Beef Caldereta

Beef Caldereta is one recipe that is near and dear to my heart. I have fond memories of my late grandmother cooking this especially when one of my cousins would come over for a visit since it was her favorite. I remember how I prop up over the kitchen counter and watch her chop up potatoes and telling me step by step on how I should do it. Sometimes I would be asked to run to the nearest store and buy additional bay leaves for this.

In the fast paced world that we have today everything has to be quick and easy. Every thing needs to have an easy fix. While doing the easy way to do things we tend to forget that nothing beats the old-fashioned way – well in terms of cooking that is.

Here’s an authentic and simple recipe for Beef Caldereta, I hope you love it.

Beef Caldereta

Recipe

1 cup of cooking oil
1/4 kilo of beef brisket, cubed
1 large bulb garlic, crushed
2 red onion, cut into strips
1 teaspoon of crushed chili
2 red bell pepper, cut into strips
3 large bay leaves
4 potatoes, sliced quarterly
2 carrots, sliced round
250 grams of tomato sauce
1 can of liver spread
water
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure

1. In a large casserole, saute the garlic until golden brown then add the onions saute until translucent.
2. Place the beef, add water until the beef is completely submerged then let it boil for an hour to tenderize the beef.
3. Put the tomato sauce, liver spread, potatoes and carrots, let it boil until the potatoes and carrots can be split in half with a fork.
4. Add the bay leaves, bell pepper, crushed chili and let it simmer for 5 minutes. If needed, add salt and pepper.

Serves four (4) to five (5) people | Best served with hot rice. 🙂

Notes on this recipe

1. If you are quite in a hurry, you can use a pressure cooker. With the use of a pressure cooker, you’ll have a tender beef within 30 minutes.
2. Make sure to mix the tomato sauce and liver spread very well. Also add a little water to it because as you leave it to boil it has the tendency to dry up. Mix it very well so you won’t have burnt liver spread stick to the pan.
3. You can also add green peas and green olives for this recipe. Another option is frozen mixed vegetables.
4. Don’t forget to keep the chili on the minimum especially if you’re going to eat with people who are not fond of spicy foods.
5. If you are not a huge fan of beef, you can also try Chicken Caldereta. Here’s how:

a. In a large casserole, saute the garlic until golden brown then add the onions until translucent.
b. Place the chicken and submerge the chicken with water, and cook for about 30 minutes.
c. Add the tomato sauce, liver spread, potatoes and carrots. Make sure to mix well and cook until tender.
d. Add the red bell pepper, bay leaves and chili. Let it cook for five (5) minutes. Add salt and pepper if needed.

How much did everything cost?

Red Bell Pepper —— Php 37.52
Red Onion ———— Php 17.54
Carrots ————– Php 20.02
Potato ————— Php 32.07
Beef —————– Php 55.44 (for 1/4 kilo)