Señor Dante’s “COCIDO” (The evolution of Filipino meat stew)

SEÑOR DANTE’S “COCIDO”
(CUBED U.S. SHORT PLATE CRUNCHILY FRIED THEN STEWED)
Portuguese Cozido or Spanish Cocido,
it all boils down to traditional stewed meats
(pork, beef, lamb, goat or sheep) with vegetables.
Variations through ages and generations defined uses for sausages,
raisins, olives, bay leaves, oregano, vinegar, wine, sugar and
tomato paste/sauce/puree.

In the Philippines, pass-through versions of this dish
(pork, beef, goat, fish or poultry) resulted to:
1.   MECHADO:
From the Spanish word “mecha” or “wick”, then low-cost recipe,
calls for wedging/inserting strips of pork back fat unto lean meat
to render desired juiciness and bite-friendliness to it.
Meat is stewed-veggies added. No tomatoes.
Until early 40’s when “Pinays” started pouring in tomato sauce/puree
to give the dish a tinge of class…a “royalty”.
2.   AFRITADA:
Twist your recipe a bit by adding either or in combination:
bay leaves, oregano, vinegar, sugar and sausages
you end up with Afritada.
3.   KALDERETA:
From Spanish “caldereta” “cauldron or cooking pot”,
the original recipe strictly called for goat’s meat, stewed with veggies.
Scarcity of goat’s meat plus the need for more flesh rather than boney bite,
Filipinos’ ingenuity surfaced once again.
In our setting, “Kaldereta” is stewed goat or beef or pork
(I created a fish version), with chicken or pork liver further
modified to add either: olives, pickled carrots or cucumber or whatever…
sauced with “tomato sauce/catsup/puree”.
4.   MENUDO:
Originally a Mexican soup dish of “tuwalya” (pork tripe)
in a very piquant soup-added with lots of red chili peppers,
the recipe underwent “surgery” from the hands of “Pinoys”.
Why “SURGERY”?
Slice your “MECHADO” meat into smaller cubes,
add in equally cubed pork liver, tomatoes and carrots-then
sauce it up with “tomato puree/catsup/sauce”,
finally, enhance flavor by infusing your raisins or pickles
or pineapple slices or olives or dates or whatever…
your “Mechado” is now…”Menudo”.
In my days, we used to incorporate “chickpeas” (“garbanzos”)
to our “Menudo”.
Back to the original…Cocido.
Utilizing the very sanitary, highly reliable, moderately marbled
cubed U.S. short plate, will tweak procedures and ingredients a bit
to render extra burnt aroma and toasted flavor to whole recipe.
INGREDIENTS:
MEAT:
½ kilo boneless short plate, sliced across the grain
about 1sq. inch thick and 2-3 inches long, rinse fully.
PRESSURE COOKER MIX:
Enough tap water to cover top of meat.
2 grams salt
4 cloves crushed garlic
20 ml. any red or white wine
SAUTEING MIX:
50 ml. palm oil (or palm olein or any un-used oil you desire)
1 large white onion, finely chopped
8 cloves crushed garlic, finely chopped
2 large tomatoes, sliced
2 grams salt
2 grams ground black pepper
FINAL SAUCE MIX:
200 ml. of the left over PRESSURE COOKER MIX.
2 grams salt
2 grams ground black pepper
25 grams brown sugar
3 grams chili powder (NOT chili pepper powder).
(Chili powder contains 5 or more spice-herb combination plus salt
while Chili Pepper Powder is just the powder presentation of that particular chili pepper).
400 grams/ml tomato sauce
10 grams corn starch dissolved well in 30 ml. water (“slurry”)
GARNISH VEGGIES:
2 large bell peppers (get 1 red & 1 green for eye appeal), de-seeded, sliced horizontally
1 large carrot, skin-on, scrape/brush skin well under running water, sliced roundly
12-15 pieces baby potatoes, skin-on, scrape/brush skin well under running water
PROCEDURES:
1.    Pour in sliced meat unto pressure cooker,
add all ingredients of the Pressure Cooker Mix. Mix well
and, nozzle attached, start cooking at medium heat.
2.    When whistling starts, pressure cook for 30 minutes.
When done subject pressure cooker to running tap water,
and when whistling stops slowly remove nozzle-open cooker.
Remove meat, drain and set aside including the leftover Pressure Cooker Mix.
3.    In suitable pan, heat palm oil, pour in onion and tumble until translucent.
Add in crushed garlic and toss until they turn light brown.
Add tomatoes and continue tossing for just 1 minute.
4.    Pour in your pressure-cooked meat. Fry. Tumble & toast well.
Adding (by scattering) salt and black pepper in between,
make sure meat are really brown (about 8-10 minutes)
(this portion cooks meat further while absorbing fragrant aroma
of fried onion, garlic and tomatoes). When done, set aside. (pan and all in it)
5.Except for the “slurry”, in a pot, pour ALL ingredients of the Final Sauce Mix.
Add the baby potatoes. Mix well and boil.
6. Upon boiling, pour in “slurry”. Sauce will thicken in a bit.
Continue boiling, while tossing sauce, until potatoes are to desired done-ness.
7. Add additional salt or pepper or brown sugar if so desired.
8. When done, pour in the sauce unto fried meat.
Add carrots and bell peppers. Simmer for 2 minutes.
9. DONE.
10. Show off to the world your own…“SEÑOR DANTE’S COCIDO”.