MMIL is a city girl, the only girl with 6 brothers and naturally the apple of her father’s eyes. MM is spirited and when properly encouraged, would oblige with a song or two. MMIL, although not shy, would rather stay in the background. MM subscribe to the art of “tough love” while MMIL is all tender and solicitous.
But despite their differences, they have two things in common: their love for mahjong games with close friends; and, their wide knowledge and cooking experience of tried and tested recipes.
I remember when I was newly married, how I would call long distance to either one of them when I needed to ask pointers in preparing a particular dish that my husband or children liked. Many times, the dish did not turn out exactly as expected and a scoop of ice cream would be the best consolation. Through all that cooking experiences, I have learned that to be good at cooking, like anything in life, one has to practice, practice, practice. Usually the first tries are so-so but in time, I received the words I long to hear: “This taste just like Mom’s/Lola’s”.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Much of what I know about cooking comes from MM and MMIL. I continue to draw much from their teachings to come up with daily meals served at home. And the great thing is, there will sometimes be two delicious ways to cook up a dish. What follows is such an example. Both delicious, both easy to prepare.
MM’s Roast Beef
2 Kilos round roast or chuck roast (Kasing in bisaya or Kalitiran in Tagalog)*
1 T calamansi/lemon juice
2 T Perrins
A dusting of grounded pepper
2 cubes of Beef Bouillion
Marinate the beef preferrably overnight in the fridge.
Drain the beef of the marinate juices and dry with papper towels. Then roll in some flour. Fry quickly in about 4 T of olive oil. Once brown, put in a baking dish. Set aside.
Add about 1 cup of water to the marinate juices. Include 1 chopped medium onion, two stalks of celery, and powdered garlic.
Pour over beef and bake in a 300 degree oven for about 3 hours. Baste the roast to prevent it from drying out. (If using pressure cooker, increase water to 2 cups)
Once done, reserve the drippings for gravy. Cut the roast to desired thickness. Serve with gravy, mashed potatoes, and buttered steam veggies.
Gravy
Add about 2 teaspoon of corn starch to 1 T of water. Set aside. Strain the drippings into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until sauce thickens and clears up. Again— you will need to feel your way through. (that’s why you need to practice, practice, practice)
Note:
Beef cuts in my part of the world are not the most tender and can be expensive. If this is the case with your beef, opt to use the pressure cooker instead of the oven. It worked for me. Instead of the 3-hr cooking time, I only needed 1 hour with the pressure cooker. For my 6 quart pressure cooker, I made sure I had at least 2 ½ cups of liquid. So adjust as needed.
MMIL’s Mechado
1.5 kilos of round beef or chuck/ “kalitiran”
Have the butcher insert a strip of pork fat in the middle of your beef
1/2 c cubed pork fat
1 1/2 c chopped tomatoes
1 c chopped onions
1 Bay leaf
2 sliced cloves of garlic
6-10 whole pepper corns
1 pack of tomato sauce (250 g)
1 beef bouillion
Salt and pepper to taste
Water
Place all the ingredients into a pot with a tight lid. Add water to just barely cover the meat—about 2-3 cups.
Bring to a boil then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer until beef becomes melt-in-your-mouth fork tender. This could be anywhere from 2 hours to 3 hours of very slow cooking. Once tasted, you will think you died and went to heaven. Just don’t make this too often or else you will indeed be heaven bound.
Note:
You may also use the pressure cooker for about 30 minutes to soften the meat. Then continue slow cooking for a shorter period of time.
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