Beef Mechado

Its Fat Tuesday. The Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Where Catholics decide to fatten up before fasting on Ash Wednesday. I was planning on cooking a small quick meal, because hubby decided to start his diet. But heck, why not join the masses and cook a big meal.

The next dish on my to-do list resulting from our last trip to the Philippines is Beef Mechado. We had lunch at the Aristocrat prior to our flight back home to the States and hubby absolutely loved the Beef Mechado. He asked me if I can try to make the dish. And you know me. Always up for a challenge when it comes to cooking. So I did a search which lead me to this recipe from my go-to blog, Panlasang Pinoy.

Beef Mechado is another Filipino tomato-based beef stew, like the Beef Caldereta, but cooked and seasoned slightly differently. I've modified the original recipe to use a crock pot so that the meat comes out a lot more tender. Because frankly, slow cooking over a stove top never yields the best results for me. But the crock pot does. And this dish came out really well. Hubby loved this dish. He even said he thinks it might be better than the Aristocrat.

3 Tbsp. oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large onion, sliced
2 lbs. beef chuck, cubed
8 ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 slice of lemon
2 bay leaves
salt to taste
1 large potato, cubed

1) In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute garlic and onion. Add beef and cook until browned.

2) Place beef mixture in crock pot. Add tomato sauce, water, soy sauce, black pepper, lemon, bay leaves, and salt to taste. Slightly stir. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours. Halfway through the cooking process, add potatoes and continue cooking until meat is tender and potatoes are soft. Serve with steamed rice.