Tag: main course
Carne Asada
Carne Asada
Carne Asada refers to grilled meat. There are countless types of marinades that you can make for this dish. Carne asada varies quite a bit from region to region in Mexico,so it’s really just personal preference. Lime juice or sour orange juice(which isn’t easily available in my hood) are typically used in the marinade. The acidity of citrus is a natural tenderizer to meat. Some people will use beer in their marinade. I used some soy sauce for a little saltiness, along with garlic and onion, because they’re my favorite aromatics to use in everything. When picking out meat, I recommend using either flank or skirt steak. They both take marinades well and are already fairly thin cuts, allowing them to cook faster. Top sirloin is a good substitute that’s still inexpensive. If you want more of a higher end cut, ribeye or NY strip will work great. Make sure they are no more than 3/4″ thick.Carne Asada is traditionally grilled over wood or charcoal. Grilling this way will give it a nice char and smokey flavor. The steak will take about 6 minutes a side for medium rare. If you don’t have a grill like myself, you can prepare it on a grill pan on your stove top or under the broiler like I did. The steak will take 8 minutes a side for medium rare. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Slice the steak against the grain, thinly.I turned my carne asada into tacos with a homemade Serrano pepper hot sauce, real Mexican sour cream, and my cilantro/onion/green onion mix.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb flank steak or skirt steak top sirloin, ribeye, ny strip will also work
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- juice of a lime
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 medium onion sliced
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- There are a couple of options you can use for the beef. Flank steak or skirt steak are great options. They are already fairly thin cuts that absorb marinade well and take minimal time to cook. Top sirloin, ribeye, NY strip, flat iron, and hangar steaks are all acceptable substitutes. I am using a flank steak.
- Mix the soy sauce, lime juice, minced garlic, onion, and black pepper together.
- Pour the marinade over the meat. Let the flank marinate for a couple of hours. Overnight is even better.
- There are a couple different ways you can cook this. A charcoal grill works the best and gives it the best flavor. You can cook this on a grill pan on the stove top. I decided to use my broiler. Regardless of how you cook the meat, let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking.
- Preheat your broiler for a good 10 minutes. Set your oven rack 6 inches away. Put the flank on a rack on a foil covered baking sheet. Broil the flank steak for 8 minutes a side. Let rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Once the flank is done resting, slice it thin against the grain.
- Carne Asada can be served with some beans and rice with some avocado. Or you can turn it into tacos like I did with; topped off with homemade Serrano pepper hot sauce, real Mexican sour cream, and cilantro/onion/green onion mix.
Pork Tongue Tacos with Tlaquepaque Sauce
Pork Tongue Tacos with Tlaquepaque Sauce
While this looks like a recipe for the open minded adventurous eater, it’s really meant for everyone to try. While tongue isn’t eaten very much in American cuisine, it is eaten by pretty much every other culture across the world. Tongue in Spanish is called lengua. While labeled an organ meat, it really is a big muscle. When prepared properly, it is one of the most tender and flavorful cuts on an animal. You will question yourself why you haven’t eaten this for your entire life. Because, tongue tastes…normal. Nothing gamey or organy tasting. There’s no tendons or veins running through it. It is very finely marbled with fat. Cooked like this, it looks like a pan of shredded pork. The same goes for beef tongue. One of the best parts of pork tongue is that it comes in fresh at my Asian market for $2.19lb. So get over yourself and give tongue a try sometime. If you don’t want to make this at home for fear of not liking it, try a lengua taco at a real Mexican restaurant first. You will learn the way…
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Pork Tongue
- 3 pork tongues
- 1/2 medium white onion
- 6 garlic cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- salt to taste
- 2 cups cooking water
Tlaquepaque Sauce
- 1 lb tomatillos
- 12 arbol peppers
- 2 guajillo peppers
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp instant coffee
- salt and pepper to taste
Garnish
- cilantro finely chopped
- white onion finely chopped
- green onion finely chopped
Instructions
Tlaquepaque Sauce
- Over medium high heat, bring the tomatillos, arbor and guajillo peppers, and garlic to a boil in a pot of water for 15 minutes.
- Add the tomatillos, peppers, and garlic to a blender or food processor. Add 1/2 cup of the cooking water and instant coffee. Puree until smooth.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Pork Tongue
- Wash your pork tongues.
- Turn your Instant Pot to pressure cook on high for 45 minutes. Add your pork tongues, white onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, thyme, and salt. Cover with 2 cups of the leftover cooking liquid that the Tlaquepaque sauce ingredients boiled in. Put on the cover and press start.
- Remove the tongues from the Instant Pot and let cool.
- Make a slit with a sharp knife down the center of the tongues across the skin.
- You should be able to peel the majority of the skin right off. Any skin still attached should be cut off.
- Slice the tongue into chunks. Add the tongue to a skillet over medium high heat. Sauté for 15 minutes, slowly incorporating some of the braising liquid from the instant pot.
- The tongue should be fairly shredded and tender. You almost wouldn’t know it was tongue unless someone told you.
Taco Assembly
- Heat up some corn tortillas on an oiled griddle for a minute on each side.
- Add a small amount of the pork tongue to the center of the tortilla and roll it. Roll up a bunch of them.
- Place some of the rolled up pork tongue tacos on a plate. Ladle some of the Tlaquepaque sauce over the tacos. Garnish with cilantro/green onion/white onion mix.
Papas con Chorizo
Papas con Chorizo
Chorizo and potatoes. Simple enough. I like to eat this with a fried egg over the top with cilantro and green onion. Papas con Chorizo is also great in tacos and is a great filling in empanadas.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
Papas con Chorizo
- 1 lb chorizo
- 1 lb cubed potatoes
- 1/2 medium white onion diced
- salt
Garnish and toppings
- cilantro chopped
- green onion chopped
- fried egg
Instructions
- Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet, sauté the chorizo and white onion until cooked.
- Stir in the potatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Plate up the chorizo and potatoes. You can eat eat just like this or you can top it with a free egg, cilantro and green onion.
