Italian Roasted Short Plate

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ITALIAN ROASTED SHORT PLATE
(ULTRA TENDER ITALIAN SPICES & HERBS BLEND RUBBED
BEEF SHORT PLATE UNDER PERFECTLY-TIMED ROASTING )
Sunday, 12th October, 2014, BGC (Bonifacio Global City-Taguig),
time to help daughter Cha for her coming wedding invites’ prep.
Kids are dropping by, too, so I asked…
”what would you guys like I prepare”?
In one solid voice…”beef”.
Sequestered a take-out pack of the U.S. corned beef chunks
we sell at commissary outlet.
Raided production freezer and got a kilo of
raw, masterfully sliced short plate lying serenely thereat
waiting to be produced into steak strips for our S4 sandwiches.
Cha has a cabinet full of powder/ground spices, herbs, condiments and flavor enhancers
that aided a lot me in the “challenge”.
We parted ways late night-kids full and gleaming with joy
and reverberating satisfaction.
Here’s what I did.
                                                            Note: For beef cuts, please check related post here.
Prep time:      45 mins.
Cook time:      2 hours
                Total time:      2 hours 45 mins.
Makes/Serves:   8
Cooking medium:  gas or electric range
Special needs / instruction(s): foil, oil brush, range pan underneath with water ¼ of its depth, bowl and wire whisk

INGREDIENTS:
1 kilo thawed beef short plate, de-skinned, rectangularly or squarely sliced, trimmings on sides removed,
scored/slitted against the grain on both sides
ITALIAN RUB:
10 grams salt
10 grams brown sugar
5 grams ground black pepper
3 grams Spanish paprika powder
5 grams garlic powder
5 grams nutmeg powder
4 grams dried thyme
OPTIONAL 3 grams MSG
50 ml. EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
PROCEDURES:
1.    Except for EVOO, in a bowl pour in ALL ground/powder ingredients of the Italian Rub.
Blend and tumble thoroughly via wire whisk.
2.    Brush both sides of short plate with EVOO assuring inner parts of scores and slits are covered, too.
This will ensure adhesion of rub up to internal flesh for better flavor absorption.
3.    Through hands pour in and scatter Italian Rub through the meat. Cover all sides, inside slits and sides.
4.    Set aside under room temp for 30 minutes.
5.    Pre-heat range oven to 375deg.F (190deg.C). This is needed as temp will drop to 320-350deg.F when meat is placed inside. Put pan with water underneath roasting rack.
6.    Reaching 375deg.F, using the range’s wire rack, wedge in meat in middle slot (any side up). Quickly tone down temp to 350deg.F (so that heat will be maintained at this temp)
7.    Sear meat for 15 minutes. On fast phase, remove-turn to other side-wedge unto oven-sear, again for 15 minutes.
8.    When done, quickly remove from oven-wrap with foil making sure all sides are sealed-put back unto oven. Decrease temp to 250deg.F (121deg.C) and continue under this slow cooking method for 2 hours. No need to turn meat.
9.    YOU ARE SET to serve this delectably-tender meat to loved ones.
DISCLAIMER:         Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.

Nilagang “CAMTO”

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NILAGANG “CAMTO”
(SEASONED and VEGGIES LADEN BOILED  BEEF FLANK)
Flank and the immediately adjacent short plate are widely utilized
cuts of beef for commercial concerns.
Flesh (lean), which dominates the cut, is secondarily layered by cartilage
then thin soft fat before the skin.
Together with brisket, it is also usually processed into real cattle corned beef,
real burger patties and real franks-sausages.
I claimed real for majority of mentioned items processed in the country
are made from buffalo beef from India (similar to our carabao meat)
…which is why-it MUST be termed as CARA-BEEF.
Check this post to enlighten us on the kinds of beef.
Further, most of the “pares” & “beef mami” mistakenly known by many
as that coming from cattle beef flank, short plate or brisket
are actually derived from CARABAO
called “LOMO SA LOOB” (internal loin)
No worry. Nothing’s wrong except:
mis-conception, mis-representation by some merchants
and the darker brown color of lean than those of real cattle beef.
Fact is, I love them for they have higher protein content and a lot cheaper.
Ok now, the Camto  we will be dealing with is from flank of cattle beef.
Rainy season here and this type of dish goes well with steaming rice,
“patis” (fish sauce) with or without crushed “labuyo” (bird’s eye chillies)
and, for me, a soda by the side.

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(Thank you wikihow, wikipedia & Google)

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 Prep time:                   15mins.
Cook time:                   1 hour
Total time:                    1 hour & 15mins.
Makes/Serves:            3
Cooking media:          frying pan, pressure cooker
Special instruction(s):  This is a 3-step cooking approach that will yield a very flavor-filled, bit viscous
and mega satisfying soup dish.
INGREDIENTS:
½ kilo camto rectangularly cut 1.5” to 2” on sides and 3” long
6 cloves crushed garlic
1 small white onion-sliced
2 grams salt
1 gram ground black pepper
1 small cabbage sliced
2 bunches of “pechay” (napa cabbage)-root ends cut
3 pieces “saging na saba” (cardava banana or saba banana) each halved
2 pieces “camote” (sweet potato) each quartered
50 ml. palm or soya oil
10 ml. “patis”
tap water as needed
OPTIONAL MSG…2 grams
PROCEDURES:
1.    In suitable pressure cooker, pour in camto, 2 pieces each of “camote” and “saging na saba” and enough tap water to cover them.
2.    Commence with medium heat until cooker starts to “whistle”. Upon “whistling” start timer and cook for 40 minutes. When done, scoop out beef and set aside. Broth in cooker will be used later.
3.    Heat oil in pan and sauté crushed garlic until light brown. Add in onion, salt, pepper, “patis’, the optional MSG (should you wish) and the cooked beef. Toss and tumble until beef turns brown.
4.    Pour in everything from pan into pressure cooker. Add in remaining “camote”. Start re-heating.
5.    Upon boiling add in “saging na saba” and continue for 2 minutes. DONE.
6.    Switch off or remove cooker from heat. Add in all veggies. Cover cooker.
7.    Serve your “naiibang nilaga” with succulent beef, flavorful soup and crunchy veggies.

DISCLAIMER: Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.

TEXAN BBQ SAUCE DRIZZLED BEEF SAUSAGE

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TEXAN BBQ SAUCE DRIZZLED ITALIAN BEEF SAUSAGE
(TEXAN BBQ SAUCE TOPPED GROUND U.S. CATTLE BEEF)
I always yearn of creating dish that is a “marriage” of different cultures.
It gives me the pleasure of discerning and dissecting ingredients endemic to other nations
while cracking my brains out how to technologically incorporate
them into our own…rightly-priced & acceptably luscious, must be.
On this issue, ground U.S. cattle beef is seasoned with spice-herb mix peculiar to Italy
while Texas’ BBQ sauce is utilized to render gravy-like laden bite Filipinos are
fond of particularly in their steamed rice.
Prep time:
1 day 40 mins.
Cook time:
20 mins.
Total time:
1 day + 1 hour
Serves:
4-6
Cooking media:
Frying pan or griddle or charcoal griller
Special instructions/notes:
Use wax paper in between sausages to prevent sticking to each other during storage.
INGREDIENTS:
BEEF SAUSAGE:
½ kilo ground U.S. cattle beef short plate or sirloin (at least 80:20 lean:fat ratio)
3 grams salt
2 grams ground black pepper
2 grams ground nutmeg
2 grams ground coriander
2 grams ground paprika
3 slices of loaf bread soaked in 50 ml. full cream milk
½ medium white onion diced finely
2 pieces beaten eggs
TEXAN BBQ SAUCE:
100 grams tomato paste
10 ml. Tabasco red
10 ml. light soy sauce
10 grams brown sugar
8 grams salt
5 grams honey
30 ml. tap water
FRYING/CHAR-GRILLING:
80 ml. palm or soya oil for frying OR
charcoal for char-grilling
PROCEDURES:
1.    In a bowl pour in all ingredients of the beef sausage. Mix, toss and tumble well to break meat’s protein needed in binding during frying or grilling.
2.    Scoop in 150 grams (1/3 pounder) and form into “round”. Do the same throughout.
3.    Freeze formed sausages (with wax lining in between) overnight.
4.    In suitable pan, combine-mix-tumble well all ingredients of the Texan BBQ sauce, and bring to boil. When boiling starts lower temp and just simmer while constantly stirring to prevent lumping. When done set aside.
5.    Heat oil in pan. DIRECT FROM FREEZER (NO THAWING REQUIRED), remove wax lining and fry sausage 1-1.5 minutes each side. Should you wish for a well done, fry a bit longer. OR…
6.    When charcoal is already fiery red, again, DIRECT FROM FREEZER (NO THAWING), just remove wax paper lining and grill for 1-2 minutes each side while constantly turning to prevent charring.
7.    DONE. SERVE.

DISCLAIMER:       Above are test kitchen and household-produced dishes. All ingredients utilized are of food grade quality passing international and domestic sanitary standards. While we find the results highly acceptable, no guarantee nor explicit assurance is hereby issued when recipe is performed by readers. For one, although of similar breed, spices, herbs and other ingredients vary from country to country/region to region that possibility of affecting end taste, aroma & bite-feel is great. Further thereto, mentioned sensory evaluation (aroma, taste, mouth-feel) is subjective.

Himalayan Rock Salt Sprinkled Fil-Am ROULADE.

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HIMALAYAN ROCK SALT SPRINKLED FIL-AM ROULADE
(MY 3RD RECIPE IMPERFECTION FOR THE YEAR
…BESIDES BEING PERFECTLY YUMMY)
A bit of “story-telling-a-lie” prelude.
Why imperfection?
Of 37 years involvement with food ingredients’ blending,
 each time I create a new and/or innovate dish
(either for our own offering or for client-restos) , all angles,…repeat
…all angles are considered & set to matter in the final come-out:
*from “just needed ingredients’ mix” to utilize
 *to systematic and chronological order of pouring them in
to attain desired aroma, flavor and whole-roundedness
*up to final “simple appetite-stimulating flare” capped-off by
photographic angle shots.
Two times this year I blundered, not with ingredients’ blend,
but 1: overlooking a better part of pork to use
than the one in client-submitted recipe
2: being contented with a “so-so” angle snap
that it was quite late to redeem the already published shot.
Why sprinkle Pakistan’s Himalayan rock salt?
For aesthetics, exotic-ity in a dish and the subtle saltiness it renders.
(Never mind if you don’t get this. Ordinary table salt will do)
Why Roulade?
Roulade is a French term meaning to roll,
where sliced meat  is rolled over fillings.
Different countries have their signature fillings like:
1.    bacon & onion for Germany that they call theirs Rouladen
2.    eggs, crumbs and cheese for Braciole the Italian Roulade
3.    SZUZ for the Hungarian minced meat filled Roulade.
and a lot more.
The MORCON of Pinoys, which in itself is a Roulade, is erroneously termed as such
for Morcon is a Spanish word for big intestines,
the very reason why I did not call this dish as such.
Why Fil-Am Roulade?
At left of picture is the type that contains ham, hotdog and cheese
as fillings thus, American in nature.
At right the local fillings make it a Filipino: vigan longaniza, cheese,
red & green bell peppers etc.
AND WHAT’S THE 3RD IMPERFECTION?
Honestly, 2:
1.    I sliced the beef so thinly that during braising some fillings slipped off
2.    I forgot to pour the ultra sumptuous full flavored braising sauce
that made the beef in pic looks so DRY.
DRY? Ah never mind. Dyahi but still I have to post.
Anyway, let’s do it and babawi na lang ako next time..
INGREDIENTS:
1 kilo fully cleaned beef, ¼-inch thick rectangularly/squarely-sliced sirloin or top round (or brisket or short plate).
Try to come-up with 2 sheets.
Should there be trimmings on ends in creating square or rectangle
beef-sheet, slice thinly & include them in the fillings.
10 grams coarse sea salt
5 grams ground black pepper
500 ml. tomato sauce
400 ml. tap water
100 ml. palm or soya oil
enough thick thread for tie-ing
AMERICAN FILLING:
3 slices of your fave ham
2 pieces hotdogs
1 & ½ hard boiled eggs
3 slices of cheddar cheese
3 pieces celery stalks
½ sliced red bell pepper
½ sliced green bell pepper
FILIPINO FILLING:
3 pieces vigan longaniza
1 & ½ hard boiled eggs
3 slices of cheddar cheese
½ red bell pepper
½ green bell pepper
30 ml. Tabasco sauce
PROCEDURES:
1.    Dust 2 beef sheets with salt & pepper
2.    Line up in the middle all the fillings of the American type.
3.    Do the same with fillings of Filipino type.
4.    Roll into round log.
5.    Secure with thick thread.
6.    Heat oil at medium temp. One at a time, brown fully each side-all around beef rolls.
May take 10-15 minutes each roll. Set aside.
7.    In suitable casserole, line at bottom both rolls.
Pour in water, tomato sauce and the left over browning oil. Stir well.
8.    Bring to boil. Once boiling starts set temp to lowest and simmer
for 1 hour 45 minutes.
9.    When done, slice, arrange in plate, garnish and scrape-off OPTIONAL rock salt on top
or sprinkle with ordinary coarse sea salt.
10. Serve with left over sauce as side dip.

The truth about “extenders” in the food we eat (2nd of 2 series). TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) What are these?

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TVP
(Textured Vegetable Protein)
(or sometimes called Textured Soya Protein)
My major premise (again & again): NOTHING IS WRONG WITH TVPs.
It contains 50-65% protein.
You are not aware of it.
Producers label their food products so flowery-nice that these “extenders” are left un-noticed.
Different “extenders” are used by manufacturers to cut down on costs of goods sold unto you:
1. Chicken MDM (Mechanically De-boned Meat) (explained in 1st Series)
2. TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein or Soya Protein) (below elaborated now)
There are other food “extenders” that you’re not aware of:
3. Bread & milk.
4. Modified Starches, different types of flour, rice & cereals.
5. Meat trimmings, internals & skins.Rendering the name “textured”, these are manufactured from soya beans,
converted into paste then extruded into different shapes, sizes, color,
protein content and hydration capacity (the capacity to absorb water).
Sold by the sacks of 25kilos, red, white, natural light brown or caramel color, 50-65% protein content,
best quality ones are from USA, Israel and Brazil.
Argentina, Turkey, India and China joined the industry as demand keeps on rising year after year.
Prices are based on protein content, absorption capacity & size.
The higher the protein & absorption rate, the higher amount you shell out.
Normal absorption capacity is 1 part TVP:3 parts water.From above rate you will note that a kilo of TVP, approximately P75.00/ or U$D1.70/,
when hydrated with 3 kilos of water (in seconds) will come out 4 kilos of “seemingly like ground meat”
…at that P75.00/kilo price. Great cost cutting.
98% or processed meats (canned or frozen-packed), here & worldwide, contain TVP.
Some are manufactured with little meat (pork, beef, chicken etc.) plus TVP as extender and some,
aside from TVP, in conjunction with such, still add Chicken MDM plus other “extenders”.How low, do you think, will the production cost be if this formulation (TVP + MDM + other extenders) is employed?Your favorite most vaunted burger patty, almost ALL,
repeat almost ALL types of sausages & longanizas, luncheon meats, meat & beef  loaves, embutidos, dimsums, dumplings, meat & beef balls, corned beef etc and etc and etc…TVP plays the major role.
TVP is as basic as Tylenol, or Tempra or Biogesic when you have fever or wish to ease a pain.Let’s disect the widely bragged item…corned beef.
Why do you think a “low-cost” 100-gram can of corned beef can be sold at below P14.00 (U$D0.31)?
A kilo of good quality CARA-beef (or India’s buffalo meat) demands P130.00/ (U$D2.95/). By just plain division: P130/1000grams (1000 grams to a kilo) = P0.13 X 100 grams (100 grams can) = P13.00
So how can you sell it at say P14/can? MIRACLE?
The manufacturer makes ONLY P1/can?
Where do they charge product cost, labor, utilities, can, label, marketing expenses?
How about the profit of the dealers or distributors?
AND WE ARE TALKING OF INDIA’S BUFFALO MEAT, YET.
NOT THE REAL CATTLE BEEF which is much higher in price.

Oh really? Don’t pull my crump-prone leg guys.

Further, what if the label & ad campaign claim is: “made from Angus beef”?
Does real Angus beef mean TOP (1st rated or the EMIRP…you have to read this backwards) or the CHOICE (2nd rated) cut?
THINK. THINK VERY DEEPLY. Even if they double the price
…I will be too stubborn…as I will NEVER believe it’s Angus.
Check this out:
* The “chicken” in the “sotanghon soup” you buy…that’s white TVP-strips not chicken.
* The “beef” in your comfort food cupped-noodle soup are hydrated caramel TVP-minced.
*The highly popularized canned corned beef now, bragging of pure beef, the one used is
 red (or caramel colored) TVP-powder.
And once way too large volume of TVPs is used,
how do they mask the soya aroma & taste of the end product?
Flavors, concentrates of food extracts, add-on spices/herbs/condiments/chemicals etc. come to use.
THINK.