Beef in Mediterranean Style Recipe

Mediterranean dishes are always my favorite and I have tried lots of them! Inspired by their unique cuisine, I cooked my beef with a touch of Mediterranean taste.

Now, let’s start cooking!

What you need:

½ kg sirloin beef cut into thin bite size slices

1 eggplant cut in half and cut each half lengthwise

250ml Hunt’s® tomato sauce

250ml Nestle® cream

5 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced

6 fresh basil leaves

Parsley, chopped finely

1 ½ McCormick® dried oregano

1 ½ McCormick® marjoram

½ tsp McCormick® all spice

½ tsp American Garden® cinnamon

1 tsp black peppercorn, ground

1tsp salt

1 tsp red wine vinegar

Cooking oil

Butter

To prepare:

• In a bowl, sprinkle 1 tsp of salt onto the beef. Mix them together. Set aside.
• Heat a deep skillet to medium heat.
• Pour ½ cup of cooking oil into the skillet.
• Fry the eggplants in the skillet. Set aside.
• Next, fry the beef, then set aside.
• Heat another deep skillet to medium heat.
• Melt 3tbsp butter.
• Sauté garlic until brown.
• Add the tomatoes.
• Stir until the tomatoes are cooked.
• Add the onion into the skillet.
• Stir until the onion is translucent.
• Sprinkle with black peppercorn.
• Add the fried beef into the pan. Fold.
• Add the tomato sauce and stir.
• Next, add the cream. Mix it with the rest of the ingredients in the skillet.
• Let it simmer and stir from time to time until the sauce thickens.
• Add the fried eggplant then fold it in with the ingredients in the skillet.
• Add the following into the skillet: oregano, marjoram, all spice and cinnamon. Mix them together.
• Add the bell pepper.
• Stir.
• Pour 1tsp red wine vinegar into the pan.
• Stir a little.
• Add the fresh basils and mix them with the rest of the ingredients.
• Remove from stove.
• Garnish with parsley.

Now, it’s done. Very easy! Bon appétit! 

Good for 4 servings

Food Experience: “Mamon Tostado” and “Biscocho Special”

“Mamon Tostado” and “Biscocho Special” can be found in the province of Iloilo (Iloh-iloh), Philippines. I think they can be found anywhere in the Philippines but I heard that they’re Iloilo’s specialty because that’s where they were first made. Where else can you find the best of these types of delicacies than in the place where they were said to have originated, right? My eldest sister went to Iloilo and brought these delicacies home, so my Mamon Tostado and my Biscocho Special came directly from the province where they were first created. Let me describe each of them to you. I’ll start with the “Mamon Tostado”. Mamon Tostado is usually a round-shaped delicacy made of flour, egg, milk and sugar. It doesn’t melt in your mouth like meringue but the crunchiness of the spongy texture, plus the delicate taste of sugar and milk, will make you crave for more. Don’t leave it out in the open for long because the texture will become hard and rubbery. You wouldn’t want that.  It’s best to eat with tea. The Biscocho Special is made of elongated bread cut into four, lengthwise, pieces with melted sugar and milk on each slice. You can't help nibbling on it because of its sweetness and creaminess. Its texture is harder and thicker than Mamon Tostado and, for me, it’s better to eat with soup (like the corn soup I just featured here) than with tea. If you ask me which one I prefer, I would say that despite of their similar ingredients, they somehow differ in taste, due to the different amounts of sugar and milk used in them, so I really can't choose between the two. I like them both. If you're a tourist in Iloilo, or planning to go on a tour there, and you happen to pass by a store that sells these delicacies, you might want to grab yourself a sample of each of them and enjoy the experience. :)

Easy-to-Make Corn Soup for Rainy Seasons

During rainy seasons we either want hot chocolate or soup. As of this moment, though, I want to eat soup, so I made myself some. Here, I'll show you how it's done. :)

What you need:

15oz of canned cream style corn

1 cup evaporated milk

½ cup water

Salt, to taste

Green onion, chopped finely

1-2 eggs, beaten

4 tbsp butter

¼ onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic minced

Toasted bread crumbs (optional)

Procedure:

1. Heat the 4-inches deep pan to medium heat.
2. Melt the butter in the pan.
3. Sauté garlic and onion in the butter.
4. Add the cream style corn into the pan and stir.
5. Pour the water into the pan then mix gently.
6. Bring to a boil.
7. Lower the heat and pour the evaporated milk into the pan and stir.
8. Garnish with green onion.
9. Remove from stove.
10. Pour the egg slowly into the soup as you stir gently.
11. Add the bread crumbs (optional).

 Now, you can sit back and relax on the rainy seasons! Enjoy!

Good for 4 servings.