What’s Cooking: Scary but Easy Recipe # 1

Why Scary but Easy?  You know how there are some dishes you only eat at a restaurant but too scared to try at home? At a restaurant they make the food look so fabulously dished out that you feel you can’t make it at home. They do that to keep us coming back. Bad bad bad chefs! Tsk tsk tsk 😉

So yesterday we had a friend over for lunch and it gave me the opportunity to have someone taste-test for me without the bias.  Here’s my first Scary but Easy Recipe. 

I first saw this dish at Antonio’s in Tagaytay. Saw, because I was already having the Lechon Kawali and Batchoy and did not want to have a stroke at the time. This recipe calls for a sizzling plate, you can find this in any kitchen section and enjoy using it for years if used properly. (I’ll show you in some other post,later. . . much later).

*Don’t be intimidated by the 6 steps, it’s really easy. Just remember, boil-season-drain-heat the plate-sizzle-enjoy!

WhatYahNeed:

1 kilo Beef Bulalo

1 small cabbage

2 stalks onion leeks cut finger length

3 medium sized potatoes

1/2 tsp whole pappercorns

1 onion peeled cut in half

About half a teaspoon salt

fish sauce

Sauce

1 small can mushroom soup

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion , minced

WhatYahGottaDo:

1. Clean and wash the beef shank, take care NOT to remove the bone marrow. Place it in a stock pot filled with water together with salt.  Make sure you have enough water, boil the beef shanks for about 4 to 5 hours in meduim to low heat. This is best done the day before, no need to stare at the pot. You can do other stuff like read blogs, for instance. If you have a slow cooker your one lucky girl! 

2. Once your beef is fork-tender (stick a fork on the meat to check if it’s tender). Skim off the fat and oil so you can pretend that the dish is healthy. You can do this easier by waiting for the pot to cool down. I leave mine in the fridge over night. In the morning I simply take out the oil that’s formed on top of the pot.

3. Drain the meat including the bone and marrow and set aside. Don’t throw away the stock. You can reheat it,bring to a boil, throw in the potatoes,onion, peppercorns and leeks. Once the potatoes are done, add the cabbage and a little fish sauce to taste.   

4. Deal with the sauce. In a saucepan, saute some minced onions and garlic. Pour in the mushroom soup straight from the can. Simmer for 3 minutes and set aside.

5. Now the scary part. Heat your sizzling plate directly on the stove top, best done in low heat. Should take around 5 minutes. Once you see the smoke rising from the plate, turn off the stove and place your beef shank on the hot plate, pour in the sauce and watch as it “sizzles”.

6. Make sure you have your kitchen mittens on and serve immediately. Yum yum!

* Now try #2.