Shredded Cuban Beef Dinner,Mexican Style Eggs

Shredded Cuban Beef Dinner
Sunday we went to Ethiopia. Today we’re off to Cuba! Below
are recipes for Vaca Frita, moros y cristianos, and tostones –
translation? Cuban shredded beef, black rice (rice and black
beans) and fried green plantains –
Really delicious meal!
Vaca Frita
Here’s how it’s made…
What you need:
1 pounds beef – any cut works, but I used a chuck
Beef broth (enough to cover the beef in the crock-pot
½ onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic
2-3 Tablespoons of olive oil
¼ cup orange juice
3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon lime zest
¼ teaspoon ground cumin
lime wedges
How to Do it:
Cut the beef into chunks and put in a crockpot. Put enough
beef broth in and cover. Cook until it falls apart – about 8
hours on low.
When the beef is done, sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil
until they are soft.
Add the beef and fry on medium-high
until it starts to crisp a little.
Add the remaining
ingredients (except lime wedges) and simmer until the liquid
evaporates. Serve with lime wedges.
Serves 4
moros y cristianos
What you need:
½
½
2
1
1
¾
2
white onion, chopped
green bell pepper, chopped
cloves of garlic
Tablespoon olive oil
can of black beans, with liquid
cup chicken broth
Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
½ cup uncooked rice
1 teaspoon cumin
pinch of saffron
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
How to Do it:
Sautee the onion and bell pepper in the olive oil until it
starts to soften.
Add the can of beans with the liquid.
Using a garlic press, add the garlic.
Mix well. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir. Bring
to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer until the rice is
cooked through, about 35-40 minutes. Serve hot!
Serves 4-6
Tostones
What you need:
4 green plantains
Olive oil
Salt
NOTE: Plantains will begin to yellow on the shelf. Purchase
them within a day of cooking them so they stay green!
How to Do it:
Remove the peel from the plantains by removing the ends and
carefully cutting the peel away.
Some may peel easily, but I used a knife (it was easiest).
Cut the fruit into 1 to 1 ½ inch chunks.
Most recipes call for deep frying, but unless you keep all the
oil sitting around ready, it’s a lot more work than I wanted
to do! I just put about ½ inch of oil in the pan and fried
them up that way. Make sure you fry all sides until they are
light golden brown.
Remove from the oil and let cool. When they are cool enough
to handles, smash them flat with a pan, tortilla press, or, as
I did, a flat-bottomed glass.
Put the disks back into the oil and fry until golden.
Sprinkle with salt and serve.
Serves 4
Enjoy!
And tomorrow – it’s Thai Chicken with Peanut Noodles!
Mexican Style Eggs
One of our favorite Sunday breakfasts is a simple scrambled
eggs served with refried beans and Mexican chorizo – Add a
some orange slices topped with fresh grated cinnamon and you
have a meal that satisfies your belly and your mouth!
What you need:
8 Eggs
4 Tablespoons heavy cream
½ teaspoon tequila limon seasoning (lemon pepper will
also work)
4 green onions, chopped
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 can of your favorite refried beans
1 package of Mexican chorizo – either pork or beef
How to Do it:
Heat an iron skillet and add the chorizo.
Cook until it is
crumbly and slightly dry. Put it into a strainer and drain
off as much of the fat as possible.
Heat the beans in the same pan as you cooked the chorizo.
Once they are hot, set them aside.
Add 1 Tablespoon of the chorizo pan back in the pan. Mix the
eggs with the cream and the seasoning. Cook in the chorizo
fat until the eggs are well set.
Push the eggs aside and put the chorizo and beans back in the
pan and heat it all until everything heated through.
Sprinkle cheese and onions on the eggs when you serve them.
Serve with warm tortillas – Serves 4