Category: Beef

The Betawi are the descendants of the people living in Jakarta and soto translates to soup. Soto Betawi is traditionally made with offal but Thalia’s recipe is a tamer version, just perfect for New York’s current dipping temperatures. The tamarind marinade made this soup a little sour with the tomatoes and the lime, which I loved, but I also added extra spices to give it a little more kick. I browned the beef first for some color and I just used the separate beef stock I had saved in the freezer. While the stock was simmering, I quickly deep-fried the emping melinjo crackers I bought from Chinatown. They added a nice crisp to the nutty-sour flavor of the soup. I think Thalia would have been proud.

Ingredients:
half a pound of sirloin beef
2 tbsps tamarind concentrate
1 can coconut milk
beef stock
2 medium potatoes, quartered
1 large tomato, chopped
1 stalk lemongrass, pounded
2 stalks scallions, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tbsps semi-sweet soy sauce or kecap manis
emping melinjo crackers, deep-fried
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp cumin, grounded
red chilis
cilantro, finely chopped
1 small lime
sugar
salt, pepper

1. Prepare a day before: tenderize the sirloin beef by pounding with a mallet on a wooden block. In a small bowl, combine tamarind concentrate with sugar and salt to make a paste. Marinate beef in the fridge overnight.
2. When ready to cook, boil potatoes in a pot of water. In the meantime, cut beef into small cubes. In a pot with hot oil, sauté bay leaf and shallots and brown beef on all sides. When potatoes are done, drain and lightly brown in the same pot.
3. Add beef stock and simmer. Stir in coconut milk. Add tomatoes, cumin, turmeric, lemon grass, lime juice, chilis and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for a few more minutes until beef cubes are tender.
4. To serve, put some of the meat and vegetables in a bowl first. Ladle broth and sprinkle with scallions and cilantro. Crush crackers on top. Squirt with leftover lime juice and stir in some kecap manis to taste.

Related post/s:
Thalia would have been proud
Where to get all the Indonesian ingredients
More Cooking the World recipes: Korea
About Cooking the World: Global Gastronomy Food Project

My father denies that he bought the Mario Batali extra large Dutch oven for me. He said he bought it for himself so he can make his Filipino specialties without crowding the smaller pots we already have. I’ll let him slide, but to christen his new and glistening red pot, I braised some oxtails and kicked off autumn. Braising has got to be one my favorites things to do. A little beefy wine, a little stock, some good meat–you can just leave everything in the oven for a couple of hours. Browning is the key and it’s the step that a lot of Filipinos skip–they love their pressure cooker too much. When the meat falls off the bone without force, it’s like Christmas. If you love to cook, I think you have to give in some of your time to do beautiful things like this.

Ingredients:
6 pieces of oxtails
red wine
beef broth
1/2 stick of butter
1 red onion
5 garlic cloves, crushed
2 leeks, white parts only, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
3 thyme sprigs
3 bay leaves
1 bunch parsley stems

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Meanwhile in a large Dutch oven, add some butter over medium heat until foam subsides and brown the oxtails on all sides, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
2. Add vegetables to the pot and sauté until softened. Add the oxtails back arranging them in one layer. Add wine, herbs and enough stock to cover the oxtails. Bring to a boil, turn off the heat and place inside the oven on the middle rack and braise until meat is tender and almost falling off the bone, about 2 hours.
3. Remove the oxtails to a plate. Pour the braising liquid through a fine sieve into a saucepan and discard the other solids. Boil liquid until thick and reduced. Serve with pasta.

Related post/s:
Other oxtail recipes

Adapted from Mario Batali’s Coda alla Vaccinara

Ingredients:
2 lbs calf oxtails, cut in 1/2-inch pieces
3 tbsps tomato paste
3 medium-sized carrots, finely chopped
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 ribs of celery, leaves reserved, stalks finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 large red onion, thinly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 strips of bacon, cut into pieces
1 cup dry white wine
a pinch of ground cinnamon
2 tbsps sherry vinegar
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, olive oil

1. Bring 12 cups of water to boil in a large pot. Add the oxtails and reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Drain the oxtails and save 2 cups of the broth. In the 2 cups of broth, dissolved the tomato paste.
2. In a large Dutch oven, heat some olive oil and cook the bacon. Brown the oxtails on both sides and transfer them to a plate.
3. Add garlic, onions, carrots and half the parsley to the pot and sauté until carrots are tender. Return the oxtails and add the wine. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the wine is reduced in half.
4. Pour the tomato-broth mixture over the oxtails. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes. Then add the celery, cover and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the oxtails to a platter.
5. Remove the meat from the bones. (This is a pain in the aSs but the meat should come off easily and a boning knife will help you get into the nooks.) Stir the meat into the sauce to warm it up. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Meanwhile, in a bowl, mix the celery leaves, the remaining parsley, bell pepper, onion, pepper flakes and cinnamon together. Toss with some olive oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Serve this on top of the oxtail meat.

Adapted from Everyday Food

Ingredients:
1 1/5 pounds of boneless beef chuck roast, cut into chunks
4 slices of bacon
4 small carrots, peeled and cut into smaller pieces
a handful of small red potatoes, peeled in the middle and boiled until half-cooked
crimini mushrooms and pearl onions, roasted
1 large onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 sprig of thyme
2 tbsps rosemary
1 sprig of parsley
1 cup of red wine
1 small can of tomato paste

1. In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium-low heat until browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
2. Raise heat to medium and brown beef cubes in bacon fat, in batches to avoid overcrowding. Transfer browned beef to a bowl.
3. Bring to a boil 1/2 cup water in the same pot while loosening the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. Reduce liquid to a few tablespoons.
4. Add garlic and onions. Cook until softened. Add tomato paste and cook for another minute. Add the beef back with the bacon, rosemary and thyme. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until meat is tender, about 2 hours. Add water to avoid drying up.
5. Add carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, pearl onions and parsley leaves until warm and carrots are tender. Season with salt and pepper.