Filipino Food: Kare-Kare

So good. So good.

A favorite dish and mainstay in the Filipino Culinary repertoire, Kare-Kare, a peanut based stew traditionally made with ox tail and local vegetables. Long beans, egg plant, and bok choi are used in this comfort food. In my view, this dish is as ubiquitous at my family gatherings as leche flan, egg rolls, or pancit canton. My take uses beef short ribs and instead of just boiling everything together or using a pressure cooker, I first brown the meat and then braise it. I find that it this helps elevate the flavors and makes for a deeper, more complex, finer final product without the need to use the packaged Kare-Kare mix that most people use. I mean really, give me a break, right?

Bread Bread Bread

Baking is nice.

During my Christmas Break a friend asked me to make a bread episode and as such, I had the wonderful opportunity to bake some bread for some of my family in Long Beach, NY and my aunt that was visiting from the Philippines. This is a sweet egg bread that has a tremendously crunchy crust and a very soft crumb. 

It's good to bake bread for family and friends.

This is a version much akin to Monay, a sweet bread of the Philippines. I bake it into one big loaf. Enjoy!