Beef Mechado ala Executive Lunch

I have read somewhere that when it comes to recipes why mess with a classic.  I somehow disagree on this since my philosophy is - eating should be a celebration of the palate.  And each person's preference to flavor, appearance and aroma of food varies immensely.  So here is my take on a classic Filipino dish called Beef Mechado or Beef Stew in Tomato Sauce.

For this recipe you would need:

400 grams of beef cubes  (beef cubes from the shank part works best)

1 big potato sliced into round chips about one fifth of an inch or half centimeter in thickness

100 grams pouch of tomato sauce

3 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 medium sized onion sliced to small pieces

salt and pepper to taste*

* I replaced this with Patis (fish sauce) and chili paste but this varies per person's preference and availability (luckily I found some Korean fish sauce in the local grocery.)

1.  Boil the beef with enough water to cover the beef.  Add some salt/patis and let it boil in high heat for about 30 to 45 minutes or until the beef is tender.  Separate the beef from the broth once done.  The broth can be used later and the excess can be used as soup.

2.  Fry the potatoes until both sides are golden brown.  The objective is not to make it crispy, remember you are cooking lunch or dinner and not a snack.  Set this aside.

3.  From the oil you used to fry the potatoes get about 2 tablespoon and heat in a skillet.

4.  Saute the onions and then the garlic once the onions are transparent.  There is some question on whether the onion or the garlic should come first when stir frying.  I say it should be the onion since it cooks slower than the garlic.  Also, garlic essence is already extracted from heated garlic at about 2 minutes from cooking.

5.  Add the beef and stir fry for about 5 minutes, put in some more salt/patis and the pepper/chili paste according to your taste preference while stir frying.  If the oil dries out do not add more oil but instead put in some beef broth.

6.  Add the tomato sauce and about half a cup of beef broth.  Let this simmer in low heat for about 5 to 10 minutes and remove from heat once done.  Check it from time to time and don't let the liquid to evaporate or dry out.  If it does, add some broth but be careful not to dilute the sauce by adding too much.

7.  For plating, place the fried potato chips on once side and place the beef on the opposite side.

Serves 3 to 4

This can actually be a meal on its own but still would work well if eaten with hot steamed rice.

Bon Appetit!

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