Carne de Res con Legumbres
The best American name for this vegetable would probably be “Mexican green tomato”, but they actually taste nothing like regular tomatoes, In fact, the tomatillo is not a tomato at all. The tomatillo has a tart, lemony flavor that is enhance when cooked (especially roasted) and is an excellent base for salsas. While salsa (salsa verde) is the most popular way to enjoy tomatillo, they can be used in other ways. Tomatillos contain high amounts of vitamin A&C. Tomatillos are our #2 sales item!
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 pound beef top round roast, tied
2 large white onions, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
3 cups beef stock or broth
3 large cloves garlic, minced
4 dried pequin chiles
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
2 pounds fresh tomatillos, husked, or 2 (13 oz.) cans tomatillos, drained
2 large fresh poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded, de-veined and cut into 1/2-inch wide strips
2 chayote squash
12 small new red potatoes, unpeeled
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
Instructions:
Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until hot, then add the beef and cook, turning occasionally, until brown on all sides, about 10-15 minutes. Transfer the browned meat to a serving plate.
Add onions and garlic to the pan and saute over medium heat until soft, about 6-8 minutes, then add the stock, dried pequin chiles, thyme and oregano. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat to boiling and add the tomatillos to the pan. If using fresh tomatillos, cook over medium heat until fork-tender, about 10 minutes.
Add the beef to the pan, making sure it is submerged under the liquid. Place 3/4 of the poblano chile strips on top of beef and heat over medium-low heat to simmering. Cook, partially covered, for about 2-1/2 hours.
Peel and seed the chayote, then cut into 1 by 1-1/2-inch pieces. Add the chayote and potatoes to the beef mixture and simmer, covered, over medium-low heat until the potatoes and beef are both fork-tender, about 30-40 minutes longer.
Transfer the beef, potatoes and chayote to a warm serving platter and keep warm, covered. Process 1/2 the cooking sauce in blender until smooth. Return the sauce to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reduces to 4 cups, about 20-25 minutes.
Stir in the chopped cilantro and garnish the beef with the remaining poblano chile strips.
To plate, cut the beef across the grain into thin slices and pass the sauce to your diners separately.
Yields 6-8 servings.