• 03Mar

    Venezuelan Shredded Beef

    If you’re not in a rush to eat dinner during the week, this is a very satisfying meal.  Don’t be intimidated by shredded beef, it is very easy to make.  It’s just time consuming as the meat needs to slowly cook to become tender. 

    Venezuelan Shredded Beef

    1 flank steak about 2 lbs., cut in 4 pieces
    1 onion, chopped
    32 oz beef stock
    2 cups chopped onion
    2 onions, quartered
    1 red bell pepper, quartered
    4 garlic cloves, minced
    2 TBSP olive oil
    8 oz tomato sauce
    1 packet sazon 
    1/2 tsp oregano
    1/2 tsp Adobo seasoning (recipe in prior post “Empanadas with Aji Sauce”)

    Serve with: long grain brown rice, black beans with cilantro and sliced avocado.

    In a large dutch oven or saute pan, combine 1 chopped onion, beef and stock to cover the meat.  Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, or until tender.  Add more stock as it cooks if needed. When the meat is done, place on a cutting board and reserve 1 cup stock.  Use remaining stock for your rice and black beans to serve with the shredded beef.

    In a food processor bowl, combine 2 quartered onions, red pepper and garlic.  Pulse until chopped.

    Shred the meat by holding with a fork.  Take a pair of kitchen tongs and pull apart.  Be careful as it will be hot. 

    In a saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add meat and brown for 2 minutes.  Add chopped vegetables, tomato sauce, sazon, oregano, Adobo and 1 c stock.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat.  Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

    While your beef simmers, prepare the rice according to the package and black beans. 

    Black Beans with Cilantro

    2 TBSP olive oil
    2-15oz cans of black beans, rinsed and drained 
    1 medium onion, diced
    2-3 celery stalked, diced
    3 cloves of garlic, minced
    2 cups beef stock
    1/4 cup + 2 TBSP fresh cilantro, chopped
    1 bay leaf
    salt and pepper

    Heat olive oil in saute pan on medium heat.  Add onions, celery and garlic and season with salt and pepper.  Saute for about 5 minutes.  Add beef stock, beans, bay leaf and 1/4 cup cilantro.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.  Simmer for about 25 minutes until liquid is reduced. 

    Remove beans from heat and remove bay leaf.  With an immersion blender, partially puree the mixture leaving half whole beans.  You may also do this in a regular blender, just pour half of the mixture in the carafe and puree, then pour back into the pot. 

    *Shredded beef recipe provided by Goya

    Filed under: Beef, Dinner, Healthy, Hispanic, Uncategorized
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  • 01Mar

    Beef Empanadas with Aji Sauce

    This is the second time I’ve made empanadas.  The first time I thought I’d make them healthier and bake them.  Even though the filling was delicious, the end product didn’t taste right.  So, as with anything I do in the kitchen, failure is not an option.  I dusted myself off and tried again.  Thanks to a recipe book that Goya puts out, I ended up with a fantastic beef filling and toyed around with the dough, which came out OK.  The empanadas cracked and I believe because my dough was too dry.

    Dough
    3 cups fine yellow corn meal
    1 c hot beef stock
    2 1/2 cups hot water
    2 tsp sugar
    salt and pepper

    Mix corn meal, salt and pepper in a large bowl.  Pour hot stock and water and stir to mix and moisten.  Let the dough sit while you make the beef filling.

    Ground Beef Filling
    1 lb ground beef
    1 tsp adobo seasoning (recipe below)
    2 TBSP olive oil
    1 onion, chopped
    1 red bell pepper, chopped
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    1/8 c pitted spanish olives with pimentos, chopped
    1- 8oz can tomato sauce
    1 packet sazon

    Heat oil in sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Brown ground beef and season with adobo.  Stir in onion, pepper, garlic, olives,  tomato sauce and sazon.  Cook, stirring often until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Cool slightly.

    Dough should be very moist, but not stick to your fingers.  Grab a small fistful of dough (about 2-3 TBSP)  and roll it in your hand into a golf ball size.  Flaten it with your hand and place between two sheets of parchment paper.  With a rolling pin, roll into a 4-inch circle.  Spoon about a tablespoon of the beef filling on one half of the disk, then fold the other half over the mixture, using the parchment paper, making a half moon shape.  Seal the edge with your fingers.  Trim any excess dough with a knife.  Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and cover with a moist towel to prevent the patties from drying out. 

    Fill a sauté pan with corn oil, about 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan.  Heat until oil reaches a temperature of 350ºF.  Fry empanadas about 2 minutes per side or until evenly browned.  Drain on paper towels to get rid of excess oil. 

    Keep warm in a 200ºF oven on a cookie sheet.  Serve with aji sauce.

    Aji Sauce
    4 tomatillos, skins removed and washed
    5 scallions, chopped
    1/2 c cilantro
    1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
    1 1/2 limes. juiced
    2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    Salt and pepper

    Boil the tomatillos for 10 minutes.  Combine tomatillos, cilantro, scallions and jalapeno in a food processor and pulse until liquefied. 

    Place liquid in a bow and stir in lime juice, vinegar, salt and pepper.

    Serve hot or cold.

    Adobo Seasoning
    3 Tbsp. salt
    1 Tbsp. onion power
    1 Tbsp. garlic powder
    1 Tbsp. black pepper
    1/2 tsp. oregano
    1/2 tsp. chili powder
    1/2 tsp. cumin

    Mix all spices together and store in an air tight container.

    *Beef filling recipe provided by Goya with slight alterations

    Filed under: Beef, Hispanic
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