Monday, January 6, 2014

Bistec en cazuela

First dish is Bistec en cazuela.  It means literally steak casserole.  It's a Cuban version of the Italian dish Braciole.  Not sure which came first but nonetheless they are both delicious.  It's a braised steak dish smothered with onions and tangy red sauce.   As for the steak cuts, top round is a common thin steak cut but I am not a fan of it.  Little flavor and kind of tough, even with long slow cooking.  I much prefer chuck or sirloin sliced very thin.  Ask for your butcher to do either one and be prepared to be stared at very strangely as well. :)  I then pound them lightly just to flatten then further.  You are looking for 1/4 inch or so.

You can also cook this in four ways.  Best way is the pressure cooker.  After adding the steaks, you cook it under pressure for 20 minutes.  Next best way is in a french enameled dutch oven.  After adding the meat, you cover and place in a 300 degree oven for an hour.  You can also leave it on the stove top covered for 30 minutes on low.  Lastly you can just sear the steaks and toss everything into a crockpot and cook it on low for 6 hours.  I would omit the can of water in the recipe below.

Pound of thin steaks, about 5-6
2 cloves of garlic, smashed with 1/2 tsp of salt and pepper in a mortar.  Or on a cutting board with a knife.

1 large white onion, sliced
1 small red pepper, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
1 small can of tomato sauce, plus this can of water
2 squirts from a tomato paste tube or 1 tbsp of tomato paste
1 cup of white cooking or drinking wine
1 bay leaf
Tsp of each: Salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder
1/2 tsp of cumin
Juice of one lime
2 tbsp of orange juice (or replace both lime and orange juice with the juice of a sour orange)

Bunch of cilantro OR parsley, coarsely chopped.
Splash of vinegar OR tbsp of lime OR sour orange

Spread garlic paste thinly on all the steaks, place in a shallow dish.  Set aside.

In a large pan, add enough olive oil to cover the bottom and turn heat to medium high. Sear the steaks on both sides till just golden and set aside.

Turn heat to medium and saute onions till soft.  Scrape up any bits with the onions.  When soft, add peppers, cook till soft.  Add in rest of the ingredients and stir till incorporated.  Add steaks back in and sink them into the sauce.  Depending on how you want to cook it, this is where you either pressure cook it, oven roast it or cook it on stovetop on low covered.  Once done, top with fresh herb of choice (cilantro or parsley) and perk it up with the splash of vinegar or juice of the lime or sour orange.  Then salt/pepper to taste.

Serve with rice and bread to sop up all the sauce!