I’ve been in a meat-mood all week, so last night I made this shredded skirt-steak recipe from one of our favorite cookbooks, Healthy Latin Cooking. The steak is slow-cooked in wine and broth until it’s tender enough to easily shred with a fork. This recipe is made lighter than the traditional by the addition of carrots and potatoes.

Chris says:

So apparently this dish literally translates to “Old Clothes”.

Lisa says:

Wow, if all old clothes were like this I’d spend just as much time at the thrift stores as Abbie.

Chris says:

I love how tender the meat is here.

Lisa says:

Yeah it’s super good. The sauce is really tasty.

Chris says:

The vegetables are also nice and tender without being mushy. Perfect! I like using our CSA box to determine what recipes to make.

Lisa says:

It certainly seems to cut your recipe-browsing time to something manageable!

Ropa Vieja with Vegetables
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1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
1 lb beef skirt steak
salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine or nonalcoholic white wine
3-3 1/2 cups chicken stock or fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup tomato puree or tomato sauce
4 carrots, cut into 1″ pieces
2 potatoes, cut into 1″ pieces
2 tsp rinsed and drained capers
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Heat the oil in a large, wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic and cumin. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the onions are just beginning to brown. Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 minute.
Season the steak with salt and black pepper. Add it to the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes per side. Increase the heat to high, add the wine, and bring to a boil. Add 3 cups of the stock or broth and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the steak is very tender. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
Stir in the tomato puree or tomato sauce, carrots, and potatoes. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is reduced and flavorful. If too much liquid evaporates, add a little more stock or broth. Stir in the capers.
Using 2 forks, tear the meat along the grain into very thin shreds. (You should be able to do this right in the pan.) Simmer for 3 minutes more, or until the meat soaks up the sauce. Season with more salt and black pepper, if desired. Sprinkle with the cilantro.

4 Servings.

Tonight I made a stew featured in The Border Cookbook, though the original comes out of the Santa Fe Cooking School. This simple, hearty, green-tinged stew gets a lot of flavor from 3 cups of roasted poblano peppers. The long cooking time makes the beef extremely tender.

Chris says:

I heart roasted poblanos!

Lisa says:

This is *so* filling.

Chris says:

Yeah, the potatoes totally break down and thicken it up.

Lisa says:

…and I like the skins left on.

Chris says:

The beef is really tender too.

Lisa says:

Eight servings, huh? I can’t wait for leftovers.

Roasted Poblano Stew
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1.5 lbs beef stew meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 medium onions, diced
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 large baking potatoes, unpeeled, diced
1 tbsp salt
5 cups chicken broth
3 cups chopped roasted poblano peppers (about 6 large peppers)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
3 tbsp minced cilantro

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook the meat until it browns and most of its liquid has evaporated. Add the onions and garlic and cook for an additional few minutes, until the onions turn translucent. Add the potatoes, broth, and salt, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Add the poblanos and red bell pepper and simmer for another 1-1.5 hours, until the beef is super tender.
Stir in the cilantro and serve.

8 Servings

Lisa was looking for a recipe to utilize the rest of our veggies from the CSA box, and came across this recipe from Food & Wine Magazine. Potatoes and broccoli are the big players here, with a supporting cast of mushrooms, tomatoes, and basil. The green curry paste we had on hand was pretty subtle, but still added a nice flavor to the dish.

Chris says:

Hot damn, I like this!

Lisa says:

What? It’s not hot at all. The flavor is really good though.

Chris says:

I didn’t mean “spicy” damn… I really like the flavors, too, and you can always make it spicier with the ol’ rooster…

Lisa says:

I like these generous portions… Hm, guess what I’m having for dinner tomorrow night while you’re at school?

Thai Vegetable Curry
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1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 onion, sliced thin
1/2″ ginger, sliced thin
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons Thai green curry paste
14 oz can light coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup drained canned bamboo shoots, halved
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound broccoli, thick stems removed, tops cut into small florets (1 quart)
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 tomato, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice
1/3 cup thin-sliced basil leaves

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the curry paste and fry, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the coconut milk and broth and bring to a boil. Stir in the soy sauce, brown sugar, salt, bamboo shoots, potatoes, broccoli, and mushrooms. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the tomato and heat through, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the lime juice and basil.

Serve with rice.

4 Servings

Tonight I made another soup from Healthy Latin Cooking — this time, a mixed seafood chowder featuring shrimp, halibut, and cod.

Lisa says:

Now this is a broth-based soup I can get behind!

Chris says:

Huh? Why this one?

Lisa says:

It has so much other “stuff” in it — the potatoes, the carrots, 3 types of seafood… that actually fills me up.

Chris says:

Yeah, it’s filling, but I want this to be… creamier… more chowder-like. It tastes really good, but it could be thicker. Anyway, the recipe as listed calls for conger eel, but I couldn’t find it.

Lisa says:

That’s probably just as well, because if you made it with eel you wouldn’t find ME at the dinner table.

Chris says:

Oh come on, you’d try it…

Lisa says:

Maybe if you didn’t tell me what it was first.

Chris says:

So, remember when I said the store didn’t have it? Well…

Lisa says:

No! You’re kidding, right?

Lisa says:

Right?

Chilean Fish and Shrimp Stew
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1 1/2 pounds mixed seafood (shrimp, halibut, etc.)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and ground pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
2 large carrots, cut into 1/2″ slices
1 bay leaf
4 cups fish stock
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Cut the fish into cubes and place in a 13″ x 9″ glass dish along with the shrimp. Add a third of the chopped garlic, the lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, remaining garlic, and the bell pepper and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions become translucent, but not browned. Turn the heat to high, add the wine, and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes, carrots, bay leaf, and fish stock, and return to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes. Add the seafood, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily. Stir in the cilantro and simmer for one minute. Remove the bay leaf, and add additional salt and pepper, if desired.

4 Servings

This week’s CSA box included plenty of potatoes and spinach, so this dish was an obvious choice. The recipe below is modified from a few different sources online.

Lisa says:

This is *so* good.

Chris says:

It really is — I love that combo of spinach and potatoes.

Lisa says:

Did you mention that we’re currently eating this with delicious garlic naan and some saffron rice?

Chris says:

No, I didn’t… but I guess you just did.

Lisa says:

Can we have this every week?

Chris says:

Yes, please.

Aloo Palak
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1 bunch spinach
1/2 bunch cilantro
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 inch fresh ginger, roughly chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 green chilies, chopped with seeds
1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed*
(*We actually used a full pound, since we had them on hand)
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Saute the garlic, ginger, onions and green chili together until the onion starts to brown. Then add the cilantro and spinach and cook until the spinach wilts. Place in a blender and puree to desired consistency. Cook the potatoes (boil, or microwave) until almost done. In a deep pan heat the butter and fry the cumin seeds for about 20 seconds till they start to lightly brown. Add the turmeric and other spices and fry for about 30 seconds. Add the spinach-onion mixture, salt, and potatoes and cook for a few minutes for the flavors to meld and the potatoes to fully cook.