Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Caldereta
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
45 minutes
3 hours 30 minutes
4 hours
Serves:
6 servings
Rhoda created this dish for Top Chef ™ Season 23. Her kaldereta - beef short rib braised spoon-tender in a rich tomato-liver sauce - closed the four-course finale menu that won her the title, served in place of dessert as a toast to her father. The judges praised her protein cookery as the strongest...
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Ingredients
FOR THE SHORT RIBS:
4 lb (1.8 kg) bone-in beef short ribs, English-cut, well-marbled
2 tsp (10 g) Pink Himalayan Salt (Fine), plus more to season
1 tsp (2 g) freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp (45 ml) neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
FOR THE BRAISE:
1 large yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp (50 g) tomato paste
1 3/4 cups (400 g) crushed tomatoes (one standard can)
3 cups (750 ml) low-sodium beef stock
2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
1 tbsp (15 ml) fish sauce (patis)
1-2 bird's-eye chillies, split (optional)
1 can (3 oz / 85 g) liver spread or smooth chicken liver pate
FOR THE VEGETABLES:
3 medium carrots, cut in thick oblique chunks
1 lb (450 g) waxy potatoes (Yukon Gold), cut in large chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cut in wide strips
1/2 cup (70 g) pitted green olives
1/2 cup (70 g) frozen green peas
TO FINISH AND SERVE:
1/4 cup (25 g) grated sharp cheese (optional)
Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
2 scallions, thinly sliced, to garnish
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Large heavy Dutch oven or braising pot with lid (5-6 quart / 5-6 litre)
Large heavy skillet (for searing and vegetable glazing)
Fine-mesh sieve (optional, for a silkier sauce)
Wooden spoon and tongs
Small bowl and fork (for mashing the liver spread)
Rice cooker or saucepan for steamed rice
Method
STEP 1: SEASON AND SEAR THE SHORT RIBS
Pat the short ribs completely dry and season generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches - never crowd the pot - sear the ribs hard on every side until deeply browned, 3-4 minutes per side. This crust is the foundation of the sauce's depth. Transfer to a plate.
STEP 2: BUILD THE SOFRITO BASE
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the onion with a pinch of salt until soft and translucent, 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it darkens a shade and smells sweet rather than raw, about 2 minutes - this caramelisation separates a deep kaldereta from a flat one.
STEP 3: BRAISE LOW AND SLOW
Add the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, soy sauce, fish sauce, bay leaves, and chillies (if using). Scrape up every browned bit from the bottom of the pot. Return the ribs and any juices, bone-side up; the liquid should come about three-quarters of the way up the meat. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and braise over the lowest heat (or in a 300F / 150C oven) for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, turning once, until the meat is spoon-tender and just beginning to pull from the bone.
STEP 4: ENRICH WITH LIVER
Transfer the ribs to a plate and tent loosely. Skim the surface fat from the braising liquid. Mash the liver spread with a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce until smooth, then stir it back into the pot. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes; the liver thickens the sauce and gives it kaldereta's characteristic savoury depth. For a silkier finish, strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve at this point. Taste and adjust with fish sauce and pepper.
STEP 5: COOK AND GLAZE THE VEGETABLES IN THE BRAISING LIQUID
While the sauce reduces, simmer the carrots and potatoes directly in the sauce until just tender, 12-15 minutes, adding the bell pepper for the final 5 minutes. Lift the vegetables out and, in a hot skillet with a ladleful of the braising sauce, glaze them briefly so each piece is lacquered and glossy rather than merely boiled. Stir the olives and peas into the pot to warm through.
STEP 6: RETURN, REST, AND MARRY
Return the ribs to the sauce and simmer gently for a final 10 minutes so meat and sauce marry. If using cheese, stir it in off the heat until just melted. Rest 10 minutes before serving - the sauce settles and thickens to a nappe consistency.
STEP 7: SERVE
For a composed plate, centre one boneless portion of short rib on a warm plate, nap generously with the liver-enriched sauce, and arrange the glazed carrots, potatoes, and peppers around it, finishing with olives, peas, and sliced scallion. For family-style service, pile everything into one generous serving bowl, bones and all, and bring it to the table with plenty of steamed jasmine rice.
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Instructions
FOR THE SHORT RIBS:
4 lb (1.8 kg) bone-in beef short ribs, English-cut, well-marbled
2 tsp (10 g) fine sea salt, plus more to season
1 tsp (2 g) freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp (45 ml) neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
FOR THE BRAISE:
1 large yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp (50 g) tomato paste
1 3/4 cups (400 g) crushed tomatoes (one standard can)
3 cups (750 ml) low-sodium beef stock
2 tbsp (30 ml) soy sauce
1 tbsp (15 ml) fish sauce (patis)
2 bay leaves
1-2 bird's-eye chillies, split (optional)
1 can (3 oz / 85 g) liver spread or smooth chicken liver pate
FOR THE VEGETABLES:
3 medium carrots, cut in thick oblique chunks
1 lb (450 g) waxy potatoes (Yukon Gold), cut in large chunks
1 large red bell pepper, cut in wide strips
1/2 cup (70 g) pitted green olives
1/2 cup (70 g) frozen green peas
TO FINISH AND SERVE:
1/4 cup (25 g) grated sharp cheese (optional)
Steamed jasmine rice, to serve
2 scallions, thinly sliced, to garnish
EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Large heavy Dutch oven or braising pot with lid (5-6 quart / 5-6 litre)
Large heavy skillet (for searing and vegetable glazing)
Fine-mesh sieve (optional, for a silkier sauce)
Wooden spoon and tongs
Small bowl and fork (for mashing the liver spread)
Rice cooker or saucepan for steamed rice
Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: SEASON AND SEAR THE SHORT RIBS
Pat the short ribs completely dry and season generously on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches - never crowd the pot - sear the ribs hard on every side until deeply browned, 3-4 minutes per side. This crust is the foundation of the sauce's depth. Transfer to a plate.
STEP 2: BUILD THE SOFRITO BASE
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the onion with a pinch of salt until soft and translucent, 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it darkens a shade and smells sweet rather than raw, about 2 minutes - this caramelisation separates a deep kaldereta from a flat one.
STEP 3: BRAISE LOW AND SLOW
Add the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, soy sauce, fish sauce, bay leaves, and chillies (if using). Scrape up every browned bit from the bottom of the pot. Return the ribs and any juices, bone-side up; the liquid should come about three-quarters of the way up the meat. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and braise over the lowest heat (or in a 300F / 150C oven) for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, turning once, until the meat is spoon-tender and just beginning to pull from the bone.
STEP 4: ENRICH WITH LIVER
Transfer the ribs to a plate and tent loosely. Skim the surface fat from the braising liquid. Mash the liver spread with a few spoonfuls of the hot sauce until smooth, then stir it back into the pot. Simmer gently, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes; the liver thickens the sauce and gives it kaldereta's characteristic savoury depth. For a silkier finish, strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve at this point. Taste and adjust with fish sauce and pepper.
STEP 5: COOK AND GLAZE THE VEGETABLES IN THE BRAISING LIQUID
While the sauce reduces, simmer the carrots and potatoes directly in the sauce until just tender, 12-15 minutes, adding the bell pepper for the final 5 minutes. Lift the vegetables out and, in a hot skillet with a ladleful of the braising sauce, glaze them briefly so each piece is lacquered and glossy rather than merely boiled. Stir the olives and peas into the pot to warm through.
STEP 6: RETURN, REST, AND MARRY
Return the ribs to the sauce and simmer gently for a final 10 minutes so meat and sauce marry. If using cheese, stir it in off the heat until just melted. Rest 10 minutes before serving - the sauce settles and thickens to a nappe consistency.
STEP 7: SERVE
For a composed plate, centre one boneless portion of short rib on a warm plate, nap generously with the liver-enriched sauce, and arrange the glazed carrots, potatoes, and peppers around it, finishing with olives, peas, and sliced scallion. For family-style service, pile everything into one generous serving bowl, bones and all, and bring it to the table with plenty of steamed jasmine rice.
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