Tag: Latin American
Alambres
Alambres
Alambres are Mexican style beef kabobs. What sets these aside from a regular beef kabob is that there is a piece of bacon or pork belly touching each piece of beef. They can be either broiled or grilled; about 5-6 minutes a side depending on how well done you like your beef. Alambres are always served with tortillas, limes, a hot sauce, and guacamole.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- metal skewers
Ingredients
- 2 lbs top sirloin Cut into 1.5” cubes
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tsp salt
- 3 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 lb pork belly or bacon Cut into 1.5” pieces
- 1 large red bell pepper Cut into 1.5” pieces
- 1 large green or orange bell pepper Cut into 1.5” pieces
- 1/2 large white onion Cut into 1.5” pieces
Instructions
- Rub the beef with vegetable oil. Season with 2 tsp of salt and 2 tsp of black pepper.
- Season the pork belly with 1 tsp of salt and 1 tsp of black pepper. If using bacon, skip this step.
- Skewer up the beef, pork, peppers, and onions on metal skewers. Make sure that every piece of beef has an onion on one side and a piece of pork belly or bacon on the other. 4 pieces of beef on a skewer is plenty.
- Preheat your broiler or grill. The alambres will take 5 minutes a side.
Oxtail Stew (Instant Pot)
Oxtail Stew (Instant Pot)
I’m a huge fan of oxtails. When properly cooked, the meat falls right off the bone. The problem is that they take forever to cook…unless you use the Instant Pot. They can take 6-8 hours if you use a slow cooker to prepare. In an Instant Pot, the oxtails take 50 minutes. That’s it. Add the vegetables the last 10 minutes. You can serve the oxtail soup as is or over rice with a salad and avocado.
Equipment
- instant pot
- Blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 2 lbs oxtails
- 1/2 medium white onion
- 8 garlic cloves
- 4 green onion chopped
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups beef stock
- 1/2 cup alinos columbianos paste
- 1 lb frozen yucca 1 1/2” cubes
- 4 medium red potatoes 1 1/2” cubes
- 2 medium tomatoes finely diced
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp sazon
- 1 tsp black pepper
- cilantro chopped for garnish
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, purée the onion, garlic, green onion, and water.
- Add the purée to the Instant Pot along with the oxtails, alinos paste, and beef stock. Use the pressure cooker function on high for 40 minutes.
- Release the pressure.
- Add in the potatoes, yucca, tomato, sazon, cumin, salt, and pepper. Set the function to pressure cooker on high for 10 minutes.
- Release the pressure. Garnish with cilantro.
Chuzos o Pinchos de Cerdo (Grilled Pork Skewers)
Chuzos o Pinchos de Cerdo (Grilled Pork Skewers)
These pork skewers are found all over Columbia from street venders. What makes these unique is that they are both marinated and basted with the same marinade. The beer helps break down the connective tissues of the pork, acting as a tenderizer. The pinchos taste the best when they are marinated for 24 hours. These can be either grilled or broiled; both for the same amount of time over or under direct heat, depending on your chosen method of charification.I used pork sirloin for the meat. It is tender while still slightly lean, and costs $1.99lb. Pork sirloin is the equivalent cut as beef sirloin tip. Pork sirloin is an under utilized cut and is a better option in overall tenderness and price point compared to pork loin or tenderloin.
Equipment
- food processor
- metal skewers
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pork sirloin or tenderloin cubed
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 8 garlic cloves
- 4 green onion chopped
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 cup beer
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Put all of the ingredients, minus the pork, in a blender.
- Purée
- Cut the pork sirloin into 1 1/2” cubes.
- Marinate in the beer marinade overnight.
- Turn on your broiler. Skewer the chunks of marinated pork. Place on a rack on a baking pan lined in foil.
- Broil the pork for 5 minutes a side.
