One of my favourite activities is to chat about food because I always learn something new. During one of my visits back home, I was talking with a friend who grew up in a small town just outside Monterrey. His family has lived there for generations.
As he reminisced about meals his Grandmother made at home, he told me about his favorite food and said he still makes some of those recipes today. One of them was this unusual beef and cabbage dish that he shared with me. It was so delicious that when I came back home I wanted to make it right away. I tried to follow his instructions and I have to say it turned out very, very good!
In the oral tradition of sharing recipes in Mexico, many times only ingredients and techniques are discussed, so it’s up to the listener to figure any given recipe out. After playing with this recipe a little bit, I came up with this version, and I love it because it is not only delicious and very easy to make, but most importantly, it is pretty darn close to my friend’s dish. The fact that this is an old recipe is also very appealing to me, as I like to think I’m helping preserve something precious.
This recipe represents a common technique in Mexican cooking, where braising in salsa achieves a spectacular result. First we sauté the salsa ingredients, then we blend them to make a sauce. That sauce is then added to the browned meat and then everything cooks gently together. The end result is worthy of a weekend meal, but easy enough to make on a weeknight. You can serve this on crispy tostadas, or make a more substantial meal by adding rice and beans to the plate. Either way, your family will approve!
Cortadillo de Res con Repollo
Beef Stew with cabbage braised in tomato sauce
450g top sirloin, cut to ½” pieces
1 small onion, roughly chopped
3 Jalapeño chiles, stemmed and roughly chopped
3 roma tomatoes, roughly chopped
2/3 cup beef broth
4 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage
3 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup cilantro leaves, for garnish
Tostadas for serving
In large sauté pan heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium high heat. Cook onions and jalapeños for 2 minutes, or until softened. Add tomatoes and 1/2 tsp kosher salt and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every so often. Remove mixture to blender container and process until smooth. Reserve.
In same sauté pan, heat the other 2 Tbsp oil. Brown meat over medium high heat. Make sure it has a nice golden brown colour, it may take 5-10 minutes. Pour sauce over beef and turn heat down to simmer. Add chopped cabbage and bring to a boil. Cover pan and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until meat and cabbage are tender, adding a bit of water if mixture becomes dry.
Correct seasoning and serve hot with corn tostadas. Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves.
Serves 4.