The Endive Chronicles

(Vegetarians, I have a variation for you too!)

In my neighborhood a party invitation to Alfredo and Raquel’s was something to be cherished. One of the loveliest families I know, they enjoy being surrounded by friends and sharing the delicious foods of their native Guam. Their kitchen table always seemed ready to succumb under the weight of dishes piled high with crisp lumpia, succulent spareribs and spicy cucumber salad just waiting to be descended upon by the hungry masses. Kelaguen was hands down the most popular and requested dish in their repertoire and is the sort of dish for which hungry party goers would gladly wrestle a troll.

Simply, Kelaguen is a dish of thinly sliced beef, chicken, fish, etc., that is cooked by marinating it in citric acid with onions and as many hot peppers as you can stand. I am not a huge meat eater, but I have always been a sucker for this type of dish. Admittedly, until I met Alfredo and Raquel my knowledge was limited to various carpaccios, tartares and ceviches. I still enjoy those other versions, but there is something so addictive about this nasal clearing concoction that I rarely go for the others anymore.

The Kelaguen I have created is a bit different than the one introduced to me by Alfredo and Raquel. For this version I use shallots and fresh lemon juice instead of white onions and lemon powder. I have also added basil, ginger and Sambal Olek. Then I wrapped it all up in a bundle with lettuce and rice noodles for a delicious and messy treat.

Kelaguen Bundles

1-1.5lbs fresh beef* -or- 1 package of tofu**, well drained and cubed

Juice of 3 lemons

1-2 TBS Sambal Olek

3 TBS soy sauce

3-4 shallots, sliced very thin

1 chili of your choice, (optional), If you do this be aware that the Sambal is quite spicy and you may want to go easy on it.

1 garlic clove, minced very fine

1 inch ginger, grated or minced very fine

7-8 Basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade

Freshly ground pepper, a sprinkle

1-2 Heads Boston or Butter lettuce, rinsed and well dried (time to break out the old salad spinner)

1/2 Package of rice or cellophane noodles, prepared to manufacturers specifications and cooled

Place beef in the freezer for about 2 hours or until it is relatively firm.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine ingredients through the freshly ground pepper and mix well.

With an incredibly sharp knife (I like my Santoku for this), carefully slice the semi-frozen*** beef into paper thin pieces. Add the beef to the dressing and toss together. Allow the flavors to meld in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour; I prefer to leave it for several hours or even over night. Stir every once in a while to ensure proper coverage.

For the bundles: Drain the marinade out of the beef using a sieve to make sure you don’t lose all of the goodies. In a lettuce leaf combine a bit of the Kelaguen and a bit of the rice noodles and roll or just fold like a taco. They should be seasoned well enough, but for the brave a bit of Sri Racha on the side is always delicious.

*You can use anything from tenderloin to sirloin tip, just be sure to cut against the grain.

**For the tofu variation, just drain and cube the tofu, then proceed with the rest of the recipe. Although you may want to scale back the lemon juice seeing as how you don’t need to cook the tofu.

***Do not try and slice totally frozen beef, you will break your knife and quite possibly really hurt yourself. Take it from an emergency room regular.

**** Always use the freshest beef possible from a trusted source and practice food safety. Also, if you are very young, very old or very pregnant this may not be the dish for you.

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