Irish Beef Stew

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/4 pounds well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces (NOT extra-lean)
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups beef stock or canned beef broth..
• I cup of Guinness beer
• 1 cup of fine red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1-2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 7 cups)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1Tsp Dried oregano or 2 sprigs of fresh
• 2 Tbsp Sofrito
• 2Tbsp Corn Starch

Directions

1. Marinade the beef in the Sofrito and salt and pepper.
2. Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat.  
3. Add the beef  (do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam and not brown) and Brown. Turning beef every 2-3 minutes to allow it to caramelize. Continue to cook in this manner until all sides are browned, about 7 minutes. 
4. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. 
5. Add to Crock pot set on High.
6. De-glaze the pan with the Wine, and add drippings to Crock Pot.
7. Add remaining ingredients except potatoes,onions and carrots. Stir to combine. Allow to tenderize/cook for a few hours (about 3)
8. While the meat and stock is simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes. Set aside until the beef stew in step one has simmered for one hour.
9. Add vegetables to beef stew. and turn to Low until Vegetables and beef are very tender, about 4 more hours. 
10. Discard bay leaves and add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. 

 (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.)

** If I don't have the beef stock or broth I'll use the Bullions about 3 or 4
** If I don;t have the red wine at home, I use dry sherry.
**If I don't have Guiness I'll substitute for another beer, whatever I have in the house.. Except LIGHT beer..

Sofito

This is a MUST have in our household. This is usually the foundation for seasoning any dish...

Ingredients

• 2 medium green peppers, seeds removed
• 1 red sweet pepper, seeds removed
• 4 medium onions, peeled
• 1 head of garlic, peeled
• 1 bunch cilantro leaves
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 tbsp vinegar

Directions:

1. Peel Garlic, onions, and chop all ingredients.
2. add all ingredients to food processor or blender
3. thoroughly blend ingredients to an even consistency.

For immediate use, store in glass container and keep refrigerated. You can store additional sofrito for future use.

Aranitas de Platanos (Shredded Plantain Fritters)

Ingredients:

• 1 green plantain
• 3 cloves garlic (minced)
• salt and pepper to taste
• oil for frying

Preparation:

1.Peel the plantain and shred with a coarse grater. 2. Place the grated plantain in salted water and let soak for about 10 minutes.
3.Drain the grated plantain and dry with paper towels to soak up excess water.
4.Mix the grated plantain with the garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
5.Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium high heat.
6.Fry the shredded mix by the spoonful in clumps until golden, about 5 minutes.
7.Drain on paper towels ..




.

Lola's Pancit

Ingredients:

• 
  
  1 8 oz. pack pancit noodles
• 
  
  1 cooked chicken breast, shredded
• 
  
  2 cups of chicken broth or 2 chicken bouillon cubes dissolved in 2 cups of water
• 
  
  1/4 cabbage, sliced into strips
• 
  
  1 onion, pealed and sliced
• 
  
  3 cloves of garlic, crushed and minced
• 
  
  1/3 cup scallions, cut into pieces
• 
  
  1 carrot, sliced into strips
• 
  
  2 tablespoons of cooking oil
• 
  
  3/4 cup diced celery
• 
  
  3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 
  
  Salt and pepper to taste
• 
  
  1 lemon, sliced

Instructions

• 
  
  Soak the pancit noodles to soften for 10 minutes
• 
  
  Grease a large pan or wok with oil. Sauté garlic and onions.
• 
  
  Add the chicken broth, the shredded chicken breast and all the vegetables until cooked.
• 
  
  Mix in the pancit noodles and add the soy sauce, cook for about 5 minutes or until the noodles are soft.
• 
  
  Salt and pepper to taste.
• 
  
  Serve hot with sliced lemon on the side.

Platano Maduro Frito (Fried Sweet Plantain)

 

 

Ingredients

1. 1 cup vegetable oil
2. 6 very ripe plantains (about 3/4 pound each), peeled and cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch slices
3. Salt (optional)

Directions

1. In 2 very large nonstick skillets, heat the oil until shimmering. Working in batches, fry the plantains in a single layer over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until deep golden and tender, 7 to 8 minutes per batch. Drain the plantains on a paper towel-lined rack and, if desired, sprinkle lightly with salt. Serve warm.

White Rice

Good rice can make or break your meal. The basic rule for fluffy rice is 1 cup of water more than the amount of rice. For example, if you are cooking 3 cups of rice, add 4 cups of water. So, basically, measure your rice (We prefer Long grain), add the water, salt, and a few tsp of cooking oil. Place on high heat, till the water is no longer visible above the rice. Now, cook on low heat and place the lid on, turning the rice now an then. I have also found that the pot in which you cook it, can make all the difference. Now, if you are like my husband and prefer sticky rice (must be a Filipino thing and short grain rice) use 1 1/2 cup of water over, and no salt.

Baked Shredded Beef Taquitos

 

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs of round roast (chuck roast is flavorful but isn't as lean)
• 1 7 oz can of whole green chiles reserve the juice
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 4-5 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1-2 cups of beef broth 
• 6-10 Corn tortillas

Directions


Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven. Combine seasonings and rub onto the meat thoroughly. Sear the meat in the olive oil on all sides. Spread the green chiles over the roast. Add beef broth, reserved green chile juice and chopped garlic. Cover pan and place in oven. Cook 4-5 hours until the beef shreds easily. Check on roast every couple of hours to make sure there is plenty of liquid... if it's low add more broth. You can also cook this dish on the stove top or in a crock-pot. Shred the meat and mix into the remaining liquid. Taste and re season if necessary. Set aside and let cool.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Dip the tortillas in 1-inch warm oil to soften. Tightly roll a couple of forkfuls of beef up in the tortillas. Place seam side down and bake 12 minutes.

TRIPLE G Baby Back Ribs

 Three G?? Garlic, Ginger, and Grilled...

Ingredients



For the ribs and spice paste
4 racks true baby back ribs (each ¾ to 1 lb.) or 2 racks American baby back ribs (each 2 to 2½ lbs.)
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 piece (2 in.) fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 tbs. sugar
1 tbs. coarse salt (kosher or sea)
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tbs. honey
1 tbs. soy sauce
1 tbs. Asian fish sauce or additional soy sauce

For the dipping sauce
4 tsp. coarse salt (kosher or sea)
4 tsp. white pepper
4 juicy limes, cut in half

Directions


1. Prepare ribs and spice paste: If necessary, remove thin, papery membrane from back of each rack of ribs (some stores sell baby backs with membrane removed). If using larger racks of ribs, cut each rack in half. Place ribs in nonreactive baking dish just large enough to hold them in single layer.

2. Place garlic, ginger, sugar, 1 tbs. salt, and black pepper in mortar and pound to paste with pestle. If you do not have a mortar and pestle, purée ingredients in food processor. Work in honey, soy sauce, and fish sauce or additional soy sauce. Spread spice paste over ribs on both sides. Let ribs marinate in refrigerator, covered, 1 to 4 hours.

3. Prepare ingredients for dipping sauce: Place 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. white pepper in neat mounds side by side in each of 4 tiny bowls. Place 2 lime halves next to each bowl.

4. Preheat grill to medium. When ready to cook, brush grill grate clean and apply thin coat of oil to grate. Place ribs, bone side down, on hot grate and grill until golden brown and cooked through, 8 to 12 minutes per side, a little longer for full-size ribs. If flare-ups occur, move ribs to another section of grill. When ribs are done, meat will have shrunk back from the ends of the bones by about 1/4 inch.

5. Transfer racks of ribs to cutting board and cut into individual ribs, then arrange on platter or plates for serving. Just before eating, instruct guests to squeeze 1 to 2 tbs. lime juice into bowl of salt and white pepper and stir until mixed.

Dip ribs in sauce before eating.