Cook’s notes
We love Filipino beef kaldereta so much that we cook it in many ways. In this recipe, chilies are omitted to make it friendlier in the hot weather, and pork belly cubes replace pricey beef. Grocery-bought liver pate is also substituted for the mashed chicken liver in the sauce to make cooking in the summer heat less arduous.
Why pork belly and not some other cut? For the marbling. The generous layers of fat keep the lean layers of meat moist. If pork belly isn’t your thing, pork shoulder will work too. I don’t recommend loins, especially tenderloin.
Should the pate be made with pork or chicken liver? Chicken liver pate makes a smoother sauce but, other than that, pork liver pate is okay to use.
Pork belly kaldereta
Ingredients
- 700 grams boneless pork belly (1.5 pounds) cut into two-inch cubes
- rock salt
- ¼ cup olive oil (not extra virgin)
- 2 shallots peeled and chopped
- 8 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- 2 sprigs oregano leaves only (or half teaspoon dried)
- 2 bay leaves
- ground black pepper
- 1 can whole peeled tomatoes or diced tomatoes (400 grams / 14 oz)
- 1½ to 2½ cups broth (chicken or pork broth will work)
- 1 medium carrot peeled and cut into wedges
- 1 large potato peeled and cut into wedges
- ½ cup frozen sweet peas thawed
- 1 to 2 bell peppers deseeded and diced
- 1 can liver pate
- sliced scallions to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Rub the pork belly subed with a tablespoon of rock salt.
- Heat the olive oil in a pan.
- Spread the pork belly cubes in the oil, leave for the undersides to brown then turn to brown all sides.
- Add the shallots, garlic, oregano and bay leaves. Cook, stirring, until aromatic.
- Pour in the tomatoes. Sprinkle in another tablespoon of rock salt, and half teaspoon of ground black pepper.
- Stir in a cup of broth and bring to the boil.
- Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer the pork until tender, adding more broth, a quarter cup at a time, if needed.
- Stir in the carrot wedges and continue simmering for five minutes.
- Add the potato wedges, simmer for another five minutes, then stir in the peas and bell peppers.
- Mix the liver pate with about two tablespoons of broth, stir into the pan with the pork and vegetables, and simmer for another five minutes.
- Taste, adjust the seasonings, if needed, before serving.
Chicken tinola