EatMx: Real Mexican food, at home and on the road

TEXAS TEMPRANILLO AND BEEF STEW

Usually you pick a wine to go with the food you're serving.

But I did just the opposite. I created a dish, actually a whole meal, to show off a wine that was really special, a Tempranillo from Texas. 

Never heard of Texas wine? Well you will, because Texas has enough wineries to make it the fifth largest wine region in the United States, and the potential for growth there is big.  

The wine I had was the 2017 Texas Hill Country Estate Tempranillo from Spicewood Vineyards. The Texas Hill Country, where this wine was produced, is one of eight AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) in the state.   

Owner Ron Yates fell in love with Tempranillo while studying Spanish in Spain and visiting vineyards in Ribera del Duero. Tempranillo originated in Spain, and Yates thought it would also do well in the warm Texas climate.  

A sixth generation ranching Texan, he now grows the grape in six locations including Spicewood. It's "my favorite wine to drink by far," he says.

Tempranillo does so well in Texas that other wineries produce it too. One of them is Pedernales Cellars, co-founded by David, Julie and Heather Kuhlken. The  Spicewood estate wine is 100% Tempranillo. The Pedernales 2017 Texas High Plains Tempranillo blends 86% Tempranillo, 9% Mourvedre and 5% Teroldego. The High Plains is another Texas AVA.

Like Spicewood, Pedernales belongs to an organization called Texas Fine Wine, which presented a webinar about Texas wine in collaboration with the International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Association.

The Spicewood Tempranillo was sent to me to sip while attending the webinar. Other members of Texas Fine Wine that took part were Duchman Family Winery, Brennan Vineyards and Bending Branch Winery.

Yates aged his estate Tempranillo for 20 months in 60% new French oak and 40% neutral oak to give it more intensity and duration in the Spanish style.  "It has a nice balance of savory and fruit on the mid-palate," he says. Loyally, he chose the red and yellow of the Spanish flag for the label. This is the Spicewood cellar, as seen in the wine class. 

Like other Texas wines, Tempranillo goes well with lively Texas food such as barbecue and fajitas. So I matched the Spicewood wine with a beef stew to which I added red chile salsa (for Texas) and smoked paprika to represent Spain. 

Dry, with lively tannins and a deep cherry red in color, the wine showed ripe fruitiness that stood up to all the dishes I served that night, including Mexican squash cooked with tomatoes, corn, onion and garlic (above).

It even held up with pan de elote, a slightly sweet corn cake from a Latino bakery in Los Angeles (above). And it's a natural to go with rice and Texas style cornbread. 

Here is how everything looked on the plate, followed by the recipe for the stew, which I cooked in an Instant Pot. If preparing the stew stove top or in a slow cooker, the cooking time would be longer and the amount of liquid would have to be adjusted, using less for a slow cooker and enough to keep the meat from drying out stove top.  

TEXAN/SPANISH BEEF STEW

1 pound beef stew meat
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium tomato, peeled and diced
1/4 cup red chile salsa
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
8 pearl onions, peeled
1/2 cup sliced carrots
2 whole garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water

Trim off fat and cut the meat into 1- to 1 1/2-inch cubes.

Press saute/more on the Instant Pot. When hot, add the olive oil and then the beef and cook, stirring, until browned on all sides. Add the tomato and cook until softened. Stir in the chile salsa, tomato paste, paprika and brown sugar.

Now add the onions, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, salt and water and stir.  

Lock the lid on the Instant Pot, set to sealing and press beef/stew. The indicated time will be 35 minutes, plus the time it takes to reach pressure, which will be 10 to 11 minutes.

When the stew is done, let the pressure drop naturally until entirely gone and the float valve has dropped, about 15 minutes. Press cancel. Unlock and remove the lid. The stew will contain quite a bit of liquid. You can return to sauté mode and reduce the liquid as desired in the pot. Or transfer the stew to a large saucepan and simmer until slightly thickened. The additional cooking time makes the stew even more flavorful and tender.

Spoon onto heated serving plates and accompany with sides such as squash, pastel de elote (corn cake), rice and cornbread.  

Makes 4 servings. 

Show Off with This Green Chile Stew

Just one simple recipe will snag you a reputation as a real pro at cooking Mexican food.

It's the green chile stew that's in the book "101 Epic Dishes" by celebrity chef Jet Tila and his wife Ali Tila.

When the Tilas presented their book and a spread of their dishes at Melissa's Produce, the green chile stew (at the top) was a huge hit. It's Ali Tila's recipe, one she got from a friend years ago and then adapted. 

She calls it New Mexico green chile stew because she uses New Mexico's Hatch chiles when they're in season--August and September. She also puts in Hatch green chile powder (above), which is available all year.

If you can't get these, substitute whatever is in your markets. Canned chiles will work too, according to a chef tip that accompanies the recipe.

The book is subtitled "recipes that teach you how to make the classics even more delicious," not to mention easy. Jet Tila is an accomplished chef--you've probably seen him on TV, and he's a great guide in the home kitchen too.

Ali Tila's specialty is pastry. Together, they've made "101 Epic Dishes" a how-to book that guarantees success.

The recipes are mostly American, with a fair share of Latino dishes and a hint of Asian, because Jet Tila is Thai. You may already have his first book, "101 Asian Dishes You Need to Cook Before You Die."

Alton Brown wrote the forward to that book. The forward to "Epic Dishes" is by Bobby Flay. Both Tilas were in New York recently to appear on the show "Beat Bobby Flay."

There's more that's Mexican and delicious in their book, like Mexican street corn with cotija cheese and crema (above). And Coca Cola carnitas, fried fish tacos with chipotle crema and a spinach and three-cheese quesadilla.

Still more are a cheesy chicken tortilla soup, breakfast chilaquiles with roasted chile sauce, guacamole and pico de gallo.  

For dessert, what could be nicer than freshly fried churros rolled in cinnamon sugar and served with a Mexican chocolate dipping sauce?

For more of Jet Tila's recipes, check his website, chef jet.com. For more about Ali Tila, go to her facebook page and look for her gorgeous pastries on Instagram. 

NEW MEXICO GREEN CHILE STEW
From "101 Epic Dishes"

2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups peeled and diced plum tomatoes
2 cups New Mexico green chiles, roasted, peeled and chopped
1 jalapeño chile, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon New Mexico green chile powder, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 cups beef broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cups medium-diced waxy potatoes
Warm tortillas or crusty bread, for serving

Heat a large Dutch oven over high heat for about 1 minute. Pat the pork cubes dry with a paper towel. Coat the bottom of the Dutch oven with the olive oil and add the pork to the pot. Sear on all sides until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the onion and garlic and cook until translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook for an additional minute, until all the pork is coated evenly. Stir in the tomatoes, roasted chiles, jalapeño, cumin, New Mexico chile powder and sugar and cook for about 2 minutes, until combined. 

Pour in the broth and add the salt and pepper. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring every 20 minutes and making sure to scrape the bottom.

Stir in the potatoes and cook for about 30 minutes, or until fork tender. The pork will be tender and the stew will be nice and thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking Serve with warm tortillas or crusty bread.

Makes 6 to 8 servings. 

An Easy Beef Dish from Veracruz

Mexican cooking can be so simple, like this shredded beef dish from a home cook in the city of Veracruz.

Only five ingredients are required, plus salt and pepper.  What makes it so good is the care taken in preparation. The meat is boiled and washed to remove any scum, then boiled again in fresh water until tender.  After shredding, it is added along with green chiles to a cooked mixture of onion, garlic and tomatoes.

I used New Mexico's Hatch chiles (above). Their season is ending, but I have them in the freezer, already roasted. If you missed out, you can substitute Anaheim chiles.

The original recipe is in my book, "Mexican Cookery." That version calls for green bell peppers, the way it was done in Veracruz. I revised it to use green chiles instead.  

Here are the steps in preparing the chiles for this dish.  First, roast them until blistered. I do this under the broiler, because I have an electric stove. 

When they are cool, peel the chiles and cut them into thin strips.

Then add them along with the cooked meat to sautéed onion, garlic and tomatoes. Add broth and simmer until heated through. Then you have a hearty, homey dish to serve with rice or use as taco filling or in tortas, the Mexican sandwich.  

CARNE DESHEBRADA
Shredded Beef

1 pound beef stew meat
Water
1/2 pound Hatch chiles or Anaheim chiles, hot or mild
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 pound tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Salt, pepper

Place the meat in a large saucepan and cover generously with water. Bring to a boil. Skim off and discard the scum that rises to the top. Drain the meat and wash it well

Return the meat to the saucepan. Add 2 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer until very tender, up to 2 hours. Let cool in the broth, then drain, reserving the broth. You will need at least 1/2 cup.

When the meat is cool enough to be handled, tear it into shreds with your hands or two forks. 

Meanwhile, roast the chiles until blistered. Let cool slightly, then remove the stems and skins. Scrape off the seeds but do not rinse. Cut in thin slices and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender but not browned. Add the tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes, until thoroughly cooked.

Add the chiles, the meat, the reserved 1/2 cup broth and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer gently until heated through.

Serve with rice or use as taco filling or in tortas (sandwiches).

Makes 4 servings.  

Mexicali Taco's Chef Wins Big

Carnitas with pasta? Why not. Esdras Ochoa of Mexicali Taco & Co. put the two together so well that he won the top prize in Del Real Foods' Fight for Flavor competition.

The event pitted five Latino chefs against each other, vying to win $5,000. Each had to design a dish around products from Del Real Foods, a company that specializes in heat and serve Mexican foods. Ochoa chose carnitas (fried pork) and Del Real's salsa de molcajete roja, a fire-roasted tomato and chile salsa. The pasta was fettuccine. 

The food at Mexicali Taco is casual, but for the contest, Ochoa went for a fine dining approach. The green swirl that garnishes the plate is avocado mousse--avocado, cilantro, olive oil, kosher salt and a squeeze of time whirred in the blender. The golden sauce behind it is a puree of sauce from the carnitas, a little of the pork and olive oil.

Pickled vegetables that Ochoa worked into the dish included carrots, jalapeños and the sprig of cauliflower propped against the pasta. 

The contest took place on Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), and so Ochoa decorated the plate with marigold petals. The marigold (zempazuchitl) is the flower associated with the holiday. 

Other chefs taking part were Aaron J. Perez of Vaka Burger, who made banh mi with carnitas; Natalie Curie of El Coraloense Seafood Restaurant in Bell Gardens, whose shredded chicken sope (above) was named "people's favorite;" Gina Galvan of Chomp Chomp Nation, who produced an Asian-flavored pork tostada, and David Moreno of Komodo Food, who dressed up ropa vieja with plantains and cheese.  

Here they are preparing their dishes in the kitchen of Smog Shoppe, where the competition took place. 

Ochoa's recipe may sound complex but if pared down to the basics, it's easy and practical to make at home. 

FETTUCCINE A LA MEXICANA
From Chef Esdras Ochoa of Mexicali Taco & Co. 

1 (1-pound) package Del Real carnitas
2  (1-pound) containers Del Real salsa de molcajete roja
1 (1-pound) package fettuccine
3 tablespoons salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Mexican crema
Crumbled queso fresco
Crushed dried chile de árbol
1 avocado, diced
Cilantro sprigs
1 lime

Place the carnitas in a large saucepan. Add the salsa and simmer 5 to 10 minutes, until the meat is heated through and mixed evenly with the salsa. Keep warm over low heat until serving. Or prepare in advance and reheat. 

Heat a large pan of water. Add the salt and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Bring to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to package directions until firm-tender. Drain. Place the pasta in a large pan, add the remaining olive oil and stir to mix.

To serve, arrange the pasta on a large heated platter or divide among individual serving plates. Top with carnitas and salsa, then drizzle with crema. Sprinkle all over with queso fresco. Garnish with crushed dried chile de árbol, avocado and cilantro. Squeeze lime juice over the top.  

Makes 6 servings. 

Disclosure: I was lucky enough to be one of the three judges.

Please Vote for My Taco Meat

Making great taco meat is so simple. It takes only 20 minutes to cook juicy, delicious beef that would draw a line at any taco stand. Dinner ready that fast? Sure. Just provide salsa and other condiments at the table. 

The secret is to start with a good base, like Del Real's Seasoned Shredded Beef. This is the product I worked with in order to enter the Del Real Foods blogger recipe challenge.

I would love to win, so please click here to vote for my Super Easy Taco Meat: http://ow.ly/zWNEO  #RealFlavor @delrealfoods. If you want to really help, vote once a day through Sept. 5.

You can get the Del Real beef in supermarkets. At first I thought it was pricey, only to find it was a good buy. When I stewed slightly more than a pound of raw beef, which took about 2 hours, I wound up with only 10 ounces of meat. Almost 7 ounces had cooked way. This made it more costly than the deceptively reasonable price, not to mention the time and effort required to prepare it.  

The Del Real beef, on the other hand, is 16 ounces of pure meat, no fat, gristle or waste of any kind. And it's fully cooked, which saves a Iot of time. The seasonings are so light that you can add any flavorings you like, which makes it very versatile.

Here's another look at my taco meat (above). The idea came from Zacatecas via a friend, Daniel Mejia. That makes it totally, traditionally Mexican, as good taco meat should be. 

SUPER EASY TACO MEAT

3 slices bacon, cut in half lengthwise and then crosswise in ½-inch slices
1 medium onion, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon cumin seeds
1 pound roma tomatoes (about 4), chopped
1 (16-ounce) package Del Real Seasoned Shredded Beef
Salt, optional
Freshly ground black pepper
16 warm corn tortillas
4 limes, quartered
Del Real Green or Red Salsa
8 or more cilantro sprigs

In a large heavy skillet, cook the bacon until lightly browned. Do not drain.

Add the onion, garlic and cumin seeds and cook until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes.

Add the Del Real Seasoned Shredded Beef and separate the shreds, then mix evenly with the ingredients in the skillet. Simmer 10 minutes, or until hot throughout. Taste and season with salt if needed and a generous dash of freshly ground pepper.

For each taco, place a spoonful of the meat mixture on a warm corn tortilla. Squeeze on a few drops of lime juice. Add Del Real salsa to taste and a cilantro sprig. Fold and eat.

Makes 8 servings. 

Have Hatches? Then Make Mexican Beef

I walked into Pavilions the other day, and there was a bin of Hatch chiles, right at the entrance. The season is so short it was a thrill to see them, and so I bought a pound and will be back for more.

These long green chiles look like Anaheims, but they are very different--sturdy, robust and deeply flavored. And they come from only one place, the growing area around Hatch, New Mexico.

Hatch chile peel is firm. That's why you should roast and peel them before using. It's worth buying generously, because once roasted and packaged flat in plastic bags, Hatch chiles will keep in the freezer for up to two years.

What to do with them? Try this Mexican beef dish, Carne Deshebrada, or, in English, shredded meat. It's ideal for tacos or to eat with rice and a salad.

Hatch chiles come in heat levels from mild to extremely hot. Stores won't necessarily indicate the heatness levels, but this very traditional Mexican dish will be good whether the chiles are hot or mild.

CARNE DESHEBRADA
Shredded Beef

1 pound beef chuck, cut in chunks
Water
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 pound roma tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 pound Hatch chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and cut into strips
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Place the meat in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then drain and rinse to eliminate any scum. Wipe out the pan.

Return the beef to the pan and add 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and boil gently, loosely covered, until the meat is tender, which can take up to 2 hours.  Add more water if necessary to keep the meat moist.  

Let the meat cool in the broth, then drain, reserving the broth. Place the meat on a plate and separate into strands by pulling apart with two forks.  Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender but not browned. Add the tomatoes and cook 10 minutes, stirring to cook evenly. Add the chiles, the meat and 1/2 cup broth. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover and simmer until heated through, about 10 minutes.

Serve with rice or use as taco filling or in tortas (sandwiches).

Makes 4 servings. 

Spicy Steak Straight from Baja

Here is one of those simple, homestyle Mexican dishes that are as comforting as they are delicious.

Only this recipe isn't from a home but from a resort, Villa del Palmar at the islands of Loreto in Baja California Sur.

I think of resort and hotel food as bland and "safe," tailored to please tourists wary of anything spicy and unfamiliar. But that isn't the case at Villa del Palmar.

The food I had there was so good that I wish I could find its equal at home. But at least I have a few recipes like this one for steak in spicy tomato sauce, given to me by Angel Ruiz Gutiérrez, the food and beverage director.

PUNTAS DE FILETE
Steak in Tomato-Chipotle Sauce
From Villa del Palmar 

1 pound trimmed flank steak
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, finely chopped
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound tomatoes, chopped 
1/2 cup canned tomato sauce
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped 
1/3 cup cilantro leaves, chopped

Cut the steak into 3/4-inch chunks or strips. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat and cook until browned and any liquid has cooked away, 12 to 13 minutes.

Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Lower the heat. Add the tomatoes, the tomato sauce and chipotle chiles and simmer until the tomatoes are softened into a sauce, about 20 minutes. Stir in the cilantro.

Serve with rice.

Makes 4 servings.   

Zihuatanejo's Amazing Pork Relleno

Relleno de puerco (literally, pork filling) showed up repeatedly during last spring's Food & Wine Festival in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo.

Town cooks--elderly women who grew up with the old recipes-- prepared it for a luncheon, where they served the fruity pork mixture in split bolillos (above). You could call this a local version of a pulled pork sandwich. 

The relleno turned up again at a tasting staged by local restaurants. Carmelitas, which is in the center of Zihuatanejo, presented it in a steaming iron pot (above). Another container held tamales de ceniza, flat ash-flavored tamales that served as a base for the meat.

I loved this unusual dish and went to Carmelitas to see if I could learn more about it. I was in luck. María del Carmen Ramírez de González, who runs the restaurant, was there. It's usually made with a large cut of pork, she told me, maybe a whole pig, and then is cooked overnight in an adobe oven.

My stove can't accommodate anything that big, and I had to make do with a small roast, which I marinated overnight, as María del Carmen instructed me. Then I roasted it along with assorted fruits and vegetables (above), minus one ingredient that was beyond my scope--fresh pork skin.  

In my version, the relleno (stuffing) is outside rather than inside the pig. I served it separately in a casserole (above).

Lively and fun, with bright tropical flavors (plantains and pineapple), relleno de puerco is a great party dish. The friends who came over to try it included a chef who cut the meat into the neat slices that you see in the photo. 

RELLENO DE PUERCO
Carmelitas Restaurant, Zihuatanejo

3 1/2 pounds pork shoulder roast, weighed after fat is trimmed and any bones removed
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 clove garlic, mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, finely crumbled
2 ripe plantains, peeled and cut into thick slices
1/2 small pineapple, sliced into wedges
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large yam, about 3/4 pound, peeled and cut into chunks 
3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
2 roma tomatoes, each cut into 8 wedges
1/2 large onion, cut into wedges
Salt
4 bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
2 sprigs marjoram
Juice of 1 orange
3 tablespoons sweet wine, optional

Place the meat in a large baking dish.

Combine the vinegar, garlic, pepper, cumin and oregano and mix well. Rub this mixture all over the pork. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Drain the meat, shape it into a roast and tie securely. Place the meat in a large roasting pan. Arrange around it the plantain slices, pineapple wedges, potatoes, yam, carrots, tomatoes and onion. Season with salt to taste.

Add the bay leaves, thyme and marjoram. Sprinkle evenly with the orange juice and wine.  

Place in the oven and roast, uncovered, 45 minutes. Baste with any juices. Cover loosely with foil and roast 45 minutes longer, or until a meat thermometer registers at least 150 degrees (it can go a little higher without any harm). 

Watch as the meat roasts. If it browns and dries too much, cover with foil earlier. Start checking the temperature before the end of the cooking time. If necessary, roast longer until the meat reaches the desired temperature.

When done, remove the roast to a cutting board and slice as desired. Arrange the slices on a heated serving platter.

Scoop the fruits and vegetables out of the roasting pan into a casserole. Reheat before serving, if necessary. You can do this in a microwave oven. 

Makes 6 servings.  

Daniel Ovadía's Easy Mole Carretera

Don't believe that you have to put scads of hard-to-find ingredients into a mole before it amounts to anything.

Nothing could be eaiser than Mexico City chef Daniel Ovadía's mole carretera (at the top). It has just two main ingredients, aside from meat--plantains and ancho chiles. And only common seasonings such as onion, garlic, cinnamon, cumin and oregano.

This fruity, aromatic mole comes from the state of Veracruz. The name means "highway mole," which sounds like rough and ready food for truck drivers.

"Some people in Veraruz call it an adobo or sauce," Ovadía (right) said when he demonstrated the dish at the recent Food & Wine magazine festival at Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo. "But it's a fruit mole."

At his restaurant Paxia in Mexico City, Ovadía serves the sauce with duck, but he switched to beef at the festival.

Hardly road food, it's what you would expect from an upscale Mexico City restaurant. Ovadía poured the sauce over a single portion of beef filet, topped this with crisp, fine shreds of potato, leek and plantain and swirled a golden puree of sweet potato and guava on the side.

My adaptation of his recipe (above) uses a heartier cut of beef and leaves out the garnishes. Despite its simplicity, the sauce has extraordinarily good flavor.

It should be made with a plantain, not the sort of banana that you eat raw. If the plantain you buy is green or yellow, let it stand until the skin turns black. Then it will be ripe and sweet enough for the mole.

MOLE CARRETERA
Adapted from a recipe by Daniel Ovadía

1 pound boneless chuck steak
Pork lard or oil
4 cups water
1 slice onion
1 clove garlic
Salt
6 black peppercorns
3 dried red ancho chiles
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 very ripe plantain, sliced
1 1/2 inches stick cinnamon
Dash ground cumin
Dash dried oregano
3 cups beef broth, more if needed
Sesame seeds

Cut the steak into chunks, removing any excess fat.

Heat 2 tablespoons lard or oil in a heavy skillet. Add the beef and sear on all sides.

Place the beef in a deep saucepan. Add the water, onion slice, garlic, salt to taste and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes. When cooked, strain off the broth.

Rinse the chiles. Roast them in any fat remaining in the skillet until fragrant. Remove them and discard the stems and seeds.

Add more lard or oil if needed. Add the sliced medium onion half and cook until tender. Add the sliced plantain and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. 

Combine the onion and plantain in a large saucepan.  Add the chiles, the cinnamon stick, cumin, oregano and 2 cups broth from the beef. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the chiles are softened, 10 minutes.

Cool 15 minutes, then puree in a blender. Return to the saucepan. Rinse out the blender with another 1 cup beef broth and add to the saucepan.

Bring to a boil, add the beef and simmer gently 20 minutes. If the sauce becomes too thick, dilute with additional broth. 

Serve sprinkled lightly with sesame seeds.

Makes 4 servings. 

From Northern Mexico: Asado Verde

Friends have told me that this version of asado verde, or pork in green sauce (above), is one of the best pork dishes they have tasted. I would agree.

The recipe is from María Elena Rocha Vallejo of Comidas María Elena, located near the famous waterfall Cola de Caballo in the state of Nuevo León. 

Maria Elena had prepared a tableful of guisados (above) the day I was there, traveling with chef Patricia Quintana's tour of northern Mexico.

I worked out the recipe from her description, so perhaps it's not quite like she makes the dish, but it's very good anyway.

Change the green chiles to dried cascabel chiles and you have asado rojo, or pork in red sauce, she says. 

Very generous with her recipes, María Elena (above) also told me how to make her shredded beef dish, deshebrada de res, and picadillo with beef and potatoes, both as delicious as they are simple. So look for those recipes in the future.  

ASADO VERDE
From María Elena Rocha Vallejo 

6 large Anaheim chiles
1 dozen tomatillos, husks removed
1 serrano chile, or to taste
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, or other oregano
3 pounds lean pork
3 tablespoons oil
Freshly ground black pepper
3 bay leaves
Salt
1 cup water

Roast the Anaheim chiles under the broiler or over a gas flame until the skins are blackened. Cool, peel and discard the stems and seeds.

Heat a large griddle over medium high heat. Add the tomatillos, serrano chile and garlic and roast until spotted with brown.

Combine the Anaheim chiles, tomatillos, serrano chile and peeled garlic in a blender container and blend until pureed. Add the cumin and oregano and blend well. Leave in the blender container. There will be about 3 1/2 cups sauce.

Trim the pork and cut it into 3/4-inch cubes. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the pork, sprinkle with freshly ground pepper, and cook over medium high heat until browned on all sides and any water that comes from the meat cooks away. This can take 20 to 30 minutes.

Add the green sauce, bay leaves and salt to taste. Rinse out the blender with the 1 cup water and add to the meat. Cover and simmer 30 minutes.

For best flavor, cool the meat and refrigerate overnight, then reheat in the sauce just before serving.

Makes 8 servings.