Pork Menudo

Estimated preparation & cooking time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo pork (cut into small chunks)

• 1/4 kilo pork liver (cut into small cubes)

• 5 pieces chorizo Bilbao (also cut in small pieces)

• 4 potatoes (peeled, cut in small cubes, fried)

• 1 green and 1 red bell pepper (diced)

• 1 cup chickpeas

• 1/4 cup raisins

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1 cup pork or chicken stock

• 2 teaspoons of patis (fish sauce)

• 3 tablespoons oil

• 1 tablespoon atsuete oil (optional)

• 3 tomatoes (diced)

• 1 small head of garlic (minced)

• 1 medium size onion (diced)

Menudo Cooking Instructions:

• In a pan or wok, heat cooking oil and atsuete oil.

• Saute garlic, onion. Then add the pork, liver, chorizo de Bilabo, tomatoes, bell pepper, paprika, patis and the stock.

• Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the pork is tender.

• Add the chickpeas, potatoes and raisins. Boil of another 2 minutes.

• Salt and pepper to taste.

• Serve hot with white rice.

Source: http://www.filipinofoodrecipes.net/menudo.htm

Filipino Chicken Potato Salad

Estimated cooking & preparation time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo potatoes

• 1 big chicken breast

• 3 pieces medium sized carrots

• 500 ml mayonnaise

• 1 can (836 g) pineapple tidbits or chunks

• 1/2 cup sweet pickle relish

• 1 cup cheddar cheese, diced (optional)

• 3 tablespoons of chopped spring onions (optional)

• Iodized salt to taste (pepper, optional)

Chicken Potato Salad Cooking Instructions:

• In a big pot, boil potatoes and carrots (covered with water) for about 15 to 20 minutes or until cracks on the potato skin appears. (tip: pierce a potato with a toothpick. If you can pierce it with little resistance and the toothpick comes out clean, the potatoes & carrots are cooked).

• Drain potatoes and carrots, let cool.

• Once cooled, the skin can be easily be pealed by hand.

• Dice the potatoes and carrots (about 1x1 cm)

• Boil the chicken breast in water with some salt. Let cool, then shred the chicken meat in 1 inch lengths

• Drain pineapple chunks or tidbits.

• Combine all ingredients (potatoes, chicken meat, pineapple, carrots, pickle relish, mayonnaise...) in a big bowl and salt to taste. You may add pepper if you wish.

• Refrigerate before serving.

Potato Salad Cooking Notes:

• You may add the optional ingredients (diced cheese, chopped onions, spring onions) or a handful of raisins for added flavour.

Source: http://www.filipinofoodrecipes.net/potato_salad.htm

Beef Mechado

Estimated cooking time: 1 hour

Mechado Ingredients:

• 1 kilo of beef cut into chunks

• 1/8 kilo of pork fat cut into strips

• 4 onions, peeled and quartered

• 5 medium potatoes, quartered (optional: fried)

• 1 medium sized carrot, sliced in 1/2" sections

• 2 red bell pepper, sliced

• 2 cups beef stock or 2 bouillon cubes dissolved in water

• 3 bay leaves (laurel leaves)

• 1/4 -cup vinegar

• 2 cups tomato sauce or 1/2 cup tomato paste

• 1 cup soy sauce

• salt & pepper to taste

Mechado Cooking Instructions:

• Cut an incision on the beef chunks and insert a pork strip in the middle (mitsa)

• In a casserole, combine the beef (with the fat), tomato sauce, soy sauce, bay leaves and beef stock. Bring to a boil and simmer until the beef is almost tender

• Add the vinegar and let boil for a minute or two

• Add the potatoes, onions, carrot, and bell pepper

• Let simmer until potatoes and carrots are cooked - occasionally stir to thicken sauce

• Serve hot with white rice

Beef Mechado Cooking Tips:

• Pressure cook the beef with the beef stock for faster cooking time.

• Fry the potatoes before adding to the casserole.

• Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil and stir when the mechado dish is almost done for added flavor.

Source: http://www.filipinofoodrecipes.net/mechado.htm

Beef Stew (Nilaga)

Estimated Cooking time: 1 to 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 kilo beef, cut into 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" cubes

• 8 potatoes cut the same size as the beef

• 1 bundle Pechay (Bok choy) cut into 2 pieces

• 1 small cabbage, quartered

• 5 onions, diced

• 1 head garlic, minced

• 4 tablespoons of patis (fish sauce)

• 3 tablespoons of cooking oil

• 10 corns of black pepper

• 1 liter of water

• Salt and pepper to taste

Beef Stew Cooking Instructions:

• In a big casserole, heat oil and sauté the garlic and onions.

• Add water, the beef, black pepper and patis. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1 hour or until the beef is tender.

• Add the potatoes. Continue to simmer until potatoes are cooked.

• Add the cabbage then the pechay. Do not over cook the vegetables.

• Salt and pepper to taste.

• Serve steaming hot in a bowl and plain white rice.

Cooking Tips:

You can substitute the beef with chicken (chicken stew) or pork (pork stew) for variety.

Beef Morcon

Estimated cooking time: 2 to 3 hours.

Morcon Ingredients:

• 1 kilo beef, sliced 1/4 inch thick (3 pcs.)

• 1/4 kilo ground beef liver

• 200 grams sliced sausages or ham

• 200 grams pork fat (cut is strips)

• 3 hard boiled eggs, sliced

• 100 grams cheddar cheese in strips

• 100 grams grated cheddar cheese

• 2 onions, chopped

• 5 bay leaf (laurel)

• 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup vinegar

• 2 teaspoon salt

• 2 cups of water

• 2 meters thread or string (for tying)

Beef Morcon Cooking Instructions:

• Spread and stretch the sliced beef on your working table.

• Arrange the filling on the sliced beef: sausage strips, cheese strips, sliced eggs, pork fat and some ground liver.

• Roll the sliced beef with all the filling inside and secure with a thread or string.

• Repeat the procedure for the two remaining beef slices.

• On a pot, place the beef rolls and put the water, the remaining ground liver, grated cheese, chopped onions, bay leaves, ground black pepper and salt.

• Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for one hour.

• Add the vinegar and continue to simmer of another hour or until beef is tender.

• Slice the beef morcon, arrange on a platter and top with the sauce/ gravy poured on top.

Cooking Tips:

• A spoon or two of flour can be added to water to thicken the sauce.

• Instead of boiling in a pot, you can use a pressure cooker for faster cooking.

• Optional: Garnish with olives before serving.

Source:http://www.filipinofoodrecipes.net/morcon.htm

Pork Steak / Beef Steak Filipino Style

Estimated time to prepare and cook: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3/4 kilo tender pork or beef steaks, sliced

• 1 tablespoon kalamansi or lemon juice

• 5 tablespoons soy sauce

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 1 small piece ginger, crushed

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1/2 cup onions, sliced in rings

• 4 tablespoons cooking oil

Pork / Beef Steak Cooking Instructions:

• Marinate the pork or beef steak in kalamansi (lemon) juice, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and pepper for 30 minutes.
• In a frying, add cooking oil. Add the marinated pork or beef steak and cook slow until done.
• Increase heat for a minute or two to brown steaks.
• Add the sliced onions and continue to cook for another minute.
• Serve on a platter including the oil and sauce.
• Best served with hot plain rice.

Source: http://www.filipinofoodrecipes.net/pork_steak.htm

Sweet and Sour Pork

Estimated cooking time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 kilo pork loin, sliced into pieces

• 1 small can pineapple chunks

• 1 large onion, quartered

• 1 red & 1 green bell peppers, sliced into strips

• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce

• 3 tablespoons of peanut oil

• 4 tablespoons of cornstarch

• 3 tablespoons of ketchup

• 1 tablespoon of sugar

• 1 teaspoon of salt

• 3 cloves of minced garlic

Sweet and Sour Pork Cooking Instructions:

• In a pot, boil pork in 2 cups of water with 1/2 teaspoon of salt until tender, then drain (keep the pork stock for later).

• Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and soy sauce then coat the pork with the cornstarch mixture.

• Fry the pork in a skillet until golden brown, set aside.

• Dissolve the remaining 2 tablespoons of cornstarch on 1/2 cup of pork stock - set aside.

• Sauté garlic and onions on oil, then add the bell peppers, pineapple chunks (including the syrup), ketchup, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the dissolved cornstarch. Stir until sauce thickens.

• Pour over fried pork then serve with rice.