Beef Calderetta

In our family, when I say I'm cooking Calderetta, the conversation does not just end there. Calderetta is a stew dish with the distinction of being ultra-spicy. But in our family, there are two types of Calderetta we normally cook, one which for us is more well received is our very own Kalderetang Batangas. This is what we also refer to as our brown Calderetta. In Batangas, this dish is more often cooked with goat meat rather than pork and a popular part of the menu during special occasions when a goat is bought alive and slaughtered in the backyard. On ordinary days back in the Philippines, we often cook this with pork ribs but given our circumstances here in Qatar where pork is not readily available, we usually cook it with beef.
The other type of Calderetta which my girls also love is the tomato-based Calderetta or what we refer to as the "Red Calderetta". This one as mentioned is tomato-based wherein the sauce is flavored with both tomato paste and tomato sauce. This is also cooked with vegetables like potatoes, carrots, bell pepper and green peas. I believe this is the more popular Calderetta version for most Filipinos. You will not usually see any ordinary restaurant or more popularly called in the Philippines as "Karinderya" or "Turo-Turo" (Turo is to point, so basically this is the type of restaurant where you just point the dish you want :) ) not serving this version of Calderetta.
I have also cooked this dish on Expat Daddy's birthday dinner but was not able to post the recipe then so I'm doing it now :)
Ingredients:
1kg beef (ribs or brisket)
4tbs cooking oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 medium potatoes, diced 1in.
1 large carrot, sliced to 1cm thick
1 large bell pepper, diced 1cm.
1/4 cup green peas
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1 chili pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tbs tomato paste
1/4 cup soy sauce
fish sauce or salt to taste
1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
3 cups water or beef stock (my stock, I got from when I pressure cooked the beef)
1 can Reno Liver Spread (optional)
1 tsp pickle relish
2 tbs grated cheese


Method:
*** I have already tenderized the beef using a pressure cooker to lessen the cooking time, about 30mins. If you are not using pressure cooker, then simmering time would take about 1-1.5 hours, making it a total cooking time of about 2 hours.
Heat up the pan and add the cooking oil. When hot, adjust heat to medium low then add the garlic and onions (the secret to a delicious Calderetta is lots of onions :)). Cook for about 5-8, stirring constantly until garlic and onion are very soft but not burned. The onions need to be thoroughly cooked before adding other ingredients so that it would melt with the sauce later on.
The heat can then be adjusted to medium-high at this point. Add the beef, stir a few times to distribute garlic and onion evenly.
After about 10minutes of cooking stir in the potatoes and carrots (If the beef is not pre-cooked, add about 1-2 cups of water to the meat first and simmer for about 45mins before adding the potatoes and carrots) . Leave for about 5 minutes without stirring to firm up the vegetables.
Add the peppercorns, soy sauce, tomato paste, tomato sauce and 1 cup of water. Once it starts to boil, add the Liver spread,stir a little evenly distribute the flavors of the sauces. Cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Adding a cup of water from time to time when the sauce starts to thicken. Stir a few times after adding water. Adjust taste with fish sauce or salt.
Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and add the green peas, bell pepper, cheese, pickle relish and chili pepper. Simmer for another 5-8minutes then turn off the heat.
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with hot rice. Enjoy the heat! :)


Check these out too!


Kalderetang Batangas

Pork Humba

Sweet and Spicy Adobo