Stuffed Bell Peppers (Pinoy Style)

I love bell peppers! When they abound in summer time, I think of all the recipes that I can use them for. You see, red and other colored (except for the green) bell peppers are quite expensive so I take advantage of buying them during summer when they are in season. I love getting the freshest most beautiful peppers in the Farmers' market.

One of the recipes I have been wanting to do for the longest time is stuffed bell peppers. The question is, what kind of stuffing should I make? I didn't want to use just the usual browned ground beef. I thought why not try to use my recipe for arroz a la cubana and do a Pinoy version of stuffed bell peppers? After all it's a recipe that calls for ground meat but with the addition of carrots, raisins and peppers/potatoes, hmmm....why not?

So I tried it and it worked! From now on, this will be my stuffing for bell peppers.

Most stuffed bell pepper recipes would call for the use of the oven to cook this dish. But it's summer time and I don't want to turn the house into a furnace in the middle of an already hot summer so I decided to experiment and use my cast iron instead. Instead of using the oven, I cooked it on the stove top. It worked too! Not only is it possible to cook stuffed bell peppers outside the oven, I also managed to cut the cooking time in half the time. Most of all, the peppers retained their lovely shape. Easy, quick and delicious cooking! Enjoy this recipe while the peppers abound!

For this dish, the arroz a la cubana recipe is indispensable. Click here to get the recipe. When using the recipe as a stuffing, I replace the peppers with red potatoes since we are already using them as the receptacle for the dish.

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Ingredients

Ground meat cooked based on arroz a la cubana recipe (click here).
6 large bell peppers of various colors (if using the entire arroz recipe)
1 (14 oz) can tomato sauce plus half a can of water 
1 teaspoon gluten-free Soy sauce, or to taste
1 teaspoon gluten-free Oyster sauce, or to taste 
1 Tablespoon brown Sugar, or to taste 
Salt and pepper, to taste

Procedure

In a cast iron or any deep and large cooking pan, heat the tomato sauce and the water. Season with soy and oyster sauce, sugar and a little salt and pepper. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. Try to achieve a balance between sweetness, saltiness and tartness. Simmer the sauce while you prepare the bell peppers.

Rinse and dry the bell peppers. Cut the tops off and remove the seeds. You may need to taper the bottom of the peppers to ensure that they stand.

Fill the bell peppers with the ground meat mixture up to the top and more if you wish.

Place the peppers inside the cast iron casserole and cook on gentle simmer for about 30 minutes or until the peppers are fully cooked through and tender.

Spoon the sauce on the peppers and serve them with steamed rice on the side. Yum! Truly Pinoy!

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Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses. Proverbs 10:12

Slow Cooker Asian Barbecue Ribs

Whenever we have people over at our house, this is the recipe I frequently turn to. It's a proven winner. Everyone seems to love this and I always get asked for the recipe. What's even better, since it's slow-cooked, you can prepare it in the morning and then forget about it till the guests arrive and it's serving time. Easy and delicious.

I always pair this with rice and pancit. Perfect Asian meal.

Ingredients

2 ½ kilos / 5 lbs of country style pork ribs, regular ribs or pork shoulder

For the sauce:

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey or agave nectar
1/2 cup soy sauce (get a wheat-free brand if you wish to do a fully gluten-free version)
1/2 cup ketchup
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
1-inch fresh ginger, chopped or 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 bay leaves (optional)

Procedure

In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients for the sauce except the bay leaves  and the meat. Or if you are in a hurry, just mix all the ingredients in the slow cooker itself (again less the meat and bay leaves).

Note: If you want the meat to absorb more flavor, you can marinate the ribs on the sauce in the fridge overnight. I place everything in the slow cooker - place it on the fridge and then cook it the next day. 

Dip each piece of meat in the sauce until they are fully coated. Pour the remaining sauce on top of the meat. Insert the bay leaves.

Cook on low for about 6-8 hours. I usually crank the slow cooker to high for the first hour just to get a head start and then turn it back to low afterwards.

Transfer the cooked ribs (they'd be so tender they may fall off the bones!) to a serving platter and keep warm.  The remaining liquid will be quite watery. But you can use it as sauce already.

Alternatively, strain the liquid through a fine sieve or strainer to remove bits and pieces of meat and other ingredients in the liquid. You may use up all the sauce or just however much you want. Place the strained sauce in a saucepan and heat up gently. Thicken with either arrowroot or cornstarch to your desired thickness and consistency.

Drizzle the sauce on top of the meat. Garnish with chopped scallions. Serve with rice and your favorite veggies.

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Pork and Beans

When I run out of ideas for lunch or dinner (yes, that happens even to food bloggers!), this becomes a fall back dish. The reason is a little sentimental. My husband and I, though we grew up worlds apart (literally and figuratively) this was something we both had in common. We both grew up eating baked beans.

Arroz a la Cubana (Cuban Style Rice)

Arroz a la Cubana is a dish that you're always sure to find in any mall in the Philippines with a cafeteria. It's a classic comfort food which came by way of Spain (who colonized the Philippines for almost 400 years!). The Philippine version typically consists of rice, ground beef sauteed with onions, garlic, tomatoes, diced potatoes and diced carrots, a fried egg and plantains cut lengthwise and fried.

For this version, I replaced the potatoes with bell peppers (to add more color) and used a combo of ground pork and beef (for more flavor).

Since even my British husband loves this dish, and he doesn't mind eating this with rice for breakfast either (that's how much he likes this!) it has become a household staple. 
A simple but flavorful recipe that's perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Ingredients

oil (about 2 tablespoons)
3 garlic cloves, chopped 
1 medium onion, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, diced   
1/2 lb ground beef 
1/2 lb ground pork  
4 tbsp light soy sauce
ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 a piece of a large red bell pepper, diced 
1  small carrot, diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup peas

Procedure

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or skillet. Sauté the garlic and onion for about a minute. Add the diced tomatoes and cook until the onions and tomatoes have softened about 5 minutes. Stir in the ground beef and pork. Crumble with a fork to prevent clumping. Season with soy sauce and black pepper and cook until the meat has turned brown. Add the red bell pepper and carrots and then simmer covered for about 5-8 minutes or until the veggies have softened.

Uncover then stir in the raisins, raise the heat and cook for a further 3-5 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add the peas and cook for another couple of minutes.

If desired, season with a little Worcestershire sauce or to be truly pinoy ----- fish sauce for more flavor. Yum! 

Serve hot accompanied with fried rice, fried eggs and if available – fried plantains!

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Giniling Guisado/Ginisa - Basic Recipe (Ground Pork/Beef Sauté)

In the Philippines or at least in our household, this is the foundation of a lot of dishes especially when combined with a lot of vegetables. I always loved coming home to the aroma of  this dish cooking in the stove top as I know it would be either made with my favorite vegetable - squash or some green beans, among others.

Giniling is the Tagalog term for ground and specifically refers to ground meat.   Ginisa means to sauté or cook in oil with garlic, onions, or tomatoes which is what this dish is all about. Guisado is a Spanish term which refers to braising or stewing meat with tomatoes, garlic, onions and soy sauce – the Asian guisado, anyway. Which is which? Well, whether you call this ginisa or guisado… it’s down home good especially when you combine it with vegetables or use it for omelettes.

Ingredients 

1 Tablespoon Olive or Vegetable oil (more if using non-stick pan)

4-6 Garlic cloves, chopped (love garlic so I always use a lot!)

1 medium Onion, chopped

1 lb ground Pork or Beef (whichever you fancy)

3 Roma or Plum tomatoes, diced and seeded (if desired)

3 Tablespoons soy sauce (adjust it to the level of saltiness you can stand…)

½ cup water

Salt and pepper

Patis / Fish sauce (optional)

Procedure

Heat oil in medium in a deep pan. Sauté the garlic and onions for about a 1-2 minutes.

Add the ground meat and cook until it changes its color.

Crumble the meat with a fork to prevent clumping as you brown it. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. You can use fish sauce instead of salt for better flavor, if you wish.

Add the diced tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes. Pour in the soy sauce and water.

  

Bring to a boil. Cover then simmer on low heat for at least half an hour to allow the meat to absorb the flavor of the liquid. Correct the seasoning if necessary. If it needs a bit of lifting up, a little fish sauce will go a long, long way! 

So how can we use this basic recipe in other dishes?

The possibilities are endless.

Add your favorite vegetables and cook until tender  - from cabbage, squash, green or Asian long beans, etc….

Add to baked beans so it becomes  “true” Pork and Beans.

This is also a great stuffing for cabbage or even for Bell Peppers.

Definitely, indispensable for eggplant omelette (Tortang Talong) and Spanish/Potato omelette.

Note: If you intend to use this as a stuffing, either omit the water or let it evaporate as you cook it. But if you wish to add veggies to the stew then retain the liquid so you have enough to pour over the rice.

Make this ahead, freeze and use as the need arises!

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