My Bistek Tagalog, New York Style

We had Bistek Tagalog tonight for dinner.  After much experimentation that went wrong the past 5 years I’ve been cooking, I have the recipe down pat.  It used to get too salty as my beef drowned in soy sauce.  I tried substituting the calamansi with lemon, but thanks to calamansi juice in sachets, I now have enough to make a pound of beef taste like it should.

I wasn’t exactly listening when they taught us the different parts of beef and pork back in High School at St. Paul College of Quezon City.  So I often find myself lost when I shop for beef cuts in the grocery and I’m following a Tagalog cookbook.  The only parts I have mastered by heart are “Beef Shank” for “kinste” and “Pork Belly” for “liempo”. 

For my bistek, I grab a pound of skirt steak (or the diaphragm) from my favorite grocery.  Cutting it up can get  a little tricky because of the “weave” of the beef fiber, but I use my handy kitchen shears to cut across the grain.  I use Tagalog soy sauce because we all know Kikoman has it’s own distinctive taste that just alters the flavor drastically. 

I have always enjoyed eating bistek with a ripe lakatan banana on the side.  Tonight, I had that kind of a meal. 

Craft Report: Getting on with my scarf

The weekend has allowed me time to work on a clapotis without a pattern, and for me to do more rows of my first knitted scarf project.  It’s now more than a foot long.  With the thread I have left, I know I can finish the project.  I’ll probably use black thread for the tassles. 

I resisted the urge to go to the Craft Store a stone’s throw away from the gym earlier this afternoon.  I have enough yarn to work with right now.  Yes, even for a clapotis.

Second day of a long weekend

The weather hasn’t been cooperative so we ended up staying home except for a brief trip to the gym.  Tomorrow is supposed to be a better day and we’re supposed to have some sun for a change.  We’re taking Mom to the doctor — and we have two more days after tomorrow to look forward to.

Thinking about the work that’ll be waiting for me when I get to work on Thursday makes me cringe but I figure it’s about time I took a break from work from time to time to spend more time with Mom and Angel.  Mom leaves in just over 2 weeks.. wow.. that’s just around the corner.  I miss her already.  At least the thought that she will be back soon is a big comfort.