Afritada Recipe

Afritada is another speciality that we inherited from the Spaniards. This rich stew is primarily made up of pork and potatoes drenched in thick tomato sauce.

Ingredients:

– 750 grams of pork liempo (belly) or you may opt to use Chicken (for Chicken Afritada)
– 250 grams of potatoes
– 2 green or red bell peppers
– 2 carrots
– 3 to 4 pieces of tomatoes, coarsely chopped
– ¾ cup of tomato paste
– ¾ cup of frozen sweet peas, thawed
– 1 whole garlic, finely minced
– 2 large onions
– 2 cups of meat broth
– 6 tablespoons of olive oil
– 2 bay leaves
– ½ teaspoon of dried basil
– ½ teaspoon of dried rosemary
– ½ teaspoon of dried oregano

How to Cook Afritada:

1. Slice the liempo into 2 x 2 cubes.
2. Heat the olive oil in a thick pan. When the oil is hot, add the pork cubes and cook until the edges start to brown. Do this in high heat and maintain until the mixture evaporates and the pork starts to ooze fat.
3. Cook the pork in this mixture of fat and oil until it turns brown. Drain the excess fat and oil away from the meat.
4. Add the tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste and bay leaves to the meat and stir well. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the meat broth over the mixture and stir. Cover the pan and let simmer for about 15 minutes.
5. While simmering, you can prepare the rest of the vegetables. Peel the potatoes and carrots and cut them into wedges. Peel the onions and slice into chunks. Remove the seeds from the pepper and dice.
6. Add the veggies to the stew and stir well. Add the oregano, rosemary and basil. Cover the pan and let simmer for around 25 minutes. You can simmer longer until the meat and vegetables are cooked well. You can add more broth if you wish. Make sure that the sauce is rich and thick. Add seasonings if necessary.
7. Add the sweet peas and let simmer for another two to three minutes. Serve while hot.