Recipe Trevor Baca Recipe Trevor Baca

RECIPE: Aguayón Estilo Oaxaqueño (Oaxacan Roast Beef)

This dish is simple yet elegant in its presentation and flavor profile. I compare it to the great braises of European cooking (i.e. Beef Bourguignon, Ragu) and but with the strong fruity profile of the Pasilla chile in the sauce that makes it truly Mexican.

This dish is simple yet elegant in its presentation and flavor profile. I compare it to the great braises of European cooking (i.e. Beef Bourguignon, Ragu) and but with the strong fruity profile of the Pasilla chile in the sauce that makes it truly Mexican. This recipe is loosely based on Diana Kennedy’s Aguayón Estilo Leonor from “The Essential Cuisines of Mexico.”

I plate this with blanched green beans and boiled turned potatoes. On the side serve with fresh corn tortillas, a salsa de chile de arbol, and a full bodied red wine (Bordeaux, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, Merlot.)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • 2lbs beef roast (rump roast preferred)

  • Salt

  • Pepper

  • 2 tablespoons Olive oil

  • 3 pasilla chiles

  • 1 chile de arbol (optional, see note in Method)

  • 2 cups chopped tomatoes

  • 1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted

  • 1/2 inch slice of bread (kaiser roll preferred)

  • 2 garlic cloves

Method:

  1. Salt and pepper every side of the pot roast before placing it in a dutch oven with hot olive oil. Brown on all sides and remove from heat leaving the juices and browned bits in the dutch oven.

  2. Open the chiles and remove the stem, seeds and veins. Toast the chiles over a comal until brown and blistered but not burnt. If you burn them, the sauce will become too bitter. If you want the sauce to be spicier, then use the chile de arbol as well, keeping the seeds intact but removing the stem. Soak the chiles for 10 minutes in water until ready to blend.

  3. Add the soaked chiles, tomatoes, toasted sesame seeds, slice of bread and garlic to a blender with 1.5 cups of water. Blend on varying speeds until smooth.

  4. Add this mixture to the dutch oven and cook for five minutes, adding more water as necessary. The sauce will splutter. Add the pot roast to the pan and fill the pot with water so that the beef is 3/4 submerged. Cover and simmer for 4 hours until tender on low heat.

  5. Remove the beef from the pan and allow to rest while the sauce reduces uncovered until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

  6. Arrange the beef with the green beans and boiled potatoes. Serve with warm tortillas and salsa.

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Recipe Trevor Baca Recipe Trevor Baca

RECIPE: Carne con Chile Verde

This recipe hails from the Northern States of Mexico - the cuisine here is simple, quite representative of the ingredients growing in the desert highlands. Chiles are technically fruits and the dance of spice and sweet in this dish make the chiles the star of the show.

This recipe hails from the Northern States of Mexico - the cuisine here is simple, quite representative of the ingredients growing in the desert highlands. Chiles are technically fruits and the dance of spice and sweet in this dish make the chiles the star of the show. The green Anaheim chiles from the North are superb and if a fruit had the ability to capture the flavors of the desert sun, an Anaheim would be just that.

Carne con chile verde

Method:

  1. Over an open flame, charr the Anaheim chiles until the skin has blackened. If you don't charr them all the way, the skin will not be able to be removed and will be difficult to digest. Once charred all over, place into a bowl and cover until the skin is cool enough to touch. Rub the chili of its burned skin and chop into pieces.
  2. Place the meat and garlic in a pot and cover with water so that the meat is fully submerged. Salt accordingly. Bring to a boil and scrape off any impurities floating on the surface. Lower the temperature and allow the meat to cook slowly, roughly 1 hour or until the meat is tender and soft to the touch.
  3. Once the remaining water has just about evaporated, raise the heat to medium, pour the lard or vegetable oil into the pot with the chopped onion. Allow the onion and the meat to caramelize slightly. Remove from heat and stir in the flour and constantly stir, for about one minute.
  4. Place back over a high flame and add the chiles and tomatoes with 2 cups of water and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes and stir so that the chile doesn't scald. The sauce should thicken to a soup/stew-like consistency.

Serve with fresh flour tortillas cooked on the comal and a if you want more heat, as Anaheims can rather mild, serve with seared serranos torreados.

Ingredients:

  • 10 Anaheim chiles
  • 2lbs beef shoulder (or pork if you so choose), cut into 3 inch cubes
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon pork lard OR vegetable oil
  • 1 white onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 3 fresh tomatoes, broiled and crushed by hand

 

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