Gin Tries to Blog

Due to insistent public demand, yes, I'll start my blog so I can share my family's secret recipes (well not so secret anymore after this).

Since it's Father's Day, my debut recipe will be my Boo's favorite dish - Calderetta ala Cora (ahhh.. Cora's his mom by the way). I learned the recipe so I can still prepare it just the way his mom used to cook it for him. My in-laws are in the States already that's why I mastered this dish for him to enjoy it again.

This dish is famous in the northern part of Luzon (an island in the Philippines). The dish varries a little with the addition of gata (coconut milk). Some uses tomato sauce and vinegar but we use fresh tomatoes.

Ingredients:

6 large ripe tomatoes
1/2 kilo beef cut into cubes (may be substituted with goat meat)
1 clove garlic
2 pcs onions (white or red)
1 bayleaf
5-10 peppercorns crushed
1 large bell pepper
2 carrots (cut in medium sizes)
1/2 C green peas
1 C coconut milk (gata)
1/2 C water
oil for cooking and salt/pepper to taste

Boil the meat together with salt, peppercorns and garlic for 45 minutes using a pressure cooker, if you dont have a pressure cooker, boil it for 2hrs in low fire or until tender.

While waiting for the meat to be tender prepare the other ingredients. Boil the tomatoes for 5-10 minutes then set aside. Prepare the coconut milk (I usually use fresh coconut milk but they are available in tetra packs and cans in your local groceries).

In a large skillet, saute garlic then onions. Add the now tender meat frying till brown. Add the carrots then the green peas. Add the boiled tomatoes, crushing the juice out till you have a sauce. Add water as desired (Tip: you can use the water from where you boiled your tomatoes).

Now add your coconut milk, stirring, make sure not to over stir for this will crush your meat into smaller pieces. Lastly, add the liver spread and bayleaf and simmer for another 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if you like.

Optional:

My Boo likes it spicy so I usually add crushed chilli peppers, the small nasty ones (siling labuyo). I put this in before frying the meat. I also add a little sugar for more flavoring. I'm not so fond of MSG so I use natural ingredient as much as possible.

Ginny from the blog says, Ciao!!