How I cook caldereta

Pa casually mentioned that he set aside some beef if I wanted to make caldereta, which I took to mean "cook some caldereta"

So I drizzled the beef with some salt, pepper, garlic and about half a cup of vinegar before reaching for our dog-eared and stained copy of "Filipino cooking here and abroad". Hmmmm, this recipe is probably from the original Spanish version which called for stuffed olives and boiled eggs so I overruled that .

The book said the beef had to marinate for at least an hour or 2 so I went window-shopping at the appliance center, video shop and bookstore before I headed for SM supermarket to buy:

2 carrots

2 small bags of baby potatoes

1 big green bell pepper

500g pack of tomato sauce

1 can of liver spread

a bag of popcorn (for snacking, not for the recipe)

When I got home, the beef had turned pale from the vinegar. I then browned the beef in olive oil before I added some sauted onions and tomato sauce, water, potatos, bay leaf and carrots. I then plopped in front of the TV to watch Project Runway Phils., where my friend Apples is a judge. I would stir the pot occasionally during commercial breaks.

After the hour-long show was over, the beef was still tough so I put on a DVD of Family Guy and snacked on my popcorn.

2 hilarious episode later, I stirred in the liver spread, bell pepper and some leftover packets of pizza hot sauce. After the 3rd episode, the beef had become deliciously tender so I turned off the heat and closed the lid to let the flavors blend into each other.

The carrots and potatoes are part of the Pinoy version, which not only add color to the dish, it makes it healthier, too. Caldereta is really easy to make just as long as you have the ingredients and a little patience.