Tag: Flank Steak

Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

I love love love this recipe for Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja. It’s a perfect slow cooker meal, which means dinner is ready for me when I come home from work.

Ropa Vieja translates to “old clothes,” referring to the shredded beef and colorful peppers in a tomato sauce with caramelized onions that resemble torn cloth. It’s a well-known Cuban dish, but its origins go back to Sephardic dishes in the Middle Ages.

This version has a bit more prep work to it to fully develop the flavors. Trust me, it’s worth it!

Ingredients:

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 pounds flank steak
  • 3 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow), thinly sliced
  • 1 onion, thinly sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (or 3/4 tsp ground cumin)
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • pinch ground allspice
  • 2 whole cloves (or a pinch of ground cloves)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 15-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup beef broth
  • pimiento-stuffed green olives, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon brine from the olive jar
  • Cooked white or yellow rice
  • 1 can black beans, optional, for serving

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Arepas Pabellón

This recipe for Arepas Pabellón is inspired by a visit to an absolutely delicious Venezuelan restaurant. Last week, I checked out one of Philly’s newest restaurants: Puyero Venezuelan Flavor.

source: puyeroflavor.com

Located just off of South Street on S 4th, the restaurant serves Venezuelan street food including arepas, patacones and tequenos, plus yummy desserts like churros.

The 22-seat restaurant is vibrant and colorful, very welcoming. I enjoyed reading a selection of Venezuelan sayings that decorate one of the walls; my favorite: “Más hambre que piojo en peluche” or “I’m hungrier than a tick on a teddy bear.”

Owned by brothers Simon and Gil, and Gil’s wife Manuela, the restaurant has a very “homey” feel to it. The entire menu is available for lunch and dinner, with brunch options coming in the spring. You can also order delivery through Caviar (which I’ve totally already done. Hence the photos below, showing my delivery food).

While there, I tried quite a few menu items, but my favorites were the tequenos, white cheese wrapped in deep fried dough, and arepas pabellon, which is an arepa filled with shredded beef, black beans, fried sweet plantains, and white cheese.

I wanted to try to make Arepas Pabellón for myself at home. This recipe can be made ahead of time, reheated, and assembled when ready to eat.

 

Shredded Beef:

  •  garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes
  • 4
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce

Arepas:

  • 1 1/2 cups masarepa (a type of cornmeal found in the international section of most supermarkets. white or yellow is fine)
  • 1 1/2 cups water, or more if needed
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Fried Sweet Plantains:

Other Fillings:

  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • queso blanco

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Spicy Flank Steak Tacos with Watermelon Salsa

When I first spotted this recipe in the August issue of Cooking Light, I knew I wanted to make it. I have never used watermelon in a savory recipe before and it sounded like a perfect summer dinner! This recipe comes together in no time (and is really simple to make), making it a great weeknight meal option.

 

 

The rub on the steak is only four ingredients: salt, black pepper, white pepper, and red (cayenne) pepper. If you don’t have white pepper you can just substitute in more black pepper. But each pepper does bring it’s own taste to the rub.

 

Black and white pepper comes from the same pepper plant but white peppercorns have the outer layer removed, leaving the seed inside. White pepper has a more subtle flavor than black pepper. Red pepper, or cayenne pepper, is ground from hot peppers so it has a nice level of heat to it. The three together add a nice spiciness to the steak without being overwhelming.

 

 

I altered this recipe a little bit but the general idea is there. If you’re interested in seeing the original version, check it out here.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 teaspoon plus 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed and halved lengthwise
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 8 green onions, roots trimmed
  • 2 cups finely chopped fresh watermelon
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
  • 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
  • 2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

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Steak Tacos with Lime Mayo

I had corn tortillas left over from making the Fish Tacos with Tomatillo Sauce. I needed another taco recipe that was completely different flavor-wise than the fish tacos, so I went for Cooking Light’s Steak Tacos with Lime Mayo in the May issue. (Note: the May issue has a ton of taco recipes, even a dessert one!)

Ingredients:

  • 20 baby sweet peppers
  • Cooking spray
  • 1 teaspoon ground chipotle chile pepper
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed
  • 3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
  • the zest and juice of 1 lime
  • 2 garlic cloves, mined
  • 8 (6-inch) corn tortillas
  • 1/2 cup refrigerated fresh salsa
  • 2 ounces queso fresco, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

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Korean-Style Beef Tacos

Tacos are one of my go-to’s for a quick weeknight meal. However, there’s only so many nights you can make traditional tacos before you start craving some new flavors. Cooking Light’s Korean-Style Beef Tacos sounded like the best of both worlds: a quick meal with new spices. I ended up changing the method of cooking, but the ingredients remained the same. Cooking Light suggested topping the tacos with a Quick Pickled Cabbage as well, so I’ve included that below. This recipe does require you to marinate the beef for an hour, so plan accordingly. To make it a quick meal, you could also just marinate the meat overnight.
  Ingredients for the tacos:
  • 1/3 cup sugar
  • 5 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
  • the juice of 2 limes
  • 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 12 ounces flank steak, sliced against the grain into thin strips
  • Salt, to taste
  • Cooking spray
  • 8 (6-inch) tortillas
  • 3 tablespoons sliced green onions
  Ingredients for the cabbage:
  • 1 head of napa cabbage, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons chile paste

Continue reading Korean-Style Beef Tacos

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