, cut into strips

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 cup canned or frozen peas

1 tsp Tabasco

1tsp paprika

3-oz can liver spread

1/3 cup grated cheddar cheese 

Garnishes (optional)

2 hard cooked eggs, sliced

1/4 cup stuffed olives

Directions

1. Tough cuts of meat are best for caldereta. Marinate meat overnight in a mixture of vinegar, peppercorns and garlic.

2. In a heavy caldero/pot or dutch oven, combine beef chunks and marinade, potatoes, onions, tomato sauce, hot water, sugar, salt and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, lower heat to simmer, cover and cook for 1.5 to 2 hours or until beef is tender. 

3. Add the bell peppers, peas, Tabasco sauce, paprika and liver spread. Simmer 7 to 10 minutes. Taste and correct seasoning. Use soy sauce if necessary.

4. Remove from heat and stir in cheddar cheese to thicken the sauce. Garnish with eggs and olives and serve.

I decided to cook this on a whim so I didn't have time to marinate my beef. Wrong decision! It took forever to cook and I had to keep adding water to prevent the sauce from drying up. I had to taste and season several times but it was all worth it in the end. Ze hubby loved it and wouldn't let me finish up the little left over still sitting in the fridge right now. 

This recipe came from Filipino Cooking and Entertaining Here & Abroad by Eleanor Laquian. It's available at the National Bookstore for around US$11.