Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Easy Caldereta
Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
25 minutes
2 hours
2 hours 25 minutes
Serves:
6 servings
An easier take on Rhoda's Caldereta from Top Chef ™ Season 23. This one-pot version swaps the bone-in short ribs for quick-braising beef chuck, drops the separate skillet and the vegetable-glazing step so everything cooks in a single Dutch oven, and keeps the liver-enriched tomato sauce that gives k...
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Ingredients
FOR THE BEEF:
2.5 lb (1.1 kg) boneless beef chuck, cut in 2-inch chunks
1 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to season
1 tsp (2 g) freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp (45 ml) neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
FOR THE SAUCE:
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)
2 1/2 cups (600 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 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 (optional)
1/2 cup (70 g) frozen green peas
TO 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)
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 BEEF
Pat the beef chunks dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear the beef in batches - don't crowd the pot - until deeply browned on all sides, about 8 minutes a batch. Transfer to a plate. This crust is the foundation of the sauce's depth.
STEP 2: BUILD THE SOFRITO BASE
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion with a pinch of salt until soft, 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 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 UNTIL TENDER
Add the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, soy sauce, fish sauce, bay leaves and chillies (if using), scraping up every browned bit from the bottom. Return the beef and any juices; the liquid should come about three-quarters of the way up the meat. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and cook over the lowest heat (or in a 300F / 150C oven) for about 1 1/2 hours, until the beef is fork-tender. (Instant Pot shortcut: pressure-cook on high for 40 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.)
STEP 4: ENRICH WITH LIVER
Skim any fat from the surface. 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 5 minutes - the liver thickens the sauce and gives kaldereta its characteristic savoury depth. Taste and adjust with fish sauce and pepper.
STEP 5: ADD THE VEGETABLES
Stir the carrots and potatoes into the sauce and simmer until just tender, 12-15 minutes, adding the bell pepper for the final 5 minutes. Stir in the olives (if using) and peas to warm through, about 2 minutes.
STEP 6: FINISH AND SERVE
If using cheese, stir it in off the heat until just melted. Rest 10 minutes so the sauce settles and thickens to a nappe consistency. Serve family-style, spooned generously over steamed jasmine rice and scattered with sliced scallions.
Instructions
FOR THE BEEF:
2.5 lb (1.1 kg) boneless beef chuck, cut in 2-inch chunks
1 1/2 tsp salt, plus more to season
1 tsp (2 g) freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp (45 ml) neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
FOR THE SAUCE:
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)
2 1/2 cups (600 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 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 (optional)
1/2 cup (70 g) frozen green peas
TO 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)
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 BEEF
Pat the beef chunks dry and season all over with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sear the beef in batches - don't crowd the pot - until deeply browned on all sides, about 8 minutes a batch. Transfer to a plate. This crust is the foundation of the sauce's depth.
STEP 2: BUILD THE SOFRITO BASE
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat. Lower the heat to medium and cook the onion with a pinch of salt until soft, 5-6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 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 UNTIL TENDER
Add the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, soy sauce, fish sauce, bay leaves and chillies (if using), scraping up every browned bit from the bottom. Return the beef and any juices; the liquid should come about three-quarters of the way up the meat. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and cook over the lowest heat (or in a 300F / 150C oven) for about 1 1/2 hours, until the beef is fork-tender. (Instant Pot shortcut: pressure-cook on high for 40 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes.)
STEP 4: ENRICH WITH LIVER
Skim any fat from the surface. 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 5 minutes - the liver thickens the sauce and gives kaldereta its characteristic savoury depth. Taste and adjust with fish sauce and pepper.
STEP 5: ADD THE VEGETABLES
Stir the carrots and potatoes into the sauce and simmer until just tender, 12-15 minutes, adding the bell pepper for the final 5 minutes. Stir in the olives (if using) and peas to warm through, about 2 minutes.
STEP 6: FINISH AND SERVE
If using cheese, stir it in off the heat until just melted. Rest 10 minutes so the sauce settles and thickens to a nappe consistency. Serve family-style, spooned generously over steamed jasmine rice and scattered with sliced scallions.
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