MYO Cinco de Mayo: Slow Braised Beef Jalisco-Style
Recipe Credit: The Ruby Spoon, All Recipes
Makes 12 Servings
Ingredients:
- 4 dried guajillo chiles
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1/8 whole cloves
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ teaspoon ground ancho chile powder
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar (organic unfiltered)
- 1/3 cup Tequila Don Julio Blanco
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 6 lbs. boneless beef chuck roast
Preparation:
- Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat. Place the dried guajillo chiles into the skillet and cook, turning occasionally, until the color changes and the chilis have puffed, about 5 minutes.
- Set the chiles aside to cool for a moment. Meanwhile, toast the cumin and cloves in the hot skillet until the cumin seeds begin to pop; remove from the pan and set aside. Remove and discard the stems, seeds, and veins of the chiles, and place into a small bowl.
- Pour the boiling water over top, and cover. Let the chiles soak for 1 hour.
- Grind the toasted cumin and cloves into a powder, and place into a blender.
- Add the ancho chile powder, onion, garlic, oregano, thyme, vinegar, and lime juice. Remove the chiles from the soaking water, and place into the blender along with the 1/3 cup of tequila. Cover, and blend until a smooth paste forms.
- Place the beef roast into a mixing bowl, and pour the guajillo chile past over top. Coat the roast on all sides with the paste, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
- Transfer the roast and marinade to the crock-pot. Cover and slow cook on high for 6 hours. The meat can be left in the crock-pot in the keep warm function for 4 hours if needed.
Summer Eco-taining Essentials
Memorial Day is THE party kick-off event of the summer entertaining season. Get the party started right with my Summer Entertaining Essentials for Summer entertaining on-the-go or on demand.
I will share my picks for this summer’s entertaining must-haves that will take you through every summer holiday and every day summer entertaining whenever they pop up. Also, I will ensure that you’ll be entertaining in style as he brings the latest fashions to your tabletop with his “colors of the season” entertaining décor tips… And throw away those paper plates, for good, because I have great tips on environmentally friendly, sustainable entertaining for your summer eco-taining arsenal.
https://vimeo.com/42851366
Setting the table for the perfect summer entertaining on-the-go or on demand is as simple as 1-2-3!
First, start with the perfect bag of party tricks! I believe that keeping all your Summer entertaining essentials in one convenient and easy accessible place is key. My go-to Summer tote is make of Land’s End canvas and is the perfect eco-friendly Summer carrying bag made by Lands’ End. It is water resistant with plenty of storage for all your essentials.
Beach towels do double duty as picnic blankets or tablecloths. Fun vintage inspired pattern help set the festive tone. This beach towel, provided by Lands’ End is the perfect Vintage pattern tying in the color palette from the entire table.
Second, throw away those paper plates, for good! and opt for Bamboo plates, silverware, and serving pieces. These items, made by Core Bamboo, are made from 100% organically grown bamboo. They are finished with natural oils to make them food safe and the lacquer comes from natural cashew trees. If and when you do throw them away, they are 100% biodegradable and compostable, leaving you guilt free!
Thirdly, bring the hottest fashion colors to your Summer party with re-usable and disposable napkins. MY DRAP tear-off napkins are the only 100% cotton napkins on a roll that come in a variety of colors and sizes that can be mixed and matched for a mega dose of fashion colors. Guests get the feel of cloth napkins in a disposable that are good for the environment, making you “look marvelous” (and feel marvelous too)! The best part about these napkins is they can be washed and reused up to six times!
The perfect compliment to the MY DRAP napkins is the Table Chameleon Napkin Rings, which I designed and produced and are the perfect summer entertaining essential! The Table Chameleon Napkin Rings are designed to bring a bit of character to your table in whatever way you please with a variety of colors and styles. Easy to use, the 3/4″ thick hand-cut acrylic rings are held together with magnets and feature inserts in four different designs – London, Ada, Saturn and Miami – in the colors, red blue, orange, and green. To switch out the inserts, there are four simple steps: slide, slip, snap and create! All you have to do is slide the pieces apart, slip in the insert, snap the two pieces together and create the look you want for your table! For more information or to purchase The Table Chameleon, go to my website!
To be the ULTIMATE Eco-tainer, make sure you party like a Local-vore!
A local-vore is a person dedicated to eating food grown and produced locally. There are a lot of reasons to eat locally grown and produced foods.
- Less resources (primarily fossil fuels) are expended packaging and easy transporting from Farm to Table.
- It supports the local economy – more money remains in our local community.
- It is healthier – processing and preservatives are less important since the food doesn’t have to travel so far.
- It is safer and thus local-vores are less susceptible to foodborn illnesses.
- It is more honest – honesty in terms of the food source and the growing/producing process.
- And last but not least – it tastes better!
Here are a few examples for shopping for like a local-vore that I incorporated into this segment by shopping right here in NYC:
Asparagus – NJ Native
Beef – PA Native
Mushrooms – NJ Native
Cheese – NY Native
Crab Cakes – NJ Native
Tomatoes – NJ Native
“Like Us” on Facebook and “Follow Us” on Twitter for more of Mark’s recipes, tips and tricks!
Savory Summer Salad
This recipe will serve 4 and can be prepared in 25-35 minutes!
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash® Garlic & Herb Blend
- 1 beef top sirloin steak, cut ¾ inch thick (about 1 lb)
- 1 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 medium tomato, sliced
- 4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and sliced
- New York Style® Sea Salt Bagel Crisps®
Dressing
- 2 Tsp. Mrs. Dash® Garlic & Herb Blend
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
Directions
- Whisk dressing ingredients in small bowl. Reserve ¼ cup dressing for salad. Brush remaining dressing on onion slices.
- Heat grill or cast iron grill plate.
- Rub beef with 1 Tbsp. Mrs. Dash® Garlic & Herb Blend. Grill steak 7 to 13 minutes to desired doneness, turning occasionally. Slice steak.
- Grill onion 10-12 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender.
- Arrange lettuce on serving platter and top with sliced steak, tomatoes, onion and eggs. Drizzle with reserved 1/3 cup dressing. Serve Bagel Crisps® on the side.
Half-time: Texas Chili Challenge
For half time, I’m taking you out on the range for a Texas Campfire Challenge! We can’t talk about Texas food without talking about Chili!
I have two Chili’s in the Taste-off… my signature Twice Drunken Chili and a Dallas original Cos’ Chili (they serve this Chili at the Ritz Carlton in Fearings Restaurant so you know it has to be good!) It is the battle of the beans vs. beanless chili – a timeless argument that may never be settled!
Set out oversized mugs (just like you would eat from on the range) and fill ’em up with your choice of chili and load up on your favorite toppings (in mason jars) Sour Cream, Pepper-jack Cheese, Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese, Beef Jerky, Chopped Onion, Avocado, Corn Chips or Fritos, and Crumbled Jalapeno Cornbread.
(download the recipe cards here – Twice Drunken Chili)
(download the recipe cards here – Cos’ Chili)
Tip: the Cos’ Chili is properly served over Fritos and topped with cheese, jalapenos and sour cream!
Cos’ Chili
Ingredients:
For the fried tortilla strips:
- 1 quart of vegetable oil
- 5 yellow corn tortillas, cut into short, narrow strips
For the chili base:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- ½ small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 medium shallot, roughly chopped
- 3 medium cloves of garlic, smashed
- 1 rib of celery, leaves removed and chopped
- 2 jalapeños, sliced
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 10 ancho chilies, stem and seeds removed
- 2 pasilla chilies, stem and seeds removed
- One 12-ounce beer, preferably Shiner Bock or another dark amber beer
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup rich chicken stock
- ¼ cup toasted unsalted peanuts
- 1 cup of fried tortilla strips or Fritos Corn Chips
For Cos’ Chili:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 16 ounces beef sirloin, diced small
- 1 small yellow onion
- 3 cups chili base
- Salt to taste
- Fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco
- 1 lime, juiced
- Fried thin tortillas, or Fritos Corn Chips
- Grated cheddar cheese, for garnish
- Fresh jalapeños, minced, for garnish
- Red onions, minced, for garnish
Directions
For the fried tortilla strips:
In a medium sauté pan, heat oil to 350 degrees. Add tortilla strips and cook until crispy. Remove from oil and place on paper towels to strain excess oil. Season with salt.
For the chili base:
In a medium sauté pan over medium high heat, add oil, onions, carrot, shallots, garlic, celery and jalapeño. Sauté until vegetables begin to caramelize, about 10-15 minutes. Stir in cumin and chilies. Deglaze mixture with the beer, orange juice and stock. Cook for an additional 5 minutes over medium high heat. Turn fire down to a simmer and add peanuts and tortilla strips and cook mixture until the liquid has been reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Purée in a blender until very smooth.
For Cos’ chili:
In a medium sauté pan over high heat, add olive oil, diced meat, and onions and cook until onions turn translucent, about 5-8 minutes. Add the chili base and continue to cook over medium heat until meat is tender, about 1 hour. Season with salt, black pepper, cumin, Tabasco sauce, and lime juice.
To serve, add tortilla chips in each of four warm bowls. Spoon chili on top of chips. Add garnishes, as desired.
