Caldereta

The dish so nice I packed it twice - pictured here with the rest of today's bento: rice and a spinach-red onion salad with homemade red wine-Dijon mustard vinaigrette.

I was hankering for some home cooking, and so created a riff on this recipe. Alas, the butcher stand was out of goat, but I made do with what was left of the stew lamb and some beef to make up the difference. Turned out wonderfully - rich and umami-filled from the long-simmered meat and soy sauce, tangy from the vinegar and tomato sauce, and just a tad sweet from the vegetables. Next time, I'll probably add another bell pepper, more peas and carrot; I'll also add some garlic during the vegetable sauteing process and remember to use either liver pate or the liverwurst we had in the fridge.

• 2 lbs. stew meat, cubed  (I used 1-1/2 lb. lamb and 1/2 lb. lean beef and cut it into 1 to 1-1/2 in. pieces)
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 heaping cup garlic, minced (most of a plump head)
• 2-3 tbsp. oil (I used peanut)
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 heaping cup)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 2 cups water or broth
• 1-1/2 medium carrots, chunked (about 1-1/2 to 2 cups)
• 1-1-1/2 lbs. potatoes, chunked (about 3 heaping cups)
• 1 cup peas (frozen were fine)
• 1 small can liver pate (couldn't find any, alas, so skipped this)

Marinate the meat in the soy, vinegar and garlic for at least an hour. Pat the meat dry (forgot to do this) and put in a bowl; reserve the marinade.

Put the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Brown the meat briefly, in batches (got about halfway through this and raised a decent amount of fond despite the added moisture from the marinade). Remove from pot and set aside.

Add more oil if necessary. Saute the onion and bell pepper till onion is translucent, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the tomato sauce and simmer till slightly reduced, about 3-5 minutes.

Return meat to pot. Add reserved marinade and water or broth. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium-low. Cook, covered, till meat is tender, about 30-40 minutes.

Add carrots, potatoes and peas. Simmer till vegetables are tender, about 30-45 minutes.

Remove from heat. Stir pate (next time!) into dish. Adjust seasoning and serve over white rice.

Afritadang Manok (Chicken Sauteed with Tomato Sauce and Vegetables)

Market Manila's discussion of this dish rightly notes that, for such a comfort food, "[o]ne shouldn’t really have a recipe...rather it is done by mood and feel and available ingredients." Nevertheless, I like having jumping off points. A quick Googling revealed a wide variety of recipes - including one with oyster sauce and ginger - but I decided to stick with the basics. The recipe below is based off this one - how could I resist an entire head of garlic to start with? It's now cooling on my stove, and both John and I agree that it tastes good - deep, almost creamy with a tang given to it by the fish sauce. Next time, I think I'll add some peas and more chicken (I only had 1.8 lbs. vs. the recommended 2.2). I'll probably throw in some bay leaves, too.

• 3 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 medium head garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 small tomatoes, sliced (may use more next time)
• 4 chicken thighs, skin-on
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. patis (or more to taste)
• 5 medium potatoes, halved or quartered
• 3-5 medium carrots, cut about the same size as the potatoes
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
• salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, saute the onion and garlic till softening, about 2-3 minutes.

Add the chicken and slightly brown, 4-7 minutes. Remove from pot; add tomatoes and saute till soft - 2-4 minutes. Return chicken to pot. (This came to pass because I forgot about the tomatoes; I assume it's fine to saute them along with the onion and garlic.)

Add tomato sauce, stock and patis. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 20 or so minutes, till chicken is almost done.

Add carrots and potatoes to pot. Cook till almost done - 10-15 minutes or so.

Add peppers to pot. Cook till slightly softened - 3-5 minutes. Adjust seasonings, then serve with lots of white rice.