Chicken Afritada

I have long been eating this dish and it is one of my favorites, but since I came to the US, I have cooked it only once.

Thanks to the different foodblogs in my blogroll, I have gotten some ideas. I also apply to this dish the same thing I do with menudo: marinate the chicken pieces first in soy sauce-lemon. I love the effect.

This is another addition to my collection of the dishes that hubby likes so much (as long as he gets the breast part).

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound chicken stewing cuts, marinated in
1/4 cup soy sauce
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
3-5 medium tomatoes, sliced
2-3 carrots, cut into chunks
4-5 potatoes cut in wedges
1/2 cup green peas
1 handful of red/orange/yellow bell peppers (Tip: When you buy bell peppers in packs of 3s but are not able to use up all at once, you may slice the rest and place on baking pan, freeze for 30 minutes, then transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for several more months.)

PROCEDURE:
Marinate the chicken pieces in soy sauce-lemon juice for at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, chop/slice all veggies.
On medium heat, sautee garlic then onion, then the tomatoes, followed by the chicken. Increase the heat until juices bubble, then lower to medium low, cover and let simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover, turn heat on medium high and let the juices evaporate, brown the chicken, then add the potatoes, carrots, and bell peppers. Cover, lower heat to medium low and let simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is done. Add green peas during the last 10 minutes of cooking. From time to time, check to avoid drying and add water in increments of 1/2 cup to the desired consistency of the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot with plain rice.

PAHABOL NOTE:
I added hotdogs in the end for the sake of my stepd.

Beef Pares

This is a re-posting of beef pares from my old kusina, edited with some new ingredients as per comments given that time, and a new method.

This dish is something I created in my effort to copy a favorite (and famous) item in some side-street restaurants in the Philippines. Beef Pares, a Chinese influence to Filipino cuisine, I believe, is juicy tender stewed beef in sweet brown sauce. By experimentation, I was quite successful in re-creating the dish in my now American kitchen. While the sauce is served thin in the Philippines, I have tweaked it to come up with a thick sauce, which has more appeal to the Western tongue of my in-laws and husband (who is quite picky when it comes to food). They (and I) love this dish. During a town hall meeting, my father-in-law was chatting with a friend, and he introduced me, with the phrase, “Linda [my mother-in-law] is already a good cook, but she [pointing to me] is even better!” While I felt flattered with the remark, I was embarrassed because my mother-in-law was also with us! It must be quite insulting to her to hear that, but then we have a very good relationship anyway, and even she tells me I am a good cook. I usually serve this dish during my birthday celebration, although at times I prepare it only for my family over the weekend, and I end up with some leftover. With this leftover, I can make another Chinese-influenced Filipino favorite merienda (snack) – the beef asado siopao, which are steamed buns with beef filling, also loved by my in-laws. Or make it into a heavy snack – beef asado roll, which is a baked bread with beef filling (my very own idea). I am very proud to be sharing this recipe not only with other Filipina immigrants but also with Americans as well.

INGREDIENTS:

3 lb boneless beef chuck roast
1 tbsp oil for browning
2 dried bay leaves (laurel)
2 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
some dried orange peel (optional)

1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp Chinese rice wine
3 cloves of garlic, crushed then minced
5-10 peppercorns, crushed or freshly milled
1/2 cup of frozen beef broth (I have several in my freezer)

Additional ingredients for the sauce:
3 tbsp light brown sugar (or according to taste)
2-3 drops soy sauce to darken the sauce some more, if desired
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 drops of Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/2 cup cold water
1 tsp sesame oil


METHOD:

Brown the chuck roast on all sides using a heavy iron pan on high heat. Place the bay leaves, star anise, cinnamon sticks and orange peel in the slow cooker and then the roast on top of these.
Mix together all the other ingredients and pour onto the roast. Place the frozen beef broth on top of the roast to baste it while cooking. Cover and slow cook for 8 hours.
After 8 hours, scoop out the sauce and let pass through a strainer to remove the spices. Keep the roast in the slow cooker under warm setting. Transfer the sauce into a fat separator then pour out the sauce minus the fat into a small saucepan. Boil. Adjust the taste with the additional ingredients for the sauce. Thicken to desired consistency by adding the cornstarch-water mixture in a slow stream while stirring. Turn off the heat and stir in the sesame oil.
Transfer the roast to a serving platter and pour the sauce over. This can be topped with snips of chives for a more appetizing look. Serve with mashed potatoes or plain rice, plus steamed vegetables.

Uses for the leftover, if any:

I roughly chop the meat, then reheat it on low with the sauce, constantly stirring to avoid scorching. For every cup of chopped meat, there must be about 1/2 cup of sauce. If the sauce is too much, I just let it evaporate as I reheat. If it is not enough, I add some more water in increments of 1/8 cup plus some soy sauce, sugar, salt and pepper to taste. The mixture must not be runny and must hold together when cooled.

I use this as filling either for beef asado roll (baked version) or beef asado siopao (steamed version).